A/N: Welcome. This is "Beyond the Abyss", which is a rather lame title that I just thought up. This will be a collection of one-shots and drabbles centered on Tales of the Abyss, which is probably, like, my favorite game ever. For now, anyway. Warnings will precede each chapter, so don't blame me if you get spoiled or read something that freaks you out. Updates will happen whenever I feel like it, and will likely be extremely sporadic. Also, I do take requests, but if you want something specific then you must be specific.

Title: Meaning of Death

Warning(s): Knowledge of Jade and Nebilim's past is recommended.

Rating: G

Words: 409

For: ---

Professor Nebilim was perhaps the only person that Jade had ever felt any remorse about killing. Monsters were considered insignificant nuisances and soldiers were expected to die; whether they did so at Jade's hands did not matter.

But years later Jade still regretfully recalled how his time with the professor had been cut short due to his own foolishness. Nebilim was not the only person who meant something to him, but she had been the first person he had ever considered on the same level as himself. Before then, anyone else was categorized. Some were subjects to take the brunt of his repertoire of non-lethal fonic artes, such as a few of the adults who believed that Jade would allow himself to be controlled merely because he was young. Others were bothersome tagalongs like Saphir. Even fewer were those that he didn't mind spending time with at all, such as Nephry.

Nebilim had also been the first person to treat Jade as though he were really his own age. She recognized the sharp intelligence that he possessed, but she always lectured him as though he were an infant clinging to his mother's skirt.

"You are still a child until you can understand what it means to die," she told him one day. "Children can be the cruelest beings until they realize that there is no way to truly restore life to that which has died. The physical form can be recreated with fomicry, but memories, emotions, and a soul cannot."

Jade nodded, listening attentively, and yet not really hearing what she had to say. Nebilim sighed and rested her hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Death is permanent. No machines will ever fix it. I want you to promise that if I should die, and someday I will, you will not use fomicry to try to bring me back."

"I promise."

Jade was a liar. And instead of resurrecting his beloved instructor he created a ruthless monster. It had her face and strength, but it did not recognize him, even as it lashed out in attempt to kill him, and then fled into the night.

As Jade nursed the wounds he sustained from chasing off the replica, he was surprised to find that he hardly noticed the physical pain. Instead, there was something heavy settling in his chest and throat. Warm, salty tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

Perhaps he had begun to understand what it means to die.

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A/N: Although I shouldn't, I'm posting this with little revision. I have problems with maintaining consistent tenses (among other things), so if you can note any errors please let me know. I won't bite you, I promise.

I also know little of Nebilim's stance on fomicry, as I've yet to complete all the sidequests, but I took a guess. I just wanted to write something with Jade in it. :)

Now, onto that second playthrough…