Disclaimer: As seen in chapter 1. Nope, I still don't own it. Never will.
Note: I altered the ending of the game a bit. This way fit's the fic and since I took the liberty of changing the story somewhat anyway, I didn't see a problem. Enjoy! This is the conclusion.
Behind Closed Doors
Chapter 4: Choices
After the Sacred Orb had been obtained, things started moving at a faster pace. Fayt found it easier each day to put his angry aside. Most of their time was spent fighting and gathering information on what their next move should be. Still, every now and then, his mind would go back to that morning in the inn's hallway. Every time he tried to get closer to Sophia, Cliff would block him. Every time it seemed he was too close to Albel, Maria or Nel would step in. The three were really keeping a close eye on him.
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No one talked much to Sophia unless it pertained to the Owner and deletion. Things had really taken a turn for the worst. After that morning back at Peterny, everything seemed to change.
She could see the others keeping Fayt in line. That was good, but on the other hand, no one seemed to pay her much attention either. She didn't want to talk about it, but it would have been nice if someone was concerned for her…even if just a little. And, to top it off, even Albel was ignoring her. That was, ignoring her more then usual.
The first time she sought him out and didn't find him, it didn't seem odd. There had been nights he preferred to be left alone. That was okay with her. Some nights she needed her space too. But, she had gone four nights without finding him. Each morning he would join the group again. And each day he didn't say one word to her. Even in battle, he wouldn't come close.
It took all her will power not to break into tears as they ventured halls of Spiral Tower. That day in Peterny seemed like the start of a new change in Albel. He had spent sometime, even brief, with her in public. Yet, after the fight with Fayt, he withdrew from her completely.
She couldn't decide who to be mad with, Fayt or Albel. She was mad at both right now, but also angry at herself. She had probed her memories, trying to remember if she had done something that warranted Albel's disapproval. She thought back to that morning at the inn.
In the bathroom alone, she felt sick. Really sick. She sat on the floor to the bathroom, her knees drawn up with her forehead resting on top. She heard the door open and close. Looking slightly to the left, she saw it was Albel.
"Go away," she had told him. Embarrassment took over when she feared looking too weak in front of him.
He got on one knee and put his hand on the back of her neck. "Oh, I see. There's nothing wrong with you that a little sleep won't cure. You'll feel better in an hour." He kissed her ear and stood up.
He turned to leave. "Um…Albel?" He paused at the door. "I'm sorry. I…I…Okay. Thank you."
He hadn't seemed upset then. He actually seemed to care. Lately she just hadn't felt like herself either. She really wanted all this to be over so she could sit somewhere and sort it all out.
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Albel mentally kicked himself. The situation he was in was a war and should have been handled as such. He should have never become involved. Becoming involved can only cause a hindrance. That was one thing that could result in failure. And Albel wasn't going to fail. Therefore, he distanced himself from distraction. He needed a clear head and he was smart enough to know that tension between the troops would turn up only bad results.
Right now, the battle took priority. He might not think twice about rushing an enemy, but that did not mean he had a death wish. A fighter knows when to use his head. To be successful in battle was to kill and not be killed.
He didn't even look at her…couldn't look at her. It tugged at him to see the girl like this, so he refused to see it. At night he would wonder off to find himself, the one he was before. But it had not been as he wanted. He could no longer deny to himself that she had indeed earned a spot in him. She had rekindled something in him that he had lost a long time ago. At a very tender age, his world had shattered. He had vowed never to let it happen again. To care was to be utterly destroyed. He had promised himself never to care again.
He had broken that promise.
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"I-I don't believe it! Data! They're nothing but data! Why am I-I being deleted? Destroyed! Why? Ahhhhhh!" Luther cried in defeat.
"Our universe is vanishing before our eyes."
"Oh no. Do you think that maybe we were too late?"
"I wonder what's going to happen?"
"Choose to live!"
Sophia closed her eyes. She was falling. Falling with out the sensation of falling. It was kinda nice. She didn't worry anymore. Maybe she should give in and let nothingness take her.
-Sophia- a voice in her head called.
-Sophia. Open your eyes.-
"I don't want to," she thought back at the voice. "I like it here. Let me go."
-You know if you die, he will die as well.-
She forced her eyes open. The sun was bright, but most of it was blocked. Looking up she saw the concerned faces of Fayt and Nel. Shifting her gaze forward, she saw Albel standing at a short distance. She closed her eyes again.
"Let me go. Just let me die. I've done my part, now it's over."
-I can't. I can't let you go. You need to live. I'm depending on you and him. Both of you need to live.-
"I loved…I failed. I would only fail him too."
-Stay-
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When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the smiling face of Mirage. Looking around, she recognized the room as one inside the castle in Aquios. She tried to sit up but found herself weak. Mirage helped her sit. Holding a cup of water, the blonde woman helped her take a few sips.
"Thank you," she said hoarsely.
"Just rest. You'll be fine." Mirage helped her to lie back down. "Later tonight, the queen of Aquios is having a celebration dinner. You'll need your strength. I'll come get you when it's time."
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She slept, dreamless, and woke refreshed. When Mirage came to get her, she was happy for the company. Mirage had a way of calming her. She was slowly getting back to herself.
Mirage led her down the halls of the castle. They passed several residents of the palace and city. Everyone was smiling and laughing. Sophia smiled back. This wasn't so bad. Maybe sometime during the festival she would slip out and find a nice spot to herself. She didn't really feel like being around a lot of people, but she didn't mind it so much right now.
Once inside, she found the ball room extremely crowded and loud. Shortly after entering the room, she was separated from Mirage. She looked for the Klausian with no success.
She spotted Cliff talking to small group of ladies. It looked like he was trying hard to impress them with a story. She laughed to herself. Then she spotted Fayt and Maria talking to Clair. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.
She resumed her search. Just as she noticed Mirage at a table with Nel she was interrupted. One of the palace staff tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She turned to the man.
"Excuse me, Miss. I have been instructed to pass this along to you." He handed her a piece of paper folded in half. He bowed and left.
She unfolded the paper. Wrote on it was one word in all capital letters.
BALCONY
She turned it over, but the other side was blank. Did this mean she was to go to the balcony? She looked up, hoping the man who gave her the letter hadn't gone far, but he was out of sight. She didn't recognize the handwriting either.
"Odd. I wonder what this is about," she thought.
There was only one way to find out. She set off for the balcony.
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Night had fallen on the castle. The night air was refreshing and cool. The balcony proved to be large and covered mostly by the night. Sophia walked to the stone rail and leaned on it as the wind played with her hair.
The noise coming from the ballroom drifted in the background. The breeze carried the aroma of openness and freedom. Sophia felt at piece again. She would have stood there all night, lost in empty thought, if it wasn't for curiosity.
She turned and put her back to the railing. She stood in the faint light from the ballroom and probed into the darkened corners to her sides. It was virtually impossible to see anything. Finally, she heard a small rustle to her left.
She moved toward the sound slowly. Her eyes started to adjust, but not as fast as she would have liked.
"H…hello?" she called softly. No reply came.
She heard movement again. Fighting her eyes to see, she noticed two shadows in the dark. One was clearly a figure. She couldn't tell what the other was, but it was large. She stepped closer but was paralyzed when the larger shadow moved.
"So you made it."
"Huh?" She stepped closer.
"I've made my decision."
Sophia didn't hesitate. She moved forward with new momentum.
"Albel? What decision?"
Albel moved to the larger shadow. Her eyes had fully adjusted and she could finally see the dragon. He mounted the beast and turned his head to face her.
"I'm leaving this place. I'm not going back to Airyglyph either. I'm going to find a place away from everyone."
She lowered her head. Her cheeks were stained with free flowing tears. She forced her voice not to crack. "Okay."
There were a few minutes of silence. To Sophia it seemed she was lost in a moment that would never end. The heart in her chest wilted like a dead flower.
"Well, which is it?"
She looked up in utter confusion. "What?"
He had extended his hand. "Are you coming or not?"
Without words she took his hand and mounted the dragon behind him.
"It'll be just us," he half snorted.
"Yeah," she replied, resting her head on his back. "Just the three of us."
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Okay, I'm a sucker for happy endings. Just remember, this whole SophiaAlbel thing started as a gag. I thought it would be fun to see if anyone responded (either good or bad-it didn't matter, I was having fun But good reviews were a real plus ). Oddly enough, I kinda enjoyed writing this. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.
