A/N: This is rather a surprising couple for you, maybe. But I consider it worth being written about. I liked the idea that popped in my head few days ago, so I decided to share this one with all of you. Please enjoy! AND I do not own Xenosaga series or any of its characters.

Chapter One.

Millions and millions of years would still not give me half enough time to describe that tiny instant of all eternity when you put your arms around me and I put my arms around you. -Jacques Prévert

She was sitting in her room holding a cup of tea with her cold fingers, hands shaking. Long time has passed since she was shivering like that. No, she was not freezing. And she hasn't got a fever either. It is something far greater, more atrocious even. The feeling that crosses out all the logical sense in her brain. She - Shion, the former Chief engineer of Vector Industries' first R&D division, had never imagined that in a nearest two or three hundred years this aching pain in her heart will come back. But it did. And this time – for good. The moment that echoed in her mind over and over again...

And no, it is not due to the return of Kevin as a Testament. Indeed, she was stunned to see him alive, as he may seem. But in the world of living beings such thing as falling out of love is a quite common thing to happen, actually. And so she did. As Shion met Kevin face to face she felt nearly nothing. Nothing that was even close to what she felt some years back. The love, the earning for his touch, those kind feelings have vanished completely. And to her own surprise, she didn't feel dreadful about it. But the guilt and maybe a sense of regret over the fact that she wasn't able to save him was devouring her heart piece by piece, slowly. Almost unnoticeably. Shion was not quite sure exactly why her long passed away ex-lover made appearance now and never done it earlier. What is the reason? Why now? Why did he showed out of nowhere at this moment? When she was having, maybe the most complicated dilemma in her lifetime. He died, and so she must go on with her own life. Is he trying to draw her back to misery and grief?

So many questions were popping in her head that she lost the track of time.

"It's 3 A.M. already?" Shion asked no one, but herself in a sleepy voice. "I guess there is no one to blame for this matter..."

Miss Uzuki stood up from sofa and was going straight to her comfortable bed, when someone knocked on her door. It was nervous – as – ever Allen trying to say something reasonable. He blushed, tensely turning away when he saw his former chief in her bed attire. Undeniably, it was a very pleasant sight to see. When the minute of the dead silence ended, she asked Allen in the face: what do you want? Being eloquent as ever, he mumbled something about him unable to sleep very well and some other random stuff. Shion, being a good-mannered person, could not tell him to quit babbling, even though she really wanted to. After some good thirty minutes Allen left her room.

She felt completely worn out by staying up so late after such a hard day. So as soon as she reached her soft bed, she instantly fell asleep. And here, in the world of slumber, she can analyse the dilemma that occurred before her. The dilemma was her own feelings considering one particular person. The logical part of her mind states that this feeling is doubtful, just an illusion, but the other part of her mind, emotional one, clearly states that YOU, Shion, should not ignore this feeling. Then the agitated debate between these two began. And it lasted for the entire time of Shion's slumber.

She woke up pretty late, at 10:43 A.M. Starring expressionlessly at the ceiling, she silently, almost voicelessly pronounced this particular person's name. As the sound slipped from her lips, it echoed through out the whole room. Shion stretched her hands across the bed and considered that it would be wise to stop slacking off; because she was nearly one hundred percent sure that everyone was already up and busy working. She raised her body from dark blue sheets and the memory of that moment … when she nearly fell of her feet near Omega Res Novae and THAT special someone catched her … That voice, oh, if only the words that were spoken to everybody, were addressed only to her.

Shion rushed to the Professors Lab and her assumption was correct; nearly every member of the Elsa crew were here, well, except the droids.

'Well, well. Miss Uzuki finally decided to join our discussion here.' Professor was in his mockingly-sarcastic mood.

'Cut it out, already!' Jr. was defending one of his friends, this time Shion, as always. It's just the way he is.

The next one to run through the door was MOMO.

'Did I come in last again?' even though she was a Realian, she breathed heavily as if she really was worn-out from all the running.

'And hey, where's the Old Man?' Jr. asked.

'Oh, I'll go get him.' MOMO straightened up and was ready to leave.

The next moment she felt an arm on her shoulder, it was Shion.

'Don't worry about it, MOMO. You should rest a bit, I'll go get him.'

Former Chief left the room and headed straight to men's lodge. As if she was absolutely sure that the missing member was there. Shion stopped right in front of the door, because she was well aware of that women cannot enter man's room without permission. So she knocked. There was no response whatsoever. As when Shion was about to turn around and leave she felt dizzy; followed by a sharp pain in her head. Feeling sight leaving her and legs shaking; Shion was loosing balance and felt her body collapsing. A few moments later, she felt someone's breath and the voice, which seemed as if it was far away.

'…Shion…' someone called out to her. '… Shion?'

The voice was clearer now. Her eyelids opened slightly and, as if through the fog, she could see the person who was holding her. Shion's lips moved, forming a weak smile on her pale face and with trembling voice she spoke: 'So you catched me again…'

She couldn't see, but she somehow knew that this person smiled a bit in response. Shion felt her body being lift up and that she is being carried somewhere. Medical Lab, probably. Few moments after, she opened her eyes and felt that this person was still in the room along with her. Shion turned to her side and the name of the person that was looking at her now, slipped from her lips … the very same name that she mentioned earlier, this morning.

'Ziggy…' said Shion before loosing her consciousness again.