All for Nothing
hello! this is another story, i hope you like it! anywho, like i said, this is a story like no other!
here's the summary; this is a story about what the elicoorians were thinking when they found they were just a game. there is alnel, but you can focus on his angsty past, if you're not a alnel fan. this is linked to all of my stories, mainly the operation alnels and until the end (check them out!). also, for those that liked grey mornings and all my other humour fics, there is a thingy in my profile for you to check out. so yeah. check it out.
disclaimer - see profile.
enjoy! and review! (sorry i've been gone so long, riku kinda took over...)
I APOLOGISE FOR THE SPELLING MISTAKES! my spell checker decided not to work...grrr...
Albel had been missing for a while now. A week since they had found that they were nothing but a game. Straws were drawn, and Nel was chosen to find him. Which was why she wandering around Gemity, wandering where in the nine hells the warrior was hiding. Why was it always her? It was if she had a sign on her back saying 'pick on me, I'm Albel's babysitter'. It was only because she was the only one he could stand, apart from Fayt, and she was the only one from Elicoor he wouldn't kill.
Finally she found him, behind the entrance dome to the entertainment world. He was sitting quietly, staring at the floor, leaning against the wall. There was something wrong...she could feel it.
"Nox."
No answer.
She tried again. "Nox?"
No smirk, no nod, not even a twitch.
Concerned, she knelt in front of him, looking into his eyes. What she saw frightened her more than anything. "A...Albel?"
There was...nothing. His eyes were empty, expressionless, devoid of any emotion. The raging fires that once burned so brightly had disappeared.
She touched his shoulder, and he did nothing. It was as if he were an empty vessel, everything just...gone.
Again her hand touched his shoulder, and again, she failed to get any response. Who was this lifeless husk, what had caused him to be like this?
Tentatively, she sat in front of him, brushing the hair from his eyes. He looked up at her with hollow eyes, and startled by the reaction, she drew back.
"It's all a game." She winced. Even his normally soft, low (and, she had to admit, sexy) voice sounded hollow. "Everything that happened, everything that will, it's already been decided. I guess you really can't change fate." He laughed, soft, humorless, empty.
He looked up at her, staring directly into her eyes. "My father died for nothing. It was all just a game."
"Albel...that's not true. You know that."
"I watched my father burn, Zelpher. And now I find out it was all made up to entertain a twisted race. "
He sighed and stared at the ground. "Everything, all these emotions, all these feelings, us...we were all created by some sick bastard looking for an easy way to make some cash."
She was frightened. To see her former enemy, the monster from her nightmares, broken like this was a sobering sight. Shaking her head, she tilted his back so she could see again those amazing crimson eyes.
"Don't say that. Your father died to save you. He sacrificed himself out of love. You hurt when...when your arm was...burned. You've experienced sadness, happiness, I know you have, Albel."
Taking his human hand, she pressed it to his chest. "Do you feel that? There is a heart in there. A strong heart, a warrior's heart. Filled with pain and conflict. Confusion and sorrow." She touched her own breast. "Just like mine."
Her hands found his once more. She didn't notice the cold metal, nor the deadly talons that delicately closed round her hand. Didn't care.
"Luther may have created us, may have given us these hearts, but you cannot say he controls our minds. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here."
He said nothing, but she felt his hands tighten their grip.
"I know it's hard, I've been through the same. We all have. I had to help my father's killer, had to save him. Maria found out she was adopted and then watched her parents die, whilst she could do nothing but watch and cry. And what about Fayt? He's been kept away from his father for so long, had to grow up so fast, and when finally reunited with him, he was taken away forever."
He said nothing. Just stared. "H...how did you know?"
"Maria told me. About your role, too. I'm surprised you'd do anything to help them."
He shrugged.
"Albel hate Luther as much as you for what he's done." She hesitated, afraid to go on, wanting to say it but afraid of his reaction. But it was true. She had heard of his part, heard how he had nearly died to save them, had been told about how he had changed, and after hearing what he had said when he was accepted by the Crimson Scourge...it had raised a lot of questions and new feelings, ones she'd rather not have. But maybe it would bring him out of the darkness, out of the despair. It would be worth it. Anything would. "But...I'm also grateful. If he hadn't created us, if none of this had never happened, I would never have met...you."
He remained silent, and she was worried she had made him mad. She was all too aware that he could more than easily beat her in a fight, physiological disturbance or not.
They sat there in silence, doing nothing, saying nothing. But then, he leant forwards, letting his forehead rest against hers, hands still grasping tightly. She froze, her heart skipping a beat. Albel was...
She smiled. This simple gesture meant he was finally opening up, if only a little.
Gazes locked, green eyes meeting crimson. Aquarian and Glyphian. Light and dark. Two lonely souls searching for acceptance in an empty world. And as she looked into those amazing ruby eyes, she saw it. It wasn't anger, or hate, or even pain. No sorrow, no fear, only gratefulness, and perhaps...something else...
They remained there, not saying anything, simply taking comfort in each other. Words weren't needed. Any that could be said would be empty, worthless. All was quiet - the bustling sounds that usually filled Gemity could not penetrate the protective silence that surrounded them. Their hands gripped tighter, clinging to each other as if they were lifelines, their only link to the realms of sanity. And, in a way, they were.
But silence can only last so long, no matter how much you want it to carry on, and a voice was heard. But even then, it sounded distant, unreal.
"Nel? Nel! Are you okay? Has Albel done anything?"
"Yo, Nellie! You dead yet?"
She closed her eyes, her peace stolen. She heard Albel sigh, and he stood up, pulling her up with him. He pressed his forehead gently against hers, then pulled away to do his customary cool-guy-leaning-against-the-wall. She shivered, acutely aware of his absence. Just then, Fayt and Cliff appeared. The worried expressions disappeared into relief - or slight disappointment in Cliff's case - when they saw she was still in one piece with no blood in sight.
Cliff gave a halfhearted smile. "Nel...you're...not dead."
"Sorry to disappoint you."
Fayt grinned and held out his hand to the Klausian. "Alright, now hand it over."
Grumbling, Cliff tossed a bag into the boy's hand. It clinked a certain clink. A clink that only a lot of fol could make.
The blue-haired boy grinned happily and patted the big blonde on the shoulder. "Nice doing business with ya."
Nel blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "You betted on me? On whether I would die!...?"
The boys gulped and backed away. "Uhh...well, now that we know you're in one piece, we better go find the girls. We'll be at Flad's house."
They quickly walked off, talking quietly to each other.
Nel sighed and closed her eyes, turning away from the direction they had disappeared in. She didn't notice the shadow that moved in front of her, and before she knew what was happening, she felt a hand touch her face. Her eyes snapped open, and she stared in shock into crimson eyes. He moved to her side, and they stood there, staring in opposite directions. Together, yet a world apart. Then he bent slightly, his lips brushing against her ear, hand holding back her vibrant hair. He whispered something, disappearing before she could react. She spun round, staring at the receding figure, replaying those three words over and over again in her head.
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Later that night, she lay in bed, thinking about those few beautiful moments, when the world had stopped and there was nothing but peace. A different side of Albel had been revealed that day, a side filled with peace and tenderness. And he had said...
Her eyelids heavy, she closed her eyes, welcoming the sleep, craving the never-changing darkness. Yet even there, she could not hide from those ruby eyes, nor the low voice whispering softly in her ear those three words that she was the first to hear in a very long time.
Thank you, Nel.
hah! you thought it would be 'i love you', didn't you! hey? hey! hah! review now! oh, and don't forget the profile checking! and perhaps adding to favourites...? hint hint!