Title: Epiphany.

Rating: PG-13.

Pairing: Irvine/Fiona.

Notes: Oh-ho. Time for controversy to show up.

I do not remember what happened in the first episode of the Guardian Force, so I'm wingin' it. Yeah, I know, 'Damn you, Rinon! Remember! REMEMBER!' But, I'm dying with a fever here! I can hardly keep my eyes open! Leave me aloneee! T___T

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While their intent was to head directly to the campsite, Doctor D had labeled the area within the corridor unstable. Before they could leave, he sent Irvine off to fetch spikes and a long chord of rope. Still, before they could leave, he made sure to literally tie the opening off.

With that done, they had gone into camp. Silently and rather quickly. Doctor D had grudgingly left them alone, though only after making sure she was within a bed and he was all the way across the tent, before making tracks. And, even then, he kept peeking back through the door, mumbling and sighing.

"What happened?"

"You know already." He shifted awkwardly. Her stare was so intent, so demanding – he felt like cringing and shrinking away, just due to the intensity of it. It was confusing; he should have been the one asking what had happened. "Doctor D told you."

She frowned at him. He was lying through his teeth and she could tell – it was the most blatant thing in the world. She pressed, "Irvine.."

There was something severely wrong with the situation. Why didn't she know? People were prone to failing to remember certain details of consciousness, before they fell, though –

Her breath came in short, abrupt gasps, passing through widely spread lips – a brilliant, triumphant smile. Her hand was still clasped over that of the old man's, who insistently struggled to get away, comically complaining about her ulterior motive: trying to pull his arm off.

"You.. came back with him."

"We're here!" She called, her voice echoing through the lit corridor – and that was all to be said from her. Once she could see the light reflecting off of Irvine's eyes, his faintly pained, though still joyous, expression, she found herself blinking. Shaking. Wobbling and finally releasing the hand of the old man.

"And you were calling for me." He squinted, as though recalling what had happened was a terribly hard thing to do. "And then you couldn't stand. We tried to help you, but.."

"Fiona?" Doctor D began, and Irvine echoed, as she stepped forward slowly. The light pulsed and surged. She gave a small gasp.

Shafts of light began to formulate from within her chest, piercing outward and even multiplying. Her gasp slowly increased, shaping into a whimper, then a whine, before finally, a scream.

"Then – something – happened to you. You –" He made a face. "It was so weird.. You started glowing.."

Both were watching, expressions of mixed horror and deathly fright, as she teetered backward and hit the ground – perhaps the impact was hard, or the dirt was still settling, as when her body did fully hit, a cloud of dust arose and enveloped her.

"And then you laid there," He continued still, exhaling quietly. She still sat positively still, eyes and attention fixed upon him. "All – covered in the dust. And you just kept screaming and screaming until the dust settled. Then.."

For a moment, he stood still, lips trembling – he had lost her, he had lost her, he had lost her..

"You were – out for a few minutes." He finished, shaking his head lightly. He rubbed lightly at the side of his face, smearing the dirt and dust. "And then you woke up."

"What about the.. light?"


He paused. What had happened to the light? It had gotten so bright in the room that his eyes stung just from keeping them open. He had blinked and squinted against it, just in time to watch it fade. "It just – went. That was it."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I don't know!" – then, with a hint of annoyance in his voice – "Doctor D," He enunciated, "Didn't tell you."

She 

-        -        -        -

He kept looking around, as though expecting someone to pop out from behind a corner. Paranoid. Paranoid. Still, he progressed forward slowly, inching toward the transmissions tent.

Irvine wasn't in there, that he knew. So, he could make a call. Or, perhaps, two.

He slipped inside, wringing his hands lightly. He was up to the phone in an instant, fingers twitching lightly as he reached forward to tap in the proper set of numbers for whom, exactly, he intended to call.


When he did, a young, scowling face, obscured by shafts of awkward darkness, came into view. Doctor D cringed; for a moment, he thought the face belonged to an answering machine, however, the scowl flickered and the man looked down to the Doctor, and he quickly changed his mind.

"Sir.. we're going in for supplies tomorrow. You must attack, but not to kill."

The scowl upon the man's face turned hastily into a grin. He nodded. "Certainly."

-        -        -        -

"I think I need to go back there.."

"You think, but you're not."


"Why not?" She whirled about in order to keep from stumbling and stared at him, incredulous.

"Because it'll collapse if you go in there and screw around with that again!"

She paused, froze, as though she had come to some sort of revelation at that statement. It was wholly true, though, again – that warm, trembling feeling arose in her and she pulled her arm from his grasp. Skirting around him, she proceeded toward her bed and sat upon it, quiet and looking a bit dazed.

He felt a pang of guilt at this, though watched, nevertheless. She was trembling, her gaze focused intently upon her lap. He raised a brow; women were weird, but. Shaking any inconsiderate thoughts from his mind, he continued across the tent toward her and lowered herself down onto the bed beside her slowly. "Something's wrong, Irvine.."

"Hey, don't worry about it." He countered, though awkwardly. It was almost instantaneously afterward that she looked up at him and began sobbing. Her noises were strangled and choked and her shoulders shook in ways he thought absolutely absurd for her. He inwardly sighed, more so out of condolence for her than anything else, and awkwardly wrapped his arms about her shoulders, rubbing at patting at her back in an attempt to calm her.


Though, it didn't. She found herself propped against him and crying still.

And that was when he realized that he had to leave.