Explanations for my tardiness at the end!

I only own Abel and Parcé, everyone else belongs to their respective owners.

It's said that in any near-death experience one's life flashes before their eyes, a montage of scenes that show what made someone who they are as a person and their overall contributions to society.

But as Abel Reinhardt felt the precious lifeblood leave his body due to his adopted sibling's weapon he saw no such montage, only the slowly encroaching darkness could be seen and for a moment he thought he heard someone calling his name.

In the past, there wasn't much Abel wouldn't do for his sister Violet, and while that held true in terms of studying his lessons, staying in good physical shape, being well-read, and even taking up the piano in an attempt to compliment the rare occasion on which she was asked to sing during one of Howard and Olivia's various dinner parties. (although any other time meant that the matriarch would treat him like any other two-bit piano man, even leaving out a tip jar for the guests to pitch in some money whenever the whim struck them. It never did, but Violet always made sure to sneak a bit of money in just to keep the boy's spirits up.)

However, when it came to having to dress like a proper young man..there were always some issues.

"I won't do it!" Abel would look dismissively as the bow tie that Violet had laid out for him, he had taken to making origami paper creatures, although instead of making the traditional crane like most folks would, he instead focused on creatures of myth such as his current project: the mischievous fox-spirit known as the kitsune. "Vi, you know I'm more than happy to dress up in that confounded penguin suit of a tuxedo for you, I'm thrilled to learn how to tickle the ivory keys whenever you decide to sing at one of those dreadful dinner parties." He would shudder as he pictured the obnoxious tip jar that was always nearby whenever he played as he finished carefully folding the tail of his origami creature, sparing a second glance at the bow tie before shaking his head in distaste. "Why are we even dressing up anyhow sis, is father coming back from his business trip early?" His honey-colored eyes would shimmer with hope at the prospect of finally being able to spend more time with the mostly-absent patriarch, only for that hope to be dashed as the shimmer left his sibling's eyes causing the younger man to swat his paper fox spirit aside.

Violet would bite her lip hesitantly as she wondered if he needed to know the truth of the situation, although she was the oldest of Howard's children, the older woman could empathize with his growing anger toward the man. "He's already at his limit in terms of our father's constantly promising him that they'll spend time together the next time he's home, a boy should never lose faith in their father." She would place a hand on Abel's shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze in a vain attempt to comfort the frustrated young man, not surprised when he brushed it aside before turning away. "Abel..how about the two of us hang out together? We can check out the book stores, try all kinds of new foods, we can just have a barrel of fun!"

He would notice the glistening in her eyes even as her body language seemed to radiate one of tension, as if there was something she didn't quite wanna voice about this particular day. It wasn't every day that he was asked to dress in his finer vestments and make his way down to the main hall, as the "unwanted" child in the L. Bridget line he would be conveniently called away to complete some arbitrary set of tasks that would be better left to the house staff (A good majority of which had long since ceased being surprised at his sudden appearances alongside them.) while the family were often involved in PR-related photo shoots, dining events, and other things that would bring prestige to their father and most importantly-their company.

And with Olivia often being the one leading the show, she would do everything in her power to keep Howard's little "act of charity" out of the picture. On some level, he despised the woman for sweeping him into the shadows when it came to the public eye, but it was because of this sleight that Violet often would go above and beyond to make up for this by taking him out to see the sights and spend time with each other.

"Be honest sis, what's going on? Is Olivia planning some sort of big get-together again and need me to handle the finger foods again, I promise to try and not eat any of them this time!" Abel would grin sheepishly as he remembered picking Hors d'oeuvres from the platters that he was supposed to be serving to the guests, the chefs were none too pleased with his behavior either as the boy learned two very important lesson that night: The first was that being a dishwasher was more marathon then monotony and that they deserved much more respect than he would usually give a person in their station. The second lesson was that the Head Chef had very little tolerance for a mooch, and proceeded to tell him such: In at least three different languages, with what he assumed were curse words being sprinkled throughout. "I mean, I didn't eat any of the finger foods." Abel would look to his older sibling expecting some sort of reprimand for his actions, but as he looked at the older blonde he would see no such urge to give any sort of tongue-lashing, instead her eyes would radiate a deep sadness that put him on edge.

"I can't lie to him about this, he's been kept in the dark enough as it is with matters concerning Father and deserves to know just what is about to change within our household." Violet would sigh and mentally compose herself before gently placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze, watching as his anger seemed to dampen and he leaned into her touch instinctively. "Abel, do you remember the first day father brought you home to stay with us before eventually adopting you later?" She would watch as his honey-colored eyes shimmered with warmth, no doubt remembering the joyous day in question, not even the heaviest of Olivia's glares could dampen his spirits. "Well, how would you feel if we had another sibling around to join in on our future trips together?" The older woman would carefully watch the warmth in his eyes dim as his mind no doubt contemplating what that would mean for them, his expression settling into a whimsical smile.

"It'd be nice to finally have a brother that doesn't make me wanna bash my head against the wall, or do whatever a curb stomp is." The young man had meant for that last be to be in jest, but judging by the withering stare that was being thrown in his direction, it was obvious that said joke wasn't about to fly. "But in all seriousness, I'm glad that Father is showing kindness to another child and adopting once again." Abel would sigh calmly as he was once again reminded that despite their father's continued absence, he was a kind man who used his time away from his family to better not only the business world, but also the world of another individual.

"Abel, Father's not adopting another child..this girl is a blood relative, father's biological daughter." Violet would remain quiet as she watched her younger sibling's face as he digested the weight of what she was saying: first there was shock, no doubt at the prospect of Howard conceiving another child when he seemed to be happy with the family he had. Then his expression would become one of sadness, wondering if he was really doing his best as a son despite not quite being as sharp-witted as their brother Louis. And then she saw it: Rage. Indignation and disbelief at feeling ignored in favor of their sister.

"I understand that there's probably a lot of questions you want to ask about her, but she'll be here soon so you can ask her yourself when she arrives." Violet would give her younger brother a bright and hopeful smile as she held out the chocolate brown blazer that she had bought for him on a whim, making sure to keep the dreaded bow tie out of his line of sight. "Now let's do as our father would and put our best foot forward and welcome our new sister into our home."

In the present, Parcé would be livid at having to be called into the infirmary as she had been planning to spend the day scouring student records for certain Pandora who would rattle her boy's cage. Ganessa Roland had already proven herself a viable candidate just by attacking Satellizer on their first day at Genetics. The scientist had acted quickly in restraining his temper and forcing him to watch the battle instead of interfering, ensuring that whenever they clashed further down the line in their tenure that he would attack her without remorse like an uncaged beast.

"What did that idiot get himself wrapped up in now, some tartlet try to pick a fight with him?" The mocha-skinned woman would find herself face to face with an exasperated Elize, her lab coat dotted with blotches of blood despite the overly sterile environment that came with the job. "I see that he wasted no time in dispatching his opponent, so why aren't I dealing with the fine folks down at the Brig?"

Elize would do her best to hide the disgust that she felt at the woman's flippant attitude, sure there were certain Pandora who spent a good deal of time acting catty towards each other for some reason or another, and sometimes it would result in a bit of a scrap between the two ladies in question, at the end of the day they were all on the same side of the war against the Nova.

"This is his blood, blood that was spilled in the defense of an upperclassman against her fellow Pandora. He wasn't picking a fight like some two-bit punk in a schoolyard, despite how you'd like to see him as some rabid dog on a chain, he's still very much a teenage boy with a heart and soul!"

Parcé would roll her eyes at the good doctor's impassioned outburst toward her student, she knew damn well that Abel still very much had his humanity and did her best to psychologically beat it out of him at every available opportunity. "Spare me the theatrics Doctor Schitz, where the hell is my Pandora?" The violet-haired woman would scan the waiting area, finding nothing but Pandora who were sporting minor injuries, those sporting various gifts for injured friends, and the occasional worried individual. Including the Pandora who had so graciously accompanied them on their helicopter ride to the prestigious academy. "Ah Miss Phenyl, I don't suppose you have the answers that I need."

Elize would grab the mocha-skinned woman's arm, spinning her back around to face the beleaguered doctor who seemed less than pleased to be ignored in favor of an obviously worried Pandora. "All of our traditional treatments to coax Reinhardt's stigmata into healing his injuries are proving to be..ineffective. We figured since you were the one who developed his unique Stigmata that you would have a solution to this situation." She hated the fact that she was forced to go to the cold-hearted scientist for help, but since the alternative was to let a student die on her watch where medical treatment was literally at her fingertips. "I understand that we aren't exactly on the most cordial of terms now professor, but I doubt that even a scientist of your caliber would let a perfectly good research specimen die to spite a colleague."

Parcé would now be the one attempting to mask her contempt as Elize dared to consider herself an equal to her own superior intellect, moreover the bitch had the nerve to try to play on her merits as a scientist to save the young man's life. "So, this is the little rat who dared to try and steal information on my life's hard work!" She would sigh tiredly at the prospect of having to cater to the staff of West Genetics when back in Marrakesh, she was queen of the castle and the one doling out orders to the weak-minded fools who occupied the same air space as herself.

"Where do I go to scrub up?"

Abel could barely keep still as the house staff graciously welcomed not only his new sibling but also the woman he assumed to be her mother into their new home, not because he was excited at the prospect of having a younger sibling who might be nicer then Louis, but rather at the suffocative atmosphere that fell upon a room whenever Olivia occupied it.

"Doing it for Violet. I'm..doing this for Violet!" The anxious young man would force himself to look up from the carpeted floor and at the two latest targets of Olivia L. Bridget's ire: The older woman was a brunette who radiated a quiet calm despite the venomous words being slung at her, there were traces of a beauty that had been worn away by an outside force unknown to him. However, his curiosity would mainly be drawn to the younger girl clutching her hand: long blonde hair that no doubt resembled a shimmering pool of gold whenever the sun shone down upon it, cool blue eyes that had seen things and places that he had probably only read about, and trepidation at not only stepping foot inside the manor for the first time, but also having to stare down the frightening dragon-turned-woman that was Olivia L. Bridget.

"Abel, come along and meet Miss Alongrutch with us." Violet's voice would snap him back to reality, even as Louis seemed less than pleased to have to accompany the pair as they made their way downstairs. He would once again remind himself that he was doing this mostly for his older sister's benefit, even as the anxiety from earlier was returning with a vengeance as they neared the still exasperated woman who was now doing her best to calm her own nervous daughter. "I apologize for my mother's actions toward you Miss Alongrutch, my name is Violet L. Bridget. As the eldest daughter of Howard L. Bridget, it is my honor to welcome you into our home."

Abel would watch on with a proud smile as Violet made nice with the woman he would eventually learn was his father's mistress, even as Louis seemed to bristle with agitation as the exchange of pleasantries continued.

"And what's your name little one?" Violet would give a radiant smile towards the younger girl who was clearly nervous thanks to their mother's artic reception, even as one brother was clearly trying to pull away from her while the other was squeezing her hand out of anxiety.

"M-my name is Satellizer..Alongrutch." The young girl was clearly doing her best to give a proper introduction despite the remnants of the tense atmosphere in the room refusing to give way, her eyes darting from the kind-hearted Violet to the two boys standing on either side of her. "I'm nine years old, and it's..nice to meet you."

Abel could see that she was just as nervous as he was, taking a small breath and forcing the butterflies in his stomach to be still and give a kind smile to the older woman, who returned it with a similar one.

"That thing is not my sister!" Louis would indignantly point a finger at the now-frightened Satellizer before breaking free from his sister's grip and bolting upstairs to his doting mother even as Violet gave chase, leaving Abel alone with the two new arrivals.

"Umm, sorry about Louis..he's..not,," The young man would shake his head in frustration as he tried to be as dignified as his older sibling, but was failing due to his own inelegance with public speaking. "M-my name's Abel, it's really nice to meet you Miss Noelle. Satellizer." His cheeks would turn a shade of red as he locked eyes with the younger blonde as he held out his hand, not blaming the younger girl when she once again hid behind her mother.

"Well aren't you a polite young man, I don't remember Howard mentioning that he had a second son." Noelle would miss the look of sadness crossing the young man's face as she looked off into the distance, reminiscing of her lover and the father of her child who no doubt was the driving force behind the boy's good nature. "Then again, Howard was always hopelessly forgetful when it came to certain things. Honestly, that man would forget his own head if it wasn't for his neck." The brunette would shake her head slightly as she seemingly remembered a similar occasion and laughed quietly to herself as the staff quietly milled about, a couple of men would calmly take their bags leaving the three of them to try and carry on the conversation.

"I'm sure that my father was simply just too overworked to mention me at the time, he is running a large corporation after all." Abel would do his best to keep a sunny disposition despite feeling slighted at being left out of Howard's recollection, it was something he expected from Olivia as she had no inclination to acknowledge his existence outside of menial tasks and piano performances. "Come on, I guess it's up to me to escort you ladies to your room."

Parcé would be surrounded by other surgeons as she carefully examined Abel's unconscious form as she monitored the bio-metric readouts as she watched the clear fluids from the Stim Packs she had taken with her from Marrakesh slowly make its way into the pulsing Stigmata, his brainwaves showing signs similar to dreaming as she felt the sweat beading on her forehead starting to fall. "Wipe." The violet-haired scientist would calmly watch as the readings continued to display normal readings, her brow furrowed in confusion as the healing process still had yet to begin. "Another five minutes and we move to electroshock stimulation."

Elize, who had been monitoring the stigmata themselves rather than the numbers flowing across the data screen would balk at this suggestion, but remain silent as she made a mental note to question the young man himself when he regained consciousness.

Barring any sort of interference from the mad genius standing beside her, even as she remembered the worried Pandora who had rushed into the infirmary beside her. "I suppose I really should let Ticy know when he's stable, especially since it seems that she's his only friend. No doubt due to this sociopath's dealings." She was usually above such petty thoughts following her own time as a student, but this wasn't some asinine contest over feminine superiority against her fellow Pandora. "He looks so peaceful, almost as if he doesn't have a care in the world."

The whine of a defibrillator being charged would interrupt any further train of that as Elize looked to see one of the assistant's handing the charged up shock pads to the lavender-haired scientist, a look of cold resolve in her eyes.

"I thought you were going to give the stim packs more time, it's only been a minute Ciel!" She could feel another one of the assistants wiping down her own brow as Parcé made to begin the process, despite most of the staff being way too close for her comfort. "Everybody get back!"

The tortured cries of anguish would echo off the walls of the operating room as electricity would course through the now throbbing Stigmata as they turned an angry red color before slowly easing their way into a more aesthetically pleasing rose color, the various screens made to monitor his vitals all seemed to register rapid improvement which brought a smile to the cold-hearted scientist as she returned the shock pads to their proper resting place.

"There, all he needs now is some proper bed rest and he'll be combat ready once more." Parcé would turn to face Elize with a smug expression upon her face, ignoring the various looks of shock and indignation that decorated the faces of the various medical personnel as she began to make her exit. "All my boy needs is a little jump to get the engine running again." With one last look towards her perceived rival in the field of Pandora-related medical knowledge she would leave the room with a feeling of tension, and Elize with the beginnings of a migraine headache.

Abel would be busy working outside with the rest of the staff in the garden, hardly minding the weight of the muddy gloves on his hands as he helped plant another row of white roses in preparation for yet another one of Olivia's generous garden parties. "At least I'm getting some fresh air instead of being cooped up inside of the house with another study guide, although if I get roped into being Piano Boy again..." He would shudder as the thought of having to wear a fancy suit on what was expected to be a sunny day, those study guides suddenly feeling like a more welcome safe haven when compared to the alternative.

"Take a break lad, Miss Violet would be mighty cross with us if you were to end up shriveling out here like prune." The head caretaker was a stocky man with tanned skin, despite acting like a silent and subservient soul he was known to be a boisterous drinker and well-versed in many a lewd ballad involving jilted lovers. "Bit of advice lad, it's not the Olivia's of the world that ye should be wary of. It's the soft-hearted ones that bare the cruelest of fangs, your Violet's of the world..they still see the beauty in things that most adults only view as rusted husks."

The sandy-haired young man would blink and stare up at the older gardener, trying to puzzle through what he was saying before standing up slowly. "Is that why she's always so nice to me..because I have Beauty?" His words would cause the older man to laugh loudly even as he patted the younger man on his shoulder, causing him to become even more perplexed. "What, that's it right? It's because I'm pretty isn't it?" The others would laugh harder as the young man tossed his gloves aside and made his way back inside the house, stomping in frustration before removing the heavy work boots and setting them aside. "Adults think everything is a big joke, I could've kept working if I wanted to!" Abel would ball a fist in annoyance, wanting very much to hit something in that moment.

"Mother! Someone please help us!" Satella's voice would echo off the walls of the unusually empty main entrance, normally there would be men and women helping to maintain the sparkling sheen that was expected of the L Bridget manor and their absence was always a sure sign that Olivia was planning something big. "Someone please!" The sounds of heavy coughing would follow this latest outburst followed by a heavy thud, sending the once furious Abel into a panic as he sped upstairs in only his socks as he honed in on the continued coughing fits only to find the young girl doing her best to help her mother to a sitting position.

"What happened?" The sandy-haired boy would immediately do his best to help the ailing Noelle, a move which surprised her own daughter even as the woman herself did her best to try and put on a brave face despite her dreary situation. "You don't look too good Miss Noelle, I could go ask Violet to call on our father's physician. That guy can fix anything!"

Satellizer would frown sadly as she helped her mother take her daily dose of medicine: first would go the pills, each being followed up by a generous drink of water as the blonde looked to the hopeful-eyed young man she was supposed to call "brother" "We've been to plenty of doctors, and they all keep saying the same thing: It's a matter of time, we should try and make mom comfortable." Tears would start brimming in her eyes as the sadness threatened to overwhelm her once again as she turned away from him. "It's not fair, why couldn't it have been anybody else?"

"Satella, you mustn't say such things..I'm sure that there are so many others who are suffering worse than we are right now." Noelle would calmly hold her crestfallen child close to her heart despite her body's aches and insistence upon resting, neither woman noticing as Abel stepped back and kept silent. "Right now there are families who have no place to call home, no food to keep their children's tummies full, no one else to support them in their times of hardship. Right now, we have all of these things." The pale-skinned brunette would look towards the mild-mannered young man standing off to the side, seeing a shade of her stoic lover in his expression even though his honey-colored eyes were filled with worry.

"And for that, I truly am grateful."

Satellizer would find herself staring into the steely-eyed gaze of a furious Yu-Mi Kim, doing her best to counter the older woman's anger with a gaze of her own, adrenaline still charging through her body following her battle with Miyabi, as well as the excitement that came with claiming the sapphire ring that she had previously considered a phantom memory. It was real, and with it she had a lead on the boy who had taken a beating to protect her from Louis.

At least, that was until her superiors confiscated from her.

"What the hell could you have possibly been thinking?! It's bad enough that you decided to attack an upperclassman, you also decided to grievously injure a student of another Genetics Branch. A branch we've barely begun to have friendly relations with!?" Yu-Mi forced herself to calm down even as her anger was threatening to boil over as the Untouchable Queen maintained a stoic expression, her blue eyes masked a deep-seated fire that would no doubt cause those unfamiliar with her to hesitate in challenging her. "I'm aware of the situation involving Miyabi thanks to a statement from Kazuya Aoi, self-defense or not..you were still very much out of line. And that's before we even get to the situation regarding Reinhardt."

Her mind would briefly flash back to the peculiar Limiter that had held a scythe, her instincts screaming at her that it was a Volt Weapon..something that shouldn't be possible.

"The look in his eyes, it was like mine. But he's a Limiter..maybe even one of Miyabi's." The shift in his eyes from feral offense to desperation was something she still couldn't quite process, the way he called out to her by her special name, a privilege she had only given to the boy known as Kazuya Aoi. "He even had the ring." Satellizer would shake her head in denial at the conclusion her instincts were pointing her toward.

"No, that's not possible! Because that boy isn't..."

Abel would frown as he applied the disinfectant to Satella's skinned knees, worried about the smoldering look in Violet's eyes as she had brought their injured sibling to be treated before mumbling something about their mother and storming off.

"Sorry if this stings Miss Satella, but trust me when i say it beats getting an infection." Abel would shudder as he remembered the times his birth father would purposely allow his sons wounds to become infected, it was his way of proving a point. If they were weak enough to allow themselves to be injured, then they deserved to live with the consequences.

"You..you don't have to call me Miss..Violet says that we're family." The young girl would do her best to smile through the pain she was experiencing, looking down at the young man whose frown of concern was becoming something of a common occurrence in her life. "We have the same Father after all, so you shouldn't have to be so formal." Satella would give a grateful smile as the kinder of her two brothers finished tending to her, standing up slowly and giving Abel a small hug before making her way back to her mother.

"The same father huh..." Abel would feel a wave of anger washing over him as he slammed the first aid kit shut, the harsh sound echoing off the walls as he started making his trek to return it to its proper place. "I really doubt that...Miss Satella"

The adopted son of Howard L. Bridget had begun to see the true outcome of his father's "business trips", wondering if he had anymore "family" scattered to the winds and just how he would feel if he were to ever encounter these individuals.

By that line of logic, who's to say that he was the only one that Howard L. Bridget had pulled from the streets?

"You would side with a wretched commoner over your own flesh and blood?!" The harsh edge of his step-mother Olivia's voice would snap him out of his angered fugue state, no doubt having another long-distance argument with her husband as the concept of divorce was no doubt a foreign concept to those of a nouvlesse upbringing.

"This isn't about taking sides at all mother, what you've told Louis is truly horrifying!" Violet's voice would cause the young man to stop his march completely, quickly finding a place out of their line of sight to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Regardless of how it happened, Satellizer is a member of our family and deserves to be treated with the proper respect!'

"Like the respect you give to that street urchin my husband plucked from the gutter, I see how he clings to your skirt like a lost child!" Olivia's voice would grow tinged with disgust as she was no doubt getting worked into a frenzy. "These people only care about OUR MONEY!"

A hushed silence would fall over the two women (and the one boy lurking in the shadows) as tension seemed to build to a boiling point between them, the grip on the first aid kit in Abel's hand turned white-knuckled as he forced himself to back away before losing his temper outright and instead making his way back to his bedroom instead.

Light would finally break through the darkness that had enveloped Abel's consciousness as he awoke to find himself looking up at the ceiling of what he hoped was an infirmary, his body aching as if it had gone through a battle with a whole platoon of third-year Pandora and somehow managed to survive the ordeal.

"How did I get here..am I still at Genetics?" The less-than-able bodied young man would try to call out for assistance from the nearby nursing staff, although this plan of action would be thwarted by the hideous gurgling sound that emerged from his throat. "Oh God, why can't I speak?!" Panic would overwhelm his body as he thrashed around, the machines monitoring his vital signs would begin to beep wildly in response to his elevated heart rate.

"Abel! Abel you need to calm down!" The frantic male Pandora would feel a pair of arms trying to restrain him back down to the bed, an action that would take him back to his final training session within the Devil's Nest and the feeling of suffocation that came with being blanketed by consecutive Freezing fields. "Someone! Anyone! I can't hold him much longer!" The beast dwelling in the depths of his consciousness was snarling in agitation as the rose-colored aura began to appear once again as his mind began to replay what little he could remember of what happened before falling unconscious.

"I remember now. Satella was going to kill that Pandora, she had already been defeated and even her Limiters were down!" Flashes of the blonde Pandora raising her Volt Weapon for a killing blow, something that should only be used against the Nova. "No matter what the reason for their fight was, that was going too far!" The memories of happier days involving a younger Satella would be slowly eroded by what he had recently seen of the now older Satellizer, a Pandora driven by the need to win over anything else.

"I thought I could protect you from the world's monsters if I became Parcé's little freak show, but now I see the truth. You've become the monster!" Abel would let out a primal scream as the rose aura finally broke free, sending the startled Ticy skidding back as his hair color began to return to its distorted rose coloring. "And God help me, I will not allow you to continue to run rampant ANYMORE!"

"So this is what the power of a male Pandora looks like, it's so..heavy!" She could feel her body tremble slightly from the power being exerted, allowing herself a moment to breathe and regain her composure before giving the raging young man her most gentle smile. "I'm sure you went through a world of pain just to come as far as West Genetics, and I know that underneath all of that pain is a kind and gentle soul who just wants to help save the world." The Loyal Assassin would take a step forward, hoping against hope that her words would reach him despite the heavy blanket of power that enveloped his body.

Abel would awaken to the sensation of Violet's hand upon his shoulder, his body tingling from having fallen asleep in the awkward position of kneeling at his bedside in prayer and bolting to his feet only to be welcomed back to reality with a horrifying shock of pain thanks to his actions.

"Abel what are you doing here by yourself?" Violet would help him to a seated position on the edge of the bed before sitting down next to him with an exasperated sigh, not saying much of anything and instead allowing the two of them to sit in silence for a few moments. "Sometimes I wonder just how things have gotten so strained between Father and Mother, there was a point in their lives where they were a loving couple." She would wrap an arm around her younger sibling and lay his head on her shoulder, finding comfort in his presence as she always had during their years together.

Always dependable, always able to keep a happy outlook of the world despite the seemingly endless maelstrom that consisted of her father's extramarital dalliances, her mother's decision making in terms of what was being taught to Louis, and the addition of both a new younger sibling, as well as a mother who was already fighting a losing battle with disease.

At the end of the day she still had Abel, her True North.

"Am I really just a street rat?" Abel would finally break the tranquil silence that existed between them, Olivia's words still proving to be as resilient as a blood sucking tick and had already gone to work at breaking his self-confidence as well as breaking his unshakable faith in his adopted father. "Do you agree with what she said?"

He would look to his older sibling for some sort of guidance, surprised to find that only tears brimming in her eyes before being enveloped in yet another Violet-caliber hug that both made him feel protected and yet filled him with the courage to challenge a man twice his size.

And barring that, just going into another showdown with Louis.

"You're not a street rat anymore Abel, father made sure of that even before the ink on the adoption places were finalized." She would pause in her reply to ruffle his hair assuredly, wondering just how much of the quarrel with Olivia that he had heard. "And if you were truly after our fortune, then there would have been no reason for you to have stayed with us for as long as you have." She would sigh and give him one last gentle squeeze before pulling away and placing her hands on Abel's shoulders, the look of sadness from earlier replaced by one of fierce determination as she remembered what she had witnessed between Louis and Satella and resolving to stop it the only way she could think of doing.

"Abel, I want you to make me a promise. One that you must never, EVER break!"

Abel would feel conflicted as the power of the Stigmata surged through his body, whatever pain that he had felt upon waking had become a muted annoyance at the back of his mind as he stood tall upon an infirmary bed and kept hearing Violet's voice echoing in his head.

"A promise..one you must never, EVER break!" He would groan and place a hand on his head trying to quiet the storm of memories in his head, taking time to try and focus and ground himself back into the world of the present as his eyes darted around the area in an attempt to help gain a grip on his emotions and calm his Stigmata. "If you only know just how much things have changed with Satella and myself."

His eyes would continue roaming the area but stop upon seeing Ticy a few steps away from him, the aura no doubt proving to be something of an issue for her as he tried to speak and assuage her concerns only to hear that same annoying strangled gurgling and balling a fist in annoyance.

"Please don't try and speak Abel-kun, Miss Elize said that because of the extreme methods that your Professor used..your ability to speak would be compromised for a little while." The raven-haired Pandora would smile in relief as Abel finally stepped down from on top of the bed, the rose-colored aura would dial back to a faint outline over his body as he reached over and decided to communicate his concerns via the written word with a pencil and notepad. "That was part of the reason why I decided to come visit you once things had settled down, although I would be lying if I said that I wasn't worried about you..especially after I saw you lying in a puddle of blood." She would bite her lip and look down at her feet in supposed embarrassment, although she would look up at him to see that he had stopped writing and was holding out the notepad for her to see.

"I'm sorry Ticy-Senpai, I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble." Abel would frown in embarrassment himself as she seemed to perk up slightly due to his response, of course it also could have been the small row of chibified turtles doing the can-can across the bottom end of the page he was writing on.

"You're forgiven, on one condition." Ticy would give a worried smile as his expression became one of hesitation as if he were wondering just what kind of Faustian terms she was going to lay out on the table, and maybe if it were any other of her fellow third years then there certainly would be. "I want you to come stay with me... a-a-and some of your fellow Pandora!" She would try and control the rising flush before composing herself quickly. "You shouldn't have to be isolated like you were back in Marrakesh, being a Pandora isn't just about learning to combat the Nova and fight..you learn to work with the others around you, the Limiters, other Pandora..everyone!"

Abel would consider her offer in silence: on the one hand it was a chance to break free of the Professor's death grip and learn what it was like to be a normal teenage boy, for too long he had always been in the shadow of somebody else's footsteps.

With his father and the rest of his thieving group he was the designated runner, tasked with scoping out viable escape routes in case things went wrong.

With Violet it was all about being the little "big man", she would make up certain situations for her "brave" little brother to conquer such as spiders and cockroaches.

As for his deal with the ego-maniacal Professor Ciel, he was the living guinea pig for her "Project Incubus" and were the synthetic Stigmata to be any sort of success then maybe his sacrifices thus far would help turn the tide in humanity's war against the Nova.

But then there was the flip-side, the chance that Parcé would cut him loose if he showed any signs of independence and ignored the greater good of her research (and by extension, the world.) and if he were to be stripped of these Stigmata, then everything he had worked so hard for would be lost.

"Ticy-Senpai, I truly appreciate your kind offer. I want to accept it, but even if I weren't..the way i am now it would go against the rules." The rose-haired young man would stare glumly at his ring finger with a sense of loss. "We're both walking toward the same goal, but my path isn't as sure-footed as yours..I have to do what the Professor says." He had hated writing those words, that much was certain.

But the pained look on Ticy's face as she read those words left a scar on his soul that was sure to linger for years to come.

Satellizer would sigh as she found herself once again sitting inside the Brig with her gaze firmly on her own ring finger, for the briefest of moments she had a solid lead on a figure from her past, one of the few souls who had been kind to her.

The sapphire ring belonged to someone who cared about her and risked their physical well-being for her, but no matter how hard the Untouchable Queen tried to dig through her memories and finding only snippets of the terror that her brother wrought upon her body.

A much younger Abel would be pacing outside the door to Satella's room, wondering what he was supposed to say to the girl, Violet had laid upon him a heavy task and expected him to preform as she expected of him.

"Abel, what are you doing out here?" Satella had opened the door just enough to poke her head out and notice his nerve-wracked pacing, wondering if he were doing his best impression of a soldier on duty. "It's awfully late and i'm really tired."

The blonde-haired girl would frown as he held out his pinky to her, her brow furrowing deeper as the confusion continued to build.

"Satella, this is a pinky promise. As your brother I promise to keep you safe from all the crazy things in the world!" Abel would give her a warm smile as he held out his pinky finger to her, watching as his sister hesitantly twined her own finger with his. "Alright then, it's a promise!"

With his task fulfilled, Abel would walk back to his room with his head held high as Satella closed the door and turned back to face Louis, who had watched the exchange with a twisted grin.

"What a foolish little twit, he should've stayed at Violet's bedside like a good little pet" The demented young man would guide his frightened sibling back to the bed that was rightfully hers, running his fingers through her golden locks despite the faintest whimpers of protest. "After all, you already belong to me..my precious little doll."

Massive apologies for the lateness of this chapter, but this might be the last "Ballad" for a while.

I've recently started to read the Manga more steadily now, as such I plan to alter the course of this fic from an OC's perspective of Season 1.

I feel that Abel can do more in this story than continue to nip at Satellizer's heels and play annoying C-Block to any future KazuyaxSatellizer interactions, in fact I've had to cut the following events out of this chapter to accommodate this change in mindset

- Abel was going to recover from his wounds WITHOUT hindrance and go back to threaten Miyabi to "stay away from his sister"

-A scene between the third years speculating about the "new kid" and whether he could be "useful to them."

-A talk between Chiffon and Kazuya where the former warns the latter to keep his distance from the Untouchable Queen

-Even more AbelxViolet fluff

I plan for Abel to have his own adventures through West Genetics, separate from Satellizer until the events of her fight against Rana.

Maybe he'll take sides with the third years AGAINST Satellizer, perhaps Parcé will continue to try and chip away at his humanity.

Maybe we'll get more AbelxTicy teases, I'm really digging that. Especially since Ticy was a background character during Season 1.

In any case, I plan to update one more time this month.

Please be excited.