Wow, I'm bustin' out these chapters like there's no tomorrow...LOL! So...does anybody think they know who that little boy is? You'll never guess!

...Well, unless you belong to Xenolegacy. If you belong to Xenolegacy, you've known who he is since before I started writing this LOL!

Neo: -Sigh- You're rambling...

Whatever! Do the disclaimer!

Neo: KOS-MOS rox doesn't own Xenosaga, or anything copyrighted that is mentioned in this story. But, sadly, she DOES own me. -Points to the leash around his neck-

Yep! On with the story!

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Xenosaga Episode II: Die Kraft der Liebe

Chapter 6:Never Letting Go

"Oh man...what a day this is going to be."

The supervisor of Vector's Second R and D Division, Edward Killcrest, walked into the lab. He glanced as KOS-MOS' charging pod, sighing when he thought of how much work he had to do. A few of the employees were already hard at work, even though it was still early. 6:02 AM to be exact. The man sat down and let out another heaving sigh before taking a large gulp of his coffee.

"Hey, Mr. Killcrest!" said Stevo, a particularly annoying employee. He was fairly new to Vector. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Edward grunted in response.

Suddenly, the lights flickered off and an alarm sounded. "Ugh, this is great," the supervisor muttered. "What's going on?" he called.

"I-It's KOS-MOS! She suddenly started up!" Stevo said, a ghastly look on his face. The top of KOS-MOS' cryogenic bed opened, a white mist billowing out of it.

"But that's not possible," Edward said, narrowing his eyes at the pod. "Her reactor isn't even installed yet..."

"I...I know!"

The walls of the arena-like room slid open as KOS-MOS stepped out of her resting bed. Her old armor was replaced by a translucent blue one to match her hair. She had a new diamond earring, and a Vector symbol tattooed on her forehead to replace her visor.

"Oh...shit..." Stevo said, his eyes widening, watching the android's every move. He clung to Edward's arm, shaking him violently. "Is she gonna kill us?"

"Get off me!" Edward snapped, ripping his arm from the employee's grip. "Look! What is she doing?"

KOS-MOS stood over her charging pod. She placed her hand above it, and the workers watched in awe as it changed into a space-launching motorbike. She climbed onto the seat and rode it around the room. Stevo stumbled backwards as KOS-MOS almost ran him over.

Wait! KOS-MOS! What are you doing?" Edward asked the android frantically.

"Shion," KOS-MOS said, looking out into the open air.

"What?"

"Shion is calling me." The android turned around to look at them, her red eyes gleaming.

"Shion? Chief Uzuki is...?" Edward said, his hands shaking.

KOS-MOS mounted the bike and took off into the sky, leaving the dumbfounded employees behind.

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"Left! Go left!" Allen yelled as a blast almost hit the spacecraft. Shion jerked the craft to the right as her hand slipped from the control. "No, your other left!"

Shion grunted as she struggled to recover the lost control stick. "Damn it!" she hissed. "Just shoot everything you see!" she called to Allen.

The unidentified A.M.W.S. fired more lasers at the Dinah. Shion barely managed to evade the blasts. A black ship that was missed in the initial assault began charging its beam. "Is this the end?" Shion whispered, her eyes welling up with tears of fright. She reached down and grabbed Allen's hand. He squeezed it softly and reassuringly.

But instead of being violently attacked, they saw another incoming beam destroying the black ship. Shion used her free hand to press the button for the external cameras.

"K-KOS-MOS!" Shion cried out in surprise.

"Wh-What?"

"Look!"

KOS-MOS was speeding about majestically on her motorbike, destroying craft after craft. "Shion. I am switching your craft to control mode B,' KOS-MOS said over the speaker. "Prepare for docking."

"What? Docking?" Shion asked.

The spacecraft entered control mode B. KOS-MOS changed the form of her motorbike and drove it intside the top of the Dinah. Arm and leg units appeared as the spacecraft changed form.

"It's...it's an E.S.!" Shion exclaimed. "That's what Kevin was making! A mech specially designed for KOS-MOS!"

Then, the E.S. Dinah activated its weapon. KOS-MOS' eye color changed from a feirce red to a gentle blue. The weapon craft attached to the E.S. Dinah and fired a piercing laser beam at the black ship and the mysterious A.M.W.S. However, the mech disappeared before it can was wiped out. KOS-MOS fired another beam, destroying all of the black stealth ships.

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In the cockpit of the E.S.-turned spacecraft, all was silent, except for Shion and Allen's heavy, labored breathing. If Jr. was here, he'd probably have a comment, but he's not here.

"I think..." Shion let out a sigh of relief. "...we're saved."

"God damn. I've never been so glad tosee KOS-MOS," Allen said, grinning. Shion laughed quietly.

"Enemy craft have withdrawn from sensor range," KOS-MOS stated. Her eyes changed back to red from the peaceful blue.

"KOS-MOS..." Shion said. "Thank you," she finished after a short pause.

A loud beep was heard inside the craft. "Shion, there's a transmission," Allen said. "You want me to take it?"

"A transmission? Sure, go ahead."

"Yooo, Miss Vector! That was quite a show you put on out there!" a gruff voice said over the transmission.

"I know that voice!" Shion said.

"Hey? If you're alive, say something already!"

"Captain!" Shion cried happily. Just then, the Elsa appeared from warp jump.

"Hurry up, dock that thing and come onboard! Who knows what else could be out there?" Captain Matthews said. Shion nodded.

"KOS-MOS, take us in," Shion said, pointing at the opening E.S. bay of the newly-remodled Elsa.

"Affirmative. Docking commencing."

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Shion and KOS-MOS stepped onto the bridge of the Elsa and looked around. Allen staggered in after her, his hand on his forehead. "Ugh, after-effects..." he muttered, leaning against the wall for support.

"Yeah, those were some mad moves you two pulled out there," said Hammer. "I'm surprised that you're not dead!"

"I feel perfectly fine," Shion said, arching her eyebrow. "Oh well. It's probably nothing."

"Shion!" Momo ran over and threw her arms around Shion. "I'm so glad you're okay!" she said. Then, Momo noticed the red mark on Shion's neck. "Hm? Shion, what happened to your neck?" Momo looked at Allen, who was straightening from the wall. "Allen, you have one too!"

Shion and Allen quickly moved their hands to cover their lovebite marks. "Oh, um, don't worry about it...it's nothing, Momo!" Shion said quickly. The young realian shrugged. Jr. fell to the ground, clutching his stomach, laughing hysterically. He pounded the ground with his fists, tears running down his cheeks. He was trying so hard to keep his bladder contents inside his body.

"Hm. Okay," Momo said as the rest of the crew laughed.

Still blushing, Shion turned to Captain Matthews. "Captain! We owe you one!" she said.

"Ah, you're welcome," the older man said. " Looks like you're causing trouble like always!"

"Yeah, something kind of happened at First Division," Shion said.

"Judging by the marks on your neck, I'd say the same," Jr. said, still laughing.

"Yeah, what a coincidence!" Tony exclaimed from the front of the bridge. "Both of you getting lucky at the same time! Wow!"

"Yeah, imagine that..." Allen said, smirking.

"Hey, is there something between you two that you haven't told us?" Hammer asked, cracking his back.

The entire bridge was silent, until...

"They got busy!" Jr. yelled, jumping up and down. chaos also let out a small snicker. Matthews, Hammer, and Tony all stared at Shion and Allen, wide eyed.

"I-Is it true?" Matthews asked, bewildered. "Did you?" Shion nodded, her face the color of Jr.'s hair.

"No!"

Everyone stopped to stare at the pilot, who was shaking in his seat. "I won't believe it!" he cried, pointing at Allen. "There's no way he could have gotten Shion!"

"Ya moron! Shut up and be happy for the two of them!" Matthews said.

"Yeah, Tony! Be nice!" Hammer sneered. The result was a bulky boot smacking him in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"I won't have my crew acting like a bunch of toddlers!" the Captain said angrily. "So, Ms Vector...where were you off to in such a hurry?"

"Well, I can't put it into words very well, but I felt I had to go to Old Miltia," Shion said.

"What!"

"What? What's wrong, Captain?" Shion asked.

"Representative Helmer asked us to go to Old Miltia, too. I didn't think there was anyone else crazy enough to head there," Hammer said.

"Yeah, Helmer asked me to go there, too!" Jr. said, finally sober. "Besides, that's where the original Zohar is."

"Canaan and I have business on Old Miltia as well. Representative Helmer asked me to analyze Canaan's data," said a calm voice from behind Shion. She whirled around to see Jin standing over her, smirking.

"It-it's you!" Shion pointed at him and jumped backwards. She clapped her hand over her neck again, hiding the bite mark.

"Shion, I already saw it..." Jin said, a hint of resentment in his voice.

"So, everyone's headed to Old Miltia..." Hammer said. "Makes our job a lot easier!"

"KOS-MOS was amazing back there!" Allen said, putting his hands on Shion's hips, causing Tony to cringe in pain.

"Yeah, even I was surprised. And that's saying something!" Jr. said, grinning. Suddenly, he jumped backwards and screamed, looking at the floor.

"Jr., what's wrong?" Momo asked, concerned.

"Oh, it's a quarter..." Jr. said, holding his heaving chest. "Man, that surprised me!"

"Jr., that's a dime..." Hammer said to the little gunslinger. Angered, Jr. wailed his newly found quarter/dime at Hammer, nailing him right in the forehead.

"Anyways..." Jr. took a deep breath. "But who was that enemy? It even dodged KOS-MOS' attack! I have a bad feeling about this..."

"Yeah, I wonder about that myself," Shion said, furrowing her brow.

"All right, lemme say something! Jesus Christ, it's basically impossible to get a word in edgewise here!" the disgruntled Captain said. "Our next destination is Old Miltia, right? I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but it looks like we have to go, so let me know when you're ready to set out. Until then, go take a look around the newly remodeled Elsa!"

"Yeah! We'll show you two around!" Jr. told Shion and Allen.

"Okay, sounds good," Allen said.

After a tour of the new kitchen and bar, they came into the new cabins. "Pretty cool, ain't it?" Jr. asked. "See, they changed the beds on the bottom so that they're double beds. I thought that was pretty ingenious!"

Allen sat down on one of the beds. "Hey, these feel nice..." Allen said. "Come on, Shion, let's try it out," he said, winking. Shion grinned.

"Gladly!" She laid down lext to him on the bed and kissed him hard on the mouth.

"Dah!" Jr. yelled. "There shall be no coitus here!" Quickly, he grabbed Shion and Allen by their collars and pulled them off the bed. The Vector couple fell to the ground with a sickening thud and muffled cries of pain. "And no acts of osculation either!"

"Heh, little man knows some big words," Jin said, smiling smugly.

"Ugh...I think my arm is broken..." Allen said, standing up.

"And my ankle..." Shion muttered.

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After they had toured the rest of the ship , Shion and the others returned to the bridge. "Yo, we're ready to go! Fire this baby up!" Jr. said, standing below Captain Matthews' seat.

"Okay, you got it! Hey, Tony! You heard that, right? Hit it!" Matthews said.

"Loud and clear, sir! Yeehaw!" he whooped, firing up the ship's engine.

"Momo, how's the enemy fleet trace?" Hammer asked.

"They're headed for point E-52 at combat speed," Momo said, checking her monitor.

"Damn, they've got some guts to be charging in there that fast," Tony said.

"That just shows how desperate they are. Course, at this rate, we're never gonna catch them," said Matthew nonchalantly.

"Captain, I must warn you," KOS-MOS said in her monotone voice.

"What is it? Make it quick."

"If we continue to proceed along the present course, it is highly probable that the enemy will leave a force to intercept us," she stated. "It is prudent to assume that this ship will eventually suffer an extensive and unacceptable level of damage."

"She's right, you know," chaos said, placing his hand on the android's shoulder. "We're going to have to find another way ."

"Look, I get what you're saying, but how the hell are we supposed to do that! This isn't a highway, you know. It's not like we can just take a detour or somethin'!" Matthews said, slightly annoyed.

"Actually, there is a detour..." Momo said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her.

"What?"

"Really, Momo?"

Momo hit a few buttons on the control console. "I've detected a small-gap in the gravitational fields between the two black holes. If we fly through it, I think the chances of enemy detection would drop significantly," she said.

"...Hey, are you outta your mind?" Matthews asked the 100-series realian.

"Right. Even if we made the slightest mistakes, we'd be caught by the gravitational field and dragged into the Abyss," Shion said.

"I guess it's impossible..."

"What? Impossible? Hey, hey, who do you think you're talking to here? There's no way Tony "Numero Uno's" gonna turn down a challenge like that!" Tony proclaimed cockily. Besides, now I can convince Shion that I'm worth more than that Allen creep!

"No you're not..." the voice KOS-MOS rox rang in his head.

"Aah! Voices!" Tony screamed, throwing his hands over his head. That earned him a few odd stares. "Uhh..."

"There he goes again... Once that moron gets started, there's no stopping him," Hammer said.

"Daaaah! Whatever! Do whatcha want... But you'd better not even think about getting' a scratch on my Elsa!" Matthews said.

"Don't worry! Leave it to me! MOMO, I'll be counting on you for a route!" Tony said, his green eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Okay!" The realian happily complied as Tony boosted the Elsa into warp speed towards the black holes.

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As the Elsa approached the two black holes, Hammer narrowed his eyes at his control console. " Whoa, radar and sonar are both dead! We're not getting any readings..."

"It's almost like we'd be better off flying blindfolded..." Tony said. "Which I would try, by the way!" he added after a moment.

"Tony, I've detected a massive distortion in the space ahead of the Elsa. A large mass is about to gate out!" Momo cried.

"What? They're gating out here?" Tony asked.

Suddenly, a large space station appeared between the two black holes. Everyone on the Elsa gasped.

"What the hell is that?" Matthews probed.

"Damn, where were they hiding that thing?" Jr. stared at the object, wide-eyed. Many incoming enemy ships appeared around the space station.

" It's moving into Elsa's flight path. 180 seconds to impact!" Momo said, frightened.

"Tony, can we avoid it?" Matthews demanded.

"Negative! It's taking up the entire gravity well. If we screw up, we'll get pulled into the black hole."

Jr. pounded the railing above Hammer's navigator seat with his fists. "Bastards! They're not gonna let us through no matter what!" he snarled.

Silence hung heavy in the bridge of the Elsa.

"The only thing left for us to do is to make them move," Matthews said. "Little Master, can we take them out from the inside?" he asked Jr.

Jr. pulled out his gun, twirled it around, and fired a bullet at the Elsa's bulletproof view window. He watched it fall just in front of Tony, who jumped in surprise. "Yeah...yeah, if we can get inside, that is," he said.

"Tony, maintain present course and increase to maximum speed! Hammer, disengage all weapon safety locks! Don't worry about aiming! Just let loose with everything we've got! We're gonna dive smack dab into that thing's belly! It's time you guys showed me what you're made of!" Matthews yelled enthusiastically.

"You got it!" Hammer whooped.

"Aye aye, sir!" Tony hollered.

Tony slammed on the accelerator, taking the Elsa towards the mysterious station. It shot some laser beams at the smaller ship, but the Elsa nimbly dodged. Tony roared at the ships as the Elsa's weapons fired, destroying some of them.

"Take that, you bastards!" Jr. yelled, pumping his fist in the air.

Suddenly, an enemy beam had hit the ship's left side. The force from the blast caused the ship to rock violently. All of the passengers were knocked around. Jr. Had to grab onto Hammer to stop himself from falling. Shion fell backwards as the ship tilted downwards, heading straight for the front view window. She closed her eyes and cried out helplessly as her body left the ground, waiting to feel the excruciating pain of falling onto the glass and possibly dying...

But then, she felt a strong hand enclose around her wrist as she stopped falling. She slowly opened her eyes to see a pair of bright blue ones staring back at her. The man's fingers were wrapped firmly around her wrist.

"Allen..." she said in a frightened whisper, feeling the tears coming. Somehow, Allen had managed to wrap his leg around one of the gaps in the railing and catch Shion.

"Shh, it's alright..." Allen whispered soothingly. "Grab onto my wrist." Shion reached grabbed Allen's wrist with the same hand that he was grasping, creating an almost unbreakable link between the two of them.

"Please," Shion begged in an urgent whisper, tears falling from her emerald eyes, "don't let go!"

"Shion, I'm never letting go..." Allen reassured her quietly. To further his point, he reached down with his other hand and held onto her other wrist. Shion closed her eyes, more tears squeezing out from the corners.

"It's alright...don't cry..." Allen said calmly. "Shh..." Shion tilted her head up and looked into Allen's eyes, feeling reassured almost instantly...

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"Can't you get this thing in reverse? Jesus Christ!" Matthews yelled.

"Almost got it..." Tony said, pushing on the accelerator. "Got it!" He slammed the steering wheel forward and the Elsa straightened itself. Allen untangled his leg from the railing and got to her feet, pulling Shion up and into his arms. Her body was shaking violently, as this was her second brush with death for the day.

"Thank you..." She said, burying her face in his chest. Allen pressed a kiss against her forehead and gently rocked back and forth, trying to calm her nerves.

Hammer now had four cuts on each cheek from Jr.'s fingernails, as Jr. was clinging to him for dear life. "Ow. Ow. Jr., you can let go now..."

"Oh, sorry!" Jr. said. He cleared his throat before saying, "Okay, then! That was a little rough, but we made it. There's no time to waste! Let's hurry up, get inside there, and take it out! That's a pretty big fortress, so we'll take the E.S.s!"

"How are we going to ride?" Ziggy asked.

"You and Momo can go in E.S. Zebulun. Jin and I will go in my baby, Asher. Shion, Allen, and KOS-MOS can go in the Dinah, since it can hold three. chaos can ride in the cargo space of the Asher. It's a bit cramped, but it's the best we can do," Jr. commanded.

"Sounds good!" Momo said, beaming.

"Alright. Let's get ready to rumble!" Jr. said.

The group proceeded to the hangar and prepared to launch the E.S.s.

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Well, there's chapter 6. This one was a fun one to write, especially the Shion falling part. The instant I saw that in the game, I said "It should have been Allen. Dear Lord, it should have been Allen." So, I made it Allen.

Uhh...I have no questions for this chapter. Yeah. Uh, R and R please!

Until next time, this is KOS-MOS rox, signing off!