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

Note: I really hated the fight with Robin Wind in the game…he was a real pest. He looked a lot easier to beat then he actually was. But, unlike some monsters, he had some personality. The romance is being built up slowly, but what do you expect? This is Albel we're talking about and he's just too stubborn to rush (lol). Thank you all for the reviews and thanks to the others who read this.

Dialog – "Blah"

Thoughts – 'Blah'

Bitter-Sweet Motivations

Chapter 5: Perplexing Contemplations

Sophia gasped. "Who are you?" she asked, extending her finger and pointing at the sprite.

His checks puffed out as he drifted back and away from her finger. "You know, it's rude to point. I might just have to teach you a lesson."

Fayt took a step forward, sword in hand. "Robin Wind? What are you doing in the desert?"

"Fool, fight now and save the questions for later." Taking his own advice, Albel charged; slashing his sword. Before his sword could make contact, Robin Wind had flown right out of reach and laughed at him.

Twisting in flight, Robin Wind flew toward Fayt and stopped. Fayt growled softly. It appeared that Robin Wind was preparing for his whirlwind attack. Before he could attack, Fayt hit him with his Side Kick.

Robin wind quickly recovered from the kick and dashed madly around the room. After circling the room, he took a new target and flew straight for Sophia. Roger let go of her hand and stood in front of her. He attempted to use his small frame to protect her, but instead was hit with the sprite's confusion attack.

Sophia watched as Roger ran practically in circles, holding his head.

"Sophia," Fayt called out. "Run!"

Sophia looked up just in time to see Robin Wind flying straight at her. She let out a short lived scream as she ducked. The sprite flew over her, grazing her hair as he passed. Sophia shot up and followed Fayt's directions without complaint. She already knew she didn't like the monster pan.

Once again, Sophia found herself running. She cut sharply to the left and sprinted a short distance down a hall before stopping. She held her breath when she heard footsteps behind her. It didn't take long for realization to hit her. Robin Wind didn't walk, or run; so who ever it was behind her, it wasn't the sprite.

She looked back just in time to see Albel at the entrance of the hall. His back was to her and he was positioned to attack. She eased back toward him; feeling safer having him between her and the sprite.

Albel slashed and jumped back. In front of him Robin Wind had dodged the attack and was hovering in the door way. "You really should learn to play fair."

Then it hit her all at once. She just couldn't take it anymore. The monster pan was getting on her nerves. She had done nothing but run while everyone else did the fighting. She was fed up with feeling helpless when her friends might need her. She had nothing to prove to anyone and everything to prove to herself.

She grabbed her staff and held it up. She pulled all her energy together. She felt the symbology working through her veins as she prepared to cast Fire Bolt. But then another word came to mind. This sensation wasn't new to her. Her symbolocigal skills had advanced and she had learned a stronger spell.

"Explosion!"

A fiery red light illuminated over Robin Wind. He glanced up, his face overcome with dread. Instinctively, Albel took a few steps back until he was beside Sophia. She slowly lowered her staff.

Both of them watched in awe as the light engulfed the sprite, as well as a large portion of the room behind him. Sophia could hear Fayt yelling for Roger to run. Her heart jumped slightly at the thought of inadvertently hurting the two who remained in the room. She quickly assured herself that Fayt would be fine and safe. He just had to be.

The light grew intense. Sophia brought her arm up and shielded her eyes. A warm air swept past her. She braced herself, unsure as to what to expect. Then noises filled the hall, bouncing ruthlessly off the walls.

The light finally died and the sounds became silent. She lowered her arm and stared in disbelief. The whole doorway had collapsed, leaving no way through.

"You stupid wench! Using runology like that in a ruin?"

Sophia looked up at him. His piercing red eyes sent shivers down her spine. "I-I didn't think that would happen."

"Humph. Seems you didn't think at all."

She stomped her foot and frowned at him. "Well excuse me!" She turned her whole body to face away from the cave-in and started to walk away.

"And where are you going?"

She shot him a glance over her shoulder. "I'm going to find a way out of here. If you haven't noticed, Mister Nox, that way is blocked," she replied in a matter of fact tone.

He took a few steps in her direction. "And whose fault is that?"

She sighed heavily at him. "Geez, I was only trying to help."

"I didn't need your help. Besides, this never would have happened if you hadn't run off into the desert."

She turned away from him. "I never would have run off if you hadn't been so mean to me." She continued walking as she held back her tears. For a day which had started out nice, it sure had gone to hell fast. Everything had been fine up until her nightmare, and then her encounter with him.

He quickly caught up to her. "Do you even know where you are going, fool?"

She looked up at him as he walked beside her. He kept his attention forward. "No, do you?"

"Humph, just follow me. If you can't keep up then it'll be your fault for getting lost."

She silently obeyed. Her short legs had to work twice as hard to keep up with his long strides. The hall opened into a room with three doors; one on each wall. Albel stopped in the center of the room and studied the area. Sophia began to wonder if he really knew where they were.

One thing our swordsman would not tell our lass is that he was lost. He had been to the Ruins or Morsel before, but each time was on official business and he had a guide to show him the way. At that moment in time, he had no idea where to go.

As much as she wanted to say something, Sophia kept quiet. She waited for him to make a decision and thought it best not to provoke another argument. She was worried about Fayt and ready to find him to be sure he wasn't hurt.

He stepped forward to the opposite door from the hallway and opened it. All he found was a large room full of rubble and debris.

Sophia stayed on his heels. She peered around him and into the room. "I'm guessing that's not the way," she said softly in a whisper.

She turned to move. She was in his way and didn't feel like having him back up into her when he decided to try another door. She had just turned when movement caught her attention. To her left one of the other doors was ajar and standing in the doorway was a Poisonous Lobster.

Without even thinking, she jumped back in surprise and fear. As she jumped, she hit the unexpecting side of Albel as he was in mid turn. This, in turn, sent both into the room. She almost fell, but luck would have it for her to remain on her feet. She shot a quick look out the door in time to see the lobster heading straight for them.

"Ah, not another baddie!" She hurried to the door and did the first thing her instinct instructed her to do. She pulled the door shut just moments before the lobster crashed into it.

Sophia took a step back and watched the door as the monster beat on it few times. After a few hits, the monster gave up. Sophia tried to pace her breathing, but her heart had jumped into her throat and was racing a hundered miles per hour.

Albel regained his composure and harshly pushed her to the side, all but knocking her down. She let out a mumbled objection which he dismissed as he pushed on the door. Sophia watched as he tried to open the door. He growled as he slammed his metal fist into it.

"It won't open?"

He didn't answer her. He simply stepped to the side and motioned for her to try. She did and no matter how much force she applied, the door wouldn't give. Obviously the lobster had jammed the door shut with its attempts to get in. "What do we do now?"

"Why don't you use your runology to open it," he replied through his clenched teeth.

She turned and leaned her back to the door. She shook her head. "No can do. I'm running too low."

"Humph, just like a fool to drain your whole supply."

She lifted off the door and placed one hand on her hip while the other massaged her forehead. "No, if I used my whole supply then I would be incapacitated," she corrected.

"Bah, I suppose you'll need to rest before you can do anything useful."

She walked to a clear section of the room and sat down. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. "What, exactly, is with you and the attitude?"

As soon as she asked the question, she regretted it. She was locked in a room with him and she knew it wasn't a good idea to make him angry. She could hear him move across the floor and knew he was approaching her. She kept her eyes shut more from fear then anything else.

"My attitude?" His voice was close. She opened her eyes to see he had squatted down and was face to face with her.

She swallowed. "Yeah…all you do is push people away. You're mean and cold. Doesn't it get lonely with no friends?"

"Bah, friends are a worthless waste of time," he spat back at her.

Her heart sank as she was overcome with grief for him. "But, don't you want someone to share things with? You know, to share the good times and to help you through the bad times?"

He remained silent. He eyed her, making her uncomfortable. She didn't know if she wanted to cry or scream at him. "Albel? Do you have any friends?"

He stood up and walked away from her and to the other side of the room. He found another clear spot and sat. "If we're to get out of here you need to rest and stop talking nonsense."

She brought her knees up and rested her head on top, looking aimlessly at her lap. A few tears wetted her cheeks as she thought about her friends. Who where her friends? She had Fayt who she could talk to, but the others seemed too wrapped up in their own circumstances to really open up to her. She had tried to talk to all of them on some level, but no one really seemed to want to talk to her. No one but Albel for reasons she couldn't comprehend.

She couldn't help but to feel that he was as lost as she was. Since she had found out about her alterations she had felt different and separated from everyone. She no longer felt like a real person. She felt excluded.

She didn't know his reasons, but he seemed to exclude himself from others. Her heart ached for him. She knew what it was to be lonely and she would never wish that pain even on her worst enemy. But he wasn't her enemy. He was a companion and member of the group. But it was easy to be alone even in a group.

She also knew that he had no parents. What happened to them was something she didn't know, but she knew that loosing her own parents would be something she didn't know if she could handle. Right now, she didn't even know if her parents were alive, but she refused to give in to thoughts that they weren't.

She wondered what could have happened to a person to yield the outcome she witnessed in Albel. She sniffed and did her best to hold back further tears. Crying wouldn't solve the problem. She was determined to help. Even if her efforts were rejected, she had to try.

She lifted her head and leaned it against the wall. She positioned herself in the most comfortable position she could find. She need to rest to get them out of there but her mind wouldn't let her rest until she had said just one finally thing to him.

"Albel," she said softly, but loud enough for him to hear. "I'll be your friend, if you let me."

She didn't hear him if he answered, but she was sure he didn't. Fatigue caught her and she dozed off.

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

Albel looked up at her. She seemed to be asleep; though he was sure she was uncomfortable. The hard floor was the furthest thing from comfort. Still, she would be able to rest and regain some energy.

He leaned back in his own attempts to rest. Her words turned in his mind. Friends. Someone to share life with. The concept of loneliness.

He was accustomed to loneliness. Being alone was a thing that had plagued him most of his life. He considered it weak to need anyone for anything. He was more than capable of tending to his own affairs. He didn't need anyone to hinder him or bring him down. Having friends seemed like a way to weaken and not strengthen a person. A friend was just another person to worry about when one's main focus should be on oneself.

She had just offered him her friendship. She was so much like that blue haired maggot. He seemed to find strength in his 'friends'. As did she. Still, she had stated it herself; he did have a way of alienating others. He pondered on her reasons for offering her friendship even if he had been 'mean' to her. Weren't friends supposed to be supportive? He doubted he had shown any support to her.

She was truly an intriguing creature. He knew she thought he hated her. Still, she cared for him when he was paralyzed and unconscious. She tried to aid him in the fight with Robin Wind. And now she had just offered him something she valued.

The question he was faced with now was simple, yet complicated all the same. Did he want her to be his friend?

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

I know, I'm posting this the day before Christmas Eve so I'm not sure whose got time to read it now, but I have it done and I'm almost done with the next chapter to my other story so I wanted to post this and finish up on chapter 2 of Star Ocean: The Untold Story.

As always I hope you enjoy reading this :)