Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the concepts of the Xenosaga games. I'm just playing with them, and then I'll put them back in their boxes, Mommy, I promise. I'm making no profit out of this story, and if you sue me, you'll only get a few lint balls. I wouldn't bother with it, really.
I do own this story, and plagurizing it would make you a sad, sad, creepy little person. It'd also make me angry, and I bite. So save yourself some rabies shots and don't even try to nick it, okay?
Currently unbeta-ed. If you'd like to volunteer for the position I'd love you forever.
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Chapter 4
Shion had apparently taken chaos's gentle command to heart, for although she continued to hum softly, she said nothing more as chaos guided her back to her home. It was late evening before they stepped off the final rail. chaos and Shion paused at the gate, Shion curled against chaos's side. chaos sighed, watching the still and silent brunette. Whatever she had been given, it seemed to have affected her deeply. There was no way he could leave her by herself, not in her current state. Shifting, chaos rubbed his forehead in the exasperated gesture he had picked up from Allen inadvertently. It wasn't until he heard the soft splashing that he even realized that Shion had left his side. He blinked, startled, and whirled.
"Shion, wh--?"
Shion, in her dress and bare feet, had waded into the pond. The water closed around her waist, and chaos stepped forward, ready to grab the young woman if she tried to drown herself, but then realized that Shion was in the deepest part of the pond. The sunset streaked the waters with orange and gold. Against the sunset, Shion looked frail and ethereal. She turned her head to look at him, her eyes turning jewel-like viridian in the dying light. "Yeshua..."
chaos stepped forward. This was a turn of events that deeply unsettled him. He was unused to being surprised, and this... whatever had come over Shion, this was not the young woman who had somehow become a dear friend to him, despite his distant nature. "How do you know that name?" Shion smiled, finally moving to face him, spreading her hands. Ripples spread out from where her fingertips dragged through the water. The picture she made had chaos inhaling abruptly.
"Yeshua, who is Salvation, establisher of Mysteries... messenger of Light," Shion began walking toward him, an enigmatic expression on her face, her voice sepulchral smoke. chaos stood rooted, hypnotized. "...things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world..." As Shion moved closer, her dress now a second skin, her eyes darkened with drug and secrets, chaos's eyes widened. He only realized that he had begun backing away when the back of his heel hit the slight step in the entrance to the house. He stumbled backward, winding up in an undignified sprawl on the Uzuki residence floor. Shion knelt beside him, sliding a palm along his face to coax him to look at her. "Deliver us from our ignorance," she breathed, so close her lashes were like a whisper against his cheek.
chaos gave an inarticulate gasp, hands coming up as if in defense. "S-Shion--"
Shion licked his ear, fingers tugging at his jacket until the clasps fell open.
"Reveal to me... everything."
Shion pushed his hands down, turning his head. "Yeshua," she whispered against his lips.
Her lips pressed against his, warm and willing, and he was lost.
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Miyuki shot up in bed.
"I LEFT SHION AT THE BAR!"
Immediately upon the heels of that revelation came three more: one, she had the most massive hangover in the history of man.
"Ack," Miyuki whimpered, falling back against the rumpled sheets and pillows, "Ooh... Too many Midoris..." She rubbed her poor aching skull gently, turning over to try and reduce the throb. She scrunched her eyes against the bright morning light coming in through the window, and revelation two hit her like a two by four. "My bedroom window is on the other side..." Ignoring her headache, she shot up again, wide-eyed. "Where the heck am I?"
"My hotel room," a sleepy male voice responded from close by.
"Meep," Miyuki said, looking down reluctantly. A well-tanned, well toned leg was thrown over hers. Ah, well at least he's still pretty this morning, Miyuki consoled herself, following the path the leg gave her up to the face of her surprise bedmate. Tousled strawberry blonde hair fell over drowsy green eyes, in a handsome, high-cheek boned face. "Ah, and you are...?"
"Tony," he chuckled good-naturedly. "I tried to tuck you into the spare bed," he pointed over to an unobtrusive roll away bed, where another male figure snoozed on peacefully, "But you kicked Hammer right out of this one, and climbed in instead." Miyuki flushed, chewing a fingertip nervously. "Ah..."
Tony shifted, stretching out like a cat before rolling to his feet. Miyuki didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed by the fact that he still had on his boxers. Tony scowled down at the floor, where a few shreds of green cloth were discarded along with the pants that Miyuki vaguely remembered that he had been wearing last night. The scraps were tossed into the trash with a few mutterings that Miyuki was pretty sure were fairly creative anatomically incorrect suggestions. Seeing Miyuki's curious look, the blonde shrugged. "One of my exes got a little hot under the collar that I left to pilot a starship. She decided that to get even, she'd rip my shirt off. It went downhill from there." Padding into the tiny "kitchen" section of the hotel, Tony took down a pill bottle and shook it invitingly. "Ginseng."
He tossed Miyuki the bottle, which she fumbled. It landed in her lap. "It's one of the best things you can take for a hangover. We always have some on us." Tony grinned at her. "Saves us on hearing our Captain gripe."
Miyuki clutched the bottle gratefully. "Thanks. I gotta find my friend, though... I don't know what happened to her last night --"
"Oh, you mean Shion?" Tony put the pot into the coffeemaker and turned the machine on. "Don't worry. chaos took her home." He glanced over, taking in Miyuki's blank expression, and chuckled again. "We're the crew of the Elsa. I'm the master helmsman," he swept Miyuki a small bow, " and that sleepy lump over there, is Hammer, our navigator. chaos is our... well. chaos is chaos." Tony examined the coffeemaker, and pulled the pot out, pouring Miyuki a mug.
Miyuki took it, swallowing one of the pills along with it. "Oh? Really... I'd still like to check on her." She eyed Tony, "After you tell me all about what happened last night..."
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Shion dreamed.
Once again, she found herself wandering the streets of Old Miltia. Automatically, her feet began taking her down the same path as her father had led her down on that fateful day fourteen years ago. As she passed, the quiet, neat streets transformed. Buildings crumbled silently, bodies appeared, and flowers died. Shion stopped, looking back at the statue that reminded her of her procurator, U-kun. The bunny that had stood upright, and had been one of the few cheerful things in the old playground beside the Acute Neurosis Facility had toppled, cracks materializing and dirt coating the once cheerful figure. Shion shook her head, leaning against the railing. "Why is it always here?"
"Because of what you left here."
"I'm really tired of this whole cryptic thing, could you just--" Shion turned her head, ready to confront Nephilim on her deliberate obtuseness.
It wasn't Nephilim who was behind her.
Shion stared at the small six-year-old who stared back at her, emerald eyes serious behind her glasses.
"You left me behind," six-year-old Shion told her older self.
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A/N: Well! It was a very eventful chapter, wasn't it? Am I evil for that cliffhanger, or what? Hehe. I know, I know. I didn't get all of the things I wanted to in. It's just that this seemed to be a natural break. No worries. Now that I've gotten the awkwardness of the transition over with, the next chapter will be chock full of Shion revelations!
NEXT CHAPTER: Shion's real name isn't Shion? What? And what does this have to do with finding a chaos in her bed? Isn't anything in Shion's life going to be simple ever again? ... yeah, right.