A/N: This is probably going to be the longest chapter in the story…mostly because I got so involved in making Albel's crappy life and also because I need to cram so much stuff into one chapter. XD Well…I hope it's not too long for you…considering how short the other two chappies were…but don't worry…there's still more to come!
Disclaimer: If I really owned Albel and Fayt, would I be working at the supermarket on weekends and getting sore feet and sore shoulders?
It was Albel's twenty-second birthday, but he found no reason to celebrate. Both his parents had died years ago and he had no friends. Albel was trapped in a vicious cycle of violent depression. He was a heavy drinker who swore frequently and was known for hurling glass bottles at his drinking buddies. Eventually, they stopped hanging out with him and Albel was left alone to throw empty bottles at his walls and trash his own home in fits of rage.
Albel pulled a cold beer bottle out of the refrigerator and made his way to a darkened corner of his living room. He tripped over a few things along the way and stopped to yell and curse their existence, followed by a savage kick.
Eventually, Albel bumped into a wall. He put out a hand to steady himself and push away from the wall. But he was slightly disoriented and he slumped back against the wall. Albel gave up and pressed his back to the wall, surveying the ruined room with a glazed, disinterested gaze. "Life's a bitch," he proclaimed, taking a swig of drink.
Albel slid down the wall and ended up in a tangle of arms and legs. He cursed irritably and slowly began righting himself. Finally, he stretched out his legs and leaned back against the wall, absently drinking his beer. He stared blankly at the opposite wall until his vision blurred and he passed out.
Albel woke up in the middle of the night, finding himself back in his own bed. He had a hangover, but in his opinion, it was pretty mild. He has seen worse, much worse. He could handle this pain.
Albel stumbled out of bed, holding onto his bedpost until the dizziness subsided. He staggered into the dimly lit kitchen and turned on the tap to get a drink of water. But the faucet was old and the water only trickled out at first. Albel growled in frustration and slammed his drinking glass against the counter. It shattered in his hands and Albel cursed sucking on one of his bleeding fingers.
Finally, Albel calmed down enough to be reasonable. He waited until the water was a steady stream and washed off his cuts and filled up a glass of water to take with his headache pills. Albel padded back towards the bedroom, stopping only once to stare at the trashed living room and dilapidated couch. Why had he dragged himself to bed when there was a convenient couch nearby? Albel shrugged it off with a careless "Huh" and went back to bed.
Cold, unbearably cold. He just couldn't get warm. It was only a dream, but Albel didn't realize it. He hadn't had any dreams for a long time, just nightmares. Albel shivered involuntarily and burrowed further under his ratty blanket.
Snow everywhere. A world of swirling white. Flat, featureless land with nothing in sight for miles, except the young man that looked like a prince.
He simply stood there in the snow, wearing a loose white tunic from the middle ages and a white cloak. A small crystalline circlet was placed on his head. He was barefoot, but he didn't seem to notice the cold. The snow swirled around him, billowing his cloak in the wind. The prince just stared fixedly past Albel, looking at something only he could see.
But unexpectedly, his gaze shifted slightly to the right and he stared straight at Albel with a noble, but sad expression on his face. Albel looked at the deathly pale skin, the icy gray eyes, and the short blue hair with icicle tips. He had never seen this man before, but yet, he seemed familiar.
The prince smiled gently and slowly walked towards Albel, his feet making no mark in the snow. He stopped right in front of Albel, touched a hand to his cheek and breathed, "Arbel."
Albel jerked awake with a gasp, feeling unbearably hot. He disentangled himself from his blankets and threw them off with an irritated sigh.
He was close to crawling back under his blankets. The prince was sitting on a stack of papers piled on a chair. He had abandoned his crown and was now wearing white pants and boots instead of his tunic. His chest was now bare to show off the snowflake tattoo on his stomach. The prince smiled and nodded calmly at Albel, as if sitting in someone else's house surrounded by a white glow was normal.
"Get the hell out of my house!" Albel growled. "How'd you get in here anyway? I'm sure I locked the door."
"I am not bound by mortal laws," the prince said simply.
Albel's eyes narrowed. "So you're a ghost?"
The prince shook his head. "No, a spirit."
"Same thing," Albel muttered crossly.
"No, far from it. I'm not really dead."
Albel raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? You know, I think this is just a horrible dream. I'm going back to bed."
"Oh no, let me explain. You see, you and I have been reincarnated over hundreds of years. Each time, I, the spirit, go out of the old body and into the new one."
Albel settled back into bed. 'So you're not really dead, but you've died several times. Who do you think you are anyway?"
"My name is Fatyed, but you probably know me better as Fayt."
Albel nearly choked and glared at the spectral figure suspiciously. "So, Fayt's dead?"
"I told you already. I am not a ghost."
"Then how the hell are you not in Fayt's body and he's not dead? I thought you were only supposed to leave the dead bodies!"
"It's only because he's asleep. If I was totally part of Fayt, I couldn't do this, but I'm not," Fatyed said sorrowfully. "I don't know what happened this time. Usually, as soon as we meet, we have an instant connection. We form a relationship and gain all our memories from our past lives. But it didn't happen this time."
"We had a relationship," Albel said thoughtfully. "We were friends."
"But we were supposed to be in love," Fatyed wailed.
Albel scowled. "I am not going to fall in love with Fayt."
Fatyed looked startled. "You're straight?"
"No, I don't like girls either. I don't like anyone."
Fatyed smiled majestically. "You will. We're destined to be together.
"I think you've got the wrong person," Albel muttered.
Fatyed smiled gently. "No, you're in my lover's body." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Besides, I have proof."
Albel felt a slight tingle run through his body as Fatyed brushed his lips against Albel's. Fatyed pulled away with a slight smile. "That's your spirit responding to me. It's still there, but it's not quite part of your personality yet. But hopefully by tomorrow it will be." He rose and walked towards the door.
"What the fuck?" Albel growled. "You haven't explained much of anything."
Fatyed smiled and playfully touched the tip of Albel's nose. "Fayt will tell you all about it. Now, you have to go to sleep and let me go back to Fayt's body. Your spirit needs to visit him tonight, so I'll need plenty of time."
Fatyed searched Abel's bedroom until he came upon a tall bottle. He smiled and handed it to Albel. "Here. Drink, sleep, and forget."
Albel took a sip and frowned. "What is this shit?"
"Alcohol, albeit not any kind you're used to. It's very powerful. You'll sleep until morning but it won't give you a hangover. Please, drink."
Albel sighed unhappily and took another long drink. He was beginning to feel sleepy and slightly detached from his body.
Fatyed gently pushed Albel back down onto his bed and kissed his forehead. "A long, pleasant rest for you, Arbel."
"Wait, don't go yet," Albel mumbled, grabbing onto Fatyed's cloak.
Fatyed paused. "Yes, what is it?"
"You forgot to kiss me goodnight," Albel said with a childish pout.
"I already did."
"You call that a kiss? C'mere and do it right."
Fatyed looked amused as he gently kissed Albel's lips. "Anything else, Arbel?"
"Yeah, stop calling me that. S'not my name."
"You may be Albel, but your spirit is that of Arbel. Now, good-night, and I shall see you again soon when next we meet, as Albel and Fayt."
Fatyed took a running leap through Albel's window and vanished. Albel sighed. "I think I need somethin' t'drink." He reached for the bottle.
