Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time Fan Fiction ❯ Yaoi Ocean 3 ❯ Chapter Eleven: The Fourth Dimension ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Chapter Eleven

The Fourth Dimension

The showers were typical military-grade—which meant that it was nothing fancy, and also that it was all rather open. The floor was wet, so someone had been in there before them. Fayt recalled that the person he had spoken to had told them that all the soldiers onboard had gotten up much earlier and had already showered before they relieved the other soldiers, so they could expect no one to come in.

Fayt wasn't sure how he felt about that exactly. They had all agreed to be more discreet and “cool it” for a while. All the same… Because of the obvious implications that they could very well have another sexual encounter here, undressing was more self-conscious than it needed to be. Fayt just hurried out of his clothes to the shower. Cliff had beat him to it. Albel glanced at the other two, and down at his left arm. Baths were easy; he could just keep it out of the water, but not a shower. It would get wet, and he really didn't want it to get rusty… Ah, hell. They both had seen his arm anyway. He pulled off the gauntlet and followed the others inside.

“Not very flexible, are ya, Fayt?” Cliff teased upon seeing Fayt trying to scrub his back. Fayt sighed, flustered, water dribbling down his face, dripping from his hair.

“Well, you could do it,” he said, his tone bordering on suggestive. It didn't work for him, and he realized it right after he said it. When Cliff started laughing, he rolled his eyes and tried to do it himself, but then Cliff pulled the soap out of his hand and turned him around.

“You can get my back too,” Cliff said in a fake suggestive voice meant to mock Fayt. Fayt stomped on his foot with his heel. The blonde only laughed again. As Cliff scrubbed Fayt's lower back, a mischievous grin spread across his face. Albel happened to be looking, so saw the expression. Their eyes met. Cliff gestured to Fayt with his free hand in such a way as that the Earthling didn't see it. Albel caught the meaning, and his lips curved into a slow, sly smile. Fayt was looking down and didn't see any of the exchanges the other two made.

Cliff pulled his hand with the soap away and used his other hand to massage Fayt's shoulders and neck. He leaned down a little, quickly slipping the hand with the soap between the Earthling's legs, up, and…

Fayt yelped, jumping out of the way. He spun around, his back to the wall, face flushed crimson from more than just the heat. “Cliff!”

“I thought the soap could act as a lubricant,” he said, advancing on him.

If it was possible, Fayt's face got even redder. He felt his ears burn. “I thought we all agreed that…”

Albel was suddenly there too, closing in on the other side. “But no one else is here.”

“And no one will be coming in either,” Cliff added.

It was really hard to say no when both of them were looking at him like that. He also had the idea that if he said no, the two of them would just pounce on him anyway. He imagined that a deer had to feel a lot like this when it was cornered by wolves. “Well…” He desperately tried to think of an argument for this aside from the obvious—that someone could walk in at any minute. Of course, that someone would have to walk around the corner, through the locker area, and on to the showers first, but the three of them sure as hell wouldn't hear it. He also knew that the rebuke for that would be that all the soldiers on board had already showered.

Albel had had enough “persuasion.” He picked Fayt up and drug him over to the far wall. “Wall” was actually an understatement. The wall only came up about chest-high to Fayt and separated the shower from the locker area. Cliff looked on with rapt interest. Albel hopped on to the wall, spun around to face Fayt and grabbed him by the hair. He hauled his head down on to his groin with slightly more force than absolutely necessary. Fayt opened his mouth to protest. The other used his hand to push himself inside the Earthling's mouth instead, stifling any objection Fayt might have.

Albel jerked his hips and rammed himself in to Fayt's mouth several times, using it like he might use another part of him. Fayt gagged, pulled his head back as much as Albel's grip on his hair would allow, and did it himself, which was more agreeable. Cliff moved behind Fayt to join them. He gripped Fayt's hips with one hand, and, as stated before, used the soap as a lubricant for both Fayt and his fingers. He worked at loosening him for a short time, watching the expressions on Albel's usually detached face, before he removed his fingers and gripped Fayt's hips in both hands, pushing himself in to him. Fayt groaned.

Cliff leaned forward, kissing Albel passionately, pushing his tongue into the others mouth. Fayt had to put his hands on the ledge to steady himself. They found Albel's thighs instead. He kneaded the taught muscle. He liked the way it felt, especially when the other tensed slightly only to relax. He could feel all the muscle in his thighs. He could even feel the blood pounding in the arteries. The Klausian moved one of his hands down to encircle Fayt's erection. Water poured down his back from the showerhead. Water droplets dripped on to Fayt's back from the blonde's hair and chest.

Albel's free hand—the left one—came up, touching the back of Cliff's neck tentatively. Cliff ran his tongue over the other's lips, brushing against his teeth. Albel's grip tightened, but not uncomfortably so. Fayt trailed his hand up the Elicoorian's thighs, to his groin. He used his hand in conjunction with his mouth, moving his thumb along the vein. He stretched his tongue out, out of his mouth. It brushed the base, tasted the damp hair and skin. It hurt a little, but Albel's delicious moan had been well-worth it. Slowly, he pulled his tongue back inside his mouth.

Cliff had to move slowly to keep Fayt from choking on Albel. In addition, he figured that if he thrust hard enough, the Earthling might pitch forward suddenly and possibly even unbalance Albel enough to knock him off the ledge—not a good thing. It was frustrating, but it felt good anyway. He was getting used to having to be careful, and this wasn't too different.

Despite Fayt's lack of experience, he was growing to be fairly good at pleasuring the other two. Because of the position, it was difficult to really do anything for Cliff, but he tried anyway. He moved forward, then pushed back against the blonde, jerking his hips slightly again, arching his back to give him a better angle. But he couldn't focus solely on Cliff; he still had Albel. Sex is a lot of work, he mused. He felt Albel's grip on his hair slacken. He didn't question why, but continued with a little more freedom to move his head as he pleased, teasing Albel with his teeth and tongue.

The Elicoorian's hand slid partway down Fayt's back, rubbing along his spine, before his fingers trailed up Cliff's chest, the nails lightly grazing his flesh. He rubbed his thumb on one of the blonde's nipples, using the water to his advantage. He pinched the hard nub, rolling it in two fingers.

Cliff groaned, then gasped when Fayt twisted his hips and jerked back against him again. His lips parted from Albel's as he panted. Albel lowered his head, licking the water off of his chest, seeking his nipples with his tongue, rolling his tongue over it. Albel bit his nipple lightly, teasing him. His hands roved over his chest. The Klausian moaned again. When he came, he hadn't really been expecting it, so intense was his concentration on the other two, but it was a pleasant surprise anyway. He panted for a moment. Fayt squirmed, moaning softly, continuing to use his mouth on Albel.

Cliff stepped away, back in to the full stream of the shower. He tilted his head back in it. It felt pleasant.

Albel pushed Fayt away enough to climb down. The side of the wall was growing uncomfortable. He pushed Fayt back against the wall and moved back to where Cliff had been previously. He easily slid inside Fayt. A little looser than he would have liked—he had Cliff to thank for that. But those things can be fixed. Albel raised his hand and slapped Fayt on his rump, hard enough to make a handprint. Fayt clinched around him with a small cry. Albel groaned; that was better.

He rammed in to Fayt with enough force to make the other slam against the wall with a cry of surprise as well as pleasure. He held on to him, pounding in to him. He felt Cliff's hands gently encircle his throat. He made a sound like a purr of pleasure when he realized what Cliff had in mind. He felt his fingers squeeze around his throat. He gasped. One of his hands sought Fayt's groin. His fingers clenched around him. Fayt thrust in to them, then back against Albel. Cliff nuzzled his face against Albel's dripping wet hair, inhaling the aroma.

He could hear Albel's strangled moans, but never looked to see the cause. He didn't think he could really last too much longer.

When it ended, it happened to end at about the same time. Fayt slumped against the wall, then leaned down on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He felt dizzy, his thighs ached, and his rear end was a little sore—but he felt really good too.

Albel turned around, leaning heavily against the wall. Cliff kissed him briefly and looked at Fayt, smiling. He really did look cute like that… But he needed to continue his shower; they would be to Styx soon after all.

Cliff resumed his shower. Albel went back to washing. After Fayt had caught his breath, so did he. Somehow, Fayt ended up washing Albel's hair and trying to detangle it. This occurred because he had finished washing off and Albel was more or less attacking his long hair with a comb to try to untangle it, and was getting impatient. Fayt snatched the comb away and dumped a disturbing amount of shampoo on Albel's head, and then made it his civic duty to wash the Elicoorian's hair. How had it gotten so messy? He had an idea that Cliff was the culprit.

Cliff finished his shower long before the other two did. He left to go to his room.

“How did this happen?” Fayt demanded for the umpteenth time. Albel sighed deeply. He was sitting on a wooden stool, Fayt standing behind him with a comb. He had just finished shampooing and conditioning his hair. He rinsed it out and began to comb it. The knots came out a little easier this time and eventually he got all the tangles out of his straight hair.

“I never really realized it before, but you have a mullet,” Fayt commented.

Albel flicked water at him indignantly. “No. My hair is layered. Mullets are short in the front.”

“Whatever…” Fayt saw something on his neck and lifted his hair. “You have bruises on your neck.” Fayt leaned in a little closer. They looked like fingers. Cliff… He straightened. “Let's go to the sick bay after this, and get rid of it before anyone notices it. I don't think your collar will hide all of it.” Cliff had big fingers.

“Hmph. Fine.”

After the shower, Fayt stuck Albel underneath a hair dryer for several minutes until his hair was dry. Albel was not pleased, but it was faster than towel-drying his hair, so he didn't complain. They got dressed and the Earthling drug the Elicoorian along to the sick bay. The nurse inquired as to how he ended up with those bruises. Fayt looked away, not knowing how to answer. When he heard Albel start to answer, he almost panicked because he wasn't sure if he would tell the truth or do the sensible thing and lie. For once, he did the sensible thing and Fayt let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

“I irritated Cliff until he decided to strangle me,” Albel said, his voice as flat as 21st-century road kill.

Fayt wasn't certain that the nurse believed him, but the nurse didn't care enough to inquire further. Instead, the bruises were healed and they went on their way. The hickey had also been healed, though not asked about.

Fayt went back to his room alone for the rest of the trip to Styx. The captain paged him and the others to the bridge. By the sound of the message, things weren't good. Fayt worried all the way to there. He caught up to Cliff and they exchanged worried looks before they rushed in to the room. The others were already inside. Wittcomb addressed them all once Fayt and Cliff joined the rest of the group.

They couldn't transport them down to the surface. Not because they were giving up, but because the conditions to do so were impossible, what with the Executioners and such. Still, they had a solution. The Aquaelie and her crew would sacrifice themselves for Fayt's group to make it to the planet Styx. Needless to say, Fayt didn't like the idea, but it was the only option. Cliff and Maria were the first to agree to the plan. But they would be; they had been in the Commodore's place before, and they understood.

They took a last look at the Commodore and the grim crew and left to the transporter to the small ship they would take to the planet's surface. No one spoke. No one looked at each other. Fayt tried not to look at any of the nervous crewmembers as they passed them by. He didn't want to remember their faces when the Aquaelie went down. It was selfish, but it was true. The guilt welling inside him blossomed like a ghastly flower when he stepped on to the transporter.

That flower bloomed when he sat down in the shuttle ship, Calnus. All those people were going to die for them. They did; they took out most of the Executioners around the planet, but it only took one to end it. It made Fayt sick to his stomach to watch, and sicker still to think of all those people dying for him and the others. He had to do whatever he could to save whatever was left of the universe, and he felt determined to do so. If anything, now he was just more determined not to let their deaths be in vain.

Hope renewed—or perhaps not renewed but revitalized—they landed and set out for the Time Gate.

Going there was slow and dangerous—the place was littered with the Executioners and it was easier to avoid them than battle every single one of them. After some time, they realized that they had gone in a complete circle. They looked around. All the area around Styx looked the same.

Maria pressed her lips together. “Should we split up and look for it?”

“We'll be more vulnerable that way,” Fayt pointed out.

“But we'll cover more ground,” Cliff said. “If we can avoid fights, and stay in contact through our communicators, we should be fine.”

Sophia looked nervous. Fayt rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder briefly. She looked up at him and smiled. “Okay. Time is valuable, so I guess we'll split up,” Fayt decided. The number was uneven. “So three will go one way and two will go the other.”

Cliff looked at the group, trying to gauge each person's strengths and weaknesses. He himself was a tank, Fayt was a well-rounded warrior, Albel was a warrior, Sophia a healer/mage, and Maria a warrior. Maria and Albel would be in separate parties. Fayt and Sophia, as both could heal, should also be kept in separate parties. Fayt with Albel, then. Then which party was more vulnerable? The girls, or the guys? Sophia looked like she could use some support. They divided up the party and the two groups set out immediately.

The party of three headed on their way in a tight cluster. The other two took off down the other path. There were a couple forks the way they went—both of which lead to a dead end. Fayt contacted Cliff and informed him as much before they headed back in an effort to catch up with the others.

They narrowly avoided a fight with an Executioner and sprinted away. They stopped around the corner in a shelter of a rock to catch their breath.

“This is against my nature,” Albel grumbled.

Fayt wiped at the sweat on his brow. “What else can we do? We can't fight all of them; we'll get killed. It's better just to dodge them, right?”

It didn't sit well with the other, but he didn't say anything.

Once this is over, Fayt wondered, will we all go our separate ways?

The end seemed to be in sight. Once they completed their goal, what would happen then? Albel was wondering the same thing. And, a distance away, so was Cliff.

Well, if it ended, it ended. Better just enjoy the moment while it lasts. Taking full advantage of that thought, the Glyphian leaned towards Fayt and kissed him, pushing his tongue in to his mouth. Their tongues met, alien saliva spread into each other's mouths. Their lips pressed against the others, each filled with questions about the future, and pleasure in the present. It was Fayt who stepped away, knowing that something more important was going on. “Let's get going,” he said.

Albel sighed and they continued on. Cliff had stopped to wait for them, and they caught up quickly enough. The group persistently marched onward. In due time, they reached the Time Gate.

Once there, they arrived at a stalemate because Sophia, their key through the Time Gate, did not know how to make her powers manifest. Cliff was about to suggest that, because Maria's as well as Fayt's powers manifested under extreme emotional stress that perhaps Sophia's would as well. Therefore, if logic followed reason, which it usually did though not always, they should all attack her at once, but then the Time Gate moved and several screens popped up in it.

Before Cliff could state his plan, he was once more interrupted. Sophia's powers abruptly manifested, and the Time Gate opened for them. After they held a brief discussion about the 4-D space on the other side, expressed their opinions and fears, they charged in blindly. It was similar to charging through a doorway, expecting some kind of resistance, and finding none, as well as being as disorienting as simply ending up on the other side of the door when expecting something strange to happen.

There were people on the other side, and all them freaked out a little when they saw them step through the Gate.

Somehow, they were expecting a little more than what they saw. For one, they were expecting some kind of battle—most likely immediately. They were expecting to be attacked immediately, for alarms to sound, for Executioners to be everywhere. Most of all, they were expecting the Creator.

But none of this happened. Instead, normal-ish people backed away in fear or ran away. A few were completely calm, only curious, and talked about a “new feature.” All in all, it was baffling. Was this really 4-D space?

The group talked amongst themselves for a moment as they tried to get a handle on the situation at hand.

A young boy ran up to them excitedly. “Hey, did I hear you say `Executioner'?”

Fayt, a little puzzled, replied, “Uh, yes, you did.”

Some brief introductions ensued. The boy urged them to come to his house under the pretense of showing them something. A little suspiciously, the group agreed and followed him.

When the boy, Flad, led them to his house, his mother greeted him robotically. Then, she saw the troupe behind him. “Flad, who are these people?” she demanded. “And what's with the weird outfits?”

How are our outfits weird? Fayt wondered. Well, his clothes weren't exactly “typical” for a college student, but he hadn't received that reaction once before. Maybe Albel's outfit was a little off, but as for the rest of them…

Flad assured his mother that they were friends. She didn't look convinced. Flad went to his room and the group followed. Once inside, he sat down at a computer console and asked Fayt his name and place of birth. Flad checked on something and his eyes lit up with obvious delight upon finding whatever it was he sought.

The things Flad said next were a bit disturbing. He mentioned a woman named “Blair” and told them that they were from the “Eternal Sphere.” He then played a video of the battle between the Aquaelie and the Executioners on the computer screen. It was all quite chilling, but not the most eerie thing he said.

Apparently, Fayt and the others were actually just a collection of data—programs—living inside the Eternal Sphere, which functioned like a computer game. This did not sit well with any of them. Sophia had a sarcastic comment or two having to do with Fayt's video game obsession that she kept to herself. Albel seemed to take it the best, and Fayt knew why. Being from an underdeveloped planet, he had never played video games, so he didn't understand the full scope of the issue. Fayt was a little envious actually, because the idea that they existed only as a toy for these 4-D beings wasn't as prominent in the Elicoorian's mind.

However, before they really got anywhere, some security officers showed up, demanding that they surrender. Not happening. Flad seemed rather indignant at this, as it was his mother who called them. Parents have a bad tendency to suck the fun out of everything.

After they beat up the security squad, they commented to one another about how easy the fight was—disturbingly easy, in fact.

“I thought everyone in 4-D would be tough, like the Executioners,” Cliff commented. It was everyone else's sentiments too. So many strange things had happened since they stepped through the Time Gate.

Flad gave them a disk and told them to look at in “Gemity.” His mother yelled at him in typical parental uptight-ness.

The group headed out and wandered around for a bit. Some people surveyed their outfits, but otherwise didn't comment much except to say that they looked good, or to ask them if they were going to Gemity. It all made Fayt's head spin. What was “Gemity,” exactly?

At the terminal, it said that Gemity was an entertainment city. Well, they were supposed to be programs in a video game, so Fayt supposed that that made sense. Still, being so close to really discovering something potentially useful, it was kind of exciting but troubling at the same time. So much they had discovered had been troubling, so Gemity might reveal still more troubling things, but if it would help, they had to go.