Aah, well it's certainly been a long time since I've put up anything new (or updated for that matter). School and personal life has been getting in the way of a lot of things, and I don't have as much time to write nowadays.

Anyway, this idea came up a little while ago and I suddenly felt the urge to write it, so here it is. Hope you enjoy this story. I hope my writing skills are not rusty.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from TOS. They are copyright of Namco.

A New Role

Regal sighed. He pulled the light colored sheets closer to his body as he tried to comprehend what had happened, ignoring the tingle as the blanket touched his bare skin. The sound of running water suddenly stopped from the bathroom behind him, and over the silence of the room he could hear light footsteps walking over the tiled floor. With his back to the bathroom door, he listened closely for the sounds of fabric running over smooth skin, but didn't hear any. The battle artist sighed, and just at that moment, the door opened, showering the dark bedroom with light.

"Are you awake?" A young, feminine voice asked.

Regal nodded. "Yes Presea, I'm awake."

"Hmm…" She noticed that he wasn't acting like his normal self before several hours ago. Despite not being able to see his face, Presea had learned how to read Regal's expressions, and at the moment, she could tell that something was bothering him. "Regal, is something wrong?"

He sighed. "Presea, I don't know if this relationship is going to work."

"Well, why's that?" She asked as she walked onto the carpeted floor, barefooted.

"It's because…it's because of our differences." Regal answered slowly. "Not our mental differences, our physical ones. You've just barely turned 13 years old, but I'm almost 20 years older than you."

"Well, you know I'm really 29 right?"

"Of course I'm aware of that Presea, and I'm grateful for it. But still, I've…I've never done this before." He paused. "I've never pursued this kind of relationship with you. The highest I've ever thought of you was as a friend, but now, I'm not sure if I can truly handle something like this. Mentally, I know I am capable, but, ethically, it feels like a burden on my conscious." He pulled himself to a sitting position, pushing the light blue blanket off his bare upper body in the process and letting his disheveled blue hair fall over his chest and back. Presea smiled and nodded in understanding, despite the fact that Regal couldn't see her. She pulled herself up onto the bed and crawled toward him on her hands and knees. "I'm…I'm just worried I guess…"

The young flower finally stopped just behind the battle artist and sat down behind him, stretching her legs on each side of him as she ran her arms over his back. Regal looked down and noticed Presea's legs on either side of him. Only half of her knees down to her feet were visible to him, and not much to his surprise, both were bare, save for the droplets that dotted her calves due to the shower. Presea's hands stopped just below his shoulders and gently massaged them, freeing the knots that resided within. "Regal, I understand your hesitation, but please, I asked this of you." She squeezed a spot on his back and relieved the blood flow. "I don't want to live like this anymore. I don't want to live like a burden of guilt for you Regal; I've already forgiven you for that a long time ago." She stopped, then resumed. "I want to live as someone close to you, not just someone you feel obligated to because of your sins." She paused. "Besides, you do love me right?"

Regal moaned as Presea found a tight spot in his back. "Yes, I do love you Presea." He replied.

"Then, won't you do this for me?" A silence ensued between them. "I know you think this is a burden on your conscious, but please, don't take it that way. I chose this willingly Regal. I want to be with you, not as someone who brings back guilt and bad memories, but as someone who is very close to you." She paused. "But…it's all up to you Regal. If you don't want to do this, then I understand."

She stopped her massage and waited. The silence seemed to go on for eternity, and Presea's anticipation and anxiety rose each second, but at the same time, her hope for the expected answer dwindled. Then, after several long minutes, Regal finally sighed. "Alright, Presea. I'll do my best with my relationship. If it will make you happy, I'll try to be your…" He paused. "guardian." He finished awkwardly. He suddenly gasped as he felt arms embrace his neck and Presea's body press against his back.

"Thank you Regal." She whispered. "Or should I say, father?" She said with a giggle.

"Adoptive father."

Presea giggled again. "Close enough." She pulled away from him and resumed the massage, but Regal placed his hands over hers.

"Thank you Presea, but I have to look over some papers." He set his feet on the floor and pulled down the sleeves of his jeans. "It's been very stressful lately at Lezareno, I'm sorry I fell asleep here earlier." He stated while stretching his arms.

"It's okay, I understand, and…You're welcome…father." Presea said.

The battle artist chuckled. "Let's try that a little later. I still feel uncomfortable being called that." He grabbed his t-shirt hanging from a hook and quickly pulled it over his head. He turned to see Presea garbed in her white bathrobe, her hair still dripping wet from the shower. He chuckled again. "You know, if you really were my daughter, I'm a rather young father, even more so considering your true age."

Presea returned a chuckle. "I know. We can still converse like adults if you'd like."

"I suppose…" He paused. "By the way, when's Genis coming?"

"In…about five, ten minutes I think." She answered.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get dressed." Regal said as he straightened his shirt. "It's not a good impression to be late on your first date Presea."

Presea nodded. "I know but…I'm nervous Regal."

"Just be yourself Presea. That's the only advice I can really give." The telephone suddenly rang and Regal quickly grabbed the receiver. "Hello? Yes, this is me. Hmm, okay, thank you. Show him in, I'll be right down." He placed the receiver back and turned toward Presea. "He's early."

"I'm…I'm not ready yet." Presea said calmly, hiding her sense of panic.

"Well, then you should prepare more promptly next time." Regal headed for the doorway. "Get dressed quickly; I'll talk with him for a while."

"Okay, thank you." Presea ran back into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Regal smiled as he heard the noises coming from the bathroom and headed out of the bedroom. It had been a stressful day at Lezareno for him, but coming home to hear Presea ask him to be her guardian, or as she calls it, 'adoptive father' was a bigger shock for him than the calamity at Lezareno. The battle artist closed the door and sighed upon reminiscing the past few hours. He fell asleep while lying in bed thinking about her request, and ended up awakening just after she finished her shower to get ready for her date with Genis. After arranging his thoughts, Regal finally shook his head.

"It's going to be awkward, but…I'll grow into it I suppose." He headed down the stairs, and the first thing that he saw at the foyer, was Genis, garbed in a simple light-blue t-shirt and matching shorts.

Heh heh, I hope you guys enjoyed the fic.
Please review, thanks for reading!