A/N: This is my first fan fiction ever. The setting is during the game, near the end of the first disc, and centered on an original character. I need my OC as an ice breaker to writing fan fiction.

Disclaimer: All Star Ocean characters, places, and terms belong to their respected creators, Tri-Ace, and copyrighted owners, Square-Enix. I do not claim to own any content from the game that is referenced or used in this story.

Rating: This story is rated T. This may still change. Here is a list of content, using the ESRB as a reference: Alcohol reference and use; Blood; Sexual Themes (defined as: 'References to sex or sexuality' if you are unclear); Suggestive Themes (which is just described as: 'Mild provocative references or materials.' I am not being redundant) ; Violence; Violent References.

Chapter 1: Caged

"Damnit…" were the last words uttered from the defeated woman before she collapsed. She wasn't entirely unconscious yet, but her body refused to respond, and her eyes weren't staying open. All that was left to her was noise. The soldiers surrounding her waited a moment, their weapons poised, before letting down their guard.

"They never come quietly…" said one soldier plaintively.

"I don't know why Aquarians are still lurking here, they already got copper for that weapon of theirs," grumbled another soldier. She heard the clank of armor right by her ear, then her hands and feet being bound. She wanted to fight, but her body had locked itself in, not allowing her to take things until her death. Two gauntlet-clad hands reached under her, and she felt herself being brought up from the hard ground. "We'll find out soon enough, the inquisitor will make sure of that."

"Ha ha, yes!" followed by a chorus of insidious laughter was the last she heard before her consciousness fully slipped away.

The fire burned. Yes, that was the way it ought to be. Burning. It ought to be seething. If only she could hold it in her hands. If only she could trace it to its origins - to the maw of superior beings. The stream flickered before her. She ran as fast as she could to follow it, but soon, darkness enshrouded her. It wasn't the fear of the dark that made her call out, but the frustration of being so close, only to be left in the dark again. Amidst the darkness, she heard a voice.

"So, the maggot is finally awake."

Awake. So that was it. It didn't feel all that long she had been out cold, nonetheless, she was disoriented. She could sense the gentle flicking of a torch off somewhere, and feel the coldness of hard stone all around her. There was no natural sunlight to be found. She tried to put her hands beneath her to help herself rise, but the painful recollection of her hands being bound behind her back resulted in her merely squirming. Finally she just shook her head, and looked around for the source of the voice.

"I wouldn't… talk so big…" were her first words. Her eyes focused on the man shackled to the wall. She was in a prison cell. From the clutter of noises from other prisoners, she had a feeling that there were a lot of prisoners - perhaps an overflow. "Your situation isn't any better than mine…"

"Bah…" was the hasty response, as he jerked his head to the side, if only to emphasize the glare his sliver-like eyes cast out at her. Curling her body tightly, only to expand out, much like the movement of a caterpillar, she managed to get over to the poor excuse for a bed within the cell. She leaned herself against it, and then turned her full attention to the slender man.

"Where am I?" she finally asked, unsure she would get any answer from the man. She'd been in his presence less than five minutes, and he had already asserted himself as uninviting. The way his eyes leered at her from beneath a veil of bleach-tipped black hair showed an almost animal like aggression.

"Use your eyes, fool! You're in the dungeon of Airyglyph," came the crass response from the occupant. With her back against the bed, she brought her knees up to herself. To her surprise, she was still wearing most of her gear - except for her gauntlets. She curled in her lips, and glanced at the arrogant prisoner, noting he still maintained one large gauntlet. She narrowed her eyes. That could be used as a weapon… why did he remain with his? She could not help but feel a little jealous. Lifting her chin to him, she pulled back her lips in a grin. Perhaps he could become useful.

"WE are in the dungeon. Or do you just get someone to shackle you up down here for a perk?" She justified this taunting with that he WAS in fact restrained. Her body ached all over, if she had gotten into a fight, even with another possibly suffering atrophy, she would likely lose. He didn't pull angrily against the chains as she thought he would. Instead, he was calm, and cool, to the extent as to be unnerving.

"Hmph. What do you think they are going to do to Aquarian scum like you?" he asked, in a crisp, yet smooth voice. She intook a sharp breath. Aquarian? Come to think of it, wasn't Aquios and Airiglyph in the middle of a war? She glanced down at her own thigh, covered with runological symbols and dragon runes. She could see how she could be mistaken… which would give reason as to why those men bore open hostility against her.

"…I'm not a part of this war. If not for the lack of runes, I'd say by your choice of attire, you look like an Aquarian yourself…" she muttered, tilting her head to the side. The cloth that wrapped around his waist and hung down, exposing one of his thighs, made her recall Aquarian women. She glanced down. She wasn't wearing much different. When he moved his head slightly, offering no response other than a menacing glare, she saw a long chord of wrapped hair. She'd seen a similar style worn by other men, although it seemed similar to fashions considered femanine. Such as twin-braids. Perhaps it was more fashionable among men this way? That didn't matter. The man still had a death gaze on her.

"I am not one of those weaklings," he finally said disdainfully. The woman shook her head, puzzled more and more by the slender yet arrogant man. Although slender in build, his exposed and toned midriff bore witness to a body well in shape, and hiding a tightly woven strength.

"Neither am I." She responded shortly. Leaning her head back, she expelled a sigh from her chest. She just had to wait for now. Once she knew the situation better, she would be able to get herself back to her quest. Anger surged through her, causing her head to jerk to the side slightly. She was so close! Then those soldiers apprehended her. How could she have let her guard down? She glanced up at the man, his body relaxed and balanced between gravity and shackles with no exertion of his muscles. He really did not look like much in spite of his arrogant, and insulting, attitude. After a simple "hmph" from the occupant, silence fell on both of them.