Author's Notes: I've actually decided to do an entire series of chapters for this story, which actually surprised myself, because I'm usually too lazy to attempt it. Oh well, I really want to do this story, and I'd probably spam up the ToS boards with all of the one-shots that I would need to write for this, and confused all of the readers as well.

I wouldn't suggest reading this until you've gotten to at least Yulia City or farther, there may be some minor spoilers I've written in, and I wouldn't want to ruin the story for you.

This is dedicated to everyone who's reviewed my fics, and those who will do so on this story. I really appreciate the reviews.

Disclaimer: If I owned Tales of the Abyss, I would have no need for binge playing at one in the morning. Needless to say, I don't own it.

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A Simple Trade

By: Dragnotchi

Chapter One: The Wrist

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The pain, the blinding pain was the only thing that the Kimlascan princess knew as she felt her bow snap out of her hand, and her wrist get twisted savagely around. She could feel the bone shatter as too much stress was placed on the ligament, and crying out, Natalia fell to her knees, trying desperately to ease the pain.

"O soothing light," she whispered through the tears streaming down her face. She knew that it was hopeless. There was no chance that she could possibly cure the bone itself with only her meager strength left. "Heal." The pain didn't go away, and nothing happened to her wrist.

Her bow lay in pieces a few feet off, and arrows spilled from her quiver as she nursed her hand, rocking back and forth. It was hopeless; there was nothing that could help now. She would never be able to draw her bow again, in all respects, and for the rest of her life she would be a cripple… If only she hadn't been so foolish!

Shuddering, Natalia looked up at the swordsman looking down at her, blade ready to deal the blow that would ultimately cause her death. "Foolish girl," he said with a grin that chilled her to the bone. "You should have know better than to attempt to face a sword with your bow."

"Natalia!" That was Luke's voice as the swordsman hoisted his blade in his hand. She couldn't move as Luke expected her to. Every nerve in her body was screaming through the pain that even moving caused her wrist. There was no more hope in her heart as the blade came down.

Blood splattered her up-turned face as a blade pierced through the male. Tear was at her side in an instant, looking at her wrist with an expression of remorse on her face.

"What's the matter with her?" Luke asked as Natalia closed her eyes, biting her lip to ward off the ripples of agony that spread through her arm. "Did she break her bone?"

"She shattered it," Tear said with a frown as she herself attempted to cast a spell and fix the wound. It failed as Natalia's had.

"Can you fix it?" Guy asked from behind Natalia, his expression dour.

"Not very likely," Colonel Jade said as he and Anise joined the group after finishing off the last of the enemies. "If they both attempted to, they might come up with some cure, but certainly magic couldn't help much with this sort of wound."

"S-so what am I to do?" Natalia asked, rubbing the tears from her face with her good hand. "I cannot use my bow like this."

"You'll be lucky to string it again."

"Stop it Jade, you're not making anything better!" Luke said as he dropped to his knees, helping Tear carefully lift Natalia's wrist so they could inspect it better.

"Don't worry about it Luke, I've come to expect the truth from Colonel Jade," Natalia said, biting back a yelp as they jarred her wrist. "But I do want to attempt what Jade suggested. Do you mind if we both used the seventh fonon, Tear?"

The group held their breath as the two chanted the different verses for their artes.

"Heal!"

"First Aid!"

A loud pop was heard as the shattered fragments of her bone disappeared, replaced by soft, new bone. Natalia was already unconscious by the time the bone was done growing.

"What now, Colonel?" Tear asked as Guy caught Natalia from falling to the ground, letting her backgently touch the ground.

"I suppose you'll have to splint her wrist and wrap it tightly. The new bone will need time to grow; it could be easily shattered again right now, or broken, and I'm not sure if you two could pull off bringing it back a second time."

Luke hopped off to get wood for the splints while Guy went to get bandages.

Jade adjusted his glasses. "In any case, she won't be using her bow anytime soon." He stated with a frown. "She needs to let that heal for quite a while, months even, before she can begin to strengthen it without fear if it shattering again."

"But we need Natalia, even if she is annoying," Anise said with a frown. "I don't think things will be half as easy now that she's out of commission for a while. I've gotten used to having her back us up with her arrows."

But what they all were really worried about was Natalia herself and how she would react to the news that she couldn't use her bow for a long while, and how their small group could handle losing their only archer and other seventh fonist.

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An oasis in the middle of the desert was a miraculous find, even if they hadn't been planning on resting for quite a while. The group settled down in the forest-like surroundings of the life-bringing water that formed a small pond.

They had all gone off, promising to return by supper, all of them except for Natalia. As soon as everyone had gone, she had brought out her bow, ignoring the pain in her wrist as she attempted to string it. She was certain it was Jade's cruel joke to have the bow unstrung until her wrist was well. At this rate the wood would get stiff, and her bow uttered useless.

"I hate sitting on the sidelines," she muttered to herself, looping one end of the string over the top of the wood before placing that end on the ground, holding it in place with her foot. It was bringing the string up to loop over the top that gave her trouble. Her wrist would give out right before she could get it strung, and continuing to mutter angrily under her breath, she tried again and again, but to no avail.

"You know you're not supposed to do that," Guy's voice said from behind her. She whirled, picking up her bow in her good hand, unstrung, before reaching back to grab an arrow. A sharp pain ran down her wrist as she tilted it, and dropping her bow, she cradled the ligament.

"My bow will get stiff if I don't," she said in annoyance. "And I want to do something. No one will let me cook, much less string my bow."

Giving an agitated sigh, she slumped to one of the logs lining the oasis, arms crossed over her breast.

"You have to be patient, your wrist won't heal like magic after being shattered." Guy said, sitting on the log as well.

"But I'm a seventh fonist; I should be able to fix it…" Natalia muttered, scowling at the ground.

"Hey, it can't be that bad. So you're out of commission for a while, maybe you could pick up something new," Guy said with a smile, leaning back on the log with his arms behind his neck. "Like knitting, or sewing, or cooking..."

"You already know that I can't cook, nor can I sew or knit decently." She sighed. "Now I don't know what to do."

Guy didn't reply, though he looked thoughtful as he glanced up at the sky. Natalia did the same, the clouds slowly drifting across the blue expanse making her calmer. She needed something else to do, or else she would go crazy, she was certain, and then her mind slowly resumed its pace of thought.

Her eyes turned from the sky to the bags of things in the corner of the camp, and sticking out of one of them were Luke's old wooden practice swords.

"Guy… Do you think that I could learn swordplay?"

She ignored the male falling off of the log with a frown. This would be harder than she had thought.

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So what'd you think? Is it all right? I can't write beginnings for my life, so I promise the next chapter will be better D Thanks for reading!