Disclaimer- I don't own Star Ocean. It is the property of the great Square-Enix and Tri-Ace.
Summary- This is a story about one young man who has a unique power that can change the outcome of a decision made by the greatest power of all. His journey to stop the impending destruction of our universe… Once he finishes dealing with the three girls hopelessly in love with him that is.
AN: A Star Ocean, Till the End Of Time novelization. This is a retelling of the game, but it does tend to focus more on the relationships than the plot at times. For the first and probably second chapter, most of the dialogue won't change. But after that, it will start to be a little different, but the plot is the same. And finally, if it isn't obvious, there will be SPOILERS for the entire game. Now the pairings so far are Fayt/Sophia, Fayt/Nel, Fayt/Maria.
Chapter 1 Broken Paradise
"Ah, that was great!" A young man of nineteen years said, walking towards the nearby chairs, stretching his long, slender arms heavenward, his sapphire colored hair glittering with sweat, and his emerald green eyes sparkling happily. He was of a slender build, looking like a well-toned athlete after a strenuous workout, which he was, but he had been not working out, but playing a virtual game. He wore a white sleeveless vest with black shorts and sandals.
"The game systems here are so awesome!" The young man said contentedly. "Phew, what a workout."
Suddenly, a young woman, perhaps around the age of seventeen, walked up to him, with an annoyed expression etched on her face. Her frame, which was shown off in large amounts by her two-piece bathing suit, was petite and quite delicate, with skin that was a light red, but looked as if it was normally an ivory color. A straw hat covered her chestnut brown hair, and she had the look of a person who had recently been down to the beach. She was holding two drinks, one for her, and one for the young man. Her smoky gray eyes, usually wide and expressive, were narrowed.
"Whoa!" The green-eyed man said, surprised to see the woman there. A bit of panic flashed in his emerald eyes, obviously remembering something. Uhoh…
The woman, despite her expression, handed him a drink.
The man took it, and smiled at her, but it was the smile of a person who remembers they forgot to do something. "Ah, hi, Sophia… You startled me. I thought you were swimming down at the beach." He said, slightly stammering and obviously nervous.
"I was waiting for you, Fayt, but you never came! You said you'd play a few games and then head right over…" Sophia said, annoyed and exasperated, as if this had happened several times before.
"Uh… I'm sorry! I didn't plan on staying so long, but I got kinda sucked in…" The sapphire haired man named Fayt stammered, Sophia's tone of voice obviously not helping his nervousness.
"All right, well, that's what I thought happened." Sophia said, almost to herself. She looked almost hurt that Fayt had forgotten her. "Didn't you say you had 'tons of homework to do' before we came to Hyda, anyway?" Sophia said, a tone of accusation in her voice, mixed in with her already established annoyance.
"But I was fighting so well today! And I leveled up a lot too, you know." Fayt protested, as if his status in a game would get him out of Sophia's ire.
"Yeah, yeah. How nice for you." Sophia muttered, still annoyed.
"Hmm, someone's in a bad mood today." The sapphire haired man muttered, shaking his head. Girls.
Sophia, however, caught his murmurs, and was quite annoyed. "What do you expect? You'd rather play games than hang out at the beach with me!" Now she was definitely hurt, Fayt could see that.
"Sophia?" He asked softly.
"Hmph!" The chestnut haired woman said, turning her head in annoyance, but also to avoid his eyes.
"You aren't…mad are you?" The emerald-eyed man asked, almost in disbelief.
Sophia looked at him, still in a huff. She was obviously used to the man's thickness with feelings, and was not as annoyed as others would be in her situation. "I'm not mad!" She huffed, looking away again, but her tone was obviously mad.
"Do you…wanna go to the beach?" Fayt asked, rubbing the back of his head. He obviously did not want this woman mad at him, which was understandable.
"I swam enough. While somebody I know was having the time of his life, playing games all by himself!" Sophia said, waving off his offer. She did look quite tired out by all the swimming.
The emerald-eyed man looked at a lost for a moment, but soon he managed to come up with another idea, that would hopefully keep him from receiving glares and the ire of his best friend. "So… Do you want to take a walk through the hotel? I bet it'll be fun. What do you say? C'mon! Please! Pretty please!?" He begged, desperate to not have an angry girl for the rest of his vacation. It would easily spoil it, like nothing else could.
Sophia looked as if she was thinking, tapping a finger against her pale chin. "Hmm, well, if you want to hang out with me that badly, I guess it's all right…" She said, shrugging, as if she was doing Fayt a favor.
"Great, let's go. Time's a wastin'!" The emerald eyed man said, grasping Sophia's hand and dragging her up to the room.
"Okay! Not so rough!" Sophia said, giggling softly. For all of his flaws, he's such a sweetie, she thought to herself as she was pulled towards her room.
The sapphire haired man stood against the wall, next to the door to Sophia's room. He looked slightly uncomfortable, the look of one who had been waiting for a long time in one place.
Boy, she sure is taking forever! I bet she's making me wait on purpose! Fayt thought, but knew that he deserved it. He would have to make it up to Sophia sometime.
As if summoned by his thoughts, Sophia stepped out of her room, the door sliding aside. She was dressed in a pink tank top, with blue jeans that were low cut, showing the barest hint of midriff. Quite a cute picture, the man noticed, but passed it off as hormones.
"Hi, Fayt!" Sophia greeted, looking at him strangely, as if she wanted him to notice her outfit.
Fayt, being the thickhead he was, didn't notice anything at all. "Took you long enough! What were you doing all that time?" He asked, exasperated, which turned out to be the wrong thing to say.
"Just changing. I didn't take that long did I? Besides, you kept me waiting—how long was it? Serves you right!" Sophia said, slightly huffy again. Fayt can be so thick sometimes!, she thought to herself.
Fayt caught onto this, at least, and passed his comment off. "Right, right…" He said, agreeing with her. There was no winning an argument with Sophia for him. He had learned that soon after they became friends.
Sophia had been part of his life forever, it seemed. Their parents had worked together back on Moonbase, and they had grown up together, hardly ever being separated.
"Are you ready?" Sophia asked.
Before Fayt could answer, his nether regions felt familiarly uncomfortable. "I need to use your bathroom first." Fayt said, and Sophia rolled her eyes and nodded, opening the door.
After Fayt had finished, he exited to find Sophia waiting for him. She was lying on her bed, and looked kind of peaceful, so Fayt decided to wait a little. He looked around the room, the standard generic hotel room of the galaxy. He saw a wrapper hanging over the trashcan, and rolled his eyes.
"Jeez Sophia, you'd better watch what you eat, or you'll get tubby."
Unfortunately, Sophia happened to hear him. "Fayt…" Sophia said, warning him in that you-just-said-the-wrong-thing voice she had.
Fayt found out what she was warning him about when he nursed his head, thinking Sophia could have easily given him a concussion. "Jeez, not so hard. Sorry." Fayt apologized.
Sophia glared at him out of the corner of her eye.
Fayt grabbed her and spun her around, looking into her smoky gray eyes with his emerald ones. "I was joking, okay? I'm really, really sorry." He said sincerely.
Sophia's anger was extinguished. She just couldn't stay mad at him, no matter what. "Fine." She said, smiling at him.
Sophia grabbed Fayt's hand, as she always did. "Shall we?" She asked, mock courteously, before pulling quickly, tugging him towards the main hall.
"Okay, just yank my arm off!!!" Fayt protested, but he smiled. It looked like he wasn't going to be given the silent treatment after all.
Fayt and Sophia had walked around a good portion of the hotel, had accidentally gone into a few rooms (the occupants didn't really mind, Hyda IV was a peaceful planet), and generally talked and laughed.
They made their way out to the beach, so that (in Sophia's words) Fayt could look at the outside world for once, not the virtual. They made their way down to the ocean, where they would fine Fayt's parents.
Fayt's relationship with his parents was not unlike most teenagers. It was strained at times, and Fayt always felt overshadowed by both of them. After all, when your parents are the leading researchers in the cutting edge field of symbological genetics, you'd be a bit intimidated. Fayt liked symbological genetics, which he took in college, but he would never be good as his parents. He wanted to carve his own path. He just needed to find out what that path was.
Before they made their way to his parents, however, a pretty girl, older than Fayt by a few years, clad in a skimpy blue bathing suit intercepted Fayt. "Well, hello there cutie!" She breathed flirtatiously, batting her eyelids at Fayt, who definitely looked uncomfortable.
Sophia's eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer to Fayt. The girl looked curious and slightly annoyed by Sophia's presence. "Who's this?" She asked, taking a step forward. "Is she like your sister or something?"
Fayt wondered exactly how they could be siblings if they looked nothing alike. The girl looked at him expectantly, along with Sophia. Fayt found himself very, very uncomfortable. He toyed with the idea of saying she was his sister or that he didn't know her, but squashed it. That girl would only leave him alone if he were already taken. But then-
Fayt felt horrified by his idea, but decided that facing Sophia was better than this girl. "Isn't she cute? She's my girlfriend." Fayt stated, trying to look away from Sophia and at the girl.
The girl looked disappointed, and groaned aloud. "Just when I find a cute boy who might be my type, he's already taken! Just my luck!" She walked off, annoyance visible in every step.
"Hey, Sophia…" Fayt said, turning towards the chestnut haired girl, who was blushing. "I'm sorry about putting you in that kind of a position. But she wouldn't leave me alone unless-"
"Its fine! Its not like I'm totally repulsed by you or anything…" Sophia said, looking at him. She didn't blame the girl for going after Fayt. Thanks to his athleticism and his constant gaming, he had a slender, but muscular build, and he really was nice, and he did look out for her a lot when they were kids. What more could a girl want?
The uncomfortable pause lasted a little longer, until Fayt caught sight of a familiar head of blue hair. "Hey! There they are!" Fayt said, trying not to sound too eager to end the uncomfortable conversation.
Sophia nodded, and together, they walked in silence towards Fayt's parents.
After a quick, yet tense conversation with his parents, with his mother scolding him for leaving Sophia alone to swim, and his father's exasperation at his constant gaming, Fayt was feeling slightly annoyed. Still, he walked off without any biting comments, and together he and Sophia made their way back to the hotel.
They explored a bit more, with Fayt looking longingly (but secretly, lest Sophia get angry with him, again) at the gaming machines. However, after a little more exploring, they discovered something.
They were slightly lost, however, and decided to try to find their way back.
Turned out to be a mistake, as they went in circles. Finally, Fayt agreed (i.e. Sophia forced him to) with Sophia to ask someone for directions.
They knocked on the door, and opened it, about to ask for directions, when a young girl jumped in front of them. She looked at them with a mix of curiosity and alarm in her cobalt eyes. Her hair was a pale blonde, almost white, and she seemed quite small, as she looked like she was a young teen. "Whaaat? Who are you? This is the Rossettis' dressing room! Hmm? Oh, I know! You want my autograph, don't you! Ah well, gotta keep the fans happy… Usually, I'd be pretty mad if someone just came barging in like that, but you're so cute I'll make an exception this time."
Fayt and Sophia blinked. How did one tiny body have enough air storage to talk so fast and so much in one breath? And… who were the Rossetis? And why was this girl trying to give them an autograph?
Fayt decided that asking a question might help the mounting confusion in his brain. "Ah… Umm…" Fayt said, looking around in confusion for a moment, grasping for something to say. Finally, he caught onto the first question in his maelstrom of thoughts. "You said the Rossettis?"
"What? You didn't know our troupe's name? Don't go forgetting it, now! Say, what's your name?" She asked, and Fayt was thankful he could understand her this time.
"Fayt… But…" Fayt said, about to explain that they just wanted directions when Sophia cut in.
"I'm Sophia."
"Right." The girl nodded, and, before Fayt could explain, she went behind him and grabbed a black marker.
"To…my…darling…Fayt… From the Fairy of Illusions, Peppita Rosetti… All done!"
The lively girl finished writing on Fayt. Sophia, curious, looked over at Fayt's back. "What the!?" She said, caught between shock and amusement.
Fayt, glancing back, caught sight of a flash of black, and protested. "Ah… Hey! You can't just draw on somebody's shirt!" Especially not mine! He added mentally.
"Huh? What? I thought you wanted my autograph!" The girl said, puzzled.
Sophia now definitely looked amused. "Nobody said anything about wanting an autograph!" Sophia said, giggling at Fayt's indignation.
"Huuuuh!? But…I mean…wha--!? But I thought… Then…you want my mama's autograph? Or…my papa's? You can't want Gonnella the Clown's autograph, or Ursus the Strongman's…right?" The little girl said, looking up at them curiously.
The same thought was running through both Fayt and Sophia's heads. Who?
"No, we're not really looking for anyone's autograph…" Fayt said, scratching his head, unsure of how the little girl kept jumping to different conclusions.
"Huh! Well, what then…are you a salesman!? Nah… Come to hink of it, you look like the kinda guy who's never done an honest
day's work in his life." The girl said matter-of-factly.
Fayt had an irrational urge to strangle this annoying little girl, but he resisted anything, even the biting, scathing remarks that were begging to leave his mouth. He also had to resist the beginnings of a headache, courtesy of the little girl.
Suddenly the girl's eyes widened in shock and horror. "I know! You're here to collect on a loan! You're too early! That loan's good until next month, they promised!!!"
"No, no!" Fayt said quickly, deciding to try and get some clue as to what was going on. "Who are the Rossettis, anyway? And what's with this 'Fairy of Illusion' stuff?" He tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice when he said 'Fairy of Illusion'.
The little girl looked slightly embarrassed. "Hmmmmmm…okay, sooo, umm… You two are just lost!?
"Well, we got kind of lost, but …" Fayt began, but the little girl gasped.
The little girl took a step back, eyes widening once more in horror. "Oh no! You're robbers!"
Fayt's eyes widened, and he quickly managed to reassure her that they weren't.
"Then what are you!? You're not one of my fans, you're not here to collect on our loan, you're not lost… So what do you think you're doing barging into our room like this!?" The little girl demanded.
"Um, I'm sorry for barging into your room. We were just taking a little walk, checking out the place and we got kind of lost, and we needed directions…" Fayt apologized, turning towards his companion. "Isn't that right, Sophia?"
Sophia, who knew Fayt was probably resisting the urge to either strangle the little girl or get some headache relief, agreed. .
"You got lost?" The little girl asked curiously.
"Yeah."
"Barging into people's rooms without knocking is rude!' That's for burglars, or lost kids, or stalkers, or groupies…" The little girl said indignantly.
"Uh…okay. Then… we'll just go." The emerald eyed boy apologized.
"Let's get out of here, Fayt." Sophia said, knowing that her best friend probably had a migraine by now.
"Good idea." Fayt muttered. Why the hell didn't I think of that? He asked himself sarcastically.
"So you were lost. That explains it. And I thought you were my very first fan… Ah well, it's not like I've performed yet. So, it did seem a little strange." The little girl said, rubbing her chin.
"You're a performer?" Fayt asked, remembering what she said earlier. He nearly smacked himself. Why didn't you just leave you idiot!
"That's right. We're the Rossetti Troupe, and we bring you a fleeting vision of the future! I'm your fairy guide, Peppita Rossetti." Peppita said, bowing and smiling.
Fayt and Sophia blinked. And in Terran that means…
Peppita rolled her eyes. "Well, if you want to hear it in plain Terran, we're a circus troupe, and I am sort of the host."
"Oh… So this shirt with your signature's going to be worth something?" Fayt said, trying to humor the girl.
The pale blond haired girl nodded, pleased. "Of course! It's the first autograph I ever signed!"
"The first!?" Fayt said, trying to sound incredulous.
Sophia resisted the urge to giggle. Fayt desperately wanted to leave, but he was also humoring the little girl.
"Tomorrow's my debut. In six months, why, you could buy a whole planet with that shirt!" Peppita said matter-of-factly.
"Oh yeah? Amazing. An entire planet. I guess I'll have to take good care of it." Fayt said, trying and almost succeeding to keep sarcasm out of his voice, while ignoring Sophia's silent giggles.
Peppita managed to catch some of the sarcasm. "Hey… You don't believe me!?" Peppita said, cobalt eyes narrowing.
"No, I believe you. I'm sure you'll be dynamite on the stage." Fayt put his hands up in a peace offering, grinning at her, to appease her.
The blond giggled. "Thanks! I'm in a good mood, so I'll give this little present to you, my first fan!" Peppita said, sounding extremely generous.
"Huh… A ticket?" Fayt said, scratching his head in puzzlement.
"Yeah, our show's tomorrow! You'd better not miss it! After you see us do our thing, you'll want to treasure that autograph for the rest of your life!" Peppita said, nodding, her tone confident.
"Gee, thanks. I'm looking forward to the show." Fayt said, this time controlling his sarcasm.
"Great! See you later, Fayt!" Peppita called out as the two of them left the room.
Sophia finally gave in to the laughter coursing through her veins as they managed to get a distance away from Peppita and the Rosettis. As she laughed, leaning against the wall heavily for support, Fayt mock glared at her.
"I suppose you found that one hilarious." Fayt said, rolling his eyes.
Sophia giggled. "Of course I did. That definitely makes up for you leaving me at the beach."
"I think I have a migraine." Fayt muttered, rubbing his temples.
Sophia grinned at him. "I can't believe how confident that little girl sounds." She said, looking back down the hallway.
"Yeah. Maybe she will do great." Fayt said, remembering the ticket in his pocket.
"You know what Fayt?" Sophia said, moving away from the wall, "We should actually check that out."
Fayt's eyes widened. "You think we should?" Fayt asked.
"Sure!" Sophia said, smiling at him.
"Well, alright." Fayt said.
It was too bad they would never get see the show.
Eventually, Fayt and Sophia's wanderings took them back to the game room.
Fayt glanced at the combat simulator longingly, a plan forming in his head.
I just remembered this hotel has one of those new combat simulator games. We have some free time, so maybe I should try to get Sophia to play a game or two with me, he thought.
Sophia noticed where they were headed and rolled her eyes. "Games again? But you were just playing! Keep playing games all the time like that and you'll turn into a brainless muscleman!" Sophia said, giggling when she imagined a hulking, bulked up version of Fayt Leingod.
"Why don't you give it a try, Sophia? It's really fun." Fayt said persuasively.
Sophia glanced at it warily. "But isn't this one of those combat simulators? Don't you have to fight? No can do… I don't like these kinds of games." Sophia said, sounding half-afraid.
She really is a gentle girl, Fayt remembered, right down to how much she valued life. Of course, some people thought that was weakness, and tried to pick on her.
Tried being the key word. Fayt, as her best friend, doubled as her protector from bullies.
Sophia, years ago, called Fayt her knight, the way he always championed for her and fought some of her battles for her.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you." Fayt said reassuringly, grinning at her, reminding her of how he always had protected her before.
Still… Sophia thought to herself, trying to back out of it. "But…" She protested, but Fayt cut her off.
"I'd never let you do anything dangerous. I promise. C'mon, try it! Just once. For me?" Fayt pleaded, reassuring her with her eyes that he'd protect her.
Sophia didn't really want to refuse, and Fayt hadn't let her down before when she was in trouble… "Well… Okay. If you say so… I guess I could give it a try." Sophia answered slowly.
"Then it's settled. Let's start at an easy level since you're a beginner." Fayt grinned, turning towards the console to ready the game.
He looked over his shoulder at the chestnut haired girl. "You'd prefer a character that uses symbology from a distance rather than one that fights up front, right?"
Sophia nodded. She did like symbology, although she wasn't prodigious in it as Fayt's parents were. "Yeah… Well… It won't hurt, will it?" Sophia asked again.
Fayt gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Beginner's level doesn't hurt at all, really." His voice and tone were soft, but firm.
"Okay… I'll give it a try," Sophia said firmly, steeling her nerve.
Fayt finished programming the console. "All right then, we're about ready."
Sophia still seemed hesitant and Fayt grinned at her, grasping her hand. She smiled at him.
The two of them ventured inside, with Fayt holding Sophia's hand reassuringly.
The two of them went into the non-descript room, the standard look of all virtual simulators.
"Welcome to the Battle Simulator. Please set Battle System parameters." The computer prompted.
Fayt looked at his best friend. "What do you wanna do, Sophia? Let's start from the beginning… You want to take a look at the instructions?" He asked.
Sophia looked lost. "I dunno… Should I?"
Fayt nodded at her. "You probably should. Otherwise it won't be much fun."
"Okay, I will. Computer, instructions."
The computer quickly rambled on about the various parameters and safety measures and all the other boring stuff Fayt had heard thousands of times, so he just zoned out. Finally, the computer stopped, and Fayt grinned.
"All right, let's play." Fayt turned towards Sophia and gave her a reassuring look.
"Computer, start."
"Player 1: Fayt Leingod. Character: Sword Master Heero Yuy. User level: AAA." The computer droned monotonously, "Player 2: Sophia Esteed. Character: Flare Witch Relena Peacecraft. User level: E. Battlefield: Remote City of Listia. Monster level: E. Setup complete."
"Continue?" The computer prompted.
"Okay. We're ready."
"Preparing to commence. This Simulation System may abort a game if it detects that player safety is at risk." The computer reminded.
Fayt rolled his eyes, tapping his foot impatiently. "I already know that. Just start." He said, annoyed.
"Confirmed. Commencing game."
They appeared in the clearly virtual, but still realistic ruins of an ancient city. Fayt now had an impressive looking one-handed long sword, while Sophia had a staff, which helped her focus symbology.
"Relena Peacecraft?" Sophia asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.
Fayt shrugged. "It was randomly generated. So was my characters name."
Before Sophia could respond, two jackal-headed, ebony skinned creatures appeared. Both held crescent shaped blades on their hands, and both wore headpieces and a skirt.
Sophia giggled at their skirts, while Fayt rolled his eyes.
"Let's go!" Fayt cried out, leaping for the two of them. He came at the first one with a lope, before swinging his sword up in a powerful blow that sent the creature flying into the air. Just as it fell from the apex of its forced jump, Fayt leapt into the air and flipped, holding his blade out, sending the demon into the air once more. As it fell to the earth, Fayt slashed it twice, finishing it off.
Sophia, meanwhile, fired off two bolts of fire, toasting the other creature, which squealed in pain before charging at her again. She fired a barrage of ice needles after that, which slashed into the creature, but it still kept coming, so Sophia had to leap back several times, before a well-timed slash from Fayt, which glowed blue sent the creature away from her. Sophia finished it off with another Fire Bolt, burning the creature, which howled with pain before disappearing.
The ancient city disappeared, and the simulation ended, leaving both teens sweating, though Sophia a lot less than Fayt. She wiped her hand over her forehead. "Sigh… That wore me out…" She breathed.
Fayt shot her a pleased grin. "But wasn't it fun?"
"Well, it wasn't too bad, I guess." Sophia said dismissively, but she did note that it was fun, and watching Fayt knock that monster away from her had been breathtaking…
Fayt decided not to push for another round. "What do you say we stop now and go get a bite to eat or something? You look pretty bushed."
Sophia looked slightly relieved. "Yeah, I'm beat." She said tiredly.
Fayt snorted. "You need more exercise!" He teased.
Sophia huffed and glowered at him. "Guess I'm just a fatty." She muttered.
The sapphire haired man quickly realized he made a mistake, and added, "No one's saying that." He looked for a way out of this mess, and quickly managed to say, "Hey! Let's go find my mom and dad."
Sophia agreed, and the two of them moved towards the exit.
However, just before they reached it, a loud rumbling, like an incoming earthquake or space ship launch rocked the building.
"What the hell!" Fayt swore, grabbing Sophia to hold her steady. She clung to him willingly, frightened.
"Level two tremor detected. The system will be temporarily deactivated for your safety. We apologize for any inconvenience." As if to answer his question, the computer responded.
"An earthquake?" Fayt muttered. That's not possible! Hyda IV has no tectonic activity!
As if to disprove his thoughts, a loud rumbling was heard once more. Sophia shrieked in fright, and Fayt instinctively pulled her closer.
"Holy-" Fayt didn't manage to complete the oath before an announcement interrupted him.
"This is an emergency alert. Hyda IV is currently under attack by unidentified spacecraft. All civilians should follow immediate evacuation instructions on the nearest console. I repeat: All civilians…" The voice sounded calm, but there was a tone of panic just beneath the surface.
"Computer! What's going on!" Fayt demanded.
"Remote Station #7, Hyda III, and Hyda IV are currently under attack by unidentified ships. Remote Station #7 has scrambled its own ships to mount a counterattack, but they are outnumbered and therefore unable to provide evacuation assistance to Hyda IV." The computer answered after a moment of gathering information.
"Oh hell," Fayt muttered. "Unidentified ships attacking? Show me!"
"Standby for video display."
Suddenly, a view screen appeared out of thin air, showing a blood red ship flying in mid-air. Just then, a building gave out a fiery explosion, sending an easily seen sphere of fire and concentrated air at the surrounding buildings, damaging them heavily.
"Holy shit…" Fayt whispered, while Sophia only looked on in horror and silence.
The announcer suddenly came back on. "As an emergency measure, all transporters have been directly linked to the Evacuation Terminal. Please commence evacuation by following the established route. I repeat: Please commence…"
Sophia was terrified now. In a trembling voice she whispered, "Fayt…"
Fayt, despite his own fear and nervousness, grinned at her. "Don't worry, Sophia. I'll stick with you."
"Th-thanks." She said, stuttered and managing a weak smile.
Fayt looked grim for a moment, before turning resolute. I've never seen anything like those ships before. I hope mom and dad are okay. Well, whatever they are, first things first. We need to get the hell out of here. He turned towards Sophia. "Let's go."
Sophia nodded, and the two of them got out. As they got out, Sophia asked breathlessly, "Hey, Fayt. I'm really worried about your mom and dad. Do you think they're okay?"
Fayt looked contemplative for a moment, caught between his own fear and the desire to reassure Sophia. The latter won. "I'm sure they'll be fine. They're smart enough to head down to the transporters too. "
Sophia smiled at him. "Yeah, they are."
As the two of them ran for it, a kiosk clerk came by, panicking. A moment later, a mother grabbed her child and took off for the transporters, with Fayt and Sophia trailing close behind. They ran into a short-haired employee who was ushering everyone calmly towards the transporters, obviously holding a mask of professional calm.
"Due to the state of emergency, all transporters have been redirected to send guests to a special floor, where a large transporter waits to take you to the Emergency Shelter. After the arrival of all guests at the shelter has been confirmed, the transport jammer located in the evacuation facility will be activated. Please evacuate in an orderly and speedy manner." The employee said with calm efficiency.
The two of them quickly managed to get into a transporter, and in a flash of light, they reached a new hallway.
As the two of them got out, Fayt caught sight of a familiar face. "Hey!"
Suddenly, Mr. and Mrs. Leingod managed to run up to them, obviously very relieved.
"Uncle Robert and Ryoko!" Sophia said in relief.
"I'm glad you're both here." Fayt's father said, nodding his head in relief.
"You too." Fayt said, nodding back.
Mrs. Leingod quickly embraced Sophia, looking almost tearful.
Fayt's mother looked concernedly at both teens. "What a relief. I was so worried." She whispered.
"What's going on, Dad? Is Aldian attacking?" Fayt asked, remembering the opposing factions who were currently at war with the Federation.
Fayt's father rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Probably not. From the looks of their weapons, it's most likely…" He trailed off, obviously unsure what to say.
Fayt raised a questioning eyebrow. "Most likely…what?"
Mr. Leingod quickly waved his hand dismissively, as if to knock the question aside. "Never mind—we must get out of here. Let's go." He said quickly.
Fayt looked suspicious, but followed the others as they headed down to the transporter.
One man stopped them, wearing the gray uniform of a Federation soldier. "Please wait here." He said, raising his hand.
"Is something wrong?" Robert asked.
As a second soldier went behind him, the soldier shook his head. "There's a long line to use the transporter up ahead. You'll have to wait your turn here."
Robert nodded reluctantly, looking over at his family and Sophia. "I see. We'll wait, then."
Just then, however, alarms blared and another, smaller explosion rocked the area. The second soldier swore. "How in the hell did they get in this far!" He turned towards the group. "Get going! Keep moving forward!!!" He yelled.
Sophia turned towards Fayt, looking scared again. "Let's get out of here!!!"
Fayt agreed with her sentiment, and they moved to leave, but before they could, three guys with strange blue clothing similar to trench coats and white faces that looked like a shark mask stepped onto the area. They looked like sharks, with predatory grace and a muscular, tall build, and the crimson rifles they held did not diminish the image. "Here they are!" One of them shouted, pointing at Fayt's group.
One of the soldiers raised his rifle. "Run for it!" He barked. The group took off, but it wasn't fast enough.
The enemy soldiers were a bit smarter or more accurate, firing off their shots quickly, demolishing the two soldiers, who dropped like rocks with smoking holes in them.
Ryoko looked towards her husband, concerned, glancing back at Fayt and Sophia. "Robert…" She said.
Robert nodded at his wife, also glancing at his son and Sophia. "Yes—as I suspected." He said wearily, turning towards his son. I feared this might happen.
Fayt looked concerned and suspicious. "Dad?" He asked warily.
Both his parents looked at him, as if trying to memorize his features, as if it would be the last time they ever saw each other. "Run you two!" His father yelled.
"Uncle Robert!" Sophia gasped.
"Just get out of here!" Robert Leingod barked out angrily.
"But-" Fayt protested, but his mother cut him off.
"Get moving now! You have to protect her!" She said imploringly, looking at Sophia and Fayt. "Make sure you survive!"
Mr. Leingod nodded firmly. "That's right. Now hurry. Don't worry about us!"
A moment of silence overcame the group, despite the enemy soldiers barreling towards them. Robert spoke up. "It's all right. We'll be at the Evacuation Facility soon." He said reassuringly.
Fayt looked at his father with wide, demanding eyes. "Promise, Dad?" He whispered.
"Promise!" Robert Leingod barked, and along with his wife, they turned to face the enemy.
"Let's go, Sophia!" Fayt said hoarsely, tugging on her arm.
Sophia cast a glance at the people who had been like an Aunt and Uncle to her for what seemed like forever, and bowed, before turning back to Fayt. "Okay!" She nodded.
The soldiers seemed to notice their departure. "They're getting away! Use the incapacitator!" The same soldier who spoke before barked out quickly, and two spider-like walker robots, obviously the Incapacitators, tore off towards Sophia and Fayt.
Fayt swore again, and grabbed a metal pipe with a fragile half off the wall, breaking it in half, giving the more fragile piece to Sophia. "Let's take 'em." Fayt snarled, a feral look on his face.
The two of them ran at the Incapacitators, metal pipes raised up high. Fayt, remembering how he fought in the games, used the same upwards slash he had used just minutes before. The robot flinched, its underside dented and sparking. Fayt smashed it twice more in the 'eye' like section of its top, before it collapsed, twitching before going dark.
Sophia, not being as physically strong as Fayt, had only dealt minor dents to the robot, which fired several stun beams at her. She took one to the arm and flinched at the shock, but smashed it in the eye, damaging it. As Fayt ran over, the two of them quickly finished it off.
However, three more ran towards them, and quickly surrounded them, but didn't use their beam weapons yet.
"Dammit!" Fayt swore, pulling the chestnut haired girl behind him protectively.
"I'm scared." Sophia whispered.
"Don't worry. Just stay behind me." Fayt whispered reassuringly, holding the metal pipe as he did the sword in his game. If this were like his video games, he would have easily destroyed them…
"O-okay." Sophia managed, but looked hesitant to simply hide behind Fayt.
What in the hell are we going to do? There's too damn many of them… Fayt thought to himself, before a miracle occurred in the form of all three Incapacitators exploding quickly in succession.
"Who the-" Fayt managed, before a concerned voice rang out.
"Hey Fayt, Sophia. You okay? You hurt?" A familiar, if more serious and concerned voice asked.
"Is that-" Sophia said, eyes widening.
Fayt, despite his annoyance in his previous encounter with the little girl, was glad for the save. "Thanks Peppita." He said gratefully.
"I came to check out what the racket was about and found you guys in trouble…" Peppita said, looking at the wreckage of the Incapacitators.
Suddenly, a large man with a brown beard and kind eyes lumbered towards them, wearing a costume, looking concernedly at Peppita. "Lil' lady!" He said quickly.
Peppita looked at the man, rolling her eyes. "Whatdaya want Ursus…" She began, before she noticed what was behind him. "What the-!?"
Three more of the spider-walkers ran up to them, glowing red eyes blinking.
"Man! This is NOT what we need right now." Peppita said, rolling her eyes. She pointed at one of them. "Ursus, take care of that one! Let's go, you two!"
Although Fayt was generally opposed to following little girls into battle, especially since he didn't think such a small, delicate looking girl could-
His train of thoughts was interrupted when said little girl smashed in the robotic eye of one of the robots with a spin move. "Holy shit!" He whispered, before his shoulder got slashed by one of the burning crimson stun beams of the robot.
After that, he and Sophia double-teamed the remaining of the robots, sending it back to robot hell.
"Well, that was-" Fayt began, but three more Incapacitators slipped past Ursus and charged the trio.
"There's more!?" Peppita groaned, before charging back into the fray.
This time, Fayt wasn't distracted (just barely) by the acrobatics of the twelve-year old girl who easily avoided the red beams and hammered away with incredible strength and agility at one robot.
Fayt avoided one beam, the burn on his arm still fresh, before he managed to deal a massive overhand blow to the robot, followed up by a powerful kick to its eye, shattering it. Fayt finished it with a sound smash to the side.
Sophia, obviously starting to get the hang of combat, dealt several smashes to the robot before it collapsed. "I did it…wow…" Sophia whispered, looking at the pile of junk she had created.
"Phew… Piece of cake!" Peppita said, wiping her brow with her hand.
"How did you… never mind." Fayt said, grinning. "Thanks for the help."
"No problemo!" The blond said, grinning at him before going serious. "But we should get outta here. There'll be more of
those things coming! It's already a complete disaster over that way." She added, looking away, missing Fayt's horrified expression.
However, both Sophia and Fayt were too horrified to move.
"C'mon, let's get outta here!" She motioned with her hands, waving towards the exit once she noticed they weren't moving.
"A complete disaster… But, my parents!" Fayt cried out in horror, turning quickly and moving back towards the area they had just left. There was a firestorm down there, a firewall keeping him from his parents.
However, Sophia, being able to keep her head under fire, stepped in front of him. "Hey, wait a sec! Fayt!? Forget it!" Sophia protested, meeting his wild gaze with her calm one. "Didn't you hear Peppita? It's too dangerous back that way!"
"But-" Fayt said helplessly, looking back where he had last seen his parents. The hallway seemed to stretch on forever, leaving his parents just beyond his sight, beyond his reach. The only thing he could see were mocking flames.
But Sophia would have none of it. "Forget it!"
Peppita glanced back at the two, having turned back earlier. "Come on you two! I already said it was too dangerous!" She called out.
Sophia looked pleadingly at the young girl. "Please stop him! He says he's going back!"
The blond looked shocked. "What? Back…there!?" She cried out incredulously.
Fayt turned towards her, protesting quickly, "My mom and dad are back there! I have to go help them!"
But Peppita, like Sophia, knew it was hopeless. "No."
"Outta my way!!!" Fayt yelled, trying to dash back there, but the girls held him back.
"Didn't you hear me? It's an inferno back there!" The blond said.
"It's way too dangerous!" Sophia added.
"C'mon you two, out of my way!" Fayt growled threateningly.
Peppita picked up on it, and lost her temper. "Ohhh, that's it! Ursus?" She called out.
The strong man grabbed the young man and hoisted him up like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, bearing him to the exit.
"Let go of me, damnit! My parents are back there!" Fayt yelled desperately, "Mom! Dad!"
Peppita met his fierce gaze, a firm look in her eyes. "Look, we'll all die if we don't get out of here, now!"
Sophia and Peppita ran down the hallway, with Ursus and his unwilling passenger following. They reached the transporter and dashed inside as a group, before disappearing in a flash of light.
As they left Hyda IV, Fayt caught one last glimpse of the inferno he had last seen his parents in, and cried out in frustration and anger, which echoed like a ghost's cry as he disappeared.
AN: I don't own the names Heero Yuy or Relena Peacecraft, but I did want a nod to one of my favorite anime instead of some random names. Sophia is one of the three girls. The others won't show up till later. And yes, you will have to guess. Opinions on which girl Fayt should end up with are always welcome! The next chapter might take a while, as I'm juggling this and a bunch of other projects. Thanks for reading and please review!