The end of this chapter…you folks will never see it coming. Seriously, NEVER. You didn't think I had it in me. You'll just have to wait and see what it is!
Neo: You're not very nice, you know.
I know…it's in my nature! –Grins-
Neo: -Sigh- KOS-MOS rox does not own Xenosaga, although she wishes that she did. If she did, it would be nothing more than one looooong, ShionxAllen kiss-fest. With some MomoxJr. And chaosxKOS-MOS. Well, it'd have a lot more romance.
Indeed it would! On with the story!
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Previously in Die Kraft der Liebe:
"Fools…such weak fools!" a deep, unfamiliar voice said from somewhere in front of them. An instant later, a bloodcurdling scream rang out.
"Shion!" the whole group yelled at the same time. The lights flashed on, and they saw Shion being held in a headlock by Margulis, his sword held to her throat…
And now, chapter 10.
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Xenosaga Episode II: Die Kraft der Liebe
Chapter 10: When Doves Cry
"You bastard!" Allen shouted, aiming his pistol at Margulis. KOS-MOS also pulled out her weapons and pointed them at the man.
"If you shoot, I will merely move in the way of the bullets," Margulis stated evilly. Shion's eyes widened in pure terror as he moved her dangerously, his sword almost cutting through her throat.
"Allen, just shoot him!" Shion whispered harshly. "Don't worry about me! Just kill him!"
Allen cocked his gun, but then hesitated. He furrowed his brow and grunted, trying to decide whether to shoot or not…
"Look at him. He knows he should shoot, but he won't…" Margulis muttered. "Pathetic!"
Shion cried out in pain and sobbed as Margulis made a small slit in her throat with his sword. Blood seeped from the cut, and Shion whimpered as she felt the warm liquid run down her chest.
"Now, put down the gun," Margulis said calmly, glaring at Allen. Allen scowled and set down his weapon. KOS-MOS, seeing that she had no chance to fire without harming Shion, also put hers away.
"You!" Ziggy snarled, letting go of Momo.
"Ah, how did you get this far anyways…?" Margulis asked. "I see. You obviously passed underneath the air defense…is that right, U.R.T.V.?" he asked Jr.
"Don't...don't call me that!" Jr. spat.
Margulis laughed manically, jostling Shion. His sword nicked her neck again, and tears of pain began rolling down her cheeks.
"That Helmer...he's certainly managed to assemble an impressive ensemble. But your coming here now is pointless. We've already accomplished our objective," Margulis scoffed. "The Zohar is now under our control. There's nothing you can do. The outcome is already decided."
"What the hell are you thinking? That thing is way beyond anything you can handle. Do you have any idea what's gonna happen?" Jr. asked, doing his very best to sound intimidating.
"Of course I do," Margulis stated matter-of-factly. "The annoying Gnosis as well as a few pathetic, weed-like humans, who are arguably even more worthless than the Gnosis, are going to disappear. Just like Ariadne…"
"You…you bastard!" Jr. screamed, pulling out his guns.
"But weak as your position is, we still can't allow anything to interfere with our plans." Margulis smirked. "Now, shall I kill her?" he asked, tightening his hold on Shion, causing her to gag. Everyone gasped as he went to cut her throat…
"Don't touch her. You've already damaged her enough," a voice said from above them. They all turned to look and see who it was…
"Jin!" Jr. gasped. Jin nodded. "Oh God, I've never been so freakin' glad to see you…"
"It's been fourteen years, hasn't it, Uzuki?" Margulis asked coolly. "Now, why does this woman have any importance to you? What if I were to just simply…" He made another cut in Shion's neck. Her eyes grew hazy as she was close to passing out…
"If you dare injure my sister…" Jin said angrily, "I will be forced to kill you."
"Oh, yes, I remember now…" Margulis muttered.
The brown-haired little girl knelt beside the crying teen…
"That means…" Margulis let out a small gasp before his mouth curled up into a sinister grin.
"It's a shame I didn't get to know you better…" the man said, running his hands through Shion's hair before tossing her aside. Allen quickly caught her and held her up, ushering her over to Momo so that the realian could heal her wounds with nanospray.
"The blade is for carving one's heart, not for turning against the masses. That's what our master once said, was it not?" Jin said, pulling out his sword.
"This is perfect. I can't believe you're still a part of this, Uzuki. Once again you insist on standing against me," Margulis said, laughing.
Jin tilted his head. "There were still a few things I wanted to look into. These people were nice enough to give me a lift."
"Absurd…" Margulis scoffed, cracking his neck.
"Nothing has changed here. You know, it was careless of you not to erase those records fourteen years ago," Jin said, keeping his head bowed. "Now you can never return to the Federation. Or perhaps, were you a bit too busy to worry about that at the time?"
"I see you still talk too much. Very well. If you really want to know..." Margulis raised his sword slowly. "You'll have to use that sword to make me talk!"
"Naturally! That was my intent!" Jin yelled angrily, jumping down from his platform to face Margulis.
"Do not expect this to end like it did before, Uzuki!" Margulis screamed, running towards Jin and swinging his sword at him. Jin quickly sidestepped and blocked Margulis' blade with his own. Sparks flew from the swords as the metal clashed together. The purple-haired man grunted as he spun around, trying to stab Jin from behind. Jin threw his sword backwards over his shoulder just in time, blocking the blow.
Jin whirled around, swinging the sharp implement that the author of this story wouldn't be trusted with right at Margulis' neck. The other man was faster, though. He kicked Jin in the chest, knocking him down. Jin's sword stabbed into the floor, getting stuck. Margulis kicked Jin's shoulder, knocking it out of its socket. The man cried out and let go of his sword, which was quickly recovered by Margulis.
Shion's eyes began to glow again. "You damn bastard! Don't hurt him!" she snarled, trying to run for the two men. Allen held her back from behind as she shouted more profanities at Margulis.
"Whoa, she certainly doesn't have a stunted vocabulary!" Jr. said, eyes wide. He then noticed chaos doubled over, coughing violently. "chaos! Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," chaos replied, gasping. He quickly righted himself and stood in front of Shion, holding her firmly by the shoulders. "You have to calm down," he said sternly, looking straight into her glowing eyes.
"…yes, Master," she muttered, her eyes returning to normal. She fell back weakly into Allen's embrace as she said, "Wh-what was that? Ooh…" She leaned against Allen and held her throbbing forehead, whimpering.
Through vision blurred by horrible pain, Jin saw Margulis charging at him with both swords. He shrugged desperately, trying to pop his shoulder back in. Once he heard the telltale click, he prepared himself for Margulis' attack. As Margulis swung his own sword at him, Jin caught it between his hands. The other man snarled and swiped at him with the other sword, but Jin twisted his hands, blocking the blade. Jin smirked and kicked Margulis in the ankle, knocking his feet out from underneath him. He recovered his sword and went after Margulis again.
More clashing and grunting noises rang in the ears of the group as Jin and Margulis continued their dogfight. Jr. watched in a horrified awe as Margulis jumped onto the railing in a catlike manner, balancing himself perfectly. He crouched down and propelled himself upwards, falling to the floor in a barrel-roll. He mustered up all of his strength and swung at Jin. Jin blocked it, but the force from the blow knocked him over. Margulis landed on top of him, pushing down on his sword. Jin panted, trying to keep Margulis' sword from touching him.
"It's been far too long, Uzuki. This feeling...of exhilaration!" Margulis said.
"I told you, I won't allow a monster like you to inherit my grandfather's technique!" Jin screamed, enraged. He kicked Margulis in the stomach, knocking him from on top of him. Margulis gasped and coughed as the wind was knocked out of him.
"Bold words from such a fool!" Margulis gasped. His scar glinted under a sheet of sweat in the dim lights.
"I shouldn't have spent my time running a used bookstore. I regret that now," Jin said, readying his sword.
"I'll make sure you die a painful death someday, Uzuki!" Margulis said, straightening himself, also preparing himself to attack.
Both men cried out loudly as they focused their power, a bright light engulfing the area. The group screamed as the bright light hit their eyes. Jr. wrapped his arms around Momo, trying to block the radiance from her eyes.
Margulis was thrown backwards, slamming against the wall and falling to the ground. Jin was also tossed out, but however; he landed safely on his feet. Smirking as he looked at his adversary, he said, "And that's kicking your butt."
Margulis stood, holding his right arm and panting. "You're as dangerous as ever. But no matter how hard you struggle, there's nothing you can do now," he said. "I hope you savor your abject despair. You're powerless."
The E.S. Issachar, piloted by Pellegri, flew up beside the edge of the railing. Margulis hopped onto its shoulder.
"Hey! Is that your female lackey in there?" Jr. asked loudly. "Hey, Pellegri!"
"What do you want?" she hissed, glared at him.
"Uzuki. If you want to settle this, you'll have to survive first!" Margulis said darkly.
As the E.S. began to float away, Jr. screamed, "Yeah, that's right, lady! Go and get eaten by a dog, you bitch!" Pellegri glowered and flashed him a rude hand gesture before speeding away.
Margulis climbed into the cockpit above Pellegri. "Did…did you kill him?" Pellegri stammered.
"Oh, please! Don't tell me you're still…" Margulis began.
"It's not like that!" Pellegri said, cutting him off. "I merely would have commended you for your efforts if you would have killed him."
"No, I didn't kill Uzuki…" Margulis muttered. "I gained something much more valuable than that…" he said, glancing at his glove. A few strands of brunette hair glinted in the light as the mech launched out of Labyrinthos and out of Miltia's atmosphere…
Back inside Labyrinthos…
"Are…are you okay?" Shion asked Jin, who was staring at the spot where Margulis had just been.
"I've never felt better…" he said, distracted. "But, it will be a long time before my sword can rest…"
"Dude, do you have any idea how wrong that sounds?" Jr. asked him, chuckling.
"Shion. My sensors indicate an object within the next room," KOS-MOS said, pointing at the door. "It is giving off readings extremely similar to the Zohar emulators. There is a 99.9 percent chance that it is the original."
"You're right, KOS-MOS," Shion said. Cecily and Cathe are probably there! "Let's go!"
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As Jr.'s group stepped through the door, the majestic sight of the golden Zohar met their eyes. The blue jewel in the middle shone with an amazing light as they moved closer.
"Looks like we made it in time. Look, that's the Zohar. The original," Jr. said, looking over his shoulder at the rest of them.
Shion moved past Jr., her eyes locked on the Zohar. "This place... I saw it in my dream. The cage Feb's sisters were trapped in…" she said in an awed voice.
"Cage?" Allen asked.
"What cage?" Jr. looked at Shion as if she were nuts.
"Shion. I am detecting faint life signs in the capsules in front of us," KOS-MOS stated.
"Life signs?"
"That is correct. Their design is quite old. However, they are definitely Realians."
Shion slowly stepped a bit closer, looking into the pods on either side of them. Mist billowed inside of them and finally cleared, exposing its contents. What she saw she would never forget.
On one pod, the name "Cecilia" was written, and on the other, "Catherine." Inside, there were two horribly disfigured female Realians. Breathing tubes were inserted in their mouths, and they had wires stuck all over their bodies. Shion gasped and stumbled backwards, falling to her knees. "It…it can't be…That's…Cecily and Cathe…" she said, completely horrified.
Jr. arched his eyebrow at her and peered into one of the pods. "Ack!" he exclaimed jumping backwards, the color draining from his face. "Wait... You...you're saying that those are Realians?" he stammered, unable to tear his eyes away from the horrible sight in front of him. He began stepping back slowly, his blue eyes wide with shock.
"Jr.? What's wrong?" Momo asked. Jr looked over his shoulder urgently.
"Momo, stay back!" he warned, trying to block her view. But the young realian didn't listen…she peeked into the pod to the left of the Zohar and gasped in fright. She covered her eyes and turned away.
"Shion...what is that? It's horrible!" Momo said in a squeaky, terrified voice.
"It's horrible. I can't stand this!" Shion began to tremble as she cried out in disgust, "I'm...I'm sick of all this! I just... I can't take it anymore! I just can't! Uh!" Allen knelt beside her, rubbing her back comfortingly.
"Is there…any way we can help them?" chaos inquired.
"Unfortunately, because they are fused with the system, it appears they have already lost their individual functionality and consciousness," KOS-MOS stated brusquely. "In their current state, separating them from the system would result in complete shutdown."
Jr. growled, "Bastards! Why'd they do this?"
"Because using them in their natural state proved difficult."
"Huh? Who's there?" Jr. demanded, looking around for the source of the disembodied voice.
A beam of bright light shone from above, illuminating a single spot above the Zohar, standing on top of the head of a large mech. An old man stood there, clad in honey-colored robes. His hair was as pure and white. He narrowed his beady yellow eyes at the group.
"It was necessary to isolate their consciousness from the outside world," the old man spoke again.
"Who the hell are you?" Jr. snarled.
"Why would the leader of the Immigrant Fleet be here?" Jin asked, answering his question.
"There's really no need for me to answer questions from the likes of you. But very well. The Zohar. That object originally belonged to us - to Ormus," the man said menacingly. "Yes, since the dawn of recorded history, we have been its guardians. In turn, we use it in any way we see fit. That is the way of things."
"Ormus... So that's the real name of your organization," Jin said.
"That's right. Ormus has enlisted in the shadows since ancient times. Indeed, since before the crucifixion of the messiah. Human beings…no…all life throughout the universe must be guided forward by Ormus and the Zohar," the elder scoffed. "And they shall be led unto a higher plane of existence. That is the mission that god has entrusted to us!"
"Damn you!" Jr. hollered. Shion slowly rose to her feet, shrugging Allen off.
"You…you did this to them for that?" she insisted angrily through grit teeth.
"What? Is there a problem?" the Patriarch spat. "They are tools, created specifically for that purpose!"
"Shut up! I refuse... I refuse to accept this!" Shion shouted, shaking her head violently.
"You refuse?" he sneered. "Then, we'll just have to make you accept it!"
The Zohar began glowing even brighter as it began to resonate. "This power is granted to us by god!" the Patriarch yelled evilly.
Shion let out a loud gasp as she saw Jr. holding his head in his hands. "That's…"
"It's... It's the voice of U-DO! Stop the system! Now!" Jr. pleaded, the horrible ringing noise reverberating in his head, numbing his mind, causing his eyes to water… "If you don't, it's gonna wake up again!" he gasped.
KOS-MOS approached Shion, pushing her to the side. "Shion, please stand back. I will destroy the system and cut the bypass to the Zohar," she said, a large gun appearing in her hands.
"KOS-MOS, no!" Shion yelled, quickly moving in front of her, blocking her shot. "KOS-MOS, wait! They're still-"
"Shion. If you interfere, I will be required to take drastic measures," KOS-MOS cautioned her.
"No, KOS-MOS!" Shion cried. But before KOS-MOS could shoot…
Ping
The area froze in black and white color as everything fell silent.
"Shion..."
Shion gasped and looked over her shoulder, seeing Febronia and the little boy standing in front of the Zohar. He looked to be about eight or nine now. She slowly turned around, a look of bewilderment on her face. "Feb?" she asked.
"Shion...set my sisters free..." The realian opened her arms to Shion. The child looked up Shion with pleading green eyes.
"Do it for me..." he implored, his eyes fulsome.
"Yes, do it for the little one…" Feb said, placing a hand on the child's shoulder. "Do it so that he can have life…"
Shion's eyes filled with tears as she looked at Feb. "Feb... No, I can't!" she sniffed, a tear rolling down her right cheek. "Why does it have to be me? Why did you call me? I won't do it! I can't do it!" she sobbed, shaking her head and looking at the floor.
"Shio…you've always been this way. Such a kind child…" Feb said comfortingly. The boy looked at her solemnly, his brown hair shining in the white light.
"Feb…Feb…" Shion wept as she looked at the realian. Feb nodded at the boy, and Shion's eyes began glowing again. She turned back around to face KOS-MOS. "KOS-MOS, fire!" she said, stepping out of KOS-MOS's way.
Her eyes returned to normal as she threw herself into the open arms of her lover, crying. KOS-MOS fired her gun at the pods, breaking the glass and destroying Cecily and Cathe. Shion bawled into Allen's chest as the gunshots continued. She desperately rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away what she had seen.
"Foolish…truly foolish! It doesn't matter what you do now. You cannot stop this power!" The Patriarch yelled malevolently over the gunshots. The mech beneath his feet suddenly activated as it concealed the Zohar into its torso.
"It's…it's an A.M.W.S.!" Jr. shouted, terrified.
"It can't be! Proto Omega! It's been completed?" Jin asked frantically.
Oh? You know of it. I'm impressed. It seems I may have underestimated you slightly. These past fourteen years have been of great help to us, as has the data from the Conflict. As a result, we now have a symbol of overwhelming power," the Patriarch said over the rumble of the mech. "With this, we will wipe the Gnosis from the cosmos and place the entire star cluster under the jurisdiction of Ormus."
"Damn! You're bitchier than Orgulla!" Jr. snarled.
"Of course, we hardly need anything this overwhelming now, thanks to the U.M.N. and the Federation," he said, ignoring Jr.'s comment.
"I should kill you! Listen to me when I talk!"
"They've managed to reduce the people to a simple mass of spineless weaklings," mocked the Patriarch.
"That's it!" Jr. snarled, drawing one of his beloved Makarovs. "Lovebirds, outta the way!" he yelled, pushing Shion and Allen back and moving in front of them. He opened fire on Proto Omega, screaming angrily. KOS-MOS also began to shoot at it. The mech somehow absorbed every bullet, enraging Jr. His eyes began to glow bright red
"Wasting your time!" The Patriarch yelled, putting his hands up. A bright light illuminated the area, knocking the group backwards. "Now, let the festival begin!"
Proto Omega descended into the chasm below, and the room began shaking and crumbling. Jr. took a few frantic steps towards the door, tripping over his own feet.
"Guys, this is bad! We gotta go!" he exclaimed, starting through the door.
"Shion, let's go!" Allen said over the sounds of explosions around them. But Shion was well past hearing…she was numb to everything around her. All she could see was Cecily and Cathe running around that tree in the field, just as she had seen in the encephalon…
"Oh man," Allen said, hoisting Shion onto his back. She wrapped her arms lightly around his neck, her body wracking with quiet sobs.
"You got her?" Ziggy asked Allen.
"I'm fine!" Allen replied. Ziggy nodded before scooping Momo up in his arms.
"Thank you, Ziggy!" she said.
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The group made a blind dash back to the Elsa. It was pretty successful…Jr. only ran into one wall. After narrowly avoiding a large piece of falling debris, Jr. stumbled through the E.S. hangar airlock and onto the bridge. "Start the engine! Everyone's on!" he commanded.
"Yes, Little Master!" Matthews shouted. "Tony! Fire her up! Let's get outta here!"
chaos and KOS-MOS ran onto the bridge next, followed by Jin and Canaan. "Thanks for coming to get me…" Canaan muttered under his breath. "I could have died if I hadn't had enough initiative to get out…"
"Quit your whining!" Jr. said urgently as the Elsa began to move. The others hurried to the bridge, trying to see out of the view window. Shion held her throbbing head as took a few deep breaths, her face hot and wet from crying. The ship accelerated and shot out of the submerged city just as Proto Omega erupted from Miltia. A blazing inferno surrounded the Elsa as it boosted off.
Fire exploded from the devastated planet, engulfing the federation's A.G.W.S.s. Their battleships also were taken over by the flames as the symphony of destruction around them continued.
Just as the Elsa broke Miltia's atmosphere, a loud explosion was heard. The looked quickly through the view monitor to see wings majestically protruding from the planet, breaking it completely apart.
Once the ship was at a safe distance, they all stared at the destruction. A replay hologram of the wings erupting from the planet appeared just in front of the view window.
"No…Miltia…" Shion sobbed, a new wave of tears coming. She tore out of the bridge and disappeared.
"Shion!" Allen said, starting to leave also. Jin grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back.
"It's my turn…" Jin said to Allen before departing from the bridge.
"They destroyed the entire planet? How the hell could they do that?" Jr. asked in a shocked voice. Matthews shrugged as the Elsa sped of to the Kukai Foundation.
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"Look at them…" The Patriarch said, giving off a laugh that rivaled the insanity of Albedo. He glanced at the view monitors around him, showing scenes from a few moments before.
"Reinforcements? Damn Federation... Do they really want to destroy us that badly? Hmph. It matters not. I'll show them the errors of their ways," he scoffed.
A hologram of Margulis appeared before him, kneeling. "Margulis. Take the fleet and eliminate them!" The older man commanded.
Margulis laughed gently as he thought of the man's impending doom. "What is it? Margulis, did you not hear me?"
"I think perhaps it would be better if you went yourself, Holiness," Margulis said matter-of-factly.
"What? Have you lost your senses, Margulis? I am your master! Now do as I say!" the Patriarch spat, glaring at him.
The hologram vanished and then reappeared standing behind the Patriarch. The man whirled around to face Margulis, fuming.
"Everything has translated exactly as we have planned. All that's left now, is for you to die a martyr, Holiness," the Inquisitor said, looking over his shoulder at the old man. "Besides, I think you'll soon be visited by a person you haven't seen for a long, long time…" Margulis said, smirking.
"Damn you! You can't mean…can you?" the Patriarch asked angrily and frantically, leering at the swordsman.
"I bid you farewell, Holiness..." Margulis said darkly before breaking the communication.
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"Alright, Jin…you can do this…" Jin muttered nervously to himself as he walked to the cabin on the newly remodeled Elsa that Shion had taken refuge in. As he stepped quietly through the door, he saw Shion with her head the table in the middle, crying.
Her ears perked up at the sound of footfalls behind her. "Allen?" she asked softly and hopefully, wiping the tears from her reddened eyes. She looked over her shoulder, groaning when she saw Jin.
"So this is where you went…" Jin said gently.
"Leave me alone." Shion turned around and began crying again.
"Everyone's already transferred to the Durandal. You should hurry up and…"
"I said leave me alone!" Shion shouted, her voice cracking. She let out a half-suppressed sob before burying her head in her hands.
Jin became silent, staring at his heartbroken sister. The sound of her sobs made him want to sob himself.
"It's just like it was fourteen years ago. It was exactly the same. Feb was…she was killed right in front of me," Shion said quietly in-between sobs. "I was all alone, I couldn't do anything myself, so I just ran!" she shouted, pounding her fists against the table.
"And again…I still couldn't do anything…" she said weakly before breaking down into tears again.
Jin sighed. "Shion…"
"Why? Why did it have to be me? I never wanted to feel like that again…"
"Shion…did you not understand what Febronia wanted?" Jin asked her, approaching her slowly.
Shion let out a small gasp as Jin said, "I think there was another whom she loved just as much as her sisters." He sat down beside her and set his arms at the table, looking at her.
"Another? Who?" Shion asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
"Another sister bound by the chains of her past. I think she probably wanted to save that sister just as much as her real sisters," he replied.
"Another…sister…?"
The author and the readers both attacked the screen with sporks, wishing that Shion wasn't so oblivious. "Don't you see? That's why she chose you and gave you that painful role," Jin said comfortingly, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Feb wanted…for me…" Shion gasped, looking at Jin.
"Shion…it's up to you, now, whether you choose to withdraw from this painful world or learn to accept it," Jin mused. "But, I can say this much. No matter what you choose, you will not be alone. You'll always have Allen, and me…and all of your other friends beside you."
"Jin…"
"Or do you still not understand Febronia's feelings?" he asked. "Now, please go. Now's not the time to let everyone down."
Shion slowly stood and nodded at Jin. She started towards the door, looking over her shoulder at him. "Jin…I…" she started to say before stopping herself. Jin watched her as she looked at the floor for a second. "I…I'll go on ahead…" she stuttered before turning on her heel and jogging out the door.
Jin's shoulders drooped as he watched her leave. "I...really am hopeless," he scolded himself. "Febronia, I am truly envious of you. You...were able to do for Shion what I, her own brother, should have done. Now the question is, what can I possibly do for Shion?"
"Jin!"
"Don't leave me! Don't leave me alone!"
Jin shook his head as he went to walk out of the cabin. "Or, even still...what can I do about my own past?"
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After Shion and Jin arrived on the Durandal's bridge, they found the rest of the group laughing hysterically as Jr. tried to shield his cheeks from Mary and Shelley.
Yes, those cheeks.
"Ooh, they're so cute!" Mary cooed, taking another dive at him.
"Agh! Stay away from me, dammit!" he grunted as he moved out of her way, only to be countered by Shelley from behind.
"The Little Master has such a cute little bottom!" Shelley joked as Jr. fell to the ground and began to writhe.
"Hey Momo, you want to try?" Mary asked Momo, causing her cheeks to ignite.
"Jesus Christ! Can't you stop?" Jr. begged. "It's not like I'm not hurting enough already! That Gamma freak almost killed me!"
"Well then why didn't you dodge the attack?" Allen asked.
"I used the best evasive maneuver I know, thank you very much!" Jr. said, turning his nose up in the air.
"…he used the 'I'm a tree' method again, didn't he?" Gaignun asked, sighing.
"Yeah, he did…" chaos said, snickering.
"He used that one in training at the Yuriev Institute…he was almost killed on several occasions…" the black-haired man said, smacking his forehead.
Jr. bent down to buckle his boot. "And I'm proud of it!" he said.
"…I can't resist!" Allen said. He crept over to Jr. and kicked him in the seat of his pants, causing him to fall flat on his face. Shion laughed for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime as Jr. fell to the ground.
"And the kick is good!" Mary exclaimed, holding up her arms like a field goal.
"Allen, don't be surprised if you wake up dead tomorrow…" the short one said, picking himself off the ground.
"Hey…" Allen said gently to Shion, ignoring Jr. He took her in his arms, gently kissing her forehead. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah, I am…" she said, relaxing against him. Thanks to me…Jin thought, mentally smacking himself.
"Shouldn't we be doing something?" Jr. asked, sucking on one of his Makarovs.
As if to answer him, one of the 100-series realians said, "Little Master, a private transmission has arrived for you on a general channel."
"Hm? What's up?" Jr. asked, looking at the realian.
"It's compressed in an encoded format. Shall I open it?" she asked.
"Yeah, put it on."
A communication hologram popped up in front of the bridge, revealing a woman who looked to about Gaignun's age. She had short ginger hair, and she wore a sleek black dress and headband. Black eyeliner was apparent on her bright blue eyes. Jr. and Gaignun gasped as she glanced at the two of them, a satisfied look on her face.
"It...it can't be!" Gaignun said, inhaling sharply.
"But it is!" Jr. yelled, moving closer to the holographic screen.
"It's..."
"Citrene!" they both hollered in unison.
"Hrm. You finally figured it out," the female U.R.T.V. said, smirking. "It's been a long time, Rubedo number 666 and Nigredo number 669, dear brothers..." she cooed sarcastically.
"Jr.'s...sister?" Momo asked, confused.
"A female U.R.T.V.?" Shion eyed Citrene, not sure what exactly to think.
"I heard about what happened fourteen years ago. Sounds like Albedo number 667 made contact with U-DO and managed to cause a space-time anomaly alteration. That is most regrettable," she stated formally.
"Yeah, thanks to our bastard of a father!" Jr. shouted angrily. "He knew if we confronted U-DO, it might've destroyed Miltia! How could he do that!"
"Oh, please. I forgot what idiots you male types were," the female insulted them. "Honestly, I agree with our father…if we could save the star cluster at the cost of a single planet, I'd say that's a small price to pay."
"Acceptable losses...I hate that term," Shion growled.
"The reason why I contacted you now is because I know," she said, quieting her voice. "I know that U-DO will reawaken soon. All uncertainties must be eradicated. You must move quickly to eliminate the target, Rubedo."
"Re-contact?" Gaignun raised an eyebrow at his sister.
"You mean Albedo?" Jr. asked her desperately.
"Yes. He was infected, and he has fallen," she replied ominously.
"Mmph. I'll atone for my past mistakes. But I will not do it by killing Albedo...instead, I'll make him stop this insanity!" Jr. said determinedly.
"As you wish." Citrene shrugged. "I look forward to your results, Rubedo." The communication monitor disappeared as Jr. turned to Shelley.
"Shelley, where did that transmission come from?" he asked.
"I am sorry. The route was scrambled. It's impossible to trace," she answered.
"Mmph. That sexist bastard..."
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"I say we sleep on the Elsa!"
Jr. stared Mary straight in the eyes, nostrils flaring. "If we sleep on the Elsa, we'll just be able to roll out of bed and we'll already be at that place!"
"But Little Master," Mary argued, "the Durandal would be more comfortable! Besides, it's big and red!"
"Sure, the Durandal is big and red..." Jr. said. "But it could be bigger and redder..."
"Hehehe...bigger and redder..." Jin snickered, obviously being the only one who appreciated KOS-MOS rox's wit.
"On the Elsa, everyone would have to share rooms. Where would Shion and Allen sleep? I'm sure they'd want to be together," Shelley debated.
"They'll sleep in the women's quarters with Momo," Jr. stated diplomatically. "They'll just have to abstain for the night."
"Damn..." Shion muttered as Allen removed his lips from her neck.
Jr. grinned at them. "Yes, I'm sure Momo wouldn't want to wake up to that..."
"Besides, KOS-MOS's and mine charging pods are on the Elsa. It would be a good idea to spend the night there," Ziggy pointed out.
"Wow, I guess Jr. was right..." Shion said, completely amazed.
Jr. jumped into the air, whooping. "Woot! In your face, Oracle!"
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After a quick dinner in the Elsa's kitchen (Jr. took the meaning of "quick" too literally...he choked three times) the group decided to turn in early.
Allen lay awake in the women's quarters, holding Shion in his arms. He gently stroked her upturned cheek over and over until her emerald eyes fell shut. He kissed her on the forehead, hearing her say his name softly before falling asleep. She had been through too much that day...
As he felt her snuggle against him and heard her calm, quieted breaths, he had no choice but to succumb to the feeling of tiredness that overcame him...
Meanwhile, in the men's quarters...
"Hey! Anyone still awake?" Jr. whispered harshly.
"Hrm," chaos grunted from above, indicating that he was still conscious.
"Cool. You know what I've always wanted, chaos?" he said, staring into the darkness.
"No, what?" chaos asked, slightly annoyed.
"One of those shocky sword things. You know, those...swords! Or knives, whatever! They're so cool!" he whispered. chaos groaned and fell asleep.
"chaos? Ah, you're no fun..." Jr. whispered, disappointed. "Don't you want a shocky sword, Jr.?"
"Yes I do!" he answered himself.
"They're sooo cool!"
"I agree!"
"God, what is wrong with me?" Jr. asked himself, laughing and falling back against the pillow.
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A few hours later, Allen was awoken by the sounds of gentle moans beside him. Opening his eyes, he almost jumped as he saw Shion on top of him, still asleep. Half-asleep, he smiled as she let out another sigh. He loved the noises that she made while she was asleep...they were cute, like a baby's.
As his foggy senses cleared further, he noticed something different. Her breaths were shaky and she was whimpering...
She was crying!
"Shion..." he whispered into her ear, placing gentle kisses against her neck, trying to wake her. She tightened her arms around him as he continued trying to calm her.
She jerked violently then, her knee hitting Allen just between the legs. "Ow, dammit!" he gasped. "I wish your kicks weren't so powerful..." he coughed.
"Alright, come on..." he muttered, lifting her off of on top of him and setting her down beside him. She shuddered at the sudden loss of physical contact, sobbing. He drew her in closer to him, rubbing her back. She wailed aloud, and Allen looked over his shoulder warily, making sure she hadn't disturbed Momo's rest.
"Shion, it's okay..." he whispered as she continued to sob. "Come on, calm down..." he murmured urgently. As her ragged breathing slowly calmed, Allen felt her go limp against him, finally falling asleep.
Jesus…I wonder why this is all hurting her so much… he wondered as he drifted off to sleep.
Little did Allen know that the reason for her crying had nothing to do with the events of the past day…
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It was cold.
As darkness surrounded Shion's aching form, Nephilim appeared before her. "N-Nephilim?" Shion stammered. But she couldn't hear her own voice. She couldn't hear anything. She was completely numb.
Nephilim shook her head slowly as if to tell Shion "no". Shion shot her a confused look before the girl pointed over Shion's shoulder. She whirled around to see Kevin from behind. The blade of the archetype exploded through his back, sending a shower of blood her way…
"No…no!" she tried to scream. But there was nobody there to save her, nobody to console her…nobody.
Suddenly, the scene switched. She saw Allen hovering above her, a look of resentment on his face. As he looked down at her, a look of intense and extreme pain crossed his face before he collapsed beside her. All she could see behind him was the Patriarch, standing in front of the gigantic mech, laughing manically…
Once again, the scene changed. She saw the boy, ten or eleven years old now, sitting fully-clothed on a colorless beach. A gentle wind blew, sending his dark locks askew. He looked serenely out into the ocean, tears rolling down his cheeks from bright green eyes. He had nobody there to save him, nobody there to console him…
Shion suddenly felt the strangest urge to hold him in her arms and wipe his tears away, to comfort him, to reassure him…
But before she could approach him, the area melted until all that she could see was black, endless black, stretching out for miles and miles, darkness permeating her very being…
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Shion cried out as she sat straight up in her bed, almost hitting her head on the bunk above. She pressed her cheek against her partner's chest, sighing in relief when she heard his strong heartbeat.
Sliding out of bed as to not disturb him, she stood up and began walking to the restaurant, wondering what could happen tomorrow if things went wrong...
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Wilhelm sat at his desk on the Dammerung, falling asleep slowly. His claret eyes shot upwards as the Compass of Order suddenly flipped dangerously on its axis. Peering deep into it, the corners of his lips curled upwards was he saw exactly what he had expected to...
"Trouble is approaching them..." Wilhelm said, smirking. "This is what it sounds like...when doves cry..."
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Shion sat in a booth in the Elsa's restaurant, slowly sipping a cup of tea. She absent-mindedly stared into the liquid, not noticing when she heard the mechanical door slide open.
Allen walked over, sitting down across from her. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
"I...I had a dream..." Shion said, shivering.
"What happened?" he asked gently.
"I...I don't want to say..."
"You can tell me anything."
"Allen...if I asked you something, would you promise to do it?" Shion asked, looking up at him.
"Of course I would," he replied.
"Well...I want you stay back here on the ship tomorrow," she said quietly.
Allen laughed. "What do you mean? I can be some help, you know. I'm not totally useless," he said. Shion looked at him, a concerned look on her face, her eyes glossy.
"I... I just don't think it's a good idea!"
"Well, tell me why, Shion…"
She hesitated for a second and looked down. "No... You'll... you'll think that it's stupid."
He sighed. "You know it doesn't matter. You could tell me that I have a dancing cupcake on my back and I wouldn't think it was stupid…well maybe I would. But anyway."
Shion let out a laugh and sighed. "Okay, well…I…I had a dream…well, a vision that…you died. In front of me and…it was in Proto Omega. That man had killed you."
"Oh…geez, Shion…"
"No, Allen! You…you think it's stupid, don't you?"
"No, I'm just worried that you're getting a little worried over that. Trust me, I won't turn into Kevin," he reassured her, taking her hands in his and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
Shion squirmed a bit. "I'm not...ugh! Saying that, Allen!"
"Then, what are you saying?" he asked, letting her hands go and staring deep into her eyes.
"I'm saying…that I don't want you to come with us! For safety reasons! I mean…all you can do is shoot a gun!"
"Hey…hey! I can do more than that!"
"I don't care what you say. I'm going with you guys so I can protect you, Shion." Shion groaned and stomped her feet.
"That's exactly why I don't want you to come! So I can protect you!" she said to him, a bit angry at his stubbornness.
"I can protect myself!"
"I don't care! You're staying here!"
"No, I'm not!" he yelled at her, his facial expression toughening. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he ran his hands through his hair. "Look, Shion, I've made a commitment. I'm willing to bleed for you."
"Oh, so now the only reason why you come out with us is because you made a commitment to it?" she retorted, glaring at her. "I wish you had never entered the encephalon!"
"If I hadn't come, you would probably be dead right now!" he hissed.
"Oh, and that sure would have shown you!" Shion spat, standing up and walking towards the door. "I'm going back to bed," she said harshly, "and I don't expect you to be there with me!"
As she stomped out the door, Allen stared at her, dumbstruck. "Wh-what just happened here?" he asked himself.
"I'll tell you what happened, Romeo," Tony proclaimed, emerging from the kitchen with a glass of water. "You just got dumped!"
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A/N: I have but one thing to say…
-Cries hysterically-
Neo: -Sigh- She'll be even worse at the end of the next chapter…honestly, she's nothing but a hopeless rabid fangirl.
Yeah, true. Okay.
What's up with Shion's eyes? Why do they keep glowing like that? Danny Phantom isn't taking her over or anything…or is he? –Shifty eyes- Hehehe, nah, he isn't.
Until next time, this is KOS-MOS rox, signing off!