Disclaimer:I don't own Tales of the Abyss

Author's Note: Just in case you might not have seen the note at the end of Chapter 11 of And the Clock Struck Twelve, I have come to the conclusion that for certain reasons the original story must be rewritten. However, because the interlude story is currently in progress and the sequel will start being posted in November, I can't rightly remove the original story yet as this version may not be completed any time soon. However, there are issues I refer to in the interlude and the sequel that are not present in the original version. I can tell you that, overall, the result of the story will be the same, just the paths taken there will be different. Think of it as an alternate reality.

This is NOT simply a proofing of the original. This is rewritten from the ground up. Take a look and see what I mean. At any rate, this is the story the way it was meant to be. Please enjoy it as such.

That night in Tataroo Valley was a windy one. The flowers danced and bowed almost in time with the distant swell of the ocean beyond the cliffs and the brilliant moon even made an appearance, hanging high in the sky like the centerpiece jewel of a vast celestial crown. To the superstitious, the sudden appearance of the moon where recently only foreboding grey clouds had filled the sky might have seemed a sign that something important was about to occur. However, two years of constant disappointment had forced Natalia to lay aside her wishful thinking for a far more adult-like stoicism. She suspected that the others had also reached a similar conclusion just earlier than she. All except Tear at any rate.

Tear made the trip to the valley every night religiously. She walked the same path, perched on the same rock and watched the horizon with the same hopeful eyes for two years without fail.

In those first dreadful days after the fall of Eldrant when grief and hope warred equally within them, the others had joined her in her vigil as well, but as the rest of the world slowly crept back up on them, they each had to make a choice.

Jade was the first to leave. Being older and more experienced he held plenty of insight into the stages of grieving, and though he never would have admitted it, the lack of his usual sarcasm indicated quite clearly that something was amiss. He understood in a way that the rest of them only would later that the world did not stop for one person's grief and that he would eventually have to move forward with it.

Anise was next, not in so much as she followed Jade's example as that she had her own pressing matters to attend to. After the rebellion of the Oracle Knights and the death of the Fon Master, the Order of Lorelei lay in shambles. Anise knew that she wasn't Ion, and she knew that picking up the pieces of an organization shattered by lies and betrayal was a monumental task even for the best among them, but the Order was her home, the only one she had ever known, and she wasn't going to let it go without a fight. But to keep hold of it, she also knew she would have to let go elsewhere.

Natalia stayed as long as she could. Weeks turned into months, and it was nearly a year before she made her decision. Kimlasca had its own mess to deal with. Even without the chaos caused by the lowering of the land, the kingdom had been in a bad situation because of its war against Malkuth. The outbreak of the conflict had not just been sudden but poorly planned. For all the years that Kimlasca spent staring Malkuth down, they had done relatively little preparation for the inevitable war, instead relying on the Score to miraculously grant them victory. Now the majority of the population lay decimated with all but the sickest civilians having been drafted to serve their kingdom. As such, Kimlasca found itself in the utterly undesirable position of being nearly dependent on their former enemy for basic necessities such as food and medicine, and the situation was only being compounded by the waning of the Planet Storm.

Eventually, Natalia reached a point where she could no longer look away from the situation before her. She had spent a great deal of time on her own grief. As much as she had lost, she could not let her people suffer for that.

She had returned to Baticul with as much haste as possible, not wanting to give herself time to second guess her decision. She threw herself into the peace talks with Malkuth which had stalled as the foolish nobles who had been sent to the table had wrongly sought to extract concessions from Malkuth instead of making parley with them.

It was at this time that she ran into Jade again. Though more of a soldier than a negotiator, he was the Emperor's steadfast confidante and could be counted on to keep Malkuth nobles in check simply by his presence. As such, even with the shift in Kimlasca's position, negotiations were an uphill battle that lasted well into the next year. Before she knew it, she had lost touch with nearly all the others save the Colonel whom she saw on a near daily basis.

Surprisingly, it was Guy who played the most pivotal role in keeping tabs on everyone. Every year he made sure that they all gathered at Tataroo Valley on the anniversary of the fall of Eldrant (known as such because they all refused to acknowledge it as anything else). He had even gone to the extent of asking Peony close negotiations on the day so that she and Jade would have no reason to refuse.

This was how she found herself watching the moon rise over the Valley, casting the ruins of Eldrant into relief in the distance. Despite the fact that just a few hours ago she had been heatedly arguing against the Malkuth ambassador's demand that Kimlasca give up their claim to Port Kaitzur in exchange for more aid, thoughts of the negotiations had all but vanished from her mind. In a way, she hated herself for losing sight of Luke's memory like this but tried to take some comfort in the fact that at least she was doing what she could to protect the world that he had, in all likelihood left behind.

She did not expect anything to be different this year and had been all but ready to leave with the others when they saw the shadow off in the distance. She cannot remember exactly what happened next, or perhaps she had simply chosen not to remember as fate snatched away the last fragments of hope onto which she had been clinging with all of her being.

Of course she was happy for Tear and for Luke too-happy to know that their unwavering devotion had at last been rewarded, but some part of her that she dared not face could only see what she had lost.

But she was getting better at masking her thoughts. Such a skill was a necessity when working opposite a man who could read even a stranger like an open book, and she somehow made it through all the celebrations that followed without letting her secret slip.

It wasn't as easy when she was alone however, and now with negotiations suspended indefinitely in light of her cousin's return, she found herself without much to do once the celebrations were over. Still, she did her best, just as was expected of her.

She reported to her father about the status at the close of the negotiations, patiently endured the tirades of the nobles who thought she was being too lenient with Malkuth, held back tears as she heard the suffering that the common folk endured and endeavoured to fix at least some of the too numerous problems that now plagued her country.

But there was only so much that she could do from the capital. As usual, it was the remote villages that were suffering the worst. Far out of sight of the nobility, the villagers, mainly children and the elderly often endured sickness and famine without any of the aid that the more accessible villages received. At the end of the day, this was more a logistical problem than anything and could be resolved with a tactful application of brute force.

"I'm going out there," she had told her father who, to his credit managed to stay conscious.

But this was complete and utter madness! Perhaps she needed a diversion from the high pressure environment of the negotiating table. Perhaps she was ill and the fever was making her delirious. Perhaps she had finally lost her mind as some of the less tactful nobles whispered among themselves. After all, why on earth would the crown princess want to trek out to the farthest corners of the kingdom to save a handful of peasants?

"It is the very fact that you do not understand that means I must go," she had told them.

Understanding but understandably concerned for her safety, her father had agreed and ordered a platoon of knights to accompany her-a condition which she had promptly refused. She was going to help the villagers not scare them out of their wits. Sure the knights may mean well, but there was nothing worse for a tiny village whose resources were already stretched to the max than having to put up an entire contingent from the capital. She would go alone. After all, she was nowhere near as weak as she used to be.

Still, she was unable to convince her father to at let her travel on her own, and stuck at an impasse, she did what all negotiators are prone to do-she compromised.

And this, is how she found herself face to face with her cousin who, to be honest, was the absolute last person she wanted to see.

The trip started off badly, not only because she was being forced to confront the root of her problem far earlier than she had hoped to but also because the pair found themselves beset by a storm on their way towards Port Belkend.

Two days they stayed holed up in the inn with barely a sentence passing between them, and not for Luke's lack of trying, mind. She knew it was selfish to ignore him, but managed to convince herself that it was for the best-rather than saying the horrible things she knew she would say if she spoke to him, it was better to remain silent.

But on the third day, Luke had had enough.

"Look," he said, "I don't know what I did, but sitting there brooding about it isn't going to help matters. Just tell me what I did so I can fix it!"

"It's nothing you can fix," she snapped. "Just leave it at that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She glanced away out the window the the sea where the storm still raged. "Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Natalia."

But she couldn't lie. Not to him. Not really at any rate. And that was precisely the problem.

She stood from her seat and headed in the direction of the stairs. At least if she was sleeping, he couldn't bother her, but he took hold of her arm at the elbow, holding her in place.

Were he anyone else in the world, she would have shook off his hand, but this was Luke, and even if they weren't related by blood, he was still her family. After a moment, she relented. "Let's talk outside."

He followed her silently.

The wind was driving the rain at an angle so that even huddled in the stone doorway, the rain still ghosted her skin. With the noise of the storm, they would have to practically shout to hear each other.

Luke grimaced. "Lovely weather we're having, huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "It wouldn't matter if you'd dressed for it."

"Says the woman in heels."

She couldn't help the flush of embarrassment that crept up her neck. "I told you. I can walk in them just fine when the ground is dry!"

He laughed, but the sound disappeared quickly, carried away by the storm.

"I'm sorry," he said simply.

She looked up. "What are you apologizing for? It's not your fault. You'd better not feel guilty about surviving."

"Well, you're making it kind of difficult not to."

"I know. I'm sorry for that."

She wanted to move away, put some space between them but was hemmed in by the door on one side and the rain on the other. She'd never been good at close-quarter emotional talks. It was easier to remain distant-less messy that way. "He was also important to me, you know."

"I know."

"But you are too. No matter what happened, I would have lost someone I cared about. At least Tear didn't lose you. She deserves to be happy."

"So do you."

She shook her head. "I lost Asch a long time ago. I guess, I just never let myself come to terms with it. I mean, all those years, and I never even realized he was gone. And when I realized the mistake I had made, I was so desperate to fix it. I wronged him terribly. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had hated me for it."

"He didn't."

"And how do you know that?" she asked, her voice taut with frustration. "How would you even know what he thought? Don't patronise me, Luke. I couldn't bear it."

"Natalia, I'm sorry, but I really think you should listen…"

She could feel the tears welling and didn't want Luke to see her like this and pity her. She tried to open the door to get back inside but would have had to shove him out of the doorway to do so. "I don't want to talk about this right now."

He held the door shut with a single hand. "Then when will you talk about it? Tomorrow? A year from now? The others told me what's been happening while I was gone."

The last sentence was so accusatory that she couldn't help turning to face him. "And just what did they tell you, pray? That I've been working day and night to help my countrymen? That I've been pushing for a peace that none of the Kimlascan nobility even seem to want? Just what could they possibly have told you?"

"What you're doing to yourself isn't healthy!"

"Healthy?" she scoffed. "There's nothing for good health like a little hard work."

"Not when you overdo it. I hear you haven't been sleeping."

"Negotiations have kept me busy."

"Then what about now? Negotiations are closed, and this storm's apparently going to stick around for the next several days."

"The weather disturbs my sleep."

"When was the last time you slept? Or ate a proper meal for that matter?"

"I don't know, but I must have or I'd be going mad about now."

He frowned. "Surviving isn't living, Natalia."

Her ire was catching faster than she could contain it. "Don't lecture me on how to live my life. I live for the sake of my people. It is my honour and my greatest privilege!"

But he remained undeterred. "I've only been around you for a couple days, and I can already see what's happening. Tell me, do you think it was a coincidence that negotiations were suspended?"

It took a moment, but when the implication of his words sank in, she had to try not to let her horror show. "That was in honour of your return."

It was his turn to scoff. "You don't really think so. You try to hide it, but you know what really happened. Jade asked the Emperor to suspend the negotiations."

The idea was so ludicrous that she wanted to laugh. "Him? Worried about me?"

"From what I hear, he was actually quite annoyed. He was saying something along the lines of 'A ruler who can't take care of their own health isn't fit to rule a country'. At least, I think that's what Guy told me."

"Guy? Since when are he and the Colonel so chummy?"

"Apparently, he moved to Grand Chokmah and works as part of the Emperor's council now-being Malkuth nobility and all."

"Huh. I thought he still lived at the manor."

"Tear said this happened a while ago. I mean, you would have known, but I hear you haven't been back to Baticul in nearly two years, until recently anyway."

"Again with the accusations! I've been busy!"

"No, you're being defensive."

"That's it. I'm going back inside."

She tried to push him away from the door, and he tried to stay where he was. The net result was that she shoved him, he lost his balance on the slick stone and tumbled face down into the muddy road. She moved out into the road to help him up.

"Oh my god, Luke, I'm sorry!"

He looked like he was trying to sit up, but the slippery mud seemed to be making moving difficult. She took him by his elbow and tried to pull him to his feet when he suddenly reached up and dragged her into the mud with him.

She shot upright with an indignant squawk and brushed the mud from her eyes. "You!"

He rolled back on his haunches, laughing until he was nearly breathless. She waited until he was gasping for breath then lobbed some mud directly at his open mouth.

He sputtered and flailed while she laughed honestly for the first time in two years.

"You moody little princess!" he spat, lobbing some more mud at her.

His aim was a little high, and the glob sailed over her head.

Her aim was more accurate; she was an archer after all. "You arrogant know it all!"

"Workaholic!"

"Brat!"

"Obsessive-compulsive!"

"Ginger!"

He was taken aback and grabbed the ends of his muddy hair indignantly. "It's red! Not ginger! It's the colour of the royal family!"

"Well I'm the princess, and I'm not ginger."

"That's just you and your genetics."

But they both know that wasn't true. Just as Luke wasn't her blood cousin, she wasn't blood royalty either. But, despite that, she liked to think that she'd earned her title the past few years.

"I'm really glad you're back," she said at last. He looked at her wide-eyed, and she sighed. "And I'm not just saying that either. I really am glad."

He smiled. "Thanks. That means alot."

He looked so ridiculous sitting there in the muddy road and the rain that she couldn't help smiling.

"Welcome home, Luke."

He nodded. "It's good to be back."

Next chapter: A fragment from the past unearths painful memories for both Luke and Natalia. Chapter Two: Break Even.