Authoress Notes: This piece was born out of the happiness I felt at finally beating Xenosaga Episode One. A different version of the ending with slight spoilers for some of the game's aspects, and featuring three couples I am fond of. Hopefully, it is not too bad. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Xenosaga.

Plot/Summary: Opposites go hand in hand with one another. Harmony breeds disorder. Without the other, it would lead to chaos. Slightly AU, a different take on the ending of episode one.

Disorder and Harmony

By: xKuroSeraphimx

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"The target has been retrieved."

The CEO of Vector Industries, Wilhelm, turned to face his aide and advisor, the Red Testament, otherwise known as the allegedly deceased Kevin Winnicot. A small smile curved up the pale man's lips while he crossed his hands on his desk, placing his chin upon them.

"Well done," Wilhelm replied in his calm, beguiling voice. "You placed her where I specified?"

"Of course. Though, Shion and the others will begin searching for her once their craft is adequately repaired." Kevin paused. "Are you going to—"

"Already taken care of," Wilhelm interjected softly, a strange twinkle in his cerise eyes. "I assume she has gotten the message through the U.M.N. by now."

The former scientist looked around the dimly lit room of his superior's office. "And where is Virgil?"

"Out doing an errand I assigned him with." The CEO promptly replied. "If you're wondering where Albedo is, he said that he was going to… 'observe' something." He ended with the smile on his face widening slightly.

Immediately, Kevin knew exactly whom the U.R.T.V. would be observing.

Wilhelm let a sigh escape his lips before he reclined into his black, velvet chair. He spoke, "He always did have a vague interest in her. I'll let him explore for now."

A pause of silence filled the air, the Compass of Fate sitting idly upon Wilhelm's desk busily spinning leisurely on its own. Then, Kevin broke the silence, "… He'll be coming soon."

The strange glint in Wilhelm's eyes flashed a bit brighter at the mention of his counterpart and Kevin wondered if the blond-haired man was angry or perturbed. If he was, he didn't show it as Wilhelm said, "Indeed. He too, cares for her deeply. So deeply, in fact, he is possibly, willingly going to jeopardize the plan to keep her safe."

"Do you want me to send in Voyager—" Kevin began, but was interrupted once again.

"No, no." Wilhelm shook his head. "Let him come in without hindrance. I suspect he isn't too happy to find her in our care. Voyager will be safe from him on standby."

"He always doesn't seem too pleased whenever she is involved with us." Kevin stated quietly, more to himself.

Then, a low chuckle emitted itself from Wilhelm's chest. Kevin's brows arched in question as to what his liege found suddenly amusing. After a while, Wilhelm smiled once more, though this smile had a hint of self-mocking in it.

"Of course… After all, Yeshua would never trust me with her again. Not after what I did to them in the past…"

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Footsteps echoed on the cold, metal floor as the figure approached the glowing bed in the middle of the room. Lying on it was the supposedly emotionless battle android, recently recovered from the act of saving her comrades from burning in Second Miltia's atmosphere. The footsteps halted at the head of the bed as the visitor gazed with amethyst eyes on her pale, luminescent face.

"So… We meet yet again, doll," he drawled lowly, placing his hands on the edges of the bed while he leaned his face close to her, so close, their noses were an inch apart. "Sleeping so peacefully, aren't you? Yet… You are not sleeping, hmm? Your version of sleeping is only equivalent to—"

"Albedo,"

The white-haired U.R.T.V. slowly turned to face one of his co-workers, Kevin, standing by the doorway like a vigilant sentinel. Even though he could not see his facial expression due to the crimson mask he wore, Albedo could feel that he was not pleased to find him in such close proximity of the android.

"Hmm? Oh, you. I thought you were supposed to be with our superior." Albedo said, a twisted smile forming on his lips as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"What are you doing here?" Kevin asked. "I thought you were busy somewhere else."

A brow suspended up in Albedo's forehead and the smile on his face quirked an inch or two. "Hoo? Am I not allowed in here, hmm? I don't recall hearing you have any authority of what I do in my spare time."

"I merely asked a question." Kevin replied quietly. Liar, thought Albedo. Oh, he could sense it. Sense the slight reprimand in the Red Testament's tone of voice. Hear the tint of disapproval under his words. This information helped only to fatten the smile on Albedo's face.

"More importantly," his colleague began. "He's coming soon. In fact… he must be here now."

Albedo grunted nonchalantly, unfolding his arms and turning his attention back to the cerulean beauty lying on the bed. "So quick to save his metal princess… How cute." He glanced at Kevin over his shoulder. "And what are you trying to tell me about it?"

"I'm just warning you not to provoke him too much." Kevin answered. "You do, after all, have the awful habit of bringing out the worst in people."

"Hmph. You don't have to tell me. I'm not stupid." Albedo stated distastefully, shifting his eyes back at the occupant of the bed. "He's so fond of this… thing. It's disgusting. I thought he wouldn't get attached to anything on this mission of his."

Kevin was silent for a few moments. Then he said, "She does closely resemble his love from Lost Jerusalem. If not that, she possesses her spirit."

"Yet here she is, reborn as this little marionette of Master Wilhelm to play with…" Albedo murmured. Kevin stared at his back, wondering at the strange undertone in his voice. Shaking his head, Kevin then felt a familiar presence finally enter the area. Casting one final look at the white-haired man, Kevin disappeared into the shadows.

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His stride was quick, his steps ghostly silent. The young man strode into the office, causing a faint ghost of a smile to appear on Wilhelm's face, knowing full well who had entered.

About time… He thought. His guest stopped a few feet away from the desk, waiting patiently for him to speak first.

Obliging to the silent request, Wilhelm spoke, "So, you've finally arrived." He said pleasantly, staring blankly at the endless view of twinkling stars.

"Where is she?" The demand was cold and precise, effectively leaving little room for any means for Wilhelm to do his usual game of stalling to avoid giving an answer. After all, he played that too.

Wilhelm turned in his chair, smiling at the platinum-haired man standing a few feet ahead of him. Resting a hand against one side of his cheek, he said, "She's rehabilitating from the battlefield a few hours ago. Honestly, it's not like I haven't done anything to her… yet." He added darkly, if not vaguely.

He was met with a vicious glare afterwards, a glare that would be foreign to other's unless they were met with it countless times before. Like Wilhelm. In that glare alone, the CEO knew the words spoken on that one expression: You better not have touched her in any detestable way.

"She's not…"

"Like I said, she is recovering the vast amounts of energy she had lost in that ordeal." Wilhelm confirmed smoothly. "Soon, we will begin repairing her ourselves."

"Does Shion know you have her in your custody?"

"Of course. I already sent her a message. Her dear KOS-MOS will be staying with us for a while. She can rest easy." The CEO explained, straightening himself in his chair.

His guest made a move to leave, finding the conversation had come to an end, until Wilhelm called to him. "However… I have to have a word with you, Yeshua."

chaos's glare deepened at the name, but nonetheless stopped to listen. A malicious smile formed on Wilhelm's face when he said, "A few hours ago… You made a very high risk of using unnecessary amount of your power," he began. "You could have, in some way shape or form, altered the very future itself."

At this, chaos stomped his foot down when he turned to face his counterpart.

"Unnecessary? If I hadn't protected her then, KOS-MOS would have—"

"Have you forgotten the very power she holds within herself, Yeshua? And whom had made her?" Wilhelm cut in sharply. "You worry about her too much, ever since you two made contact on the Elsa. Yes, she would have sustained severe damage, but she would still live. Your assistance was not really required."

chaos frowned deeply, but did not say anything. Yes, he made a huge gamble sacrificing some of the power he was saving for one decisive event, but it was worth protecting her. Without her, the future, would possibly take a horrible turn!

But…

"Therefore…" said Wilhelm. "I have decided to detain you for a while. Oh, it won't be very long, my dear friend." He added, noticing the disapproved look on the platinum-haired man's face. "It's only until KOS-MOS's repairs are done. But during that time, you cannot do anything without my approval. Is that understood?" he ended with a sneer, grating chaos's nerves even more.

chaos was silent for a long while. Wilhelm didn't really give him much of a choice, but his probation also meant that he could watch over KOS-MOS and make sure that not any of Wilhelm's pawns do anything to her. Yet he wondered how Shion and the others would take to his absence. Already, he assumed they were beginning to take notice of his sudden leave, but hopefully didn't suspect too much.

"And don't worry. I'll permit you to send a message to your friends so your leave wouldn't be so suspicious," Wilhelm said, breaking chaos's train of thought. "Well? What do you say?"

With a defeated and frustrated sigh, chaos nodded. "Fine. Just let me see her."

"Of course," Wilhelm nodded his head courteously. "Would you like an escort to show you where she is?"

"No thank you," chaos replied curtly. "I'll find her myself." Then, he turned on his heel and in the next second, vanished from sight. Wilhelm smiled, his ruby eyes turning towards the Compass of Fate.

"Ironic… That it seems the past keeps on repeating itself, Yeshua…"

-----

He arrived moments later, finding it easy to detect her energy, even though it was faint. Materializing out of thin air, chaos stood at the entrance of the room. He moved to the side of the bed, and was immediately comforted, if not slightly disturbed at her disheveled state, to see she was peacefully resting. chaos scanned her body, a frown marring his brow at the sight of the many broken pieces and chips. Nevertheless, she was, technically, in one piece.

A relieved sigh passed his lips before a soothing, gentle smile slowly stretched itself on his features. In a way, he remembered he similarly gazed down at her like this before, after their brief meeting on the Elsa's bridge. This time, however, chaos reached a gloved hand to stroke the android's cheek, content to just feel her face, and he momentarily forgot the predicament he was currently in.

It was still a mystery how, to him, when something bad had happened, all it took for chaos to remain calm was just seeing KOS-MOS safe and alive. He smiled when a thought came to him. 'chaos', as he was called by his friends, didn't really suit his normally gentle demeanor. Yet, when things start happening to his comrades, there were times when he felt the need to show why he was called just that: chaos. Sometimes he was pushed a little past his usual tolerance, yet every time he felt those urges…

… She was the one that calmed him down, held in the madness within chaos. Even without her knowing, KOS-MOS was his sheath, his balm, a restraint on his held back pain and frustration.

"Relinquish your pain… unto me…"

Those words… Those sweet, heartfelt words touched something within him. Let loose a flood of old, long ago memories, and he was back on Lost Jerusalem, or Earth, as it was previously known. Even when he spoke her true name, drowned out by the sounds of the breaking hull of the Elsa, he could not help but picture a time of when it was once peaceful. A time where there was no strife, a time when it was just only the two of them, before…

He couldn't lose her. Not again. Not for a second time.

"Well now, isn't this just too sweet?"

Albedo withdrew himself from the lurking shadows, his arms folded, a smug smirk on his face. chaos slowly retracted his hand away from KOS-MOS's face, glancing at the U.R.T.V. through the corner of his sea greenish eyes. He wasn't surprised by his presence, but chaos couldn't help but feel vicious revulsion well up in his chest at the mere sight of him.

"Albedo…" chaos said too softly that he was nearly inaudible. He watched the ivory-haired man slowly walked towards the bed, like a cautious predator alert of another competitor for the same prey. Anger sparked inside chaos as he remembered the man's atrocities against him and his friends. Also, even if others didn't see it, chaos didn't approve of the glances Albedo shot at KOS-MOS during the Song of Nephilim and Proto Merkabah.

Albedo, to chaos's displeasure, stopped at the other side of KOS-MOS's bed, just across from him. The U.R.T.V.'s amethyst eyes roamed the length of KOS-MOS's body almost hungrily and chaos was given the urge to just punch him in the face to stop him. But he calmed himself quickly when Albedo flickered his gaze onto him.

"You've come quicker than I expected," he said. "Eager to see your little princess once again, I presume?"

chaos focused his utmost attention on the face of the cerulean-haired android's face, willing himself not to react to anything Albedo was soon to spout out. But, judging by how close Albedo was to KOS-MOS, found the effort exceedingly difficult.

His silence only helped the smug expression to deepen. "What's with the silent treatment? It's not like we're strangers and haven't talked before, chaos," he stretched the tanned young man's name, hoping to get a little rise out of him. Kevin's words of warning echoed faintly in his ears, but he ignored it. This was becoming more fun by the next passing second!

"What do you want, Albedo?" chaos asked flatly, glaring at him, yet still tried to make his face as neutral as possible, but only succeeded in having his face contorted strangely.

Albedo raised a brow at chaos's look. "Want? Why, nothing right now!" he laughed slightly. "And what's with the face? What did I ever do to deserve such a detestable expression?"

Reminding himself that no matter how twisted Albedo was, he was still Jr.'s brother. So, chaos settled himself with, "You hurt Jr. and my friends. Plus, you killed others that didn't deserve their sudden demise."

Albedo made a sound that could have been mistaken for laughter. "Your friends were in the way. Rubedo, however, is getting what he deserves. Those people," he chuckled darkly. "Those were just for fun. It's not my fault they're so painstakingly weak!"

chaos's teeth grinded together to stop the shout of anger that was about to emerge from his mouth while Albedo took pleasure at chaos's rise in anguish, seeing inside him the torment of restraint.

"Angry, are we? Why not let it out? You know you want to," he prodded amusingly. He clucked his tongue in disappointment when he didn't get anything. "Hmph. You're just like Rubedo. You may seem like disgusting little goody-two-shoes when in the inside you're full of hatred and pent up frustration. Yes, you're just like him…"

Then, his gaze drifted onto KOS-MOS's face. chaos went rigid at this. "So ironic, the two of you. Both smitten with dolls that look a lot like past flames…" he raised a claw to push away a stray lock of azure hair from her face.

In an instant, Albedo's hand was violently slapped away, so hard that Albedo staggered a few steps back in shock. Anger immediately spiked within him and the U.R.T.V. was about to retaliate until he stared at chaos's face.

The expression on his face was murderous, yet deceptively neutral. No, it was his eyes. Gone was the benevolent sparkle in his sea greenish eyes, only to be replaced by a darkening hue matching that of a raging ocean, great and terrible. A gloved hand was still outstretched from slapping Albedo's hand away, bent slightly over the curve of KOS-MOS's cheek where he was reaching. chaos's upper body leaned over the android's face, forming a barrier of sorts, though, this clearly didn't hide the possessiveness in the stance.

"I'm just warning you not to provoke him too much," Kevin's words rang loud and true in Albedo's mind, making him realize whom he had angered. "You do, after all, have the awful habit of bringing the worst in people."

"Don't you dare touch her, " chaos snarled, his voice seemingly to have gotten deeper.

Though, his words had a different effect on Albedo. Instead, it excited him, making him laugh like he did in Proto Merkabah. Seconds later, Albedo calmed himself to a fit of mad chuckles, making his body tremble in morbid amusement.

"Hah! So you do have a dark side to yourself, Yeshua," he sneered viciously. "Actually, the name chaos suits this side of you perfectly! You should show it more often; you'd make an even finer adversary than your wimpy good side. So possessive… Are you willing to kill for her?"

chaos snapped out of his trance of rage at Albedo's words, but kept his position over KOS-MOS's form if Albedo decided to pull something on them.

"No… Stop it." chaos said weakly, feeling his rage not fully dissipated.

"You would, wouldn't you? Just like dear Rubedo would for that puppet…"

"I said stop it…"

"This doll was a lover once, hmm?" Albedo continued, his eyes alight with a mad glow in them. "What happened to her? Died? Kidnapped? What—"

Albedo!

Albedo stopped in his verbal torture, grimacing at the sound of Kevin's voice in his head.

You… What the hell do you want?

I thought I told you not to provoke him? Even now, his power is starting to be felt. Master Wilhelm orders you to stop!

Albedo flickered his eyes onto chaos. His platinum bangs shielded his eyes yet his hands were tightly clenched, his breathing coming in long, strained breaths. Then the U.R.T.V. felt the touch of power and knew, to his displeasure, that it was time to go.

"Tsk. Fine." Albedo said aloud. "Well now, seems I have to go. Enjoy your stay, chaos…" he said dryly before swiftly storming out, not without shooting one final glance at the woman sleeping on the bed, never waking despite what just happened.

Once he was gone, and his presence no longer felt, chaos sank to his knees, breathing heavily while placing his forehead against the edge of the bed.

Minutes passed into hours before chaos straightened himself and gazed down at KOS-MOS's face, grateful to just find her still sleeping peacefully. Not that she could have heard the two men anyway in her stasis state.

chaos unconsciously placed his forehead against hers, warm against cold. Contact was needed in his current state of mind. Not many times was he that close into unleashing the rage within him. Technically, he was violating her personal space, but… he just needed to do this. Disorder leashed by harmony.

Please… He prayed in his head. Please… Set me in my place. Restrain me… Contain me… Reprimand me… Like you used to do… Like you always did. Please, just let me be chaos… Possess me…

Chaos and cosmos.

Disorder and harmony.

Walk hand in hand in this play of madness.

END

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Well, that's it. What I was trying to convey throughout this whole one-shot was my own insight into the definitions of chaos's and KOS-MOS's names. That, and I wanted to display a bit of my fondness for several KOS-MOS couplings:

chaos/KOS-MOS

Albedo/KOS-MOS

Wilhelm/KOS-MOS

Hopefully, I portrayed that well enough. If you enjoyed, please review. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this. Next, I'll be working on a sort of sister fanfic called Antithesis. See you!