For Honor or Glory

Young Love

A/N: I have been asked several times recently to do a story for Angeal since I have done one(or more) for Genesis and Sephiroth. Finally, this was what came out. Think of it as the first step down that road lol. I need to get a little more familiar with writing him first, and for now, I get a heavy sibling vibe from him. Hopefully, this will help me get his character down a little better before I try to do more. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy where this goes. I have big plans for it. Thanks for reading and cheers! Edit: I also would like to add a note about the romance. Despite how this first chapter looks, it is a Sephiroth/OC story. That doesn't mean there will be Genesis bashing though. This one will be a little bit of a different take from what I have done before. Hopefully, a little more mature and realistic. Or at least that is what I'm aiming for. I hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 1 

A soft breeze blew through the orchard filled with bent trees. Half of them were in full bloom while many of the others were heavy with fruit. There were only a handful of the trees that were bare of anything but leaves. The sun was still low in the sky, but the warmth of the summer day was already making itself known. Under the shade of the largest tree, a teen boy could be seen with his nose buried in a thick tome.

The only sounds around him were the wind in the limbs above him and the leaves rustling together. However, that was shattered when a set of hands covered his eyes, and a feminine giggle was heard. The laughter was quickly followed by a voice. "Guess who?"

The boy sighed as he reached up and pulled one of the hands down while he answered. "Alexandra, you should be aware that you are the only person that ever does that to me."

The girl stuck her tongue out at him as she flopped to the ground next to him and laid back with a huff. She frowned up at him from her spot on the soft grass. "You're no fun. Besides, even if you do know, you should play along."

The boy stared down at her for a moment before he chuckled and answered. "Why are you out here? Don't you have chores or something?"

The girl stuck her tongue out once more as she scoffed. "You know, it wouldn't hurt you to get your hands dirty occasionally too. It might build your character. At least that's what mom says."

The boy rolled his eyes as he picked his book back up. There was more than a little smugness in his voice when he answered. "I don't need to build my character. It is already sufficient."

When he then buried his nose in his book again, the girl glared up at him. It was several seconds before she sat up with a huff and tried to stare a hole in the side of his head. When she saw the edges of his lips turn up as he tried to hide his smile, a mischievous glint entered her eyes.

She didn't give him any warning before her hand shot out and she snatched the book from him. He was so shocked by the action that she had already shot to her feet and started running with peals of laughter following her as she called out. "You'll have to catch me if you want it back."

When his brain caught up to her actions, the boy shot to his feet with a growl and was instantly after her. Despite her head start and how fast she was, he was just a hair quicker. He didn't catch her right away, but after nearly fifteen minutes, he finally tackled her to the ground, and they both went down in a tangle of limbs. They tumbled a few feet down a slight incline before they came to rest with him splayed out on top of her. Despite the tumble, he knew she was alright when he heard her giggle again.

The boy sat up and back to glare down at her. He was going to reprimand her, but two things made him pause. First, she had his book clutched to her chest with both arms in a protective stance. The fact that she had been willing to sacrifice herself to save it, despite the fact that she stole it, made him smile. That only lasted until he saw her closed eyes. Even though she was smiling, there was a hint of tears leaking from beneath her closed lashes.