Fear (What IS Jade afriad of?)
by crystalamaris
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss, nor will I ever. But... I can dream, can't I?
Author's Note: Pure simple drabble. No chapters. Just a one shot. Better explaination after the story.
Rated: G (Nothing graphic in the means of violence, romance, language, or nudity. None of that at all. And no... Jade's bathrobe of no cause for alarm.
Pairing(s): None unless you really squint. Then you might see Jade/Luke... but not intentional.
Warnings: Some spoilers for towards the end of the game. If you don't know about Guy's past... you might want to go back and play the game some more. It's a really good past.
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Night had fallen over Belkend where the group stopped for the night during their preperations to go to Eldrant. The sudden storm had cause Noelle to make an emergency landing. Not that they really complained. Everyone was tired and on edge. Most had already retired for the night, as Jade was about to... until thunder crashed and the lights went out, just as his door slammed open, then closed. With his enhanced eyesight, Jade could make out their resident red-head leaning against the door through the dark. Even though Jade could tell that Luke frightened, he couldn't resist the chance to tease.
"And to what do I owe the honor of this late-night visit?"
"Ja- Jade?!" Luke stammered, attempting to peer through the dark room. "I'm sorry... I honestly thought this was Guy's room."
"Nope. I believe our dear fon machine obsessed noble is three doors down, though if I'm not mistaken, and I rarely am, he went back to the Albiore to bring Noelle food and offer his assistance." Luke sighed at that, knowing full well that Jade was most likely right. Just as he reached for the door knob, lighting flashed and thunder rolled. Next thing Jade knew, he had a lap-full of shuddering Luke. "Why... If I didn't know better, I'd say that you are afraid of storms." Luke didn't answer. Instead, he clung even tighter, sobbing into the colonel's chest. Jade sighed and wrapped his arms around the frightened viscount. "I guess it's only natural. You're still a child and many children under the age of ten are afraid of storms. And then, about 1/4th of them never really get over those fears." Luke looked up at jade, still trembling, his face stained with tears.
"Is there a chance I'll get over my fear?"
"Yes... there is a chance, but keep this in mind. All of us are afraid of something. Guy's afraid of women. Tear's afraid of ghosts. Anise is afraid of heights. Natalia is afraid of bugs." Luke moved out of Jades lap to sit with him on the bed, but neglected to relinquish his hold on the fonist's bathrobe.
"What about you, Jade? Are you afraid of anything?" Jade thought for a second. His fear was something he had intended to take to the grave, but the scared boy needed to know as yet another bolt of lightning caused Luke to bury his face in Jade's robe.
"Very well. I will tell you. But let me warn you. Should anyone outside of this room find out, you will die in the most painfullest way I can find." Jade felt Luke nod at his side. Hopefully, by morning, Luke wouldn't remember. Taking a deep breath and casting a glance towards the door, Jade started his story.
"In Keterburg, before I really pursued fomicry, I spent a lot of time between playing with Nephry, Peony, and Dist, and practicing my fonic arts. One day, I had pushed myself beyond my limit and was both physically and mentally exhausted. I retired early that night to recover in time for the festival the next evening. It was while I slept that Dist and Peony found a large crate of popcorn kernels. They thought it'd be humorous I suppose, to fill my room with it while I slept. Needless to say, I was still groggy when I finally woke, only to find myself completely surrounded. Still half-asleep, I acted before thinking and used the fifth fonon to try clearing a path." Luke blinked in surprise.
"You used fire on popcorn kernels!? But... with that many, it would've packed your room!"
"And that it did. I remember fearing for my life and ultimately panicking. A rushed splash art broke one of my bedroom walls, allowing my escape. Dist was the first I saw. Nephry just barely managed to keep me from killing him, though I doubt he'll of forgotten my fury. Never the less, though, I've never been able to look at popcorn the same way again, let alone eat it."
"Trauma..." Luke muttered, half-asleep as the storm died down.
"Yes. I suppose that is what it is." Jade smiled as Luke started snoring softly against his shoulder. "You can come in, Gailardia." Guy sheepishly poked his head around the door.
"Sorry. I noticed Luke wasn't in his room and came to find him. Thanks for watching over him." Guy crossed the room and gently scooped Luke up, detatching his grip and careful not to wake him. As he turned to leave...
"And Guy... not a word of this to anyone else." Guy shivered as Jade's unspoken promise sunk in. No... Guy was positive that this secret would remain just that.
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A.n.- Wow... that was originally two pages front and back hand written... now it seems so short... *sigh* Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue what Natalia's scared of. I borrowed Anise's fear from 's story. (Go read Reflections by her. It's really good! Make sure you have tissues, though.) Luke's fear just made sense, seeing how he's only seven. As for Jade... the story behind that... One bag of popcorn, a little Jade figure, and my brother giving me a hard time. A got this little figure of Jade in his Resort King costume and have been using it as a semi-good luck charm. So I took him to bingo with me and my brother. My brother took him and shoved him in the bag of popcorn, then proceeded to eat all the popcorn from around him. I laughed, saying that Jade will probably be forever afraid of popcorn. Then I started writting. *rubs wrist* It's been so long since I hand-wrote anything that my wrist hurts. I could only write for so long, this stop and rest. Then repeat.
Well... R&R my fine friends. And BTW... I'd love to see some fanart, if you want to.