An SO3 story centered on Fayt x Sophia. Just another fluff story specially manufactured by Puffy.
Chapter One: Where it all began.
In a busy street, some few years back.
"Hey Button what's for dinner?" Fayt called out, as he caught up with the girl who was walking with her friends.
"Hi girls." He greeted the others.
The girl in question stiffened visibly while her friends giggled.
"Button!" Sophia cried indignantly, "For your information Mr. Leingod, I have a name and it's not Button!"
"Sheathe your claws, my proud little cat. You're the only Button I know." He continued smiling merrily.
Sophia turned beet red. "For goodness sake! I'm not a child anymore! Must you continue calling me that?" She hissed.
"Are you telling me you're already old?" Fayt asked trying hard to maintain a serious look on his face.
"Yes!—I mean No! I mean—uhhhh you're impossible!" She stamped her foot angrily.
He tweaked her nose affectionately.
"See? You're still a Button." He chuckled.
If her eyes could scorch, he'll surely be a mass of ashes by now, Fayt thought bemused.
Before Sophia could make any smart retort, Fayt started to walk away.
"I'll be there at the usual time. Keep the soup warm for me little one." He called behind his shoulders, then disappeared in the busy crowd.
"Ohhhh I hate him!" Sophia vowed. Her friends only smiled, not daring to laugh outright, they know how much Sophia resented being called something like Button in public.
"You have known him for a very long time haven't you Sophia?" One of her friends asked.
"Yes." She muttered. "Of all the unluckiest people in the whole world…I have to be his neighbor! Our moms were the best of friends since they were kids, both his parents were so nice, I don't know where Fayt got his hideousness!"
"Oh he's not so bad." Her friend said. "I heard he's the best basketball player in school."
"He's kinda cute too." Another one said.
"And an honor student…I'd like to have a boyfriend just like him."
"You should count yourself lucky Sophia."
Sophia grumbled, wrinkling her nose. "Hey! I thought you guys are my friends! Why are you taking his side?"
The girls only laughed and let the subject drop.
At the Steed residence, later that evening…
"Hey Button it's me! I'm starving! What is that wonderful smell? When can we eat?" Fayt burst through the door without knocking.
He collapsed on the sofa and stretched his arms wide. He gave a little yawn, somewhat tired. He'd been at the school gym for basketball practice.
Sophia appeared just then wearing a pink-checkered apron.
She was about to scold him for his behavior earlier when she noticed that he had brought her something.
Peaches. Her favorite fruit.
"Still mad at me?" Fayt asked giving her another one of his smiles, a little contrite this time.
Sophia sighed and shook her head, unable to remain angry with him for any great length of time.
"Just don't do it again." She warned.
Fayt only smiled.
Sophia knew him well enough that given another chance, he'll do the same thing all over again. Shaking her head, she picked up the bowl of peaches from the table and headed back to the kitchen.
"Dinner won't be ready for another half hour." She called from the kitchen.
"Why don't you rest for a while."
Fayt didn't answer, he was already dozing off on the sofa.
Since both their parents are always busy with their work, she and Fayt shared dinner together every evening. Despite the fact that he can be an infuriating tease at times, she'd rather bear his beastly behavior than eat alone. Besides they have developed the carefree, camaraderie she enjoys with no one else.
Sophia took a sip of the soup she was preparing, remembering the time that she prepared that 'special soup' just for him.
Out of sheer mischief, she had planned a special prank for Fayt that night. For Fayt's special soup, she used equal part vinegar as the soup base, a good amount of salt enough to dry a whole elephant, emptied a whole can of baking powder, together with the creamed corn and mushroom soup stock and bits of meat and vegetables. To camouflage the unpalatable odor, she added curry powder, coriander and ground pepper. A friend from India gave her dried chilies with a warning about the extra spiciness of the little red devils, these Sophia chopped to tiny bits and sprinkled them on the soup as the final garnish.
She was very much tempted to add laundry powder too, except that the soapy effervescent might give her away.
To distract Fayt from ever noticing that the soup in his bowl is hideous, Sophia talked about his favorite topic—games. The plan worked perfectly, too animated to notice that his soup smelled funny, Fayt took the soup bowl and as Sophia had hoped, imbibed directly from the bowl.
Sophia laughed in sheer delight as she remembered the look on Fayt's face when he took a big gulp and choked on the vilest soup he ever had the misfortune to taste, but she should have known better, Sophia mused to herself, remembering how short lived her moment of fun had been, and how quickly the prankster became the victim
He retaliated by pretending that he was poisoned. Dramatizing the act in such a way as to make a professional actor proud, Fayt clutched his stomach and collapsed on the floor, all the time moaning as if in deep pain.
She believed the act and began to cry, thinking he was really poisoned.
Fayt completed his performance by faking a convulsion, then collapsing as if he had really died. He held his breath for as long as he could, which was not difficult for him to do as he was trained in numerous swimming classes.
Sophia, believing him to be dead was too afraid to touch him, Fayt wished he could peek to see her face, but had to content himself with the sound of her distress.
'Silly girl' he thought to himself, 'You think you can get away with that!'
"Fayt? Please wake up Fayt! Come on Fayt it's not funny!" Sophia cried, kneeling beside him on the floor.
When she had gathered enough courage to touch him, Sophia knelt nearer, her hands shook too much, she meant to turn him over on his back when Fayt gave her the second fright of her life by grabbing her on the shoulders all of a sudden with the most blood congealing sound he could make.
Sophia screamed, thinking he had turned into a zombie to extract revenge on her for killing him, and seeing her frightened face, Fayt collapsed down on the floor and laughed and laughed until his stomach hurt for real this time.
Realizing that he had made a fool out of her, Sophia began to pummel him on the back with her fists.
"You horrible, mean creature! You tricked me!" She cried.
Fayt still laughing on the floor, rolled on his back and caught her wrists.
"You cannot possibly believe I'll let you get away with that soup you've made specially for my 'pleasure' without returning the favor, can you?" He asked lazily.
"Besides, you've taken so much trouble preparing the soup, I felt I should at least gratify you with a more dramatic result than the one you expected."
Reminded of the soup, Sophia's anger fled. She smiled down on him mischievously.
"Ah it was amusing to see your face wrinkled like a prune!" She declared.
"Oh? You looked real funny too, especially when you begged 'Fayt please don't die!'" He retorted.
Sophia turned her face in a snob.
"Hmph!I wished I've really poisoned you!"
"Hehe. I'm not that easy to kill ma petite."
Fayt sat up and held his hand out.
"You've got to admit we're quits. You made me choke on that horrible soup, and I frightened you by pretending to be poisoned…so…Friends?"
Sophia looked at his outstretched hand, she took it a little grumpily.
"Friends." She said.
"Good. Now let's get back to eating, all that performance made me hungry!" Fayt declared.
They sat back on the table. Although Fayt was still a little suspicious, no more mishaps occurred that night.
As kids, they always fought, bickered together, Fayt have done so many horrible things to her as boys are inclined to do, but things started to change after that vacation in the snowy mountain.
The night of the soup happened last year, but the winter vacation took place when she was 12 and Fayt was 14.
She remembered that idyllic vacation as if it was just yesterday…
It was her dream vacation, she was so excited to have her first 'authentic white Christmas', for it rarely snows on earth, that she didn't mind sharing it with Fayt.
The skiing resort was beautiful, set in natural surroundings with pine trees.
They were warned not to wander deep in the woods for wild animals still live there.
On their first day, Robert took Fayt and Sophia for skiing lessons, while Clive escorted the women who were eager to shop for souvenirs.
Fayt was a quick learner, he had learned to balance himself and glide gracefully on the snow in a very short span of time, while Sophia flunked face first on the snow numerous times.
Fayt teased her unmercifully, although Robert scolded him.
By the end of the day, Sophia still hasn't learned to ski yet, despite her efforts.
That night, Sophia promised to herself that she won't give up. Remembering that infuriating smirk on his face, Sophia punched her fists against the bed. She will have the last laugh!
It was only after she had thought of a plan to beat Fayt that Sophia finally allowed herself to sleep.
The following morning promised a bright, sunny day and their parents decided to visit the local museum.
It was unexpected as no such plans were discussed last night.
"Ummm I'd rather stay here." Sophia said, "I want to finish all my school work so I don't have to think about it."
"You're sure about that honey?" Kyoko asked.
"U-hmm" Sophia nodded.
"Fayt stay with her." Robert told his son.
"There's no need." Sophia said hastily. "I'll be fine."
Both set of parents shook their head.
"You shouldn't be left all alone Sophia." Ryoko said.
"But Aunt Ryoko…"
"Why not take Fayt with you? I'll stay here with Sophia." Her mother said.
Fayt shook his head.
"I'm not really fond of old stuff; I'll only get bored in there. So you should go Aunt Kyoko, I'll look after Sophia."
Sophia began to protest.
"It's settled then." Robert declared, his tone said he'd brook no more arguments.
Sophia slumped in her chair. Fayt closed the door as their parents left.
The teasing began in full earnest.
"So." He said in a loud voice. "It seems I have to baby sit you again. Will you ever grow up?"
Sophia tried to ignore him by reading her assignments. But Fayt won't leave her alone.
He walked to the window and gazed out. It was a beautiful sunny day and there's nothing more he wanted to do but to polish his newly acquired skill in skiing.
"It's a shame babies can't ski." He said too loudly, making sure she hears every word. "Why if not for a certain infant, I would be out there skiing and perhaps I could find some cute girls to hang out with."
Sophia tried to ignore his cruel jests, she didn't know what hurt the most, mocking her inept ability to ski, or…his preference to hang out with someone else. Bah! Why was she thinking about such things? Of course she's mad at him for teasing her about her inability to ski, but she'll show him!
"Why don't you do just that?" She asked with saccharine sweetness.
For a moment the teasing left his eyes. Sophia knew the idea is very appealing to him.
"But I have to baby sit you, or else my father will strip a big piece off my a—err, my butt if something happens to you." Fayt sighed.
"Oh come now. What could possibly happen to me inside this lodge? Go on, have fun, I'll stay here and finish my homework."
For a moment he eyed her suspiciously, wondering at her sudden meekness. She certainly never did anything that would please him, so what is she up to?
But she was reading her assignments again, he was completely forgotten, or so he thought.
He wanted to go outside and explore the land, but his father gave him the responsibility to look after Sophia. But what if he'll be gone for only an hour? Surely Sophia would still be immersed in her homework by the time he came back. And this place is really safe; absolutely nothing would or could harm her, unless she sets fire to the lodge while she's still inside!
"You sure you'll be all right, left all alone here?" He asked finally.
Sophia sighed in exasperation.
"Can't you see that I'm trying to do my homework? And with you chattering all the time I'll never be able to finish anything! Go outside; ski all the way back home if you want. I don't care what you do, just leave me alone okay?" She picked up her quad scanner and began to punch several more keys, ignoring him.
Still, Fayt hesitated. In the end, wanderlust won the battle.
An hour he promised to himself. He'll just be gone for an hour.
"All right then, I'll leave you to you work while I take a short stroll outside."
Sophia nodded, smiling secretly.
After a few moments, Fayt stood before her fully dressed for skiing.
"Don't go out alone. If you want to go anywhere, wait for me first, got that?"
"Yes, yes now be gone!" Sophia shooed him away.
Fayt didn't need any more urging, he was gone before she could blink twice.
Sophia sighed and switched off her quad scanner.
She wanted to practice in secret so she could surprise everyone.
Hah! She can't wait to see Fayt's jaw drop when she shows him how good she can be.
Quickly she dressed not wanting to waste anymore time, she must master skiing as soon as possible and somehow beat Fayt in a race.
As Sophia gathered her gear, a problem arose in her mind. Where could she practice without the risk of being seen? She's likely to meet Fayt if she took the resort's skiing course, so where?
Suddenly she remembered the snow covered pine trees.
'Yes! That's it!' She thought excitedly, the trees would offer her some privacy.
She remembered the warning not to venture into the woods, but then it's still daylight, so no wild creature would be lurking about, Sophia reasoned to herself.
But she cannot bring her quad scanner because it would give away her location. What if she can't find her way back and get lost in the woods? A cautious voice warned her.
'That's easy!' Sophia thought triumphantly, 'I'll drop some markers along the way…just like Hansel and Gretel!' Only she'll make sure that they are not pieces of bread she'll be dropping, Sophia giggled childishly.
She went back to her room and opened her mother's sewing kit. Sophia took a small box. She lifted the lid to check the contents. Various assortments of buttons were kept inside the box, of different sizes and various shades of colors.
'This should do it.' she thought to herself.
She made her way out, whistling a happy tune as she set towards the pine trees.
At the edge of the woods she dropped her first button, at every two feet distance she would select a large one and drop it on the ground. Repeating the process again and again, Sophia went deeper and deeper into the woods.
Finally she came to a small clearing. It's not as if she can really ski long distances anyway, Sophia thought to herself, the place is suitable for her small distance 'skiing'. She looked back from where she came from, a little nervous as she realized that she could no longer see the rooftop of the lodge.
Nevertheless she must accomplish what she came here for or she could never have the means to prove herself to Fayt.
Meanwhile, not far from the lodge…
Fayt was having a grand time. He had just mastered skiing on a lofty slope and was very proud of himself. Despite his earlier words with Sophia, he wasn't really in the mood to meet with anyone; all he wanted was to polish his skills so he could ski at the highest peak of the resort.
He was about to go for another glide from the top when he suddenly felt
uneasy. The hair on the back of his neck stood on their end although he was
not cold. He tried shaking off the feeling, wondering what's wrong with him.
Suddenly the uneasiness condensed into fear.
He looked around him like a cornered animal looking for a way out.
He must be going mad. Fayt thought nervously, because for a moment there, he thought he heard Sophia calling out to him. But she was nowhere in sight!
Then it came again, Sophia is calling him!
Fayt shook his head, thinking he is mad. But he cannot bear this dreaded feeling anymore.
Somehow he knew Sophia needed him, that…she's in trouble.
He took out his communicator and tried to contact her. His quad scanner showed that her device is inside the lodge. When Sophia didn't pick up her communicator, Fayt knew that she is no longer inside the safety of the lodge.
Frantically he raced back towards the house.
"Sophia?" He shouted as he burst through the door. No one answered. His fear doubled in seconds.
"Sophia? Answer me!" He shouted again. He searched every room but she was nowhere to be found.
"Where are you silly girl?" He hissed, his chest still heaving from the exertion.
He ran outside the lodge, intent on seeking help when he noticed the footprints in the snow. The prints led to the woods.
Fayt cursed violently, without a doubt, the marks on the snow belongs to Sophia. That girl has a knack for stirring trouble. What in the world was she thinking?
Didn't she know that it's not like the parks back home? Remembering the warning about the wild beasts in the woods, Fayt ran back inside the lodge to search for a weapon he could use. He found one near the old fashioned fire place; Fayt picked the longest metal poker and tested its weight on his palm. Deciding that it was the best weapon he could use, he ran outside.
Fayt retraced the path she had taken, promising to give her hell once he found her. He was about to enter the woods when he saw the gleam of a silver button. A marker, he thought to himself, seeing another one just about two feet away.
Quickly he followed the trail of buttons, all the while his dread rose higher and higher. Just how far did she go? Something is definitely not right, he can feel it. Oh trust Sophia to make things complicated for him!
'Wait for me Sophia.' He said silently. 'Hang in there.'
After Sophia decided that she had gone deep enough inside the forest of pine trees, she felt as if she had managed a great feat by convincing Fayt to leave her alone. She sat on a huge boulder of rock and proceeded to put on her skiing gear.
Tentatively she began gliding small distances, precariously balancing herself.
She was not confident enough to go for a longer distance but she was not disappointed, all in all she was making progress without Fayt's constant belittling eyes!
Sophia was concentrating so hard on practicing that she failed to notice the creature that slowly crept nearer towards her.
It was only when she heard the snarl of the wolf that Sophia realized she was no longer alone.
Her instincts urged her to run, to get away from the vile creature. She tried to ski as fast she could away from the beast but her knees shook so badly that she quickly lost her balance.
The wolf crept nearer, its long, deadly fangs bared in a snarl. His front legs were stiff, and long trails of saliva oozed from his mouth.
It didn't take a genius to know that the beast is rabid. From what Sophia knew about them, wolves are always in packs, hunt only at night and usually shy away from human.
Not this one.
Her eyes huge in fear, Sophia tried to get up but found that her legs have failed her. She began to cry, knowing she'll surely die.
Will her parents ever know what happened to her?
Will they be able to recover her remains?
She hugged herself and closed her eyes, preparing for the worst. The least she could hope for was that death would be swift, that she won't have to suffer the wolf's attack very long.
And yet a part of her refused to meekly accept her death, Sophia tried to gather her strength to get up. The best she could do was move herself with her arms, but the wolf followed her, as if mocking her efforts.
'Fayt!' Her mind cried out. 'Fayt help me!'
As if her fervent pleas had miraculously conjured him, Sophia heard him call out her name. Almost afraid to believe it was really him, Sophia saw Fayt as he emerged from the trees, panting for breath.
It took Fayt a short while to assess the situation, and with grim determination he sought to catch the wolf's attention away from her. He threw rocks and whatever bits of twigs he could pick
Fayt succeeded. The wolf turned on him with a growl. Though he was now the prey, he stood his ground undaunted, although inside he was quivering from fright. His hands shook, but he quickly controlled the tremors. The only fights he had were done in battle simulators, never like this, never with some rabid creature set out to kill him. This is for real. Unlike those simulators, he can get really hurt or die.
But he clamped down on his fear, concentrating on what must be done. The wolf could attack Sophia any moment, there's not a minute to spare.
Sophia hugged herself into a fetal position, too afraid to watch. She shivered as she heard the piteous cries of the beast as Fayt bludgeoned the animal to death.
He didn't know from where he got the strength to move, it was as if another being have taken control of his body. Fayt brought down the poker with amazing accuracy on the animal's head.
He winced as he heard the sickening sound of metal hitting bone, but keeping his resolves firm, Fayt began to bludgeon the animal with rapid successions, not wanting to prolong the animal's agony.
When it was over, Fayt poked the animal, turning the limp form onto its back. Satisfied that the wolf no longer pose any threat, he threw the bloodied metal poker and then ran to her huddled form and pulled her close.
"Are you all right? Are you hurt in any way?"
Sophia shook her head, she clutched at the front of his jacket with trembling hands.
Anger quickly replaced relief.
Fayt grasped her shoulders and shook her lightly.
"What are you doing here? What were you thinking? You would have died if I had come a minute too late! I told you to stay inside the lodge why didn't you listen?"
Sophia only sobbed against his chest. Realizing she was too distraught, Fayt decided to save his questions for later.
"We've got to get out of here, there may be others like him." He urged her.
He stood and tried to pull her up. Sophia tried to raise herself only to wince in pain.
"What's the matter? Are you hurt?" Fayt asked, lowering her back to the ground.
She tried to speak; only the chattering of her teeth won't cease. Helplessly, she clutched her right foot.
Fayt removed her ski and palpated her ankle.
Sophia winced again. Fayt suspected that she have twisted it when she fell down.
Wasting no more time, he simply lifted her up.
When she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung hard, Fayt knew just how deeply shaken she was, 'Well,' he thought to himself, 'this ought to teach her never to wander alone again. Silly girl.'
But he was immensely relieved that she came to no harm. He never wanted to face another rabid animal in his life ever again, nor feel that sickening fear that made his stomach turn.
He was glad she was safe. That they were both safe.
The way back to the lodge was torturous and Fayt almost lost his balance a couple of times, but somehow they made it. Once inside, he deposited her on a chair near the fireplace and prepared her a hot bath. When it was ready, he gathered her from the chair and brought her to the bathroom.
"Go on." He ordered, gently pushing her inside.
Sophia obeyed quietly, her mind numb, unable to believe that she was still alive, unharmed. She shed her clothes, then hobbled to the tub and climbed in.
The warm water soothed her and she gave a deep sigh. Fayt must have added Lavender oil on the water, the scent helping her relax and somehow her muscles began to ease.
Gradually, rational thinking returned to her.
If she closed her eyes, she could pretend that the events earlier were just a bad dream. The ache in her right ankle told her otherwise.
Fayt. He'd saved her. With a distressed moan Sophia sank deeper into the tub until only from her nose up remained above water.
Now he'll hound her with this for the rest of her life!
Oh she could see it now, how he'd crow about her weakness, how he had saved her. Not to mention the embellishment Fayt was fond of doing just to drive her mad
Her parents! Sophia winced as she imagined their reactions when they hear this.
She'll be lucky if her parents would only ground her for the rest of her life!
She didn't know how long she had soaked in there. The water was beginning to chill her when Sophia gathered her strength to get up.
Fayt paced near the fireplace. After preparing Sophia's bath, he had urged her inside knowing instinctively that the warm water will soothe her.
He had taken a hot shower himself on the adjacent bathroom, and was now impatient to hear her explanation.
Remembering the short battle with the wolf, Fayt didn't know whether he was pleased with himself or should he feel guilty for killing an animal even if it was rabid.
He didn't know where he got the strength to face the dangerous creature, all he knew at that time was that if he failed, he could end up badly injured or worse—dead.
Now that she's safe, Fayt could only feel anger for her latest antics. Yes, in the past Sophia was fond of mischief, solely directed to infuriate him, make his life hell, but this…this has gone far enough. This time, her actions could have meant her death, and his.
Fayt shuddered. The little hoyden was infuriating, but never would he ever wish to see her harmed in any way. For all that she was a naughty child, a little spoiled, she was also his friend.
Not that he didn't have other friends, for there were many others, but Sophia alone truly knew, truly understands his loneliness.
An only child like himself, their parents were always busy with work, Sophia and he grew up together.
Fayt sighed. When they were smaller, things have always been easy between the two of them. Now they were always fighting! He couldn't help teasing her sometimes and she was determined to get even with him.
Frankly he's getting tired of this constant battle with her, he long for things to return the way they were before. When have it all started?
Perhaps they could start anew, and he could begin by not scolding her about the wolf incident. Perhaps they could talk about it, let her explain and he would only listen and not say things that would make her defensive against him.
Fayt was still contemplating things when he heard the door open. He looked up to see Sophia standing there, uncertain of his mood.
For once, Fayt couldn't find the words to say.
"errr…how's your foot?" He managed to croak.
"My ankle hurts a little, but I'm fine." She said.
They looked at each other uncertainly. Suddenly they found the situation ridiculous and laughed. Then, they smiled at each other, it had been a long time since they last laughed together.
"Lemme see that foot," He gestured the chair near the fireplace.
Sophia walked with a slight limp towards the chair, for once obeying him without causing mayhem.
Fayt knelt down and inspected her ankle, it was swollen.
"Does it hurt?" He asked.
Sophia shook her head.
"Well, maybe a bit."
"They have a medical facility here near the main lobby, you're in no shape to walk but I could call them for assistance." Fayt offered.
Sophia shook her head. "No, I'd rather stay here and wait for our folks to get back. It's embarrassing to call for an ambulance just because I twisted my foot."
Fayt wanted to tell her that this should be a lesson to her, but stopped himself. They were beginning to talk without initiating another fighting match and he doesn't want anymore of those.
"I could carry you there." He said.
A blush made her cheeks pink, Sophia shook her head.
"Umm, thank you, but I think it's better to wait."
"All right then, if that's what you want."
Fayt sat beside her, he wanted to ask her why she went to the woods, but that might cause another strife between them.
Sophia looked at his profile, wondering why he was being kind to her. She had expected for him to demand an explanation, or simply lecture her till her ears burn. Fayt did neither. He simply sat there, making no demands, not a single angry or berating word left his mouth.
He looked intently on the fire as if he will get his answers there.
Watching his profile, Sophia was reminded of the little boy who was her constant companion for as long as she could remember.
Fayt had given her a kitten for her 6th birthday. Slurpy was her first pet and she loved him so. It was also Fayt who helped her bury her cat when Slurpy got hit by a vehicle and promptly died.
Fayt was also the one who defended her against bullies who made her cry…they were always together, had fun together…he was…her best friend.
But somewhere along the way, things changed between them, Fayt became busy with sports and games, and she found other girls to hang out with.
They have gradually drifted apart.
Now whenever they are together, they'd always spark a fight between them. Instead of enjoying times together like before, she only wanted to be rid of him, for he had turned into a big tease.
Well, Fayt couldn't deny that he had provoked her numerous times, and if he'll be honest to himself, he knew already the real reason.
He had missed her undivided attention. When they were small, she had always looked up to him, always followed him around, but when she grew older she found other friends.
Well he shouldn't blame her, he should have understood her need to be an attractive girl. She was on the stage where girls discover boys and Fayt was not in the position to teach her about the latest fashion in clothes and shoes and hair accessories and other such stuff. Nor talk about girlie things.
But he had been jealous of her girlfriends. So, instead of praising her on her new outfit or new hairdo, he teased her. Well, yes it was rather evil of him for she really did look good on those clothes and other accessories, but all he can see was that she'd rather apply goo on her face rather than spend time with him as they used to.
But perhaps, if they have talked about it, instead of provoking her, they might have stayed close friends.
"Fayt?" Sophia said tentatively breaking into his thoughts.
"Yes?" He looked at her.
"Thank you. For what you did back there."
He nodded, and waited to hear more.
"I…I know I've caused trouble, and put you in danger…I'm sorry." Her voice shook as Sophia remembered her near brush with death.
"Will you tell me why you went there all alone?" Fayt asked. He hoped it didn't sound like a demand and spark off her temper.
"I…I wanted to practice skiing." Sophia swallowed, even to her ears, it sounded lame.
In an instant, Fayt had a clear picture of her real motives.
"So you could beat me?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.
Her eyes lit up defensively.
"Yes." She declared in a challenging voice.
She expected Fayt to laugh at her and claim that she'll never be able to beat him in anything. But much to her surprise, Fayt didn't even smile, and just looked at her.
"There's no need to prove yourself against me." He said.
His next words surprised her even more.
"I'll teach you if you want."
Because suspicions die hard, she looked at him in disbelief.
"Why? So you could tease me endlessly?" Sophia said a little haughtily.
Fayt sighed and rubbed his head as if weary.
"There was a time when you'll allow no one to teach you things but me…what happened?"
Sophia became quiet. What he said is true. All things that were new to her, from tying her own shoelaces to using her quad scanner…she had always looked up to him to teach her.
"Do you remember how things were between us?" He asked suddenly.
Sophia nodded. She could never forget, the times spent with him had been the best.
"I want it to be the same again." He declared. "We used to have fun, had great time together…"
"Yes." Sophia nodded, in truth she was tired of battling with him too.
"I didn't want to fight you Fayt…" Sophia confessed. "It's just that you turned into a big tease."
"Yeah. I behaved badly haven't I?" He agreed.
In truth, Sophia had wanted his approval, whenever she tried on the latest hairdo, or the latest fashion, she had wanted him to notice her as a girl, someone more than his friend. Instead he made fun of her and teased her that the clothes she wears' way too old for her.
And so the battle began.
But as he said, she wished for things to return to what they were before. She had learned that he would only see her as a friend and nothing more, she should resign herself to that fact.
"Hey Button, soup's aburnin." Fayt broke into her reverie. He walked into the kitchen and pretended to gag.
"What's that horrible smell?"
With a start, Sophia focused on her soup.
"You're not planning another one of those culinary 'delights' are you?" Fayt teased, his eyes twinkling.
"Hmph! Why shouldn't I?" She faked irritation. "Here I am slaving away to cook a decent meal for two and yet you have the nerve to call me Button!"
He had called her Button ever since that snowy vacation. In remembrance of the many buttons she had used as marker. Without question, they have saved her life, for without them, Fayt wouldn't have been able to find her in time.
Things have been easier between them after that incident. He would still tease her, but now Fayt seems to know when to draw the line.
They still had fights, but a new bond have been forged between them. And he never teased her about her appearance any more.
"Hey Fayt?" Sophia asked, becoming serious.
He was munching on a celery strip; Sophia giggled shaking her head, for a moment forgetting what she wanted to tell him. She had teased him on numerous occasions for his uncharacteristic fondness for fresh greens.
"Yes? What is it?"
Sophia had to think for a moment what she was going to tell him.
"You were acting the Bunny again that I got distracted!" She accused lightly.
Fayt waited patiently and picked another strip.
"Umm Fayt?" Sophia began again.
He raised his eyebrows to show that she have his attention.
"Will you promise me something?"
"Sure. Anything, so long as you won't use me as a model for your cosmetics workshop."
Sophia pouted.
"You're teasing me again! I'm serious here!"
"All right! All right!" Fayt lifted his hands in surrender.
"What is it you want Button?"
Sophia sighed. There goes that name again.
"I'm already 15. Don't you think it's about time you stopped me calling 'Button'? I mean, I really don't mind…but it makes me feel like a helpless child all over again."
Fayt looked at her and saw she was serious about this.
"I'll try." Was all he promised.
Sophia smiled at him, satisfied. She know by now that Fayt had grown to be a responsible young man, his mischievous youth was slowly fading away, he was more caring, more thoughtful and less impulsive.
Fayt kept his promise just as she knew he would.
Next:: Chapter 2
Author's notes:
Obviously, the private action between Fayt and Sophia on Airyglyph castle inspired this story. It was the one where Sophia mentioned about their family vacation in the snow mountains and how she and Fayt became close.
I plan on going through the main plot of the game's story, particularly the PAs. with some embellishment of my own. This is my first installment, so naturally the story would begin with only Fayt and Sophia. But as the story progress, like in the game, more and more characters will join them.
I just hope I won't get too lazy to finish what I began
This is a story in celebration of the Fayt and Sophia pair. Too bad if there are just a few fans out there, others are bound to hate this.
But frankly, I don't care!
I wrote this for my enjoyment, not theirs!
Bad Puffy, bad Puffy!
But to be honest...
I wasn't really planning on a FXS pairing, believe it or not, but I developed a liking for Sophia when I played against her and Fayt in the Urssa Lava Caves. And the fact that she can use powerful symbology as Battle skills. Her Southern Cross and Blood Scylla gave me Hell! I triedto Silenceher only to find out that they were her special attacks! But then, perhaps I should level up some more, at lvl 90, they made short work of my players.TT Sophia killed my players faster than Fayt himself!
I am really Albel & Nel (Not as a couple) fan,
Much as I'd like to pair up the two, I generally lack creativity to imagine how the two will get along together, more likely they'll slash each other on the first chance given, I mean Nel's loyalty belongs to her queen and country and there's the fact that Abel was their enemy, albeit not any more, but things could still heat between the two countries any given time.
As mentioned before if you've read my previous notes, I cannot imagine Nel and Fayt together…she's older than him by 3 years, and while this really shouldn't make any difference, I am not personally in favor of the match. Nel has a more 'amorous' inclination towards Clair, in my opinion… the first hint is that both women don't have a man, and if you notice, sometimes whenever Nel levels up in the game, she'll say "I did it Clair!"
Errr…much as I favor the Nel x Clair pairing, I don't have what it takes to writeyuri/shoujo ai stories.So who would pair best with Nel?
A story about Albel would be great, but I'm at a loss in finding a match for him, until I read the first review. Maria and Albel sounds a great idea.
How I plan to bring the two together would be a part of the future chapters, I love to make extra stories from the main plot, and that's how it's going to be!
Hopefully, I won't get bitten by the laziness bug.
BTW, Thanks for the reviews, they help a lot to inspire me!
Ciao!