Author's note – Hey look, a new chapter! This one idea has been rolling around in my head for ages, but I couldn't get any of the characters involved in it to wake up long enough to get going on it. Seems they're now ready to cooperate, so I'll hurry up and write it before they change their minds! XD
Later on that night, everyone returned to the Elsa, feeling very dejected. They'd searched the area where they'd landed carefully but had found no clues as to chaos' whereabouts. He hadn't suddenly appeared to greet them nor praise them for finally finding Lost Jerusalem, and not even KOS-MOS had any inkling about the silver-haired enigma. Jr. turned to face the party of four who had come down from the Dämmerung. "Look, it's probably for the best if you guys just crash here for the night. It's going to be tight quarters, but it's better than you heading back up, right? I just don't know where the hell you're gonna stay…" He glanced at Shion, who appeared to ponder the situation.
"Unfortunately, we can't have any of you stay with us in our room. Ayame is very easily upset by change, and there's also that slight problem with…" Shion's green eyes met MOMO's golden ones, and MOMO averted her face sadly. "Damien could stay with the captain, Tony, and Hammer in their cabin if that's okay with him. Ziggy, the Professor and Scott have taken over the room where your chair was, so I don't know if you'd feel comfortable there. You could possibly stay in KOS-MOS' maintenance room if that helps." The slight nod she received from Ziggy made her feel certain he didn't approve of that option, but he seemed to know he didn't have much choice in accepting the offer.
Mary spoke up, seeing the distress on MOMO's face. "How 'bout Juli and MOMO keep me company tonight?" She elbowed Tony discreetly when he let loose an unhappy exclamation. "Yeah, us girls will be just fine. What do ya both think?" She pulled away from Tony to hug an obviously relieved MOMO, who voiced her agreement while Juli nodded the same way Ziggy had.
With sleeping arrangements decided, everyone went their separate ways once they'd set foot back on the Elsa. It was with unspoken consent that everyone avoided speaking about their failure to find anything even remotely connected to chaos. The good nights were muted among them all, and Jr. scooped up his sleepy daughter to follow Shion into their cabin. For once, Ayame didn't put any kind of fight about going to sleep. She slumped bonelessly against her father scant seconds after he'd entered the room. "Let me have her so I can change her into her pajamas and put her down," Shion whispered. Jr. handed Ayame over gently, and she made a slight noise of irritation but settled into her mother's arms almost immediately. After she'd been changed into her light blue nightgown and put down in her crib, she curled up onto her side and was deeply asleep before Shion had finished caressing her back to say good night. Shion slipped into bed beside Jr., who turned onto his side to pull her back against him. "Jr.," she said sleepily, "do you think we'll find chaos?"
Jr. heaved a sigh. "I think we'll find chaos when he wants us to find him. Until then, we're just gonna have to keep searching for him. For tonight, though, I'm freakin' exhausted as hell, and I know you've got to be, too. Why don't we get some sleep, sweetheart?" He laid a kiss on the top of her head and rested a hand upon her gently swelling stomach. "We'll figure out what we're doing in the morning, okay?" She gave a silent nod, and then he felt her body loosen as she drifted off. He was just beginning to fall asleep himself when he heard her make an odd sound. "Sweetheart, what is it?" he muttered and then his whole body jerked when she grabbed his hand tightly. "What…?" His sentence trailed away into nothingness as his vision faded to black.
Coming to with a headache pulsing behind his eyelids, he opened his eyes gingerly and knew instantly something was off. Shion was standing in front of him, though he could only see her bare feet because he was still lying on his side. "Am I still asleep or what?" he groaned, attempting to haul himself to his feet.
Shion turned to him and looked down at him in surprise. "Jr., how in the world did you end up in my dream?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"Is that where the hell I am?" he questioned, taking note that they were standing on a gently sloping hill. "It was like you sucked me in or something. You grabbed my hand, and the next thing I knew, I'm here with you. How did you do that?"
"And more importantly," an insolently lazy voice demanded, "why did she feel the need to involve me in bringing you here?" Jr. and Shion turned to face the owner of the voice, though the twin sighs they gave indicated they knew who would be behind them. Joining them at an unhurried pace was Albedo, the exasperated look on his face directed at Shion. "Why does it seem that I'm somehow unable to manage a night's worth of sleep since reuniting with you, Rubedo? I would have been appreciative if your princess could have consulted me before yanking my consciousness into her dreamworld. Why exactly did she need me here again?"
Before Shion could toss off an answer at the smirking white-haired man, another voice spoke up. "Well, it's good to see you responded to my invitation, Shion, but I wasn't expecting you to have an entourage." The quiet humor in the familiar voice caused Shion to stiffen, though she seemed unable to turn to face the owner of it. "If you were going to bring along a few friends," the voice continued, "I can't say I was expecting Jr. and…Albedo. I'm a little confused as to why you'd be here, Albedo."
Albedo lifted a white eyebrow and shrugged a shoulder. "That would bring the count to two. I'm assuming since Rubedo and I are forever linked due to our reunification, I was brought here because the princess deemed his presence necessary. Oh, how I'm enjoying this pleasant interlude already…" Seeing the murderous look his twin was aiming at him, his smirk grew wider. "Am I the only one who's going to talk to our guest, or are you and your love going to cease being rude and at least turn to face him?"
Gritting his teeth against the invectives he wanted to throw at his brother, Jr. put a supportive hand beneath Shion's elbow and managed to turn her unwilling body around. Though he'd known the voice, a small frisson of shock still slid through him when his eyes met Jin's. Sensing Shion wasn't going to say anything yet, he said quietly, "You gave Shion an invitation? For what?"
Jin's green eyes narrowed speculatively at the possessiveness he could clearly read in Jr.'s hold on his sister's arm, but he remained silent about it for the time being. "Simply to talk. With my consciousness linked to Lost Jerusalem through the dimensional shift, I wasn't able to reach her until she'd set foot here. Before moving on, I suppose you might say I wanted to be certain she was doing well." His gaze locked with Jr.'s. "Now, if you don't mind explaining a bit, why exactly are you here with her?"
Before Jr. could even open his mouth, he felt Shion's defensive nature kick in. She stepped forward confrontationally. "Jr. is here because he and I are married, Jin." Albedo made a poor attempt at hiding a snicker at Jin's expression, but even he took a step back when Shion's eyes swung toward him. "No one asked you to be here, Albedo, so could you keep as quiet as you're capable of, please?" Albedo's trademark smirk settled upon his face again, but he only folded his arms across his chest without making any sort of comeback.
"And when exactly did this momentous event…occur?" Jin asked, his eyes meeting Jr.'s again. Jin had always been hard to read, due to his ability to mask his emotions so well, but it wasn't difficult to tell he wasn't overwhelmingly happy with the development. "I do believe I had left you in Allen's capable hands when we last spoke."
"That doesn't mean I had to stay with him, Jin," Shion snapped at him. "I'm my own person, and I decide the one I will spend the rest of my life with."
"Oh, it's been quite a while since I've felt this much tension. It's making me giddy," Albedo said with a chuckle designed to irritate Shion further. "It's wonderful to see that familial relations aren't something only Rubedo and I have an issue with. Please, carry on." He waved a hand airily at Shion, whose green eyes were shooting sparks at him for his interruption. "No need to worry, Rubedo," he told his twin, who was glaring at him with equal heat. "This is far too engaging for me to keep sidetracking your love from!" He seated himself upon a rock placed conveniently on the hillside and crossed his legs at the ankles, his purple eyes gleaming.
"I'd like to say it's refreshing to see you haven't changed, Albedo," Jin sighed, "but I would be lying if I did. Now, Shion," he returned his attention to his stiff-backed sister, "could you explain what happened between you and Allen? As you've done countless times before, you've managed to confuse me on a level none ever do."
"He and I didn't work out. He thought I needed time to get over Kevin and wanted to give me that, and I just wanted to move on with him. We couldn't seem to meet each other in the middle and be where we needed to be. So I told him we needed to end things because we were only hurting one another. Does that answer your question?" she asked him aggressively.
"Shion, calm down," Jr. told her quietly, kissing the top of her head. "Jin's got a right to know what's gone on, since you're his sister and I'm not the one he left you in the care of."
"I can't exactly say I'm happy about the fact that Shion's ended up with you, Jr.," Jin said, and Shion narrowed her eyes at the disappointment she heard in his voice.
"And why is that?" she questioned waspishly.
"Because I heard…things in the time I was aboard the Elsa and when we made stops at the Foundation. Those things didn't reassure me that he could be counted upon to make a reliable husband, Shion." Jin brought a hand to his forehead tiredly.
Albedo gave a shout of mirthful delight. "It sounds as though the princess' brother has heard what a ladies' man you were, Rubedo! I take it you were not anywhere near intelligent enough to keep your romances from gracing the spotlight in some way?"
"Shion," Jr. said, his teeth clenched, "the next time you want me to join you in your dreams, make sure you don't bring along my pain-in-the-ass twin brother, all right? I know our damn consciousnesses are linked, but Jesus!" He aimed a scorching glare at Albedo, who only continued to chortle gleefully. Knowing his brother had no intention of making things any easier on him, he focused on Jin. "Look, Jin, I can't excuse my past. Was I with a lot of women at the Foundation and on the Durandal? Yeah, I was. That's over and done with now. Shion's the only woman that matters to me. I love her, okay?"
Jin held up a hand and shook his head. "No, not 'okay', Jr. I need to know that my sister is in good and capable hands. I need to know that she's being taken care of before I move on."
Jr. bristled at the words, despite having always gotten along with Jin before. "I do take care of Shion, dammit! Hell, yeah, we butt heads sometimes, but we love each other no matter what. She means the damn world to me, Jin, and I'll always take care of her."
Shion squeezed his hand to silence him, and he did so reluctantly. "I don't feel that Jr. should need to prove himself to you, Jin, and that's what you're asking him to do." Her green eyes clashed with her brother's.
"That would be where we disagree, Shion," Jin said calmly. "I was your guardian after we lost our parents, and my wish to know that you're being taken care of falls under that duty. So please allow me to speak to Jr. and establish that he's capable of handling the responsibility." His cool dismissal of his sister following that had her bristling as Jr. had, but Jr.'s hands on her shoulders kept her from voicing her aggravation. "Due to my confusion about the situation, Jr., I don't believe I mentioned how good it is to see you've grown into your…proper body. Forgive me if I can't find the exact term I seem to be searching for."
Jr. inclined his head in a slight nod. "It's kinda hard to find the words for it, but that'll do. It took a while for me to get to where I am now, but I'm happy with it." His tone indicated he wanted Jin to return to the topic they had been discussing before.
"However, attaining that body doesn't necessarily mean you're able to give my sister what she needs. You have a past that shows you might not be capable of remaining faithful to her. What Shion needs most, is stability. Allen offered her that, along with an endless amount of love. It's why I felt comfortable entrusting her into his care." Jin folded his arms across his chest and met Jr.'s eyes with an unrelenting gaze of his own. "Can you, with that past you bring with you, offer her any kind of stability that will give me the level of comfort I had with Allen?"
"Jin," Jr. said with a patience he hadn't known he possessed, "my past is just that. I've been offering Shion stability the entire time we've been together. I'm never going to be unfaithful to her, because I love her way too damn much to do that to her. I don't know what I can say to convince you of how much Shion means to me…" He trailed off and pressed his hands lightly against Shion's rounded stomach.
Jin's eyes fell to where Jr.'s hands rested and narrowed. "Hmmm…" he said quietly and then seemed to lose himself in thought for a minute. Finally, he addressed a still obviously defensive Shion. "I shall have to accept your response when I ask you this question, Shion. Are you happy with Jr.? Has he been able to give you a good life?"
The defensiveness left Shion immediately at Jin's words. She laid her hands upon Jr.'s and nodded gently. "He has, Jin. As he said, we've had our differences, but we always work through them. I didn't expect things to happen this way, but I wouldn't trade my life with Jr. I'm happy, I promise you that."
Jin returned the nod, and a hint of a smile crossed his face. "Then I suppose I can give you my blessing and wish Jr. the best of luck," he said teasingly, causing Shion to roll her eyes. "And now that we've established your happiness, would I be correct in assuming I'm to be an uncle? I would guess the unusual situation caused a rather noticeable decline in my observational skills when one considers I've only taken note of the difference in your appearance just before…"
Now that all involved seemed to be on better terms, Jr.'s natural tendency to joke returned. "Hard to miss, Jin. I mean, Shion's not exactly her usual, slender self. Ouch!" He gave a laughing cry when Shion turned and poked him in the chest. "You know I'm only kidding, sweetheart!"
Albedo said, his tone one of sheer boredom, "I do hope you don't think this child is their first. No, this would be the second time they've decided to procreate, more's the pity. As if one that's a combination of the two of them wasn't enough…" He heaved a sigh that caused Jr. to lift an eyebrow in his direction.
"Yeah, go ahead and act like you don't give a damn about Aya. It sure as hell ain't flying, Albedo, and you damn well know it."
Albedo opened his mouth to give a nonchalant response, as evidenced by his continued casual stance, but Jin held up a hand for silence. "If I'm to judge from Albedo's words, I already have a niece or nephew then? Would either of you care to tell me about this child?"
"Actually," Albedo replied, his voiced laced liberally with unrelenting boredom, "I am quite sure Rubedo and I could manage to bring the child's consciousness here so you could meet her. She is rather connected to both of us, after all. Being that she's his, however, it is Rubedo's decision, of course." He gave his twin a mocking bow.
Though his eyes narrowed at the bow, Jr. decided it was wise to ignore Albedo's antics. "If Shion's okay with it, I guess we can try. No matter how much you talk, I know you'll help me take care of Aya to get her here safely. So what do you think about it, sweetheart?" He cupped his hand beneath Shion's chin and tilted her face up so he could look into her worried emerald gaze.
"Do you promise that she'll be all right, Jr.? I'd love for Jin to meet her, but not at the expense of her safety," Shion fretted.
"Yeah, I promise." He kissed her gently before looking toward Jin. "I'm willing to bet you that she's going to be cranky as hell since we'll be waking her up," Jr. warned his brother-in-law. "If you can get past that, you'll see she's a really good kid. Not that I'm biased or anything." He gave a chuckle.
"That would simply mean she is indeed Shion's daughter," Jin said, directing a teasing glance at his sister. "I would, if you're able to bring her here, like to meet my niece. I wasn't exactly expecting a combination of the two of you, so I'm quite interested to see how it's turned out."
Jr. released Shion to head toward his lounging twin. "If anything happens to Aya during this, Albedo…" He trailed off as Albedo lifted his eyes toward the sky.
"Yes, yes, I already know. You will never forgive me, and you will bury my consciousness so damn deeply, I shall never see the light of day. Do you never grow tired of that threat, Rubedo?" His laughing purple eyes met Jr.'s annoyed blue ones, and he sighed again. "You may cease worrying. I have no interest in hurting the little princess. You know that, or you wouldn't have agreed to this in the first place. Now, could we possibly set about doing what we're supposed to? You and your princess will need to wake up eventually, and I do doubt our black-haired friend can linger indefinitely."
As they had done before when performing the anti-U-DO link, they brought their hands up, though they stood facing one another with their eyes locked. A shudder went through each one of them, and then they stood still and silent for a few minutes. The worry Shion had felt before extended to her husband, and she had begun to move toward him when he and Albedo collapsed to the ground. Rushing to Jr.'s side, she cradled his head as best she could, asking him if he was all right. Beside his twin, Albedo stirred and pinned her with a sardonic look. "Do you not have any interest in checking upon your dear brother-in-law?"
Ignoring him, she watched with relief as Jr.'s eyes opened. He started to reassure her, but a tiny and very petulant voice broke in. "Why is Aya here?" All eyes focused on the little redhead who was rubbing tiredly at her eyes. "Daddy, Mommy, Aya doesn't like this!" Her lower lip began to quiver, and she hurried to her parents' sides. She clung to Jr. as he got to his feet, and he laid a hand upon her hair.
"It's okay, little one," he told her, and she looked up at him for reassurance. "Someone wanted to meet you, and he kinda can't meet you when you're awake. So your uncle and I linked up, and we were able to link with you, too. Are you okay? Do you feel funny or anything?" He knelt down beside her and moved her tangled hair out of her face.
"Aya feels okay," she replied slowly. "As long as you and Mommy are here, she's happy. Somebody wants to meet Aya, though?" She glanced around, and her eyes landed on Albedo. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she whispered, "Unca Alby?"
Not wanting to disturb the little girl, Jin lifted an eyebrow and mouthed, "Alby?" Shion indicated she would tell him in a few minutes, and he contented himself with just a small smile at the nickname bestowed upon the white-haired man. Despite his ability to mask his emotions, however, even he couldn't keep his jaw from dropping when the small girl hurdled toward Albedo, obviously expecting him to catch her.
Albedo's mouth twisted, but to everyone's surprise, he did indeed catch the little girl. "I don't expect a word of this ever breathed to anyone," he warned his amused audience as Ayame hugged him around the neck.
"I guess it's to be expected," Shion mused. "She's never seen him; she's only been able to mentally speak to him. I'm surprised he's tolerating her hugging him, though."
"Honestly, so am I," Jr. said, his expression somewhat dumbfounded even as he chuckled. "I guess sometimes he's not so bad." The words were said grudgingly, but Shion could still hear the affection in them. She took his hand and squeezed it, and he shot her a small grin.
"Unca Alby, you look just like Daddy!" Ayame squealed, the delight she felt at finally seeing the uncle she loved evident in every line of her body. "Aya's so happy she's getting to meet you!"
"I'd like to think I'm the better-looking between the two of us," Albedo sniffed disdainfully. "I am infinitely more intelligent, and Rubedo wouldn't dare to dispute that." When Jr. opened his mouth to offer a heated response, his twin merely smirked. Jr. fell silent, not wishing to interfere in Ayame's time with her beloved uncle. "While I am…utterly thrilled to actually meet my niece, I feel the need to inform you that I would not be the one you're here to see, little princess. The black-haired one standing not far from your dear mother is the reason your father and I called your consciousness here."
Ayame turned her head briefly and then made a face at the sight of the unfamiliar man. "But Aya doesn't like strangers," she pouted.
Albedo set her down gently, drawing looks of surprise. "I could hardly just throw the child to the ground," he snapped, rolling his eyes. "I could have, given my past, but she is fortunate in the fact that I'm able to tolerate her to an extent." He added an elegant shrug in an attempt to show how little he cared about the opinions of those around him.
"Sure, Albedo, sure," Jr. replied, a hint of laughter in his voice, taking Ayame's hand when she reached him. Shion took her daughter's other hand, surreptitiously running her eyes over her to check that she'd left Albedo's arms unscathed.
"Dear princess," Albedo said caustically, "I did not do anything underhanded to the little princess, so no need to worry your pretty, little head over it. I was in full-view of you the entire time, after all." He returned to his perch upon the rock, taking up the same position he'd been in before.
Ayame was led up to Jin, who looked down at his small niece with something akin to wonder. "I don't believe I recall you being this small, Shion…" he said quietly. Shion shook her head fiercely at him, and he realized instantly that it must be a sore subject with someone in the vicinity. Kneeling down in front of the suddenly recalcitrant little girl, he asked her gently, "May I ask how old you are, Ayame?"
She pursed her lips and glanced up at Jr., who nodded to her that she needed to answer. "Aya is two," she replied, averting her face.
"You're very well-spoken for two years old," Jin told her, and she pinned him with her mother's green eyes. "I don't believe I've introduced myself, but I am your mother's brother, Jin. It's very nice to meet you, Ayame."
"You don't look much like Mommy," Ayame said suspiciously, her gaze running over his face.
"Well, brothers and sisters don't always need to look alike to be brother and sister," Jin answered with a slight laugh.
"Daddy and Unca Alby look alike," Ayame returned, her lower lip edging out. She pulled her hands from her parents' to fold her arms across her chest.
"There are reasons for that, little one," Jr. broke in, patting her hair. "Don't you think you should try giving Uncle Jin a hug?"
Ayame balked at the thought of hugging a stranger, and Shion said softly, "Sweetie, I know we're asking a lot of you, especially with how you dislike strangers. You're never going to see Uncle Jin again after this, though, and I think he'd like a hug before he goes away."
"Why are you going away?" Ayame asked curiously as she crept a little closer to Jin.
"Unfortunately, Ayame, I was protecting friends very dear to me and was unable to come through with my life intact. You might even be able to refer to me as somewhat of a ghost." He saw her eyes widen, and he hastened to add, "I do assure you that I'm a good one, though. I wished to see my sister and be certain she wasn't making a mess of things, and this was the only way I could do so. I've discovered she's indeed very happy, with your father, and I've also been able to meet my niece. I believe I can move on due to these things."
"Then Aya thinks she can give you a hug before you leave," Ayame said, giving him a sweet smile and coming toward him. "Aya doesn't like strangers, but she doesn't want you to be sad before you go." She hugged him around the neck, and he hugged her back cautiously, worried about her tiny size.
As Ayame stepped back and Jin got to his feet again, he faced Jr. and Shion, his expression unreadable. "Before I go, I would like to leave you with some parting words that may be of help in your search for chaos." Jr.'s eyebrows drew together, but he managed to keep silent. "Your search will come to an end when you return to the place where the Zohar was awakened. Now I must say goodbye to you all. Please be sure to be good to my sister, Jr." With an incline of his head, Jin vanished and the dreamworld faded away.
Author's note 2 – I know this chapter took forever! I just couldn't stay in the whole writing mode, and that's why it took so long. I also know this one ends a bit abruptly, but bear with me and things should work out in the next chapter! I sadly can't say when that will be right now…