Hello again to my readers! Been a bit since my last update. I finished my last assessment for the year yesterday so now I'm free, and to celebrate, I'm uploading this chapter early! I haven't gotten anywhere near halfway in my next chapter yet, but that doesn't matter, I have so much more time now! So I will try and complete the next chapter as soon as I can. But anyway! Onto this chapter! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Tales of the Abyss, I cannot, since when it was released I was still in primary school. I do however own Lythia and Arietta and any changes I make to the story. I also own the pain that I put my characters through. Caius is owned by Defiance-of-Fate and any pain that he experiences is approved of by his creator.
Lady Luck
Lythia was walking through Keterburg, snarl on her face, as she approached the group of travellers in front of her. They hadn't noticed her presence. The reason why Lythia was following them was because of the ship they had arrived on; the Tartarus, also because they were masquerading around as Jade, Natalia and their group. Lythia was furious.
Walking up behind the short haired red head who was wearing Luke's clothes, she wrapped her arm around his neck, angling her hand so that the dagger in it was resting tip first on the red head's neck. At the same time she threw a statement at the man who looked like Jade.
"You must be very brave, impersonating someone who is dead. Tell me who you are and I'll drag you back to Emperor Peony for judgement. Don't, and I'll kill you all."
Everyone stopped at the frozen tones of Lythia's voice.
"Hello Lythia," replied the man who Lythia threw the question at, turning to face Lythia. "Perhaps you should put your blade away and allow us to explain ourselves?"
"What are you doing Lythia?" the one impersonating Natalia called, shocked. Lythia's grip on the red head tightened slightly, growling at the way that the people in front of her even sounded like Natalia and Jade.
"Exposing imposters," Lythia snapped in reply. "Akzeriuth was destroyed, and Jade, Natalia and the rest of the Ambassadorial party sent from Baticul died. There is no way they survived that catastrophe. If you aren't imposters then you are replicas, and for that I will personally enjoy killing the imitation of my brother."
There was a silence at Lythia's words, a kind of stunned revelation. However the red haired boy squirming in her arms looked confused.
"What?" he asked, drawing the sharp warning glance of Jade. "The only replica here is me, and we did survive the fall of Akzeriuth."
The blonde man in the group pressed his hand to his face exasperatedly. Lythia let out a hysterical giggle.
"Prove it then!" she challenged in a voice that was equally hysterical. The Natalia lookalike stepped forward, pulling a familiar golden clip out of her hair.
"In Baticul, you gave me this," she started cautiously. "You said it was a gift from your brother when you were a child. You told me that it was for good luck and that I was to give it back to you when we finally stood in Grand Chokmah together."
As the honey blonde held the golden vines out to Lythia, no one said anything. Eventually Lythia stood back, releasing Luke. She pointed the dagger at the brunette man with red eyes.
"You," she snapped. "Where's your proof?"
The man stepped forward, around her knife and whispered into her ear.
"Jade, if I died, would you replicate me as if was nothing."
The knife dropped out of Lythia's hand.
"Stop," she murmured. "I don't want to think of that…"
"Have I proven my identity to you?" Jade asked. Tears welled up in Lythia's eyes.
"Why…?" she asked softly, though when she elaborated her voice was louder. "Why didn't you send anything? Why didn't you inform me or Peony that you were still alive? Why Brother, tell me why!"
A sob escaped her lips. Jade looked to the side.
"Forgive me," he murmured. Lythia punched him forcefully, causing Jade to step back. She then threw her arms around him and cried into his chest.
"Idiot," she whispered amongst her sobs. The rest of the party was silent; potentially shocked that Jade was willingly being hugged.
Eventually Lythia's tears subsided and the group was walking to the Governor's Residence. The blonde haired, violet eyed woman kept close to Jade's side, as if fearful that fate would take her brother away from her again. Curiously enough, she left them at the door to Nephry's house saying that she would be at the Keterburg Hotel arranging rooms for their stay. Lythia retreated quickly, leaving a confused group behind her.
"Is something wrong?" Tear asked Jade. The brunette man was frowning, but he quickly turned a smile upon Tear.
"Let us see the Governess," he said, not answering Tear's question. He glanced back in the direction that Lythia had run in, before he opened the door to the Governess' Residence. Walking inside he greeted Caius who had been standing in the foyer, smirking slightly at the mix of glare and surprise on the teen's face. Without a word the boy lead the group into Nephry's study.
"Jade?" Nephry gasped, looking shocked. "You are alive?"
"Hello Nephry," the red eyed man replied. "It's been a long time hasn't it? Not since your wedding I believe."
To Jade's surprise there was a flash of contempt in his youngest sister's eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"Are you really my brother?" the blonde woman asked, but then her voice changed tone. "They said you were killed at Akzeriuth. No… that is a stupid question. You wouldn't be alive if you hadn't proven yourself to Lythia. The cut on your friend's neck speaks of your encounter."
"But Lythia said she'd take us to Emperor Peony if we didn't prove who we were," Tear stated. The look that Nephry gave the young soldier was bland.
"She lied," came the voice of Caius, the boy was staring at the Malkuth Colonel. "She would have killed you all on the spot if he wasn't Jade Curtiss."
"Perhaps we both have explaining to do," Jade suggested. The group sat around Nephry's study as they explained about Akzeriuth, and in turn Nephry recounted what had happened in the past two weeks. Jade's cheerful smile, that he had been maintaining for the entire conversation, slipped when Nephry spoke about Lythia's descent into insanity.
"I'll have people inspect the Tartarus," Nephry stated softly after she had finished talking about Lythia. "Once you've resupplied, please go see Emperor Peony. He's been very worried – for both you and Lythia."
"Oh? Didn't everyone think I was dead?" Jade asked, surprised. Nephry stood up.
"His Majesty was the only one who believed you were still alive," the woman replied. Jade frowned slightly.
"Why didn't Lythia?" he inquired quietly. His youngest sister moved to a box on the side of the room and pulled out a letter, handing it to Jade. The red eyed man read it without a word, before silently handing it back to Nephry and leaving the room. The confused calls after him were silenced by Nephry as she held up her hands.
"Where is my sister?" she asked. Tear recounted what had happened at Keterburg Bay and how Lythia had gone towards the hotel. Nephry sighed and turned to a window, staring out it.
"Please take advantage of the rooms that my sister is giving you," she murmured. "Keterburg is a tourist city, you'll be safe here."
Recognising the dismissal, the party went to leave. Nephry turned back and placed her hand on Luke's shoulder.
"Please come by again later," she murmured into his ear. "I'd like a word with you, alone, if you don't mind."
The red head's slight nod was the only indication she received that he had acknowledged her words. When the room was empty again, Nephry returned to her desk and picked up her pen, only to put it down again as she realised her hands her shaking. Jade was alive, he had returned. Nephry didn't know how to react. With another sigh, Nephry stared out the window again at the snow which had started falling.
"Are you too late brother?"
"B-big brother?"
"Yes Nephry?"
"Where is Lythia?"
"I don't know."
"Why not? She was with you!"
"You haven't seen Lythia since last night?"
"No_ Hey! Where are you going?"
"To find our sister."
"Brother?"
Jade was running through Keterburg, drawing stares from the people he passed, but he didn't care. The receptionist at the hotel had told him that Lythia had left a minute before he arrived. He would have laughed quietly at the irony of the situation if he hadn't been trying to find his sister. Much like twenty-four years ago, Lythia had been with him, they had parted ways, and now he didn't know where his sister was.
He stopped in surprise when he noticed where he had run; Professor Nebilim's old house. Carefully, Jade approached the ruins of the building.
"That's right…" he murmured. "Lythia ran away several days after the Professor died…"
"I didn't run because Professor Nebilim died due to your idiocrasy, you know."
The voice was soft and childish. Jade turned around to face Lythia who had somehow approached him silently from behind.
"I ran away because you used fomicry on my pet and it hurt me," she continued. "You hurt me, and I was afraid of you for the first time in my life. I asked you if you would use fomicry on me if I died, but you answered by telling me that I don't matter. That made me fear you more."
"I swear to you, little sister," Jade said. "I am not that child."
"Jade Balfour is dead," Lythia commented, grabbing her brother's hand.
"As is Lythia Balfour," Jade replied. Lythia froze at the words, before she smiled tightly.
"I suppose she is," she responded. The two stared at each other for a few more moments, before they returned to the Keterburg hotel. The two were silent in their walk. As they entered the hotel they noticed that Luke was missing from the group.
"Where is young Luke fon Fabre?" Lythia inquired, violet eyes scanning the room for the red head.
"He went to talk to the Governess," Natalia replied. Lythia nodded her assent. There was small conversation after that statement, Ion talking quietly with Lythia, before the group split, returning to their rooms. Jade and Lythia however remained. They decided to wait for Luke to return, Jade went to wait outside Nephry's house, but Lythia sat on the stairs leading up to the Hotel.
A few minutes of silence had Lythia humming softly, violet eyes watching the falling snow. Over a full year it had been since she had last allowed herself to just stare at the snow and admire its beauty. Several more minutes passed before Lythia heard the crunch of boots on snow.
"I'm sorry."
The voice of Luke reached her ears and Lythia turned her head to face him.
"What are you apologising for?" she asked softly.
"I caused Akzeriuth_"
"Stop."
Lythia stood as she interrupted Luke, holding up a finger in a shushing gesture, moving so that she could extent her arm and press that finger against Luke's lips.
"I will not hear an apology for Akzeriuth," she asserted. "You did not go to the city with the intention to destroy it. Fon Master Ion told me that Vandesdelca made you set off the hyperresonance that destroyed the passage ring. How, I don't know, but I trust Ion, and judging from the Commandant's suspicious activity in Daath, I would be willing to agree. You are at fault for not questioning yours and Van's actions. You are at fault for not trusting your team. You are not, however, the mastermind behind the destruction of an entire city."
The short haired, red head boy stared up at Lythia with awe, wide eyes pleading, as if begging for her words to be truth. The Malkuth woman stared at the boy with pity.
"When you work out what you should be apologizing for, come to me," she said, before she walked past him, towards Jade. Lythia stopped however when a quiet question followed her.
"Why are your eyes violet?"
The question ran itself through Lythia's head. She had been asked the same question many times, she had even asked it herself. Many had commented on the odd colour of her eyes, so why was it that Luke asking made her stop and think.
"I've… always… had violet eyes… haven't I… Jade?" she asked her brother hesitantly, voice soft. Her eyes, which were the very topic of the conversation, searched the face of her sibling for signs of deception. It was easy to see the forced smile on Jade's face.
"Of course, little sister," he replied, bringing his hand to rest on Lythia's head, even though she was only a few inches shorter than he was. Lythia frowned, but nodded.
"I'm going to go talk to Tear, Anise and Natalia," she murmured before walking back into the hotel. Jade and Luke watched her go.
When the door shut behind the woman, Luke turned to Jade. He remained silent for a few seconds before he spoke.
"Did you not just tell me off a few minutes ago for telling lies like that?" he asked. Red eyes flicked to meet green. Jade sighed.
"It's too late to tell her the truth now," the Colonel stated. "She would have been told when she turned thirteen, but she had run away well before then, and the person who had to be the one to tell her died. I don't know enough to tell Lythia the truth, I suspect the doctor who she sees wouldn't be able to properly explain it either."
"Did you do something to her eyes?"
"Why Luke, I'm hurt," Jade mocked lightly, before his voice turned serious. "No, it wasn't I that did something, but Professor Nebilim, and I find myself become more grateful that she did."
The Colonel didn't let Luke ask why, instead he ushered him into the hotel and they walked to their room, where Guy and Ion were already sleeping. While Luke allowed himself to succumb to sleep, Jade could not, for the events that had taken place in the past few hours kept replaying in his mind.
Another voice interrupted his thoughts however, the voice of Guy.
"Just how many sisters do you have," the blonde man asked sleepily. Jade looked over at the man who had spoke.
"Just Lythia and Nephry," he replied softly. "The reaction to Nephry being my sister wasn't as great as the reaction to Lythia being my sister when you all found out in Belkend."
Guy sent him a withered glare, but Jade didn't see it, for he had already turned away. The Colonel stood and walked over to the window, deciding to stare out at the falling snow.
"Why did you hide the fact?" the blonde man inquired, sounding more awake then he had moments ago. At this, Jade's smirk returned.
"Your reactions were just simply amusing to me."
There was an irritated sigh and a shift of covers. The silence in the room told Jade that Guy had returned to sleep. Jade Curtiss didn't sleep that night, and for the first time, truly regretting that he chose to believe that Lythia had died instead of trying to discover the miracle. There was one thing that bothered the man though, something that he felt he needed to address as soon as they got to Grand Chokmah. Lythia should have been able to tell the instant she saw them that they were not replicas, so why did it even occur to her that they could have been?
The next morning, Jade, Lythia and Nephry faced each other, at the docks of Keterburg Bay. There was an awkward silence between the three, but Lythia was content to ignore it, too happy, as it had been over twenty-four years since she and her siblings had stood together. Farewells were said, and Lythia promised to see Nephry as soon as she could. There was an implied threat that she would be bringing up an old argument the next time they met. The two sisters laughed lightly, breaking the tension that hung in the air.
Then Lythia followed Luke and Mieu onto the Tartarus, asking the two questions as Tear and Anise walked behind them. Natalia was frowning at Lythia's back, which Guy and Jade caught, but the two men didn't comment. Once the Tartarus was moving, Jade noticed several habits of his sister's coming back to light. They way that she stood sentinel over the bridge, watching Guy and Anise as they helped Jade control the great ship, and how she would always stare at her rapier when she was lost in though. However, there were a few new habits which worried the Colonel. Most notably, the way that she would never let Jade out of her sight. If she wasn't in the room with him, than Caius was. When Jade had asked the young teen why, Caius would shrug and merely comment that he was following orders. That was something else that Jade would have to ask his sister about when they got to Grand Chokmah it seemed.
Yep, so now Lythia knows that her brother is alive, Nephry doesn't know how to react to Jade's survival, and Lythia doesn't seem to blame Luke for Akzeriuth. And the Balfour style humour is running full force. Many many interesting points raised in this chapter. Hope to see you next time. I will try to update again before Christmas!
Until then please review!
Also! I have a poll on my profile page - I'm thinking of changing my penname - please go vote on it.
Thanks!
~Icetail of WindClan - Meta-If~
Unimportant notes:
Lythia has gone insane. There is no question about that. Whether she recovers her sanity is a different question, but my plan for the outcome of her insanity is a go. I will thoroughly enjoy writing the lines said by characters. x3 Nephry's question is still a valid one though; is Jade too late?
Luke might get slapped by Lythia later. From what I understand about Luke's mindset, he stubbornly sticks to beliefs that he has. What I mean by this I'll explain later. Anyway, Lythia is trying to tell Luke to accept the responsibility of his own actions, not take the blame for something he didn't do.
Oh dear, I did it again, I raised the "Lythia/Jade Balfour is dead" line. I wonder why I keep doing that.
