Authoress Notes: Well, here's the third installment to this fic. Thank you to all the people who've read this! Hopefully you guys will stick to the end of this fic, as I promise that I'll make it better (and on the side of difficulty, more complex). As such, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own SO3. It belongs to SquareEnix/Tri-Ace/Ubi-Soft.

Pairings: AlbelxNel, FaytxSophia, CliffxMirage, and others, if you want.

Plot/Summary:

((AU Darkfic)) It started out with a kiss, which led to something more. How did it end up like this? But when she found out what he really was, she ran, but she'll soon find out that the Wicked never lets what is his get away. Ever. AlbelNel

Poison Allure

By: xKuroSeraphimx

((start chapter))

Chapter 2

The two orbs of Elicoor's moons floated high in the sky, as the night was the filled with the dots of twinkling lights. Transparent clouds hung overhead in a leisurely manner, threatening to cover the two moon's waning light on the world as a cold, crisp wind of Airyglyph's winter blew by.

Nel Zelpher sat on the roof of one of Airyglyph's inns, having her legs brought up to her chest so to rest her chin on top of her knees. What brought her to Airyglyph's areas was to deliver a message to their new ally, specifically the King, about their share of crops for the winter that had fell upon them. A menial task, indeed, but ever since the war ended, she wasn't needed to be used as a weapon against her once former enemy. Only when she needed to use weapons (either wooden or dull) was to help train the military personnel Aquaria had, and to scout out for any new trainees.

A night like this was becoming hard to come by these days, she mused. Even though the war did end, Nel had plenty to work and fuss about for her country, namely the rising suspicions of Peterny's actions. Either that, or it was to work hours upon hours sparring with trainees, avoid Adray Lasbard at all costs, help his daughter, Clair Lasbard with reports and with rebuilding Arias, and to check how things were going on with the Sanmite Republic or Airyglyph.

Nel sighed, letting her breath turn into a white puff of air. Mostly her time was spent in helping Arias to be rebuilt. It was going slow, but at least it was still progressing. Her people's morale was boosting up a bit, but some still felt sort of distant to Airyglyph's people as some were sent to also help, but other than that, they realized personal feelings wouldn't get them so far and decided to leave the situation as is.

Although the King himself granted her a room in the Palace, she politely declined his offer. It wasn't that she didn't want to be in his presence for her entire stay, it was just the way that his servants were looking at her rather distastefully. She didn't mind it as she came over to the city, but being a spy, and a cautious one at that, she wouldn't want to have been killed in her sleep. That wasn't a nice way to die, and also, she wasn't sure if she could face…

"Hmph. Thought I'd find you here, woman." Said a deep and familiar voice behind her.

Nel closed her eyes, knowing full well whom that voice belonged to.

Albel Nox strode up to her; the sound of his boots thumping the hard roof beneath him was any indication that he was coming towards the Aquarian. Once she felt that he was beside her, Nel looked up to find Albel in his long winter cloak before taking a seat next her left. Letting out a sigh, Nel turned her gaze back to the start-lit sky, trying her best to ignore his lingering gaze on her face.

"Hello to you too, Nox." She said in rather flatly. The red-haired young woman couldn't help but feel slightly nervous around the Glyphian Captain. Ever since his stunt of kissing her during the celebration party in Aquios's audience chambers a few days ago, she wasn't able to look at him in the eye without blushing. Thankfully, the few days that set them apart helped got her wits back together. She didn't want to look like some schoolgirl that had a crush on an arrogant, annoying, self-centered—

"Looks like you're doing well yourself, Zelpher." He murmured quietly in response.

… Okay, scratch that. But Nel Zelpher wasn't one to admit to such childish feelings. She knew she'd get it off… somehow.

"Why the silent treatment? Still worked up about that kiss I gave you the other day?" he asked teasingly.

Dammit, if the war were still going on, she'd gut him. Inhaling a sharp intake of breath, she replied, "A little…" What? So she had to be honest. Lying to someone who had the word "Wicked" in his name was likely to be caught being dishonest anyway. Plus, Albel had this distinct way of getting some things out her, which only added to the gauge of annoyance she had for him.

He snorted haughtily in response. Then a grin plastered itself on his face before he said, "You know you liked it, I can tell."

Nel tightly closed her eyes and counted to ten backwards. Twice.

Sensing that her urge to kill him was rising, Albel shifted the topic to a lighter note. "So, Zelpher, taking on the task of royal messenger? What, have you gone so bored on your end that you've decided to take on trivial tasks such as that? Hmph! Some soldier you are." He said while shaking his head, much like a mentor that was disappointed in his student.

Nel bit her tongue to prevent herself from phrasing out a colorful sentence that would have banned her from the Church of Apris had she said it in front of any of the priests or devoted followers. Instead, she exercised full restraint on both her words and hands. She really didn't want to stain her father's swords right after she got it synthesized in a workshop nearby.

"Well, what about you? Now that Vox is dead, you were asked to take both the role of being Captain to the Dragon Brigade and Black. But I hear that they're still lax on their basic performances, and I'm sure that reflects upon the one who commands them." Nel bit back.

Albel raised a thin brow up at her before chuckling softly to himself. "Much to the point, I'm still considering on even 'taking' up the role of being the new Captain of the Dragon Brigade. I still am supervising their progress, but that does not make me feel obligated to help them. At least until I say yes." He smirked at her, a chilling smile that made her shiver and not because of the biting cold Airyglyph gave to its citizens. No, it was that same brutal smile that curved up his lips when he was scheming something or when he was…

Nel shook her head. She needed to get away fast.

Before she could even move away from her spot, he shot an arm out to her, making her balance precariously on the roof and threatening to make her fall before he pulled her close to his side. Nel opened her mouth to protest before he used the top of his gauntleted hand to push her chin up and place a chaste kiss upon her lips, slipping his tongue in the recesses of her mouth to taste her. He pulled away before she could even respond back and looked at her now flushed face. Albel let out a satisfied chuckle as Nel fisted her hand tighter on his cloak, tugging at it slightly to put his intention back into focus.

Once he finally let out his amused chortles, he stared back with crimson-colored eyes that were now alight with a strange glint in them. Nel flushed at the close proximity between them, but more importantly, the kiss that he had just given her. She was beginning to wonder why she hadn't killed him yet for doing this to her, but settled in taking her time to plot her revenge.

"Ass," she snapped once Nel had gotten back much of her voice to snarl at him.

Albel brushed the talons of his gauntleted arm across her cheek, letting her skin feel the cold sharpness of his claws. Nel scooted her face away from them, knowing that the claws were sharp enough to tear her to bloody shreds if he ever so wished to. She knew, of course, she had seen many a battle in where he had used his left arm to get back at his opponent if they had, by sheer luck, avoided the receiving end of his katana.

"You have to give me credit for trying, Zelpher." He replied huskily in her ear. She wanted to move away from him, but he took pride in knowing that he was much stronger than her. Yet that didn't stop her from ever thinking of placing one of her daggers into something vital of his.

She glared at him, but gave up on trying to escape the grasp around her waist. At least Albel had moved his left arm away from her face. Nel had heard rumors of how he had gotten the left arm as a weapon anyway. But rumors were rumors, and the information obtained from them was not always true. Concerning Albel the Wicked, she chose not to believe them. She was a spy of course, but she always wanted to get the facts straight before she deemed it being the truth.

The red-haired Aquarian was about to ask about his arm, but he beat her to it. "So… How long are you going to do your job?" he asked all of a sudden.

A frown knit her brows together as she stared at him with a puzzled expression. He sighed and said, "I meant, how long are you going to be a Crimson Blade, fool."

The question itself deepened the frown that appeared on her face. How long, he asked? It was rather a rhetorical question in some aspects, considering that Nel was always loyal to her country, and would be there when Her Majesty wanted her to be in her presence. Also, Nel wanted to follow in her father's footsteps in serving her country, knowing that people had expected of her to take after Nevelle.

Nel shrugged, despite herself. "As long as it takes, until the day I die, I guess." She replied slowly.

Albel stared at her through the corner of his eyes. "Really? Haven't you always considered to just… get away from the stress that your job gives you?" he questioned.

Truth be told, she had considered that aspect several times, but her loyalty and determination always stomped it down. "Several times… But I always reminded myself that Her Majesty needs me, as well as my country." She paused as a thought came to her. "Why do you ask, Nox?"

The black blond-tipped-haired Glyphian turned his gaze away to stare at the two moons that illuminated the city below. His bangs shielded his eyes from view, even as the wind whipped through his hair.

It was a while of silence before he spoke, "Time…"

Nel arched an eyebrow up at his answer. Squirming a bit in his hold, she also stared at the sky.

"Right… But you know, Albel, Time chases after all of us. We'll just have to live life to the fullest until our time of eternal rest shall come, you know..." She stated softly, unaware of Albel's darkened expression at her words. Letting out a rather exasperated sigh, he tightened his hold on her waist. He spoke, but Nel had to strain her ears to hear him clearly.

"… I wouldn't know…"

((scene change))

Nel Zelpher was awoken to the present by her son's insistent tugging on her hair. Kratos made it a habit to tug at hair that was within reach of his small arms, eliciting painful hisses or yelps from the one he was tugging. Smiling despite herself, she reached for her son's hands that had gotten a hold of the strands that accented her face, and successfully freed them from Kratos's grasp.

"Now, that's not a nice way to get someone's attention there, Kratos." She scolded lightly. Kratos merely giggled and let his small hands pat her face.

"Ma has… pretty hair…" Kratos complimented with glee.

"Why thank you. Now, you should be asleep at this time of hour." Nel pointed out. At the mention of sleeping, Kratos shook his head vehemently and wound his arms around her neck, wailing about not wanting to go to sleep. Sighing, Nel calmed her son down and looked out of the window. It was still dark, but out in the horizon, her deep forest-colored eyes caught sight of the shade of a purple tinge. Turning her gaze away from her window, she tickled Kratos, causing him to squeal and try to squirm away from her touch.

Nel laughed softly before placing the small boy on her thighs again. As she began to make Kratos clap his hands together, the red-haired woman made a mental note to have an audience with Her Majesty, although, Adray must have already told Her that she was already here. Though, Nel had a slight inkling that her return would be welcoming, but that entailed that she might get a very familiar rebuking from Magistrate Lasselle. Honestly, he was such an—

"… Ass…"

Whoa. Wait. Rewind and freeze for a moment!

Nel blinked and looked at her son with wide eyes. "Wait… Kratos, what did you say? And who taught you?"

Since Kratos still had the mind of a baby, she couldn't be mad her son now for saying such a word. Yet Nel still wanted to know where Kratos could have heard the bad word. "Ass… Grandpa Adray… Called Lassie an… ass!" He giggled innocently and proceeded to tug on Nel's hair.

Oh… Wait until she got to Adray in the morning…

((scene change))

Albel Nox sat on the roof of Woltar's mansion, currently in his favorite sitting position, letting his crimson-colored eyes to stare at the sky that was beginning to lighten up. He let out an exasperated sigh, remembering why Woltar had called him back to Kirlsa. He should've known that it was another biting lecture from the old coot. Really, how long was it going to be until Woltar would stop treating him as some naïve boy that needed to be reprimanded every so often?

He scoffed. It would be a while before the old general would croak. Then again, Albel did owe him a lot more than he thought he knew. But that still didn't help the fact that Woltar was growing old, and that Albel would be left to take also take care of the things Woltar would leave behind.

But that would be then. Albel had to focus on now.

That left the Glyphian to remember the words that were spoken to him long ago, causing the scowl on his face to make him appear more violent than he let on.

"Time chases after all of us…"

Well, that's what that wench wanted to believe. Of course, Albel would never be able to experience the flow of time again, thanks to that damned demon king named Romero. Sure, his state of being a vampire gave him more powers than he thought, but that didn't help the fact that it took away even the simplest things that he enjoyed while he was a human. Not to mention, Woltar's ageing state reminded that Albel would be left to endure the painful realizations that the people that he… well, wanted to stay alive would crumble away eventually. Either by time, or death in battle, but it was mostly time that snuffed away mortal souls.

The image of a certain red-haired Aquarian woman's face appeared in his mind. Yes, she would fade as well.

Hmph. Not if he could help it.

'I don't care what I'll have to do… She's mine, and she'll STAY mine…'

((end chapter))

Well, I hope that you enjoyed it! Reviews are very welcome. If I get more than twenty reviews I'll update in half the time it takes me to update the next. Promise! So if you liked the chapter, and want the next, click on that button down there and review! See ya!