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

Note: This chapter is a little more lighthearted then the others. I was in a playful mood when I started it, but I think it's cute. Well, the beginning is cute and the rest of it hits back into the drama.

Dialog – "Blah"

Thoughts – 'Blah'

Bitter-Sweet Motivations

Chapter 9: Nonpartisan Commissions

"Come on, Lady Phia," Roger puffed between breaths.

Sophia did her best to keep up with the boy. Really, she had no choice as he had a death grip on her wrist. "Wait up," she said, trying not to fall. Her legs and back were starting to ach dully from running while hunched down. She suddenly didn't feel so short.

He didn't listen to her. His short legs picked up speed as he led her through the castle halls. She barely had enough time to glance up and notice Fayt talking to Cliff before she had passed them.

She had to wonder how she got herself into these types of situations. All she had done was answer the door to her room. When he asked if he could show her something, she had found no harm in saying 'sure'. Now she was being dragged through the castle with no idea what was going on.

"Sophia?"

Sophia tried to acknowledge Nel, but the pull on her arm was too strong. She couldn't believe the grip the boy had on her wrist. Her hand had already started to go numb.

Roger paused at a corner, debating on which direction to go when Sophia spotted Albel. He had been walking up the hall and for the most part watching the ground in front of him. He looked up just in time for Sophia to wave to him before Roger continued his relentless dragging.

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"What do you suppose that was all about?" Cliff asked still watching the hall Sophia had disappeared down.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out. I'm not sure I trust Roger that much." Fayt took off in a jog toward the direction he had seen Sophia go. He rounded the corner, but had lost her. He took a few steps, unsure where to go when he heard Nel call her name.

Fayt found Nel around the next bend. She stood in the center of the hall and turned when she heard Fayt and Cliff approach.

"Nel, did you see Roger and Sophia?"

"I suppose."

"Well, we're on the right track. Come on, Cliff." Fayt didn't wait for a reply before continuing his pursuit.

"You know, Nel, this could prove entertaining." Cliff winked at her before following Fayt.

Nel watched the two run, but opted to walk. Whatever was going on, she wasn't too fearful of missing anything 'entertaining'. This was Roger after all. She paused for a moment to think. Roger had Sophia by the wrist and was running her down the hall. On second thought, this might prove entertaining. She quickened her pace.

Albel had just left his room and was on his way to do his evening training when he spotted Sophia at the corner. She had smiled at him and waved before darting off. As he thought about it, it did seem she had been pulled by something, but the corner had blocked his vision.

He was about to dismiss it when he saw Fayt running up the hall, calling for the girl.

"Hey Albel, did you see Roger and Sophia come by this way?" Albel stopped but gave no reply. "Um, never mind." Fayt turned and darted down the hall Sophia had.

'Humph, could it be that the girl was being pulled by that little weasel?' Before Albel could resume motion, Cliff darted around the corner; followed by Nel. Now he had to see what was going on.

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Roger motioned for her to sit on the bench outside in the garden. Glad to be out of his grip, Sophia sat and looked around. Dusk had started to settle.

"See that?" Roger asked, pointing to the horizon. "There, two full moons. Both of Elicoor's moons are full. This only happens once a year."

"Oh, it's beautiful."

"And this," Roger plucked a flower out of the ground and handed it to Sophia. "This is a lunar bud."

Sophia examined the flower. It closely resembled an iris. Its tips were so dark, they appeared black. Then the color faded down the petal to a deep purple, then to a lavender and finally ended in a white hue at the center. She held it up and looked closer. If you held it just right, it looked like a full moon in the night sky.

"Smell it."

She did and was surprised. "But there's no fragrance."

"Nope," Roger replied, sitting beside her. He held a flower of his own. "There's an old tale about these flowers. Wanna hear?"

Sophia glanced at the flower in her hands. It was beautiful and possibly the most exotic thing she had ever seen. "Sure."

"Well, I can't say it out loud. Come here and let me whisper it in your ear."

Sophia had just tilted her head down, when Roger jumped suddenly off the bench. She studied the Menodix. He was holding his rump and complaining. Not sure what had just happened, Sophia looked over to Roger's previous sitting spot and noticed someone had propped their foot in it. She followed the boot until she found the owner. Albel stared down at her; he was leaning on the leg he had placed on the bench beside her. The leg he had used to kick Roger with.

"Whadya do that for?" Roger asked looking up at Albel.

"Roger!" Nel exclaimed, coming up on Sophia's other side. She snatched the flower from Sophia and threw it at the boy. "That's a dirty trick even for you."

"What's going on?" Fayt asked, voicing the question Sophia was about to ask herself.

Nel took her position in front of Sophia so that she could talk to everyone. "It's an old folk's tale. Nothing more the superstition, but still a low thing to do." She glared back at Roger before continuing. "That flower is the lunar bud. It only blooms once a year when both moons are full. Legend says that if a man gives the flower to the one he loves and she smells it, then she will fall in love with the first man to kiss her."

"Huh?" Sophia blinked a few times at Roger and then started to giggle.

"What is it, Sophia?"

Sophia stood up and turned her back to Roger. "Oh, nothing Fayt. It's just silly to think that a flower is going to determine who I do and do not love."

"Yeah, she's right," Cliff chuckled. "This planet sure has some strange customs."

Sophia glanced at the group and walked around the bench. She was tired and after running through the castle, she was ready for a break.

She had just made it around the bench when Roger jumped on her from behind. She turned her head to see him aim his lips for her face. Before she could react, Nel had the Menodix by the tail and had pulled him off.

Sophia turned sharply. "Roger, just because I don't believe in the story that doesn't mean you can still kiss me."

"Yeah Roger," Fayt echoed.

"Aw, now come on guys! If she doesn't believe in it then there's no harm in one little kiss," Roger pleaded.

"I would rather the blonde ape kiss her then you."

Everyone became silent as all eyes turned to Albel. Albel grunted, not looking any one directly.

"It's just superstition nonsense anyway, right?" Cliff asked. "You all act like it's a big deal. Hey Fayt, why don't you kiss her and prove there's nothing to worry about."

"Hey! Is that an insult?"

"Wait a minute. No one's going to kiss me!" Sophia tried to interrupt, but Cliff had already started speaking and his voice drowned hers out.

"You know you could act less like a coward and just tell her how you feel."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Fayt barked at Cliff.

"You're both idiots!" Albel managed to get his say in.

The two sided fight suddenly became a three way battle.

"Okay then. You kiss her Albel," Cliff challenged.

"I wouldn't!"

"Yeah, he wouldn't dare!"

Albel glared at Fayt. "And if you touched her then I might be forced to kill you."

"Whoa there!" Cliff was all but yelling. "Since when did you get so protective over her?"

"Yeah, Albel. Why are you being so protective?"

"Bah, that's nothing for you to concern yourself about, maggot."

"No," Fayt said standing straighter. "That is something for me to be concerned about."

Albel crossed his arms and looked down his nose at Fayt. "Why don't you go kiss that other blue haired maggot?"

"Who, Maria? Don't call her names!"

"And who's the protective one now?"

"She has nothing to do with this. Leave her out of it."

"Oh," Albel chuckled darkly. "You spend most your time with her."

"Since when did this become about me and Maria?"

"So, you admit that there's something there."

"N-No! That's not it!"

"WILL YOU BOTH SHUT UP!" Cliff yelled, stepping between the two. He looked at each one in turn and then faced Sophia. "I'll show you both."

He took the two steps it required to step up to her. Tilting his head to one side, he leaned down and kissed her softly on her cheek. He straightened back up and turned to face Albel and Fayt. "See, no problem."

Both men looked like they were ready to pummel the Klausian, and would have if the sound of Sophia's voice didn't stop them.

"Oh, Cliff." Her voice hinted a sweetness that made everyone stop dead in their tracks. Fayt and Albel leaned to look around the blonde man as he turned to confront the owner of the voice.

"Whoa there," Cliff argued, waving his hands in the air between him and her.

She ignored him and took a step toward him. "Oh, Cliffie," she repeated. Her eyes were half closed and she spoke in a tone that would indicate she was in a dream like state.

Unsure what to do, Cliff took a few steps back. She didn't stop, and he was at a lose as to what to do. He took another step back just to trip over the bench and fall.

Cliff looked up in time to see Sophia looking down at him, her arms crossed across her chest. "Humph, that'll teach you not to kiss a girl like that again," she said with a satisfying smirk. She turned on her heels and walked back toward the castle. "Sorry about that everyone, he had it coming. Now, I think I'll go on to bed." She waved goodbye to everyone while she walked away.

"Well," Nel said, extending her hand to help Cliff up. "That's one way to deal with the stupidity of men."

"Hey, well… I guess I had it coming." With Nel's help, Cliff stood up and shrugged.

"Humph."

"Yup."

Both Fayt and Albel had agreed with Cliff at the same time. They exchanged hard glances before walking in the opposite directions.

Cliff scratched his head and smiled. He watched Albel walk away and then turned to watch Fayt walk away. "Could it be?"

"As Mirage would say: Get your head out of the gutter, Cliff."

"Hey, well I told you it would be entertaining. I just wasn't expecting all that."

Nel shook her head at him before going back inside.

Cliff just shrugged and started to follow Nel when Roger's moan caught his attention. It was a very defeated moan. "Don't let it bother you, pipsqueak. It was nothing but a story anyway."

Roger hung his head. "No, I guess not. But if it were real, then it means she already loves someone. If she was kissed and the tale was true then she would have fallen for you if there wasn't already someone else."

Cliff cocked his head to one side. "Um," he mumbled while thinking. He scanned the area. Both Fayt and Albel had disappeared from sight. "Could it be? Aw, it's just a story but…"

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Sophia had just turned the knob to her door when the door beside hers opened. She looked up and smiled. Maria had her head out of her room and was scanning the halls.

"Hey, Maria. Everything okay?"

"Are you alone, Sophia?"

"Um, yeah."

"Can I have a word with you?"

"Sure," Sophia replied hesitantly. She let go of her door and followed Maria into her room.

Maria closed the door and motioned to the wooden chair by the window. "Please have a seat."

"Okay." Sophia sat in the chair and watched the girl pace in front of her.

"I'm not good with this sort of thing." She glanced at Sophia. Sophia noticed that her hands were knotted together and she appeared nervous. Sophia had never thought she would ever see Maria nervous.

"I'm trying to make a peace offering. I didn't like you. You got Fayt's attention when I couldn't and I was acting childish. Mirage told me how I was acting and said that if I gave you a chance I might like you. So here I am."

Maria had spoken so fast, the silence that followed was almost deafening. Sophia didn't know what to say. She was stunned at Maria's bluntness. She had just put into words what Sophia had suspected.

"So, what do you say? Can we start over?"

Sophia stood up and smiled. "Sure. No problem."

Maria looked at Sophia with an expression that betrayed the fact she thought Sophia would turn her down. Now, Maria didn't know what to do. She had readied herself for the opposite reaction.

Sophia picked up on this. "Well, want to start with a trip to the kitchen? I sometimes go and get some juice or something before bed."

Maria nodded. "Why not?"

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After trudging around the castle and stopping to stare off into nothing, Fayt made his way back to his room. He shook his head slightly at his thoughts. He really should check on Sophia first.

He knocked lightly on her door, but received no answer. After waiting a minute, he eased the door open. He was surprised to find the room empty. He had expected to find her asleep.

He scanned the room one last time before closing the door. Instead of bothering anyone else this time, he would find her on his own. He took a moment to think of where she would be. Then it hit him. When she couldn't sleep sometimes she would sit and relax with a cup of milk, juice or coffee.

He made a straight line for the kitchen. If she wasn't there then he would try the garden.

His jaw dropped when he entered the kitchen. There, in the middle of the dinning area was Sophia and Maria. They were sitting across from each other at a table. They were talking. And laughing.

"No he didn't!" Sophia said between chuckles.

"Yeah, I swear. Mirage will vouch for me."

"Did he know she was a princess?"

"No, that's why it was so hard for me and Mirage to keep quite. We couldn't even look at each other before losing control and laughing in front of the royal court."

Sophia wiped the tears from her eyes. "I wish I could have seen that. What did the princess do then?"

"She slapped him."

Fayt approached the table as the two females exploded in a terrible laughing fit. "Uh, hi."

Blue and emerald eyes looked up and blinked. Neither girl could speak before they were hit with another laughing attack.

"Okay…" Fayt took the seat between the two and waited for them to finish.

"Sorry, Fayt," Sophia said hoarsely.

"Yeah, sorry," Maria echoed.

"So, what are we talking about?"

"Oh nothing, Fayt. Just about Maria's experiences with Quark."

Maria nodded. "I was just telling her about some of the things Cliff would do and the trouble he would get us into. It always seemed that either me or Mirage – or both – would have to help him out."

"I still can't believe he did that," Sophia said reflecting back to the previous conversation.

"Sometime when we get the chance I'll tell you some other stories."

Sophia smiled. "I would like that." She turned to Fayt. "It's getting pretty late and I'm bushed." She stood and waved. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Sophia left the kitchen feeling both good and bad. She was happy and angry at herself. Happy she had finally developed some form of friendship with Maria, and angry with herself for what she was doing. But it was for the best. Or at least she hoped it was.

Fayt had to make his mind up. He seemed to easily transfer his whole attention to one girl of the other – to her or Maria, but never both at the same time. It was like he was fighting a battle. A battle Sophia was all too familiar with. In the end it boiled down to one thing. Sophia wanted Fayt to be happy. She did love him, like she always had. She wanted him to have what was best for him, but she was tired of dealing with his dispersed emotions.

So was Maria. They had spent sometime talking about it only to discover that both girls thought the same thing. They both thought that Fayt was being too fickle. He would jump between the two so quickly it was like he was having trouble making his own mind up. And both girls were getting fed up.

Of course, Maria didn't know but Sophia had a choice of her own to make.

The two of them had come up with a plan, of sorts. Actually, Sophia felt guilty. While helping Maria she was helping herself – but Maria didn't know that. Their plan would take effect starting tomorrow. Tomorrow was the day Fayt set out to do an initial scan of Greeton. Maria would go with him and try to get what she could out of him. If she was unable to have Fayt declare some form of decisiveness, then Sophia would try again later.

Only, while they were gone, Sophia would be dealing with another issue.

She had just reached her door when her name was called. She turned and waved at Nel as she approached.

"Any luck?"

"Not yet," Sophia responded. "But I'm working on it."

Nel rested her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Let me just give you one piece of advice, nothing is set in stone. One path might look stable but it could lead to disaster. The path that looks dangerous might lead you home. You never can predict what the future holds."

"Yeah. You're right Nel. I can't say which option will be better down the road."

"Then I suggest…" Nel looked into her eyes like a mother would soothing a child. "Do what feels right."

"Thanks." Sophia gave Nel a hug before entering her room.

The whole time she changed she did her best to sort through her thoughts. What did feel right? What did she want? What did she need?

She tucked herself between the covers before scanning the room. On the night stand beside the bed sat her worry doll. After that night long ago, our young lass had carefully cut open the doll along one seam. She inserted both the flower and the note into the doll before stitching it back up. Our young lass didn't want to lose that memory and closed it up to be her secret.

That night, Sophia did something she hadn't done in years. She lifted the doll off the night stand and pulled it into the bed with her. Snuggling the item close to her cheek, she slept with it.

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Sophia was fast asleep when the door to her room opened. She didn't hear the trespasser as they entered. She was lost in her dreams. As the doll was lifter from her grasp, she simply sighed in her sleep.

A hand reached down and touched her face. She stirred. Her eyes blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the dark. Looming over her was a figure. She couldn't make out who it was, but she could tell it was male.

"Who's there?" she asked sitting up.

There was a rustle but no reply. She attempted to stand, but got no where when she felt a hand on her back. She started to yell in surprise when another hand covered her mouth.

"Don't scream," a course voice spoke from the darkness.

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(A/N) Alright, not much Sophia-Albel interactions but I thought this chapter helped define Sophia a little more. And as for the cliff-hanger… well I have two options now: 1)I can go ahead and end this story the next chapter or two –or- 2)I can keep it going on longer. I have ideas for both paths so I guess I'll take a vote.

And I should note that I really don't like Maria, but I didn't want her to be the 'bad' guy in this. So, her apology was real.

As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed :)

-Alphia people, Alphia!-