Disclaimer and stuff: Own Star Ocean, I do not

Note: If the characters seem a little OOC…remember, it's been three years. I'm trying to keep them somewhat in character, but if I fail you are only allowed to punish me with marshmallows and cat whiskers!

Also, I agree that no story is complete without a little Nel/Albel. I read that somewhere and it's stuck in my head…I just can't remember where I read that (It was a review or an author's note I think). I just don't want to take credit for something I didn't come up with :)

Inside My Heart

Chapter 4

Sashia woke up, as usual, shortly after midnight. Since the accident two years ago, she was never able to sleep past 1:30 in the morning. Two years ago her life had changed. Two years ago, in the early hours of the morning, her parents were taken away from her.

She tried not to think about it as she moved silently across the floor. She didn't want to wake anyone, but she suddenly felt closed in. She had to get out.

In the cover of night, she dressed without a sound. The training she had received from Mirage paid off in more ways then just in combat. She could move in almost complete silence.

She slowly closed the door behind her as she exited into the hall.

She left the inn and stood in the street. The night was silent and calm. What she needed was a quiet place to be alone.

Before the three of them had headed to Peterny, Sashia had the cruiser print out a map of the Aquarian region. She pulled out the map and studied the region. She needed to go far enough to get away from things, but not too far. She had to be back by morning.

She searched the map and decided on the Palmira Plains. They were heading south in the morning and this way she could explore the area before hand.

As she made her way through the sleeping town, she pulled her compact from her pocket. She set the device to 'monitor' and replaced it. Since she and Gates were little, they had an agreement. If one left the other for any length of time, they would turn on the tracking option on their compacts so the other could find them. They were rarely separated before the tragedy two years ago. Now, Sashia found herself drifting further away. She needed more and more time to herself.

She stopped briefly at the edge of town. She had never told Gates she was going out any of the other nights. But suddenly, she felt like she should have done so this time. She shook it off and walked into the plains.

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Albel paced his cell. It had been nearly three hours since Nel had been taken from her cell. He had tried to provoke the guards away from her, but had no effect. He could only watch helplessly as she was dragged out of his sight.

He could deal with the torture. He didn't look for pain, but pain was an old friend of his. He wished that this time they had come for him instead.

As he walked circles, he pressed images of his beatings out of his head. Whoever this maniac was, he took too much pleasure beating people who were chained and defenseless.

A rustle in the hallway brought him from his thoughts. He went immediately to the door. Two guards appeared, dragging Nel. She was unconscious and severely bruised.

"Open the cell," one guard demanded. His orders were promptly followed.

The guard who was called Jonnas moved out of Albel's sight. "We're having a problem here, sir. The cell door won't open. We'll need to get this looked at."

"Damn faulty equipment! Well, we only have enough cells for the prisoners. Since the other cells will also be occupied, we'll have to double up on this one until that door is repaired."

"What are your new orders, sir?"

"Just pick one. We'll throw her anywhere for now."

"How about number four?"

"No, the boss is gone now to retrieve another. We'll want to inspect those cells before they're used. We don't want anyone getting loose."

"Yes sir. We know one and three are functional."

The guard holding Nel nodded. "Yeah, okay. Get ready to open number one up."

Jonnas appeared in front of Albel's cell. He smirked as he pressed the button to open the door. As the door slid open, Albel readied himself. He saw a chance to escape.

Before he could react, the guard lifted a device and fired it at Albel. Electronic pulses knocked him off balance. His body tingled all over and his eyes watered.

Before he had the chance to stand, Nel was thrown in and the door closed.

Albel shook off the effects from the strange weapon and moved to Nel. She hadn't moved since he had seen her in the hallway.

He gently rolled her over onto her back. Her breath was shallow. He could see that she had been treated for her injuries already. The maniac really wanted to be sure to keep them alive.

Anger pulsed through him. A man would kill and be done with the enemy. Only a psychotic fool took pleasure in tormenting others.

He lifted her off the floor and put her on the bed. The bed was only big enough for one occupant, but Albel sat on the edge beside her anyway. He looked at her face as he attempted to wipe most of the blood away from her mouth.

She had been hurt pretty bad. His anger grew, but his hand brushed her skin softly.

Once he had cleaned most of the blood (the best he could with dry hands) he turned away from her. As he sat there, he studied his blood stained hands.

He swore to himself that he would find a way out and have his revenge. He had reason enough before to kill his captor, but now he had determination.

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They broke the kiss and looked at each other, neither blinking. Cliff opened his mouth to say something, but Mirage quickly placed her finger on his lips. She smiled as another tear fell down her face. Now, her tears were refreshing.

She leaned on him as he held her. Neither spoke. This moment was too perfect for words.

Mirage let go of the tension she had carried. She felt a peace once again. She found herself slipping back into comfort. She had truly missed him for the past three years. She never knew how much better things were with him around until that moment.

They sat there for a few hours. Neither moved nor spoke.

Then Cliff grunted softly.

Mirage lifted her head and looked at him. He gave her a small smile and a giggle. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He giggled more. "I…um…my leg's fallen asleep."

She pulled herself off of him and smiled. Her smile turned to a laugh. "Sorry. Maybe you should stand up and get the blood flowing again."

He laughed with her. The situation wasn't funny to him, but seeing her laugh made him happy. He hadn't heard her laugh for so long and it was good to see her smile.

He stood and stomped his foot, trying to regain feeling. He looked at her. His whole world seemed to stop on that moment. She was so beautiful. He had always dreamed of holding her, but feared they had a relationship more like that of siblings. He was never happier to be wrong.

She just stood and faced him. Her mind cleared of everything except for him. This moment was more then she had wished for. He had accepted her. She felt herself becoming more complete. The emptiness in her slowly filled.

"And to think, out of all the places we've been, it took coming back here." Mirage spoke in a soft tone.

"Yeah." He closed the distance between them. Looking into her eyes he sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

She felt her cheeks redden. She smirked, feeling completely comfortable around him. "I can think of a few things."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh?" He chuckled. "That sounds like one of my lines."

"Well, then maybe you've been a bad influence on me."

He faked a look of pain. "Why, Mirage! Oh, you cut deep."

She gave him an evil laugh. "I can do much worst."

"I'm sure." He hugged her. "But I would prefer much better."

"That, I can promise." She wrapped her arms around him. This is where she belonged. She had finally found her place in life.

"Let's go back to the inn," he whispered into her ear. "We'll need our rest for tomorrow."

"Only if you think you can walk. Wouldn't want you to injure that leg more," she joked with him.

He was glad to have her back in his life. He had missed her so much. Always…that was his promise and that was one promise he didn't intend on breaking.

"Always."

She looked at him; her face questioning his comment. "What?"

He rested his hand on her cheek. "Always, Mirage. I will always love you."

More tears fell down her face. "And I you, Cliff."

He leaned in to taste her lips once more. They were even sweeter then the last time they kissed.

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Sashia was glad for the light from the full moon. She didn't like to waist her energy on her symbology. She kept up with her symbology training only because Mirage encouraged her to do so. She was told that she possessed a unique symbological characteristic. Both her and Gates. It was only due to the fact that they were twins. They possessed a rare gene that only rare sets of twins did. In the whole universe, there were only five thousand reported cases of this gene.

Sashia preferred to take battles on without symbology. Symbology was Gates' method, not hers.

By the light from the moon, she swung her spear and disposed of her final opponent. She stood and stared down at the strange beast. Mirage had been correct. This was home to some strange creatures.

She heard a rustle and turned quickly, prepared to take down another foe.

"Whoa there missy. Sorry to frighten you. I was passing through and saw the fight. You are indeed a fearless and worthy fighter."

Sashia looked at the man in front of her. He was much older then her and wore no shirt. He had a kind look to him. She put her spear back into its holster on her back and held out her hand. She was unsure of customs on this planet and knew that most people would see an extended hand as a sign of greeting.

He studied her for a moment before taking her hand. "Ah, this is the old Earth custom Fayt told me of. Are you from Earth?"

Sashia shook her head. "No, I'm from Klaus. I am just unaccustomed to this planet."

He let out a hearty laugh. "Klaus, huh? Are you a friend of Cliff's?"

She felt herself ease. He knew Fayt and Cliff. She was almost certain this man was a friend, not an enemy. "Actually, I came here with Mirage."

"Mirage! Yes, she is a tough one. So, she's here. I would like to see her. It's been a long time since I saw her."

He released her hand. She bowed slightly. "I'm sorry for my rudeness. My name is Sashia Keen." She smiled. "And may I inquire on who you might be?"

The man rested his hands on his hips and chuckled. "A fighter and a lady all in one. That's a rare sight to see. I'm Adray Lasbard."

"Adray?" Sashia searched her memory. That was a familiar name. "The same Adray that traveled to meet the creator three years ago?"

His eyes brightened. "One and the same."

"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, sir. I have been told the story."

He waved his hand at her. "Honor? Now that's a first. Glad to see some still hold to those values. By the way, what brings you here?"

She didn't know exactly what he meant. "Do you mean what brings me to these plains, or what brings me to the planet?"

"Pick one. Now you have me wondering about both."

She told him about leaving Klaus, being sent on a mission, and her battles with insomnia.

"So, you're on a mission to find Nel. I've been searching for her since the day she failed to report back." He shifted. "Also, during my search for her, I found more troubling news. Have you heard of Albel Nox?"

Sashia nodded. The story had not gone public. Mirage had trusted her and Gates enough to reveal the whole truth. She knew all the names of everyone involved.

"He's gone missing too," Adray rested his hand on her shoulder as he spoke. "Perhaps if we work together, we can find them."

"I may be able to grant you that wish." A voice called from the shadows.

Sashia and Adray turned. Sashia immediately drew her spear. Adray readied himself for a fight. The tone in the stranger's voice was not inviting.

"I see you prefer to do this the hard way."

Out of the shadows, a group of armed soldiers emerged. Sashia immediately notices the barrels of the guns pointed at them. Thinking quickly, she charged her energy.

The man in the shadows laughed. "Take the man. Kill the girl if you wish."

The soldiers took this as a go and started their attack. Adray dodged the first round of gun fire. He glanced at Sashia, who had not moved from her spot. She stood still, holding her hand in front of her. Her hand glowed slightly as she wielded an energy shield to deflect all the rounds fired at her.

She smiled. She was finally going to fight more then just simple creatures.

The soldier nearest to her charged. She sidestepped and swung her spear around. The rod of her weapon dug into his gut, leaving him gasping for air. Before she could blink, another soldier closed in behind her. She heard him with just enough time to jab the spear under her arm. The blade found him and pushed in deep.

She spun and pulled her blade out of him as he dropped. She readied herself for another attack, but felt something stick into her arm instead. She looked at her shoulder. A dart hung in her flesh. She plucked the dart out and tossed it on the ground.

She scanned her surroundings quickly. All the soldiers watched her, expecting a reaction. All but two who were dragging Adray, unconscious, away.

The leader of the group walked out of the shadows. "You fools! Did you not hear her say she was from Klaus? Those darts are designed for Elicoorians. That mixture had no effect on Klausians."

Sashia smirked at him. "I guess your little toys are of no use. You want me…then you'll have to fight."

"In that case," the man said. "I'll have the honors of doing so myself."

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Gates flung his eyes opened and sat up in the bed. He set immediately to the task of getting dressed.

"FAYT!" His voice was laced with panic. "Fayt, wake up. There's trouble!"

Fayt moaned as he sat up in the bed. "Trouble?"

Gates pulled Fayt's cloths off the nightstand and threw them on his bed. He then activated the runilogical orb to light the room.

"Yeah, trouble. Sashia's in trouble." Gates hastily pulled on his boots. He had to force himself from going into full blown panic.

Fayt got up and dressed. He hadn't known the twins very long, but he knew they would make as good of friends as Mirage and Cliff. "What kind of trouble?" Fayt finished dressing and stood.

"Don't know." Gates shook his head and opened the door. "All I know is she's in trouble. We share a bond. I'll explain on the way."

Gates ran out of the room, followed by Fayt. "We share a mental link. She's just been hurt bad."

Fayt listened as they ran. Gates led them to the southern entrance of Peterny.

"Where are we going?" Fayt puffed.

"I don't know. All I know is that she's this way." Gates hastily scanned the area before running into the night.

Gates felt his heart pound at an unhealthy pace. Her mental scream echoed in his head. He would be completely alone if something were to happen to her. He couldn't loose her. She was the only family he had left.

Gates was fed strength form his adrenaline rush. He ran quickly, forcing Fayt to push himself hard to keep up. Fayt kept the distance as close as he could. He was so focused on keeping Gates in sight that it startled him slightly when Gates stopped.

Looking past Gates, Fayt immediately locked in on what had caused the Klausian to stop. At a short distance was the scene of Sashia being held up by her shirt collar. A man loomed over her.

"You little wench! You ruined my shirt. You'll pay for that." The man sounded like he was having too much fun.

Sashia wiped the blood from her mouth. "You'll have to take a rain check on that." She reached up and grabbed his wrist. She was able to twist his arm, forcing him to loose his grip on her.

She was hurt bad. Her strength wasn't enough to do more then that. Before she could fall to the ground, the man caught her. He wrapped his arm around her throat and stood. Her strength was fading. She hung limply in his grasp.

Gates fumed with anger. He darted forward. "Hands off my sister!"

The stranger looked up and smiled wildly. "More to join the fun and games?"

Fayt followed Gates but stopped when blue eyes locked on to his.

The man straightened, pulling Sashia off the ground completely. She barely held on to her consciousness as he threw her over his shoulder.

Gates continued his run for the man. He closed the gap between them. The man lifted his hand at Gates. His hand glowed green. He let out a menacing laugh as the green light leapt from his fingers. The light split in two. Half of the energy wave struck Gates, flinging him to the ground. The other rammed hard into Fayt.

The man laughed. "So, you two are here to save the girl, huh? In that case, I might just let her live a while longer. She did, after all, put up quite a fight. She was very entertaining."

Fayt stood up despite his bodies urge to remain still. He was overcome by anger. Seeing his old foe made his blood boil. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

The man blinked. He shook his head. "I only want what is my right to have." He turned to leave.

Fayt took a staggered step forward. "Come back here! LUTHER!"

Luther turned and looked over his shoulder. "Oh, I'll be back shortly. I just have to get your room ready." He laughed insanely. He turned and pulled a device from his waist band. He pushed a button and was surrounded by a blue light. He vanished, taking Sashia with him.

Gates got to his knees and pounded his fist into the earth in front of him. "I'll kill him. I swear!"

Fayt went to Gates and extended his hand. "Come on. We have to tell Mirage and Cliff about this. They need to know that Luther's back. Maybe we can figure out how to find him…and your sister."

Gates took his hand and stood. "Luther? You wouldn't be talking about that creator creep?"

Fayt growled. "Same one. I don't know how he's here; he's supposed to be dead. We need to get to the bottom of this. If he's back then that might explain the disappearance of Nel."

Gates nodded. He was half numb from anger. His anger had caused him to run carelessly at an unknown enemy. He knew Sashia was still alive and that the only way to get her back was to not loose his head.

"Let's go."

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Cliff hung his arm around Mirage's shoulders as they walked back to Peterny.

They had just started their journey when a rustle, followed by a thunk, sounded as something fell out of a nearby tree.

"What the…"

Mirage pointed. "Don't know, but whatever it was landed in that bush."

Cliff took his arm from her and moved in front, positioning himself between her and bush. He cautiously approached the bush. It shook.

"Whoever you are, you better show yourself," Cliff demanded.

The bush shook some more, followed by a sneeze.

"Well, that was odd." Mirage couldn't help but to smile in bewilderment.

"Yeah," Cliff responded. "Yeah, Mirage, why don't we just set fire to it?"

"No, Cliff, that's just too…violent." Mirage smiled. "Why don't we blow it up instead?"

Both of them had to restrain from laughter. They felt like a couple of kids again.

"Yeah, I like the way you think, Mirage."

"NO!" A figure jumped out of the bush. Cliff and Mirage took a quick step back. Roger stood in front of them, waving his hands frantically. "Please, don't blow me up!"

"Roger? What are you doing?" Cliff scowled at him.

"Um…nothing. I wasn't doin' nothing!" Roger put his hands behind his back. He was clearly tense.

Mirage bent down and looked the Menodix. He fidgeted, trying to stand still. "How long have you been up in that tree, Roger?"

Cliff crossed his arms across his chest. "Yeah, Roger."

Roger looked from Mirage, to Cliff, and back to Mirage. "Sorry, gotta go!"

He turned to run but wasn't fast enough. Cliff snagged him by the back of his shirt. "Okay, Roger. Spill it!"

Roger shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now let go ya big lummox!"

Cliff chuckled, holding the Menodix in place. "Fine, have it your way. Mirage, you remember how to cast fire bolt?"

His ears drooped and his tail twitched. "Okay! I saw everything. Man, you two just sat there for the longest time! I nearly fell asleep."

"You were up there the whole time?" Mirage asked.

"Yeah, but I wasn't tryin' to peep. I was up there before you came running by. I was goin' ta come down and check on ya, but Cliff beat me to it."

Cliff let go of Roger. "Roger, you better…"

"Cliff! Mirage!" Cliff looked up to see who had cut him off. He spotted Fayt running in his direction, followed closely by Gates.

The two reached them. Fayt's face was clouded with anger. Mirage honed in on Gates. She saw a tear fall. She was suddenly overcome with concern.

"Sashia?" Mirage could barely speak.

Gates had just enough time to nod before they were interrupted by a light.

All eyes looked to the source. Marietta appeared only a foot from them.

"Good, I found you," Marietta nodded at them. "Cliff, I have a message for you from Maria."

End Chapter 4

Blue Afterthoughts:

Okay, I was in a serious mode and then my brother got me started…and we can act really crazy together…let me just say our term for it is Freetard. We're nuts. I didn't want to get stupid in this but I was in the mood for a little humor, so I just had Mirage and Cliff act a little like kids. After all, they probably did stuff like that when they were kids. I promise that I would never blow Roger up!

I decided not to keep the villain a mystery. Right now, the mystery is how he's there and not dead. I have it all worked out in my head…I know exactly how he's able to be there…and I'm sure I'm not the only one who can come up with this idea, but…I'm still going to let yaw think about it a while.

And I couldn't help it. I just had to find a way to put Nel and Albel in the same cell. I guess I locked those two up together again. XP Couldn't help it and don't regret it. Oh, I know what you're going to say – that might not seem much like Albel to try and stop her from being taken away…well…there is a scene coming up that might help clear that up! Don't tell me you think Albel's just been training for the last three years?

The term 'Albel's Book of Proper Behavior' came up in a review…sounds like a good title for a story!