3 Abyss drabbles
Title: Failure
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Character(s)/Pairing(s): young!Jade, young!Saphir, Nebilim.
Rating: PG-13
Other: Written for talesofdrabbles
Failure. It was supposed to be a failure, from beginning on. The whole idea was doomed, was bad, not worth to be even thought about.
But nevertheless, he had done it. He thought about it. He was fascinated by it.
He tried.
And doomed them all.
Now there was fire everywhere, red and hot and burning and he felt pain and despair and.... nothing. Nothing but a horrible hole in his body.
But the hole was not in his body, it was in her body. And there was even more which was red and hot and burning... blood. Blood on his hands, on his face.
He felt tears, wet, painful tears running down his cheeks. He could not remember that he started to cry. He did not want to, after all; No, no. A Fonist, crying? That was inacceptable. He wanted to be strong -- had to be strong, after all.
"Jade!", somebody screamed, and he turned his face to meet another gaze. There was snow in white hair and dirt and blood on a visage that looked almost beautiful, the beauty of someone who was in despair.
And below this dirty yet strangely appealing face... there was her body.
Lying still, not moving.
Covered in red and with this gaping hole inside her chest. Eyes closed, lips parted.
Pretty. Pretty and dead.
Almost.
"Jade, Jade, do something!", the other boy cried desperately, his hands clutching the ground, the snow, the blood, the dirt, everything, everything he could get a hold of. Jade felt nothing. He simply looked down, watched her face, so beautiful, so fragile. His fingertips ran over her cheek, drawing a line of blood, a sign, a seal onto her skin. The tears just refused to stop their flow.
Suddenly, her eyes flew open. She smiled. Did she, really? Or was that all a dream? All in his mind?
"Foolish boy...:", she muttered with her almost last breath. Then she sighed, tilting her head to one side. Oh, how he wished to throw himself into her arms -- like he did so many times before. He cried in her arms, far too often for him to admit. She was the only one knowing his pain, knowing his secrets, his loneliness, his fears.
Now she would die.
"Don't die!", he cried, suddenly. "Don't die, Mama!"
Those words just burst out, and with them more tears, more feelings, more fear and panic. He grabbed her clothes, the rest of the frock that was nearly completely burned. He stared at her, desperation heavy as a rock, heavy as a mountain.
She could not die.
He would not allow her to.
Suddenly, decision fought fear down. His eyes focused, his tears stopped. He realized the blood on his fingers, the smell of copper, the taste of burnt flesh in the air. He looked up, met the eyes of the other boy, stared at him, fire and determination melting away the tears he shed just seconds ago.
He would not allow her to.
"Saphir, assist.", he said firmly.
She could not die.
Not everything was a failure.
He would save her, no matter what.
Title: Absolute Perfection
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Van/Asch, Van/Luke; Mentioning of Dist
Rating: PG-13
Other: Again, written for talesofdrabbles . The promt was "There's no I in Threesome" and I came up with this *cough* XD
Sometimes, when he was with one of them, Van took his time to compare.
There were things that caught his attention, many differences he could not explain himself. There were physical varieties, on the on hand; Their hair, their eyes, their skin. He asked Dist about it, but the General just shrugged off the question, trying to ignore it as good as possible: To him, it was not important, and after a while, Van stopped asking. There was no reason for it, anyway.
He saw them both, at least a few times every week. He had time to compare them, not only their appearance, but every other remarkable thing. The way Luke craved for every tiny bit of sunshine or attention he could receive while Asch preferred to linger in the shadows, reading, training on his own, growing more silent every day. They learned the same style of fighting, both being interested, good disciples of his blade; And that might as well be everything they had in common.
They were Replica and Original, but sometimes, he wondered if the two boys could be any more different.
Nevertheless, there was a moment Van clearly remembered, a moment when both held onto him as if to dear life, a moment they were dependent, helpless, but eager to learn, eager to understand. A moment he had his hands buried in long, reddish locks, a moment those green eyes where shut tightly, where faint pink spread across pale cheeks, sign of embarrassment and joy.
He had kissed them both the same day, had taken both the same day. He made the same promises, received the same reaction, blushing, stammering young men, feeling awkward but too interested, too fascinated to stop now. Their lips tasted of salt and loneliness, of fear and of lust all the same time; they tasted the same. Deep inside, under their different shell, under their different attitude, they were perfect, perfectly the same.
Van had enjoyed that day. Oh, how he had enjoyed it.
Sometimes, when he was with one of them, Van took his time to wish. How wonderful it could be, sharing a bed with both. Comparing them directly, the way the act, the way they kiss and feel and scream and---
No, he thought, shaking his head lightly; no, this is nothing one should think about, one should wish for.
Too much perfection was dangerous, after all.
Title: Reunity
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Natalia/Asch (I like to put it that way xD), implied Luke/Tear
Rating: G
Other: Written for kouji_kun, I guess she was feeling unwell that day and I wanted to cheer her up. Asch is far too whiny, but I still think it fits him >D
Also, do not read if you're afraid of cavities. It's VERY sweet v_v''
The night fell across the land. Dark shades of intense violet crept across the ground, covering everything, stealing the light and the heat of the day away.
Luke had been tired, so he fell asleep before they even finished dinner. Guy took care of him, together with Tear and Anise who were as sleepy as the redhead and soon curled up beside him. Jade just sat near the campfire, lips parted for a sly smile as the shadows danced on his beautiful, calm face. He would sleep there, like always, sitting, shoulders covered with a blanket Guy would spread over his body after a while.
Natalia was not tired. She volunteered for the first watch, agreeing that she would wake Guy when she thought it was time, and grabbed her bow, sitting down on a fallen tree aside from the fireplace, watching the night and listening to all the beautiful little sounds of nature. It was so peaceful in the woods; the silence eased her mind.
But not for long.
As she heard footsteps approaching her from behing she forced her body not to tense, not to turn and not to attack. It was hard; the princess had learned how to fight and how to kill in order to survive.
But not now. Please, not now.
She won the fight against her reflexes and breathed out, relaxing. A figure sat down beneath her, did not touch her, did not look at her, and she did not need to look at it either. She knew the face and the intense catlike eyes all too well.
"Asch.", was all she said, like it was a certain spell that had to be named. Afterwards, silence fell again .
He had traveled with them for some days now, and Natalia realised that he really was different from the replicated Luke. Asch was not as cheerfull, but moody and sarcastic. He freaked out easily and tended to... attack people out of no reason. Years of exhaustion and sadness had darkened his eyes. And he was rarely talking to her.
It was perhaps the last point that hurt her the most. Luke - No, she forced herself to think, it's Asch now! - refused to talk more then is ultimately needed. She knew that he was watching her, she felt his eyes burning on her frame, but every time she gazed at him he looked away, stubbornly trying to act occupied. Why? She wondered if he hated her for what she did. Or if he was just shy.
Asch breathed deeply before he started to talk. "...It's been a while.", he said, voice trembling in - what was it? Excitement? Disapproval?
"Yes.", she answered simply. "A long time."
"...I'm talking about the way we walked today!", he quickly added, fingers running through unruly reddish hair. It got so long, Natalia thought. She was pondering if it was as soft as it looked, and she had a hard time keeping her fingers from twitching.
"Oh. Sure."
He did not say anything else.
Natalia wanted to do so many things - she wanted to talk to him, to hug him, to tell him that she missed him, but she couldn't, because... she did not. She never missed Asch, because she thought that Luke was her fiancé and that there was nobody else. And she felt guilty because of that.
"Asch...", she began again. Her fingers moved on their own and gently cupped his hand.
The fighter twitched, looking alarmed for a second but calmed down very quickly.
"Y-Yeah?"
"...I'm sorry."
She could not say anything else, because it all seemed so... heavy. For the first time he looked at her straight, and the pain buried in the green orbs almost cut her lungs. There were tears in his eyes... She could see them in the starlight.
"Natalia..."
"I'm so sorry!", she whispered again, now touching his shoulders, holding onto him as if to dear life. She could feel his trembling body, his heavy heartbeat.
"You suffered all those years, Asch, and- and I did not even know about it. You were lost and I did not search for you! And you, you had to... do all this!" - her voice broke - "And you did and you searched for me and I, I..."
"Stop it!", Asch cried, a little louder that he had to. He grabbed her arms and held her, stared at her, nearly screamed.
"Stop blaming yourself! Stop it, stop it!" Now he was truly crying, his face twisted in pain he could not hold back any longer - a pain that he had kept inside for more than seven years, a pain that kept him alive, that gave him the power to move forward. It hurt her so much to see him like this, but Natalia nevertheless felt in a strange way... happy. Happy that he opened himself, that he talked, that he felt, even if those feeling were almost tearing him apart.
"I missed you!", Asch choked under tears. He buried his face on her shoulders; Natalia circled her arms around his shaking frame, soothing him with little words.
"I missed you... so much. All those years. Every day. And every... every night, more and more. I wondered how you might look. If you two... you two had children together and if he would be a good husband for you! I was worried and angry and..."
"It's okay.", Natalia breathed, feeling tears on her cheeks, too. Asch loved her truly, madly, deeply. She just realised how much she really meant to the redhead.
"...I am here, you see?" Touching his fingers gently, she embraced him even more. "I will... not leave you again. I will stay. You and I, we... can be happy."
"I am not a heir to the throne anymore!", Asch hissed bitterly. "I am nobody. You cannot-"
"I can!" Her voice was determned, causing him to look up. Natalia was crying, too, but her beautiful eyes had an intense fire of passion inside.
"I love you. And if it has to be this way, I will go with you. It does not matter if we live in a castle or without shelter under the moon, as long as you are with me." She gently leaned forward and kissed Asch's trembling lips, memorizing the taste of salt and desire on them.
"We promised to change Kimlasca, remember? So that nobody has to suffer. And... you suffer. Let us start with helping you... helpng us! We can do that... I will stay at your side..."
Asch was speechless, just stared at her, suddenly feeling warm and... good inside. Her smile was like the rising sun as she softly wiped the tears from his eyes, kissing him again, this time a little more passionate, and....
"... And now it is time to stop looking.", Jade whispered with a grin on his bleak lips. He grabbed Luke's neck and moved the boy away from his place behind a huge stone.
"But- But hey just started! Oi! Jade! Stop it, man! Ouch!"
The coloned tossed Luke unceremoniously to the ground and sat down beside him. Guy and Tear smiled knowingly, while Anise was possibly the only one still sleeping.
"Give 'em privacy, Luke." Guy said with happiness in his voice. Mieu who slept in his lap made an approving sound.
"You know... Young love needs time to grow."
And Luke did not understand why the two men were staring at him and why Tear looked away with reddening cheeks. . .
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Character(s)/Pairing(s): young!Jade, young!Saphir, Nebilim.
Rating: PG-13
Other: Written for talesofdrabbles
Failure. It was supposed to be a failure, from beginning on. The whole idea was doomed, was bad, not worth to be even thought about.
But nevertheless, he had done it. He thought about it. He was fascinated by it.
He tried.
And doomed them all.
Now there was fire everywhere, red and hot and burning and he felt pain and despair and.... nothing. Nothing but a horrible hole in his body.
But the hole was not in his body, it was in her body. And there was even more which was red and hot and burning... blood. Blood on his hands, on his face.
He felt tears, wet, painful tears running down his cheeks. He could not remember that he started to cry. He did not want to, after all; No, no. A Fonist, crying? That was inacceptable. He wanted to be strong -- had to be strong, after all.
"Jade!", somebody screamed, and he turned his face to meet another gaze. There was snow in white hair and dirt and blood on a visage that looked almost beautiful, the beauty of someone who was in despair.
And below this dirty yet strangely appealing face... there was her body.
Lying still, not moving.
Covered in red and with this gaping hole inside her chest. Eyes closed, lips parted.
Pretty. Pretty and dead.
Almost.
"Jade, Jade, do something!", the other boy cried desperately, his hands clutching the ground, the snow, the blood, the dirt, everything, everything he could get a hold of. Jade felt nothing. He simply looked down, watched her face, so beautiful, so fragile. His fingertips ran over her cheek, drawing a line of blood, a sign, a seal onto her skin. The tears just refused to stop their flow.
Suddenly, her eyes flew open. She smiled. Did she, really? Or was that all a dream? All in his mind?
"Foolish boy...:", she muttered with her almost last breath. Then she sighed, tilting her head to one side. Oh, how he wished to throw himself into her arms -- like he did so many times before. He cried in her arms, far too often for him to admit. She was the only one knowing his pain, knowing his secrets, his loneliness, his fears.
Now she would die.
"Don't die!", he cried, suddenly. "Don't die, Mama!"
Those words just burst out, and with them more tears, more feelings, more fear and panic. He grabbed her clothes, the rest of the frock that was nearly completely burned. He stared at her, desperation heavy as a rock, heavy as a mountain.
She could not die.
He would not allow her to.
Suddenly, decision fought fear down. His eyes focused, his tears stopped. He realized the blood on his fingers, the smell of copper, the taste of burnt flesh in the air. He looked up, met the eyes of the other boy, stared at him, fire and determination melting away the tears he shed just seconds ago.
He would not allow her to.
"Saphir, assist.", he said firmly.
She could not die.
Not everything was a failure.
He would save her, no matter what.
Title: Absolute Perfection
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Van/Asch, Van/Luke; Mentioning of Dist
Rating: PG-13
Other: Again, written for talesofdrabbles . The promt was "There's no I in Threesome" and I came up with this *cough* XD
Sometimes, when he was with one of them, Van took his time to compare.
There were things that caught his attention, many differences he could not explain himself. There were physical varieties, on the on hand; Their hair, their eyes, their skin. He asked Dist about it, but the General just shrugged off the question, trying to ignore it as good as possible: To him, it was not important, and after a while, Van stopped asking. There was no reason for it, anyway.
He saw them both, at least a few times every week. He had time to compare them, not only their appearance, but every other remarkable thing. The way Luke craved for every tiny bit of sunshine or attention he could receive while Asch preferred to linger in the shadows, reading, training on his own, growing more silent every day. They learned the same style of fighting, both being interested, good disciples of his blade; And that might as well be everything they had in common.
They were Replica and Original, but sometimes, he wondered if the two boys could be any more different.
Nevertheless, there was a moment Van clearly remembered, a moment when both held onto him as if to dear life, a moment they were dependent, helpless, but eager to learn, eager to understand. A moment he had his hands buried in long, reddish locks, a moment those green eyes where shut tightly, where faint pink spread across pale cheeks, sign of embarrassment and joy.
He had kissed them both the same day, had taken both the same day. He made the same promises, received the same reaction, blushing, stammering young men, feeling awkward but too interested, too fascinated to stop now. Their lips tasted of salt and loneliness, of fear and of lust all the same time; they tasted the same. Deep inside, under their different shell, under their different attitude, they were perfect, perfectly the same.
Van had enjoyed that day. Oh, how he had enjoyed it.
Sometimes, when he was with one of them, Van took his time to wish. How wonderful it could be, sharing a bed with both. Comparing them directly, the way the act, the way they kiss and feel and scream and---
No, he thought, shaking his head lightly; no, this is nothing one should think about, one should wish for.
Too much perfection was dangerous, after all.
Title: Reunity
Fandom: Tales of the Abyss
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Natalia/Asch (I like to put it that way xD), implied Luke/Tear
Rating: G
Other: Written for kouji_kun, I guess she was feeling unwell that day and I wanted to cheer her up. Asch is far too whiny, but I still think it fits him >D
Also, do not read if you're afraid of cavities. It's VERY sweet v_v''
The night fell across the land. Dark shades of intense violet crept across the ground, covering everything, stealing the light and the heat of the day away.
Luke had been tired, so he fell asleep before they even finished dinner. Guy took care of him, together with Tear and Anise who were as sleepy as the redhead and soon curled up beside him. Jade just sat near the campfire, lips parted for a sly smile as the shadows danced on his beautiful, calm face. He would sleep there, like always, sitting, shoulders covered with a blanket Guy would spread over his body after a while.
Natalia was not tired. She volunteered for the first watch, agreeing that she would wake Guy when she thought it was time, and grabbed her bow, sitting down on a fallen tree aside from the fireplace, watching the night and listening to all the beautiful little sounds of nature. It was so peaceful in the woods; the silence eased her mind.
But not for long.
As she heard footsteps approaching her from behing she forced her body not to tense, not to turn and not to attack. It was hard; the princess had learned how to fight and how to kill in order to survive.
But not now. Please, not now.
She won the fight against her reflexes and breathed out, relaxing. A figure sat down beneath her, did not touch her, did not look at her, and she did not need to look at it either. She knew the face and the intense catlike eyes all too well.
"Asch.", was all she said, like it was a certain spell that had to be named. Afterwards, silence fell again .
He had traveled with them for some days now, and Natalia realised that he really was different from the replicated Luke. Asch was not as cheerfull, but moody and sarcastic. He freaked out easily and tended to... attack people out of no reason. Years of exhaustion and sadness had darkened his eyes. And he was rarely talking to her.
It was perhaps the last point that hurt her the most. Luke - No, she forced herself to think, it's Asch now! - refused to talk more then is ultimately needed. She knew that he was watching her, she felt his eyes burning on her frame, but every time she gazed at him he looked away, stubbornly trying to act occupied. Why? She wondered if he hated her for what she did. Or if he was just shy.
Asch breathed deeply before he started to talk. "...It's been a while.", he said, voice trembling in - what was it? Excitement? Disapproval?
"Yes.", she answered simply. "A long time."
"...I'm talking about the way we walked today!", he quickly added, fingers running through unruly reddish hair. It got so long, Natalia thought. She was pondering if it was as soft as it looked, and she had a hard time keeping her fingers from twitching.
"Oh. Sure."
He did not say anything else.
Natalia wanted to do so many things - she wanted to talk to him, to hug him, to tell him that she missed him, but she couldn't, because... she did not. She never missed Asch, because she thought that Luke was her fiancé and that there was nobody else. And she felt guilty because of that.
"Asch...", she began again. Her fingers moved on their own and gently cupped his hand.
The fighter twitched, looking alarmed for a second but calmed down very quickly.
"Y-Yeah?"
"...I'm sorry."
She could not say anything else, because it all seemed so... heavy. For the first time he looked at her straight, and the pain buried in the green orbs almost cut her lungs. There were tears in his eyes... She could see them in the starlight.
"Natalia..."
"I'm so sorry!", she whispered again, now touching his shoulders, holding onto him as if to dear life. She could feel his trembling body, his heavy heartbeat.
"You suffered all those years, Asch, and- and I did not even know about it. You were lost and I did not search for you! And you, you had to... do all this!" - her voice broke - "And you did and you searched for me and I, I..."
"Stop it!", Asch cried, a little louder that he had to. He grabbed her arms and held her, stared at her, nearly screamed.
"Stop blaming yourself! Stop it, stop it!" Now he was truly crying, his face twisted in pain he could not hold back any longer - a pain that he had kept inside for more than seven years, a pain that kept him alive, that gave him the power to move forward. It hurt her so much to see him like this, but Natalia nevertheless felt in a strange way... happy. Happy that he opened himself, that he talked, that he felt, even if those feeling were almost tearing him apart.
"I missed you!", Asch choked under tears. He buried his face on her shoulders; Natalia circled her arms around his shaking frame, soothing him with little words.
"I missed you... so much. All those years. Every day. And every... every night, more and more. I wondered how you might look. If you two... you two had children together and if he would be a good husband for you! I was worried and angry and..."
"It's okay.", Natalia breathed, feeling tears on her cheeks, too. Asch loved her truly, madly, deeply. She just realised how much she really meant to the redhead.
"...I am here, you see?" Touching his fingers gently, she embraced him even more. "I will... not leave you again. I will stay. You and I, we... can be happy."
"I am not a heir to the throne anymore!", Asch hissed bitterly. "I am nobody. You cannot-"
"I can!" Her voice was determned, causing him to look up. Natalia was crying, too, but her beautiful eyes had an intense fire of passion inside.
"I love you. And if it has to be this way, I will go with you. It does not matter if we live in a castle or without shelter under the moon, as long as you are with me." She gently leaned forward and kissed Asch's trembling lips, memorizing the taste of salt and desire on them.
"We promised to change Kimlasca, remember? So that nobody has to suffer. And... you suffer. Let us start with helping you... helpng us! We can do that... I will stay at your side..."
Asch was speechless, just stared at her, suddenly feeling warm and... good inside. Her smile was like the rising sun as she softly wiped the tears from his eyes, kissing him again, this time a little more passionate, and....
"... And now it is time to stop looking.", Jade whispered with a grin on his bleak lips. He grabbed Luke's neck and moved the boy away from his place behind a huge stone.
"But- But hey just started! Oi! Jade! Stop it, man! Ouch!"
The coloned tossed Luke unceremoniously to the ground and sat down beside him. Guy and Tear smiled knowingly, while Anise was possibly the only one still sleeping.
"Give 'em privacy, Luke." Guy said with happiness in his voice. Mieu who slept in his lap made an approving sound.
"You know... Young love needs time to grow."
And Luke did not understand why the two men were staring at him and why Tear looked away with reddening cheeks. . .