Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Xenosaga.

Author's note: This is just my own version of the story between chaos and Kos-Mos, one of my favorite pairings. R and R please!

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The temperature was already scorching. It was early in the morning, so the sun had not climbed to its highest just yet. The flat, broken land of the desert was mostly undisturbed, but not today. Two lone riders on tan horses raced through the desert, kicking up lose rocks and dirt. One rider was further ahead then the other, seemingly the better horsemen of the two.

Both rider and horse sought the sight ahead of them. The small patch of green could be seen for miles; an oasis. The rider that was ahead, raced though the long grass, past the palm trees at the edge of the oasis, stopping at the large pool at the center of the paradise. The horse early drank its fill from the crystal clear water, remembering the taste. The rider and horse had been there before many times, and knew the place like the back of their hands.

The second rider followed the first, dropping on the ground as the horse rushed on. It had no intention of stopping, but galloped into the pool. That brought laughs from both riders, but they were strained. Neither spoke as they removed the hoods that protected them from the sun, and sat down by the pool.

Underneath the hoods was a man and women. No, a boy and girl. They did not have the "grown up" looks that most adults have, but they were not children either. The girl had long, long black hair and piercing blue eyes. Her simple purple dress was neat, with almost no adornments. The boy was green eyed, with short silver hair, wearing tan working robes, also with no adornment. Both dress and robes showed signs of slight age. By just looking at them, one could assume that neither was from the rich class.

The boy looked at the girl with both worry and confusion on his face. His eyes studied his long time friend, wondering what was wrong. She had invited him on the ride to the oasis, confidant that no one would be here this early. She had not said a word the entire time. He understood that there was something bothering her, but waited for her to revel what was wrong. Her sapphire orbs just stared at the water, never meeting his eyes.

She could take as much time as she needed, for they were due back tomorrow anyway. Also, if he pushed her, she got violent. The boy let himself fall back into the high grass, looking up into the sky. The area they were in was shaded by dozens of palm leaves, and only a few specks of sunlight could be seen. He loved this paradise, one that only he and she shared.

"Do you remember when Father became a soldier?"

How could he forget? It had been almost five years since her father had joined the Roman army, leaving his family behind. The boy simply nodded. "Do you remember his promise? Again he nodded. "When I can come back, I will make sure our lives are better. This I promise." A man of his word, every chance he got he wrote letters and sent what little money he could earn.

"Father has written another letter. Remember the drawing of Eve and I that we sent to him? He was stationed here and we were able to find out where he was, and we sent him all kinds of things. Well… he showed his general the picture. And… the general has made it clear that if he will give his daughters hand in marriage to his son, he will give Father Money! At first everyone was happy… because they thought that it was Eve that he was talking about. But it's me…. Yeshua, I don't want to marry a Roman! I don't want to marry anyone!"

He was not surprised to see her crying. The tears rolled off her tan cheeks, making no sound as they hit her dress. Yeshua's heart screamed for him to gather her close and never let go, but he hesitated. They were both turning 18 this year, past the normal age when people married. He had long come to terms with how he felt about Maria; for he loved her. If she was to marry another he had no right to touch her.

His heart broke at thought that he could never tell her his feelings, but she looked so lost that he reacted without truly thinking. He crawled the few feet between them, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist, just like when they were little kids. Maria let herself be turned and pulled into the hug, throwing her arms around his neck. That made her cry even harder, for her childhood friend comforting her made it all the more painful and real.

Later that night:

"When mother read the letter out loud I was happy, thinking it was Eve. Getting married would be something good for her. But then she read my name and… The little ones were happy of course, but Eve and I really didn't know what to say."

At least Maria wasn't crying anymore. She was calm as she spoke, adding more twigs to the fire. Everyone growing up in the desert knew that it was full of extremities, broiling in the day, freezing at night. Yeshua and Maria had built a small fire near the pool, making sure the horses were near by. There was no reason to go back, neither were in to big of a hurry. They sat in the grass, wrapped in blankets, Maria's back to the pool while Yeshua reclined against a nearby palm.

"Mother thinks that marriage would be good for me. Father wrote that the son of the general is 19, strong and handsome. No mention of this personality though. He was probably told to write that, because most Romans think they are anyway." The fire reflected the fierce look in Maria's eyes, bringing a smile to Yeshua's lips and eyes. He had let her cry on his shoulder for more then an hour, before she became embarrassed and annoyed with herself.

He had wanted to weep with her, but did not let his emotions and his personal agony overwhelm both of them. Maria needed Yeshua to be strong, and so he would be. "You are my dearest friend Yeshua. What do you think about the whole situation?" She made it sound as if she was picking the fruit for the evening meal. Both knew that marriage was one of the biggest decisions of a young person's life, and the one you married was just as important.

If they had been more experienced, they would have realized that they were trying to hid what they really felt from each other, and were not doing a very good job of it."Maria, that is for you, your mother, and your father to decide. It would not be proper for me to speak my opinion."

"Please, tell me. I already know what Mother and Father will say."

"Can you think of another you would rather share your life with? Anyone that you see as a permanent love? Could you learn to love the Roman?" Yeshua cursed himself. Why ask such a thing? Just let it be, that's all he had to do.

"Yes, Yes and no." For a minute, Maria thought about lying. It would have made things easier, but she could not lie to Yeshua. There was honest surprise in his eyes, making her wonder if her decision to be honest was the wrong one. It did not take Maria long to come to terms to her feelings for Yeshua and obviously he did not see it. Either he was clueless or was being polite in light of the situation.

"Who do you love, Maria?" He should not have asked. But he did.

"I… I…" Frustrated at her own inability to express her feelings, Maria gathered the blanket around her, standing up. She walked to the pool, tipping her face to the sky. The millions of stars spiraled around the moon, bigger tonight then Maria had ever seen it. Yeshua had followed her, and although he was not a pushy person, he wanted to know. "Maria?"

"I… I…." Why couldn't she just say it? They stood there for a long time, he watching her back as she watched the stars. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want." That was the problem. She wanted to tell him. She was just… shy. All of a sudden, Maria was shy around Yeshua. Never would she have thought it would be so. She turned, looking very confused. Yeshua mistook her confusion, thinking it was time for him to back off. "I will back off, don't worry Maria. I will just have to ask Eve." He turned to leave.

Her left hand caught his. She rapidly shook her head, black mane flying. Still not understanding what had gotten into his friend, Yeshua gently placed his other hand on her right shoulder, eyes puzzled. "I… I…" This was just too hard. One, there were already enough complications without her confession. Two, what if he didn't feel the same way about her? Did the first one matter? Her mind screamed against her actions, but her heart told her that this was the right thing to do.

"I love Yeshua. I love you."

At first, it did not seem as if he heard her. Maria took one step closer, looking into his green eyes. Maybe it was that she was so caught up in the moment that she didn't react. Or maybe at first she didn't know how to react.

His lips pressed against hers, feather light. Many women told Maria that the first kiss never lasted long. One or two seconds was the maximum. To Maria, Yeshua's kiss lasted an eternity. He pulled back, long enough to whisper into her ear, "And I love Maria. Always have, always will." Neither Yeshua nor Maria though about the repercussions of their actions. Neither cared about the future, only the here and now.

At the least the tan horses had enough dignity not to watch as the boy and girl began their second kiss. No. As the man and the women began their second kiss.

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What did everyone think? I don't know if this will remain a oneshot or not, I might continue it, depending on the Reviews that I get.