- The Rose and the Thorns -

He was truly foolish to try and keep every promise he makes.
Just goes to show how men in love are really just idiotic.
But he was her idiot, at least.
She, of course, kept denying it.

Adell x Rozalin.

Disclaimer: I do not own Disgaea 2, or any related things. I, also, am not affiliated with any company involved in the creation of this brilliant game.

How many times had he been called an idiot?

How many times had she called him an idiot?

He lost count since the word slipped naturally out of her mouth ever since they met. Even she was surprised that she could go on using and abusing such an... unrefined word not to be spoken by princesses. At least, not in formal speech. But since she was living (temporarily, that is - Rozalin kept with her opinion that Veldime, especially Holt, was nothing compared to her large mansion) in that backwater village of his, sleeping and eating in their doghouse, formal speech was not exactly required. Well, not often. Rozalin, brought up by the finest tutors, the best teachers of manners and raised following the strictest rules ever to be developed this side of the netherworld, she never really let go of the royalty in her, always applying what she had been taught over time. Indeed, she used it so much in such an informal environment that Holt's residents, though respecting their Overlord and his family, thought of her as a brat. A haughty, prideful one at that.

But despite her polished manners, there was just something incredibly satisfying calling Adell an idiot. Whether it was him attempting to keep his promises (and during those times, Rozalin never forgot to mutter "foolish human" under her breath) or just thinking loudly about the time when Zenon is finally defeated, Rozalin thought everything Adell did was idiotic. Or maybe impossible. She reasoned out that promises were meant to be broken. Some of them, at least. But to attempt - more so to believe - that he could keep every single promise he had made in one blow was just that. Impossible. And even at the start, it was a laughable idea for a human like him to try to fight or even dream of fighting the God of All Overlords.

Give him credit, at least, for his spirit. It's remarkable, truly, that, even against all the odds, he still doesn't stop believing in himself.

Rozalin couldn't help it - she kept comparing herself to Adell. It always seemed that she could get the upper hand everytime she tried to compare herself with him, but somehow, there was always something Adell was so good at that she couldn't bring herself to admit that, despite his rough attitude, he was still admirable in certain respects.

Well, she did admire him. She wouldn't admit openly, but she did admire him. If only for his tenacity and dedication and the way he made her feel protected. Something that even her father never let her feel before. Never in her life had Rozalin felt the assuring presence of Zenon, but she continued to believe that her father loved her to no end. Even with doubts forming in her mind, she kept on with what she believed in.

But, oh dear, if he wasn't just a complete fool. Rushing blindly into things without giving so much as a second thought. She knew (even if he denied it strongly) that there was something in him that just craved for battle. The rush, the satisfaction, maybe the fact that it will bring him closer to success was what made him liken every battle into a strategy game of sorts - quick thinking wins the game. But the certain fire in him blazed so strongly, it obstructed his thinking. At least she was there to watch over him.

Fool. Fool. Fool.

Rozalin told them she was tired, that she wanted to skip the remainder of the night's activities (Adell's family, free from the "burden" of conscience, never really bothered much to check on Adell, although every now and then, someone peeked in his room to make sure he was still breathing), and that she will be involved with them the next day. However, she found herself passing her room and heading to Adell's, repeating 'idiot' nobody-knows-how-many-times in her head. How he had survived Etna's attacks but almost gave away after getting out of they cave they found Taro in was beyond Rozalin, but she was sure that he was tired out, trying to keep his promises all at once.

An impossible task. He couldn't do so, especially since he's a human.

Rozalin hesitated, opening the door to Adell's room. Why she even thought of going there, she didn't know. Adell's family was obliged to take care of him, but somehow, she felt she was the one with the 'troublesome' load. She had no room for complaint, however. Seeing that he was that dedicated to keep his words, she knew, somehow, that she'll finally meet her father because of Adell.

But he was an idiot to have run into battle like that and not caring if he got hurt. So long as he kept his promise, he didn't care.

She sat beside the sleeping form, curious to see how the usually outgoing Adell would look while he was sleeping. More of an angel than one would think.

Rozalin stared at him for a long time. So long that she lost consciousness of what she was doing, exactly. So long that she didn't see Adell much of an enemy (though still an idiot), that there was more - much, much more - to admire in him than what she initially thought. In fact, her view changed so much (taking into consideration the number of times he had risked his life to save her - the very feat he did to land him in his bed) that he wasn't at fault for being here - she was. She still maintained that he was an idiot.

My idiot, though. The rose and her idiot - a perfect match. Of sorts.

Her curiosity (she never realized that she was curious about how he felt until now) led her to absentmindedly take his hand, gently, gently. He wasn't wearing gloves, so Rozalin felt every possible patch of skin there was on Adell's hand. It felt... reassuring. Comfortable. And, while color spread to her cheeks, she thought more and more about the rose and her idiot. She didn't want to admit it, not even to herself, but he was worth liking. She didn't want to let go. At least, not yet.

He was weak. Adell was weak. Bruised. Hurt. Everyone else was gone, and he failed to keep his promise. "Might as well go and die."

Zenon was laughing. Laughing at Adell and his failure. The laugh echoed in his head, and reminded him of Rozalin's mocking laugh at the start. Blood was running down his face, wounds covering his frail body. He can't believe it. Crawl and escape was his last option. And that, he did. He tried to reach the end.

The light.

Oh, the light was tantalizing. Beautiful. He couldn't believe it. There was something comforting in the light. Something that gave him strength despite the severity of his beating. He reached out his hand, stretched out his arm, and tried to take the one hand that seemed to appear just before the light. There was something familiar about it. Something...

Adell took hold of that hand, and felt safe.

He woke up. In the middle of the night, wrapped in bandages and healing wounds, he woke up. In the light of the moon, drenched in sweat, panting, weak, he woke up. And the scene that slowly unfolded before his adjusting eyes was enough to surprise him. Adell's abrupt rise startled an unsuspecting Rozalin, who had inched earlier and stared at Adell's sleeping face moments after she took his hand (mingled curiosity and unusual thoughts brought her to look at him for so long). Adell stopped just in time, a mere seconds before he and a paralyzed Rozalin would crash into other and feel the other's lips. He stopped, his face inches from Rozalin's, his breath warm on her cheek. And for a split second, their eyes met as Rozalin gasped, both aware how close they were to each other and both thinking if they should indulge in the momentary bliss of a kiss. And, as quickly as the exchange happened, both of them backed off from each other, Adell because of surprise and Rozalin of embarrassment. At the same time, Rozalin uncurled her soft, slender fingers from Adell's battle-hardened hand, which Adell wasn't aware of until the feeling of Rozalin's touch had gone.

She couldn't look him in the eye. He couldn't take his eyes away from her.

"What are you doing here?" Adell asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I... I wanted to know if you were alright." She paused. Sensing no desire to reply from Adell, she continued. "You are an idiot. To sacrifice your life so you could save your brother. What use will you be to him when you are dead?"

"I was trying to protect you." Adell scratched his head and grunted slightly in pain. "Don't you remember?"

I very well do, you idiot.

"Still, such a foolish act. You are but a human being. Your body cannot withstand much damage. Have rage and vengeance blinded you, that you rush into the battle without thinking much?" Rozalin, somehow, managed to shed a tear. Why, she didn't know.

"I may be fool, but I put myself to good use. I promised you, you know. Promised you I would protect you."

"And what good is a promise if the one who made it died? You should not go like that. Careless. Only fools do that."

"Do I sense concern, Rozalin?"

"Yes." The concise, exact reply confused the both of them. Of course she was concerned. Who wouldn't be? He had opened her eyes to things like these, so won't she be concerned, naturally? Adell, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows, surprised with Rozalin's quick and straightforward answer. No beating around the bush. And the more he thought about it, the more he mentally questioned her motives as to why she had been there in the first place.

The clock struck twelve.

"It's late," Adell stated.

"I must go."

"Oh no. You could sleep in here," Adell offered. "There, on the carpet?"

"And what? Have all manners of disgusting insects and creatures crawl over me? I refuse," Rozalin snapped.

"I don't want anyone to see you coming from my room in the dead of the night. You know people here - too suspicious."

Rozalin was thankful for the half-darkness, for Adell couldn't see her blush. "As if I want to be involved with you like that," she muttered.

"Fine. So stay here."

"I refuse to sleep on the carpet."

"Sleep on my bed," Adell said. "I'll be the one on the carpet."

Rozalin was about to fight back, when Adell spoke up again. "Go. No refusing this time."

Obediently, she crawled on the bed as Adell got off of it, wincing as he felt pain in his body. Rozalin was greatly tempted to assist him, but she knew him well enough to know that he refused any form of assistance unless his very life depended on it. And that even depended on what he was attempting to do - if he was trying to keep a promise, he'd pay even the last bit of his life to keep it. As she turned over and watched the night sky through the window, thoughts flooded back to her mind. Adell was an idiot, sacrificing his comfort to let Rozalin sleep, and standing his ground even if she refused. He was a complete idiot. But he's my idiot. My fool.

She drifted off to sleep, Adell the last thing in her mind before dreams occupied it.

Adell, lying on the carpet beside the bed, watched the sleeping figure illuminated by the moonlight. Somehow, there was something comforting in Rozalin's sleeping image, and there was even more comfort when he thought that she was sleeping here inside his room. Although she was his charge and responsibility until the contract of the summon ends, he came to like her, over time. He was sincere with his promise before, but kept with it just so he could battle with Overlord Zenon. Now, part of him really just wanted to protect Rozalin.

Rozalin breathed easy as Adell, slowly, covered her with a blanket and stroked her cheek, before falling into a dreamless sleep.

And so slept the rose and her thorns, a perfect melody despite the difference. Harmony in itself. Neither of them knew it yet, and won't know it until later on. But it was a night that, although not much was exchanged between them, was very, very significant. The first time the rose and her thorns existed in mutual terms. A relationship that, given time, will bloom to something beautiful.

A/N: Yes. Latest AdellxRozy fic. Not really central on action, but exploring more on Rozalin's thoughts about Adell. I've set this story after Adell and the gang rescue Taro from the Cavern of Evil, and since MY Adell got such a beating, I had this idea. It was also inspired by the manga. I saw scans of the Disgaea 2 manga that's sort of like this, Adell injured and Rozalin beside him, though they seemed to be less spiteful in the manga and more of a potential couple. So yeah. Comments?