Chapter Ten: A Hidden Truth, Love of Two Angels

A little while later at the Möbius Hotel in room 701, Shion sat at the computer terminal with her arms folded as she spoke with Doctus via communication monitor. "So, this is the footage from the T-weapon demonstration?" she asked in a surprised voice. "You've got guts recording secret government information right out in the open...and with one of the Federation's dogs. I bet you could earn a pretty penny if you became a GNN reporter." The brunette rolled her eyes at the woman.

"Stop joking and take a look at it. And Shane's not a dog of the Federation. Do you think you can extract any data from this footage?"

"Not right away. I'll need some time." Shion sighed in relief. "Please try. This T-weapon and on unknown developer are the core of the government's project," she said. "I'm sure we can find all sorts of things once we start poking around." Doctus nodded some then looked at the brunette behind her goggles. "So, you think Vector is involved in this as well? But they canceled KOS-MOS's development, right? Aren't they being a little roundabout?"

"True. But the way T-elos looks, I can't believe Vector isn't involved. Something we know nothing about is happening quickly."

"All right. Leave it to us," the white-haired woman said. "Also, there was something interesting in the data from the other day..." Shion looked up at the screen with a concerned look on her face. "...Is it information about my father?" Doctus shook her head some. "No, we haven't found that yet. But we did find a keyword: Canaan."

"Canaan? You mean, that Canaan?" Shion asked only to watch the woman on the communication monitor shake her head slowly. "No, not the Realian." Somewhere on Fifth Jerusalem, a certain orange-haired man sneezed. "We think it's a name of some program or system used for observation or investigation."

"Canaan…" Doctus continued her explaination on the matter. "We don't have the details on its objective, but one thing is clear: Vector has been using this "Canaan" for over one hundred years to search something." Shion nodded some. "Can you find out some more about it?" she asked watching the woman smirk lightly. "We can, but it'll cost extra."

"What? You're going to charge for it?!"

The woman laughed at her and shook her head at the fuming brunette. "Just kidding. It may have something to do with that Realian, so it's on the house." With that, the communication monitor ended as Shion stood up from her seat. She began to stretch only to see a faint shimmer in front of her then gasped once a familiar apparition from before appeared. "Huh!? Nephilim. What is it?" The orange haired girl looked to her then glanced down at the floor. "Trying to protect someone does not always lead to happiness."

"...What?"

"Grimoire...only wanted to find me. But that made a great many people suffer," she said in a solemn voice.
With him gone, the Gnosis phenomenon should have stopped expanding. But it didn't. Shion, the Gnosis phenomenon happening now is not caused by Lemegeton. A certain being is leading this universe to destruction." Shion tilted her head slightly, confused at the young girl's strange riddle. "Destroy the universe? Who would do that?"

Nephilim continued with her words. "A sad individual who continues to exist for his own atonement. He hopes for happiness of the one important to him, but that will bring suffering to many."

"Atonement? Important to him?" The brunette asked as the young girl nodded. "Yes, for that person who is important to him, he feels it is acceptable to throw away this world." She looked down for a moment then back at Shion. "Shion. The only one who knows where we are headed is KOS-MOS. The only one who can open KOS-MOS's heart is you and Shane as well. So, please—" Nephilim began to vanish slightly, the brunette reaching for her.

"Wait." The girl suddenly vanished as Shion looked to where Nephilim was standing with a questionable look. "Nephilim… KOS-MOS's heart...and Shane?"

"I knew I wouldn't be able to tell her."

"I know."

chaos and the translucent Nephilim sat on a high ledge of one of Fifth Jerusalem's buildings enjoying the magnificant view. The white-haired boy looked at the sun setting into the sea while the girl sitting next to him watched with him. "The truth is too hard for Shion right now," she said. "If she let it pass without knowing, it would be so much easier." He looked down to the ground below with a serious look on his face.

"Learning the truth...doesn't always lead to happiness. They might even be better off if they live without it. But sometimes, the truth seeks you out. I think the fact that Shion is here is telling us that. She must learn the truth."

"Maybe so. But it's only a matter of time before Shion's heart and body are—" chaos gripped his hands tightly. "What if that's inevitable? My existence and yours…even Shane's may be an inevitable part of this world where all things flow to a certain point. If our reason for existing is that we are meant to exist—"

"I don't think there's only a single future. A single human thought can change the world," Nephilim told him in a concerned voice. "You're the one who taught people that." He chuckled dryly somewhat then looked up at the sky. "What I can do is limited. I still don't even know how I should use this power. Why am I allowed to exist?"

"chaos…"

"I want to believe in the existence of order born from discord. That's why I'm with them...and her as well." He felt the sudden vibration from his pants pocket as he took out a white cellphone and smiled lightly when he saw whose number it was, answering it. "Yes?" A small sigh of what sounded like relief came over the other end. "Hey, boo."

"Hey, Shane. Is something the matter? You sound a bit flustered..."

"Flustered, huh? That's putting it lightly," the young woman's annoyed yet calm voice told him. "Think you could come back to the hotel room and see me? I need to cuddle." chaos chuckled lightly as he stood up balancing himself on the ledge. "Alright. I'll be right over." He hung up the phone, putting back in his pocket then looked to Nephilim. "Do you plan on telling her yourself?" The white-haired boy looked at his hands and gripped them tightly.

"I plan to...since it's these hands that keep her sane."

Later at the Möbius Hotel, Shane sat at the window of her room--Room 607--with a distant look on her face. She had changed out of her revealing costume (while getting stared at on her way back to the hotel) and dressed in more comfortable clothes: a grey tanktop that had a pentagram on the front and black sweatpants with her hair pulled back in a messy pink ponytail. She was still angered by the fact that a man she didn't even know existed (besides the fact that she can tell who it is) until now kissed her hand, said he was one of her fans, and went into her personal information.

That Roth Mantel, Shane thought to herself. Why'd the fuck did he go through my stuff for...? She cursed under her breath as she stood up from the chair. She glanced at the 3-digit number on her right arm--700--then gripped it tightly. Shane, you need to calm down. "It's kinda hard to do when that arrogant bastard or bastards decided to cancel the KOS-MOS project...and then there's Shion. Good god, it's like the whole fucking universe revolves around her dense behind!" Rukia sighed in the other girl's subconcious.

Are you through with your ranting now?

"No...well yes, 'cause I need my baby." Shane stalked over to the large bed, laying down on the soft mattress, beginning to whine softly. "chaos..." She closed her eyes and snapped her fingers. A cream-colored veil came over the window as the room dimmed to give it a soft light. The pink-haired girl sighed softly only to hear the doors hiss open, the sounds of light footsteps coming over to her. She moved over some then lifted her head to see his smiling face.

"Hey," he said in a gentle voice. "Did you have a good day?" She grunted at her white-haired boyfriend as he sat down beside her, moving a gloved hand over loose bangs of her hair. She grabbed his hand by his wrist then sat up slowly. "..chaos. How come you never take off your gloves?" He looked at her strangely and glanced to the side. "I...just choose not to."

"Well, can I take them off?" chaos turned to her then started to pull his hand away only to have Shane hold his wrist tightly. "I, um, okay," he muttered. He watched the girl unfasten the buttons that were holding onto his glove via his sleeve then pulled off the blue leather glove to show pale, dark skinned hands. She ran her fingers across his palm which was smooth and soft to the touch. The pink-haired girl smiled as she placed his hand against her cheek. "Miii, chaos," she purred, "your hands are so warm.." He blushed darkly at her comment only to pull his hand away from her and start taking off his other glove.

"Ah, chaos..?" Shane started to blush once he began to take off his coat then unzipping the dark blue long-sleeved shirt. Yup, you two are gonna have fun. So I'm gonna go and sleep now, Rukia said with a slight giggle. Don't even kid like that..!!

"We haven't...I mean..." The white-haired boy gulped slightly as he tensed up when Shane held his own ungloved hands. "It's okay...I understand," she said with a smile. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend...we're old enough to...fool around alittle." He nodded, biting his bottom lip watching her move his unzipped shirt open to show a rather muscled chest and stomach. Oh dear... She felt her face heat up as she moved her hands down his neck, his broad shoulders (regardless of his small size), chest, and stomach. Shane squeeked softly.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her watching her shake her head some. "I-I'm alright...just a bit scared.." chaos sighed lightly, realizing that she was just as scared and nervous as he was. "Ah...I see. Then we're both feeling the same thing." She blushed lightly then smiled, hugging him gently. "Yeah...we're both scared." The white-haired boy nodded and touched the right side of Shane's face with his ungloved hand. The two closed their eyes as they kissed each other: a simple yet passionate kiss; her arms around his neck holding his white locks, his arms around her waist resting in the small of her back. The two teens kissed for what seemed like a eternity then pulled away for air.

"...oh..wow."

"...A bit forceful?" chaos asked before getting hugged again. "No...just right."

At the Consolidated Advance Technology Testing Ground (or CAT Testing Ground for short) in a computer room, Juli sat at a computer console while Canaan leaned against the desk with his arms crossed. "There's nothing suspicious in the data concerning this man called Roth Mantel," he told the woman in his usual monotone voice. "I checked Vector as well to be sure, but there was no information on him at all." She nodded at him slowly.

"I'm sure Dmitri's done that as well. But why has he placed him at the core of the project now?"

"Perhaps that's just how attractive the T-weapon system is. It's also possible he wanted to eliminate Vector's influence."

"Yes, but I bet there's more to it than just that," Juli said with a questionable hint. The orange-haired man looked at her then got off the desk. "I also have information regarding the Elsa. In order to break through that hypersphere, we will need output on the level of the phase transfer cannon equipped on Omega." The dark-haired woman looked at him and shook her head, sighing. "That's not going to happen. We can't use it considering how unstable its systems are. And besides, Dmitri would never authorize it."

"Then breaking through that hypersphere is impossible with current Federation technology." Juli looked at him again with a shocked look. "...You mean we'll have to give up on rescuing the Elsa?" Canaan sighed at her then shook his head. "No, I just said it can't be done with Federation technology," he said. "According to my database, there are two weapons capable of breaking through it."

"Two weapons?" Juli asked. "KOS-MOS's Tertiary Weapons System and the special launch equipment that the E.S. Striker has. She is capable of the same output as an E.S. So she may be able to break through. If not, the E.S. Striker--with its launch equipment dubbed METEOR which is significantly stronger--can break through."

"KOS-MOS is already slated for disposal, so it's just as unlikely as your first suggestion and also the Federation military wouldn't let Shane use that equipment. Is your situational analysis capability defective? How are we supposed to equip KOS-MOS with her Tertiary Weapons System…and send her to that region of space?"

"With all due respect, you are the one who is unable to analyze the situation, Dr. Mizrahi," Canaan said stepping away from her then looked back. "That freighter infiltrated a region of space under martial law for an illegal expedition. Officially, it doesn't even exist. If you want to rescue something that doesn't exist, you'll have to take a certain amount of risk."

Juli looked at him with a shocked expression. "You mean—" He nodded at her. "Yes. KOS-MOS has already been thrown out. That doesn't mean we can't reuse her." The dark-haired woman chuckled lightly. "You certainly don't think small, do you?"

"I was designed specifically for such objectives."

"...What did you say?"

"I said to abandon it. Did you not hear my words?"

In a large dimly lit cathedral, Margulis kneeled before a hovering white light with a shocked expression on his face. "Pardon my words, but Omega was originally ours. How can we abandon it?" he asked. The light didn't say anything, his silence getting to the burgandy-haired man. "...Your Eminence, please, order its recovery."

"There is no need." The man narrowed his eyes at the floor as he looked up at the light. "Then, please, tell me why. I did not understand our retreat at Rennes-le-Château. And now this. Please, tell me your thoughts, your Eminence." The white light shimmered lightly. "Omega has returned to its rightful master. And I have already taken measures to deal with the Zohar Project," the male voice from the light said. "There is no need for you to interject, Chief Inquisitor."

Margulis lifted his head as a shocked expression came onto his face. "Its rightful master? Are you saying that it did not belong to us? That's the first I've heard of it. In fact, fifteen years ago, on Miltia, I—"

"Know your place, Margulis. Do you intend to let your desire overcome you and destroy your faith, like Sergius?" The burgandy-haired man tensed up, lowering his head again. "N-no, of course not, Your Eminence. My apologies," he told the light with a slight tremble in his voice. "You sound tired, Margulis. Rest for a while. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Your Eminence."

"Margulis, everything is God's will. There is no need for concern. Do not question. Do as I say, and all will be well."

Later in Wilhelm's office on the Dammerung, the white-haired man looked to a monitor where a commercial was playing about ShaRUKA's second concert as he looked to the Red Testament who stood near his desk; bowing some. "All preparations are complete." Wilhelm smiled lightly then looked to the Testament. "Good. This spiral cobweb will capture their hearts," he said in a calm voice. "And when it does, they will willingly wrap its threads around themselves in order to find the truth."

"Why do humans insist on searching?"

"The human mind holds limitless potential. If they continue to seek and search, they shall eventually become gods. That's probably what they believe." Wilhelm looked to the monitor as he watched the pink-haired songstress sing on stage that was recorded from the night before. "What we can do is limited. For precisely that reason, we need a world that is fitting for us. And we are the only ones who can accomplish that. Dreams, future, possibilities. The Princess was born to start the illusions while she was born to put an end to these fleeting illusions. Everything follows the destined flow."

At the CAT Testing Ground near Vector's laboratory, Allen walked out into the hallway with a saddened yet worried look on his face as he ran his hands through his hair. He looked like he had been run over by a speeding train and survived. "How am I supposed to explain this to the Chief?" he asked aloud. "There's no way I can tell her that KOS-MOS has been slated for disposal..." He groaned softly then walked towards the elevator with his head hung low.

"It's dangerous to get lost in thought while walking," a familiar voice called out as the brown-haired man looked back to see Juli who had walked out of a room adjacent to the laboratory. "What?! Oh, Committee Member Mizrahi. Can I do something for you?" She smiled at him lightly then walked over to him. "Could I speak to you for a moment, Chief Ridgeley?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"I want you to get in touch with Shion soon," she said. "Do you know their personal contact information?"

"Sure, that's no problem, but what's going on?" The dark-haired woman looked at him with a concerned look. "They've decided to dispose of KOS-MOS, correct? I need to speak to her about that. I'd like to come along as well, of course." Allen let his worried expression come back. "Oh, that's right, of course you'd know about that...Actually, I was just trying to figure out how I'm going to tell her about KOS-MOS."

"Relax. I won't let them dispose of KOS-MOS. That's what we're going to talk about," she told him.

"...Huh?"

Afterwards in the Möbius Hotel (room 701), Shion sat at the computer terminal as she spoke with Doctus via communication monitor; the video of T-elos's demonstration playing on a smaller screen. "I watched that footage," the woman said in an interested voice. "It's certainly astonishing." The brunette nodded at her. "So, did you find out anything?"

"We did some research on T-elos, but we found no relevant information in any database. Everything from its official project proposal to the budget is a complete blank."

"What about his supporters?" the brunette asked. "Did he erase everything about him in order to preserve secrecy?" Doctus shook her head at the questions. "No, no records ever existed in the first place." A surprised expression came over Shion's face at what the woman had said. "...How is that possible? It's being used by the military...Shane might know something.."

"You did say that the girl was a simple Lieutenant Colonel and the Federation's Songstress, right? I doubt they even told her. It beats me, but that's the truth," Doctus said folding her arms. "But, you know, if he's clean on the surface, he's probably dirty as hell deep down. Hey, is it possible to transfer KOS-MOS directly through the U.M.N.?" Shion shook her head, sighing some. "No, all advanced AI devices, including KOS-MOS, need a U.M.N. tube for transport. Basically, they have to go through the hyperspace or it will damage their functions. In other words, some sort of ship is necessary when moving one. Why do you ask?"

"Well, about a week ago, a Dominic transport ship affiliated with the Hyams company, docked at Fifth Jerusalem's 47th port. When I checked its cargo records, I found something interesting. At the time of docking, the port's mass detectors recorded a total mass of 3751 tons. But at the time it left port, it was 3750.79 tons. The Dominic has a regular crew of three. This weight difference wasn't caused by people. In other words, these records show that something must have been taken off the ship. Normally, any cargo unloaded into the container terminal, even if it's a government secret, has some sort of record registered. But this time—"

"There was no record," the brunette said narrowing her eyes some. "Right. What's the mass of the bare minimum equipment required to maintain KOS-MOS?" Shion leaned back in the seat as she placed a finger against her lips. "Hmm. It depends on the type of frame she's using, but probably around 200kg—" She blinked a few times then gasped loudly. "Ah!"

"That may be the missing piece," the white-haired woman said. "Assuming it wasn't constructed on Fifth Jerusalem." The brunette looked to the woman with a concerned look. "Then Ormus is involved in T-elos's development?"

"Who knows? But it's disturbingly obvious. They may be deliberately drawing attention to it to cover up something else." A sudden ringing noise made Shion jump from her seat as she opened another communication monitor to show a familiar face. "What's up?!" Miyuki exclaimed much to Doctus's (and Shion's) annoyance. "Hey! You guys already started! You could have invited me, you know!"

"...You haven't missed a thing. By the way, have you already taken care of what I asked for?" The brown-haired girl grinned at her. "You betcha!" The white-haired woman nodded then looked to Shion with a concerned look. "Shion, we've pretty much finished researching your father. There are some things in life one is better off not knowing. Do you still want to know?"

The brunette nodded. "Yes. I have to know the truth," she told her. "This record is in regards to the U-TIC Organization fifteen years ago."

"The Federal Advanced Technology Special Inspection Bureau. That's the name of the government office that was observing U-TIC at the time." Miyuki cleared her throat some as she looked to a printed out paper. "Yes. And…the person who was appointed to Miltia as the Federation government's inspector was—Uh…" She bit her lip only to see the brunette's face turn into a saddened look. "...I was right, wasn't I?"

"...Yes. It's just like you said."

Shion glanced out the window then looked down at the floor. "Dad was the U-TIC Organization inspector. He must have had some kind of contact with Professor Mizrahi." Doctus let a concerned look come over her face. "Shion..."

"But...that doesn't mean he conspired with Professor Mizrahi and summoned the Gnosis," Miyuki said nervously. "Th-this sort of thing happens all the time, you know? An incompetent government bureaucrat fails to stop a crisis, and it turns into a catastrophe." Both the brunette and the white-haired woman let a shocked expression on their faces, looking at the brown-haired girl.

"What?"

"What kind of example is that?" Miyuki looked puzzled as she waved her hands in confusion. "It, uh, I mean…"

"It's okay, don't worry about it. I suspected it all along. Even if he was just an incompetent bureaucrat like you said, he's still guilty of standing by and letting something like that happen." The brown-haired girl on the communiction monitor whimpered slightly, a frown on her face. "I finally know why Jin doesn't like the idea of me getting involved as well," Shion said. "I feel better now that I don't have to wonder anymore."

"Shion..."

"That's right. I suspected it all along. That's why I—" Another beeping sound came from the computer terminal as Miyuki looked at its sender. "Oh, it's from Allen." The brunette nodded. "I'll take it over here." Suddenly, Shion grabbed her head tightly with a small whimper, collapsing from her seat and onto the floor with a thud to Doctus and Miyuki's horror.

"Sh-Shion!"

"Shion!" The communication monitor opened with Allen's smiling face. "Hello!...huh?" He gasped at seeing the woman on the floor. "Ch-Ch-Ch-Chief, what's wrong?!"

"Shion!" Doctus called out. "Chief! Are you all right?! Chief!"

A little while later, Shion woke up from her unconscious state then looked over to see Allen and Shane--wearing a black dress (without straps) that had white frails off her shoulders and a light grey ribbon in the middle of the abdomen area--sitting next to her. She blinked her eyes a few times, groaning softly. "...Allen...Shane," she mumbled. "Are you all right, Chief? You scared me. You collapsed right as the connection went through." The pink-haired girl sighed in relief. "You gave us quite the run for our money, missy."

"You both came to check on me?"

"Well, I was the closest," he said. "and Shane was already at the hotel, so she wanted to see what was wrong." The brunette nodded some. "I see." The brown-haired man smiled at her while blushing lightly. "Of course, even if we were a million light years apart, I'd still be here in a flash." Shion smiled at him, giggling lightly. Shane sighed. Dense as always... "Want something to drink?" Allen asked as he stood up to go and get Shion's' drink. "I had an MC here a few minutes ago, but he said it was probably overexertion. Have you been pushing your lately?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry for worrying you." The brunette began to sit up and climb out of bed until a gentle yet firm hand of Shane's stopped her. "Wait, you need to stay in bed," she told her. "I'm fine now. A lot happened today. I'm sure that's the reason." The brown-haired man looked to the two females, walking over with a solemn look on his face. "Chief, I, uh, have a message for you from Committee Member Mizrahi." She looked up at Allen then took the glass of water from him. "From Juli?"

"Yes, she says she wants to talk to you, so she'd like to meet with you on the Durandal tomorrow. But if you're not feeling well, I'll ask her to postpone it."

"You worry too much. I'm fine now. Oh, but, tomorrow we were—" He shook his head then smiled at her. "Ah, it's okay. Talking with Member Mizrahi is much more important," he said. "Don't worry about canceling our plans. We don't have time to be going out to eat dinner." Shion looked at Allen with a slight frown. "Allen, let's go out for a bit."

He looked at her then blushed slightly. "What? Sure, if you like, that's fine with me." Shane looked at them as she chuckled lightly. They looked at her once she picked up the black purse sitting on the table. "Guess this is where I take my leave," she said. "Oh, that's right...you have another concert later on, don't you?" The pink-haired girl nodded at Allen, walking to the door. "Yeah, I do. I'm like Shion; I get breaks sometimes but I'll have to work again, ne?"

"Ah, well, good luck, Shane," Shion told her. "You too."

Afterwards, Shane walked out of the Möbius Hotel where a black limo was waiting for her. She felt herself tense up once she saw a soldier near the door. She walked down the stairs as the soldier saluted her. "Lieutenant Colonel Shane Kukai," he said. The pink-haired girl saluted him back. "As you were, soldier. Are you hear to escort me to the concert hall?" He nodded at her. "Yes ma'am. It's a direct order from Secretary of Defense Chief Christan Lazlo that I escort you along with an armed A.W.M.S. unit escort." Shane raised an eyebrow at him.

"Armed escort? And this was his order?" she asked questionably. The soldier nodded once more as he opened the door for her. "Yes, ma'am. It's a means of protection. Dimitri Yuriev also wants to see your concert in person." She closed her eyes, chuckling lightly. "I see...right before I get deployed to the Gedalya region. Thank you." He nodded, watching her get inside the car and closing the door once he got inside. The limo immediately started up then drove off down the street with two black familiar-looking A.W.M.S.s following. Shane looked back at the mechas with interest. "Hey...those are VX-7000s, right?" she asked looking at the solider.

"Yes, ma'am." She turned back around to look out at the passing buildings then sighed softly. My last night staying here on Fifth Jerusalem, she thought to herself. I better send a message to the others on the Durandal.. She reached into her purse and took out her black/red portable gear shaped like a cellphone, texting the message:

Sorry, but I'm getting deployed to the Gedalya region. That's where the hypersphere and that landmass are at, right? Maybe I'll see you once we get rid of the Ormus fleet out there. But until then, I have to perform a concert tonight...hope you guys see me on the telly! :D Shane 3

The pink-haired girl smiled to herself once she sent the message, putting away the phone in the process. She looked out the window again and saw that the limo was nearing the large concert hall that was bound to be packed with hundreds--no, thousands of ShaRUKA's fans...

"Mmm. It feels good out here. I love the night air."

"Yes, this area is under environmental protection, so there's a lot of trees and plants."

Shion and Allen were in the park area near the Möbius Hotel where they ate from a bag of sandwiches between them. The brunette stood near the railing that boarded off the steep fall to the street below. She had a content look on her face as she looked to the skyline of Fifth Jerusalem. "I'm sorry about our dinner plans for tomorrow," she said turning to Allen standing near the bench who was drinking a soda. "I didn't mean to substitute it like this."

"Please don't worry about it. The location wasn't important to me," he told her with a small smile. "Anyway, this kind of atmosphere is much more valuable." Shion looked at the man confused, tilting her head some. "Atmosphere?" He blinked at her then blushed lightly. "Oh, n-nothing. Just talking to myself." As he sat down on the bench, he didn't see where the bag of sandwiches were and accidentaly sat on them; the heat immediately going into his skin and setting off a pained reaction. Allen yelped loudly, jumping off the crushed bag. "Ow! Hot! Hot!" The brunette woman gasped at the sight of the bag only to have the pained expression on Allen's face turn into a look of embarassment.

"Oh, s-sorry." Shion shook her head some, smiling lightly. "It's all right. We almost wasted a magnificent dinner."

"Magnificent?" he asked rubbing the back of his head. "It's just prosciutto." She sighed at him. "Come on. A single thought can change the world. Even fast food can become an elegant dinner--oh..." She let her smile fade, covering her mouth when a look of sadness came over her face. "...Huh?" She shook her head some and looked up at the sky. "I just had déjà vu. Kevin used to like eating outside, too."

"Did you eat together with him a lot?"

"Yeah," Shion said as she stepped away. "I was new, so he always treated me." The brown-haired man let a small frown come across his face but she didn't catch it. "...Oh, okay." The brunette looked back at a shining dome in the middle of the city. It practically glowed in the night. "That's where Shane's concert is at, right?"

"Uh, yeah," the brown-haired man said. "She said that...she's getting deployed later on tonight, I think." Shion looked at Allen with a suspicious look, folding her arms. "And why did she tell you this and noone else?"

"...I-I think she told the others...maybe?" he said nervously.

Back at the concert hall, Shane was backstage, getting dressed in a blue dress. The rest of her clothes were being packed up into trunks near the far wall of her spacious dressing room by the lolita dressed 100-Series Realians. Her pink hair was tied back into two buns that sat on either side of her head; the rest of her hair cascading down her back and sitting on her shoulders. She also wore light pink lipstick with light blue eyeshadow on her eyes.

"Miss Shane," a 100-Series called out (dressed in a red/black lolita dress). "Mr. Hiwa would like to speak with you before you go onstage." The pink-haired girl nodded as she stood up from her seat. She wore her--as she called it--default "songstress outfit": a blue sleeveless ballgown that was accented with aquatic blues and whites; a neckband around her throat while lengthy sleeves attached to her upper arms shaped like triangles ended the transformation. She sighed softly, looking at the female Federation uniform that hung near the vanity mirror. Guess its time then. Shane walked out of the dressing room where Hiwa--now dressed in a military uniform--stood waiting for her. "And so the facade as my manager ends when you put that uniform on," she said with a slight smirk. The black-haired man narrowed his eyes at her, looking away when his wandering brown eyes dared to travel to her bosom.

"I wish you the best of luck, Songstress. Once your concert is through, you will be escorted to the Federation Orbital Port. Your craft has been repaired and will be placed on a Federation ship that will take you to the Gedalya region."

Shane nodded some as he saluted her and stepped to the side once she began walking to the stage. "..By the way.." The pink-haired young woman stopped walking then looked back at him. "...What song are you singing tonight?" She smirked lightly. "That, Commander Hiwa...is a trade secret." The black-haired man watched her walk out onto the stage with a questionable look. A trade secret, huh? Hiwa reached into his pocket to take out a portable gear that had a message from an unknown sender. "Then we both have secrets, Ms. Kukai," he said with a slight smile. The crowd immediately hushed once the pink-haired songstress walked onto the stage. They gasped in awe at her beauty; the spotlight on her lithe frame.

"I thank you all for coming to see me sing tonight," she said over a microphone placed in her ear. "But this'll be my last song on Fifth Jerusalem. I'll be deployed to Gedalya space where the Ormus fleet has fought against the Federation military." The crowd began to groan and moan; some said "fuck the military! stay and sing! you give us hope for living!" while others said to "go and fight! give those Ormus bastards hell! fight off the Gnosis with all your might!"

"I'll do everything I can for you, but that might not be enough. I only want you to stay strong for yourselves, live for a brighter tomorrow! Continue to live in order to fight off the resounding darkness that clouds your hearts!"

The crowd hushed again as the lights dimmed; a hologram of a beach appearing behind her and spreading across the floor. They looked around in surprise only to hear the music begin. It was slow, peaceful sounding; the techno rhythm and orcestra-esque mixing into one.

"Even so, what can I possibly do?

What can I do to change this tiny box-garden reality?"

The crowd turned to Shane who held out her arms to the crowd, vocalizing.

"I haven't even lived half of my life;

rebelling against, and embracing others -

These experiences are being tattooed onto my subconscious.

When I was stood on the edge of a cliff,

"Adversity" grabbed my arm,

and for the first time, I could see where I was.

Towards a wider field; towards somewhere deeper, larger...

I'm just heading towards a world which I can't even imagine."

The pink-haired young woman placed her hands in a praying motion and lowered her head, raising it once the violins reached their cresendo.

"Tell me, what is the definition of "strength"?

Does it mean to hurt yourself,

or perhaps to throw yourself away to protect someone who you should protect?

The gazelles in the savanna raise clouds of dust;

they have no choice but to remain standing in the wind, till the day they die."

She turned her head to the side; her hand in the air like she was stopping someone from advancing then looked at the crowd again with a look of determination on her face.

"Humans keep walking onward,

just in order to keep on living.

They proceed, while still decoding an incomplete piece of data.

It looks like I've already walked out of the desert of my beginnings, alone.

I want to remain as myself till the day I turn to ash."

The crowd continued to watch in awe once the music became a bit solomn and rising with each note.

"Where did I come from, long ago? Where will I go, in the far future?" Shane asked to the crowd.

"Being thrown around without knowing; time will come to an end before I realize it.

It looks like I've already walked out of the desert of my beginnings, alone.

I want to remain as myself till the day I turn to ash."

She held out her hands to the crowd, the music rising to its climax; the crowd being pulled into the song.

"When I was stood on the edge of a cliff,

"Adversity" grabbed my arm,

and for the first time, I could see where I was.

Towards a wider field; towards somewhere deeper, larger...

I'm just heading towards a world which I can't even imagine..!"

Shane held her hand to her head; inching her head back, vocalizing, "it's going to leave me again." She looked to the crowd with a saddened look on her face.

"I want to know about myself..." Once the song was finished, the crowd instantly went crazy; cheering loudly and even asking for an encore only to have her shake her head with a smile on her face. "Thank you, Fifth Jerusalem, for having me!"

Chapter 10: End

--

Whew...long chapter, eh? And you got some chaosxShane lovin' too. XD R&R. Also, I'd like to thank Nim Maj, my muse who gave me the name for the Secretary of Defense.

Song of this chapter: Hemisphere by Yoko Kanno (from the RahXephon anime opening).

Prosciutto: I believe its a sandwich similar to what the Subway sandwiches or Snackers at KFC are like...maybe? O.o

METEOR: Mobile Suit Embedded Tactical EnfORcer, or known as a Striker Pack, is a weapons platform. Yeah, I know; it's used in Gundam SEED...but in this story, it is used similar to KOS-MOS's Tertiary Weapons System. Neat, eh?