A/N – The original prolog was utter crap, disjointed and forced. Way back in the day 100series gave me some pointers and while I heard her I don't think I knew how to implement them…so almost 4 years later here is me tweaking it, can't find the notes 100 gave me but I hope it's now better than it was.
Also, I have decided not to capitalize Momo as its now more her name than her designation.
A Tangled Web...
"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed." - Carl Jung
The majority of the story takes place 5-6 years after the events of XSII. The prolog is one year after XSII
Prolog
"Why did I do that Shion?" asked Momo as she laid her head into the Vector employee's lap, trembling gently with heartache and confusion. "I miss him already!"
Shion could only shake her head and try to comfort the girl. She never imagined Momo would break up with Jr. Facing Albedo, Gnosis and piecing her mind back together was nothing compared to the pain Momo was going through.
"You did it because you felt it was the best thing you could do under the circumstances." murmured Shion. "He was gone all the time on missions; even though you were together you really weren't, and that's not fair to either of you".
"I know that is who he is and thought I could learn love it as part of him. I do love him for it; it was just easier when we weren't together." Gasped MOMO between sobs. "I tried so hard"
Softly stroking the young realians pink hair, Shion tried to help her friend. "The type of person you are Momo is so kind and giving, but there has to be someone there to receive your love and attention."
Still quivering, Momo realized she may have pushed Jr away forever. "Do you think we can still be friends Shion? I want him in my life, but I don't know if he wants me in his now".
"Oh Momo, of course he does!" Shion said confidently, "He is going to need some time to deal with this in his own way, but I don't think he will stop caring for you."
"At least I hope he can get over it." She thought darkly, remembering the Encephalon dive into Momo subconscious and how long he had felt guilty over Sakura.
With a small sad smile, Momo looked up at Shion. "I was so happy when everything calmed down for a little while. We could spend some time together; I finally had a chance to tell him how I felt, and when he said he felt the same for me...it was like the world just stopped."
Momo sighed deeply before continuing. "But after a few months, things started to change; he had to leave more often and longer every time. At first it was kind of exciting waiting for him to come back, but then he was home less and less between having to go"
"You said you were working with a new orphanage in Sector 26, right?" asked Shion.
Nodding her head in response, Momo looked about her large, but sparse living quarters; sunlight streaming in through the wide bay window over-looking the Kukai's private beach. "We talked over the UMN when he could, but it wasn't the same. The orphanage was great at first, the kids where so much fun; but after a while it reminded me that I was there because Jr was gone."
Not wanting to interrupt, Shion gently squeezed the girls shoulder, waiting for her to continue.
"He would send me little gifts whenever he could, and I enjoyed them, but it just made me miss him all the more." she said, breaking into tears again.
"Even when he was home, I barely got to see him; Gaignun needed him for something, or there was this and that with the Containment Area that came up." She explained.
Not knowing how to help the heart broken girl, Shion rocked her tenderly, feeling the misery pouring out of her. "Didn't you tell me you were going to fill in for one of your sisters once in a while, so you could spend more time with him?"
"Yes and I did for a bit, but Jr kept finding excuses for me to do something with him. Which was nice, but it put more work on my other sisters, so I told Jr it wasn't fair to them and I decided as much as I liked being with him, I shouldn't do that anymore, I didn't want to be selfish."
Shion agreed, but knew that Momo's sisters didn't mind the extra work one bit, as long as; in their opinion, the cutest couple in the universe got to spend time together. Hoping she wasn't being rude, "I don't mean to pry, but why didn't you go with Jr when he left on missions?" she asked.
"You aren't prying Shion", said Momo between the hiccups she had got from her crying, "I wanted to, and he even asked me to, but I didn't want him to worry about me. Plus, every time something happens, everyone goes out of their way to save me."
Shion tried not to laugh at the truth of that, but only succeed in gagging herself. "Your right, but its' not your fault you're our friend and you would do the same for any of us."
"I know," replied Momo. "But still, I didn't want to be in the way."
Even though Shion knew what happened next, she didn't say a word, letting her get it out on her own.
"This last time he came back, I made him dinner and told him I needed to talk. When he came down, I could see he knew something was up, but I waited until we had finished eating to tell him." she sighed.
"It's ok, take your time." Shion reassured her after a moment of silence.
Following her advice, Momo took a couple of deep breaths and continued. "It was hard to start…then it just came out all at once. I said I wanted to find my own place in the universe; to discover what I am supposed to do, and that I needed to do it…alone."
Unable to hold her anguish any longer, she broke down, great sobs wracking her small frame; it was all Shion could do to not let her fall to the floor.
"And that's when he left; you called me and found out I was already on my way here". Shion said sadly.
"He looked so shocked." Momo whispered, "His whole body went rigid and his eyes...oh Shion his eyes!"
Sitting quietly for a while, letting Momo cry as much she needed to, Shion kept going over the story. Not wanting to believe it, but the tears and pain coming from the young girl made it hard not to believe.
"Thank you Shion," said Momo, cried out for the moment. "I don't know if I could do this without you. It just hurts so much"
Shion hadn't heard MOMO speak; she had been dragged unwillingly into the past, to Kevin and her own feelings of loss.
"Shion? Are you ok?" asked Momo.
Coming out of the darkness; thinking of Kevin, "Yeah, I'm ok...I know it hurts, but you learn to live with it and the ache slowly grows smaller, but it never goes away. Anytime you need me, I am here for you."
"Thank you Shion, so much" replied Momo, hugging the older woman's waist, slowly composing herself.
"I don't know if this is the right time for it or not" Shion said hesitantly. "There is something I want to talk to you about; actually it's the reason I was coming to see you."
"I am ok, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Momo asked sitting up and wiping her eyes with a tissue.
"Well… I was transferred to the Third Division last week and my first project is upgrading 100-series body structures so they can interact with adults without being perceived as children." Stopping for a moment to gauge her friend's reaction, she finished. "And I wanted to know if you would be willing to be our prototype and test it with me."
"Really? Oh congratulations Shion!"
"Yeah" said Shion, "You will get to coose your own dimensions and be part of the 3rd R&D as an official 100-series liaison." She explained. "Plus you get to come live on the Damerung during the development…maybe some time away from the Durandal will help you get over Jr."
"I don't know...can I have some time to think it over?" asked Momo, already weighing the decision.
"Sure, we won't be getting the whole team together for another couple of weeks." replied Shion. "But if you decide to, we can have you moved over in a couple of days, so no long goodbyes."
Looking thoughtful for a moment, Momo said in a soft tone, "I accept. When were you planning on leaving?"
"You don't have to answer right now Momo, it's ok to think it over for more than two minutes." said Shion surprised and concerned. "I am leaving tomorrow afternoon, but like I said, if you decide too we can move you quickly even if I am not here to help; so no rush."
"I want to do it, I think it is just what I need right now." Momo stated firmly. "Umm, do you think I should tell Jr right now or wait until its all final?"
"Let me take care of that for you" Shion said, taking Momo's hand in hers. "You just start to pack, ok? I will go tell him right now."
"Thank you again Shion, but he should hear it from me." The young girl said sadly, standing up. "I just hope he can forgive me…I never wanted to hurt him."
A shot rings out in the warm evening air from the dusty training grounds, with no one else around the red-headed young man pours his heartbreak and frustration into each round.
Loading another clip into the archaic weapon and taking aim at the moving targets, he focuses hard, trying desperately to block out the pain in his chest and the face that will not leave his mind.
Wishing it was his heart that was being obliterated; shot after shot find their homes through the plas-steel targets and into the bullet riddled mounds of dirt in the distance.
"How did this happen?" he thinks. "Why didn't I tell Gaignun to do his own footwork? Mary or Shelley could have handled the Containment Area; it was never something as important as a Zohar." "Why?"
Noticing the clear beautiful twilight around him, Jr reaches into his back pocket for his personal remote and with a few mashed buttons changes the weather to something more suiting his mood.
Soon a heavy rain beings to pour as thunder and lightning build overhead, causing the targets downrange to leap and bound as if alive and hungry.
Not caring the least, Jr stands his ground in the pounding storm, stripping his signature, red floor length jacket off and tossing it to the ground; he quickly clears his gun and snaps another clip in. With a deep breath he takes aim as the targets morph into his own nightmares.
The first round one takes his lost brother to the ground, stealing him from Jr again; round two splits lost Sakura in half, the metal no more responsive than her in the end.
The wind begins to kick up as the URTV's pain rises and lets loose; a red aura emits from the angry youth, his back straight and tight; his eyes narrowed into slits of deep hurt, tears popping at the corners. Gaignun burst from around a corner and takes the third and fourth rounds in both knees, clipping him to Jr's height as he finishes him with a round to his pretty face.
Ironically, Gaignun cut into Jr's mind just then, "I know you are upset, but would you please try to keep your thoughts a little more controlled."
Not even bothering to reply he drops a wall in his mind, causing his brother to twist his mouth in a grimace as he stand behind Mary on the bridge.
Continuing his rampant destruction of everything in sight, Jr decimated another dummy, this time its himself who falls; which only fuels his anger and pain. The red aura now as large as it has ever been, tares a nearby tree from its roots and flings it like missile across the firing range.
Had there been anyone capable of being near Jr right then they would have; unbeknownst to him, heard "why" repeated over, and over again.
Each successive target finds its death at the end of Jr's gun, a black smoking hole, much like the one he feels inside staring back. The last target pops up behind and to the right of the rain soaked URTV; diving and rolling he comes up a few feet away. Sighting the target he fires realizing a second too late he recognizes the pink hair and soft demure stature.
Anguish and guilt filling him, an unintelligible, throat tearing cry joins the storm raging above. The steaming target has no face, through his tear filled eyes only strands of pink hair whipping in the wind. Slack hands allow the gun to falls silently to the ground. Slumping limply over, hands curled over his head, Jr begins to sob as the rain pours down upon him.
"I am sorry Jr" whispers Momo as she watches from the gate to the firing range, fingers gripping the chain link fence. "I am so sorry." Turning away from the person she still loves, she runs; she doesn't know where, just that she is running from the pain inside, and the from the pain she caused.