A/N: Rawr, the attack of the angst is gone…I felt so bad for Albel….and I was
watching a really sad AMV….so...yeah…it got me into the angsty mood.
Anyway…yeah, I'm a sap for sad stuff…and romancey sad stuff even more than that.

Disclaimer: Yeah yeah…you're all smart people…I'm sure you guys can figure out
that I didn't create star ocean. XD I'd probably make a mess of it and Albel
would be the hyper excited one and Fayt would be…normal. Oh dear…that doesn't
sound like much fun, does it?

By the late afternoon, Albel had brought himself under control. He no longer
looked depressed, but a melancholy air still hung over him.

"What's the plan, Albel?"

The tactic worked. A faint bit of color showed in Albel's face as he resumed his
role as the leader.

"Well, seeing how the dead bastards are inordinately fond of this place…" he
smirked.

Fayt did not like Albel's mischievous look. "What are you doing to do? You look
like you want to burn down the house or something."

"Maybe I will," Albel said cheerfully. He moved into the kitchen.

Fayt gaped at Albel's back. "What!" He had visions of the charred bodies of the
future owners of the home trapped under ceiling tiles and burnt debris.

"You heard me," Albel said calmly.

"You can't do this," Fayt protested, clutching at Albel's arm.

Albel pushed him off. "Got a blowtorch around here? A lighter or even matches?"
He rummaged in the kitchen drawer.

"We have to stay in this house to defeat the ghosts," Fayt hissed. "If you burn
it down, we'll never defeat them."

"Yes we will. They're tied to this house. If we destroy it, we'll destroy them
as well."

"We're supposed to sell the house," Fayt growled.

Albel sighed. "Look, I won't burn down the whole house, maybe just part of it.
Since the ghosts are bound to this house, destroying anything in this house is
bound to weaken them."

Fayt sighed in defeat. "Alright, you can try. Just please be careful not to let
the fire get out of control."

Albel struck a match and smiled confidentially as the glow of the flame lit his
face. "I'm always careful."

Fayt put his hands on his hips. "Oh yeah? What about the time when you-"

"Don't interrupt," Albel said brusquely. He grinned wickedly. "Now, let's start
with this window sill. I bet these curtains are very flammable."

Fayt forced himself to watch as Albel brought the match close to the window. The
edge of the curtain started to burn along with the window sill. Albel stepped
back with a smug look.

Suddenly a gust of chilled air blew through the room, extinguishing the flames
immediately.

Albel frowned as he rubbed the curtain material between two fingers. There was
no indication that it had ever been burnt. The fire was put out without a trace.

"Very interesting," Albel muttered. With a sigh, he carelessly tossed the still
smoldering match onto the couch. It burnt itself out with a hiss, the flame
never touching the fabric.

Albel's mood shifted abruptly. "So Fayt, what do we do now?" He playfully
elbowed Fayt in the side.

Fayt scowled. "Don't touch me."

Albel rolled his eyes. "Fayt, have you ever been in a relationship?"

Fayt snorted. "A gay relationship? Never."

"No, any kind of relationship."

"Well I've dated a few girls before, but-"

Albel interrupted him. "If you've ever been in any kind of relationship, you
would know the difference between flirting and just being friendly."

Fayt's eyes narrowed. "This is a completely different situation! We're trapped
in the same house, sleeping in the same bed. What do you think is going to
happen? Imagine for a second that you're a normal girl and I'm a normal guy
sharing the same bed. Wouldn't you be a little worried?"

"No," Albel said calmly. "If we were friends, you wouldn't try anything."

"But you admitted that you like me more than as a friend!" Fayt shouted.

"Fayt, I would never force you into anything you don't want. I'm not going to
rape you just because we share a bed. That's ridiculous. You're my friend. I
would never hurt you like that."

"Don't try to tell me I should recognize the different signs if someone wants to
sleep with me or just wants to sleep next to me," Fayt snarled. "I've never had
sex with anyone and I won't until I'm married."

Albel nodded solemnly. "A noble goal."

Fayt scowled. "Don't give me that look. Haven't you been waiting?"

Albel hesitated. "Yes."

"Well, aren't you going to keep waiting?"

Albel sighed. "I've been waiting, but if I meet the right person, it might not
wait anymore."

Fayt looked horrified. "Sex before marriage is a bad thing. You could get
someone pregnant and end up paying child support for the rest of your life."

Albel looked at him steadily. "I won't get anybody pregnant."

Fayt looked down. "Oh, that's right. You're gay. I had almost forgotten."

Albel sighed. "I almost wish you had. Look, Fayt, if I already know I'll marry a
person, say we're engaged or something, I think it's okay to have sex as long as
we're both willing."

Fayt went off into a tirade about the evils of sex, but Albel ignored him and
walked away.