Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean or its Characters.

Note: Alright, here's the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews.

Dialog – "Blah"

Thoughts – 'Blah'

Actions wrote in past tense

Dreams wrote in present tense

Bitter-Sweet Motivations

Chapter3: Complex Interventions

After that night, the night of the kiss, our heroes have been thrust in and out of battle. It seems that there was no rest for them, and hence not much time for the past events to be pondered on by the two. They had trudged through the forbidden 4D space and return once more to Elicoor. Their destination is none other then the Ancient Ruins of Mosel. They will stay one night in the Lost City of Surferio. This one night will be the last chance they get to rest both mind and body for the remainder of their journey.

Sophia walked through the Lost City of Surferio. She felt like she had just phased out of reality and into a fairy tale. She loved the citizens of Surferio. The fairies, the mermaids, and the people mixed with various animals made her feel like she had just entered a story book.

'All I'm missing is my Prince Charming.'

A touch on her shoulder startled her, causing her to jump.

"Sorry, Sophia. Didn't mean to scare you."

She turned and smiled at Fayt. "Oh, I'm fine. Guess I was daydreaming again."

Fayt smiled as he walked with her. "Are you holding up okay?"

She was warmed by the compassion in his voice. She was instantly calmed, suddenly aware of tension she didn't know existed. "Yeah, I'm fine."

For the first time since they had left Earth for a vacation on Hyda, Fayt put his arm around her shoulders. He had often done this many times before. It always reassured her and kept her mind at ease. This time, it had the same effect as always and she felt the comfort of something familiar. It was something she had needed. She leaned in on him more then she had done before. She could tell by the way he altered his step that he was happy to supply any comfort she might need. She could also tell that he felt a little guilty at not having comforted her more before now.

"Good," he spoke softly. "I know a lot's been thrown at you all of a sudden." He side stepped slightly, nudging her with him. "I should have known a fighter hid under all that. You were a bit of a tomboy growing up."

She elbowed his side lightly. "That was only because you teased me all the time."

He laughed. "Well, it was fun. Maybe I should have teased you more to play with me in the simulators."

They stopped and sat under one of the trees in the center of the city. Sophia made herself comfortable on the soft grass as she rested her back on the tree. She found it hard for a brief moment to believe that they were really on a crusade. He sat beside her, his arm barely touching hers. She thought about how nice it would be to just sit under the tree forever and chat with Fayt.

"You know Sophia; the thing I like about you is you can always smile. You always seem to find that one ray of sun on a rainy day. But I know it's hard on you. It's okay to cry now and then."

Sophia leaned her head back against the tree as she watched the clouds drift by. She didn't tell Fayt but she had cried. She had cried for several nights in a row when no one else was awake to see. She had cried when she kissed Albel because she was frustrated at herself.

'That kiss. Why did I do that? I was so angry at him and the only thing that came out of it was that. I'm so confused. At least he hasn't come near me since. I did manage to get him off my back for a while. I wonder why he tries to pick fights with me anyway. He knows he's stronger then me, so why pick on me like that? I've just never met anyone like him. He's so…unpredictable.'

She leaned her head on Fayt's shoulder as they sat in silence.

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Albel hated the Lost City of Surferio. Everything about the place got on his last nerve. He would rather be back in the dungeon then to be in such a place.

Upon entering the city and finding out where they were lodging for the night, he had immediately set out to find a place to disappear until nightfall. After a quick walk, he found sanctuary in the underbrush beside a tree. He had sat there most the day, attempting to sort through his thoughts.

A lot had happened since the last time he had been to Elicoor. Though he didn't fully understand what a program was, he had seen by the other's reactions that it was not good. He also didn't understand how another man was responsible for his existence. He had seen 4D space and the people there seemed no different then anyone else. They were in no way gods.

Then there was another problem weighing on his mind. One he had been unable to devote time to. He was mad at himself for the events that happened on the last night of his stay on Elicoor. Normally time would ease the bitterness, but this time the bitterness bit him hard. He let his mind drift to the night of the kiss.

'She humiliated me and all I did was stand there! The little witch knew what she was doing.'

He was so intent on focusing on that night and would have dwelled on it if the wind hadn't carried voices to his ears. He smiled, recognizing one of the voices.

'So, the witch is near,' he thought. Then his smile dropped when another voice spoke up. 'And the blue haired maggot.'

He sat still, wondering just how close they were to him. He knew they were behind him. If they were behind him then the tree would provide a barrier; making sure they would be unable to detect his presence.

"Sophia?"

"Yes, Fayt."

"How has everyone been treating you? I know there's not much time to socialize, but do you at least feel like you can trust them?"

Albel's ears perked. His curiosity heightened. He didn't know why he cared, but he was eager to hear her response.

"Everyone's been great. We're a team and everyone seems to be doing their best. Besides, if you trust them then there's no need for me to question that. You always seemed to be a good judge of character. Well, at least somewhat." She laughed lightly.

"Huh? What do you mean about that?"

"Oh, nothing," Sophia responded with a playful tone.

"Anyway," Fayt said in mock anger. "I don't see you really talking to anyone. Are you sure everyone's being nice to you?"

"You worry too much Fayt."

"I suppose you're right. Still, the last person I really saw you talk to was Albel."

Albel eased silently closer to the edge of the tree. The mention of his name held him in captivity. 'This should be interesting,' he thought as he peered around the corner. He stopped when he could barely see Fayt's shoulder.

"No, he wasn't the last one I talked to. I roomed with Maria last night remember. We talked a little."

"Maria's not a big talker. Anyway, you never told me exactly what you and Albel talked about."

Albel could hear Sophia shift her position. He wondered if the question made her uneasy. He cursed his luck because he was unable to see her face. He would have to rely on her tone of voice to convey her emotions.

"I already told you that it wasn't much of a conversation." Albel picked up that she was frustrated but pleased at the same time. This confused him somewhat. "He doesn't talk much. Besides, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous."

"Jealous?" Albel noticed a twitch in his shoulder. It seemed he was uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Why else would you ask me the same question four times since then?"

'Four times? Did it bother the fool so much for me to talk to her?' He couldn't help but to smirk at this. 'I wonder how he would react if he knew about the kiss?'

"No," Fayt responded defensively. "I'm just curious. I never expected to see Albel sitting at a table with anyone. I just wanted to be sure he wasn't harassing you."

Albel held his breath. 'Have I been harassing her? No, it's her, if anyone, who's doing the harassing. She started it by entering my room uninvited. Then she…she kissed me. A woman doesn't just kiss a man and then walk away.'

"Really Fayt, you do worry too much."

"Yeah, I know Sophia," Fayt sighed. "You've always told me in the past when someone was bothering you. You haven't said one bad word about him so I guess everything's fine."

Albel ducked his head back when Fayt stood up. "Well, I'm going to check on the others. Want to come along?"

"No thanks. I think I'll just sit here a while."

"Okay. I'll be back to get you when dinner's ready." Albel watched as Fayt left. He could tell by the way the blue haired youth walked that he was uneasy at leaving Sophia.

'She hasn't said one bad thing about me? By the way the maggot talks she should have told him about the death threat at least. Why wouldn't she tell?'

"Oh, Fayt," Sophia spoke softly to herself. "If you knew exactly what was on my mind...I wonder how you would react."

Albel eased around the corner just enough to see her lean against the tree. She had her eyes closed and started to hum. It was a pleasant tune and reminded him of something a mother would hum to a child when tucking them in for bed. The expression on her face was relaxed. Obviously, the tune comforted her.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The deafening silence engulfs her. Her breaths are short. Her head spins as she looks at the Vendeeni captain. The only sound she hears is her own heartbeat.

She is unable to move as she watches the gun fire. Tears form in her eyes as she turns to look. She doesn't want to see this. Not again. But she looks anyway. She looks to see her dear uncle as he draws his final breaths.

His lips part and he speaks, but she is unable to hear him. She glances up to see Cliff's concerned face. Behind him, Albel is unconscious. She closes her eyes.

"No…not again…this isn't happening."

She opens her eyes to find she is no longer on Elicoor. Her wrists are bound. She looks up and searches for anyone to help. Instead of finding a hero, she confronts Biwig. He grabs her shoulders and shakes her.

"This time, you will die."

She doesn't hold back her tears. She cries freely. "Let go."

But he doesn't. He shakes her harder. His fingers dig into her left arm. Closing her eyes, she wills him away.

"You're dreaming wench."

She shakes her head lightly as she opens her eyes. Her vision is blurred by her tears. She can't quite make out who is in front of her, but she quickly realizes that her nightmare is over. She tries to compose herself, but she is unable to stop herself from crying.

"Sorry," she replied weakly. She blinked, hoping to clear her vision.

She fell back on the tree when she was released. She wiped her tears and looked back up so see who had been shaking her out of sleep.

"Albel?"

"Humph." He knelt beside her. There was a small hint of worry on his face. "Stupid wench."

She sat up and rested her forehead in her hand. Every time she closed her eyes all she saw was the face of Biwig. She shivered, trying to force his image away. She kept her eyes opened and focused on her lap, wishing the dream would stop haunting her.

"Thanks."

"For what?" His voice was harsh.

"For waking me up."

"Your pathetic whimpers were disturbing my thoughts. I merely wished you to shut up."

"Oh," she said as she pulled her hair out of her face. Her eyes were red and puffy. "Um, sorry about that." She pulled her legs under her and readied herself to get up when he put his hand on her shoulder – pushing her back down. Once she was seated, he took his hand back.

"Huh?" She looked up to see that he was clearly angry.

"You stupid worm, I have some unfinished business with you."

She just looked at him blankly. She was determined not to say a word. She would wait for him to go first.

He raised his eyebrow slightly. "I know you are not that dense, fool. You know what I'm talking about."

She slowly nodded. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

He crossed his arms and scowled at her. "Explain yourself."

Instinctively, she grabbed a loose strand of hair and began twirling it around her fingers. She bit her bottom lip, searching her mind for some reason she thought he might accept.

He growled at her. She knew she was taking too long, but her throat seemed to tighten when she tried to talk.

"A reason, girl."

"I-I don't know."

"Humph! What do you mean you don't know? Are you saying you are too ignorant to understand your own actions?" His voice was harsh.

She felt her cheeks flush. "Look, Albel…I don't know why I did that. I really don't. All I know is you were being mean to me and all I wanted was for you to back off. And it worked! For a while there you wouldn't even look at me." She took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"Back off? You expect someone to back off after a stunt like that, worm?"

"I don't know," she repeated. "At that time I was tired and you…well you wouldn't leave me alone. If you hate me that much why do you insist on pestering me like that?"

"Hate you…" He shifted his position slightly. "I never said I hated you…"

She cut him off. "Well, you don't act like you like me much. In fact, I wonder if you like anyone." Her lips pressed hard together as she frowned at him.

He was impresses with this. She didn't have any problems talking to him and saying what was on her mind. In fact, the only other person he'd seen her talk to this way was Fayt. With everyone else she would just nod and agree.

"Bah, you assume too much girl. You don't know me and don't know how I feel."

"That is, if you feel at all." She was mad. At that moment, she couldn't have been happier if he just disappeared.

He growled at her. "I know what it feels like to rip someone in half. And right now, that's a feeling I wouldn't mind experiencing again."

She forced herself to look directly at him as she clenched her fists in her lap. "I won't let you scare me anymore. Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"Oh, and what are you going to do? Are you going to go running to your boyfriend for protection?"

She stood up fast, giving him no time to respond. She looked down at him, her eyes gleaming with anger. "I'm not just some helpless little girl like you all think I am. I don't need protection!"

Before he could respond, she ran off. He stood up and watched her as she exited out of the city. 'Idiot! She's going to get herself killed. She just ran off in the direction of the desert…alone.'

He stood still for a moment, battling whether to go after her or not.

She was annoying. He really didn't like her outlook on things. And most off, he didn't like her attitude.

Still, she was quick to argue with him and he found it highly amusing. She always tried to fight fire with adverse logic. He would have thought she was a complete idiot if some of her arguments didn't ring true. Besides, he couldn't prove his point to the dead. If he followed, then he could provide the proof to her that she was weak. He knew that she would need his help.

He turned and walked toward the desert. There was no need to hurry. Or at least that is what our swordsman thought.

"Albel!" Albel turned and watched as Fayt sprinted up to him. Fayt looked angrily at him. "Just what did you do to Sophia?"

Albel crossed his arms and scowled at him. "What do you mean by that, maggot?"

Fayt growled. "I saw you talking to her and then she ran away."

Albel was getting impatient with Fayt. "Why don't you go ask the wench yourself?" He lifted his hand to indicate the western exit.

Fayt's jaw dropped. "Don't tell me she left the city alone? Albel! Not only will she get hurt; but incase you have forgotten, she's the only one who can active the Sacred Orb." His face reddened slightly. "I'm going after her. All you need to do is tell the others. Think you can handle that?"

"No, I'm going with you," Albel said, his voice void of emotion. "Someone needs to make sure you survive."

Fayt just glared at him before turning to the western exit.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

She didn't know what she was doing. She didn't even know why she was so mad. All our lass knew was that she had to get away. She was tired of feeling weak. She felt like she held up the group. She knew she was the most vulnerable, and she hated it.

She also knew that it was her fault. Ever since she had been reunited with Fayt, she had been his shadow. It was like her first day of school all over again. On that day, Fayt's teachers had excused him from his classes because she wouldn't go anywhere without him. He had been her protector that day.

'Well, I'm not five years old anymore. Albel was right…it's time for me to grow up.'

She stopped at the first oasis she came too. She fell in the water, sitting while she paced her swallows as she drank. 'Yeah, real grown up Sophia,' she scolded herself. 'Wasn't very grown up to run off like that. I should go back and just tell that jerk to leave me alone. I won't talk to him and hopefully he won't talk to me.'

For a moment her heart sank. He was the only other one besides Fayt that really talked to her. But was the attention worth the aggravation?

She shook her head. First she would go back to the city and then figure out what to do from there. She stood up and dug in the small pouch at her hip. Fumbling through various items, she finally found a couple of vials that had once contained mental enhancer. They were empty so she made use of them and gathered as much water as the small containers would carry. She wasn't that far from the exit and was sure she could make it back without the water, but she felt a little safer having some on hand.

'We'll be coming back this way tomorrow. I should stop by the shop and buy a canteen first.'

She took a few sips of water before trekking back to the city. She hadn't gone far when a chimera blocked her path. Without a second thought, she turned and ran. She had just made it out of range when the beast unleashed its fire breath. Though she was out of the way of a direct hit, she felt the heat rise up her back.

The unexpected heat caused her to realize just how close the creature was. She turned her head to confirm the distance, and in doing so stumbled and fell. She shot up as quickly as she could, expecting to feel the full wrath of another attack.

"RUN!"

She didn't recognize the voice that yelled at her. Her heart felt like it was in her throat and a sudden panic overcame her. She obeyed the voice and ran. She ran with no concern for direction.

Behind her she heard vague noises. She tried to focus her energy on running, but she was overcome with guilt. She had left someone behind. There was someone back there who was only trying to help her and all she could do was run away.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Fayt stopped at the entrance to the Mosel Dunes. He quickly scanned the area. "Where is she?" he mumbled.

Albel just stood and looked over the sands. They had checked the caves before the desert and had found no trace of her. He refused to let himself feel guilty. 'I didn't tell the ignorant fool to rush off. This is her own doing.'

Fayt growled as he took a few steps into the desert to peer around the rocks. Determination drove him further into the harsh environment. He wouldn't stop his search until he had found her.

Albel wielded his reluctant feet to follow. An unseen force propelled him forward. He couldn't describe it nor did he care to. The force just was. Nothing more and nothing less.

They walked to the first oasis and drank. Fayt crouched and searched the ground for a sign, any sign that Sophia had been there. He found what he was looking for. On the ground beside the edge of the water was the cat charm that Sophia had carried religiously with her since she first boarded the Diplo.

Cats had always been Sophia's favorite; so when Mirage had offered her the charm, she had accepted enthusiastically. Mirage had said it had been one of the many things Quark had collected over the years and had no use for.

He grimaced at the charm, aware that Albel was watching him. He looked at the swordsman. Instead of seeing the impatient expression he had carried the whole time, Fayt saw a neutral expression accompanied by worry. The worry wasn't apparent on his face, but Fayt could have sworn that there was worry in his eyes.

He shook it off as his imagination as he stood. Looking once more at the harsh sands, Fayt did his best not to let his spirits drop. This wasn't the first time he had lost her. He had gotten her back from the Vendeeni and he would get her back from the desert. No doubt.

There was a shuffle. Before Fayt could turn to investigate the source, Albel pushed him down to the ground.

"Fool!" Albel yelled at him as he jumped back. He lifted his sword and in one swift motion unleashed his Air Slash.

Fayt watched as the attack lifted off the ground and hit the chimera he had been unaware of. The beast took the hit head on and fell. Albel approached the monster cautiously as Fayt stood up.

"Is it dead?"

"Humph. It was already wounded. One blow was all it took to take it down. Pathetic," Albel spat.

"Wounded?" Fayt's mouth went dry. "By who? I don't think Sophia could do that…"

"She didn't," Albel said as he examined the chimera. "This beast was wounded by a blade of some kind."

"A sword?"

"No. The gashes are too large. Possibly a spear or axe."

That didn't make Fayt feel any better. Not only was Sophia out there where monsters dwelled; but there was someone else out there also. He only hoped that someone was a friend and not a foe.

"Come on. We need to find her as fast as possible." With that Fayt sprinted to the next oasis.

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Alright, hope someone out there is still enjoying this. I know, my writing isn't half as good as allmysensesfail (who is awesome!) but I'll be happy if someone likes the story. Thanks :)