A/N: All right, I don't know what you people want from me! Just read the story I worked so hard on!
Disclaimer: How's that therapy session going?
Abel nodded his head to Stella's statement. She beamed at him, and then, after a good look at his face, started laughing. Abel pouted.
"Uh… Stella? We've just invaded a strange country I don't even know the name of which is filled with troops that want to kill us, through an irrigation system filled with sharks to assassinate the Emperor! I really don't think this is the time to be laughing."
Stella, barely able to over come her laughter, pointed to the water "L…. look in the water." She covered her mouth in an attempt to stem the giggles.
Abel, still pouting did as he was bid. When he looked in the crystal clear water he saw a small pink squid on his cheek. Shrieking, he ran around in a panic, swiping it and yelling for someone to get it off. Stella let him do his little freak out for a few seconds before lazily reaching out and grabbing the squid by its head. Abel, who was still running, did not realize this until he felt the uncomfortable pull of the squid's suckers.
"Owwwww!!!!!" Abel cried out.
Stella giggled. "You realize that you are still in a country you don't even know the name of which is…."
"Yeah, yeah. What are we going to do now?" Abel said, waving his hand and trying to get away from the subject.
"We're going to my old apartment. You'd better keep up this time." With that, Stella started silently sprinting down the alleyways.
Repressing the urge to call out to her, Abel followed. They ran down a few blocks and into an alley that was so narrow, that Abel's shoulders would brush the sides if her moved an inch to his left or right. Stella brought him to the end, which opened up to a road. Looking around furtively, Stella suddenly jumped into the air. She didn't come back down. Abel looked up to see her glaring down at him.
"What are you doing?" She hissed. "The guards are coming!"
Abel hastily made his way up the tree, only to be pulled through a narrow window seconds before the sound of clattering armor reached his ears. As he was thrown back into the gloom, Stella looked out the window in disgust as the troops went by, devoid of any concern for a woman who was struggling in the street, whose wares were promptly trampled.
"Vile despicable…." Stella went on and on for minutes of exactly what she thought of them. When she had finally quieted down, Abel deemed it safe to ask her what they were to do next. "Stella motioned to a lump in the corner. "We sleep. We have a big day tomorrow, both of us. You can have the bed." She went to a corner that had a conveniently placed blanket.
Abel went to the bed, but found it two feet shorted than his tall frame. Not one to complain, he slumped down onto it and curled up, not bothering with his wet clothes, for the apartment had an almost uncomfortable warmth to it.
Abel came out of sleep reluctantly. He heard small whimpers and tried to ignore them, but as they grew louder, he knew he had to help whatever helpless creature God had graced his doorstep with. Opening his bleary eyes, he found that he was not in his bed back at the church, but a harder thing in a tiny, cell-like room. Then it all came back to him. He was in Stella's apartment, sleeping on her bed. And Stella was sleeping on the-
Not, it was more like writhing.
Abel jumped up and found himself unable to do anything. Stella was either having a seizure or a very bad nightmare. She thrashed about, hitting him several times. She whimpered and tears flew freely down her cheeks. Suddenly, as violently as she moved, she sat still. Then she began talking.
"No…. Father…." She moaned.
"I'm here." Abel said softly, thinking she was talking about him.
"Mother….Lia, stop!" Stella shook again, but only for a moment. "Demetry…. Please…" Stella seemed to choke for a minute. "Please let me help you! Let me save you…"
Abel swallowed. This poor girl was more vulnerable now than he had ever seen her, even when injured within an inch of her life. She continued to call out for Demetry so pitifully that Abel thought if she woke up right then he would do anything she asked of him. Finally after a half hour of sobbing and choking, Stella gave a piercing scream and woke up panting.
Putting a hand to her heart to regulate her heartbeat she looked at him. "F…Father Nightroad."
He looked down gently at her. "Are you all right?" He asked softly.
Stella pressed her lips together and her hand flew up to her necklace, which glowed strangely. "Yes…. No."
"Would you like to talk about."
"I…. can't. Get back to sleep."
"Here." Abel said putting out a hand. Stella took it numbly. He lead her over carefully to the 'bed', as if she would break and made sure she was tucked in before going to the abandoned blanket in the corner.
A few minutes passed before the nearly dozing Abel heard a faint, "Father Nightroad?"
"Hmm?" Stella had his full attention.
"Did I…. did I say anything in my sleep?" Stella wasn't looking at him but the curiously yellowed ceiling.
"Hmmm? Yes, you did. Yyou called out to your parents, and someone named uh… Lea?"
"Lia." Stella corrected sadly, adding so quietly that if Abel had not been a Crusnick, he would not have heard it, "my sister."
Abel continued on, ignoring the piece of information that seemed to pain his companion. "And you were begging Demetry to let you save him."
"Demetry…" Abel could imagine the tears in Stella's eyes.
"Stella?" Abel hesitated.
"You deserve to hear the whole story, Abel. Before we go into this. At least then, maybe, you can tell the world that not all Titans are bad."
A/N: Okay, I'm sorry faithful reviewers and loyal readers. I tried to get this in by the end of the day, but I am 21 minutes off. This is the first time since the beginning that I have not updated daily. Anywho, review! Don't you want to know who and what Stella is?