Disclaimer: I do NOT own Star Ocean: till the end of time

Tears and Snow

The Crimson Blade

Dead, red leaves crunched under her feet as she wandered across the Irisa Plains, recalling the final battle. She remembered the mortal pain that shot up her back, the crimson liquid that steadily streamed down her legs. She remembered coughing out her precious life's blood with a burning throat and a fading vision as she watched her enemy approach her with the largest javelin that she had ever seen. She remembered the fear of death. Nel Zelpher shivered slightly at the memory or rather, nightmare. Her short, dark scarlet hair swayed in rhythm of the wind and her mysterious green eyes shimmered in the dim sunlight, resembling iridescent water. I wonder…what the others are doing now… She mused to herself. All of her former comrades have gone their separate ways, to continue living. Nel missed them terribly, even though she kept telling herself that she wouldn't dwell on the past. They all fought and traveled together, against the Creator, against God himself and won. How could she ever forget? She couldn't just break that bond and live on as if nothing really happened. Well…at least I could visit a few of them here… Nel thought. Though…I'll probably never see the others again…they are worlds away from here… Quite literally, most of Nel's comrades were worlds away. The young woman sat down on the edge of the cliff near the city of Aquios, temporarily neglecting her duty as the agent of Aquaria, her kingdom. Will I ever see them again?

The Black Brigade Captain

Thick, white snow crushed under his feet as he treaded across the Traum Mountains near Airyglyph. The young man drew out his bloody katana as he sensed an enemy approach. A wolf-like creature with dark narrow eyes glared at the warrior with its teeth bared, ready to slaughter him. Hmph…Pathetic… The warrior mused to himself. With uncanny speed, the young man brought his sword upon the creature's cranium, promptly cracking its skull and breaking the surface of its hide. Blood splattered all over the once pure snow. Albel Nox frowned at his victory. I'm bored…everything and everyone is weak…weak maggots who grovel at the strong. He growled from within. The cold blizzard swept Albel's unusual hair across his face, igniting his anger even more. Damn blizzard… He thought as he ran his fingers through his two-toned, hair that gradually gradient from black at the roots to blond at the tips of his shoulder and knee length hair that spiked downward, tied into two sections with long white ribbons. His blood red eyes stood out in the snow and struck fear in the hearts of man and beast alike. After the battle with the Creator along with his allies, Albel became more irritated with everyone around him, blaming them for his boredom. There were no more challenges for the young Captain and certainly no more gods for him to fight. Though he hated to admit it, he wanted to see his companions once more and fight alongside them again and was willing to abandon his duties as captain. Albel sat down on the nearest rock, watching the snowflakes fall steadily upon him. If they were around, I'd have a better challenge than these worms…

Aquios

Nel Zelpher made her way back to the castle of the holy city of Aquios. Not long before the battle with the creator did her kingdom conflict against the kingdom of Airyglyph. Once they were bitter enemies but now they were allies, cooperating to fight a common foe. Nel found this ironic and personally she resented the alliance. These were the people that killed her father and she found that hard to forgive. With her personal thoughts locked in the back of her mind, Nel entered the throne room with her queen seated proudly ahead of her.

"Your majesty, what would you have me do now?" Nel asked politely with her knee to the ground in a respectable bow.

"Lady Nel, I would have you take this parcel to the king of Airyglyph. This has our negotiations to the trade between the two kingdoms. I entrust it in your hands," the queen explained.

"Yes your majesty…I will take this to the king immediately," Nel consented and took the parcel. So…it's on to Airyglyph then? I suppose I could visit Albel…though I really don't want to talk to him… Nel mused.

Airyglyph

The king of Airyglyph sat on his throne with a grim expression, clearly bothered something…or someone. "Is there something wrong my liege?" One of the soldiers questioned.

"Where is Albel? He's supposed to watch the gates! His soldiers are running around like ants, oblivious to what they're supposed to do!" The king roared angrily and pounded the arm of his throne with his fist, causing the soldier to jump in surprise.

"H-he, ahem, Lord Albel is at the tower my lord…he clearly stated that he wanted to be alone and that he would bruise anyone who attempted to tell him otherwise," the soldier explained. The king glared at his subordinate with an eyebrow raised.

"He said that? That doesn't sound like him," he growled.

"My lord, I found that hard to believe too when I gave him your orders," the soldier agreed. The king straightened himself and grew silent.

"Then…we shall leave him be…only the gods know what is going through his mind," he sighed.

Reunion

The Airyglyph castle tower stood high, breaking through the clouds, intimidating its enemies, sending a clear message of superiority. Once, Airyglyph invaded Aquios with a murderous intent. They used sheer force to break through Symbology, Aquios' power. Before, the two kingdoms were on friendly terms, but the need for resources pushed Airyglyph into taking over Aquios which was blessed with fertile land from Apris the sun god. The tower is nothing but a symbol of power, but to Albel, it was a place for him to think. His arms rested on the low wall as he gazed into the horizon. The sun was covered by thick clouds so no warmth would enter into the abominable world.

"I'm bored…" Albel muttered again. He was just at the marketplace feeling the need to buy an apple, but his appetite was shattered when his usual fan girls squealed and swooned for him, drowning in their nosebleeds. When one of the girls grabbed his cattails, (his longer hair) he lost his temper and drew out his sword, scaring them away. They'll be back…they ALWAYS come back! Albel groaned and buried his face his hands.

"So…you were here all along…I didn't think I'd find you so quickly," a familiar voice behind him chuckled. Albel turned around, face-to-face with the red head Nel, one of his companions.

"Hmph…what are you doing here?" Albel scoffed, diverting his face away from hers.

"I was here on an errand and decided I'd stop by to see you," Nel grinned. He never changes… She sighed.

"Hmph…you waste your time," the young man grunted and turned back to the sky. Throughout their journey, Nel and Albel were known to quarrel frequently. With Albel's insults and Nel's flaring temper, the two never seemed to get along, but even so, the two have a mutual respect for each other, perhaps more Albel than Nel. The young woman sighed and leaned on the wall next to Albel, gazing into the distance. This caught Albel off-guard. For a moment, he felt uncomfortable, as if she was taking up his whole world, but gradually he got used to her presence, or perhaps liking it even. Damn it, stop thinking these thoughts! Albel scolded himself mentally. He shifted his feet to distract himself from any sort of fantasies that he might come up with. Nel glanced over in curiosity, but made sure he didn't see her. To break the silence, Nel cleared her throat, which caught the young captain's attention.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" She asked. I bet he'll just scoff at my question… Nel smiled to herself quietly.

"Ha! I'll do whatever I damn please," Albel scoffed. I knew it… Nel sighed. "But isn't it your duty?" The red-head questioned.

"Why do you care?" Albel muttered childishly. Exasperated, Nel threw her arms in the air and turned away from him.

"Have it your way. Well, it was nice talking to you Albel…" Nel sneered, adding emphasis to his name. I suppose it could've gone smoother…but it doesn't matter…I knew this would happen anyway. She sighed, feeling a little disappointed that a conversation with her companion would end so gracelessly.

Anger

Suddenly, Albel violently seized the red-head's right arm and glared at her menacingly with angry eyes.

"How could you act like everything is normal Nel?" He hissed and emphasized her name the same way she did his. It took a while before Nel's mind registered what was going on. Her blank look disappeared and was replaced with shock and anger. In fury she snatched her arm and took a step backwards.

"What are you talking about?" Nel demanded furiously while unconsciously clenching her fists.

"How could you and every other maggot out there act like nothing happened?!" Albel snapped and took a step forward towards the young woman. Has he gone mad?! Nel shouted in her mind.

"Why are you-"

"How can you just forget what we've been through?" He demanded, uncharacteristically. At this point, Nel snapped and swung her hand, striking his handsome face, making his cheek redden slightly.

"How dare you!? You don't know me!" The young woman shrieked and stepped towards the bewildered man.

"Do you think this feels right to me?!" Another step.

"Do you think that I'd forget everything that we all went through?!" Close to his face.

"Do you think I like to think that everything is over? Everyday I recall about our battles, our tears, and our blood and remember…all of our hardships…but now…we're all apart…even if you're standing there before me Albel…you…you're so far away…so far…" Nel's voice shook and grew quieter. Fresh tears poured from her eyes and onto the snow, making it glisten with sadness.

Regret

Nel buried her face into her hands, silently sobbing in front of the young man's chest. Albel gazed at her smaller figure, realizing her vulnerability…the warrior always thought that she would never shed tears, but there she was, crying…because of him. Why…is it all my fault…? He frowned. Albel instantly felt a regret he never thought he'd feel. I…I'm so stupid… Slowly and reluctantly, he found his arms drawing closer to her until they completely encircled the crying girl. Why am I doing this? Have I gone mad? He thought to himself, but somehow this felt right to him. Nel tensed up a bit at the contact, confused and still angry, but she wanted comfort and gradually relaxed, letting her sobs carry on, letting her emotions out as she clutched onto his shirt. Albel relaxed his hold naturally and brought his head closer to hers until his cheek was resting on her forehead. She…smells so nice… He sighed absent-mindedly, remembering how he fell for her when they first met and wanting to watch her forever.

Warmth

Nel soon forgot her sadness in Albel's arms. She enjoyed the comfort and felt fluttering butterflies in her stomach. This…feels nice…but why Albel? She asked herself quietly and let the final tears drain away before pushing him away from her. Albel looked momentarily stunned and hurt at the same time, but he kept his emotions in check. In embarrassment, he turned his head away, reddening. Why the hell did I do that? He scolded himself. Nel shyly tucked her bangs behind her ear.

"I-I think I should get going now…" She muttered and turned away, but did not move.

"…There are things that we would never forget Albel…but things change…that's the truth…everything will stay the same…only people…can change. I won't forgive you for making me angry Albel," Nel smiled warmly, turning to him one last time before exiting the tower. Albel stood there, staring at where she stood for a while before turning back to the distance, watching the final snowflake fall before light rained down from the heavens. His eyes wandered to the beautiful rays that painted his face and smiled genuinely.

"It's…warm…" He whispered, closing his eyes. It's warm…like her smile…

My first Star Ocean one-shot. Please review and tell me what you think! Alnel forever!!!