Say My Name

Written by vox shade

v/s:Sorry for the delay guys, I got distracted by Ragnorak Online. On a lighter note, I have 100 reviews! xD Pwn4g3! huggles everyone And btw, sorry if it doesn't live it up.

Disclaimer: Star Ocean 3 belongs to Tri-Ace/Ubisoft/Square-Enix

Chapter Eleven

"Finally home!" Soul said happily as he unlocked the door to the mansion and swung it in. The others murmured in agreement as they entered, letting the maids and butler help them out of their cloaks and shawls. The carriage ride home had been bumpy, thanks to the dirt paths and parts were sore due to the rocks.

Sin yawned and headed up the stairs, "I'll be taking a shower."

The others were just following when a polite knock on the door halted their tracks. "Who could it be now?" Albel grumbled as they watched the butler open the door.

"Hey guys!"

Nel smiled in surprise. "Fayt, Maria. This is a surprise." They exchanged greetings and the two blue headed teens entered the mansion and exchanged pleasantries with the siblings and Albel. It seemed that they knew Sin, Soul, and Seraph. She noted that each carried a large bulky package which they refused to let the maids and servants take from them.

"Why don't we all have tea in the family room?" Soul suggested. Everyone consented, and the maids scurried away to get the tea while everyone converged in the family room, the same room Nel and Albel got to know the siblings. Nel seated herself on a comfortable armchair while the others scattered around on other chairs in the large room. Albel chose to stand beside the window, partially hidden by the curtains and wearing a scowl on his face.

Nel leaned forward. "So, why are you here? I thought you were supposed to help with the cure."

Fayt coughed and looked away, pink staining his cheeks. "We were. We came up to relay the news."

"We came up with a temporary solution to Albel's 'Locking Lips' syndrome," Maria added.

"Really?" Nel asked. She watched with interest as Maria pulled out a small vial of fuchsia liquid from her package and held it up in the light of the chandelier. She immediately clenched it in her hand and brought it down into the safety of her lap as Albel swiped at the air where her hand had just been.

"You can ask for it, dear Candy," Maria said sweetly as she turned to look at him as he glowered from behind the sofa.

"Give it to me woman!" Albel growled, face noticeably pinker.

"Not used to seeing us like this, hm?" Nel commented to Fayt as the other two bickered. Fayt nodded, this time managing to return her gaze. "Yes. Especially Albel. I didn't think that they'd be so advanced in plastic surgery here…"

"It's not plastic surgery," Sin assured him. "He'd be in a murdering rage if he knew it was permanent."

"It's not!" Albel jerked up and glared at Sin, then switched to Seraph. "Wench, you said it was!"

"Did I?" Seraph asked, gazing out the window innocently. "I don't recall."

Nel noticed the vial again. "Maria, how long does that last?"

The self-assured teen shrugged a shoulder. "We don't know for how long. So it's best if you use it wisely, and only if you need it, alright Albel?"

"I know what to do!" Albel snapped.

The two started bickering again. Nel contemplated this new invention. It had been about two weeks since Albel had been drenched in Cliff and Roger's mistake. Two weeks only. It felt so much longer than that. But in such a short time, how did they make this temporary antidote?

"Fayt, how long did it take to make this antidote?"

Fayt scratched his head. "Well, it took a while to compile enough research to start on it. But once we got started, we discovered that this solution takes forever to make – two days for what you see in that vial there. It should last around six hours."

Nel raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Maria, who was busy arguing back at Albel while the siblings laughed. "I thought she said that you didn't know how long it will last."

"We decided that if we told Albel how long it would last, he might do something reckless. So as long as he knows it may run out at any time, he'll be cautious of how much he uses and when. I feel kind of bad for doing it," Fayt said with a smile, "but the others wouldn't budge on it."

Nel returned the smile, "it was a smart decision, don't feel bad. Not when it could minimize damage." She paused for a moment. "How'd you find out how long it lasted?"

"Oh, we experimented on Cliff."

"You mean, you gave him some of the Locking Lips liquid?"

"Yes. Both of them made it again, then Mirage sort of forced it down his throat. So now we have to be careful what we say around him."

"Sin, could I borrow a pen and paper?" Maria asked. Sin handed her a pen from his breast pocket, and Soul gave her a paper from the desk in the corner. "Thank you. I have to fax a message to Marietta. We're running low on fuel by now." She looked up from her first few words, "while I do this, you should discuss how you're going to be getting the conspiracy group. Or did you decide yet?"

Nel and Albel glanced at each other. "Actually, we haven't discussed it at all," Nel admitted.

"What's there to discuss?" Albel snorted, walking around and plopping himself onto a vacant chair. "We go in to the back room, find a list of the members since we know the filth Lockroi is the leader, and then we search them out and kill them."

"I would imagine that the Queen of Aquaria and the King of Airyglyph would have wanted less conflict if you could manage it," Seraph said dryly.

"By killing them, you assure you don't do anything so foolishly stupid again in the future; hence less conflict," Albel retorted smugly.

"I agree with Seraph," Soul spoke up from the door, carrying a tray a servant gave him. He set it on the table in the middle of the room, "you are not above the law, and the law dictates that those who commit crimes should have a trial before their sentence. To go against this would be going against your royalty."

Fayt nodded. "So I think you two should search and arrest only. Immobilize them without killing them, and later collect them and ship them to the Airyglyph prisons to await their trials. Airyglyph castle because it's closer."

"We can't possibly immobilize them and hope they stay unconscious until we come back for them," Nel objected, frowning. "I would like to avoid bloodshed, but this plan is faulty."

"Which introduces us to the need for reinforcements," Sin said. "While you pursue the leader – Lockroi – you can have them take out the others. They shouldn't be too much trouble, more than enough to handle for them. They can then ship them to the prisons immediately even if you take your time."

Nel thought about it, and nodded. "It's good enough. We'll stick to this plan. But we'll more than likely encounter hired mercenaries, seeing that they did the same thing when trying to assassinate the king."

"In that case, we'll fight." Albel's lips curled up, "if they live or die is their problem – we are fighting for both our lives and to obtain the culprit. On the battlefield, anything goes."

Sin shrugged, "can't argue with that."

"Then it's settled," Maria declared, folding the missive and tucking it into her pocket, along with the pen. "But when are you going to put it in action?"

"As soon as possible," Albel replied firmly, knowing the Nel felt the same. The sooner they were finished, the sooner they could drop the maid act and get back to wearing whatever they wanted. And get back to being a man.

"Alright then," Fayt said. He unraveled the bundle in his arms. Inside lay Nel's blade and dagger, along with Albel's Crimson Scourge and his claw. "We modified them slightly for you. They should be a little lighter, stronger, and sharper. We didn't do too much, because we know they're important to you."

Nel accepted her weapons with a thank you, liking the feel of their weight in her hands. She unsheathed them, and admired their keen edge. She could see her reflection clearly in the polished metal.

"But you won't be able to take them with you tomorrow to the bar," Seraph warned. "You would stick out too much. Maids generally don't have weapons with them when serving customers."

"So we'll have to sneak them in," Albel rolled his eyes.

"Or we can bring them in for you," Sin answered smoothly. "We are performing there tomorrow. And unless I'm not mistaken, I think we're performing exclusively for a group of highly wealthy men, all politically declining due to their decreasing wealth."

"The conspiracy group?" Maria asked, arching an eyebrow. "Seems too coincidental to me."

"Damn right," Albel growled. "Why didn't you say so before?"

"Must've slipped my mind," Sin replied nonchalantly, gazing out the window again.

Nel chuckled at the siblings' teasing. They must like Albel enough to tease him without fearing getting hurt. Looking around the room at the faces, her gaze settled on the bundle sitting beside Maria. "Maria, what's in the bundle?"

"What, this?" Maria asked in a tone fooling no one. "Just brought it from the Diplo, some equipment we need to speed up the process of making that solution. We think that with this, we might be able to make a permanent antidote."

"Speaking of which, it's getting late." Fayt stood up and stretched. "We should be getting back to Peterney before it gets too dark."

"We'll call a carriage for you," Soul volunteered, beckoning to a servant.

"Thank you. Peterney is a way from Kirlsa," Maria said, standing as well. The siblings and both 'maids' escorted the two blue haired teens to the entrance hall, saying their farewells and wishes for good luck. The carriage clattered into the distance with Fayt and Maria on it, until the darkness was too thick to see it anymore.

"I think it's time to go to bed," Soul suggested. "You two have a big day tomorrow. You need your energy."

Albel grumbled about being older so shouldn't be treated as a child, even as he hobbled up the long spiraling staircase beside Nel. They reached their rooms, and said a short and slightly awkward good night to the other and entered their separate candlelit rooms.

Nel immediately sat on the floor and started to wrestle her hooker boots off. She sighed with pleasure as one foot became free. After wrestling the other off, she wriggled them with bliss, glad to be out of the confining space even if her feet were sore. After sitting on the floor for a few more minutes, she got up, checked that the door connecting her room to Albel's was locked, then undressed and slipped into sleepwear. She hadn't brought the set Clair had given her – instead, she'd brought an extra large t-shirt and a pair of shorts given to her by Sophia. Nel sighed, stretched experimentally, then set to work in the bathroom cleaning off her makeup. She couldn't wash her hair or shower because she didn't want to wash out the dye Soul had worked hard to colour her hair with, so she settled for washing her face.

Five minutes later Nel was pulling back the thick covers on her luxurious bed, looking forward to sleeping as soon as her head hit the pillow. But just as she was slipping one foot in, a thump made itself heard from behind the wall. Nel glanced over, knowing that Albel should be behind the wall, in his room. But what was that thump…?

Thump. Thump thump thump CRASH. "Fuck!"

Nel sighed and settled her foot back on the floor and crossed her room. She stopped in front of the door and hesitated before knocking. The stream of muffled curses stopped, and the room became silent. But she knew he was still up – light still filtered from underneath the door. So she knocked again, "I'm coming in."

Nel entered the room, heart slightly accelerating as she closed the door behind her. She sought Albel's form, wondering if he was hurt or –

Circling around the bed revealed the source of the thumping and crash. And the swearing.

There was Albel, on the floor, hands clamped around his boots, skirt riding up his legs in a tangle, his face flushed and expression like a dragon drenched in ice cold water for the first time.

Nel struggled to keep her laughter in, snickers escaping from behind the hand she'd used to cover her mouth. Albel immediately coloured even darker and snarled, "if you came here to help me, then help me Zelpher!"

Nel let out a laugh and knelt to help him with his boots. Closer up, his hands were clamped to his boots because he'd tangled his fingers in the strings lacing them up. After another fit of laughter, Nel managed to help him unlace his boots. They had to get Nel to yank his boots off because they were so tight, and when they finally gave she was sent sprawling across the floor twice. Albel wriggled his feet experimentally and winced slightly. "They'll be sore for a while," Nel said, standing his boots beside the door. "But if you soak them in hot water they might get a bit better."

"Whatever," Albel muttered, sitting on the bed and trying to untie the corset. But since it had been tied at the back, it was natural that he couldn't undo it. Nel sighed and clambored onto the bed and pushed his hands away.

"I don't need help this time!"

"Right. That's why you're about to claw off the corset," Nel retorted, unknotting the laces and loosening them. She helped him slip it over his head and folded it neatly onto the spot beside her. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Felt like a caged animal in those wretched contraptions. I don't know how you women can do it."

Nel arched a brow and helped him out of his white shirt (conveniently forgetting he didn't need more help). "Men should start appreciating the lengths of what women do to get their attention."

"Looks like they should," Albel grumbled, raising his arms so that Nel could pull it off. Nel caught her breath, seeing the expanse of smooth, unscarred skin. His muscles flexed whenever he moved, and she gulped, averting her eyes as she felt her temperature rise. It just hit her how intimate they were right now, sitting on a bed with him half naked and her only in a thin t-shirt and short shorts. She heard him slip off his gloves and collar, tossing his hat beside her hand. He got up and grabbed a pair of pants and walked into the bathroom, the sounds of flowing water reaching her ears through the closed door.

With a sigh, she slumped back into the plump mattress and turned her head to look at the candle on the bedside table. It was hot. She'd been like that for a while. Actually, she'd probably been that way since the morning Albel had stormed into her room and they'd had that miniature fight, ending with her in his arms for heart-stopping minutes. Nel squirmed on the blankets and glared at the ceiling. She was supposed to hate this man, the man who hurt her subordinates, who insulted everyone and everything, who got on her nerves with his callous words and actions. But that was in the beginning, before they'd traveled and fought together, albeit not always for the same results or beliefs, but together for the same goal. When they'd gotten back, there had been a few weeks when all of them were separated, tending to loose ends in their lives. For Nel , there had been nothing really to tend to, and so had been sent on mediocre missions where she had time to think about how much she missed everyone. Especially Albel, because she felt that he was the one closest to her in place of birth, language, knowing the other's culture, and personalities. Sometimes they'd finished each other's sentences, which had left them glaring at one another those times, but looking back it had been amusing to see how alike they thought.

But still – sure he was attractive, there was no denying that. But to be pulled by him by more than looks… there was when it became dangerous. It was risky, to put your heart on the line for another human. Hard to trust fully, even if it was someone like Fayt who earned everyone's trust from the first meeting. Albel was definitely not like Fayt, but still… why-

"Nel!"

Nel jerked up on the bed in surprise, seeing Albel stomping towards the bed in pajama bottoms and face dripping wet. And smeared with unnamable substances.

"Help me get off this blasted crap from my face!" Albel plunked down a basin of water onto the bed and sat beside it, crossing his arms and breathing heavily. Nel took one look at his face and collapsed into another heap of helpless laughter. Mascara was running down his face, his eyeliner smudged, lipstick covering the better part of his lower face. He looked like a desperate clown.

"Stop laughing, Zelpher!" Albel demanded hotly, pulling her up with her arm. She giggled, wiping a tear of laughter away from her eye. "You don't have to take it off, it makes you look so much more masculine you know," Nel teased. Albel swatted a cloth at her and flushed, "just get it off me."

Nel scooted closer and dipped the edge of the cloth into the lukewarm water and set to work wiping the make up off his face. It was proving difficult – it seemed it was a bit waterproof. But ten minutes later, she'd cleaned off his mascara, eyeliner, and most of the lipstick off. Silence had settled in, with Nel trying hard not to meet his eyes and trying to keep away from thoughts of admiring his muscles, chest, or face. She'd had to yank up her gaze a few times from his lips. But there was no avoiding it now – the only part left to clean off were his lips, which were red. The cloth was now a soddy mixture of red and black, and she had to find a clean part of it to get to work.

"Don't purse your lips so much. I can't get all of it when you do that."

"What do you expect, woman? This lipstick stuff tastes nasty."

"Then don't open your mouth so much."

"You were the one who said to open it!"

Nel sighed. "Then try not to get it on your tongue and rinse it out later." She smudged some more lip stick off, feeling the temperature in her cheeks rise, and tried to blame it on anger. Of course it wasn't, but she really needed an excuse right now.

"I'm sorry."

Nel's eyes flew to Albel's in shock. He was apologizing!

His eyes were sincere. "What? I'm sorry that I'm making you work so much right now, when you're tired."

Nel just stared until he flushed and looked away. She expected that she'd never get over him apologizing to her, but her heart jumped that he did it. This was a rare show of emotion from Albel, and she sure wasn't going to forget a moment of it.

She couldn't hold back the delighted smile, "it's fine. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can forget about this makeup and shoes."

Albel nodded, letting her wipe off the last of his lipstick. "There," she said with satisfaction, her gaze roaming his face for any sign of makeup she might have missed. Seeing none, she quickly picked up the basin and cloth and dumped them into the sink in the washroom, letting the dirty water drain before clogging the sink to let the cloth soak. She stepped out of the washroom and decided to head for her room, seeing that there really was no more purpose for her to be in here anymore.

"Nel."

"What?" Nel asked, but jumped a little as it hit her that he was standing close to her. How'd he get there so fast?

Albel stepped forward closer, until she could see that his pupils had become slightly bigger, so that he seemed to be peering into her soul. She swallowed, and tensed, waiting for him to say or do something. Silence dominated, the only sounds being their breathing. His breath ghosted over her cheek, time stilling. He drew nearer, and something responded in Nel, she drawing closer as well. Her lips were tingling as his breath touched her, scant inches apart, crimson eyes drawn to emerald. Her heart was racing wildly, muscles tensed, millions of half formed thoughts dashing through her brain –

"Albel, Nel it's time to sleep!" Soul called as he knocked on the door, making Albel and Nel jump apart. Soul's footsteps receded down the hall, and this left our two heroes staring at each other, shocked. Stricken, Nel realized that Soul knew that they were both in Albel's room, alone. Flushing, she muttered a hasty good night and managed to walk into her room like a sane person before throwing herself onto her bed.

Dear Apris, I almost kissed Albel Nox. It's not the first, but the first time I almost did it without saying his blasted name! At least when she'd said his name or someone else had, she'd at least had the excuse of blaming it on his syndrome. But just now… Nel buried herself under her blankets and blew out the candle before sticking her head underneath her pillow. Damnit, her lips still tingled. Damnit, she still wanted it.

Nel groaned and tossed around before glaring up at the darkness, then at the direction the door was in. there were no sources of light anymore, either from candles or the light underneath the door because obviously he'd gone to bed as well. He'd better be in the same torturous state of mind she was in now, or she'd be embarrassed that she'd been the only one affected by it. Stupid Albel, stupid Albel's good looks, stupid hormones, stupid heart racing like it was being chased by an enraged Crosell…

Nel jerked up suddenly. What if it's not just hormones? What if… she knew she'd pondered it on Albel's bed when he'd been washing up, but to seriously take it into consideration… She couldn't possibly like him, could she? Couldn't possibly more than like him…

Could she?