Alright, I'm back with an old couple. This may be merely filler for the older couples as I want to bring them back up to speed, even if no one knows who they are or doesn't read this particular couple, I just want to put them up. (I've also been wanting to do something Star Ocean related for quite the while.)

Previously on Warmth of a Cold Heart Albel Nox has been transported to Earth during the time of Soul Edge. He meets up with Seung Mina and after a few bickerings, the two start traveling together. What will happen now? Where will we go? Will Albel return to his world? If he even wants to?

XoXoX

Couple No. 4
Chapter 2
Warmth of a Cold Heart

Seung Mina was sighing. She continued to stick up with Albel's rude manners who has shrugged off every attempt at conversation with an insult. She thought back to her previous statement, he wasn't like Yun-Seung, he was WAY worse. While he spoke big of his skills with a blade like Yun-Seung was, his talk wasn't just a ruse. He truly was a powerful warrior, unlike Yun-Seung who made every excuse why he didn't win. Also he was very rude, contrasted with Yun-Seung who can be rude, but he was polite at the best. She has yet to see any redeeming qualities within Albel. Not even his good; if scary, looks and dark, gruff voice can cause her to overlook his nature. She suppose it is because he doesn't plan to stick around her for long, which will make it easier for him to fight her should they become enemies. Then again, his eyes were red, common among those corrupted by the Evil Seed, but he hasn't shown any symptons of Soul Edge. Truly a mysterious man.

"Albel, do you even know what Soul Edge is?" She asked, turning around to walk backwards. In the mentioned notes she has made of him, he keeps people away from him at arms length...literally. He never walked besides her, nor has he tried to lead her somewhere unsafe like a dark alley or a path off the main road where no one will hear them.

...Still saw no redeeming qualities to think of him like that.

Albel scoffed, "Does it look like I know?" He muttered in his gruff voice.

"A simple yes or no would do..." Seung Mina responded to his words.

Albel scoffed, "We're lost aren't we?" He pointed out while keeping his eyes lowered.

Seung Mina flinched a little, "No we're not. I know exactly where we are going." She called out, obviously lying.

"You suck at lying." Albel mocked as he stopped in his tracks and crossed his arms.

"Hey! Don't act like you know me." She muttered as she stopped in her tracks as well.

Albel tilted his head, thinking he heard something, "Shut up." He muttered.

"Rude." She called out.

Albel turned his body away, "I said silence." He repeated his order of silence.

Seung Mina walked up to him, "Why do you got to be so mean? You attack me, insist you travel with me, and yet you wouldn't even talk to me?" She called out his bad habits.

However, Albel wasn't listening as he turned to her and tackled her. As he done that, an arrow shot past them. "Told you to remain quiet." He muttered as he got back on his feet and looked around.

"Enemies?" Seung Mina finally took into account of his actions as she saw the arrow.

"Bandits. And we're surrounded." He calmly too note of their current attackers.

Seung Mina looked back and noticed several coming out of the forest with swords and axes. "You seem very calm about this dillemna." She pointed out as she noted that she was once again under attack. Second time in a row this week, must be her lucky day.

"I'm not too worried." He scoffed as he drew his long katana and went into position. "Are their lives important?" He asked as he counted their numbers. Getting to vent out his anger against combatants twice in a row in a day? Must be his lucky day.

Seung Mina looked back at him, "Seeing as their bandits. They're obviously criminals, so you could be saving a village or two down the line." She pointed out. She wondered if she managed to get a glimpse of honor from him. From what he has shown in his attitude and his ruthlessness when fighting the Lizardmen, as well as his strange abilities in the Arcane arts, she figured he wouldn't have a sense of honor within his figure.

"So I can dispose of them however I want." He subverted her views of him.

Seung Mina sighed as he said that and drew her own weapon. "Try not to make too big a mess." She muttered. "They may be criminals, but they're still human." She added as she went into position.

Albel only scoffed as he lowered his stance and getting ready for a counter-attack.

Two bandits came charging in holding their axes up in the air. As they swung down, he held his long katana up and blocked both axes. He then twisted his blade, causing the axes to slide together and become locked with his own weapon. He twisted his body while holding his weapon up, causing their bodies to collide with each other. Repositioning himself to his advantage, he freed his long katana and tripped both fighters, using his long blade to his advantage. Whilst he tripped them, he managed to slash the one closest to him with a deep cut in the ribs, incapacitating him. He then flipped his sword around and gripped the blade with his claw, he kneeled down and stabbed the other fighter in the chest before twisting it and incapacitated that one.

Seung Mina twirled her Guan Dao and parried one fighters attack, knocking him off guard. Using this opening, she twirled down and swept his leg with her own before using the blunt side of her weapon to knock him aside. Unlike Albel, she wanted to kill as less as possible. Seeing it was just a small group of bandits. Not to mention that they may have information of Soul Edge.

Far off in the forest, a man watched the battle from the distance. Another man came up to him and kneeled. "Lord Raphael, the bandits are engaging the enemy right now." He pointed out.

"Yes, I can see that." The man, Raphael answered with a sigh. "Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Auguste." He added as he looked at the mutated man.

The man appeared human, but with one little detail that couldn't be overlooked. He also had the head of a wolf, while this is natural or not, Raphael didn't care much. "Should we continue with the intended plans?" He asked as he stayed on his knees.

"There's no need." Raphael replied, watching the bandits he hired to attack this couple, getting cut down one by one. The woman he wasn't really interested in, but the man fascinated him. His ability with the Arcane arts told him that he would make a fine ally should he be able to take control of him. With Albel's strength added to his own, he should be able to easily locate Soul Calibur and with that, his dream for the perfect world for him and Amy should come to fruition.

He hired the bandits for the sole purpose of just seeing him in combat with actual humans instead of those influenced by the Evil Seed. His bloodlust for combat surly surpasses his own, not caring for one life and just cutting them down if they are in his way. He found the perfect dog to do all the dirty work for him. Surly Amy would like a pet like him.

As he watched the last man get cut down by his future minion, he scoffed and turned away, leaving the scene of combat with his servant Auguste following behind.

Back to the duo, Albel swung his sword twice to rid it of any blood before placing it in its sheath.

Seung Mina was proud of herself, she managed to get all her targets down non-lethally, but not much can be said of Albel's targets. She'd be surprised if one of them was still alive.

Albel walked up to her, "Now, shall we get back on the road?" He asked, but not waiting for an answer and walked ahead.

Seung Mina looked around, she supposed the ones she knocked out will eventually wake up and clean up Albel's mess. Before she went to go catch up to Albel, one man cried out. Hearing this, she looked to the side and noticed that one of the men she knocked out started to come to his senses. "Albel, wait!" She called out, causing the brooding man to stop in his tracks.

She walked up to the man and kicked him over, "Before I leave, I need to ask you something." She asked as she kneeled down with her knee on his ribs to keep him down, "What do you know of the corrupted blade?" She asked.

The man coughed, "You talking about Soul Edge?" He asked.

Seung Mina sighed. So he knows of Soul Edge. Well, of course, who hasn't heard about Soul Edge at this point? She looked back at him, "Do you know where it is located?" She asked as she placed more of her weight down.

"No, I do not." He answered. "We went to a tavern in a nearby town and a man hired us there."

Albel remained in his location. Meaning, he just stood there and not even bothering to look behind his shoulder at Seung Mina and her interrogation, "Bandits doing mercenary work?" He mused to himself, "This is a strange world you live in." He added as he decided to look behind his shoulder.

Seung Mina ignored him, "Hired you?" She repeated his words, "Does this man know of Soul Edge?" She asked the man.

"I reckon he does. He wore a hood, but we managed to spot his red eyes beneath it. He also had two pale women besides him. What kind of monster the blade turned him to, we don't know." He explained as he lowered his eyes, "What I can tell you is, that he hired us to kill a woman on the main road. Kill her and retrieve the man she's traveling with." He explained as he started to struggle.

Seung Mina was confused. Sure Albel's handsome, (Still didn't see any redeeming qualities...) and she considered herself pretty and cute, if the compliments of the men she battled were to indicate anything. But why would anyone want someone like Albel over her? She supposed it would be possible if the client was a woman, but this was a man that hired these bandits. She continued to think these thoughts as she held him down. Before she could continue with her (impure) thoughts of the many reasons why, the man managed to get his hand free and attempted to grab her in the neck. She leaned back and gripped his arm again with her hand and held it down.

The man stopped struggling and looked at her again, "We weren't going to kill you. That would be a waste of money and property. Your beauty would sell well in the underground." He revealed his true intentions, "Don't think we're going to stop at this defeat. We number in hundreds, eventually you will be captured, than sold. Or perhaps the boss will keep you for himself." He added as he started struggling again.

Seung Mina decided she heard enough. So she reared her fist and punched him in the face. It didn't knock him out though as he groaned in pain and held the spot she punch. She then got up, walked beside him, reared her foot, and kicked him across the face. This knocked him out. Scowling at him, she still didn't want to resort to killing, but she was wishing that he was among the group that attacked Albel. But even then, she wouldn't have learned this information.

She turned and walked towards Albel who has started to walk. She walked to his side, "Did you just hear what he just said?" She replied in disgust at the thought of being sold like cattle.

"There's a town nearby." Albel pointed out. Pretty much the only part of the explanation he cared about.

"He wanted to sell me." She was quick to point out.

Albel still walked ahead, "And we have people wandering about trying to capture us." He replied. That too.

Seung Mina glared at him, she wanted to tell him about how her being sold was highly offensive, but she realized by now that he didn't care for her well being. Well, true they only met a couple of hours again, but she had the feeling that even if they knew each other for months, he still wouldn't care for her well being. She supposed she didn't mind, there are some people she wished she never met. But still, she has never met a man with so much negative emotions that wasn't infected with the influence of Soul Edge.

Now that she thought of it, where did he come from? He just came rushing in the kill the Lizardmen that gained the upper-hand against her. She was tempted to call him a Guardian Angel, but really...

"I'm going to the town. Your free to tag along if you wish." Albel announced as he started walking down the main road.

Seung Mina was still lost in her thoughts. It wasn't until Albel was a couple of feet away that she finally processed his statement, "What? Hey!" She called out as she sprinted along to catch up to him, "If I recall, your the one tagging along." She pointed out, staying besides him.

"Whatever you say." Albel muttered, continuing to walk.

Seung Mina scoffed, "Rude..." She murmured. She crossed her arms as she started to think about exactly why the man wanted Albel. Thinking back when they first met, she hadn't seen him come from anywhere. There's also the fact that he was capable of doing some type of Arcane Arts that she never seen before. Perhaps something similar in her time of traveling, but nothing as horrific as she seen. This was probably why the man wanted him instead of her, because as far as she's concerned, she's normal.

She groaned quietly. She didn't know why she was thinking of Albel's well-being when she should be thinking of her own. The man wants him alive and doesn't care if she's captured or not. If anything, they should go their separate ways so she'll be safe. They're not friends as far as Albel's concerned, just two strangers who managed to meet on the road. Still, she saw great potential in him. Perhaps if she breaks that outer shell, he'll manage to sink in some positive qualities from her. Plus, she wouldn't be able to live knowing she left a man to die.

She sighed. It was a long day and she was getting tired. Maybe once they refresh themselves in town, she can figure out what to do. Until then, she's just a worm to him.

XoXoX

And that's that. Thank you all for sticking with me through this series, even if you haven't played or watched any of their series; (Or if you even don't like it) I just like to let you know that I still value any reviews I can get. I know it may seem like I abandoned several of my stories, this included with all the hiatus I've taken from writing. I will never abandon my writing abilities as it continues to grow. That, you have my word.

I could have uploaded a more familiar one, but I actually had this one written up a while ago. Starting off the New Year, I decided to upload something, so I reread through this and corrected any little mistake I can detect. I'm trying to keep a realistic view on this. Like, if you met someone like Albel (Rude, Moody, Short-Tempered, not hesitant to ram his sword through you.) on the road, would you stick with him? While I did have Seung Mina question that staying with him wouldn't be a good idea, for the sake of story, I discarded that thought.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this.