Lightning-Dono: It's been a while since I've revisited this fanfic. xD Back to writing in it again, I suppose!

Because this one is mainly about Regal, it's based mainly on description since I see Regal to be a very quiet, but observant, man.

Stained Red
Pairing: Regal x Alicia

--

Spring was drawing near. The fragrant flowers that bloomed by the prominent Lezareno hotel that rose stories above the waterfront. The third floor was as busy as ever, bustling with waitresses being tipped by generous visitors who could spare the Gald, young children running about joyously, and a man with blue hair carefully sipping his tea, careful not to singe his lips by full contact with the steaming liquid.

Regal Bryant had gained his prestige once more by returning to his post as the Lezareno Company's president, not too long after the world regeneration journey had been completed. He held great pride in being a part of that trek about the two worlds, freeing its bonds from each other.

And in the end, he had even freed his own bonds. Those dull gray shackles that had bound him to what had been past fate now lay in a glass case in a drawer of his mahogany desk back in his office. Every day as he pulled open that nicely polished drawer, he could see the glare of light against the glass, protecting those shackles that were more than just a fragment of his memories.

Sitting here in the cafe, donning his silky navy blue suit with his hair chopped short, he felt insecure. Certainly, he was the head honcho of his own company, but he was still unsure as to whether or not he deserved such wealth and physical well-being. It remained a fact that he had killed the love of his life because of her wishes – could there have been another way?

A waitress tapped patiently on his shoulder. Her touch was angelically delicate and her skin shone in the last dying rays of the sunset as she lay the metal tray down before him. Laid upon fine china was a saucy steak, dripping with tender juices and garnished with various herbs that lined the side of the plate. A hand of slender fingers and a palm rosy from carrying so many icy drinks laid his cold, filtered water on the table.

"Thank you, it looks delicious," Regal praised with a rough voice that needed to be exercised more often. The waitress smiled and returned to her duties around the cafe. With a pang, Regal's mind registered this smile to be similar to Alicia's, the sister of a certain pink-haired girl who bore the resemblance of a rather simple-minded eight-year old. The slight curvature of the lips; the thin, but dark, eyelashes that fluttered above her iridescent eyes; her unadorned hair that was short and pulled back into a plain ponytail...every detail was fitting of Alicia. Perhaps I think too much. I should spend less of my time reminiscing about Alicia and more of it worrying about my financial security. This was thoughtless of him, since the finance part of his life was clearly covered by the success of his company. But he was willing to make up any excuse to pull himself from that hurtful dreamland. He was still the legitimate murderer of Alicia, and that very thought haunted him all the way back to his fantasy of what it would've been like had Alicia lived.

Absent-mindedly, Regal sawed his steak in pieces with a knife. Plucking a piece into his mouth with his silver fork, he could not taste its actual flavor. Instead, it tasted much like Alicia's blood as it spurted from her wound when he had fatally injured her that fateful day.

-
Flashback
-

"Please, Regal," gasped the monstrous form towering before him, sauntering forward against it's own will. "Kill me." Alicia's eyes were blank, dull, transformed into two ruby red gems, studded on her flesh. But despite her physical appearance, her voice was the same. It called desperately for him, hoping to be answered.

Regal was shocked into oblivion. Horror wracked his brain for responses, streaming throughout his body, spilling adrenaline into his veins.

"No, Alicia." The formally dressed man stumbled backwards a few steps, pupils slowly decreasing in size as his lover continued to drag herself towards him, long arms raking the ground. "Alicia, I cannot kill you! You are the only woman I have ever loved in my entire life! How will I be able to inflict such pain upon you?"

Alicia's wishes for the end was relentless as she battered her own boss with her hands. "It will not be as much pain as I'm feeling now, Regal..." her voice was slowly fading – she was being taken over by the turmoil caused by a single untamed exsphere. "Think about it, Regal...I am willing to die...as long as you are willing to destroy the pain I feel..."

Tears steadily welled inside Regal's eyes – it had been so long since he last cried. He couldn't cry now. He couldn't be weak.

"Fight it, love. Fight it! Nothing will become of this if you don't atleast try to escape!"

A shuddering breath was released from the creature's mouth. "My only escape is through you. How can you still love me after I have become this? How can you still love me? A person like you...a good person like you doesn't deserve...something...like this..."

"I don't care!" Regal was frantic. "Oh Martel, I don't care what you look like! You still have a heart and as long as you continue to use it, I will love you until Tethe'Alla dissipates into nothing!"

Alicia brought forth her arms again, striking Regal. She couldn't struggle, and she knew it. The darkness was taking over, and soon she would be forced to take refuge within her exsphere. She was already losing control as it is. It was as though a spirit were lurking inside her head, moving her muscles involuntarily for her, bringing them against that man...her master, and her only love.

She was only slightly aware that her subconscious movement had knocked him down.

"Regal," she gasped one last time. "I love you, and that is why I want you to kill me."

Returning to his feet, Regal bowed his head in defeat. "My dear Alicia...I will still love you...forever." In one last devastating movement, he launched himself into Alicia's chest and buried his iron-clad shoes into her stomach. Bringing her down ungracefully, he smashed her against the ground. He could hear the bones cracking horribly from his weight.

"Thank...you..." hacked Alicia, spitting blood clear into Regal's face as he leaned towards her head to deliver her a final kiss.

"Goodbye," Regal whispered painfully through the red substance.

He couldn't remember ever shedding more tears than he had that very night.

-
End Flashback
-

Regal couldn't make himself swallow, as much as he forced himself to. He fought the instinct to gag and groped for the napkin on the table to spit the foul meat into.

That night, before returning to the Lezareno Company, he stopped by Alicia's memorial. Silvery moonlight was cast across the ground, and even with that unsubstantial amount of lighting, he could still make out the stones that were stained red.