Whee! Yeah, sorry I haven't started this chapter sooner...I traveled out of state to compete in a national Taekwondo tournament, and it was good!
Neo: She kicked butt, yes she did.
Disclaimer, little dude!
Neo: KOS-MOS rox does not own Xenosaga, nor elseanything but a Naruto headband. She wears that thing everywhere...-Sweatdrop-
Yes I do! -Pats it-
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Last time in Xenosaga Episode II: Die Kraft der Liebe:
The beam hit him, and he threw his head backwards and screamed pure agony. Allen felt the pain surge to every part of his body, a burning sensation overcoming his insides. He turned his head aside and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Looking back down at Shion, he said, "Shion…I'm sorry…"
And then Allen collapsed, letting out his last breath…
And now, chapter 12.
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Xenosaga Episode II: Die Kraft der Liebe
Chapter 12: O Fortuna
Wilhelm stood in the Second Division's lab on the Dammerung, hearing about a new weapon that they were developing for KOS-MOS. "And you see, sir, this feature will allow her to-" the employee said. Wilhelm did not hear any more after that, though, for an almost unbearable pain exploded in his chest.
"Master Wilhelm? Master Wilhelm, are you alright?" the female worker asked when she saw him clutching his chest.
"Yes, I'm fine," Wilhelm replied in a hushed voice. "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to reschedule this meeting. There is important business I must attend to." And at that, Wilhelm turned on his heel and walked briskly out of the lab.
"Is he okay?" asked a male employee. The female shrugged.
Once he reached the outside of the Second Division, another pang struck his chest. He broke into a jog, running for his office. After more pain, he began running in a blind jog for his office. His claret eyes were closed and his teeth clenched as he rode the private elevator to his office.
When he stepped off, he was greeted immediately by his Testaments. "Status report!" he called to Black Cloak.
"The mechs are ready to go," he replied in a gruff voice, his red eyes squinted maliciously.
"What about the Divine Form?"
"I can't see into the Compass of Order, boss," Blue Cloak replied.
"Out of my way!" Wilhelm snarled, shoving the blue-clad man from in front of the Compass. "Not much longer now…" he said, smirking and clutching his chest.
"Wait, wait, wait…" Red Cloak said, approaching Wilhelm. "The Divine Form? That means that she's…" The man clutched his head. "Oh God! Oh, God no!"
"Calm down," Wilhelm told him.
"I'm not angry because of it," Red Cloak said. "I just want to know why you did it! I mean the fever! Maybe if you hadn't…she wouldn't be afraid…"
"It had to be that way…" Wilhelm said, looking at the man. "to assure the future."
"I'm so confused! I don't even know why I'm here!" Blue Cloak exclaimed.
Suddenly, Wilhelm threw his head backwards and screamed in agony as a red aura began lifting from his body. The pain in his chest was constant and burning. The Testaments watched in a horrified awe as he coughed violently, his scarlet eyes shining through the red energy around him. They had never seen him like this…
A loud bang sent the cloaked men jumping into the air, surprised. They slowly looked to see that the Compass of Order was spread out in about a thousand pieces, having exploded.
"What's going on?" Blue Cloak demanded. Wilhelm looked at them sternly as the aura died down, panting, red eyes on fire. He uttered one simple phrase:
"Let's go."
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Everything felt numb.
Shion sat, dumbstruck, trying to let what had just happened soak in. She didn't know if she was alive or dead, or somewhere between. Breathing heavily, she heaved Allen's body from on top of her and rolled him onto his back. After kneeling beside him, she pressed her ear to his chest again, but this time, the calming lub dub of his heartbeat did not come. Shion let out a dry sob and kneeled over him, whimpering.
"Allen…you promised me…you promised me that you would never let go!" she wailed, tears beginning to stream down her face.
Shion bit her lower lip, trying to stop the tears. The pain of her teeth sinking into the skin of her lip was sharp and the metallic taste of the blood that seeped from the cut was bitter. Realizing that it was no use, she yelled, "Why does everyone leave me behind?"
Shion collapsed into a fit of sobs. "I never even got to say goodbye, or that I was sorry!" she coughed, choking on her tears.
She slowly turned to face the Patriarch, her face contorted in pain and anger. "Why? Why did you do that?" she half-asked, half-sobbed.
"I must prove that Ormus means what they say!" he replied, followed by that laughter that truly creeps KOS-MOS rox out.
Shion moaned and doubled over, holding her stomach. Her right shoulderblade began to burn, and the "birthmark" Allen had noticed earlier began glowing bright green, showing through her shirt and her jacket. (A/n: Wow, I can't think of a name for that thing.) Voices from her past echoed in her head as a bright green aura began lifting from her body like steam.
"No! I won't follow you! I've seen what he does to my sister, and I don't want her to be hurt anymore!" an adolescent Jin said angrily.
"G-Go to your mother's hospital room…your parents are there…" Feb's voice spoke.
"Hide Shion! She's the only one who matters!" her mother said.
"Oh man…we'd better get you to the ER…" Kevin's voice said concernedly.
"Shion, I had to… my fault…all of it…had to stay loyal…Shion, I love you…" his voice spoke again, this time weakly and softly.
"I'm going back to bed, and I don't expect you to be there with me!" her own voice spat.
"Shion…I'm sorry…" Allen said.
An image of the little boy appeared in her mind. "Do it for me…" he said in a sweet, cherubic voice.
As the Patriarch continued laughing, Shion moaned again and retched, becoming violently sick. Coughing and wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve, the aura became stronger. "Why is my shoulder burning?" she cried, beginning to shake.
"The entire human race will fall before the might of Ormus!" the old man before her exclaimed excitedly. Shion looked up at him, her face hot and wet from crying. Suddenly, her eyes began glowing green through the aura, brighter and more fiercely than ever before.
"You…you killed him!" she growled, glaring at the Patriarch. "And now, I'm going to destroy you…"
The bullet made impact, knocking the head off of the android menace…
"…just like I did last time!"
"Oh, please!" the man scoffed. "You couldn't possibly stop this power!"
"Watch me," Shion said, slowly getting to her feet, the aura surrounding her entire body.
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"Hey. Hey you," the 13-year-old boy said, standing beside the baby's crib. The child resting in it looked up at him with green eyes.
"That's right, I'm your big brother…kinda…" the boy cooed as the baby made a small noise. The little girl wrapped her tiny had around the budding samurai's finger, making the teen laugh.
"I know you weren't born naturally…but that doesn't mean I'm not your brother," he said, reassuring himself more than the baby. "I'm gonna teach you how to do all kinds of things, like how to use a katana!" he said softly.
"They still haven't named you yet…" the boy suddenly remembered, looking at the girl. "I wonder if they'll mind if I gave you a name…because I have one…"
The baby made an inquisitive noise, looking at her "brother." "The name is Shion. I learned it a while back…it means 'Zion'. I think that suits you very well," he said, stroking her cheek. "Yeah, Shion…cool. Shion, you're going to do great things someday…" he said.
"Jin, come here for a second," a voice called from outside of the room.
"Bye, Shion," Jin said, leaning over the crib's railing and pressing a kiss against the baby's forehead. "Hey, Dad! Dad, I thought of a name for her!" he said, jogging out of the room.
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The Divine Form…
She was genetically altered…
A superhuman, of sorts…
No, Jr., not like Batman.
Her coming would bring so much more…
But then she was brutally murdered…
Or…was she?
Shion threw her head backwards and screamed, the aura spreading even further. "You've injured all of them…and now you're going to pay!" she yelled at the Patriarch.
"I'd like to see you try!" the old man replied angrily, golden aura flames igniting his hands.
Suddenly, the room was filled with a bright white light. The Patriarch stumbled backwards, temporarily blinded. Once the light died down, he saw Shion on the floor, writhing in pain.
"Oh God! My shoulder!" she screamed. "It hurts…so much!" Shion rolled over onto her back and arched her body as the Patriarch watched in confusion.
"What are you doing? Stand up and fight me!" the old man said, outraged.
"I…I can't!" Shion cried, eyes closed. "Something's not right! I feel…"
Lightning flashed behind Shion's eyes as pure anger and adrenaline ran through her veins. Whenever she closed her eyes, all that she could see was the boy staring back at her, furious. His big green eyes burned with a passionate rage and his teeth were bared. Shion couldn't think strait. Her heart was pounding so hard and fast that it felt as if it would jump out of her chest.
What's going on? Why am I feeling this way? Shion shrieked mentally, opening her mouth in a silent scream of pain. chaos's unconscious body on the floor jerked violently.
The light flared up again, and Shion's body was lifted into the air. She tilted her head back and screamed again as pain ripped through her body again, settling in her back. Her shoulder burned with white-hot intensity as sweat poured down her face. The elderly man looked at her in a mix of awe and horror, watching everything that happened to her.
"That's it, my child!" a man's gruff voice rang inside Shion's head. "Awaken!"
Shion took a deep breath and closed her eyes as a dizzy feeling washed over her. For an instant, her back exploded with pain…after, she felt nothing.
The Patriarch watched as two pieces of black split the brightness, two shrouds of darkness piercing the light, two black wings slowly extending from the woman's back…
Wait…wings?
Dark feathers fluttered gracefully to the floor around the Patriarch as Shion's new wings spread out around her, holding her in midair as she floated beyond him. Slowly, she opened her burning green eyes, the color overcoming every part. Her teeth were bared and her jaw was clenched, just as the child's.
"Come back…" Shion said softly. Instantly, everyone who had fallen during the last battle was revived…everyone who hadn't died, of course.
The Pope of Ormus looked up at her, pure terror apparent in his beady yellow eyes, knowing that he was truly screwed.
He knew who this was. He knew what was coming next.
"Th-The Divine Form?" he stammered. He looked at Allen's body and gasped. "Then he must be…The Father!"
Jr. and the others groggily got to their feet, wiping their eyes and stretching, chaos grasping his chest. The U.R.T.V. gasped and nudged Ziggy, pointing at Shion.
"Wings…" was the only thing he could say, a look of numb awe on his face.
"Wow…" Momo looked up at Shion, pure admiration apparent in her big amber eyes. Suddenly, she noticed Allen on the floor, not moving. "What happened to Allen?" she asked Ziggy, clinging to his flesh arm. Ziggy shrugged, a look of concern on his usually emotionless face.
"This wasn't supposed to happen…" Jin said softly, blinking back tears, holding his broken wrist gingerly.
"Yes, yes, yes…" chaos muttered, looking at Shion. His eyes began glowing blue as he said, "Are you feeling this, brother? Can you feel it running through your very soul?"
Yes, brother…we are almost there.
"You thought you could harm them, but you couldn't, could you?" Shion calmly asked the Patriarch, eyes like two emeralds.
"But…but this is impossible!" the elderly man spat, glaring at Shion. "The Divine Form was murdered two years ago, at Vector Industries!"
"Your plan was thwarted."
Wilhelm's cool and calm voice filled the room as him and his testaments warped inside, on top of their super-awesome mechs. Each one's weapon was the same color as their cloak. Wilhelm's was the largest and the color silver, like an E.S.
"Thwarted by me…" Red Cloak muttered under his breath. Wilhelm quickly hushed him before continuing.
"We'd appreciate it if the supporting actors could just stick to their roles," he said, eyeing the Patriarch.
"Wait, why are we just standing here?" Jr. suddenly demanded, pulling out a Makarov.
He aimed it right at the Patriarch's head; since he was too busy looking at Shion. Just when he was about to pull the trigger, Shion stopped him.
"No, Rubedo, don't shoot…he's mine," she said. "That is, if my masters will allow me…" she added, glancing at chaos and Wilhelm.
"Yes, yes, of course!" they replied quickly and in unison, their eyes glowing. Shion nodded and put her hands out in front of her.
Jr. took a few steps backwards, stumbling over his feet. He gasped at Shion, taken aback that she had used his real name. Did she even know that his name was Rubedo?
"She called them her masters," he whispered confusedly to Ziggy, pointing at chaos and Wilhelm.
"Exit the stage. Your act is over," Shion said before the room was filled with yet another bright light. The Patriarch began to sweat as he fell backwards.
"No! I am all power-" he screamed desperately.
But before the Patriarch could complete his last word, however, his body vanished into thin air. That friggin' annoying nursing home escapee would most likely never cause them trouble again.
"Good, you're learning quickly…" The Vector CEO smiled.
Shion's wings faded into nothingness as her body fell limply to the ground. Jr., Momo, chaos, and Jin ran over to her as KOS-MOS stood over them. Ziggy was about to follow, but someone familiar caught his eye…
Blue Cloak glanced at Voyager, who was staring intently at the cyborg.
"What is it? See someone you know?" Virgil asked him quietly.
"You could say that," he replied in a gravely voice, an insane grin gleaming, as well as his bald head.
Ziggy glared at Voyager, teeth bared, "It's you!"
The black cloaked man looked at a child's blood-soaked shoe, a mad glint in his red eyes…
"You! Voyager!" Ziggy screamed, furious. Enraged, he pulled out his missile pod and fired at the black cloaked man. Baldy smirked as the missiles were absorbed by the protective beam shield around his mech.
Before Ziggy had a chance to react, he was hit from behind with his own missiles which had suddenly appeared in midair behind him. His missile pod clattered to the floor as he fell heavily to his knees, electric sparks surging through his artificial parts.
"Ziggy!" Momo exclaimed, running from Shion to him. She stood beside him, trying to help him up.
"Shion…wake up…" Jin said, gently stroking his unconscious sister's cheek with his left hand, the one that wasn't injured.
"Come on, Peter Pan, you have to wake up…" Jr. said, leaning over her.
"Here…" chaos nudged Jin out of the way and placed his hand on Shion's forehead.
"Asato ma sad gamaya…tamaso ma jyotir gamaya…mrtyor mamrtam gamaya…" he murmured, his hands glowing with blue aura.
Shion's eyes fluttered open, the color back to normal. "Allen…" she said hoarsely. Her eyes stung with tears as she shoved Jr. out of the way, knocking him onto his ass, and moved quickly to her lost love. She fell to the floor beside him, crying silently.
"Looks like it's my turn…" Wilhelm said, holding his right hand out in front of his face.
"Master Wilhelm…don't bring him back," Red Cloak begged.
"I have to…" Wilhelm stated matter-of-factly. "He is vital to her…and to him as well."
"That's not true!" the Testament implored. "The only ones truly vital to him are you and Shion!"
"I'm sorry, Testament…but she would never take you back," Wilhelm said, closing his eyes in sorrow. "Asato ma sad gamaya…tamaso ma jyotir gamaya…mrtyor mamrtam gamaya…" he muttered, and his hands glowed with red aura.
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"I'm dead. There's no arguing denying it…I'm gone."
The man slowly sat up and placed a hand to his forehead. He opened his eyes and looked around, seeing nothing but an endless void of black.
"So this is what Hell looks like…" he said to himself. "I deserve to be here…"
Allen's ears perked up when he heard the sound of crying behind him. He stood up and whirled around, seeing Shion standing behind him. Tears were streaming down her face, and her eyes were red-rimmed. Her body shuddered with a sob as she fell against him, desperately clinging to him. Allen gently wrapped his arms around her shaking form, closing his eyes and inhaling her scent, trying to make this moment last as long as possible…
Suddenly, Shion broke away from him. Allen was about to ask her why, but she suddenly changed. Shion was gone. In her place was a boy who looked to be about eleven with brown hair and bright green eyes, brighter than even Shion's.
"Go back. They're all waiting for you," he said in a soft, sweet voice.
"Who…who are you?" Allen asked him, giving the boy a confused look.
"Never mind that now. You'll get to see them again…as well as me," he said before disappearing.
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At Wilhelm's command, Allen's body was lifted into the air, enveloped in red light. His blue eyes snapped open and he drew in a sharp breath of air, feeling life rushing back into him. He didn't know what was happening, but frankly, he didn't care. The only things he could think about were Shion and the boy…
Allen looked down and saw Shion, crying. She was apparently too wrapped up in her sorrow to notice what was going on. As he was slowly lowered to the ground by Wilhelm, chaos looked up at his brother.
"Smart move, little brother," he said quietly so nobody else would hear, smirking.
"This is too much!" Jr. said, pointing at Allen. "He was dead, and now he's not! I need a vacation…"
"Shion…" Allen said softly, helping Shion to her feet. She looked up at him and burst into tears, burying her face in his chest. Allen let out a sigh of relief and pressed her warm body against him, silent tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Shion, I should have listened to you last night…I should have considered your feelings…" he said softly, kissing her forehead.
"None of that matters anymore…" Shion said shakily, desperately clinging to the back of Allen's shirt. "Just hold me…"
Shion didn't know how Allen came back, or what had just happened with her, but frankly, she didn't care. All that she knew was that she was with him again…she could hear his heartbeat again, she could feel his touch again…that was good enough for her.
She lifted her head from his chest and kissed him, savoring every moment. Allen returned her kiss and gently stroked her hair. Ziggy looked at the two of them and said to Jr. and Jin, "That must be one strange kiss to share."
"Yeah," Jr. said, the corners of his mouth curling into a grin. "I'll bet that'll lead to some freaky hot monkey sex later."
Ziggy sighed and shook his head. "Ow, ow, broken limb…" Jin said, elevating his broken wrist.
"We don't have time to play around, begin!" snarled a very grumpy Red Cloak. The other testaments nodded and used their powers to reveal Albedo in front of the Zohar, spread out in front of it as if it was a cross.
"Albedo!" Jr. yelled, suddenly sobering. "Stop it! This is not what you were born to do!"
"Au contraire…this is the very moment I've been waiting for!" his brother replied giggling as U-DO waves appeared and entered his body. Wilhelm nodded at chaos and Voyager grinned at Ziggy one last time before Wilhelm and his Testaments disappeared.
"Come, Rubedo. Come to my world! Let's have some fun!" Albedo said madly as the waves stretched through the entire room.
"U-DO…" Jr. said, petrified in shock. KOS-MOS approached slowly and spread her arms out. Suddenly, the Third Armament from Second Division appeared on her back and shoulders. For a split second, her eyes glowed blue.
"KOS-MOS?" Jr. approached the android, looking at her.
"Under the current conditions, I can hold this for approximately three minutes. Please escape immediately," she stated as the U-DO waves were absorbed by the weapon.
"KOS-MOS! But how…" Allen said, still holding Shion, bewildered.
"The Elsa is currently heading towards our present coordinates. If you destroy the exterior wall, you should be able to rendezvous with it," KOS-MOS said.
"Destroy…the wall?" Momo asked. Ziggy slowly stood up, gingerly moving his mechanic parts.
"Leave it to me," he said roughly, moving towards the wall.
"Ziggy! You shouldn't be moving in your condition!" Momo exclaimed, reaching for him.
"Don't worry. They can always repair my body," the cyborg replied as he reached the exterior wall. "Stand back!"
As he reared back to punch the wall, a thousand different thoughts ran through his mind…Voyager, his stepson, and Momo were among them. The one that stuck with him, however, was Juli Mizrahi, whom he would never see again if they didn't get out of there.
Wait…since when did he think about her?
He could hear her voice ringing in the back of his cyborg mind…calling him by his true name…
"Jan Sauer…" her gentle voice called to him from somewhere beyond the wall.
Finding strength in the sound, he screamed in pure determination and punched the wall with his metal arm. As his fist was a bombshell, the wall shattered like a priceless vase at the contact of his fist. He tried to pull away, but it was too late. His arm got caught in the punch hole as debris fell from above. Grunting and pulling as hard as he could, he fell back from the wall, leaving his arm behind in the process.
Ziggy stumbled backwards and fell, sparks flying from the bare circuits where his arm had been. Momo gasped in terror and ran over to him, dropping to her knees beside him. "Ziggy! Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"I…I broke the wall, if that's an acceptable answer," he replied, showing Momo a slight smile. She let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.
The Elsa sped towards the hole that Ziggy had created in the wall. "Come on, guys! Hurry up and get in!" the navigator's geeky voice rang. "We're running out of time!"
"Okay, we're coming!" Momo replied, helping Ziggy to his feet.
"Yeah! Back to the Millennium Falcon!" Jr. said determinedly, running towards the ship. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, blushing. "I meant the Elsa. I swear, I meant the Elsa."
Everyone sighed in exasperation and followed him inside. None of them knew exactly what had happened there that day, but frankly, they didn't care. All that mattered was that everyone was safe and healthy, and that was enough for them.
Once they reached the bridge, Jr. commanded Tony, "Han, get out of here!"
"Comparing me to Solo, eh?" Tony asked cockily. "Because I'm better!"
"Just go!" Hammer yelled, throwing his arms in the air.
"Whatever you say, Chewy," Tony replied before pushing forwards on the control. Hammer glared at him and made a series of Wookie noises before tending to the navigation.
"You morons! You'd better just get out of here alive!" Matthews hollered angrily.
"You two had better listen to Leia there and shape up," Jr. said nonchalantly, pointing at Matthews. The Captain growled angrily at the Little Master.
As the Elsa glided gracefully away, Jr. and the others watched in horror as the Omega System was slowly swallowed by the space-time anomaly created by Albedo. "Behold, Rubedo! At long last, my time has come! The time to join the eternal chain!" Albedo's voice sounded inside Jr.'s head. "The time to quench my thirst at the source!"
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The elevator to the Durandal's bridge slowly rose, revealing Gaignun Kukai Jr. His comrades had gone their own ways…chaos had remained on the Elsa, along with KOS-MOS. Momo and Ziggy had gone to contact Juli and get Ziggy repaired, Shion and Allen had gone to the residential area to sleep, and Jin went to the Infirmary to have his wrist mended.
"Give me an update," Jr. commanded, slowly walking up behind Shelley.
"No change in the waves from the space time anomaly," one of the 100-series stated. "Further expansion appears to be temporarily halted."
"Well, it sounds like we owe one to KOS-MOS," Jr. said, shrugging.
"We don't have much time to relax, Little Master," Mary warned him. "The phenomena alteration may have stopped expanding for now, but it's just a matter of time before it starts up again."
"It'll swallow up the whole region eventually, won't it? Isn't there any way to stop it?" another realian asked.
"Hmm. It's likely the only way to resolve this situation is to go in there and destroy the source directly," Shelley said. "But the risk involved is enormous."
"How are the Elsa and the assault craft?" Jr. asked.
"They have sustained a great deal of damage, but they are still operational. We can launch at any time," Ume replied.
"Okay, got it. Shelley, I need you to take over here…" Jr. turned on his heel and slowly walked towards the elevator.
"Acknowledged," the purple-haired woman answered, nodding. Jr. gave her a look of gratitude and descended.
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Shion lay awake in her room in the Residential Area, straining to see, straining to hear, although she didn't know what she was waiting for. She slowly turned over onto her back, staring at the ceiling. So I'm the Divine Form… she thought to herself. Makes sense, I guess…Mom and Dad couldn't have another child after Jin, so…
Shion let out a frustrated sigh as she struggled to get comfortable. She turned her head to the side, looking at her sleeping lover. His chest rose and fell in a steady pattern as he held Shion gently by the waist. She rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling her cheek against his. She couldn't believe she had almost lost him that day…she would have never felt his touch or heard his voice ever again…the thought alone frightened her.
Even close to him, she felt restless. She couldn't keep her eyes closed. Something inside of her wasn't letting her relax…sighing again, she slowly sat up.
Maybe a walk will calm me… She got to her feet and slid on her shoes. As she walked towards the other side of the bed, Allen warily opened one eye.
"Allen, I'm going to the Park Area for a while, okay?" she said softly. Allen made a noise of sleepy agreement. "I'll be back in a little while." Shion bent over and gently kissed him on the forehead, then walked out the door.
About twenty seconds later, there was a knock on the door. Allen sat up, completely awake. He walked over to the door and pressed the button to open it. Gaignun stood on the other side, a look of anticipation on his face.
"Have you thought about it?" the U.R.T.V. asked him, widening his eyes.
"Yeah, I have…" Allen said. "And I decided to go through with it."
Gaignun grinned at him. "Yes, secret covert operation plan B shall commence! Come on, I'll show you the best place…" he said, ushering Allen out the door.
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The sound of the fountain behind him was somewhat soothing as he looked out into the stars through the huge window.
"Come on, Rubedo…come have some fun with your brother!"
"Should I go?" Jr. asked the surrounding air. "Should I confront Albedo? God, I don't know what to do anymore…without him, I just don't know what my life is for…" His eyes filled with tears and he let out a sniff.
His ears perked up at the soft sound of footfalls behind him. He rolled his eyes and said bitterly, "Gaignun, stop looking at me like that. I didn't have my hand down my pants."
"That's, er, nice, Jr…..but I'm not Gaignun," a feminine voice replied. Jr. quickly wiped his eyes and looked over his shoulder to see Shion approaching him.
"You sure it's all right for the commander to be hanging around here?" Shion asked, sitting down beside him.
"It's okay. Mary and Shelley can handle things just fine," Jr. replied resentfully.
"You're thinking about this?"
A brief, awkward pause ensued between the two of them. "He keeps calling me. It seems he wants to settle the score," Jr. told her.
"But he's your brother. Are you sure you can fight him?" Shion said, narrowing her eyes at him.
"I dunno. But I have to go," Jr. explained, trying to keep himself from crying. "I can't...I can't just let things stay the way they are now. I'm the only one who can stop him, so..."
"Jr…." Shion said.
"Hm?"
"What's it like? I mean, not having Albedo around anymore."
Jr. turned to face the woman, his eyes a bit red. Shion was surprised to see that he was actually almost crying. "It's…it's like…when you accidentally bite into a painkiller, and all that nasty-tasting liquid comes out…or, or maybe it feels like my past is taking its proverbial foot and kicking me in the proverbial shin or balls or something…"
Jr. let out a sigh. "Well, it just doesn't feel very good. Imagine if Jin was to suddenly die one day, and it was your entire fault."
Jin…die? Shion thought. Would she be able to live without her brother if something like that were to happen? Shion shivered and pushed the thought out of her mind.
"And now, every day, it just feels like I'm swimming through the ashes of his life…" Jr. rested his head in his hands. "I can still remember the way he screamed for me that day… can still remember his scream as he was swallowed by pain, slowly falling apart…"
Shion looked at him, feeling sympathy for the Little Master, as well as his brother. "For a long time after the war, I grew paranoid about it," Jr. continued. "I felt like everyone was pointing their fingers, always condemning me…but nobody, not even Gaignun, knows what I believed."
"Well, what do you believe?" Shion asked gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Jr. hesitated for a moment, his shoulder trembling beneath Shion's touch. "I think that underneath it all…" Jr. finally spoke, "…his heart and soul are still there. Still there, waiting for his big brother to come and save him…"
And at that, Jr. broke down, crying. He rested his head on Shion's shoulder, tears rolling down his cheeks. Shion immediately tensed, surprised at the sudden contact. But she eventually relaxed, awkwardly placing her arms around him. He responded by crying harder, wrapping his arms around her.
Shion couldn't believe it…he was actually crying. She had never seen him cry before, excluding a few single tears. But this…this just wasn't like him. Yet there he was...crying in the arms of an almost complete stranger who never in a million years would have felt comfortable stroking his hair.
After a few moments, Shion began to wonder how the boy in her dreams would feel in her arms. He was probably soft and warm, just asking to be held...
Wait, what was the thinking?
Jr. slowly pulled away from Shion, wiping his eyes and nose on the back of his sleeve. "A-Anyways...how are Ziggy and Allen?" he asked in a small voice, eyes red and cheeks flushed from crying.
"Allen's sleeping," Shion told him. "As for Ziggy...I don't have any details, but I know Momo hasn't left his side since she started repairing him."
"I see...I think I'll go check in on them," Jr. said. "We'll be heading out as soon as everything's ready. Tell everyone to be on standby."
"Okay."
Just as Jr. was walking out the door, he turned to face Shion again. "Oh, and Shion, promise me one thing..."
"What?"
"Make sure you never lose Jin." And with that, he walked out the door.
Shion stared at the door for a few seconds, letting his words sink in. "Make sure you never lose Jin..."
"Jin..."
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Ziggy sat in his maintenance chair in the Durandal's communication room, Momo by his side. Bare circuits still stuck out from the socket where his mechanical arm was. A communication hologram floated in front of them, Juli Mizrahi displayed inside of it.
"Those are custom Ziggurat-series compatible parts there. They treat the repair manual like an ancient manuscript. It was difficult to get a hold of," she said, almost letting out a laugh.
"Thank you very much, Dr. Mizrahi," Ziggy said.
"You can call me Juli. I'm tired of the whole 'Doctor' thing," she replied quickly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. "By the way, Jan Sauer, I have something I'd like to talk to you about."
"Yes?"
"I understand you've been refusing lifespan extension on your organic components. It's already been a century since you were revived," Juli pointed out. Ziggy nodded, waiting for her to continue.
"The average lifespan of a living brain that hasn't undergone extension is 130 years," she stated. "Would you consider living just a little while longer? For Momo's sake?"
Momo gave both Ziggy and Juli a hopeful look. "Besides, there are a few things I'd like to learn from you. From the way you live..." Juli said in an almost dreamy tone of voice.
The cyborg closed his eyes, deep in thought. After what seemed like an eternity, he said, "Can I have some time to think about it?"
"Of course. I'll be waiting to hear the good news," Juli said. She flashed Ziggy a big smile before disconnecting.
The door slid open and Jr. came through, a guilty look on his face. "Eh, sorry. Guess I was eavesdropping again."
"I don't mind. I have nothing to hide," Ziggy replied. He turned to face Momo. "Momo, I'm sorry, could you go get the parts for me?"
"Okay!" Momo answered brightly. She brushed against Jr.'s shoulder on the way out, setting the nerves on fire.
"You know, that was the first time I've ever seen you angry," Jr. said once he was sure Momo had left. "I guess even you still have some feelings like that."
Ziggy looked at Jr., a bit confused. "To be honest, I'm kinda relieved. You really are human, after all," Jr. said, a smirk on his childish face. "And after all your lectures, you couldn't keep your head in front of your enemy, either!"
"Hmm. I guess it applies to both of us," Ziggy said.
"Yeah... When it comes to him, I just can't control myself..." Jr. closed his aqua-blue eyes. "I lose sight of everything..."
"Jr.," Ziggy said. Jr. closed his eyes again and cringed, thinking a lecture was coming up. "I won't pretend to understand what you're thinking, and I have no intention of rebuking you. Just do what you feel is right."
The U.R.T.V. opened his eyes again in surprise. "Old man..." he gasped.
"Just go and show him a thing or two," Ziggy told him.
"Yeah!" Jr. exclaimed, harboring a new respect for the man beside him. "Yeah, I'll do that!"
Jr. ran out the door, face brighter, shouting a quick thanks at the cyborg.
"I sure hope he knows what he's doing..." Ziggy said, closing his eyes again.
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About ten minutes later, Jr. strode quickly towards the E.S. hangar, his heart pounding in his ears. He was hoping nobody would find him leaving...
"You're going, aren't you?"
Jr. slowly turned to his left to see Momo approaching him from the adjacent hallway, a frightened look in her eyes.
"Momo... I figured I'd sneak off while Gaignun wasn't around, but I never expected to be caught by you. Guess it's no surprise from a 100-series," he said, moving closer to her.
"Are you going by yourself?" she asked timidly, clasping her hands in front of her chest.
"Hm."
"Why? You always try to take on everything by yourself!" Momo said, a single tear running down her cheek. "Can I...can I go with you, too?"
"Sorry... He's calling me. He says it has to be me. I'm his brother, after all," Jr. replied, turning his head away from her. "I wasn't always a good big brother, but now...I've at least got to settle this."
"Jr..." Momo said after a brief pause, more tears spilling from her amber eyes.
"I'm sorry. Do me a favor and think up an excuse to tell the others," Jr. said, opening the door to the hangar.
"You're coming back, right?" Jr. stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face the crying girl.
"Hm?"
"Please promise me...promise you'll come back! If you don't, I...I..." Momo's sentence slowly died as she looked into Jr.'s eyes. His expression softened as he walked over to her, wrapping his arms lightly around her waist.
"Don't worry, I'm coming back..." he said. "But in case something happens to me..."
Jr. leaned forwards, pressing a quick kiss against her cheek. He let go of her and called, running in the opposite direction, "Don't forget me!"
Jr. ran through the open door, his feet pounding against the metal grated walkway as he went to board the E.S. Asher. In one swift leap, he jumped to the top of the mech and into the cockpit.
He slowly opened his eyes as the cockpit lights turned on. The hangar door in front him opened as he rapidly pressed buttons, starting up the E.S.
Momo looked at her hero, watching his mech fly out into the open space, moving towards the bright purple space-time anomaly, where his brother was waiting. She brought a hand up to the cheek where he had kissed her. The cold metal of the bracelet he had given her brushed against her skin. She brought her hand back down to look at it, remembering the day he had given it to her...
"I don't know if Realians believe in charms or not, but here! It's for luck!"
That bracelet had helped her in hard times, given her hope when she had none...and now, as she watched Jr. leave, she didn't know what to feel anymore. She just felt...empty.
Sighing and trying to hold the tears down, she turned on her heel and started towards the train to go to the bridge.
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Shion and Mary were standing on the bridge as Momo came up the elevator, a sad look on her face.
"I wonder what's wrong," Mary whispered to Shion. The other woman shrugged.
"The third hangar's hatch has been forced open. The E.S. Asher is moving onto the catapult," one of the 100-series said, staring at her monitor in disbelief.
"What?" Mary demanded, turning to look at her. Her answer was the E.S. Asher flying at full speed past the view window towards the space-time anomaly.
"Little Master! What's he doing?" Mary asked.
"Little Master, please come back. Little Master!" another 100-series called over a communication line to the Asher. Jr. didn't respond. "It's no good. Communications are off."
"Um, Jr. said he wanted to go...test his craft," Momo said, trying to think of an excuse like Jr. had asked. "So...he should be right back."
"Momo...Jr.'s going, isn't he?" Shion asked, seeing through Momo's charade.
"Um...well... He promised. He promised he'd come back. So I..." Momo began to say. She was cut off by Mary's chest pressed against her face in an embrace.
"You really are a good girl, MOMO. This is the Little Master's fault, making everyone worry like this," Mary comforted her. "When he gets back, we're gonna give him a spanking he won't forget."
Hehehehe, dude, that's freaky.
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An eerie tingling ran up Jr.'s spine as he stepped down from the E.S. Asher, relieved to feel that the snake-like purple cavern was solid. He began to wonder about Albedo, and what he was planning to do with this place...
Looking up, Jr. saw a transparent boy looking back up at him, just about his age and height. His eyes were very bright green, and his hair was dark brown...
Jr. didn't know what was happening, but frankly, he didn't care. All that mattered to him now was getting to Albedo...
And that was precisely what he was going to do.
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A/N: Wow, that REALLY took me a while to write. I'm sure it sucked, since the majority of it was typed at 2 AM...
So, yeah...R and R!