More than Words Can Say

Chapter Eight: Hello There

Shion disassembled the knots in her hair with the strokes of the brush she handled in her hands. Afterwards, she gathered a bunch of her auburn hair and divided it into three strands. She then placed one strand over the other one and began to develop a pattern. Now her hair was woven into a neat plait and when she was finished, she fastened the end of her braid with her favorite barrette, which sported a blue sphere in the center.

It was a little after eight o' clock. The dusky rays of the morning sun were slowly spreading upon Second Miltia. They have already penetrated the barrier of the curtains in Shion and MOMO's bedroom, where the twenty- two-year-old Vector employee was preparing for a day's outing in the city. She had left her customary uniform in her closet and was wearing a sleeveless button-down spring green top with blue denim shorts. It was much too warm in the summer to go around in her blue and tan dress with the matching long-sleeved jacket.

"This will cheer her up, I know it will," Shion said thoughtfully. She walked over to MOMO's bed where the Realian was still sound asleep.

"Wow, I never saw her sleep so peacefully before," She remarked. Shion shook MOMO lightly and saw her golden eyes slowly flicker open.

"Good morning, sleepy-head. Come on and get up," Shion greeted.

MOMO could feel her body coming to life once more. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to the city to get you some new clothes. Think of it as a girls' day out, just you and me...well, if you don't count Jin. He's driving us."

"Oh, did Captain Matthews get my piggy bank? I have all my money in there-"

"Stop worrying about it. Jin and I will take care of the money."

MOMO hesitated a bit, but agreed. "Okay, let me go and get ready."

"When you're done, meet us downstairs," Shion told her and left the room.

MOMO collected her 100-Series Observation Realian attire and headed towards the bathroom in the hallway. She shut the door behind her and turned on the sink. She gathered some water in her hands and splashed it upon her face, the cold sensation instantly waking her. She dried her face and proceeded to brush her teeth, the minty taste of the toothpaste invigorating to her taste buds. Later, MOMO turned off the faucet and changed from her pajamas and into her navy blue sailor dress. She gathered her nightwear and went out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom to brush her hair. Like always, she held back two segments of her cherry pink hair in slight pigtails while the rest of her hair was left to fall to her shoulders and around her neck.

MOMO departed from her room after putting her boots on, but stopped in her tracks when she was about to pass Jin's old bedroom. She carefully cracked the door open and saw that chaos was snoozing comfortably in his sleeping bag and Jr. was asleep in his bed. She moved toward to him, doing her best to not wake up chaos as she walked past him. MOMO went to Jr.'s bedside and looked at him with a deep fondness. She thought to himself how cute he looked when he was asleep. His vermillion hair was messily tangled and his covers were strewn untidily about his skinny body, revealing the white shirt and black boxer shorts that he wore for his pajamas.

It was one of the few mornings that she did not wake up screaming or crying from a nightmare. She was able to sleep without any difficulty because of something that happened to her last night. She was laying in her bed, weary from the trip to Second Miltia and the serious information that Gaignun had told them all over lunch. She could barely open her eyes because of her fatigue, but she was sure that she saw Jr. watching her as she rested. She recognized the unruly crimson hair and the dynamic sapphire eyes. His head lowered onto hers and their lips met in a brief, but gentle kiss. And then, he made a promise, but she could not recall clearly what it was.

She blushed. MOMO was not certain if she was dreaming, but she could still feel the softness of Jr.'s lips on hers. Even if it all were an illusion, she was happy upon remembering last night. She pulled the wrinkled blankets over Jr.'s body so as to shelter him as he slept. She was about to leave until a familiar voice called faintly to her.

"MOMO, where are you going?" chaos asked her. His nightclothes consisted of a gray tank top and navy blue shorts, which his sleeping bag hid. He supported himself with his propped arm.

"Shion and I are going shopping with Jin," MOMO answered brightly, but quietly so she would not wake up Jr.

"Really? Well, do you think that Shion would mind if I went with you?"

"I don't see why not. I'll tell Jin and her to wait a bit longer until you're ready."

"Thanks, I won't be long," he replied, and MOMO took off to the staircase.

chaos wriggled out of his sleeping bag and rummaged through his suitcase that Matthews had brought him after he returned from the Durandal. He and Jr. had yet to unpack their belongings. He picked out his clothes and began to depart for the bathroom.

He hurriedly brushed his teeth and attempted to comb his sterling hair, save for the several strands that curled upward from the back of his head. He slipped on a pair of loose blue jeans and a white T-shirt. He threw on a navy blue jacket with a hood attached in the back. He hastily folded his pajamas and placed them onto his sleeping bag. He took a moment and looked back at Jr., who was now lightly snoring in his sleep.

"He and everyone else will be safe if they stay here. I have to go with MOMO and the others to make sure that nothing happens to them."

chaos headed downstairs where MOMO, Shion, and Jin awaited.

* * * *

His eyes fell upon the delicate magnolia blossoms that bloomed on the thick branches of the tree that mothered them. He plucked one off, separating it from all its other siblings. He held it in his hand, admiring the frail beauty of the flower. With his index finger and his thumb, he pulled one of the velvety petals off. He let if fall from his grasp as it drifted slowly onto the ground.

"She loves me," He muttered to himself as he proceeded to tug off another petal. "She loves me not, she loves me, she loves me not..."

He crushed the entire flower by enclosing his fingers upon the fragile thing. He felt the kiss of its petals pushing against his skin. He opened up his hand again, and the remaining trampled petals floated onto the wind helplessly.

"And so on and so on. What would an oblivious flower know of love?"

He chuckled to himself as he picked another defenseless blossom. "Ah, MOMO. You are much like a flower yourself. You are beautiful, blameless, and unable to grasp the cold sting of the reality that surrounds you. You know nothing of the sinful bloodstained hands of humankind, the same ones that had brought you into this world. You only see it through the delusional and uncertain eyes of a child. Just as I did."

He threw the flower upon the ground and with his heel smashed it. He lifted his foot and smiled when he saw what was left of the splendor of the blossom: its ruined petals were now stained with brown specks of dirt.

"But unlike flowers, I can save you. I will rescue you from the shackles that bind you from seeing the world as it really is."

* * * *

"You look so cute!" Shion exclaimed to a blushing MOMO as she walked by her side.

She wore a baby blue dress that rustled gently against her body as she moved. A dark blue silk ribbon was tied around the dress above her tiny waist and the rest of the dress hung gracefully down halfway past her knees, exposing the rest of her slender legs. A faux white flower that resembled a full-bloomed carnation was attached in the middle of the ribbon in the front. The dress was sleeveless and the straps that secured the dress went around MOMO's bare shoulders, revealing her collarbone and the upper part of her back. A white sun hat rested on top of MOMO's cherry pink hair with a blue ribbon tied around it, complimenting the ribbon around MOMO's dress. Underneath her hat, her hair remained its same fashion, except that hairclips resembling small white flowers replaced her usual orange ones. Lastly, she wore white platform sandals to complete her attire.

"Thank you, Shion," MOMO replied, carrying a large shopping bag full of other dresses and outfits. It was a pleasant change for MOMO to walk around in something else than her snug laboratory uniform. For once, she was able to wear clothes that made her look like a normal twelve-year-old girl, despite the fact that she was a Realian prototype.

"Let me carry those for you," Shion offered. MOMO declined, seeing that the young woman also carried a bulging bag in her hand.

"No, you already have one."

"I'll take these for you, ladies," Jin bumped in, taking both MOMO and Shion's bags in his hands. Since he was stronger, he was able to carry each one with relative ease.

"I shouldn't have bought so much..." MOMO said outloud, a bit guilty. She would not have let them purchase so much, but Shion insisted that she deserved to have a wardrobe of her own that did not consist of only her sailor suit and her pink swimsuit.

"There's something that you should know about women, MOMO," Jin began. "When they go out shopping for themselves or anyone for that matter, they aren't satisfied until they bring the whole store with them."

Shion's jade green glared at Jin from behind her glasses. "That's typical. Men are always stereotyping people."

A goofy smirk appeared on Jin's face. "Hey Shion, when's that soap opera show of yours coming on?"

Shion glanced at her watch. "Oh, the first one starts at noon today! I can't miss this show: Drake is going to try and win Virginia's heart from that millionaire by proposing to her in front of her entire family-hey!!!"

She smacked her brother on the shoulder while an amused chaos and a baffled MOMO looked on.

The Realian girl tugged on chaos' jacket. She looked up at him, the brim of her hat casting a slight shadow over her honey-colored eyes. "chaos, what's a soap opera?"

chaos suppressed a laugh as the siblings fought. "Oh, a soap opera is a show where the plot is a very long and dramatic one that takes all kinds of twists and turns-"

"And it's tedious enough to put anyone into a sleep, worse yet a coma- OUCH!!!" Jin was cut short by another slap from Shion, this time aimed at the back of his head. "chaos, do something before Shion hurts Mr. Uzuki even more!" MOMO begged. chaos quickly looked around the bustling streets of the metropolis until an ice cream parlor caught the corner of his eye.

"Hey, why don't we all get an ice cream before heading back to Jin's house?" chaos suggested.

"That sounds great! I feel like having one..." Jin agreed, rubbing the back of his aching head. He followed chaos and MOMO with a fuming Shion trailing behind him.

They entered the parlor, greeted by the cool atmosphere of the place. A teenaged girl, whose blonde hair was styled in long pigtails on both sides of her head, beamed at them. "Welcome! How may I help you today?"

"Everyone, go ahead and order what you want. I'll be paying," chaos said.

"I'd like a root beer float," Jin said, his hand still massaging the back of his head where Shion had attacked him last.

"A vanilla milkshake for me, please," Shion requested politely.

"And what about you, sweetie?" The cashier asked MOMO.

The Realian looked down at her feet, not sure of how to answer the question. How was she supposed to know what to order if she never tasted ice cream before in her life?

"Um...I'm not sure," MOMO answered.

"Well take a look over here and you can decide," the teenager responded without a hint of annoyance to her cheerful voice. "I'll get started on the two orders and when you know what you want, just tell me."

"I'll help you decide, MOMO," chaos assured her. "Shion, why don't you and Jin go sit down in one of those booths over there while I help MOMO?"

Both Jin and Shion consented and seated themselves in an empty booth, the older Uzuki watching warily at his younger sister in case she thrashed him again.

MOMO and chaos walked over to where the ice cream was displayed under a frigid, spotless glass screen. MOMO's eyes widened upon discovering how many unique flavors of ice cream were available. "Wow, that's a lot of ice cream."

chaos laughed goodheartedly. "Well, different people like different things, I suppose. An ice cream shop wouldn't be much of one if they didn't have a range of variety in their flavors."

"Ooh, what's this?" MOMO pointed to a container of light green ice cream that was dotted with small brown spheres.

"That's mint-chocolate chip. It's a favorite of a lot of people," chaos said.

MOMO's eyes examined the different flavors and carefully read the labels that were placed above the containers. "They make coffee into ice cream!?"

Again, chaos laughed. "It's not as bad as you think it would be. In fact, it's a lot sweeter than the stuff you drink."

Deciding that she did not want to try that flavor just yet, MOMO excitedly point out one of the containers. "That strawberry ice cream looks real good!"

"Pick one other flavor," and before MOMO could refuse, chaos smiled at her reassuringly. When older people had that particular smile on their lips, she knew that it was futile to say anything otherwise.

She searched again, deciding that she was not bold as of yet to sample flavors such as bubblegum burst or pumpkin. She settled on a flavor called French vanilla, which chaos commented that it was quite delicious. MOMO ordered one scoop of each in a large waffle cone, and chaos did the same, the only difference being that he chose chocolate and rocky road.

The cashier handed chaos a tray where Jin's root beer float and Shion's vanilla milkshake stood, and he paid her for what was purchased. MOMO carried his ice cream cone as he brought the tray over to the booth where Jin and Shion were, eager to taste her ice cream. They seated themselves across from the brother and sister.

MOMO watched with curiosity as Shion sipped her milkshake through a straw and as Jin started devouring his root beer float. She observed chaos licking the scoop of chocolate ice cream from his waffle cone. She did the same, and as soon as the tip of her tongue touched the creamy exterior of the strawberry ice cream, a chill went down her spine. But that was not necessarily a bad thing. An explosion of sugary goodness that was similar to the taste of strawberries, MOMO had to admit, covered her taste buds.

"This is really good!" MOMO exclaimed in surprise, eating her ice cream faster.

"I told you that you would like it," the smile then faded from chaos' face. "...MOMO, you might want to slow down."

"Why?" In a few more moments, MOMO would be scolding herself for not taking chaos' advice. After licking her ice cream a few more times, she felt a sudden feeling of numbness tingle through her head so violently, she almost dropped her ice cream cone. "AGGGGGHHH! MY HEAD!"

Shion giggled, "That's brain freeze. You get it when you eat ice cream too fast."

MOMO smiled sheepishly and was careful then on not to consume her ice cream too quickly. A half hour went by, resulting in large empty glasses and devoured waffle cones.

"Well, I better get started on lunch," Shion took another look at her watch and was in near shock. "Oh no, my soap operas!"

She placed the glasses from which Jin and her drank out of on the tray and hastily placed it onto the empty counter where the cashier was, and rushed out of the parlor. Jin hurriedly followed her in an attempt not to lose his sister.

"Come on, MOMO," chaos addressed her and pursued the Uzuki siblings with the Realian girl following him. Before she went through the door, she turned back to the confused cashier and kindly thanked her for the ice cream. She entered the streets of the city and was embraced by the summer warmth of the sun. She could see chaos' trim figure ahead of her and was about to run after him, until a strong breeze blew past her and sent her sun hat flying off of her head.

"Oh no!" MOMO cried as her hat was drifting at a usually fast pace upon the wind as she followed it. She ran toward it with her full speed, quickly apologizing to those she had bumped into. The hat was a fleeting white image above the heads of the indifferent people who walked on the sidewalks and the uninterested vehicles that took to the streets. MOMO saw it for a brief moment lying on the street ahead of her until a breeze coming from the east caused it to tumble slowly into an alley. She sprinted toward it, hoping that she would not lose the hat that Shion had bought for her, and entered the alley.

It was dark, which was uncanny due to the fact that the forecast of the city was cloudless and sunny. Shadows were cast onto the brick walls of the buildings by the sun as it slowly rose higher into the sky. She saw her white hat gleaming in the few rays of sunlight as it continued to roll deeper into the darkness of the alley. Once again she ran after it, but in doing so she crashed into something solid and breathing. She gave a little yelp and fell down from the force of the impact.

"I'm sorry," a soft, but vivid, voice apologized. A hand reached to her from the shadows as a gesture to help her up to her feet. She delayed from taking it, but in the end she placed her hand into it and the stranger aided her to stand up once more.

"Thank you," she said graciously. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to bump into you."

"It's fine," the voice assured her. He stepped away from the darkness and into the dim light that was able to penetrate the shady alley. MOMO realized that he was about her height, and most likely a preteen around the age of twelve, just as she was simulated to appear. The boy was covered in a large beige cloak, his face obscured by the hood he wore over his head. The tone of his hands was somewhat pale, but they did not show any signs of an illness. MOMO noticed that he had something clutched into his left hand.

"You found my hat!" She said happily. He allowed her to take it into her own hands. "Thank you so much! I was chasing it when it got caught up in the wind-"

She was interrupted when the boy placed his hands upon hers as she held the brim of her sun hat. He went closer to her and she could make out a smile forming on his lips. "You have very beautiful eyes. You shouldn't have to hide them with things like hats."

She was taken aback, not knowing whether to be flattered or not. MOMO was suddenly hit with the realization that she recognized the boy's voice from somewhere. She took a closer look at him and without warning a face from the gloom of a stormy night was looking right back at her. The rain was pouring down his hood, those dark eyes staring at her with an intricacy that even the most advanced Realian of this age could not be able to solve...

"Am I startling you?" The boy asked her with slight sympathy as he took his hands away.

"Do...I know you?" MOMO questioned him, expecting an answer.

The boy smiled again from under his hood and shook his head. "No, I don't think you have," he responded sincerely.

Before MOMO could reply, a voice called out to her from behind that was undeniably that of chaos'. "MOMO, there you are!"

She looked back to see the bronze-skinned young man running up to her. She turned back and to her utmost surprise, the boy was gone.

"You know better than to go off on your own, especially at a time like this! Shion and Jin were worried when they didn't see you with me!" He chided her gently.

"I-I'm sorry," MOMO explained. "It's just...my hat got caught in the wind and I went after it."

chaos sighed. "Still, you should be careful, all right?"

MOMO nodded and once again a kind smile appeared on chaos' attractive face. "C'mon. Let's catch up with the others before they start looking for us."

She followed him by his side this time, to stay in chaos' vision as means to comfort him. She put her hat back on her head, concealing the top of her scarlet hair and her golden eyes. Her hands swung at her sides while she remembered her encounter back at the alley.

The feel of his hands, she thought to herself. They felt warm...but they were freezing at the same time...

SPECIAL NOTE: Okay, I would make this longer, but seeing how I don't have the time, this is what I got. I decided to update because I haven't in a while, so I'm really sorry for this chapter. It's crappy isn't it? Sigh, well, I'm still happy that you guys are psyched over this story either way. Thank you all for reviewing!

P.S. MOMO will have more new clothes, not just the blue dress I put her in! So if you're reading this Kawaii Karen, I might do something a bit bolder for MOMO!