Welcome to the real world! Yeeeah! LOL...anyways, on with chapter 5! If you liked the love scene in chapter 1, prepare to HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN with the one in this chapter. There's also a FLCL reference in this chapter... -Turns on Paranoia Agent-
Lil' Slugger: Yeah, I'll do your disclaimer for ya…KOS-MOS rox does not own Xenosaga and/or The Matrix. She wishes that she did, though.
Neo: -Flies in- Hey, shrimpo! You took my job!
Lil' Slugger: …-Bonks Neo on the head with his golden bat-
Neo: -Makes Lil' Slugger explode-
-Sigh- On with the chapter!
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Xenosaga Episode II: Die Kraft der Liebe
Chapter 5: Healer and Destroyer
The adolescent voice of the U.R.T.V. leader rang through the black void that is the game loading zone, speaking directly to the readers and possible reviewers. "When Albedo, my twin brother, released the seal, the lost path to Old Miltia was reopened once again. In response to this incident, the Federation government and the Immigrant Fleet both began their invasion into Miltian space. Their objective was to gain control over the original Zohar, which was still sleeping on Miltia," The boy paused for a moment. "However, the Immigrant Fleet has anticipated this incident and successfully broke through the Federation's blockade. The Immigrant Fleet began their descent into Old Miltia. In its confusion, the Federation government's response was slow and disorganized. Though they deployed ships to try and secure the region, the Federation's unable to stop the Immigrant Fleet's advance."
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Meanwhile, in a Cathedral-like area, a communication hologram of Margulis appeared next to a man clad in gold and white robes. "I see that Miltia and the Subcommittee have begun to take action. And there's news that Vector is taking part, as well. Can you handle them?" the older man asked.
"Leave it to me. I have already dispatched the Inquisitors. The disheveled Federation will be no match for us," Margulis replied.
"Margulis."
"Yes, Holiness?"
"I have faith in you. Not as an Inquisitor, but as a comrade who shares the same goals. I want you to show me the strength of your devotion," the Patriarch said. "Do you understand?" he asked sharply.
"Yes," Margulis said.
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In the U.M.N. Control Center, Juli was speaking to Momo. Momo was feeling perfectly okay, despite what happened to her earlier. "Judging by the situation, it seems the journey to Old Miltia needs to happen as soon as possible," Juli said to her "daughter".
"Yes," Momo responded.
"According to Representative Helmer, if they use your 100-seriesprototypespecial navigational skills, they could potentially travel to Old Miltia undetected," Juli stated. Momo nodded. "It'll be very dangerous," Juli said, her voice softening a bit. "But I can't put the entire star cluster at risk because of my personal feelings."
"Mommy..." Momo said, approaching Juli.
"It feels strange to me now. For some reason, I don't want to let you go..."
"Mommy!"
"It's just like...just like Ziggurat said...you and Sakura are two completely different people." Juli stroked Momo's hair in a motherly fashion. "The Sakura that Rubedo described to me was a carefree tomboy. But you...you're a thoughtful, dependable young woman. That's why I want to get to know you better. It's going to be a difficult mission. But make sure you come back. I'll be waiting."
"Yes!" Momo said, enthusiastically throwing her arms around Juli in a bear hug. The woman was stiff at first, but eventually relaxed into her daughter's arms.
"Please...make sure you come back..."
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Jr.'s voice spoke again in the dark area. "Meanwhile, after receiving orders to appear before Vector, Shion and Allen, our lovey-dovey smoochy-smoochy Vector couple, returned to the Dammerung stationed in Miltian space. In response to the Immigrant Fleet, Representative Helmer dispatched Miltia's standing forces to support the Federation. Helmer also planned out a covert operation to acquire the original Zohar on Miltia...secret covert o-per-ation plan A! Seriously, that's how he said it!" Jr. stopped to laugh. Quickly sobering, he continued. "This mission was secretly supported by Vector and the Contact Subcommittee and would be carried out by the Kukai Foundation," Jr. cleared his throat. "Upon receiving Helmer's request, the others and I made preparations to descend into Old Miltia in the newly restored Elsa. In addition, to ensure the absolute success of this mission, two new members also joined their ranks, Jin and Canaan. Ah, two. That's the number of rounds that Shion and Allen went for last night." Jr. paused, thinking about what he had just said.
"...oh, shit. Shion's gonna kill me for saying that. This is our secret, okay?" Jr. asked the person reading the story. "Speaking of those two, let's check up on them!"
"...besides, Fooly Cooly is on, and I want to catch part a bit of it before we depart for Old Miltia! That show is the GREATEST!" Jr. added after a second.
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The Dammerung floated gently through space, the almost inaudible hum lulling its passengers into a state of utmost relaxation. Allen Ridgeley stepped out of the shower and shivered. He had taken a cold shower so that Shion could have the hot water. Jr. would probably have something to say about his cold shower, but he's not here right now. Thank God for Shion and Allen. Drying himself off, he looked in the mirror. His eye was still black and blue, and quite painful. He shook his head, trying to dry his tawny locks. Deeming it unnecessary, he wrapped the towel around his waist and walked into the main part of the room.
"Shion, all yours," he said, sliding on a pair of boxers. "Shion?" Allen looked at the bed to see his girlfriend sprawled prone on it, looking as if Jr. had just shot her. He laughed and laid down beside her.
"You okay?" he asked, stroking her back.
"I can't move…" she said, her voice muffled by a pillow. "Muscles aching…can't form correct sentences…going to pass out…" Shion turned her head to look at him, smirking. Allen laughed again before kissing her.
"Want a massage?" he asked, winking at her.
"Yes, please!" Shion said enthusiastically. Allen grinned and stood up.
"You're going to have to take your shirt off," Allen said. Shion nodded and allowed Allen to slip her shirt over her head, revealing her bra. Shion sighed as Allen's fingers rubbed her lower back, his fingers unerringly finding all of the areas where there was any ache. Slowly, his hands made their way to her shoulders, when he suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Shion asked.
"There's this…thing on your right shoulderblade." Allen sounded confused. "Is that a birthmark? A tattoo?" On her shoulderblade, there was a mark that looked like the stem of a rose, with thorns sticking out in every direction. It was hard to describe what it looked like.
"Oh, that. I honestly don't know what it is, I've had it since I was born," Shion said. "It must be a birthmark or something."
"Must have missed that last night," Allen said. Shion giggled.
Then, an idea popped into Shion's head. She shifted both of their positions so that she was laying face up, Allen straddling her hips, his hands resting upon her chest. Shion grinned when she saw the faint pink color of Allen's cheeks. She lifted her head to brush her lips past his ever so lightly, then engaging him in a slow, deep, passionate kiss. Shion moaned into his mouth as he gently squeezed the area where Shion had placed his hands.
Allen sat up, not moving his lips from Shion's. Shion wrapped her legs around his lower torso. Allen broke the kiss and began trailing kisses over her cheek and to her ear. He smiled as his lips hit the earring he had given her the previous night.
"You wore it…" he whispered sensually into her ear.
"Why wouldn't I?" It was then that Allen's elbow bumped into the light control, encompassing the two of them in a thrilling tent of darkness.
Allen began nuzzling and kissing Shion's neck, searching for the sensitive spot he had discovered last night. She moaned when he hit it, and she kissed her there again. Shion tilted her chin upwards, giving him more access. He bit down on that spot, and she let out a cry of pleasure. He moved his mouth, revealing a red mark from his teeth. Shion grinned and began kissing Allen's neck. When she found a particularly soft spot, she too bit down. Allen moaned as Shion let go. "Now we both have to wear turtlenecks tomorrow," she said, smiling and sexily tracing his lovebite mark with her index finger.
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Meanwhile, in Wilhelm's office, his personal communication unit began to ring. The Compass of Order began rotating faster as the Vector C.E.O. answered it. chaos appeared on a small holographic screen, blinking when he saw Wilhelm.
"Ah, Yeshua. It's been quite awhile, my twin brother…" Wilhelm said coolly.
"That's not my name anymore," chaos muttered.
"Oh, right. What name do you go by now?" Wilhelm asked.
"My name is chaos, baby brother..." chaos said.
"Only by thirty seconds...well, I guess you did come out first..." Wilhelm said. "chaos...that's an odd name. I like Yeshua more. It fits you better."
"I tried to contact your earlier, but I couldn't find a truly secure line," chaos explained, ignoring Wilhelm's last comment. "We don't need the news leaking into the media as it did last time. Nobody can know about our brother…at least, not until his time comes…"
"Cautious as ever I see, Healer…" Wilhelm smirked.
"Unlike you, Destroyer…" chaos returned his twin's smirk.
"Let's get to the real reason why you contacted me," Wilhelm said. "The Promised Child. Our brother."
"Yes. He is here. I can feel his presence, even now…" chaos stated, closing his eyes.
"Are we going to come together again…in preparation for his arrival?" Wilhelm asked.
"That was my plan," chaos said. "Let's begin."
"Asato ma sad gamaya…tamaso ma jyotir gamaya…mrtyor mamrtam gamaya…" the two brothers said. "From delusion lead me to truth…from darkness lead me to light…from death lead me to immortality…"
Both men cried out loudly as a bright light engulfed both of them. And the children shall become one again…Healer and Destroyer…
When the light finally died, chaos and Wilhelm were both panting heavily, grasping their chests.
"I can feel both powers! I-I've never felt this before!" chaos choked excitedly.
"And now, I'll be able to heal also…" Wilhelm said, satisfaction in his voice.
"I have to disconnect now. My crewmates may have heard me," chaos said.
"Alright. We will meet again very soon, dear brother…" Wilhelm said. His communication monitor blipped off, and Wilhelm sank back into his chair, sighing deeply.
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In Shion and Allen's room, things were becoming extremely intense. Shion's hands ran down Allen's bare chest, dragging her nails lightly down the soft skin of his stomach. She could feel the firm muscles twinge under her gentle touch. Allen kissed Shion hard on the mouth. Shion opened hers, and Allen began sliding his tongue in and out of her mouth. He stroked the inside of both of her thighs, causing her to gasp and moan loudly. She ran her slender fingers through his tawny brown hair. "You're getting warm…" she muttered.
"Hot," he said, taking a break from indulging in her neck, "I'm hot." He began suckling on her lower lip, and Shion could feel soft flecks of his tongue without deepening the kiss.
Suddenly, the communication monitor began blinking. In the heat of their passion, the couple didn't notice it, nor did they notice when Allen's elbow accidentally bumped the "Answer" button on the control.
Miyuki's excited face appeared on the communication screen. Her expression quickly changed to one of shock when she saw the darkened room and heard Shion: "Mmm…uhhhnn…ahhhg…"
Okay then… Miyuki thought to herself. Dark room…plus Shion moaning…equals…OHMYGOD! Miyuki laughed evilly before screaming, "Snog!"
Shion and Allen both gasped in surprise and turned their heads to look at the screen. "Miyuki!" Shion yelled. "Why are you calling us?"
"Hehehe. Were you two making love?" she asked, grinning mischievously.
"Not yet…" Allen mumbled. Shion elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to cough loudly.
"Miyuki, are we naked?" Shion asked, blushing.
"Well…almost…kinda…" Miyuki muttered. "If I would have called ten minutes later…hee hee!"
Shion began blushing even harder as she let go of Allen, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Alright, Miyuki, what's so important that it couldn't wait until the morning?" Shion asked, glancing at the clock, which read 11:37 PM.
"The path to Old Miltia! It was opened, and everyone is super-excited about it! I mean, nothing like this has happened in years! I don't even remember Old Miltia! I was only six! You were eight, and Allen was ten! See, now I'm twenty, you're twenty-two, and Allen is twenty-four! I have good math because I'm an engineer! Shion, are you even listening to me? Speaking of weapons, have you gotten my e-mail about the new weapon I've been developing for KOS-MOS? Oh, it's super-cool! I'll just tell you now! Okay, so it's a blade, but it doubles as a gun! It shoots plasma and-"
"Stop talking. Stop talking. Stop talking." Allen repeated himself a countless number of times, rubbing his temples. But Miyuki just kept rambling on.
"Native girl must stop!" Shion yelled. Immediately, Miyuki shut up and looked at Shion. "Thank you Haruko…" she mumbled. "Anyways, Miyuki…do you even know what's going on out there? We're on high-security alert because of that phase distortion."
"I know! It's because the path to Old Miltia was suddenly opened! The observation teams are going nuts!"
"That's where you're driving us…" Shion muttered.
"Well then, maybe now's not the best time to be chatting like this, is it?" Allen asked Miyuki sarcastically.
"Awww, that's not nice!" Miyuki said, pouting. "What about you two? The director still hasn't received the KOS-MOS real-world operation data report."
Ping
Suddenly, the room went dark. Shion slowly looked over her shoulder and saw that eerie girl with orange hair and bright blue eyes…
"N-Nephilim?" Shion gasped. But the girl disappeared quickly, an upset look on her face.
"Shion? Shion!" Shion heard Miyuki's voice. The room changed back to normal.
"What? Oh, sorry. What were you saying?" Shion asked, shaking her head. Was that…an illusion? Why…why was she…why did she have such a sad face…?
"I said you should hurry up and send the data to the director," Miyuki said. "Now I'm going to leave you two alone. Just don't wake up the whole ship…" Miyuki grinned before disconnecting. A great whooshing sigh of relief came from both Shion and Allen.
"I thought she'd never hang up," Shion said, grasping Allen's hair as he kissed the area just above her chest. Suddenly, a feeling of extreme exhaustion washed over Shion. "Whoa…" she said, grabbing her head.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Allen asked, concerned.
"I'm feeling sort of dizzy…" Shion said, lying down on the bed.
"Do you want to just sleep? Because that would be fine with me," Allen asked gently, lying down beside her.
"Mmm…yeah…" Shion said. She snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her in a protective embrace. "I love you…" she sighed.
"I love you too, Shion…" Allen closed his eyes and pressed his lips against her forehead, stroking her arm lovingly. Allen's gentle touch combined with the Dammerung's quiet lullaby caused Shion to fall asleep almost immediately.
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"Where am I?"
Shion looked straight ahead, seeing the original Zohar. She slowly walked towards it, furrowing her brow. "Is this a dream?" she asked aloud. "This is…it's…the Zohar?"
A white-haired woman appeared on the platform in front of the Zohar, along with a little boy who looked to be about one year old. He had dark brown hair, and bright green eyes that far surpassed the luminosity of Shion's. The boy beamed when he saw Shion like a child who just saw his mother.
"Febronia? Feb?" Shion stepped up onto the platform.
The child reached towards Shion and uttered one simple word:
"Up."
"Oh…may I?" Shion asked Feb.
"Of course," Feb answered. Shion bent over and picked the little one up, swinging him over to her hip. The boy rested his head on her shoulder and began sucking his thumb contentedly.
"Feb, what in the world's going on? What is this place? Why are you here?" Shion asked. "And who is this?" she asked, gesturing to the child on her hip.
"This is the cage in which my sisters are held captive. A frigid prison created for the Zohar," Feb stated.
"A prison? But, where are they? I don't see them," Shion said, looking around.
"Shion. Set them free from this cage," Feb implored. "Please, I want you to lift the curse that mankind has placed upon them."
"But, I don't know where I am! Where is this place? How can I save them?" Shion cried. "I don't understand any of this!"
"Soon…you will visit this place," Feb explained. "Please, Shion…save Cecily and Cathe." The realian turned to leave.
"Wait, Feb! You still haven't told me who this child is!" Shion said. Feb looked over her shoulder at Shion.
"He is…the future…" Feb said, walking back into the Zohar. Shion's surrounding's melted around her, and all she could see was black, black, endless black…
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Shion woke with a start, shaking violently. Cold…why is it so cold? Shion lifted her head from Allen's shoulder and glanced at the temperature gauge on the headboard. It read the exact same as it did when they had fallen asleep. She looked at the clock, which now read 1:42 AM.
It was then that Shion remembered Miyuki's advice. "Oh, right…I have to send the data…" she whispered to herself.
Shion freed herself from Allen's embrace, being careful not to wake him. She slipped her shirt on, then her jacket. She pulled her shoes to the side of her bed and slid them on her feet. She kneeled on the bed and brushed a wayward strand of hair out of Allen's closed eyes. She bent over and gently kissed his bruised eye. The man sighed and shifted his position, causing Shion to grin goofily. He was so cute when he was asleep…
Shion got down from the bed and lightly stepped to the door, which opened with a whoosh of air. She walked to the communications room.
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Once she reached the communications room, Shion plopped down on a chair in front of one of the terminals and loaded the data disk. She opened the real-world operation file and sent it to the director.
Sending, sending, sending. Shion sighed. And they said that the new version of the UMN was supposed to be the fastest.
When the file finally went through, Shion sank back into the chair and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Ping
Shion whirled around in the chair, almost falling off. Nephilim stood behind her, accompanied by the same little boy from her dream. But the boy had grown…he looked like he was about five or six now.
"Hey!" the child exclaimed excitedly, smiling sweetly at Shion.
Shion flashed him a confused look before smiling back. She looked at Nephilim. "So it was you. Was this all your doing?" Nephilim closed her blue eyes. "What in the world are you and Feb trying to tell me?"
"Feb is waiting for you. There is no time left," Nephilim said quickly.
"Waiting? At that place…in my dream?" Shion asked.
"Shion. You must go. And there, you must make a choice. It is for your sake, as well as theirs," Nephilim stated. "It is something very important to both your past and your future…as well as to his life," she said, looking at the boy. He nodded eagerly, strands of his brown locks flying every which way.
"My choice? Past? Future? His life? What are you saying?"
"The path has already been opened. Please, grant her this one request," Nephilim said.
"That path? You mean…" Shion gasped and stood up abruptly. "Miltia! Feb's sisters are on Miltia!"
"Shion…hurry. Before he awakens again. Feb…save her sisters…" Nephilim said.
"I know you can do it," the mysterious boy said, raising his glowing green eyes to meet Shion's. "You can do anything…you're amazing!" he said, beaming.
"Shion, are you in there?" Allen's voice called from outside the door. Nephilim and the child disappeared as Allen entered the room, fully-clothed.
Shion shook her head and stood up, walking for the door. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he asked.
"Oh, Old Miltia…" Shion said nonchalantly. She walked out the door, but Allen reached out and grabbed her by the arm. He gently pulled her back in the door.
"Sounds like fun. I'm in," he said, smirking.
"No. I don't want you coming with me," Shion said. "It's too dangerous."
"Ah, I can't let you have all the fun, can I? Allen said. Shion sighed loudly.
"Fine. You can come," she said. "Just promise me that you'll be careful. I don't want to lose you…" she said. Allen wrapped his arms around her waist in a loose embrace.
"I promise, you won't lose me…" Allen said, running his hand through her hair. "What are we going to do for transportation? I doubt that the administrations bureau's gonna authorize a transfer in a state of emergency."
"I've got an idea. There's a transport here on the Dammerung that Kevin was developing concurrently with KOS-MOS. If we use it, we can travel through hyperspace without going near the UMN," Shion explained.
"Awesome." Allen grinned. "Alright, let's do this!"
"Wait, one thing first…" Shion said, smoothing down a tuft of Allen's hair that was standing straight up on his head. "That was bugging me…" she said, laughing.
"Why did I have to fall for somebody like you?" he asked her, smiling.
"Because I'm so irresistible…" she said, kissing him.
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After a quick pit-stop in their room to get their weapons, the couple made their way down to the Dammerung's restricted area. They fought countless holograms (To which they both said "How the heck do you fight a hologram?") and VSS Frensels, the Dammerung security robots. They also had to figure out many puzzles, including boxes, conveyer belts, and their personal favorite…the tilting glass sheet. Wilhelm must have a lot of time, money, and imagination to have created them. Finally, they reached the console. Shion pressed a button to see a hologram of the E.S. Dinah.
"There it is," Shion said. "The...Dinah…" Suddenly, Shion felt a feeling of horrible grief wash over her…
"This is horrible! How could this have happened?" her own voice echoed in her memories.
"It's okay, Shion. You're still alright, and that's all that matters."
"Shion? Are you alright?" Allen asked, seeing the sad look on her face.
"Oh, it's nothing…" Shion said, snapping back to attention.
"All right…how are we gonna get onboard? The security here isn't exactly easy to override," Allen said, looking at the console.
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Three security realians were dispatched to the restricted area when they had seen Shion and Allen on the security monitors. They stood on the opposite side of the door closest to the couple, listening to their conversation.
"Brute force."
"That's Shion Uzuki." The first realian nodded.
"We'd better be careful…if we get caught going any further, getting fired will be the least of our troubles."
The first realian looked at the other two, wide-eyed. "You don't think…" the second one whispered. The third one just shrugged.
"Oh, where's your sense of adventure? We can't turn back, Allen. We've come this far!" Shion's voice said. "Now let's get moving."
The jaws of the three realians dropped. "I just got mental picture!" the third one whispered, grasping his head.
"Shhh!" the first said, pressing his ear against the door. "They advanced to the next room!" he said. Quickly, the trio ran out the door.
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Shion stepped into the next room, almost being blown away by a gigantic blast of air. Allen quickly grabbed her wrist as he pointed at the front end of the room. "Holy crap! Giant fan!" he yelled.
"Jesus! Why did Wilhelm build all this?" Shion said loudly over the roar of the fan.
"Grab onto my shirt!" Allen said. Shion nodded and grabbed a fistful of Allen's uniform top, hanging on for dear life as the wind almost lifted her off the ground.
"I'm so glad that you're heavier than me!" Shion yelled.
"What?" Allen replied, squinting.
"I said, I'm so glad that you're heavier than me!"
"Huh?"
"I'm so glad that you're…" Shion sighed. "Never mind!"
"What?"
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After the two scientists had finally gotten to the other side of the room and shut the fan off, they finally made it into the hangar. Suddenly, a loud, blaring alarm sounded. "Warning. This area is currently off-limits to unauthorized personnel. Please leave immediately," said an automated voice. 2 VSS Frensels appeared from out of nowhere and surrounded Shion and Allen. The Vector employees looked at each other, smirked, and each fired their weapons at a different robot, quickly disabling both of them.
"Let's go!" Allen said, running to the spacecraft and quickly climbing into the cockpit.
"Wait for me!" Shion said, jogging after him and laughing. "How's it looking?" Shion asked him from the ladder.
"Well, the power's active. I'll initiate the system. Hurry and get inside!" he replied from the cockpit.
"Okay," Shion said.
But before she could climb into the ship, the three realians busted into the room, assault rifles out and ready to go. "Ah, but it looks like we're a little late…we're kind of surrounded," Shion said.
"Yeah, I see them…" Allen placed his fingers on the gun triggers. "Hang on tight, Shion!" he yelled.
"Wait! Allen!" Shion held the ladder in a death-grip as Allen shouted some words that wouldn't be acceptable in a rated T story and fired at the realians.
"Out the door! Don't get shot!" one of the realians yelled, signaling for a retreat. Allen fired the machine guns at the boxes stacked up by the door, creating an effective barrier between them and the realians.
"All right! That ought to hold them for a while!" Allen said, satisfied with himself.
Shion climbed into the co-pilot seat above Allen's, smiling brightly. "Not bad! Allen, that was awesome!" she said.
"Well, it's all a part of being a man!" Allen said proudly. "And the power of love!" he added after a second, stumbling over those last few words. Even though they were already intimate, Allen would still get nervous when he was around her. She was a beautiful woman, with a personality to match. She was all that he could dream of, and now that she felt the same way, Allen as happier than he could ever be.
Shion grinned and blushed as the hangar hatch opened and the takeoff lights appeared. Shion rubbed the top of Allen's head with her foot. "You ready?"
"You know it," Allen said determinedly.
"I'm gonna floor it! Hang on tight!" Shion said.
The spacecraft started up and accelerated up the ramp and into the stars.
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In Wilhelm's office, Wilhelm was sitting at his desk. out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the Dinah passing by.
"Hello, little brother..." Wilhelm whispered, actually smiling. "I can't wait to truly meet you," he said as the craft disappeared into warp jump.
Red Cloak walked in the door, breaking Wilhelm's trance. "We've detected Albedo's ascension," the man said.
"I see. He did well. The lock has been opened and the obstacle removed. The rest is up to her," Wilhelm said.
"Will matters proceed smoothly?"
"She is suited for the task. There will be no problems," the older man said. "People always try to live a life of choices between 'good' and 'evil.' They make pessimism their foundation, and praise misfortune and sorrow. And then they try to seek a pure heart. Yet this is nothing more than their individual view, born out of comparison with others. Is she who thinks of others 'right'? Is he who opened the door 'wrong'? Only those who stand in a place beyond that point can comprehend the true essence and gain knowledge of absolute truth," he mused.
Red Cloak looked at his master. "Her awakening - The Divine Form's awakening - will lead us to that summit. Don't you agree?" Wilhelm asked, eyeing him.
"..." Red Cloak remained silent.
"In any case, the intermission is over and the players stand upon the stage. All that remains is to wait for the knight to appear," Wilhelm said. "And for that, it is necessary that someone play the role of the villain."
"Will he suffice for that role?" the Red Cloaked man asked.
"Do you object? The greater the suffering, the more exciting the drama..." Wilhelm stated.
"Oh...Master Wilhelm, who were you talking to before I came in?" the man in the red robe asked.
Wilhelm looked at his feet, closed his claret eyes, and took a deep breath. "I don't want to upset you, Testament..."
"Master Wilhelm, what do you mean? Master Wilhelm?" But the white haired man remained silent.
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The Dinah had just returned to regular space from warp jump. "1.41 parsecs to Miltia," Allen said, checking some monitors. "No ship signatures around."
"We're halfway there," Shion said, letting out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, black ships appeared from our of wap jump and surrounded them. A large, mysterious mech followed suit. The black attack ships fired lasers at the spacecraft.
"I'm giving you weapons control! I'll handle the navigation!" Shion commanded, rapidly pressing buttons. Allen nodded as Shion began trying to evade the blasts.
"Knuckle up!" Shion yelled. Allen furrowed his brow and squeezed the triggers of the two gun controls, sending an array of laser beams at the black ships, failing to destroy only a few.
"Let's go for that now!" Shion said, pointing at the large mech.
"Can you bring me in closer?" Shion navigated the craft up close enough for Allen to get a good shot at the A.M.W.S.
"Take this, you bastard!" Allen yelled, allowing the beams to fly freely at the target.
Much to Shion and Allen's surprise, the mech easily dodged the attacks. "What kind of maneuvers are those? That's well beyond the limits of the human body!" Allen said.
The A.M.W.S. began firing multiple laser beams at the Dinah, and Shion began performing the most advanced maneuvers she had learned. "How are you doing down there?" Shion asked Allen, who was having his upper body thrown around like a rag doll.
"Ah, perfectly fine," he answered, trying to concentrate on the weapons control. "Besides the inevitable whiplash, of course..."
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the Dinah as it was hit from behind, almost hurling Shion from her seat. "We're hit! Sheilds lost!" Allen cried in response to the warning screens appearing everywhere.
"I know!" Shion replied, beginning to worry.
The opposing mech then revealed itself from its protective armor cover, about to make a move. Shion screamed, thinking it was all over...
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Not wanting to upset me? What was he talking about?
Red Cloak was walking down the hall on the Dammerung to his quarters. He stopped abruptly in his tracks.
"Voyager! No!" he snarled. "She can't be destroyed!"
The man clad in red put both hands on his head. "Wake up, dammit! Wake up!"
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Woot for cliffhangers!
Well, I guess that it's not really a cliffhanger if you've already played Xenosaga 2...
But who knows? I may have changed this plot! Trinity and Neo may appear from out of nowhere and save Shion and Allen!
...yeah right. HA!
Anyways...who was that little boy in Shion's dreams? And the Promised Child? chaos and Wilhelm's brother? What the heck?
Until next time, this is KOS-MOS rox, signing off!