Disclaimer- I own nothing Xenosaga but my Canaan and Virgil plushies.

My first fic. Fanfare I've actually posted this once before elsewhere, but didn't get around to posting it here until now. Some of you may have already read it. If not just enjoy it and read and review.

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Elsa New Years Party

- Cyanedo

"Hey, Hammer, hand me a tack, would ya?" Tony asked.

MOMO watched a little apprehensively as Tony shook on the ladder. He was trying to hold up the last bit of banner over the door of the Elsa restaurant doorway and balance himself on the top step at the same time— a battle he was barely winning.

"Um, should you be up there like that, Tony?" MOMO asked, eyeing the old ladder.

"Yeah, Tony, you might want to listen to her…" Hammer replied, handing him a tack nonetheless. "That ladder looks like it's seen more Gnosis than we have—"

"Shut up and let me concentrate…" Tony said, swiping for the tack and faltered, almost falling. He tacked up the final corners of the banner.

"Hey, let's go see how the crew's doing!" came an excited voice from the hallway, and Jr. burst into the restaurant—and blundered right into the ladder. Jr. caught himself, but Tony went down and hit the ground with a yell, ladder and all.

"Oops…" Jr. said, and chuckled nervously. "Didn't see you…"

"Oh, it's fine," Tony snapped. "It happens all the time." He rubbed the back of his head, glaring at Jr. Their attention turned once more to the doorway as chaos entered, smiling.

"How's the decorating coming along, guys?" he asked kindly.

Tony beamed. "Come and take a look. Couldn't have done a better job—" His smile faded.

There was a moment of silence as they all looked at the sign bearing the words Happy New Year—upside down. Then they started laughing. Tony grumbled.

"What's the matter, someone have a little too much to drink?" Hammer asked sarcastically, elbowing Tony in the ribs.

"Well's it not as though you could have done any better yourself. There's not a normal man alive who knows how to decorate. Besides, you're obviously more stupid for not having seen it upside down in the first place!" And Tony got Hammer into a headlock and started giving him a noogie. It was true, the decorum needless to say—sucked. Mistletoe hung haphazardly about ("Why the hell do we need it?" Hammer asked, "Shion's the only girl on board—" "Exactly, " Tony said suggestively)

It was New Year's Eve again, and the crew of the Elsa had decided to hold a small party to themselves onboard their ship. According to Matthews, it was a lot better to have it small and informal, as he didn't like the big get-togethers that the Foundation normally held. According to Hammer and Tony, their captain was just being cheap, as he was now spending his time at a holidays Seraphim Sisters concert.

Speaking of which, he now entered the restaurant, calling for his crewmates. Behind him came Shion, Allen and KOS-MOS.

"Hey, we have company, you two knock it off or get a room," Matthews said, hitting Tony and Hammer on the head and they stopped. The others tried not to laugh out loud.

Shion looked warmly at everyone, noting who was here, and who wasn't.

"Where are Canaan and Jin? Surely they're not going to miss out on the fun?" she asked.

"Jin said he wanted to get something for everyone he had brought," MOMO answered, and noticed a similar package that Shion was carrying, similar to the one Jin had brought. "Hey, what's that, Shion?"

"Oh, this?" Shin said, holding it up. She opened the small bag and produced two bottles to Matthews. "A couple bottles of sake for the party… not too much, just enough…"

Tony and Hammer glanced at one another, and then eyed the small size of the bottles. Shion noticed.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Believe me, something that small isn't gonna last long here, Shion," Tony said.

"I think it will," said Jin, entering now. He gave a bottle of sake each to Tony and Hammer. Shion frowned and groaned, pushing past Allen.

"Come on, Jin, that was my idea for a present!"

"Oh really?" he said, smiling in a way he knew would make her mad further. "Well, I was under the impression it was just mine. It seems we think alike,"

"You wish," Shion said, slumping down in a booth seat.

Canaan soon joined them and the small party was underway.

At first, the party seemed fun and innocent enough. Shion made curry to tide them over for dinner, and Jr. was bored with any possible entertainment they could have been having. Somewhere along the way (suspiciously with the arrival of the old coot and Assistant Scott from the Robot Academy) things went a little haywire.

MOMO just ate her curry and chatted with Ziggy, avoiding any of the wine whatsoever, just as the cyborg was smartly doing. And that was just as well.

The Elsa crew engaged in a game of drinking poker (turns out the sake wasn't enough; a dozen bottles of strong wine were soon to be found around the bar, of which wasn't restricted to just human digestive tracts). The droids were in on the fun and had a party all themselves going on. Jin was quietly sipping on a tiny cup of sake; Canaan and Shion watched the game of drinking poker that was going on; soon she joined in on the game, as did Allen, who didn't feel like being left out.

"Ha! Straight! I win!" Shion said, punching a fist in triumph some two hours later, winning a poker game. Her face was aglow with the blush of two cups of sake and two of Champaign.

They shouted together as New Year's came and passed. Ziggy thought it wise to go to bed now before anything got out of hand, so he left, bidding them good night. Jin and chaos thought it a good idea s well.

"Ah come on!" came cries from the members of the crew, brandishing individual bottles of wine. "The night's still young!"

"Yeah, we're just about to do some karaoke!" Jr. yelled.

But they left; before he did, Jin turned to Canaan, glanced at Shion wickedly, and then asked if he could make sure Shion stayed out of trouble.

"Hey! Are you implying I'd so something indecent—Where you are going!" She glared daggers at his retreating back, wishing looks could kill. She sighed, and then turned back to the card game, to find another glass of wine being offered by Tony.

"Ah who cares, there's still plenty of wine to go round. More for us."

Perhaps too much, Shion was thinking some time later, when the men Tony and Hammer insisted she go up and sing something after a horrible rendition from Jr. or a barely recognizable tune. They used the excuse that Jr.'s singing sucked and needed some redemption, resulting in a threat from the URTV that he'd dock their wages if they said anything more. Knowing she couldn't say no, and the wine was saying who the hell cared, Shion entertained them with one song. Their jaws dropped when she finished singing quite beautifully.

"What? Was it that bad?" she asked.

They only cheered, causing her to blush, and Allen grinned like an idiot as she sat back down.

"That was great, Chief! I didn't know you could sing so well! Maybe we could go to the Ironman and you could sing—"

"Woo-hoo! I win again!" she shouted, slamming down a winning poker hand again. The men groaned.

"Geez, she's pretty damn good," Hammer said. (Allen was groaning again from once more being rejected.)

"Yeah," Hammer agreed, then brightened. "Hey, Shion you wouldn't be interested in a game of strip poker, would you—Ow!" Matthew smacked him across the head, and Allen glared. But Shion was looking around at the Professor who had started a conga line that left the restaurant. She burst out laughing when she saw KOS-MOS at the very end.

More poker and more karaoke ensued throughout the night, as well as the drinking. The conga line returned two hours later as they were through a half dozen bottles of assorted wines, and it was a sight to see.

Each one of the droids—and KOS-MOS, Shion was bewildered to see- was bedecked in glowing strings of lights and glowing lights. Shion cleared her throat and set the glass of wine she had down, now thoroughly sure it was time to go to bed. By now, Matthews and Jr. were out cold, snoring at the table.

She was already past tipsy as it was and ignoring ever so experienced another attempt on Allen's part to ask her out. She merely bid them good night and left the restaurant, dropping to a whiney sleep as soon as she hit the mattress in her room.

It felt like someone was jabbing a finger into the region around her temple and applying constant pressure. When she rolled over into the light of the room, the light pierced her eyelids, turning the pressure into one hell of a throbbing headache. Shion clasped her head tightly, rolling back into the shade the top bunk provided, and waited for it to subside.

But it persisted, and cursing, she slowly rolled out of bed and onto her feet. She opened her eyes enough after some head rush passed to see that MOMO was sound asleep still, unawares of her companion's drunken activities the previous night.

Shion rubbed her eyes and sat on the edge of her bed, trying to recall what had happened.
Poker. That's right. Sake, merlot… and assortment of wines, at least a dozen bottles. Unh-huh she thought. And… oh damn… Allen. She had brushed him off again like nothing. Damn headache… won't let me think straight. When was the last time I cut loose like that?

Shion stood up and wobbled slightly, silently cursing her brother for being right, the wine, and the massive hangover she was experiencing. Not wanting to upset her stomach, Shion slowly made her way to the door, intending to resolve the matter nagging at her mind…

Allen groaned and opened his eyes, feeling a little depressed. Looking around, he saw he was still at the Elsa's counter, having fallen asleep there. His ears met snoring, and his eyes, a scene not out of place in a local pub after New Years.

Matthews and the Matthews bot were sleeping with their heads on their folded arms. Jr. lay along the seat in a booth as well. Canaan had left not long after Shion had, noting under his breath that he was going to bed. Tony and Hammer had just hit the floor drunk. Allen shook his head at the sight of the droids on the ground, too, and turned to counter. There was one helping of the hangover cure left, and he poured what was left for him.

He sat back down then and tried to recall what he had been doing.

Sobbing last night. He wolfed down three helpings of curry while complaining about not being what the Chief was looking for—or something like that, the others guys thought, as he had been talking with his mouth full. They tuned him out; only Scott had listened to Allen's ordeal, but of course, as usual, lost interest in Allen had to say, and found an excuse to go back to the lab. After all, it was the usual griping about being invisible coming from Allen.

Allen rubbed his temples and sighed. Would the Chief ever see him in that light? I can't let this get to me. I'm going to go to her and ask her out, plain and simple. That's what I'll do. Allen stood up, intending to leave, when the door opened. He turned to see who it was, and his confidence wavered as Shion entered.

Shion blinked at the unusual scene her eyes beheld in front of her. She said hell to Allen, frowning as she saw the others all around, still dead asleep. I resolved to come in and get this over with… She first wanted to set a couple things straight, but didn't want it to be in front of all the drunken Elsa crew, regardless of their current state. She looked at Allen, then sighed, ready to say to him what was on her mind.

"Allen…" she began.

"Um…what is it chief?" he asked, a little hoarse. He rubbed his temple, the back of his neck ad cleared his throat.

Her eyes fell on the cup of hangover cure he left untouched. She looked at the empty bar shelves, then the floor. Finally she stood up straight and, disregarding the sleeping men, looked at Allen, drawing in a breath.

"I'm sorry for giving you the cold shoulder last night… I was… well… drunk." Allen chuckled.

"I think we all pretty much were."

"Pretty much." She cleared her throat and took a couple steps closer toward him.

Allen's breath caught in his throat and he looked away. "So did you sleep well?" Stupid question…

"As well as someone really drunk can sleep…" They both shared a small awkward laugh. Okay, Shion, do or die… she thought and stepped up closer to him.

Allen's limbs now felt like they were paralyzed at her closing proximity, and soon she was standing right in front of him, a foot away. She looked up into his eyes.

"There's something I want to tell, you Allen."

Yes, score! His heart racing, he tried to keep the excitement from showing on his face, as he now knew the only thing she could be going to tell him.

"I thought about it since I woke up… and this may not be the best time to say this, what with the headache…" She looked down at the floor. After a pause, Allen felt his nerves on fire. It was more intense when she looked up at him again.

"I just wanted to ask you—" she leaned closer "—of course best if these guys aren't around—"

"Yes, Chief?" Allen asked hoarsely. He looked up and did a double take. There was mistletoe overhead. He felt a sweat spring to his brow.

"If I could…"

"Yes?" He leaned closer hopefully, now feeling absolutely giddy.

"ask you for …" Her hand was reaching slowly up to rest on the counter to the side.

Allen brushed a bead of sweat from his brow, heart beating rapidly as her face drew imperceptibly closer to his…

"A little favor. All I need is just this one…" She looked slightly to the side…

Not finding his voice, his heart beating a tattoo on his Adam's Apple, he swallowed hard, then leaned in.. Yes, finally I get some!

"…teensy favor. Allen. Can I have one—" She looked him square in the eye.

It was too much. Allen keeled over with a squeak and a dizzy expression on his face. Shion blinked.

"…. For a drink of the hangover cure…" she was about to finish, her hand picking up the cup. Poor guy… must have had too much to drink last night…He really needs to find a girlfriend or something… With a shrug she took a long draft from it, feeling the headache of the hangover abate slightly.

She looked up and noticed some mistletoe on the ceiling above her head. She looked down at Allen, sighed, then knelt down and placed a peck on his cheek. Then she smiled, straightened up, and left the restaurant, draining the hangover cure as she went.

Fin.

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As I've said, my first fic, so please review and tell me what you think. XD