Through Water and Fire

M

Mouche Avec Une Aile et Makai Goddess Ookami

Disclaimer: I'd like to kindly point out that neither of us own Star Ocean, and that the odds of us ever owning it are slim to none.

Summary: A ring of water leaves them stranded, millions of light years from home. It doesn't help that somehow they've ended up in the past, either. One-Sided FaytAlbel

Jacqui- Well, me and Ookami-Dono have been writing this for a day now. (Tries to think of something to say) If you didn't catch onto the 'ring of water' part, I'll state it more plainly here: This is a cross over. If you don't know with what, that doesn't matter—not yet, anyways. There isn't much from the other part yet, only the large ring of water. Bonus points to anyone who can guess what it's crossed with.

Ookami: Haha, I think Jacqui covered all the basics... Oh yeah, this is um... Uh... Damn it, Jacqui, why'd you take everything to say? (Pouts) Oh right, this is shonen-ai if you didn't see that. (Smirks) One sided, but SA all the same. Oh yeah! (Dances) This fic was inspired by 1) Stargate SG1; 1969 and 2) Lingering Words (Jacqui'sfirst fic.)

Warnings: Minor OOCness, Shonen-Ai (FL/AN), Crossover Fic, Albel sexiness, Randomness, and Obsessive Details

It was cool out, and for that he was thankful. He was almost positive he would have shot his companion if it was hot. Traveling in the desert was one thing, but when you've only got scraps of food and a mouthful of water left, you were testing your limits. Grudgingly, he glanced up at the dark sky. The two full moons towered over everything else, sharing their light and casting an unearthly glow on the desert beneath them. Thousands of stars were scattered across the sky too, he noted. Glistening and twinkling down upon him as if they were laughing. Ridiculing him for being dense enough to travel with the blood-crazed swordsman.

Speaking of the swordsman, he cast a glance out of the corner of his eye to watch his companion. He was standing still, chewing on a peace of hard bread as he thought. His eyes were closed, and his face peaceful. It was a rare moment, but he was too angered to care. His companion had been dragging him through the desert in both day and night. Why? He wasn't sure. If he had ever known, then he didn't remember either. Sighing, he walked over to stand beside his purple-clad companion, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

The darker haired male opened one crimson eye to glare at him, and it was returned through the younger male's own blue ones. A soft smirk played on his lips which angered the blue haired male beyond all belief. He clenched his fists but didn't remove them from his pockets. It would be beyond stupid to attack him. He was no match and he knew it. He mumbled a few curses under his breath and kicked a rock as far as he could over the sand covered land. It didn't go too far though, but he was too lazy to care. He simply yawed and glanced at the older male once more.

"Are we going to stand here all night, Albel?" He asked, clearly irritated.

Albel didn't answer, but opened both his eyes and scanned the desert. He sighed, once again wondering why he was traveling with the crazed swordsman. He tried to remember why he was there, but his mind was drawing a blank. The young blue-haired teen cast a glance at his companion who was eyeing one of his hair tails, lost deep in thought. He couldn't stop himself from thinking how sexy Albel looked, basked in the moonlight in the middle of the desert. Then it hit him. Oh yeah he thought bitterly Albel wandered off and I went off to find him. He looked away from the older male, not trusting himself to keep a straight face.

After all, how could he? This was the man he had somehow managed to fall in love with. Okay, take that back. He loved Albel and Albel had no idea. And it was probably safer that way, despite the fact that it tortured him beyond all belief. Oh well, Que Sera Sera. A frown played across his lips, and he looked down at his feet. It really would be no good for him to pretend to be interested in standing still all night. While he appreciated the rest, he'd rather make it out of the desert all together then to be stuck in it another night.

Bitterly he wandered if Cliff and the others had been worried about him for the past two weeks. A sharp voice interrupted him from his thoughts. He snapped his head up and looked over at Albel, some what startled.

"Fayt, you fool, I said come," Albel growled.

Nodding silently, Fayt obeyed. The two started off north. Well... He thought it was north. The moons and sun worked differently on this planet then they did on Earth. He'd need to check his communicator to see if they were heading north. Fayt trotted slightly to keep at Albel's heels as the two companions traveled in silence. Every now and then the blue haired youth would spare the brun a glance, but it was the same stoic expression every time. He sighed audibly. This was going to be a very long night.

"Hey, Albel," Fayt said suddenly, looking up to glance at the back of the older male's head, "What are you looking for out here anyways?"

"Hn," was the soft reply.

Snorting, Fayt stepped on the back of Albel's heel watching him stumble slightly as he walked. Sneering, Albel glared at him over his shoulder. A soft smirk covered Fayt's face and was only the smallest part of his sudden cocky expression. Grumbling something about fools under his breath, Albel looked away and continued walking. Fayt let out a soft sound of disapproval but Albel ignored him all together. He contemplated stepping on his heel, but he wasn't sure he wanted to piss off the older male even more.

Being killed and hung on a cactus wasn't that much of an appealing thought.

"Here," Albel said bluntly, pointing at a large stone ring towering over them.

Fayt whistled, impressed. The ring was at least about two stories tall and stood up straight on one end. He walked forward and placed a hand on it, feeling the ancient carvings beneath his palm. He traced one signal that looked like a triangle with legs, he bit his lower lip. He'd seen something like this before. He turned around to look at Albel, noticing his arms were folded and a thoughtful expression was on his face. Fayt was slightly taken aback. It wasn't exactly what he was hoping to see.

And once again he found himself staring at the thin, pale skinned male attentively. His head was tilted back so he could see all of the large ring, and his messy dark brown-blonde hair framed his thin face. And as if out of habit, his fingers drummed against the metallic casing of his left arm. The tight violet sleeveless shirt caught his attention—more then it should have anyways. Cocking his head slightly to the left, he wondered how he'd look without it on. And as if reading his thoughts, Fayt felt Albel's crimson eyes glaring at him. Blushing slightly, Fayt turned away, hoping Albel didn't notice.

"Find the second piece," Albel said.

Fayt turned to look at him, startled. If he had asked him to help find it, that would have been one thing but he wasn't about to be ordered around by him. He shook his head, no, and planted his feet and folded his arms over his chest glaring up at the older male. Albel rolled his eyes, and turned away. He wasn't about to waste his time on a worthless maggot. Especially if he really didn't have too. Scanning the area, he cursed under his breath. Where ever the second peace was, it was probably under four feet of sand by now.

He ignored the smug look that Fayt undoubtedly had plastered onto his face right now. Running a hand through his brown-blonde hair he looked around again. If he knew which way the ring was facing, that would have made things easier but he didn't. He cursed under his breath again. This was definitely not his day, he decided. Turning back to face Fayt, he walked over to him eyed the blue-eyed male from head to toe, frowning. Without even bothering to ask, he reached into the teen's pocket and pulled out his communicator and the other device he always carried. Switching the modes quietly, he ignored the young boy's protests.

Turning around slowly, he hoped the tracker would pick up the ancient device. If it didn't... well, then he was screwed. He really didn't want to shift through the sand for a countless number of days. Fayt now stood at his side, glancing at the tracking device mildly interested. Albel gave him an annoyed look, but said nothing. After all, the earthling knew how to read and use the thing better then him. He'd only just started catching on. Fayt tapped the side of the machine, mumbling statistics or something of the sort under his breath. Albel handed him the tracker and watched the younger male tinker with it, before finding a satisfactory setting.

"Here," he grumbled, handing it back.

"Hn."

Fayt was too tired to come up with a reply, and so he let it slide. Albel noticed this, and looked over at his young companion with a raised eyebrow. Fayt pointedly ignored him, leaning closer to look at the scanner once more. The two moved about slowly so the scanner could get an accurate set of data, but it was beyond annoying. Every now and then Fayt would look up, associating the scans images with what was really there. Albel on the other hand, was too intent with staring at the screen, his brow furrowed.

Why is this thing so important to him? Fayt wondered bitterly, glancing at Albel for a moment. He was entirely focused on the scanner, mumbling random nuances under his breath. Fayt almost felt sorry for him—he'd spent two weeks in the desert searching for this ring, and part of it was missing. He almost felt sorry for him. He would have felt more sympathetic if he had not been dragged into it all. But then again... That was his own dumb choice. Not for the first time was he wishing had he simply gone back to bed, leaving Albel to do whatever it was that he had wanted to do. It would serve him right. He ran one set of fingers through his hair.

He realized he wouldn't have let Albel go anyways. That was one of the reasons why he really followed the older male—a chance to alone with him for more then a few hours. And when he looked at it like that, he almost didn't regret it at all. Well, he regretted it a little—he had been forced to follow his crush through the insufferable heat of the seemingly never ending desert. Yawning widely, he slumped against Albel's good arm and allowed his eyes to close. The older male froze, looking at him some what warily.

"If you are tired, sleep," Albel said dryly, "Falling asleep during an enemy attack-"

"Whatever," Fayt mumbled, cutting him off.

If Albel was annoyed, he didn't show it. Deciding against a campfire—he really didn't feel like searching for wood—he simply plopped onto the ground, and curled up into a ball, resting his head on his left arm. His back was to Albel, but he didn't need to be watching him to know that he was still scanning the area around the ring. As determined as he was to find this second piece, Fayt wondered if he'd get any sleep until he did. Now that I think about it... Fayt looked over at Albel, staring at his back when did he last sleep? He looked forward and closed his eyes. That was a very good question, but he was too tired to do anything more then think it. After all, he could always ask in the morning.

And with that thought, he closed his yawned again and slipped into a light slumber.

Heaven...

That was the only way one could describe the area where he was right now. He was lying in lush green grass in the field of wild flowers and the bright blue cloudless sky above him. A soft sigh past his lips as he listened to the trickling of a nearby stream. It was so peaceful in the meadow, untainted even. There was nothing or no one there who could damage the precious lands. His eyes flickered open and he held his hands in front of him, examining his fingertips. They were slightly pale, and the desert induced tan was gone.

Desert...

Closing his eyes, he wondered if that whole event had been a dream. As it was, he'd simply get up and go back to town to head off for the next adventure. Albel and Cliff and everyone else would be waiting for him, annoyed at him for disappearing. Everything would be fine and they'd turn their backs on the filthy little desert and go on living peacefully. Well, as peacefully as someone could trying to save the world from the Creator's evil clutches. But for now, he was content with laying in the meadow where the only thing to worry about was his crush on Albel.

Albel...

Bitterly he wondered what the older male was doing. Sleeping, maybe? There was no way he'd be looking or worrying about him. Hell, he was probably glad the blue-haired male had disappeared. It would mean silence and freedom from his childish beliefs. And yet... He couldn't stop himself from imagining his companion's pale face, framed by his dark hair. Or the way he'd put all his weight on one foot as he folded his arms and scowled. Just thinking about Albel made his stomach flip. A faint blush made its way across his cheeks.

Blush...

Yeah, he sighed. Thinking about the older male made him blush. It was pathetic and yet... so... unavoidable. He could never turn away from him, never admit his feelings and couldn't even begin to banish him from his thoughts. Albel just had that affect on him. Those narrowed crimson eyes... His soft looking brown-blonde hair... And his incredibly smooth pale skin... His cheeks turned a darker shade of pink, not entirely liking where his own thoughts were going. But no matter what he did, he couldn't help it. Albel was like a drug.

Drug...

He was addicted to the mere thought of the older male. He opened his eyes and forced himself to sit up. Anything to get his mind off of the older male. The sexy older male his mind corrected him. He looked up sharply. He didn't have to look at his lap to know what was going on. He ran his fingers through his blue hair as he closed his eyes. Once again, he found himself thinking of Albel. He wondered if his thoughts had ever truly left his companion. He brushed his fingertips over his cheek lightly, imagining... dreaming...

Dreaming...

That was all he could ever do. Imagine the older male caressing his skin with his fingertips. Dream of the older male's breath on his neck, followed by the warm lips. But for now, it was real enough. He lay back down; one arm folded behind his head the other laying on his stomach, inching lower. He could feel Albel's hands pull up his shirt, running his hands over the younger male's chest. Nails and claws scratching his side lightly, drawing blood. His breath was caught in his throat, and he felt Albel's warm lips on his collarbone, sucking lightly.

Sucking...

The warm lips traveled lower, his hot breath still there followed by Albel's warm tongue. He'd wrap his fingers in Albel's hair, moaning his name as the older male continued. His fingers made their way to the small of his back, caressing his spine gently, nails teasing the sensitive skin. His teeth nibbled on a nipple, before massaging it with his tongue. A soft moan passed his lips, and he arched his back slightly to get closer. A soft laugh, before a cry of pain as he ran one claw over his abdomen, drawing blood.

Blood...

The warm red liquid tickled his stomach, but didn't last long. Already Albel had begun to lick the small cut, lapping up the blood in an almost lazily. He pulled his right hand from the small of his younger companion's back, slowly trailing it down his side before rubbing the blue haired youth's groin. A soft moan passed his lips, and he bucked his hips to get closer to the older male. He continued to stroke his groin, undoing his pants with his other hand. Lightly he sucked on the spot between his two hips before his mouth trailed lower. He moaned Albel's name, fingers pulling at the dark hair as he whimpered.

Whimper...

The soft sound passed his lips as he continued to moan Albel's name. He couldn't help it; he had long since shut off his mind and allowed his body to react to his dreams as it would. I'm dreaming... His eyes slowly flickered open, and Albel was gone. He sat up, looking around the small meadow. It was scary, how easy it was for his mind to tell him Albel was there, caressing him. He bit back the whimper, but couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks.

Tears...

No matter how real it felt, in the end, he was just dreaming. He'd been stupid to believe Albel was really there. He wiped at them with one hand, wrapping his fingers in the grass with his other. It wasn't fair... A soft whimper passed his lips. Even dreaming about his companion didn't help. In the end, he was still alone, sitting in a flower covered meadow. He sniffled, shaking his head. He was being stupid, crying over Albel. He had long since known the older male was off limits and out of his reach. And to add to the pain, he had always known the older male hated him. There was no way there could have ever been anything between them.

Yet...

That didn't stop him from whimpering Albel's name, even now.

His eyes flickered open, and he was blinded by the bright desert sun light. Shading his eyes with his arm, he stood up and dusted the desert sand from his clothes the best he could. The only way to get it all off was to strip but he wasn't about to do that in front of Albel. Besides, until they left the desert it would continue coming back. Kneeling next to the small satchel the two males shared, Fayt pulled out a water bottle, gulping the last mouthful down to quench his unyielding thirst. Putting the empty bottle back, he looked around to find Albel.

And he found him, shifting through the desert sand on the other side of the great stone ring. Grabbing the satchel, he trudged through the sands to kneel next to his companion. Albel didn't so much as glance at him, and Fayt sighed. Switching to rest on his knees, he reached down into the large hole and began to shift through and toss the dirt to the side. This caught Albel's attention, and he looked at him lazily through his crimson eyes for a moment. Fayt returned the gaze, his blue eyes weary but smiling all the same. Whatever the older male was thinking, he didn't say. He just turned back to his hole and the two males continued to dig.

Fayt wasn't sure how long he helped Albel dig, but by the time it was noon he felt something solid under his fingers. He blinked, a soft sound of confusion passing through his lips. He furrowed his brow and looked at Albel, who glanced at him lazily. Together the removed the last of the sand to reveal a small section of a large red spherical item. A soft smile played on Albel's lips and he continued to dig. Fayt blinked in confusion. What the hell were they looking for anyways? Albel knew, obviously, but choose not to say anything. Not that this was new. Albel wasn't exactly the most social little butterfly...

"Hey, what is this thing anyways?" Fayt asked as they finished uncovering the red sphere, and moved on to the rest of the large stone dais.

Albel looked almost thoughtful as he dug, trying to find the right way to describe the dais. He knew what it was; he'd be stupid if he didn't. Just like he knew it was part of the large stone ring he spent the past two weeks searching for. Together they brushed the last of the sand of the surface to reveal the dais round top. Etched around it in two circles were a number of strange symbols. Fayt immediately recognized them as the same ones on the large stone ring. Albel stared at the dais with a smug expression on his face.

"This," he gestured at the large dais, "Is they gate way to the heavens."

"Oh..." Fayt blinked, looking at the large ring, "And how did you know it was here?"

"Hn," Albel replied, leaning forward and pressing in one of the symbols.

Almost immediately, the large stone ring reacted, and the inner ring begun to spin slowly. Suddenly a dull red light blinked on, and the ring continued to spin slightly. Fayt looked at Albel, who was examining the keys as if trying to remember which ones he would need. Silently, he pressed two more, and watched the ring as it spun slowly, the lights clicking on. Two more keys and two more lights lit up. Fayt found himself wondering how Albel knew what the hell he was doing.

Finally, Albel pressed in the last two buttons and the ring slowed to a stop. Suddenly a large burst of water extended from the ring, like a flush before settling into a rippling surface contained within the ring. Fayt's jaw dropped as he stared up at the large stone ring. He had never seen anything like it before in his life. Albel on the other hand, looked rather bored. Walking forward, the male swished his hand through the surface, a frown forming on his face. He looked over his shoulder at Fayt as if telling him to come. Obediently, the blue haired youth stood and followed him through the large ring.

To Be Continued...