Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait in updating, but I was in writer's block for a while on how to write this chapter. In this chapter, we have a few more revelations for KOS-MOS (or rather "Elly" as she'll be referred to from now on by Shion and the original archetype, "Miang") so that means more angst for our poor heroine. Yeah, Elly seems pretty weak compared to her video game counterpart in this story, but I guarantee that she'll start kicking ass again in the next chapter. And Jin, yeah I know he and Shion have been fighting quite a bit and he's been somewhat of a comedy relief character, but I assure you he'll start to take up a more serious role starting with this chapter (but you can still expect him and Shion to argue from time to time like most siblings do). The ff.net version has some edited scenes in this chapter, I'm sure you all know where to find the uncut version by now. Things may be confusing in this chapter, the pacing is slow at parts, and a few more questions will arise, but please bear with it and I'll answer all questions and other mysteries that were made in this story in the next chapter. Why, because this story's almost done, two chapters left and this story's finished. In any case, let's get to the story.
Chapter 6: Negligence and Patience
A small breeze begins to fill the air for a mere second and I can't help but look in the direction it flew. It leads my vision to the forest, stopping it before a tree branch where a yellow finch is perched. A small chirp escapes its beak and I can't help but smile at its melody. I find myself walking closer toward the conductor of the song with my eyes growing wider with every step I take. The image of the bird grows closer and closer, but by the time it grows close enough for me to touch, a loud bang fills the area and the bird is replaced by a shower of feathers. I can't help but gasp at the sight of the bird's death as my legs suddenly grow numb and my breath short. The air begins to grow thin at that moment and a fog begins to roll in, shielding my vision from the forest.
"I hate birds," a voice echoes from behind me.
"Miang!" I yell my sister's name as I turn toward her.
"Such fragile creatures they are," she begins to speak. "They sing such beautiful songs that can calm anyone's heart, but if you grow close enough to them, they fly away without a moment's notice. Why do they sing?" she asks as she begins to approach me. "Kevin once said that they sing to attract others toward them, but when others do grow close, they flee. It's true, don't you think?"
"Miang, I know what you're thinking," my eyes narrow as she draws closer, "you think you can still tear me and Shion apart, but you know what, that's not going to happen! Shion loves me, and I love her, there's nothing and no one that can change that, not even you! I don't care what you do to me, Miang, but you can't make me stop loving Shion nor can you make her stop loving me just because of what happened between you, her, and Kevin in the past!"
"I don't have to make her stop loving you," my sister says calmly, "in fact, she'll stop loving you on her own."
"Lies!" I retort.
"How much patience do you think she actually has?" Miang continues. "Do you really think she can continue to forgive you over and over again for your actions?"
"What do you mean?"
"There's a limit to everyone's patience, even your so-called 'lover' will run out of it," her lecture continues. "How many times do you think she'll forgive you for upsetting her, for worrying her, or for ravaging her?"
"I...," I am unable to find any words to respond with. "You said 'ravage her,'" I recall her last words soon after, "just what makes you think I would do such a thing? What we do is make..."
"Coat your words with as much sugar as you like, but as I said before, making love and rape is the same thing, it's sex, and we all know what the goal of sex is," she quickly interrupts.
"Regardless, when Shion and I do have sex, it's pleasing to both of us!" I explain yelling. "Not once when we have made love has she begged me to stop or burst into tears, nor have I done the same."
"But you only 'made love' once, why is that?"
"It's because...because...," again I am at a loss for words.
"Perhaps she did not enjoy it, she was faking it. I'm sure she was thinking to herself the entire time that she wanted it to stop."
"That's a lie!" I retort. "Shion would never deceive me, whether it be through or words or action! I know she wouldn't, I just know it!"
"And what makes you so sure?" she begins to approach me once more and soon her hand finds my shoulder.
"I feel it...here," I say, bringing my palm above my left breast.
"And just what is it that's there?"
"It's..."
I can feel something beating, something pushing slowly beneath my skin as I press my hand against my chest. Thump, thump, thump, the sound it makes, it's exactly the same sound I hear when I rest my ear on her chest. What is this instrument that continues to push above my breast?
"It's her heart," a third voice suddenly echoes in the air.
My head begins to swerve to the right and I find a slight illumination of gold standing before me. My eyes narrow to try and shade the light as much as I can but it is to no avail. Even bringing my hands before my vision does almost no good, but suddenly the light begins to dim and a small figure begins to form where the light had originated. The figure wears a pink dress that is nearly sleeveless, the only part of her arms that are covered are her shoulders. I turn my attention inward to the figure's neck, finding a gold cross hanging and fire-red strands of hair behind her neck. My eyes then look upward a bit more, stopping before the figure's cerulean pupils.
"Nephilim?" I call the young girl's name.
"It's you...," the cool demeanor of my sister begins to crack.
"Miang, Elly, we meet again," the child speaks.
"Don't give me that 'we meet again' business!" Miang bares her teeth.
"Miang, stop this, please," the child begs, falling to her knees, "can't you see that Elly has moved on, your attempt to become one again will..."
"I'm tired of listening to you," Miang stomps, turning her back toward the girl in the process, "I did that once and look at where it's gotten me!"
"But Miang...," the child continues to plea.
"Nothing but trouble, that's all you've given me!" I turn to Miang's hand which begins to glow with a dark violet light.
The next thing I know, my sister's arm rises and pushes toward the child in an instant. The glow in her hand suddenly escapes her palm and the next thing I know, a loud crash echoes in my ears and smoke begins to fill my lungs and eyes. I try to hack out the contents that had collected in my lungs within those few seconds but as soon as the dust clears, I find the young child and my sister hovering above my head.
"Hmph, you've grown weaker," my sister taunts returning to her stoic manner, "normally you would've been able to get out of a blast like that with little to no problems, but why is it that you couldn't evade an attack as simple as that. If I had used a minuscule 2.9998% more of my power, you would have been vaporized in an instant."
I turn to the child that hovers several feet in front of her. A river of crimson runs down her left arm though most of it runs through the gaps between the fingers of her right hand which clutches the wound. The child's breath already seems heavy, her form slowly bobbing up and down as she tries to regain the air she had lost from the blast. Her knees are bending, it looks like they're barely able to support her weight and may collapse at any moment. A golden glow then begins to shine in Nephilim's right palm, the light illuminating brighter and brighter with each second that passes. The grin on plastered on Miang's face begins to melt at that moment and her body begins to arch preparing her for the worst. The child then mimics the earlier action of my sister, her arm suddenly pushing toward her opponent and an illuminated beam escape her hand. Again a cloud of smoke erupts upon impact, but this time when the smoke clears, only the child stands. At least for a mere second. Miang then suddenly appears behind the child, her body barely pressing against Nephilim's back.
"Behind you!" I try to warn the child.
"What?!"
"Got you," my sibling smirks.
The back of Miang's hand meets with the child's face for a mere second with another stream of scarlet erupting in the process. The geyser sprays for a mere second, following the motion of the child's body before it meets with the floor. As soon as I see this, my eyes narrow once more and I find my nails impaling into my palm as I ball my fingers into fists. My teeth begin to grind and I prepare to lift myself into their current locale, yet for some reason, I remain on the ground.
"What, why can't I...?"
My normal functions still haven't returned, I am unable to jump off the ground and bring myself to Nephilim and Miang's current level; the most I can jump is a mere foot off the ground. I try to jump once again, but just like the last time, I find myself only jumping a foot off the surface. I then bring my arm forward and straighten it, waiting for the R-CANNON to appear. Nothing, the weapon does not appear as it normally would. My weapons aren't working either, none of my usual functions are...
"Argh!" I look back to the sky to find my sister striking Nephilim once more with her fist.
"Nephilim!" I cry the child's name.
The child tries to return to her original posture after the strike, but her entire form arches inward as Miang lifts her knee upward, planting it in Nephilim's abdomen. The torture doesn't end there however as Miang then lifts her right arm upward, her fingers curled and her knuckles meeting with Nephilim's chin after, knocking the child back up. Another punch follows, this one with the left hand, striking at her ribs, and then quickly followed by several more. The attack continues after the punches, but I try to hide the vision and tears before my eyes by closing them. It does no good, I can still hear the child screaming and Miang laughing.
"Make it stop," I begin chanting, "make it stop, make it stop."
"Ugh!" the child's pain flows into my ears once more, blocking out the sound of my voice.
"Make it stop, make it stop, please make it stop," I begin to chant louder.
"Ah ha ha ha ha!" my sister's laugh echoes in my ears once more.
"Please make it stop, please make it stop."
"Ack!" the next cry again pushes through my voice, this time accompanied with a small rain that falls onto my arm.
"PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!"
My body begins to burn suddenly as an orange glow begins to engulf me. This burning, this fire, it continues to grow with every tear that I shed. I begin to wrap my arms around myself to try and cool the fire but to no avail, instead it continues to grow. The burning, for some reason, it does not hurt, but it soothes. Regardless, I just want it to stop, everything, just make it stop. Surging, I can feel something beginning to glow in my hands.
"What?!" I hear my sister's voice once more, this time without anymore cries from the child.
I tighten the closing of my eyes and my fingers begin to press on my arms. My legs begin to inch toward each other and the burning intensifies. Stop it, stop this sudden warmth, stop this fighting, just...
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" I scream.
The warmth suddenly begins to leave my body and I feel a brush of energy leaving my form, as if it were coming from my upper back. Large gusts of wind follow the energy, blowing from my spine and suddenly branching upward, toward Miang. A crack opens within the darkness before my vision and I find several rays of light aiming for Miang. Miang's mouth opens widely as the beams fly toward her and she tries to step back, but before she can do anything, the rays engulf her, once again surrounding the area with clouds of gray. The clouds begin to engulf the child, but instead of swallowing her like my sister, they cause her to lose her leverage in the air and she plummets toward the floor.
"Nephilim!" I cry again.
Without thinking, I begin to push my legs against the floor as hard as I can so that I may catch the child before she hits the ground. Her form grows larger and larger with each step my feet take until she becomes large enough to fall into my arms. My body is dragged to the floor the moment my arms wrap around her tiny body, but I am still able to catch her before she could hit the ground. I bring her body parallel to the ground and hold it at the same level as my abdomen so that I may observe a majority of her wounds. Blood, lots of blood is tainted on her milk-hued skin and now tattered dress, I can barely even see any pink in her clothing now. I turn to her eyes which now lie shut and her head tilted toward the floor with her mouth slightly open. Despite the condition she is in, she is breathing, but barely.
"Nephilim, are you all right?!" I quickly ask the child only to have her reply with silence. "Nephilim," I begin to shake her form lightly, "Nephilim!"
"E...Elly...?" the child barely calls my name.
"Lie still, I'm going to administer a medica ether," I order the child.
My normal functions and weapons may not be working at the moment, but I'm sure I can still use Ether to a certain degree.
"La so le vu ve ta," I chant as I lay my palms a few inches above her body.
My palms grow warm once again, much like the rest of my body did when I suddenly unleashed that attack back there. My eyes then fix on the oozing red craters all over her body, each of them slowly shrinking with every second that passes. The red substance that travels down her body begins to grow less rapid but eventually the leaking comes to a halt when their sources become sealed. My palms then move away from her body after but one hand can't help but stroke away several strands of hair that cover her once bloodied face. A small bristle is blown onto the tips of my fingers as they sweep away the strands and I can't help but smile knowing the child will be all right thanks to what I did to save her.
Wait a minute, what was it that I just did before I administered the ether? Nephilim was in danger, and then all of a sudden my entire body began to grow warm, particularly my upper back. As soon as I opened my eyes, I found several rays of light firing at Miang. The way it was fired, it was similar to that time I absorbed the Gnosis.
"I...I was wrong about you, Elly," the child's voice removes me from my thoughts.
"What?"
"You're not like your other half, no, your former half," Nephilim continues.
"What do you mean?" her words leave me baffled.
"Charging!" another voice suddenly enters my ears.
I quickly around to find my sister standing before us as battered and bruised as Nephilim was. Miang's clothing is also tattered; the strands that cover her breasts are barely attached to her corset now, hanging together by a single thread. String hangs from the wrist part of her left glove while the right is completely seared off. For once I can see one of her eyes as half of her goggles now lies on the floor. How narrow that single eye is, its crimson pupil almost as black as the garb of Death itself. Her teeth begin to bare toward us, I can practically hear them grinding against one another. Her hands begin to hover before her abdomen now and suddenly her fingers plunge themselves into her stomach. Eight petal-like devices begin to open as her fingers pull away several plates over her stomach with an electrical current flowing between each one. A red sphere rests inside the center of her now open abdomen and it begins to glow as a parasitic-looking device escapes from the lower back of her spine.
"X-BUSTER?!" I quickly recognize the attack she is about to use.
Before I could react, columns of light begin to escape her abdomen, each of them hailing toward Nephilim and I. Out of reaction I wrap my arms around Nephilim's form and turn my back toward the incoming fire. I shield my vision once more as I wait for the impact, wait for each of those beams to pierce through me just as they did with all those Gnosis and enemy soldiers not too long ago. The sound of the beams crashing onto some sort of surface erupt in my ears shortly after, but for some reason I don't feel the actual beams piercing through me.
"Huh?" I open my eyes and find the child still wrapped around my arms.
"Luck," I look to my sibling who clenches her teeth.
"Miang...?" I begin to return to my feet but with one arm still wrapped tightly around the girl standing next to me.
"I think I understand now," a small grin falls upon my enemy's face. "I should've known you would've pulled a stunt like that, Nephilim, are you that desperate to survive?"
"Desperate to survive...?" I turn to the child in my arms.
"That's just something a parasite like you would do," my sister continues. "If that's the case, I'll let this little incident go for now, but don't think I'll let it go for long."
The entire area begins to flood with clouds after and the air grows thick, but I keep my hold around Nephilim as tight as ever. Eventually I can see nothing but white before my eyes, even if I put my hand before my face I can barely see it. Nephilim is still holding on to me luckily, I feel her arms tightening further around mine as the mist continues to grow thicker. A few moments later, I find the fog settling and the air returning to normal.
"Are you all right?" I ask Nephilim afterward.
"Yes, thank you, Elly," she responds.
"What just happened back there?" my thoughts begin to linger toward the recent events.
"Ether," the little girl holding my arm speaks.
"What?"
"Infinite ether," she repeats herself. "Shion is the key."
"'Shion is the key.', wait a second, what do you mean?" I find myself confused once again.
My body begins burn again afterward, but this warmth is much different from the one I just felt a moment ago. Drops of liquid begins to drench my temple suddenly and my limbs begin to grow limp as my breath begins to grow thin. My throat is again parched and the scenery begins to blur. Hot, it feels so hot... The surface below my feet seems to give away suddenly and my knees then stop before the floor that never left my feet. Even then my body begins to sink further into the floor, as if an unknown force is pulling me down. The next thing I know, I find my side lying against a new surface and my entire body growing limp. Everything is so warm, like I'm in some sort of furnace.
Light suddenly begins to engulf my shut eyes, awakening me from my slumber. The sound of birds chirping also begins to fill my ears, their lullaby freeing me from my sleep. My entire upper body pushes itself upward the moment my eyes fully open and I find myself drenched in sweat and my body heaving heavily.
"Another dream?" I ask myself between my pants.
These visions I've been having these last few days, they're becoming more frequent and confusing than the last. This recent one is no exception either, but this time I don't have a single clue what just happened.
Another note of the birds' morning song enters my ear and I find my breathing beginning to slow down. The beating against my chest also lowers its pace as it tries to move in sync with nature's symphony. My arm meets with my brow afterward, wiping away the cool liquid that it had collected. I then turn to the direction where I had swept away the sweat, finding my darling Shion resting beside me. My mind begins to clear more as I admire how the sun's glow reflects off her perfect skin and I can't help but begin to relax. My body begins to sink toward the bed again as my arms wrap around her figure and my head falling unto her shoulder. My nose nuzzles against her arm the moment it meets with her skin, but it begins to travel down further. I find it brushing against her breasts within a few moments as it looks for a region that is able to support my head. My arm begins to travel upward, my fingers slowly gliding down Shion's sleeve until they wrap around her hand.
"Mm," my lips can't help but purr when I feel the warmth of her body.
Soon I find my body beginning to sit up again, but not with my own accord. For a moment I begin to worry on why I am doing this, but then I realize my body is moving with hers. A hand then falls upon my brow and pushes several strands away only to return once more to caress my skin. A small pluck then falls upon my forehead a second later just as an arm wraps around my waist.
"Elly," my lover's voice slowly calls into my ear, "it's time to wake up now."
"Just a bit longer," I'm able to mutter as I try to find my spot on her body once again.
"Of course," she answers as she glides her hand through my hair again.
I find comfort once again as I lie one ear to my lover's heart. Thump, thump, thump, how each beat slowly pushes against my cheek, just the sound is enough to make me relax once more. I feel so comfortable and safe lying here like this, something I haven't felt since I met my sister. It wasn't until last night that Shion was able to make me smile again and her touch was as comforting as ever. The two of us just laid here in her bed, holding one another in each other's arms as our cheeks and lips continue press against one another. Not once did I push away the hugs or kisses, they were all welcomed with the same gesture. The entire time, she continued to rock me in her arms while humming our song.
"Shion," the voice of her brother suddenly began to call from the other side of the door.
"Yes?"
"Breakfast!" he calls.
"Well this is a first," Shion says somewhat surprised. "All right, I'm coming down!" she calls back. "Come on, Elly, let's go."
For once in my life I refuse to leave my spot, instead trying to burrow myself further in bed.
'Not now,' I think to myself, 'please not now...'
Just the thought of moving out of this space now returns the images of my last dream of my head. The taste of dust and smoke, the sight of blood, and the sound of my sister's taunts, they're already coming back to me! Just let me stay here a bit longer, long enough so that I can forget about it.
A small tap falls upon my shoulder, but I shrug it away and turn to the side. Another tap follows and again I move. A small breath then flows into my left ear, the air causing my body to stir. I know I have to get up eventually and remember the horrid events, but lying here allows me to forget for just a few seconds. Please, Shion, don't wake me up, leave me here!
Fingers then begin to slide down my arm and for some reason my lips begin to curl while trying to prevent a gust of air from escaping my lips. They continue to glide once more, this time more join in and reach for my leg. More air tries to escape and I find it harder and harder to keep it in with every inch the fingers touch. Finally I open my mouth and laughter begins to escape as my hands reach for those of my love trying to stop her from touching me. It's not that the touch is unwelcome, I just want her to stop making me laugh. My eyes are open now and I find my love in front of me laughing hysterically as she continues to make me laugh with her touch.
"You're very ticklish, aren't you, Elly?" she asks between her laughter.
"Shion, ah ha ha ha, stop it, please," I try to order between my own cries.
Her touch fills me with such joy, I can't help but begin to forget my dream again with Shion playing with me like this. My own hands begin to fall onto her own body, following the same movements as hers. Her laugh begins to echo over mine for a few moments but within a few strokes I find my voice once again balling over hers. Both of our voices take turns echoing above the other, our faces growing redder and redder with each chuckle and giggle that escapes our lips. My breath begins to grow short again but I don't mind, each one is being used to try and echo above the use of hers.
"Shion, just what are you doing up there?" Jin's voice begins to call over our laughing. "Come on, it's time to eat!"
"All right, we're coming down," she calls to her brother with her remaining breath. "Well now that you're awake, we should go downstairs now," she tells me with a huge smile stretched across her lips.
"Okay," I nod, trying to regain my composure.
Shion allows me to go ahead of her as we leave the room. She opens the door for me and allows me to pass and as soon as I do, she closely follows. A new aroma has filled the entire house since we cleaned it yesterday; it wasn't the smell of food, but it was something I can't really describe. The closest thing that could describe it is that it smelled clean, not a scent of body perspiration or dust like yesterday. The entire house is brighter as well, the ivory-colored walls shine enough that they almost make me squint. We walk downstairs to find the others already beginning their meal, each of them sitting at different parts of the living room and kitchen. The Elsa's crew still occupies the table near the kitchen just as they did yesterday while the Durandal's captain and young realian sit on a couch in the living room. The cyborg is the only one who isn't eating, instead he sits on a chair with his eyes focused on the television as it plays the news.
"Shion, there you are," her brother greets us as we enter the kitchen.
"Good morning, Jin," she smiles, "this isn't like you to make breakfast you know."
"I know, but you seemed really tired last night so I didn't want to wake you up," he tells her.
"You said there was food," I interrupt the two, "yet I don't smell anything."
"Elly, don't be rude," my lover tells me as she lightly nudges my ribs with her elbow.
"Miss KOS-MOS is pretty observant I see," a chuckle begins to escape Jin's lips. "It's not much but..."
"Cereal?" Shion says somewhat disappointed as her brother pulls a box with a cartoon animal on the logo toward her.
"Well it's been a while since I last went to the groceries and there isn't enough real food to feed all the guests you brought in yesterday," Jin tells her.
"Did you even read the expiration date on this thing?!" my lover suddenly begins to lose her temper. "This cereal expired two years ago, I even remember this exact box being here when I left!"
"Well excuuuuuuuse me, you're the only one who eats Sugar-Coated Chocolate O's!" he retorts.
"You should at least be responsible enough to throw it out when it expires!" Shion yells.
"Hey I'm not the one who touches the stuff, do you know how unhealthy that is?" Jin retorts.
"That's not the point!"
"Stop it, both of you!" I practically scream, bringing the two's arguing to a halt. "It's too early to be fighting, just throw away the box and let's get something else to eat."
"Yeah, you're right, Elly," Shion begins to calm down.
"You built a pretty good negotiator, Shion," Jin says as he brings the box to the garbage.
"By the way, Jin, you didn't give that cereal to anyone, did you?" Shion asks.
"Only that guy with the "Caution: I'm a Boozer" hat, everyone else got some of my shredded wheat cereal," Jin informs her.
"Ugh, this is horrible!" I hear the captain's complaints from the dining table.
"Captain, we all know you enjoy it, so would stop pretending to complain already?" Tony grumbles.
"No really, this tastes bad!" the captain defends his statement. "This cereal tastes like it's been sitting in a corner for an entire year!"
'If he only knew the real truth,' I thought to myself.
Breakfast consisted of the same shredded wheat cereal the others (minus the Elsa's captain) had. I couldn't help but notice that Shion was practically choking down each spoonful of cereal as she brought it into her mouth. I could understand the feeling, this particular dish tasted rather bland and it was hard to swallow, it also made my throat itch a little. I know cereal is normally eaten with milk poured over it, but there was none in the refrigerator. For some reason drinking water afterward would return that horrible taste to my mouth but it did in turn wash away the itchiness in my throat. After somehow managing to finish our meal, Shion and I soon found ourselves at the sink washing the bowls and glasses we and the others had used. Shion was managing the soap while I simply rinsed the residue off the devices and placed them in the cupboards.
"Well I should get going," I overhear Jin above the sound of the faucet.
"Where are you going, Jin?" Shion asks her brother.
"I thought that I might as well go to town and get some groceries since we have a lot of guests," Jin informs her.
"Hey Jin, how about we give you lift into town," he silver-haired boy suddenly volunteers, "it looks like it will take a while to get through the woods."
"Hey wait a minute," Matthews suddenly interrupts, "the last time I checked, I was the captain of the Elsa!"
"Let it go, Matthews," Jr. sighs, "he let us stay the night yesterday so the least you can do is help him get some groceries."
"Actually maybe we should just get it ourselves seeing how...," the navigator tries to speak.
"Shut up, ya moron," the Elsa's captain interrupts, "don't give them any ideas!"
"That sounds like a good idea, Hammer," MOMO agrees, "don't you think so, Jr.?"
"Yeah, that sounds a lot better," the U.R.T.V. agrees, "why don't you guys go into town and get the groceries? The Durandal will pay for it and we'll take whatever you buy off your debt, what do you say, it's a win-win situation don't you think?"
"I guess that sounds fair," Matthews says, "all right, we'll do it."
"And don't think you get off that easily, I'll have Jin make you a list of what to buy, anything else will be coming out of your wallet," Jr. adds.
"I guess he saw right through you, Captain," Hammer informs him.
"Shut up ya moron, this is all your fault!"
"Looks like I'll be staying home after all," Jin breathes a sigh of relief. "Come to think of it, it's a nice day today. Hey Shion, it's been a while since you've been to the beach, right? Why don't you and your friends go down there with me, I'll catch some dinner while we're at it."
"That sounds great!" Shion exclaims.
"The beach?" the location leaves me puzzled. "What's so special about it?"
"Oh, I forgot that I've never brought you to one before," Shion remembers. "What makes it so special is... is..."
"It's just fun to go there with friends," the young realian finishes my lover's words.
"Why is that?" I still can't comprehend the situation.
"Because it is," MOMO repeats herself.
"I still don't understand."
"Elly, just think of it like being with me, you can't exactly describe that feeling in words," Shion answers.
"I think I understand," I say, but the situation still leaves me puzzled.
'I still don't get it,' is what I thought to myself afterward.
The beach wasn't very far from the house, in fact, it was pretty much right below the cliff it sat on; we simply had to walk down a small path near the forest's entrance to get down to the beach. The cyborg refused to go with us though, he said his parts would rust because of the sand and sea water. I can understand the reasoning why the cyborg can't go, but what I don't understand is the reason why everyone chose to wear a certain attire for this occasion attire, they're all pretty much wearing undergarments (with the exception of Allen who wears something that looks like a pair of boxers attached to a sleeveless shirt with green stripes). Luckily Shion didn't have me wear something so revealing, she gave me a uniform similar to my usual attire just that it was a plain white shade and it reveals my belly. She wouldn't let me wear my boots with this uniform though, she said it was inappropriate and instead gave me what seem to be shoe soles with a strap that goes between my big toe and the one next to it. I think she called them "flip-flops."
"Well, we're here," Jin announces as soon as we arrive.
I still don't see what's so special about this place, all I see are rocks, sand, and the ocean. The breeze is rather gentle and cool though and it carries a small aroma of salt and water. I look toward the sky and find nothing but a perfect blank blue, not a cloud in the sky. A small squawking sound enters my ear a second later and I turn to the source to find several gulls flying over the ocean. I think I'm beginning to see why MOMO enjoys the beach now, just the very image of the sand alone is dull, but the combination of the wind, birds, and smell of the ocean makes it a fascinating experience.
"This looks like a nice spot," I turn to the young U.R.T.V. who plants a parasol into the sand as well as a towel.
"Elly, are you thirsty?" I turn to my lover who places a cooler next to us.
My face begins to burn the moment my eyes meet with her form. This uniform she's wearing, it's the first time I've seen her wear it and for some reason, it's making me feel rather warm. It's basic form looks like a normal set of lingerie, but instead of being only white or black, it's a mixture of the two. The edges of the top are colored darkly, as are the straps that hold it and the centerpiece that holds the two cups together. It's nearly the same for the bottom piece, just that center is white while everything else is black. I can see her figure perfectly, just as I did when we professed our love physically, but the sensitive parts are shielded from my view via the bra and underwear. My mouth suddenly begins to fill with a substance similar to the sweat now dripping down my forehead. I gulp the contents down my throat but all it does is make the fire in my face burn brighter.
"Elly, are you okay?" my lover's voice breaks me out of my standstill.
"I..., uh, I'm okay," I answer with a slight hesitation.
"The heat must already be exhausting you, here, have some water," she hands me a liter of the liquid from the cooler.
I take the contents into my mouth quickly and parch the fire within a few sips. As soon as I return the cap to the bottle, I suddenly feel a very light touch falling upon the side of my head. I turn to the source to find a round, multi-colored sphere falling slowly to the floor.
"Heads up!" the Durandal's captain yells a moment too late as I stare at the device.
"KOS-MOS, can you return the ball please?" MOMO calls.
I take the sphere into my free hand for a moment and quickly pull it off the ground, along with a few grains of sand that stick to it. Odd, it's extremely light, I thought it would be a bit heavier than this. No matter, I simply return the ball with a small throw that has it land in the young realian's hand. She returns the gesture with a smile and then throws the ball into the air once again and taps it before it lands so that it could go to Jr.'s hands.
"Whoa, I got something!" I turn to the west to find Jin holding some sort of bending pole that causes him to move forward.
"Oh brother, there he goes again," I turn to Shion as she sighs. "Elly, can you watch our stuff while I help Jin?"
"Someone help me!" I hear Jin cry after as his sister rushes to his aid.
I can't help but smile at the image of Jin struggling to pull the pole back and I can't help but laugh as Shion tries to help him but to no avail. The two begin slip forward after a few moments with their struggle, both of them falling face first into the sand. Again I can't help but laugh, this time even harder as the pole begins to move toward the ocean as it slips out of Jin's hands. Jin quickly returns to his feet and chases after the device with Shion close behind him and they manage to catch up with it and begin to pull once again.
"This would be a perfect time," my sister's voice suddenly whispers in my ear.
"Uh...?!" my right arm begins to twitch.
Slowly it begins to rise on its own accord and begins to pull the rest of my body toward Shion and Jin. I notice that it is only my right arm that isn't moving on my own accord, so I quickly wrap my left hand around its wrist and force all my strength to push it down. The arm is gradually brought to my side but it continues to tremble as it tries to fight against the force of my other arm. My left arm doesn't seem to be enough to keep my right arm from stopping so I then try to press it against the ground with my right leg.
"You can't keep doing this," my sister's icy voice whispers again.
"What are you doing to me?!" my words say, barely escaping the gaps of my teeth.
"You and I are one, need I remind you again?" she reminds me.
"Not here," I try to convince her, "not when they're all..."
"This is the perfect opportunity, none of them would suspect a thing," Miang interrupts.
"I don't..."
"KOS-MOS!" I look up to find the young realian running toward me.
The twitching and sudden movements of my arm come to a halt at that moment. I can move it again at my own accord, but despite that, I continue to sit on the back of it's palm to ensure that my sister doesn't take control again suddenly. I look back up to find MOMO standing in front of me with her body bending forward and her eyes looking into mine.
"Yes?" I act as if nothing had just happened.
"Come on, KOS-MOS, play with us!" the child takes hold of my left hand and tries to drag me toward the beach.
"I'd rather not," I tell her as I divert my eyes to the ground.
"Please, just for...," she reaches for my other hand.
"Don't!" I order her, quickly turning my back toward her in the process. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel like playing at the moment," I lie to the child.
"Are you worried the ball's going to hit you again?" MOMO asks as she takes a seat beside me. "Don't worry, it's only made of plastic and air, it won't..."
"That's not it!" I quickly cut her off. "I just..."
"MOMO, can you leave me alone with her for a moment?" I turn around the moment I hear Shion's voice.
"Okay," she simply nods and goes on her way.
"Elly, what's the matter?" my love asks me. "You've been acting strangely these past few days, and I'm not just talking about the fact that you've become more emotional. The sudden outbursts, the mood swings..."
"It's just...," I try to explain.
"It's Miang, isn't it?" Shion asks. "If only I had been able to..." her words begin to trail off.
"Shion?"
"I haven't been totally honest with you, Elly," my lover admits, her head starting to hang low. "It's my fault that Miang still exists inside of you."
"Your fault, how can that be?" I ask.
"I told you that I did your programming after we used your sister's parts to create you, right?" she reminds me. "Well the truth is that the programming in your memory storage could not be totally erased, there was one black box area in particular that we couldn't reprogram."
"Black box?"
"I don't know what was programmed in there," Shion admits, "Kevin was responsible for a majority of Miang's programming, but now I think I now what was in there; Miang's memories and emotions. There may have been a system error in your OS after you jumped off the Elsa which allowed some of those memories to slowly sink into your own."
"If that's true, then her emotions may..."
"Elly, you love me, don't you?" my lover suddenly asks me.
"Of course I love you," I answer.
"Then there is no way her emotions can become your own," Shion tells me as her arms wrap around my waist. "Your sister hates me and I can't blame her," my love continues as I bring my head to her shoulder, "after all, I was the one who..."
"She was blinded by her jealousy," I assure her, "if she hadn't fallen for Kevin, I'm sure..."
"I never spent time with Miang," Shion interrupts me, "it was always Kevin who shared his time with her, I was only there to help with her programming. Not once did I go into the Encephalon and greet her, not once did I help her with her lessons to become emotional, and even if she didn't fall for Kevin, she would still resent me for never spending time with her. Miang, I was always so negligent of her, both the doll and your sister," my lover's voice begins to crack, "and destroying her two years ago is another sin I had imparted on her!"
Streams began to fall down my lover's cheek rapidly after accompanied by several small gasps and hiccups which resulted from her sobbing. Her entire body begins to sink toward the ground now, but I am able to catch her fall by leaning my body in closer to hers. The wrap she has around my waist begins to grow tighter and her face then falls onto my shoulder. It is my turn to comfort her, and I begin by brushing several strands of hair away from her tear-ridden face.
"Shion...I...," no words of comfort can come to mind.
"No mother should ever have to bury her own child," my love's sobbing continues, "nor must she send her to the grave. If only I had been there for her..."
"Shion, it's not entirely your fault," I try to assure her, "I'm sure you were so busy with work that..."
"Chief, are you okay?" I turn my attention upward to find Allen, Jin, MOMO, and Jr.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling well today," she answers, wiping away the streams traveling down her face.
"Perhaps going to the beach wasn't a very good idea," Jin says as he wraps his fingers around his chin. "I'm sorry, I never should have imposed the idea."
"It's not your fault, Jin," my lover assures him, "I actually thought it would help me unwind after everything that happened lately, but..."
"Do you wanna go home then?" Jr. asks. "We can always come back when you're feeling better."
"No, it's all right, I just...just want to be left alone for a while, that's all," Shion tells them.
"It's not any fun if any one of us is depressed," MOMO pouts.
"I thank you for your concern, but..."
"Shion, perhaps it is best that we should all just return to the house," I interrupt, "the others seem rather insistent."
"...yeah, I guess you're right."
We returned to the house shortly afterward; Shion was always in the back of the line during our return trip. Naturally I stayed in the back with her, but not once during the entire time did she say a word or move her vision away from the floor. Each of her steps were slow and wobbly, there was not a single moment when I worried about her tripping. I was always ready to catch her if she were every to fall, but luckily that never happened. Even when we finally went inside she was still having trouble focusing. The others stayed in the living room as I walked Shion up to her room while she preoccupied with her own thoughts. The moment we arrived in her room, she immediately sat on her bed with her eyes still lingering toward the floor. Knowing that she no longer needs assistance at this point, I begin to show my way out.
"Elly," my lover stops me with the call of my name.
"Yes?"
"Come here," she orders, patting the space next to her.
I follow her request without question, much like I always do whenever she asks something of me. I take a seat beside my love, sitting a hand's space away from her. Not a word escapes her lips as she continues to stare at the floor, her legs lifting themselves up for a moment every few seconds. I continue to watch her as she continue to observe the ground, but it does not look like she has the courage to speak. I turn away from her for one moment and finally a sentence escapes her lips.
"Elly, if things were different, if Miang hadn't gone berserk and she still existed and you existed as well, but in a different body than hers, would you still love me?" my lover asks.
"Would I...? Shion, you needn't ask me such..."
"Even if I hadn't paid attention to you or spent any quality time with you much like I did with your sister, would you still love me?" she continues.
"Shion, I...," I begin to ponder on her question. "Yes, I'm sure I would," I answer after a moment of thought. "I'm sure that deep down inside, Miang loves you too, despite the fact you never spent quality time with her. She may despise you for having Kevin chosen you over her, but I believe she is still grateful to you for programming her."
What am I saying, I don't know any of this, I don't know how Miang really feels. She hates Shion, I definitely know that, but I don't know if she cares for her deep in her heart. Why did I say this? Was it because I just wanted Shion to feel better, or...
"Thank you for trying to make me feel better, Elly," Shion sniffs, "but I'm afraid that your sister really doesn't care if I helped with her programming."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help," I apologize.
"But you are helping me, Elly," she assures me, bringing her hand on top of mine, "I just want you to be here with me."
"Shion, you may be happy with me being with you for now, but...," my thoughts linger back to what just happened at the beach, "but Miang may awaken within me again at any moment, just as she did on the Elsa two days ago. I don't think it's best if..."
"Elly, even if Miang were to awaken at this moment, I'll be happy knowing that my last moments of life were with you," she smiles.
"Shion..."
I can feel my lips beginning to quiver at that moment and my body beginning to draw toward my lover. Her own mouth begins to push forward and her emerald eyes shut just as my vision begins to slowly fade. I feel her own lips catching mine shortly after, the substance within her mouth slowly flooding into my own. Her mouth tries to climb atop of mine but they continue to fall as my lips continue to pulls hers down. Again and again they bicker, exchanging blows with the devices within as they fight over the ambrosia that lurks inside. Fingers begin to slowly run through my hair as a palm begins to run down my neck. My breath begins to fall short as the nails on that palm begin to glide down the side of my throat, making my lips part from hers.
My breath quickly leaves my lungs as it indulges in her touch, and I have little time to recollect it as her mouth now begins to follow the same path as the nails. Slowly they travel down the skin of my neck, sucking with every inch they travel down. A tiny gasp escapes my lips with every pull of her mouth and once again my body entire body begins to burn. The fire crawls upward with every second that passes, traveling further upward as her lips sink lower. The sucking comes to a stop before my collar, instead being replaced with the lapping of my lover's tongue. More gasps escape my mouth with every new layer that is placed below my neck, these one more tiny and quick than the ones that preceded them.
"Elly," my lover gives me a moment to regain my breath, "I love you."
"I love you too, Shion," I tell her between my breathing.
Her mouth returns to its previous duty shortly after, but her left hand moves to another. The tip of its fingers slowly slide down my abdomen, traveling to my side. I'm helpless to stop it from falling further, I'm too indulged in the soothing touch of her mouth. A new breath of warmth slowly breathes onto my skin with every inch her fingers glide against my body, the fire never cooling even as their tips move elsewhere. Finally they reach their destination which is above my waist, or at least what I think is their destination.
'Something isn't right,' I think to myself.
My entire body grows numb at this moment, except for my waist. I can still feel her fingers slowly climbing downward, but it slowly becomes apparent what their destination is. My hands crawl atop of hers in order to try and stop them and my eyes begin to shut tighter than ever. Regardless of my how I try to block her touch, they continue to crawl downward. The touch begins to remind me of my sister, how her nails forcefully slid against my skin. How sharp her nails were when they cut me, how quickly she made me bleed. Another inch passes my lover's fingers and I press my hands against hers further. She ignores my action, continuing to move further down.
"No," the words barely escape me lips, "no..."
She does not hear my pleads, instead continuing downward. My entire body begins to toss and turn at this moment, but Shion does not seem to realize it. Her arms are too strong for me and I feel her touch drawing closer and closer. The pain from my sister's attack intensifies further and further, enough until it becomes unbearable.
"No!"
At that moment my legs press toward my lover and in the same instant push her away. My entire body rises from the bed after, sweat drenching down my brow and onto the rest of my body. My arms and legs quickly wrap around my private areas afterward as I try to regain my breath. The memory and pain of my sister's attack begins to subside now, but the pain of the present slowly begins to come mind.
"Shion?" I look to the other side of the room to find her lying on the floor.
"Elly," my lover responds weakly.
"I'm so sorry," I quickly rush to her aid, "I didn't mean..."
"No, I should be the one to apologize," she tells me as I return her to her feet, "I was so upset that..."
"I'm sorry," I apologize again. "Regardless, I shouldn't have pushed you away like that."
"It's okay, I understand why you did what you did," she assures me. "You're not ready for this sort of thing yet, so ahead and get dressed," she orders me, "we'll make love again when you're ready."
"But Shion..."
"It's not fair if it's only comfortable for one of us," she tells me. "What Miang did to you, it wasn't your fault, Elly," she assures me. "I know that event will prevent you from doing something like this for a period of time and I can understand that. Elly, I can't enjoy making love to you if I'm the only one receiving joy from it, that's not how it works. I know that the words 'make love' are synonyms for sex, but the truth is, there is something more to that definition. Making love is supposed to be the act of conveying two people's feelings for each other physically as opposed to sex which is merely the act of trying to reproduce. Do you understand, Elly? I can't make love to you if you're not comfortable conveying your feelings through action."
"I understand, but I..."
"We're back," I hear the silver-haired boy's voice coming from downstairs.
"Elly, I'm going to go help put away the groceries," my lover tells me, "are you going to be okay?."
"...I'll be fine," I tell her, "I..."
"Are you sure," she asks me, "if you still feel upset, then I don't mind talking with you further."
"No, I'll be okay," I tell her.
"All right, but don't continue blaming yourself for what happened, okay?" Shion tells me before she leaves.
I don't want to burden Shion further with my problems, I've troubled her enough with everything that's happened so far. It hurts though keeping all this pain inside, and I'd like to share it, but I just can't. I admit that admitting my problems to chaos and MOMO in the past did remedy the pain a bit, but what I'm feeling now, I don't think I can share it, not with Miang ready to take over at any time. I have to continue to bear it by myself. Tomorrow, maybe I can head to Vector's Second R&D Division tomorrow while the others are still asleep, they may think of something... No, it's too risky, Miang may take over when I arrive in the city and even more trouble will be stirred. I can't stay here, but I can't go out either, just what am I supposed to do? Don't think about it now, Elly, there's nothing that can be done at the moment that can guarantee everyone's safety...
The rest of the day went by rather slowly, we mostly spent our time watching television. I didn't really pay attention to the programs on the monitor, I was instead focused on Shion's words.
"Making love is supposed to be the act of conveying two people's feelings for each other physically," I recall my lover's words.
"...it's all the same, it's sex," Miang's words echo in my ear after.
"What we do is something different!" I remember my reaction.
'It is different,' I think to myself after remembering.
Rape, making love, sex, all of them do have the same goals as Miang said; it's to pass one genes on to the next generation. She went on to say that there is also no greater joy than that, but what about Shion and me? We made love once, and it made us both feel happy, but I never thought about it until now, what was that joy that the two of us felt when it happened? The joy of passing on our genes, no, that couldn't be it. It's impossible for two women to pass their genes on to the next generation if they had sex with each other, and even more so when one of those women is an android. Android, am I even an android anymore? What happened to me these last two days, I haven't been feeling like myself, this warmth, this hunger, these things I never felt before I leapt off the Elsa. Is this what being a human is like?
"We are dolls, Elly," more of my sister's words come to mind. "You and I are the same, manifestations of one's desire, to look and act human, but in reality we are nothing more than toys for the ones that created us."
"You are Elly, the woman I love," more of Shion's words come to mind, "you are no more, no less than that."
"This is just too confusing!" I find myself striking against the arm of the couch.
"What's too confusing?" I look to the side to find the young realian with a puzzled expression on her face.
"...it's nothing," I turn back to the monitor in front of the room, "I just...need some time to think."
Without giving any more thought, I decide to head outside. The noise of the conversations and TV have become to loud for me to concentrate. The evening breeze greets me when I open the door, sending a small chill down my skin. I never thought my normal clothing would be this unfit for the weather, I suppose I could borrow more clothing from Shion next time. The stars, I've never looked at them this much until now, they've become my new sanctuary. I breath in a sigh and find a place to sit on the ground, bringing my arms around my knees as I return to my thoughts.
"What are you doing out here?" a voice enters my ear.
It is the voice of chaos, the mysterious silver-haired boy. I take a moment to turn around to greet him, but I quickly return my vision toward the sky. I hear him coming closer until I can see his figure through the edge of my eye and then he begins to speak.
"In the early days of history, Man would always look into the stars for answers," the boy speaks as he takes a seat beside me. "Staring into the endless abyss would put his mind at rest, allowing imagination and thought to sink into him. Is that what you are doing now?"
"Yes," I nod.
"What are you thinking about?"
Silence is the answer I give him, I can't think of anyway to explain the situation to him.
"Each of us has many selves," he speaks again, "at times we can be someone's friend, and others, we can be a parent's child, regardless of these different selves, they all share the same memories, the same identity. Each of these selves can each be described as our true self, but you, your case is different...," his words begin to intrigue me. "There is a self within you that really isn't you; you share the same memories and experiences, yet your identities are not one. Who is this other self within you, KOS-MOS, can she really be called your past self or other half, or is she the remains of a memory long forgotten?"
How does he know about Miang, surely Shion didn't tell him. No, he must've been aware that Miang has existed in me this whole time, why else did Miang not attack him like she did the others back on the Elsa? Why does he know all this though?
"chaos, how...?"
"Elly," my lover's voice interrupts before I could ask. "There you are," I turn around to find my lover walking toward us.
"I think I'll go back inside now," the boy tells me.
"Oh no, you don't have to go," Shion assures him, "I was just looking for her."
"No, I really should get going," chaos tells her, "knowing your brother, he might accidentally burn down the whole kitchen while cooking dinner."
"'Knowing your brother,'" Shion says puzzled as the boy leaves, "why does he say it like he's met Jin before?"
"Is something the matter, Shion?" I ask her.
"No, it's nothing," Shion dismisses the thought, "but how about you, are you feeling okay?"
"I'm a little cold," I admit, bringing my arms to my shoulders.
"Here," she wraps her uniform jacket around my body, "is that better?"
"A little," I tell her.
Silence follows soon after, not another word leaves our mouths. Speechless, I don't intend to be right now, but I can think of nothing to say, all I can really think of are many words that had been spoken between, Shion, Miang, and myself these past few days. I hear all three voices chattering at the same time, each of them saying something different on the same subject. Every word feels like its gnawing away a piece of my brain, I just don't know which voice to believe.
The voices come to halt suddenly with the touch of one's hand. My body begins to sink to the west as the arm pulls me closer to its owner. Another arm wraps around my waist and I find a chin resting atop of my head now. My thoughts become clear again, but I still can't think of any words to say to my love.
"Is this better?" she asks me.
"Yes," I nod.
"I used to go out here a lot when I was younger too," Shion tells me. "After Jin and I moved here, I would always think about my parents, but I never said anything to my brother, instead I would come out here and think of them. Jin and I weren't very close when we first came here, maybe it was because he was thirteen years older than me and we didn't really have much in common. I remember one night though, it was about ten years ago, I snuck out of the house and came here, I thought Jin was asleep. I was thinking about my parents and the time we spent together, I couldn't help but cry remembering about them. That's when Jin came outside, he asked me, 'why are you crying, Shion?'. I didn't answer him, and then he asked, 'it's about Mom and Dad, isn't it?' He took a seat next to me after and then he wrapped me around his arms, much like I am with you now. 'You're not the only one who misses them,' he told me, 'you're not the only one who cries.' That was the first time I ever saw my brother cry, it was probably the first step we took to growing close to each other."
"Are you sure you're close," I ask her, "you two are always fighting."
"Oh that," she tells me after a slight chuckle, "it's not like we mean each other harm or anything, it's just the clashing of our views, nothing else. Besides, we always look back at our arguments later and laugh about how stupid we were acting."
"I see."
"But Elly, the point I'm trying to make here is that we all need to share our pain with others, no matter how much it hurts," Shion continues. "I know you were trying to save me and the others from further attacks when you jumped off the Elsa, but you also have to consider the pain others will go through for your own actions."
"Shion, I know that, but...," I feel my eyes beginning to water.
"You're not comfortable talking about it yet, right?" she finishes my words. "It's okay, something like this isn't what you'd want to discuss if it just happened recently. When you're ready to talk though, remember that I'll always be here."
"I know, Shion, I know...," I barely whisper.
The air begins to grow heavy now, the evening breeze has grown colder. My skin begins to shiver now, I can feel it tightening. Not a feeling of warmth, my entire body begins to grow numb. Shion is feeling this too, I can feel her hold around me tightening. The atmosphere begins to thaw now, I can feel warmth beginning to enter my body. It grows warmer and warmer, it's starting to burn. I look back to Shion, she still holds me as if she were cold. I now realize what is happening, I have to do something before it's too late.
"Shion, it's Miang!" I try to warn her, but no words escape my lips.
"Elly, it's getting rather cold now," Shion tells me, unaware of Miang's presence, "maybe we should head back inside."
"All right," Miang speaks through my voice.
Her hold begins to pull away from me soon after and she begins to walk back toward the house. A simper falls onto my face with Shion's back now turned toward me, just as my hand begins to unwillingly reach for my blaster. She wants to take her time, wants to indulge the moment, so my sister has me reach for it very slowly. I try to tell my body not to follow this action, but it ignores my pleads. My fingers are now only an inch from the gun, I can feel the itch my fingers that continue to scream for them. Finally they reach for the weapon's handle as my index finger wraps around the trigger. A small click echoes into my ear as the gun leaves its holster and my arm begins to rise, pointing the barrel of my blaster at the back of her skull.
"Miang, stop this, please!" I try to plead.
"Like daughter, like mother," she says.
Again I try to order my body to stop but it continues to ignore my commands. I try to have my arm pull away, I try to have my hand drop the gun, and at the very least, I try to shut my eyes. None of these happen, instead my finger begins to squeeze at the weapon's trigger. The trigger is only a millimeter away from having a shot fired and it still continues to pull. I can still do nothing but wait for the inevitable.
"Hyah!" a force suddenly pushes my arm down.
The blaster falls out of my hand at that exact moment, not a shell not blast escapes the barrel of the gun. My vision then turns to the source of the attack to find Jin standing before me with his sword in hand and pointing it toward the ground. His appearance is different before; for once his eyes are narrowed and his composure collected. The way he holds his sword, it's as if he's used it many times to slay others. Without wasting another second, he raises he sword upward quickly, its blade slicing upward in the process. My body jumps away at the last moment, my legs pushing far into the ground so that it may launch me into the sky for a brief moment before I land back on the ground a few feet away from Jin.
"Shion, get out of here, now!" Jin orders his sister.
"What?" Shion looks back to her brother, finally aware of the situation.
"Just go!" he orders again.
"Jin, why are you pointing your sword at Elly?!" she yells at him.
"She tried to kill you," he answers, "now go!"
"Jin, Elly would never...!"
"That's right, Elly wouldn't," a small laugh escapes my mouth.
"Miang?!"
"Miang?" Jin says puzzled.
"Stop this!" my vision turns back to the house to find the others heading outside.
"It's a miracle you're all still alive," Miang speaks through my voice again.
"Shion, what's wrong with her?" the young realian asks my lover.
"It's her sister, she awake again," Shion informs her.
"So it wasn't KOS-MOS that attacked us back on the Elsa?" Jr. asks, keeping his pistol pointed at me.
"It's a long story, but this is not the KOS-MOS we all know," Shion answers.
"But how's that possible," Allen asks, "I thought the current KOS-MOS's program was..."
"Stop talking!" Miang orders. "R-CANNON!"
The weapon appears on my arm as it normally did in the past but this time without my consent. Without wasting a single moment, a shot is fired at the others. Rock and dust flies into the air after, but there is no sign of the others. My scanners return at this moment as well, but like my weapons and body, it is not under my control. It picks up seven life forms within the dust, and again my weapon takes aim again. Before it can fire however, several hails of bullets escape the clouds in my direction. Clang, clang, clang, each of the projectiles bounce off my skin on the moment of impact. My scanners then pick up five of the seven dashing toward me while the remaining two run away. The R-CANNON disappears from my arm at that instant, it appears as though Miang wants to fight each of them without the aid of weapon. The cyborg is the first to come out of the dust cloud, jumping toward me with his left foot in the lead. My body steps to the side to avoid the attack, but before the cyborg could land, it grabs his legs and tosses him back into the cloud of dust toward the direction where the other two ran.
"Ziggy!" I hear the young realian scream from within.
The clouds have cleared now and I can see the others perfectly now. More bullets escape Jr.'s gun at this moment, but again the ricochet away from me the moment they touch my skin. Three manage to land in my palm, and with a flick of the wrist they return to its owner. Each of the projectiles manages to embed themselves in a different limb of the U.R.T.V., one in his left arm, and the other two on his legs.
"Allen, watch Ziggy," I turn back to the young realian as she finishes using a can of nanospray on his wounds, "I have to help Jr."
"Stupid child!" Miang spits, the R-CANNON returning to my arm again.
My arm is suddenly pushed back again, and again I find Jin before me. Another thrust follows after his previous attack, but my other arm catches it with my wrist. More strikes begin to follow, each of them cutting from a random direction, but both my arms manage to block each of his attacks. The pattern continues over and over again, but neither of us are able to push the other back. Suddenly my body stops defending and the katana's blade manages to embed itself on my left shoulder. A hole is cut through the skin, and tiny sparks of electricity escapes soon after. None of these sparks manages to touch Jin, but he stands paralyzed from the shock that his attack did nothing. My right arm then quickly lunges for Jin's neck, my fingers quickly wrapping around them.
Before anything else could be done, my scanners pick up another running toward me. This time it's the silver-haired boy, but unfortunately Miang doesn't allow him to speak this time, throwing Jin in his direction instead.
"Miang, stop this!" my body quickly turns around to find Shion.
"Shion, don't come any closer!" I try to order, but nothing escapes my lips.
"You...," Miang spits through my teeth.
"I know I'm the cause of all your pain, Miang," Shion begins to step forward, "so if my death will allow you to smile again..."
"Shion, don't!"
"Are you that eager to die?" Miang asks.
"A real mother would do anything for her child, that's why..."
"Stop it!" the words finally manage to escape my lips.
My body falls to the floor at that moment and my entire body is now suddenly covered in sweat. My entire body is sore, and I feel a sharp pain on my shoulder and a substance oozing from it. My breath has become heavy, and my strength feels like its pouring out of me with every drop of blood that escapes my wound. Still, with what little strength I have left, I have to tell Shion something.
"Shion," I barely say her name between my breaths, "don't sacrifice your life if it's only going to please one person. Didn't you think about what the others would go through if you were to die, what I'd go through?!"
"Elly...?"
"Shion, why do you have to throw away your life so easily to her?" my eyes begin to tear. "Is it just to repay for what you did to her back then?! That's bull shit, Shion!" I swear at the top of my lungs. "You can't just throw your life away expecting everything to work, isn't that what you taught me just now?!"
"Elly, I..."
"Don't bother answering her," Miang's voice suddenly whispers into my ear.
The entire area suddenly grows black at this moment, much like the other times I had encountered Miang, but something is different this time. The others are here with me now, but Miang is here as well. I try to run toward Shion, but my hair is suddenly caught in something,
as if it were being grasped. A small scream escapes my lips as the pain runs into the back of my skull; I try to reach for the source of the pull, but my arms cannot reach. The pain intensifies soon after, my body being dragged toward the source. My back meets with my sister's body within seconds, her arms quickly wrapping around my neck, bringing her face right next to mine. My fingers ball into a fist after, yet I don't feel any strength left in my arms to push them back enough to free me from her hold. I try to pull my way free instead, but the force I exert on her arm isn't strong enough to even more it an inch. The more I pull, the more the crimson floods run down my arms and shoulder. Suddenly my arms grow limp and they fall to my side, they refuse to move no matter how I hard I command them.
"You stay right here, dear sister," she orders me.
"What the, what's going on?!" Allen begins to panic.
"Huh?" Jin begins to return to his feet.
"What the, who's that?!" Jr. exclaims as he points toward me.
"Miang...," Shion turns to the one holding me.
"This is your doing, isn't it?!" my sister begins to yell into the abyss. "You parasite, come out here and show yourself!"
"It is her," chaos speaks as pushes himself off the ground, "the original."
"That's the original KOS-MOS?" MOMO asks.
"Shion...," I call for my lover with what little strength I have left.
"Miang, let Elly go!" Shion orders, the M.W.S. appearing on her arm afterward.
"I thought you were sympathizing me just a second ago," the hold around my neck tightens.
"Let her go!" Shion repeats herself.
"How long do you think she will last?" Miang asks, her free arm beginning to stroke mine. "Your brother cut you pretty deep, don't you think?"
"Ugh!" I scream as her fingers glide through my wounds.
"Dammit, if only I hadn't...," Jin swears.
"What do you intend to do with her, Miang?" Shion asks, her weapon still pointed.
"I only intend to return things back to the way they were, there's nothing wrong with that," she answers.
"Shion..."
I feel so weak now, everything is beginning to blur. So tired, everything feels so heavy now, even my eyelids. Breathing is becoming difficult too, and everything is weighing to the floor. I can't seem to stand anymore, my sister is keeping me on my feet as she holds me.
"She's not going to last much longer," my sister's voice begins to grow deaf, "if she dies here, neither of us will have the chance to get what we want."
"I told you to let her go!" Shion repeats.
"You're not the one to make demands here," Miang tells her. "If you want her to survive, you'll have to let me go, but don't worry, we'll find each other soon enough so I'll be able to finish you all off later. So how about it, do we have a deal?"
"No Shion, don't do it..."
Black is the only color I see now, no more colors of any sort. I'm starting to lose feeling of everything now, even the hold my sister has on my neck. Taking in air doesn't seem to do anything anymore either, I can't seem to exhale either. My hearing is starting to grow deaf, but there is one more word I am able to hear, one that will continue to dread me in the afterlife.
"...deal..."
Author's Note: Well, how was it? Personally I found the pacing pretty slow and I kinda repeated myself at times, but I tried my best, I hope you enjoyed it. This was the hardest chapter I had to write, the reason being was because I tried my best not to make Elly so depressed, but that seemed to have failed due to the events of the story. It seems like my ability to write action scenes has gotten rusty too, hopefully I get back to my normal level in the next chapter. For those wondering what was edited in this chapter, it was basically the kissing scene between Shion and Elly. Well, if you want to review, go ahead, but no flames or anything like that. Two more chapters left for this fic and it's done, I assure you those ones won't be as slow-paced and I hope you find the final chapters pleasing. That's it for now, later people!