AN: If anybody wants to see Shion's, KOS-MOS's, MOMO'sand Ziggy's swimsuits for Episode II, let me know and i'll send you an e-mail. Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Six: Longing
The sun pounded down unmercifully, seeming to burn through the very skin to the soul beneath, thawing away any ice that lingered within. Sighing, Gaignun adjusted himself on the lounge chair, hissing underneath his breath and tossing his Connection Gear onto the table next to him.
"Damnit!" He swore softly. I just can't get rid of this nagging feeling...Ever since his mental encounter with Albedo several days ago, Gaignun had the suspicion that his older brother had found a new target for his madness. The younger U.R.T.V. knew that he couldn't protect Shion alone, the others, especially Jr., needed to know about the matter.
And Shion herself...but then... Gaignun's fingers curled into fists. She doesn't even know how to use her abilities! Against Albedo, she was defenseless as a newborn babe, guarding her physically was a cakewalk to guarding her mentally. Someone would have to be with her at all times, or at the very least, maintain a constant mental link with her.
The only ones qualified to do that are Rubedo and I... Fear iced through Gaignun, despite the noonday heat. They couldn't do it...and so Shion was left alone...even KOS-MOS couldn't protect her creator every minute...
"Stop it." The voice snapped Gaignun out of his thoughts. "What is with you and my clothing recently?"
"It's a private beach, Ziggy! It's so hot...you shouldn't be wearing black!"
"No."
"Fine then...Yaaahhh!!"
"No! Don't you...whoa!" Lifting his eyes, Gaignun saw the cyborg fall to his hands and knees, MOMO on his back.
"Take it off!" She screeched gleefully, pulling at his full-body swimsuit. A smile twitched on Gaignun's lips. Ziggy was powerless when it came to the 100-Series Realian, even though he tried his best to fight off emotional connections. The blond-haired cyborg finally sprawled out on the sand, MOMO quickly getting up and getting a good grip on a sleeve.
If he doesn't get his act together soon, I'll hit him myself. Gaignun thought, looking at the duo. Sighing, he leaned back and closed his eyes. How the hell am I going to handle this? The thought of Albedo even getting close to Shion made his skin crawl, and rage surged through him.
If he ever touches her... His eyes glittered. I'll gladly use my powers on him...he'll be begging for mercy before I'm through! This thought shocked him though, and he paused for a moment, trying to figure out where it had come from.
Oh come on. You're not that stupid. A small voice said in the back of his head. You just don't want anyone else getting their hands on her. You want her for you and you alone...
No! It's...it's not like that!
Really? The voice said mockingly. Gaignun shook his head in an effort to clear it.
It's not like that... Desperate for a distraction, the black-haired man sat up, shifting his attention to the scene in front of him. MOMO was now piling sand on top of Ziggy's bare torso, being mindful not to put any sand near his metal joints. chaos came over with two plastic cups in his hands, putting one in the sand next to Ziggy, adjusting the straw so the cyborg could turn his head and get at it easily. The second cup he handed to MOMO before running over to join Jr., who was kicking around a soccer ball. KOS-MOS was sitting on a lounge chair, her red eyes focused on something in the water. Her shoes lay discarded in the sand alongside her, the snow-white of her swimsuit oddly accentuating her long blue hair and pale skin. Gaignun followed her gaze, wondering what she was looking at. Then a head of brown hair broke the water, and Gaignun felt all the breath slam out of his lungs.
She surfaced, water streaming in rivulets along her skin. Her eyes opened, a beautiful vivid green, delight sparkling in their depths as a smile graced her lips. As she moved out of the water Gaignun felt his face heat, she in all her inexperience had chosen to wear a scarlet-red bikini against her creamy skin. Her legs were incredibly long, with a red cord wrapped around her left thigh while each ankle was adorned with two red bands. While her body screamed her maturity, proclaiming her as a woman of the world, her eyes and the expression on her face said different. She seemed indifferent to the appreciative looks Tony and Hammer shot at her as she advanced closer, her small feet pressing into the sand. She stopped by KOS-MOS's position, reaching for a towel and pausing briefly to speak to the android. Gaignun clenched his teeth. Part of him wanted to rush forward and wrap that towel around her slender frame; didn't she know what she looked like, the havoc she was wreaking on his system? Her beauty was staggering; this truly had to be Shion in her natural element, the cold embraces of the water only enhancing her splendor...
'Hey MOMO!" Gaignun was distracted from his thoughts once more, seeing the dazzling vision move over to the pink-haired Realian and her cyborg protector. "What's going on?"
"Wow, you look great, Shion!" MOMO chirped.
"Thanks, so do you! Your bathing suit's so cute!" Shion replied, squatting down next to MOMO. "You're building a sandcastle on top of Ziggy, huh?"
"Yep!" Gaignun had to pity Ziggy. The cyborg had turned a bright red the second he had seen Shion, and had quickly turned his head to avoid looking at her. But despite his robotic parts, Ziggy was a man. And even in this century, there wasn't a man alive, human, Realian, or cyborg, who could avoid looking at a beautiful woman for very long...Especially if said woman was dressed in a bikini. So poor Ziggy ended up turning his head to look at Shion, fighting gamely to keep back a blush and to keep his eyes from wandering.
"H...hey." He stammered out. Shion's eyes narrowed.
"What's wrong, Ziggy?"
"N...nothing. Everything's fine."
Understatement of the year. Gaignun thought. Then the next 11 words had him paling.
"It must be the heat; I'll go get you some water." With that, Shion rose and turned around...Gaignun gulped, mentally cursing Ziggy for placing the drink cooler right next to his chair! Face burning, he reached over and grabbed his Connection Gear, activating the screen just in time as Shion came over.
"Hi Gaignun!" The U.R.T.V. grunted in reply. Maybe if he just ignored her, she'd go away...
"I'll take it to him, Shion." Gaignun bit his tongue to keep from groaning out loud as MOMO came up. The brunette smiled as she handed the little Realian the water bottle.
"You need any help?"
"No, I'm good!" With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Gaignun watched MOMO hurry away with the water, leaving him alone with Shion.
"Do you mind if I sit here for a moment?" Gaignun looked up.
"Uh...no." Yes! His mind screamed. Unaware of the raven-haired man's internal conflict, Shion sat on the side of the lounge chair, smiling.
"Going over some work?"
"Errr..." Open your mouth and stop staring at her you idiot! "Yeah, I was just checking my e-mail." You sound so lame! In the corner of his mind he could hear Jr. snickering.
Go Gaignun, it's your birthday, go Gaignun, it's your birthday...
Shut. Up.
You couldn't stop it at two, huh? You stud!
Isn't MOMO right behind you? A mental yelp told Gaignun that his older brother had just seen the object of his affections in her swimsuit, and was now fighting back his own embarrassment. Not to mention Ziggy was now shooting death glares in his direction... He unfortunately was brought out of his reverie when Shion's face came in front of his.
"Kukai Foundation to Gaignun, are we anywhere near orbit?" She asked, waving a hand in front of his face. The older man gulped, his eyes tracking the hand and then starting to wander...
No! "Huh? Sorry, I spaced out for a minute." Shion smiled again, leaning back.
"That's okay." Gaignun shifted position, moving so that he could sit up a little more.
"Aren't you cold?" He asked. Please, put on a wrap or something...don't you even know the effect you're having on every guy here, especially me?!
"No, I'm alright. I like feeling the sun on me." Shion replied, closing her eyes and tilting her head upwards. "It's so nice and warm." Gaignun swallowed. She looked like an angel...one who needed the light to survive, and could not bear the darkness...by all rights, she was forbidden to him.
"Shion." The brunette opened her eyes and looked at him. "I..."
"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Shion's head whipped around and a strangled squeak came from her throat as a dark blue beach towel wrapped around her, and she was pulled off her seat.
"Ack! Jin, you baka! Let me go!"
"Don't look, oh no don't look, don't look...Avert thine eyes!" The elder Japanese man howled, his arms full of angry female. "The shame! The ignominy! The...Ouch!" Shion pulled herself free, tossing off the towel.
"You're making a fool of yourself! What is wrong with you now?!" Jin straightened, his green eyes glittering with ire.
"That is not a swimsuit!" He screeched, pointing. "How can you parade around in public with those legs, that...that..." He stuttered, his hands moving in front of him. An identical gleam entered Shion's eyes.
"I'm not your baby sister any more, I'm a grown woman! And I happen to like this swimsuit, and you don't have any say with what I wear! So there!" She crossed her arms.
"But you look..."
"I look what?" Shion challenged, her eyes flashing. "Like a woman? News flash...I AM ONE!" Jin fell to his knees, and his sister hissed in irritation.
"Hey, who wants some lunch?" chaos called, waving his arms.
"I do." The brunette replied. Glaring at Jin, she stormed over to her lounge chair, grabbing a wrap the same color of her swimsuit and tying it around her waist before slipping her feet into her sandals. Muttering, she walked over to where the silver-haired teen was, leaving Jin and Gaignun behind. The Japanese man sighed, shaking his head.
"I remember when she was only this tall..." He murmured, holding a hand level to his chest. "Damn it, how'd she grow up so fast?" Sighing, he got up, chasing after his sister, leaving Gaignun behind.
I don't know whether to be relieved or disappointed...
----
He'd come early, of course. Even though the plan was scheduled to begin in a couple of hours, he hadn't seen any need to just twiddle his thumbs until then. Not sensing his quarry on the Durandal, he had disembarked Simeon and tracked his prey to the beach...when was the last time had he seen the sun like this? Hot, blazing...he preferred the coolness of the shade though, and so had hidden himself in the thick foliage next to the snack booth. Moving forward, he pushed a palm branch aside...
And a white and black soccer ball flew into the bushes, rolling to a stop right next to his feet.
"Aw, man!" He heard a strange male voice complain. "I'm not getting it again!"
"I'll go!" Amethyst eyes narrowed, and Albedo took several steps back, hiding amongst the trees just as Shion broke through the plant life, seemingly in pursuit of the errant ball.
"There it is." She muttered, bending over and picking up the ball. "Yuck, sand's all over it..." Unaware that she was being watched, she grabbed a fistful of her wrap and started to wipe off the ball. Albedo inhaled sharply. She looked like a fire goddess, streaks of gold now shooting through the brown locks of her hair, skin lightly bronzed by the sun...
"Heads up!" Shion dropped the ball on the ground in front of her before kicking hard, sending it flying down the beach. Whoops of appreciation for the kick were heard, and a familiar red-haired figure tore from the group to chase down the ball, followed closely by a long black-haired man and a blue-haired android. "Heh heh...let them chase down that!" The older U.R.T.V. had to smile in appreciation; that had been quite a kick. His eyes fell on a small stick not too far from his feet. A feral grin crossing his lips, he deliberately stepped on it.
Crack!
Immediately Shion's head whipped around, her eyes now wary. Stepping forward she turned her head, looking for the source of the sound.
"Hello?" She ventured. No reply. Sighing, she shook her head. "Probably just an animal..." As she turned to leave, Albedo stepped on another stick.
Crack! A wave of delight washed over him as Shion whipped back around, her eyes locked on his location. Yes, mon ange, you sense something, don't you? He could feel it stirring, her sealed-away abilities rising, telling her that something was there. He fed that feeling, intensifying it with his power, focusing it on her and her alone...it wouldn't do for any of the others, especially his brothers, to come and spoil his fun.
Come, come, ange... As if she were a little bird hopping towards the birdfeeder, Shion approached where he was. Smiling, Albedo continued moving backwards into the brush, leading the brunette on with his mental "pull". That's it...you want to find out what it is, don't you? Hiding behind a palm tree, he watched as Shion passed and then came to a stop, frowning. She was so close...his fingers itched to reach out and seize her, whisk her away and keep her for himself.
An angel...no a goddess, descended among men... Albedo chuckled softly. A chameleon, eh Shion? You are a woman, and yet an innocent child...calm and serene, yet fire blazes beneath the surface... Madness warred with sanity in his mind...a part of him was screaming to grab her now, find out why she haunted him so, yet another part begged to leave her alone, she was too good and pure for the likes of him to even darken her footsteps.
Do they feel the same way I do? The thought gave him pause. Do my brothers sense what is inside of her? A feeling of kinship passed over him. If so, then he wasn't alone in his musings...
"Shion!" A cry of disappointment nearly tore from his throat as Shion turned around, Jr. running up to her. "Are you alright?!" Albedo gripped a tree branch in frustration, his fingers leaving dents in the wood. Damn Rubedo, he had been so close...
"I'm fine. I just..." Shion looked around. "I heard something and I ended up following it." The redhead sighed in relief.
"Jeez, don't do that. You nearly gave all of us a heart attack!" His sapphire eyes narrowed as he surveyed the foliage. Albedo held himself perfectly still. His twin's eyes were darkened, he could sense his presence but he didn't know where he was...
"Jr.?" Shion asked. "What is it?" Jr. stared into the green for a few more minutes, and then shook his head.
"It's probably nothing." He put a hand to the small of the brunette's back, pushing her slightly. "Get back out there before KOS-MOS comes in after you." As the younger woman hurried away he surveyed the brush once more before trailing her, something urging him to get her out of there.
The wind passed softly through the trees, branches swaying as if in some sort of dance. One branch in particular though, bore the imprint of several fingers right down to the core, blood marring the trunk as a white tuff of material fluttered in the breeze.
AN: Mon ange: my angel