Mr. Anderson, welcome back…surprised to see me? Hehehe, I knew you weren't. And guess what…the humor returns with this chapter! Yay!
Neo: Isn't she just hopeless? Geez!
Do the disclaimer of mine, Neo.
Neo: Own anything in this chapter KOS-MOS rox does not. Talk like Yoda I cannot stop. Watched Star Wars last night she made me. Kill her I am going to.
May the fries be with you.
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Last time in Die Kraft der Liebe:
"No! Albedo!" Jr. cried, pounding the ground with his fists. "Dammit!" Suddenly, the redhead felt a sharp, white-hot pain just between his eyes. Urgently, he turned his head to the side and retched violently. His vision distorted, he wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve and screamed in frustration and pain…
And everything became blurry.
And now, chapter 15.
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Xenosaga Episode II: Die Kraft der Liebe
Chapter 15: Maranatha
In the slowly deteriorating space-time anomaly, a bloodcurdling scream rang out.
By some invisible, yet very powerful force, Jr. was thrown from on top of Albedo's unconscious body and thrust backwards into a crumbling pillar, feeling it crush as he made contact. As he fell to the hard marble floor, he could taste blood running from his mouth like a river. "Albedo…brother…" he whimpered before laying his head on the floor in defeat.
Suddenly, as if in a dream, Jr. felt his body being lifted into the air. Looking across the room, he noticed that Albedo's body was airborne as well. Purple aura exploded around both of them as Jr. cried out in surprise and pain. His body felt as if it was being stretched and contorted into several uncomfortable positions. It took Jr. a few painful seconds to come to a startling conclusion…
He's…he's giving his power to me!
Jr. screamed in anguish and physical exertion as sweat began dripping from his forehead. Blinded by the bright purple lights, he began panting heavily and biting his lip. Suddenly, the aura was replaced by rich orange lodes of ancient text, encircling the brothers like a ribbon, fleeting in front of Jr.'s eyes.
"The Y-DATA…" Jr. croaked in complete awe, his throat raw from screaming. The lights moving around the two held them together in a bond stronger than steel, yet a little less stretchy than elastic, as Jr. slightly smiled.
Slowly, the U.R.T.V.s lowered limply to the ground. "Albedo…" Jr. said softly before passing out, a look of undisturbed peace on his face. On the other side of the room, Albedo let out a quiet and not (!) insane laugh.
"Thank you…Rubedo…"
And with that, Albedo let his white-haired head fall to the floor.
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The gray-haired man peered into the glass tube, watching as the young girl slightly stirred. Her bright pink hair stood out sharply against the green liquid surrounding her.
"If you do many good deeds, with the help of your own angel…" he said. "And the release of the data, of course…" he added softly, "you can become a real girl."
Smiling softly, he rested his forehead on the cold glass. "Once you're born, I'll have everything…" he said. "My Momo…my beautiful Momo…"
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The lift to the Dammerung's bridge slowly rose, causing Mary, Momo, Shelley, and Shion to almost give themselves whiplash looking. They groaned when they saw that it wasn't Jr.
"What's wrong?" chaos asked.
"We thought you would be the Little Master," Shelley replied.
"Well, I could walk on my knees if it would make you feel better," chaos said smugly, stirring a laugh from the Godwin sisters.
As they nervously watched the space-time anomaly disappear, Momo squeaked frightfully, "Do you think Jr. is okay?"
"He'll be fine," Shion softly reassured her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. As the gentle whirr of the lift sounded again, they all turned their heads quickly. Watching anxiously as it rose, they let out sighs of frustration when it revealed Gaignun and Allen, the younger holding a small shopping bag.
"Shit!" Allen said, quickly hiding the package behind his back. "They weren't supposed to be here!" he whispered harshly to Gaignun.
"What's going on?" Mary asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of this," Gaignun reassured Allen in a whisper, snatching the bag from him. "Hello ladies, plus chaos. What's going on?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Jr. went to the space-time anomaly to stop Albedo," chaos informed him.
"Hm…well then, I'd better call Helmer, shouldn't I? I'll be right back," Gaignun said before turning on his heel and going back down the lift, winking at Allen as it descended.
"Do you think he'll be alright?" Allen asked Shion in a whisper, as to not worry Momo, walking over to the woman.
"I hope so…" she replied. "Did you have a nice rest?" she asked him, squeezing Momo reassuringly before gently letting go of her and looping them around Allen's neck. He narrowed his eyes at her, confused.
"Rest…? Oh! Right, rest! Yeah, I did," Allen said quickly, a bit too quickly. Hoping to stall Shion's reaction, he quickly leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Momo suddenly stumbled backwards, wide-eyed.
"Momo, are you okay?" Shelley asked concernedly. The young Realian shook her head, clutching her chest.
"Oh, now look! The poor thing's worried herself sick!" Mary exclaimed sympathetically, rushing to her side and gently rubbing her back.
"No, i-it's not that…" Momo said weakly, closing her big, frightened eyes. "I…I feel…"
Everyone gasped loudly as Momo's body was engulfed in a bright white light. The other 100-series on the bridge watched in awe and probably jealousy as her form changed significantly. She grew taller, at least an inch more than Shion, with perfectly pouted lips. Her soft pink hair lengthened to a bit past her shoulders as her hips widened, giving her an amazing set of curves. Mary let out an odd noise of surprise as her new chest popped out.
"Wow…" Shelley gasped as the light around Momo died out, revealing a tall, slender woman. Her sailor suit-like thingy had grown to fit her new body, her beautiful eyes narrowed to the size of Shion's. Awestruck, she studied herself. Shion strode quickly over to Momo, looking her from head to toe.
"Oh no…" Shion muttered.
"What's wrong?" Allen asked urgently.
"She's…she's taller than me now!" Shion squealed excitedly, enveloping the not-so-little-anymore Realian in a huge hug, taking her completely by surprise.
"Holy newly-acquired breasteses, Batman! Are those real?" Mary exclaimed as Shion let go of Momo, poking one of them. Momo blushed and quickly covered her new busts.
"My sensors are not reading Momo as a Realian anymore," KOS-MOS stated. "Instead, the readings are very similar to those of a normal human."
"How did this happen?" Shelley asked, standing from her navigator chair and walking over to the new Momo.
"Teenage hormones?" suggested Allen, shrugging.
"No."
Everyone turned their heads sharply to look at Shion, whose eyes were burning a fierce green, as chaos clasped a hand to his chest. "This…this was caused by the release of the Y-DATA…" Shion declared confidently. "Joachim Mizrahi designed her this way."
"How do you know?" Mary asked, narrowing her eyes disbelievingly.
"I know many things," Shion replied as her eyes returned to normal.
"He did always say that I could become a normal human," Momo said in a mature, sexy voice. "Perhaps this is what he meant."
"Well, she is technically twenty-six," Shion said pensively, looking up at the ceiling in thought. "Think about it. Juli and Joachim must have found out about Sakura's disorder soon after the time when she was born. That was when Joachim probably started secretly creating Momo."
"She's right, you know," Gaignun said as he came up the lift. "That was twenty-six years ago."
"Hey Gaignun," Momo said, smiling at the U.R.T.V.
"Well, hello Momo…" Gaignun said in a savvy voice, kissing her hand and causing her to blush.
"Master Gaignun, you know, the Little Master wouldn't like you doing that," Shelley giggled. Mary let out a loud snort.
"Speaking of chibi-sama, what is he going to do when he sees Momo!" Mary asked, laughing hysterically.
"I think I should go out there and help him," chaos said, shooting the pocket of U-DO in space a wary glance. "Do you mind if I use the E.S. Zebulun?" he asked Momo.
"No, I don't mind," Momo said worriedly. "Just bring Jr. back."
chaos gave her a comforting nod before heading towards the lift. Of course, I'll need the help of my brother as well…I'll have quite a lot to lug back…
I'm already on my way, Yeshua. Wilhelm's voice echoed in his head.
"Watch yourself out there," Allen warned him. chaos looked over his shoulder and smirked smugly at him.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine."
And with that, the teen disappeared under the bridge's floor as the lift slowly fell…
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His blue eyes slowly opened, feeling a throbbing pain in his forehead. It didn't bother him much…he was used to pain by now. Watching shapes swim in front of her eyes, he slowly sat up in the darkness, feeling woozy and disoriented.
"Go back to sleep."
Jr. squinted, feeling a person's presence over him. Struggling to see further, he saw the luminous eyes and shiny hair of the boy…
"What are you doing here?" he asked groggily. For some reason, he felt so different…
"That doesn't matter," the boy said. "You need to rest."
"But I can't rest," Jr. croaked. "I have to get back."
"Help is on the way…" the boy stated. "Besides, you'll have a surprise when you get back. Let's just say it's a little gift from that madman…"
Before Jr. could react, a feeling of sudden drowsiness and relaxation came over him. He let out a big yawn and stretched as the boy softly and sweetly sang, "Cam ya aliye, cam ya seila ye…cam ya nali ye, questa vita..."
Jr. tilted his head backwards and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. Hr had never heard such beautiful singing before in his life. The teen's voice filled his ears, gently lulling him into a deep sleep…
"La si ta mina…esqueda, ill toggio…"
The U.R.T.V. let out a small moan as he succumbed to the tiredness that took over his entire body and soul…
chaos and Wilhelm stood about a dozen feet away, mesmerized. Awe filled their glowing eyes as the boy straightened and turned to face them. He politely bowed his head in recognition.
"You…" Wilhelm finally spoke softly after a few seconds of silence.
"Y-You can manifest yourself in places other than their minds now," chaos stammered. "That's amazing…"
"Of course I can," the boy stated matter-of-factly. "What do you think I am? Human?"
"Nonsense," Wilhelm said. "You're just as human as anyone."
"Depends on your definition of human…" the boy mused, looking upwards.
After another few moments of silence, chaos asked, "Are…are you going to let them know yet?"
"Probably not for a while," he replied. "I want to give them as much time to rest as possible." He turned to face Wilhelm. "Wilhelm…do you think you could help me out and give them a break?"
"Of course," the claret-eyed man replied. "I was planning on it anyways."
The green-eyed boy's shoulders shook with quiet laughter. Looking at chaos and Wilhelm, he sarcastically asked, "Do you think they'll be surprised?"
"Of course," chaos laughed.
"I assume there will be as least a bit of passing out," Wilhelm muttered smugly.
Yet another uncomfortable silence ensued. "You know, he wasn't really asleep," Mystery Boy told them.
"Yes…we know," Wilhelm said, smiling brightly.
Suddenly, the boy growled angrily. "It isn't my will to stay here like this," he said, turning his head downwards.
"Things must happen naturally," chaos told him firmly, looking further into his face. His beautiful green eyes shone with amazing luminosity, brown hair falling neatly to just before them. He was small; with a slender build…he looked just like…
"How do you feel?" Wilhelm asked the boy, breaking chaos's train of thought. He let out a sigh and crossed his arms in front of his chest, shifting his weight to his right foot.
"I feel helpless," he answered honestly after a second. "I want to be able to make a difference. But where I am now, I can't do anything."
"Don't worry…you won't feel like this for long," the blue-eyed teen reassured him. Mystery Boy flashed them a half-smile.
"Fate will do whatever it chooses to…" he said enigmatically. "After all, we're just dancers on the devil's dance floor."
He slowly turned his back to them, his eyes glowing brightly. "I suppose I'll be seeing you soon, then," he said, a large smile crawling across his face. "I can't wait."
And with that, Mystery Boy disappeared in a flash of green light.
"Can you already see the similarities in personality?" chaos asked his brother, smirking.
"Yes…so stubborn," the man said, laughing softly. "And the resemblance…those eyes…"
chaos nodded, snickering. Looking down at the U.R.T.V.s, he asked, "What about these two?"
"I suppose we should take them back," Wilhelm responded.
"Finally. They'll be able to find peace," a feminine voice sounded from behind them. Whirling around, Nephilim's bright blue eyes met their gaze.
"Yes. But…this is not the end," chaos said vaguely. Wilhelm nodded, letting out a sigh.
"No. This is just the beginning," Nephilim agreed. "A tiny ripple has just been born in the world that surrounds them. One day, that ripple will glow into a large wave, and it will swallow even them."
"You're speaking of the Promised Child, correct?" the Vector CEO asked.
"Yes. And that's why I want them to rest…all of them. Even if their rest is but a short one," Nephilim answered pensively, looking up at the brothers.
"Indeed. They will need it," chaos added.
"You should get them help," Nephilim suggested, gesturing towards the U.R.T.V.s. "I bid you boys farewell…" she said before disappearing into thin air. chaos and Wilhelm looked at each other, then at the unconscious Jr. and Albedo. Without saying another word, chaos went to Jr. and Wilhelm to the other. The red-eyed man grunted loudly as he hoisted Albedo onto his back.
"You're the lucky one, Yeshua," he said, staggering under his weight.
"I guess I am," chaos said, gently cradling Jr. in his arms. "Luckily the effects won't come on for a little while.
After advancing farther out of the area, Wilhelm offered, "Do you need me to take an E.S. back? I see that you have two here."
"Yes, please," chaos said, carefully lifting Jr. into the Asher's cockpit. Wilhelm did the same to Albedo in the Zebulun. Once the brothers themselves boarded the mechs, they took off for the Durandal, watching the rapidly disappearing space-time anomaly disappear behind them…
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A little while later, chaos sat in a chair outside of the Durandal's medical bay, twiddling his thumbs nervously. A skimpily-clad brunette nurse (Gaignun must have had some say in their outfits) stuck her head out the door and whispered to him, "Um, the Little Master is waking up…but he's…"
chaos quickly got up and barreled past the nurse, almost taking her out in the process. He rushed over to Jr.'s bed and put a hand on his forehead.
He carefully opened his eyes, the harsh light making him squeeze them shut once again. His head throbbed with intense pain as he said in a raspy voice, "Someone…water…painkillers…" Wow, all that screaming must have taken a toll on my throat… he thought to himself, savoring the feel of the soft bed and pillow beneath him.
"Here you go," a soft voice from above him said. From behind his eyelids he could see that the bright light was turned off, so he cautiously opened his eyes. After his blurry vision focused, he saw the white-haired teen looking down at him and holding a glass of water and two orange pills.
"Ah, thanks man," Jr. said, propping himself up on one elbow and quickly washing the capsules down with water. Narrowing his eyes, he confusedly said, "How come my body feels all weird?"
"You've never used it before…" chaos explained, handing Jr. a small mirror.
"What's thi- Holy Christ," Jr. said in that raspy voice, gaping at his reflection. His face had completely transformed, as if he was a butterfly who had just been in a cocoon. Wait, why in the hell am I comparing Jr. to a butterfly? Wow. Anyways…his chin was handsome and defined, and his mature sapphire eyes glinted attractively in the soft light, obscured by hair that fell to his forehead. He tossed his head to the side, watching happily as his blood red locks swept over his left eye. Grinning from ear to ear, he shot up excitedly, apparently feeling a lot better.
Squealing as he actually looked down at chaos from a healthy six foot one (just like Gaignun and Albedo) he yelled, "Great leaping salamanders of flame! I'm smexy! POUR QUOI?"
"Yep," chaos replied, laughing at his reaction. "By giving you his power, Albedo stimulated your cell growth. We're just lucky that your medical gown grew with you," he explained, smugly smiling. Jr.'s gaze suddenly fell as he sat back down on the bed, letting out a sigh of defeat and grief as he remembered why he was here in the first place.
"He…he didn't make it, did he?" the now adult U.R.T.V. asked in regards to his younger brother, tracing a circle on the white tile floor with a white socked foot…everything seemed to be white, reminding him of the one he used to share everything with…
"Think again," chaos told him, his lips curling upwards into a small smile.
The sound of a quiet moan from beyond the teen caused Jr. to shove chaos out of the way, almost knocking him over. "Albedo!" Jr. gasped, seeing his twin partly unconscious on the bed. An IV tube ran into his wrist, and the nurses hovered over him, running various tests on his body.
"Where am I?" the man asked, voice cracking. The Not-So-Little Master quickly got to his feet and basically jumped to his brother's side.
"You're on the Durandal, Albedo," Jr. informed him, taking his hand.
"Rubedo? Is…is that you?"
"Yes, Albedo…I'm here now. Everything's going to be okay. I won't leave you behind."
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As if waiting for winter break (Like me) a few painstaking minutes seemed to drag on like hours for Jr. A younger nurse finally approached him and said, "We've given him a slight stimulant to wake him up. He should be just fine!"
"Thank you so much," Jr. replied gratefully. Albedo sat in the bed, propped up by pillows, scanning the room with purple irises. "How do you feel?" Jr. asked him, crouching by Albedo's bed. That was especially awkward since his med gown was backless, causing the nurses to cry out in surprise and blush.
"Well, I'm feeling okay," Albedo responded, his voice lacking the insanity it had once had. "But…you may want to watch your back. You're giving those lovely ladies quite a show," he informed Jr., pointing at the giggling nurses.
"Huh?" Jr. looked over his shoulder. Noticing his behind, he exclaimed, "Jesus Christ Unguarded Buttcheeks!" and shielded his buttocks with both hands, his face turning the color of his hair. Albedo brought a hand to his forehead and let out a charming (and still not insane) laugh.
"Wow, Rubedo…" he muttered, shaking his head. "You look much more intimidating now that you're in that body…thanks to me, of course."
"Jr.," the older variant corrected him. "Call me Jr. from now on."
In response to Albedo's silence and confused look, Jr. cleared his throat. "Okay, let me explain this…since I was stuck in my adolescent body, I posed as Gaignun Kukai's, who is Nigredo, adopted son. I went under the name Gaignun Kukai Jr." The man took a deep breath and continued, his voice getting higher and higher and face turning blue with every word. "We started the Kukai Foundation and built the Durandal, where we're currently transporting twelve Zohar emulators, along with the 100-series prototype you may remember as 'ma peche', a cyborg, an android, a book-crazy leprechaun samurai, some mystery boy-teen-cat thing, a couple preoccupied by each other's naughty bits, and a partridge in a pear tree!"
Why did Jr. think chaos was a cat? The world may never know.
As Jr. fell the floor with a thud and gasped desperately for air, Albedo stared him with an eyebrow arched and a mouth hanging halfway open. "This'll all be easier once I introduce you to them," Jr. panted, being sure to keep his cheeks covered.
"I surely hope so," Albedo replied. Jr. grinned as he stood.
"Er, thank you, Gaignun Jr.,' one of the nurses said, the blush fading from her cheeks. "You two are free to go anytime," she told them, pressing a few buttons on her connection gear.
"All right!" Jr. exclaimed in his new deep, sexy voice, glancing at the door. "Well, chaos went up to the bridge to tell everyone that I'm okay…we should go shopping for new clothes!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together.
"Sounds good to me," Albedo agreed, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. "But…can we get another gown to wear on the back?"
"Of course," a middle-aged nurse with a soft voice giggled, handing them each a second gown. They looked at each other sheepishly and tied them around their backs. After sliding on their shoes (which was extremely hard for Jr. since his feet had grown nearly five sizes) they walked, or in Jr.'s case, limped, to the door. Suddenly, Jr. recalled something that kid told him.
"Besides, you'll have a surprise when you get back. Let's just say it's a little gift from that madman…"
I wonder what my surprise is…Jr. wondered as he pointed out the way to Albedo. It's probably socks. I always get socks.
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About thirty long, long minutes later, everyone who had previously been on the bridge plus chaos stood in almost the exact same spots they had been before. Ever notice how they just stand in the same place all the time? Er, anyways…
"chaos, what is it you wanted us to see?" Momo asked fervently. "I need to know!"
"I think we're all getting impatient," Shion said, smiling at how mature Momo looked now. She still had a lot to learn about being an adult, though…hopefully Jr. wouldn't be the one to teach her. That would make for one creepy Momo.
"Relax, you'll find out eventually!" chaos exclaimed vaguely, folding his arms in front of his chest. The lift's gentle whirr caused them all once again to turn their heads, probably causing severe neck damage and need for a chiropractor.
"We're becoming very dependent on that sound, aren't we?" Allen asked sarcastically.
"Guess who's back like a heart attack," the tall passenger in a raspy voice before stepping out of the black shadows. As if hit on the head by an anvil, the entire group stumbled forwards, their jaws hanging open. New beige boots clicked softly on the floor as he walked closer to them. His red hair was combed neatly over his left eye, hiding the aqua color completely. A new blue and white turtleneck showed off his robust chest and slender stomach, covered by a short, sleeveless leather vest. Feeling like a major badass, he had popped up the collar. Black denim pants were held up by a brown belt adorned with a silver buckle. Last, but not least, his trusty Makarovs were worn by a holder on the seat of his pants. Hehe, he had his guns on his buns. Hey, that rhymed!
"Jr.!" Momo exclaimed. "Wait, you're Jr., right?"
"Y-You're Momo?" he shrieked, bewildered, wondering how that incredibly attractive woman before him could have been that innocent twelve year old Realian.
Momo blushed as Jr.'s mouth opened and he basically began to drool. "Yeah…it's really her," chaos said, chuckling. Momo smirked and ran over to him, diving into his arms. He lost his balance and turned around twice at the force of her glomp, even though she was only five foot five. The woman gently rested her head on his chest when he finally stopped moving. In turn, he rested his hands on her hips, drawing her closer. All of the 100-series on the bridge looked down at their terminals, disappointed.
"I'm so glad…" she whispered. "I'm so glad you're okay…"
"Yeah…didn't I promise?" he asked softly. Her scent was intoxicating, and he felt drunk from her closeness…this all seemed so new to him…
"They look kind of like us," Allen whispered to the Vector chief, smirking. Shion's cheeks flared up with red color as she grinned and kissed him.
"Wow, Jr., you certainly do clean up," Gaignun said as he studied his brother's new form. "I'd better keep my eye on Mary and Shelley, I don't want them to be with you." Jr. blushed and grinned widely.
chaos cleared his throat at Jr. "Oh! Hehe, I get it…I guess I owe my life to this guy," Jr. explained, pointing at chaos, who then gave everyone a wave and proceeded down the lift. "And I owe my new body to…" The lift rose again, revealing a man the same height as Jr., white hair shining in the bridge's bright light, purple eyes shining dazzlingly…
"Albedo!"
The entire bridge seemed to gasp as Allen stepped protectively in front of Shion. Momo stumbled backwards, amber eyes wide with fright. "Hello, Clarice," Albedo muttered, his voice as cool as ice. He wore a black suit very similar to Gaignun's, only the complicated design on the collar was light lavender. He had also gotten a haircut so that his pasty locks were a tame length.
"You know, he didn't really say that," Jr. contemplated. "The actual line was 'Good evening, Clarice.' Very commonly misquoted."
"Whatever," Albedo said, shrugging him off.
"What do you want?" Mary asked, face burning with fury.
"Hey, hey, geez!" Albedo said innocently, putting up his hands. "Don't shoot me! I'm not evil anymore!"
"Are you sure?" Mary asked in disbelief, her upper lip curling.
"Trust him."
Once again, everyone looked at Shion to see that her eyes were glowing. "He won't go back to his aggressive ways. Good will has gotten to him," she said, walking over to him. Offering him her hand, she introduced herself, "My name's Shion. Nice to meet you."
"Right back atcha! Except for the fact that my name's Albedo, but I'm sure you already knew that," Albedo said, shaking her outstretched hand energetically as her eyes lost their glow.
"Well, I'll be damned! He is sane!" Mary exclaimed, her blaring accent almost deafening everyone.
"You'll get used to that," Jr. whispered to Albedo, who was covering his ears with a look of pain on his face. The white-haired U.R.T.V. walked over to KOS-MOS, tilting his head to the side.
"Cool, an android!" Albedo exclaimed. "I like her hair."
"If you revert back to your former ways, there is a 100 percent change that I will disembowel you with my bare hands," KOS-MOS stated flatly.
"She really know how to get right down to the point as well," he said, grinning and stepping backwards.
Gaignun made his way to his estranged brother, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Albedo…we missed you. Where were you all these years?"
"Well, Gaignun…" Albedo began, winking at Jr. "In West Philadelphia, born and raised, on a playground is where I spent most of my days. Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool and shootin' some b-ball outside of the school-"
"Isn't he great?" Jr. asked loudly, smacking hard on the back, causing the younger man to inhale sharply.
"Well, they are twins…" Shion murmured under her breath, elbowing Allen in the ribs as Albedo strode towards them.
Narrowing his eyes in thought and pointing at Allen's still slightly bruised eye, he asked, "I did that, didn't I?"
"Yeah," Allen replied, shrugging. "But I got you in the jaw first."
"Oh. Well I guess that makes us even!" Albedo proclaimed happily, beaming and shaking the Vector employee's hand. "Ah, and is this ma peche I see?" Albedo asked, looking Momo. In response to her terrified look, he quickly added, "And I use that name as an endearing term now, not in a creepy sense. My, you've grown so beautiful…"
As Albedo moved closer to Momo, Jr. became very flustered. An unexplained rage welled up in his chest as feelings of jealousy coursed through his mind. "Back off!" he growled at Albedo, moving in between him and Momo.
"Ooh, touchy!" Albedo muttered, backing away slowly. Jr. gradually calmed down as Momo gently rubbed his back.
"Sorry, man…" Jr. apologized sincerely, panting. "Don't know what came over me." Albedo snickered at the two of them before turning around to face the Godwin sisters and saluted them, flashing them a charming smile. His looks were so handsome and his eyes were such a pretty color…
Damn, Shelley, he's adorable…Mary told Shelley over their mental link, smiling back at Albedo. You know what? You can have Master Gaignun! I'll take Albedo!
"No way! No way, Mary! He's mine!" Shelley yelled out loud, standing up from her seat. Suddenly she gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth as everyone stared at her, eyebrows arched in confusion and surprise. Gaignun looked as if he had just lost his best friend, or at least one of his bed buddies…well, at least he still had Mary, Brick 122, and NeoChick.
Dead silence.
"D-did I just say that out loud?" Shelley asked in a squeaky, mortified voice, lavender eyes wide. Everyone nodded still in shock, and Shelley slowly sank back into her chair and whacked her head against the commander's terminal over and over, muttering, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
"You know, you can have him now," Mary told Shelley sympathetically, putting a hand on her shoulder. Shelley let out a muffled grunt of frustration before resuming her head pounding.
"Well…" Jr. said in a high-pitched voice. "Let's never speak of this again…"
"Agreed," everyone replied.
"Mary! We have a Zohar confirmed at point 3-E. Referencing the coordinator with the simulator…" a 100-series suddenly stated, hitting a few buttons on her terminal. "There's a 93 percent chance that it's the original that was on Miltia!"
As KOS-MOS backed up the Realian's statement, Mary squealed with glee and clapped her hands. Everyone rushed closer to the view windows, seeing that there was indeed a Zohar floating in space where the space-time anomaly was, blue jewel glinting eerily in the black space…
"Nice work! Alert Isolation team 1!" Mary commanded. "Give it everything we're got!" A rumble beneath the floor indicated that the door to the isolation area had opened and the original Zohar was theirs. The 100-series Realians and Mary cheered loudly and gave each other high-fives as Gaignun smirked contentedly. Jr. let out a loud whoop, took Momo energetically into her arms, and kissed her on the cheek. As he let go, they both blushed profusely. Shelley was still hiding her face, embarrassed to the point of putting one of Jr.'s Makarovs to her head.
Once everyone calmed down, an awkward silence followed. Albedo coughed as Jr. rocked back and forth from heel to toe, grinning insanely.
"Hehehe, Shelley!"
"Shut up!"
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The Dammerung floated serenely in the space not far from the Durandal. Wilhelm sat alone in his office (he had let the Testaments go early) staring into the Compass of Order. It rotated on its axis at a fast, but steady pace. Inside of the green crystal, he could see the Mystery Boy serenading Jr. just about an hour earlier.
Wilhelm tilted his head backwards and closed his eyes. He let out a sigh, closed his eyes, and sang, "Word of justice, alleluia…come to dwell here, Maranatha…"
"Word of wisdom, alleluia…live within us, Maranatha…"
"Word of power, alleluia…"
"Live among us, Maranatha…" chaos continued his song, stepping through the office door. Wilhelm smirked at his brother.
"Yeshua," the Vector CEO nodded.
"Still can't surprise you?" chaos asked, giving him a half-smile.
"Not yet."
After a few moments of meaningful silence, Wilhelm queried, "Did you hear his voice, Yeshua? Wasn't it beautiful?"
"Yes. Yes it was," chaos agreed, thinking about the boy. His awesome green eyes seemed etched into his mind as an everlasting image. "But for now, he exists only in our memory…"
"Well, not exactly," Wilhelm pointed out enigmatically, raising both eyebrows. "Still, I can't wait…until he enters the stage."
The brothers looked out of the pyramid-shaped glass, gazing into the vast field of stars that surrounded them, swallowing up everyone who could see them. Voices blending together in perfect harmony, they sang:
"Word of freedom, alleluia…save your people, Maranatha…"
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A/N: Holy crap, that took a really long time! Well, I hope I made Junya and Momo's transition smooth. And if after this chapter you still don't know who Mustardy- er, Mystery Boy is, I'm proud of you. –Grin- Oh! And you can check my user page for a drawing of older Jr.
Neo: God, I am going to just pull a bullet-time and shoot her!
No you wouldn't!
Oh, and for those of you who aren't exactly religious buffs…the word "Maranatha" means either "the Lord is coming soon" or "Oh, Lord, come soon". Yeah, I'm on an Advent kick.
And a very happy Christmahanukwanzaakuh to all!