Woot, now to start chapter 17! This chapter is hella mushy, on almost every pairing that will be in this series. This was also inspired completely by the song "Zion" by Fluke. And you all know what happens to this song in The Matrix Reloaded…hehe!
Neo: I sure do.
Do what I paid you to. Well, do the SECOND thing I paid you to do. –Sweatdrop-
Neo: -Sigh- KOS-MOS rox does not own anything mentioned in this chapter. But I patented the firearm-under-the-trenchcoat look. –Whips open his coat to reveal a whole ton of automatic weapons-
Hey, Neo! Why don't you whip open your fly and show all of them the real automatic weapon? –Twisted grin-
Neo: …I can't work with this. I'll be in my trailer. –Walks off-
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Xenosaga Episode II: Die Kraft der Liebe
Chapter 17: The Power of Love
Jr. strolled through the hallways of the Kukai Foundation Administrative Building, where he and Gaignun lived, humming a merry tune. He grinned and nodded towards a few people he passed. "Was that the Little Master?" one older woman asked a middle-aged man beside her.
"I think it was," he replied.
"Oh my, he certainly did shoot up!" the elderly woman chortled. "Such a handsome young man! We should start calling him 'Master Jr.' now!"
Jr. snickered at them as he quickened his pace to a brisk jog, hauling ass towards the residential room that they had let Momo stay in. The building was huge…Jr. only hoped that he wouldn't get lost as he did so many, many times before.
He finally reached room 214 a few lengths later. Jr. checked his breath and fixed her hair before pressing the button on the intercom beside the door. Inside of the room, Momo quickly put down the magazine she had been reading and walked to the door. "Who is it?" she asked into the intercom.
"Ron Burgundy! No, seriously, who do you think?" he replied in jest. Momo smiled and rolled her eyes, then opened the door. Jr.'s jaw almost dropped when he saw how she looked.
She stood before him with straight posture, chin raised ever so slightly – not arrogant, but strong. She had obviously gotten a haircut, for her soft pink hair was angled, framing her face. She wore the popular "anchorwoman" hairstyle: lushly feathered and curled outwards at the ends. A few wispy bangs, much like Shion's, fell to her eyeliner-traced orbs. Her clothes were simple, yet brilliant, wearing a short jacket and blue shirt with black pants. She looked just perfect enough to make her the sexiest living thing that Jr. had ever seen, not counting trees of course.
"Uh, Jr., you're drooling…" she said with a nervous laugh. Jr. gasped and wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, blushing so profusely that it made his hair look like a dull copper.
"Y-You look great," he stammered, gulping. Now he knew why Allen always acted like such a dork earlier. He silently apologized to the Vector employee.
"We're going to the Durandal to see Ziggy and Juli, right?" Momo asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Y-yeah, that's what I was planning on," Jr. replied. "Then the two of us are heading to Second Miltia to watch those fireworks with most of the crew."
"Ah, cool," Momo said. Suddenly, she noticed the amazing aroma of Axe Essence wafting from Jr. "You smell good," she whispered, moving closer to him and deeply inhaling the scent.
"Thanks, I try," Jr. grinned. "I should listen to Shion more often..." he said. "Wait, no I shouldn't, she would constantly be telling me how adorable Allen is." Both laughed at Jr.'s little joke. The redhead's heart fluttered when he saw Momo's perfect smile.
"Jr.? Jr., can you hear me?" The woman waved her hand in front of the U.R.T.V.'s face, giggling as he snapped back to reality with a snort. "You know, we'd better get going."
"Yeah, we should," Jr. agreed. "Race you to the Dock!" he exclaimed, taking off towards the large front door.
"Jr.! Wait!" Momo gasped before running off behind him.
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Jr. leaped onto one of the shuttles, almost taking out a middle-aged woman in the process. "Whoops! My bad, ma'am!" he apologized, putting on his best innocent smile. He closed his eyes and scratched at his scarlet locks nervously.
"Oh, it's quite alright, Little Master," the random NPC replied. "My goodness, you've grown so much!" she blurted as she noticed his new appearance.
"Ah, well, you know…" Jr. blushed. "Eat your vegetables."
The woman smiled and waved at Jr. before taking her seat towards the front of the shuttle. Suddenly, Jr. lurched forwards as something ran into him from behind. He quickly turned to see Momo standing behind him, red-faced, huffing and puffing, brow knit.
"Jr.!" she said angrily, pushing him backwards onto a seat and sitting next to him. "Don't you ever take off with out me like that again!"
"Sorry," he said in a sappy voice, placing both hands on her shoulders. His eyes widened as he remembered a carefree day in Sakura's subconscious fourteen years ago…
"Come on, guys! She'll never find us here!" Rubedo exclaimed excitedly, diving behind a tree. Albedo ran up the dirt path and fell to the ground beside him, laughing happily.
"Are you guys sire we should be doing this?" Nigredo asked in his cool voice as he jogged into their small hiding spot. "It isn't exactly courteous."
"Dah, shut your pie-hole," Albedo hushed him. They all waited with bated breath for Sakura to find them.
"Rubedo!"
All three boys jumped at the shrill sound of her angry voice. The eldest gulped and scrambled to his feet as the other two timidly drew circles in the dirt with the toes of their boots. "Don't you three ever run off without me again!" she fumed, her face the color of a tomato.
"Look, I'm sorry," the redhead said sincerely, scratching his ear. "We were just fooling around."
"Aw, it's okay," Sakura replied. Albedo and Nigredo snickered quietly from their sitting positions.
"Jr.? Are you okay?" Momo asked, breaking him from his reverie once again. "You're spacing out a lot today."
"Eh, it's nothing," Jr. replied quickly. "Just remembering something."
The shuttle took off with a lurch, and unfortunately, Jr. wasn't ready. His head bashed against the hard wall. "Ow!" he hissed. "Damn, my noggin's been taking a lot of abuse today…"
"Is your head okay?" Momo asked concernedly, running her hands through his hair to make sure he wasn't bleeding, for the color would hide the blood.
"I'm fine." Jr. almost groaned as Momo stroked his hair. That felt damn good…
"Nice rack."
Jr. grunted and glared across the way, seeing two teenagers staring at Momo. 'Damn bastards!' he screamed mentally as they continued to burn a hole in her clothes with their eyes. Jr. decided to take it upon himself and wrap both arms around Momo, nuzzling and kissing her neck.
"Uhhnn…Jr.," she half-moaned. "What the hell?"
"Protecting you," he murmured into her ear.
"Damn, she's taken," the second punk said.
"But ain't that the Little Master? Isn't he, like, twelve?" the other interjected, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah. Goddamn little pimp."
"But dude, he got tall."
Jr. released Momo and drummed on his knees. "This is awkward…" he sang in a high-pitched voice.
"Uhh…" the woman stuttered, trying desperately to think of something to change the subject. "Do you think they'll be surprised?"
"Hells yeah," Jr. replied, stretching his arms. "I'll bet that Zig'll have a heart attack and tell me to never touch you or he'll murder me in my sleep."
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"There, that should do it," a feminine voice panted, exhausted from physical exertion.
"Thank you. That's…the best work my body has had in years," a deep male voice followed.
"Not a problem. Consider it…a gift. For all the help you've given me," the woman said.
Ziggy sighed as he sat in his maintenance chair. Juli wiped some sweat from her brow as she put the finishing touches on his new left arm. You were probably thinking exactly what I wanted you to, though. Mwahahaha!
"They're late…" Ziggy muttered, closing his eyes and sighing.
"Don't worry," Juli said reassuringly, pulling up a chair beside him. "Besides, I'm a bit…relieved that we're able to have this time together. There's something I've wanted to talk to you about."
"What is it?" the cyborg asked, turning his head to face her. Her deep green eyes were tantalizing, and as he looked into them, the same feeling he had felt inside of the Omega System swelled up inside of him.
"A few days ago, you told me to pretend that I had two daughters," she said, searching his blue eyes with hers. "That was beautiful advice. A pessimist like me would love to learn how to think like that."
"That isn't all," said Ziggy, sensing an ulterior motive in her speech. Juli let out a soft laugh.
"I guess you could see right through the mask," she smiled. "What I'd really like to bring up again is…the matter of life extension on your organic parts."
"Yes, go on."
"Well…I'd really like you to consider it," she implored. "Not just for Momo, but for me as well. Jan Sauer, I can learn so much from you. I want to learn…everything…"
Juli's eyelids grew heavy and her lips parted slightly as she moved closer to Ziggy. He felt his heart rate increase and heat rise to his face as his eyes fell closed as well. Soon, they were close enough that Ziggy could feel Juli's warm, moist breath on his lips. Just when he thought he felt her lips brush past his…
Swoosh, THUD!
"Owww! I forgot how faulty the doors on the Durandal are!"
The two of them quickly moved apart, blushing redder than an apple, if that was even possible for Ziggy. Jr. picked himself up from the ground and sauntered over to them, grinning wildly. Once Ziggy regained his bearings, he scolded Jr., "Eaves-"
"Dropping. Yeah, yeah, I know." Jr. grinned even wider. "Aw, come on! Don't tell me you didn't notice the new me!"
"Oh my, Jr.!" Juli moved over to him and studied his new body. "How?"
"Well…it's a long story. Basically, Albedo gave me his powers and it stimulated my cell growth," the redhead tried his best to explain. "We actually brought him back! He's at the Kukai Foundation and completely sane!"
"That's good to hear," Ziggy nodded. Juli narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow in thought.
"Where's Momo?" she inquired.
"Well…" Jr. sighed, arms akimbo, looking at the floor. "I think that Dr. Mizrahi here is going to scream and the old man is gonna blow a fuse, but…hey Momo, come on in!"
Momo stepped through the door, wearing a soft smile. Juli gasped loudly, bringing a hand to her mouth as Ziggy's jaw dropped. "Well? How do I look?" she asked with a smirk.
"Momo, you look amazing!" Juli yelled excitedly, embracing her.
"Yeah, everyone wants to hug me now," Momo murmured slyly.
"You look beautiful, Momo," Ziggy said with fatherly pride. Momo smiled and hugged him.
"So…I suppose that it was the Y-DATA that caused this sudden change?" Juli offered.
"Yeah. When I brought Albedo back, he released the data and BAM! Instant bombshell," Jr. said. Then he tilted his head to the side and blinked curiously. "Wow…I'm actually smart in the chapter! Wait, no I'm not, I said 'foreheadular' earlier."
"What?" Ziggy and Juli gave him a bewildered look.
"Never mind. You had to be there."
"I'm sorry our visit had to be so short, but we've gotta fly," said Momo apologetically. "Jr. and I have a few errands to run before we go and watch the fireworks on Second Miltia."
"I hope you have fun," Juli giggled. Ziggy grumbled something unintelligible before beckoning Jr. over to his chair.
"If you do anything to her," he threatened in a deep whisper, "I will break you."
Jr.'s eyes widened. "Say that again. Please!"
"I will break you," Ziggy repeated, quirking an eyebrow.
"Dude! You sound almost like that guy from Rocky 4!" Jr. screeched. "Freakin' awesome!"
Jr. and Momo ran out of the room, the man laughing hysterically. Ziggy glanced at Juli, who was smiling heartily. "Kids…" she laughed.
"Mmm hmm."
"I'd better be on my way as well," she said in a sad tone. "Goodbye, Jan."
Ziggy was about to say his goodbye, but instead, Juli leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. His mouth froze in mid-word. Juli blushed and smiled as she exited the room, leaving him behind. He brought a hand to her cheek, touching the place where she had kissed him. He felt dizzy and disoriented, yet incredibly satisfied.
What is this?
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Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered about everything? I mean, seriously trek out into the deep woods and stare at the sky. It's truly amazing. The stars can just wrap you up and make you forget everything except for that moment, wondering about their mystery. Just make sure you don't get lost on your way out of the woods. That would really, really suck. Like, a whole lot.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" chaos asked softly as he studied the vast sky. The android to his right made no movement.
"In order to better facilitate relationships with humans, I have been outfitted with knowledge of what they think is beautiful," KOS-MOS said blankly. "It is indeed."
chaos laughed and propped himself up on his elbow, turning to look at her. They were on a secluded hillside on the outskirts of the city to watch the celebration. KOS-MOS had picked this spot strategically so that they could get the best view possible. Despite the lights from the city, the sky was extraordinarily clear. "When you look up there…do you ever get the feeling that you're just a speck in this huge universe?"
"I do not understand irrational human thought," was her reply.
"Didn't see that one coming." chaos lay back down, resting his hands behind his head.
"Hey, KOS-MOS?"
"Yes?"
"Can you feel…love?" the seraphim teen asked, not bothering to move his eyes from the sky.
"Love is a human emotion," KOS-MOS told him.
"No, love is a word," he mused. "What matters is the connection that the word implies."
"Again, I do not understand irrational human thought."
chaos reached over to her and cupped her cheek with a gloved hand, gazing into her scarlet eyes. "Someday, you will. I promise."
A few moments of silence followed as chaos continues searching the sky. Sometime in the very near future, everything was going to change, and he couldn't wait. Nothing would ever be the same in their lives. And the two people who would be affected the most by this change just happened to be sitting about six meters behind him and the android.
"KOS-MOS, could you please do a scan of Shion and Allen and see what they're up to?" he requested. "I would look myself, but I wouldn't want to catch them in a bad…well, I guess in their case it would be a good moment," he laughed.
"Affirmative," KOS-MOS stated formally. "My sensors are picking up no movement. It is logical to assume that Shion is still asleep."
Just as the teen a few meters in front of him, Allen sighed deeply and gazed up at the beautiful night sky. He knew it seemed corny, but one of those stars up there must be his lucky one. He had everything he could ever want: a great life, a high-paying job, and the woman who was mad over by his side…
The lovers were lying huddled together on a blanket. Shion was snuggled against Allen's side, head resting on his shoulder, leg thrown over his. Her breaths were slow and steady, and she made small noises like an infant every so often. Allen slowly turned his head to the side to look at her. Her chest rose and fell in a steady, soothing pattern, and Allen could feel her heartbeat pressed against him. Asleep, she was the image of perfection…and awake, she was the single most stunning thing in his life.
Allen felt Shion stir against him briefly before she relaxed again. He was just glad that she could have some time to sleep now before everyone else arrived, since she got barely any the previous night. Her slender body felt warm and sweet in his arms. He relaxed on the blanket, and just as he was about to succumb to sleep as well…
"Mmm…how long have I been out?"
Allen's eyes snapped open as he turned once again to see Shion's green eyes open lazily. "About twenty minutes," Allen replied. "Don't worry…the others aren't due to get here for a little while."
"Good." Shion closed her eyes halfway, the green color glittering. Her mouth was open, lips moist, just begging to be kissed. Allen smiled warmly before happily complying. Shion was breathless, waiting as Allen shifted onto his side and drew her in closer, so that their chests were pressed together. He brushed his lips down her cheek towards her lips before pressing his own against them. After a second, he drew them back ever so slightly before claiming them in a stronger, lingering kiss. Shion almost laughed at the thought running through her mind at that moment:
He is a way better kisser than Kevin ever was!
Kevin was always too much of a forceful kisser for her. He basically attacked her lips, much unlike Allen. He was much gentler and more tender. Of course, she wasn't going to lie, there were clumsy moments...but overall, it was a better experience for her.
Their legs entwined and arms wrapped around the other's body as Shion began exploring the inside of Allen's mouth with her tongue. He groaned quietly before kissing her back just as hard and fervently. After a few moments of this fiery kiss, Allen broke away and reached just under the hemline of her shirt, stroking her soft skin. Shion moaned as flashes of heat rippled through her body. She arched her back to remove her dark jacket, sighing in relief as the crisp early September air cooled the exposed skin. The man moved over her, nuzzling and nibbling her ear. She let out a loving sigh. The thought of almost losing him still ached in her mind…she tried to make every moment last a lifetime.
Suddenly, a distant rumble of thunder sounded, bringing Allen back to his senses. Shion's body tensed immediately. Out of the corner of his eye, Allen caught sight of the sky. The clear stars were being hidden by storm clouds, and it had been threatening rain all day. "Shh…it's alright, it's only thunder," he whispered into her ear, rubbing her legs in an attempt to calm her.
"Mmm…I know. It only surprised me. Besides, after a few nights ago, I think I'm beginning to like the rain," she moaned sensuously, the corners of her mouth turning up into a sly smirk. Allen laughed nervously, becoming noticeably more flustered. Shion giggled before their lips melted together once more.
Shion couldn't believe that she was feeling so strongly about someone. She was being touched, being held, being loved…after Kevin died, she never thought she would love anyone again. But here she was, kissing a man she loved so much. It was never her intention to fall in love…he sort of tripped her. (Yes, the author is feeling very mushy right now.) She was mad over him, falling more and more in love with every passing second. He was always there for her, and he always would be. She wanted and needed him. Nothing in her life had ever felt so right. To her, future used to seem bleak and frightful, but now that he was there, it seemed bright and meaningful.
Shion moaned into his mouth just as he removed his lips. They roamed her perfect jawline, and she looped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his warm reddish-brown hair. "You're already getting sweaty," she murmured into his ear. Shion pressed her lips against his fingertips, feeling quite satisfied when she felt him twitch. He took her hand in his and kissed her wrist passionately.
"Oh yeah? So are you," he panted. Shion stifled a laugh before she began playfully kissing his neck. He tilted his head backwards and groaned deep in his throat.
Allen couldn't believe that Shion Uzuki, the woman he had loved for four years, was in his arms. After what seemed like a lifetime of unrequited love, she finally opened up to him. Everything she did was amazing a beautiful; and he wanted nothing more than to make her happy. He used to think that he was useless and his future was going nowhere, but with her…anything seemed possible.
"Uhhnn…that feels so good," Shion moaned loudly as Allen's lips traveled down her neck. She buried her head in the crook of his neck, biting her lip. He pinched a sensitive spot between his teeth, causing her to throw her head back and cry out in pure and intense pleasure. He moved away from her neck, gazing deep into her green eyes. She was panting heavily; face glinting with sweat, clutching at his shoulders. "Your shirt," she moaned. Allen allowed her to remove his black shirt, and he shivered for a moment as a chilly wind blew.
"Wait, here?" he asked, trying to catch his breath. Shion grinned mischievously and nodded, massaging his bare chest and kneading his shoulders with her slender fingers. Their lips crashed together again with a newfound fervor, tongues caressing one another. Shion moaned softly as he back to suckle on her lower lip. Allen swallowed hard and clenched his jaw as they broke the kiss and Shion squeezed the inside of his thigh. "I love you," he breathed in her ear before indulging in it once more. An electric shock shot up Shion's spine as he flicked her soft earlobe with his tongue, gently pulling on her earring with his teeth.
A/n: Do not read this next paragraph if you aren't in this for the ShionxAllen, or if you're squeamish. You've been warned…
Shion wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him hard on the mouth. No matter how hard he pressed against her, she pressed back harder. She let out a loud moan as she felt his fingertips in a particularly sensitive area of her body. He began suckling at her collarbone, working on pure adrenaline and instinct. They moved so that Allen was on his back, Shion straddling him. Allen's hands found her hips, and he held her against him, moving on pure love and instinct. A certain something pressed against Shion, causing them both to moan and shudder with pleasure. As Shion desperately held onto his shoulders, Allen involuntarily thrusted upwards. Shion almost screamed in pleasure, shuddering with desire.
"Uhnn…Allen," she moaned urgently, voice cracking, vision blurring. "I think I'm going to c-"
"Cook some burgers! Great, because I could really go for one right now. Show me the beef!"
At the sound of that ever-familiar cocky and raspy voice, Shion and Allen both jumped at least five feet in the air. Unfortunately for Allen, Shion jerked and her knee hit him right in the stomach. He coughed loudly, the wind knocked out of him.
"That was brilliant," Jr. snickered, eyeing the two scientists. "I wish I had my camera!" Momo giggled and nodded in agreement. The two of them were sitting behind Shion and Allen, grinning uncontrollably.
"God dammit!" Shion exclaimed, beating the ground with her fists. "You couldn't have gotten here at a more perfect time, could you!"
"Hehe…you two were just seconds away from the horizontal hula, weren't you?" Jr. asked, nudging Momo. "In another minute, Shion would've been saying, 'Say Allen, how about you and I go on a little encephalon dive? I'd like to test that KOS-MOS data. Will you upload your data to my hard drive? Just make sure you encrypt it... we can't have private data like that leaking out... you know? Pretty please?'" The two of them erupted into hysterical laughter again.
"Honestly, now! H-How long have you been there?" Shion stammered, blushing profusely.
"Since Allen gave you another excuse to wear a turtleneck," he shrugged, sneering mischievously and pointing at his own neck. Shion traced the side of her neck with two fingers, groaning when they ran over a small bump.
"Urgh, Jin's going to have a heart attack, and then kill me…" she muttered, sighing in exasperation.
"We figured that you would notice us here eventually," Momo explained, the laughter temporarily subsiding. "But when things started to get, uh….really desperate, we had to intervene. We're sorry!"
"Eh, it's not a big thing," Allen chimed in, finally able to breathe again.
"There's always later," Shion sighed. Suddenly, a sexy smile crawled across her face as she looked at Allen. "Besides…I know where Jin keeps the whipped cream." Allen laughed nervously again, blushing furiously. Jr. grimaced, covering his eyes with his hands.
"Ahhh, bad mental image!" he cried in fake anguish. "Quick, someone whack it out of me!" Shion growled angrily and clambered off of Allen, moving over to Jr. and smacking him upside the head. "Ow! I didn't mean that literally!"
Shion, still blushing, put her jacket back on and sat a bit in front of Momo. She yawned loudly, stretching. "Hm," Allen grunted, putting his shirt back on. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm having a small situation that I must walk off," he announced, getting to his feet and awkwardly walking off.
"Yeah, I'll bet that it's small," Jr. called after him nonchalantly. Shion turned to look at him, blinking.
"No, it's really not," she informed him, a wide smile breaking its way across her face. Momo giggled as Jr. rolled his eyes.
"So, what have you two been up to all day?" Shion asked Momo, tilting her head to the side.
"We had a lot of fun," Momo replied with a bright smile.
"In less than five hours, I've taught her everything there is to know about being twenty-six," Jr. beamed, putting his arm around her proudly. Shion's jaw dropped and her eyes widened, apparently taking his statement the wrong way. Noticing her expression, he stammered, "N-no, not like that! Not everything! She already knew about that!" Both he and Momo blushed furiously.
"What's going on?" Allen asked as he returned, confusedly studying their faces.
"Jr. showed her everything about being twenty-six," Shion replied in a ghastly tone. Allen turned and stared at them as well, eyes the size of saucers.
"Rrgh!" Jr. growled, thrashing violently and hitting the ground in frustration. "Pour quoi, it figures that you two would take it that way!"
"Well…" Shion grinned as she finally saw her chance for revenge. "I'm sure if you did show her that, it'd take a hell of a lot less than twelve hours. Probably only twelve seconds."
"Ooh, she told you," Allen laughed, sitting down next to Shion and putting an arm around her.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," the U.R.T.V. said sarcastically, folding his arms in front of his chest. His bright blue eyes trailed off to the side as his brow furrowed, deep in thought. "Unless, of course, you beat me with a dictionary. The words would technically hurt me then."
Needless to say, everyone sweatdropped.
Momo scanned the area, desperate for something, anything, that would change the subject. She tried so hard to not think about her and Jr. doing that, but a part of her wanted to so much. "Oh! chaos, KOS-MOS, come join us!" she gasped as she noticed the two of them.
"So the coast is clear, I'm guessing? We heard some moans and weren't quite sure what was going on," chaos chuckled, sitting with them. The android followed suit.
"Uh, guys?" Shion blushed. "This may seem like a really out-there question, but…we've been through a lot together, you know, and I was wondering…after tonight, are we still going to have the great relationships we do now?" Shion pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on Allen's shoulder. These people were the greatest she had ever known, and she never wanted to lose the connection they seemed to have. I guess that's what happens when you go to hell and back together.
"Hells yeah," Jr. replied, grinning. "You guys are the best friends I've ever had. It'd be retarded to never see each other again after tonight."
"I agree whole-heartedly," Momo nodded.
chaos gave that all-knowing smirk. "I second that."
"Good."
"You know, if we're going to stay friends, I think we should know a bit more about each other," Momo thought aloud. "I mean, we've saved the universe together, yet I barely know anything about you."
"That's true. What do you want to know?" Allen inquired.
"Birthdays first," said the pink-haired woman. "I want to be able to buy you guys stuff. The people at the lab told me I was born on April eighteenth."
"Ah, mine's coming up in about two weeks…" Allen smiled softly. "September twenty-first. I can't believe I'm going to be twenty-five…"
Immediately, Jr. broke into a huge, insane grin. "Do you remember the twenty-first night of September? Love was changing the minds of pretenders while cha-"
"Someone, make him stop," Allen groaned. Momo put a hand on his cheek, and he stopped abruptly, blushing. Once he got his bearings back, he spoke.
"Albedo and I were born on March twenty-second, and Gaignun was born on the twenty-third," said Jr., smirking at the fact that he was actually a day older than the man that the people from the Kukai Foundation thought was his father.
"I was born on Monday, December third, 4745…at least, that's what they told me," Shion muttered as her eyes fell to the ground, the feeling of being different swelling up in her again. Allen sensed her sadness and tightened his grip on her, kissing her head.
"KOS-MOS was 'born', so to speak, on August twenty-first," said Allen. "the day the Woglinde was attacked by gnosis."
"My birthday is December seventh," chaos said. His eyes were still locked onto the stars, enthralled by the stars.
"Okay…I can remember that. Next is middle names," Momo spoke. "I don't really have one, but I remember my father calling me 'his Sakura' before I was born, so I guess that counts."
"Hehe, the variants gave each other middle names," Jr. snickered. "Albedo's is Chester, Gaignun's is Axel, and mine is Spriggs."
"...Spriggs? What?" Allen quirked an eyebrow.
"Eh. It sounded cool at the time."
"Jocelyn is mine," Shion half-said, half-yawned. "For some reason, my parents wanted to give me a name that wasn't Japanese. But then at the last second, they changed their mind for some reason. So they made my first name Japanese and my middle name…Latin, I think?"
"Jocelyn…I really like that name," Allen whispered. I'd better remember that. It'll come in handy for later… he thought to himself.
"I don't have one," chaos answered quickly. His eyes trailed down from the sky to the android sitting next to him. Her eyes were so beautiful, no matter how red they were. Of course, it was much different from before…
"I have no middle name either," the android replied flatly.
Allen laughed softly, closing his eyes. "What is it?" Shion asked, smiling up at him. He was so adorable when he laughed…
"You're not going to believe me when I say this, but," he said, chuckling. "Shion, my middle name is Kevin."
"You're kidding me!" Shion gasped, turning her head sharply to look at him. He nodded somberly, and she began laughing. Allen blushed and smiled softly as he saw how beautiful she looked. "Now if that isn't the creepiest coincidence ever…"
"Oh God, it's going to start again…"
"Shut your mouth, Spriggsy," said Allen, glaring daggers at Jr. Shion giggled as she looked deep into his blue eyes. She had never noticed how beautiful they were before, like windows to his soul. She could see the resolution to all of her fruitless searches…in his eyes, she was complete.
Thunder rumbled in the distance again. Allen smiled at her before their lips pressed together in a gentle, fleeting kiss. They pulled away, and Allen ran his fingers through her brown hair, tugging at it slightly before releasing. Shion sighed deeply…that felt damn good. She gently rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
For a long time, they stared into each other's eyes, seeing everything they had ever wished for. Suddenly, Shion's began to glow. "I love you…" she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.
"Hm?" Allen furrowed his brow, looking at her eyes that had just returned to normal. "Your eyes…I could have sworn they were…never mind."
"Aww…Jr., they make such a perfect couple," Momo whispered into Jr.'s ear. The U.R.T.V. blushed profusely as he muttered something inaudible. "What was that?" the woman asked, moving closer to him.
"Ithinkthatwewouldmakeaperfectcoupletoo," he half-whispered. Catching most of it, Momo blushed. They were so close that Jr. could feel the moisture of her breath. Slowly, their lips moved closer and closer…
"Jesus Christ Heart Attack Throat Constriction!" Jr. screamed like a girl as he felt someone grab his neck from behind, choking him. He whirled around and was met by the eyes of his twin brother, white hair spiked up wildly. "Now if I was a real assailant, you'd probably be dead right now. You need to get your guard up," Albedo scorned playfully. Jr. roared with anger and grabbed him around the ankles, knocking him over and trying to bite them.
"Whoa! He's an ankle biter!" Mary exclaimed in that oh so annoying accent, looking over the wrestling twins. "Hey folks!" she greeted the rest of them.
"Hey Mary," they replied in unison.
"Honestly, you two are going to hurt each other," Shelley sighed as she appeared by Mary. Jr. looked up and burst into hysterical laughter as he saw her, remembering the events of the day before. Shelley roughly handed the box of wine glasses she was carrying to Mary and lunged at Jr.
"Can't touch this!" Jr. whooped, easily scurrying out of her grasp. "Except Momo. She can touch this."
"Dammit, Jr.!" Shion scolded him.
"Sorry!"
Gaignun walked up last, carrying a bottle of red wine. "Do I even want to know why the two of them are on the ground like that?" he asked in a quiet, disdainful voice.
"They are twins," Allen shrugged. As if they were synchronized swimmers, Jr. and Albedo popped up like popcorn, firecrackers, beef stew, or something else that pops like that, simultaneously.
"Yeah!" Jr. exclaimed, both U.R.T.V.s smiling proudly. "You know we're twins because we always finish-"
"-Each other's parfaits!" Albedo finished for him.
"…but the saying is 'We always finish each other's sentences', isn't it?" Shion asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not in our case," Albedo snickered.
"And we're also twins because we're…both trees!" they shouted, striking a random pose.
"Help us, please…" Gaignun muttered, rubbing his temples.
"They're hopeless," Momo laughed, flashing a genuine smile. Jr. froze in place (well, he was already frozen, so I guess that's not really worth saying) and stared at her. That was Sakura's smile. He silently sat back down next to her, still staring. "What is it?" she asked nervously.
"That smile…you looked exactly like Sakura," he replied.
"Oh…" Momo's eyes fell as well as her heart. He's still in love with Sakura…She sighed in disappointment. Jr.'s eyes widened at her reaction.
"No no no no no," Jr. stammered. "I mean, it's good that you're reminding me of her. It shows me I don't really need her anymore."
"You really mean that?" The woman raised her eyes to meet his blue ones. Jr. couldn't help but blush…she was so beautiful…
"Yeah, I do," he whispered. Slowly, their eyes fell shut as they moved closer, embracing one another. Their lips pressed together slowly, lingering there for a second. It felt so pure, so perfect…
Shion and Allen both cheered, preparing to mock Jr. as he had mocked them. Albedo, Shelley, and Mary hugged each other and skipped merrily around in a circle, squeeing. That'd be quite a sight. chaos and Gaignun both gave a contented smirk and KOS-MOS…well, I don't think I need to describe what her expression was like.
When they finally broke the kiss, Jr. and Momo blushed and grinned uncontrollably. "I really enjoyed that," Jr. admitted sheepishly.
"So did I," she giggled. Albedo sniggered viciously, looking over at Mary and Shelley.
"We've got Shion and Allen, and now Jr. and Momo…wanna have a go?" he asked jokingly, puckering his lips and making kissy noises. Shelley blushed furiously and buried her face in her hands. Mary laughed in that accent. I hate that accent!
"Okay…well now that that's over, and the fireworks are about to start, we've got some wine," Gaignun said, putting emphasis on the last word. Allen's ears perked up and he stood.
"I'll go help Gaignun," he said nonchalantly, cracking his back. He walked over to where the head of the Kukai Foundation was getting the glasses, each of the bases a different color, organized. "It's red, right?" he asked in a whisper, quickly pulling a small object from his pocket.
"The finest Cabernet," he replied, grinning. Gaignun poured all of the glasses, when out of the corner of his eye he saw Mary and Albedo half-flirting. Mary blushed and giggled as he smirked sexily. She reached up and ran her fingers though his spiky pallid hair.
"Now…I'm putting it in the blue one. Make sure you give that one to Shion," Allen explained to Gaignun. He didn't hear, though…he was too distracted by his younger brother stealing his women. Allen dropped the small object into the glass with the navy-colored base before going back over to Shion, gulping.
That was when Gaignun panicked.
Which one did he put it in? Oh God, if I mess this up I'll be dead! Gaignun screamed mentally. Oh! He was talking about her eyes when we went out…so he probably put it in the green one!
Who put what it the green what? Both Albedo and Jr.'s voices ran inside of his head simultaneously.
Shut up, both of you, or I'll snap your necks.
Ooh, scary scary!
Man, you've gotta go to some of those anger management classes.
Gaignun took a deep breath and began handing out the wine glasses. "Okay, now…don't gulp these, sip them. You don't want to ruin the flavor, choke, or…swallow any small objects," he said quickly.
"What was that last thing?" Shion asked as her and Allen stood up, awaiting their drinks.
"Uh…choke." He started by giving Allen an orange glass, Shelley the purple-colored glass (Albedo growled, for it was his favorite color) and Albedo the red glass. "Master Gaignun, could I have one?" Mary asked sweetly.
"No, Mary, you're not old enough yet," Gaignun replied.
"Aw, come on, it's just one glass of wine!" Mary begged. "And trust me…I'll make it up to you later," she said sexily, wiggling her eyebrows at Gaignun. The chairman of the Kukai Foundation suddenly became quite flustered.
"Fine, have one," he stammered, handing her the yellow one. He walked past chaos and KOS-MOS, saying, "You're too young. Don't you even think about bribing me."
"I cannot consume alcoholic beverages," the android said in the usual stoical tone. Gaignun did an about-face and stared at her.
"He wasn't talking to you, metalpants!" Jr. hollered, waiting impatiently for his glass.
"Would you like one?" the youngest U.R.T.V. asked Momo. "I mean, you're twenty-six, right?"
"Sure," she happily agreed, taking it from him. Gaignun smirked and slyly slipped the emerald-colored one to Shion. Last, he gave the blue one the Jr., which the firebrand greedily took. "Mine."
Oh, hell no.
Just then, the fireworks began. "It's kind of hard to believe that they're still putting the show on," Momo said, indulging in the Cabernet. "You heard that thunder, right?"
"I guess they're feeling pretty invincible right now," shrugged Shion. She brought the wine glass to her lips, but stopped before she could drink any. Something was telling her that she shouldn't drink it, begging her not to…shaking the feeling off, she took a sip. The acrid taste of alcohol caused her to grimace, seeing as she hadn't had any for a long time. But the more she drank, the better it tasted.
"You know," said Jr., swirling the wine in the glass. "I've been thinking of moving into an apartment. It's getting really crowded with both Albedo and Gaignun there. Besides, Albedo, you snore."
"I do not!" Albedo argued, flaring his nostrils.
"Pssh! If I had a recording of you last night…"
"Actually, I've wanted to get a place of my own as well," chaos chimed in.
"Awesome!" Jr. exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. "We can be roomies! Now the only problem is…where?"
"chaos, think about what you're getting yourself into," Mary chuckled.
"Allen, your apartment is in the north side of the city, right?" Shion asked the man whose fingers were laced with hers. He nodded in reply, sipping the wine. "Well…you can sell them your apartment, and you can live with me at Jin's house."
Everyone who had wine in their mouths at that second, needless to say, didn't anymore.
"Wh-what!" Allen gasped, choking. He coughed violently, caught completely off-guard.
"You heard me," Shion smirked.
"But, whoa, don't you have to be at least engaged to move in together?" Shelley asked in a sarcastic tone. Allen gulped again.
"I feel bad for Jin…he'll get no sleep," Jr. laughed before taking a swig of wine. His eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Oh my God, this stuff is better than Superbowl XL! Speaking of that, I've noticed…I bear striking resemblance to Chris Gardocki and Albedo looks just like Jeff Reed. Let's compare kicking legs!"
"Can we not and say we did?" Albedo asked him flatly.
Once the fireworks were almost done, and the wine glasses were almost empty, Shion looked over at Allen and noticed that he was pale, nervous, and sweaty. "Are you okay?" she asked concernedly.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," he replied quickly. "Albedo, take this," he said, handing his wine glass to Albedo.
"Oh my…I have a feeling that this is going to be painfully retarded," Albedo muttered. Allen knelt down, idly fooling around with his shoe.
"Shion…do you remember my last words to you on Proto Omega?" he asked softly, looking up at her.
"Yes," she nodded. "You said that you were sorry."
"I wish I hadn't…that was my last thought. I wished I had one more chance to say what really mattered, to say how much I loved you, how grateful I was for every moment I was with you. But by the time I knew what I wanted to say, it was too late," he mused, looking deep into her eyes. "But somehow, I came back. I got my wish. One more chance to say what I really wanted to say…"
What is he doing? Shion wondered, eyes widening.
"Shion, I would die for you…hell, I did die for you. Last night, after you fell asleep, I made a promise to you. I told you that I would always protect you and make sure that you were safe and happy," he continued. "In a world where everything's meant to be broken, I want you to know that one thing will always be constant: the fact that I love you. I guess what I'm really trying to say is…" Allen paused and peered up at her. "How's the wine?"
Shion flashed him a confused look before saying, "It's really good." She tilted her head back, draining the last bit. Allen panicked, summoning Gaignun.
"She swallowed it!" he whispered harshly. But just as he noticed the lime tint of the glass, he heard…
"Ah! Dude, what is in my wine!" a slightly tipsy Jr. slurred, pulling something out of his mouth. Studying it, he gasped, "It's a ring!" He noticed Allen kneeling there, and exclaimed, "Allen, are you proposing to me! Is that why this ring is my wine!"
"…not you, dumbass," Allen muttered, taking it from him. "Ugh, this was in his mouth…who knows what else has been there…"
"You have got to be kidding me," Momo said incredulously, staring at it.
"Shion Jocelyn Uzuki," Allen began. Shion gasped as he took her left hand in his, and he rose to one knee.
"Holy shit, he's middle-naming her," Shelley and Mary babbled simultaneously, not able to believe what was happening. Gaignun smirked contentedly as Jr.'s jaw hit the ground.
"Will you marry me?"
Instantly, a million different things ran through Shion's mind: Kevin proposing to her, a wedding, babies, making babies…okay, so maybe not. Humor the author here. But one thought stuck with her …her relationship with Allen was different than with Kevin. She only seemed to love Kevin because she needed him. She loved Allen because she really, truly loved him. Even though his proposal was sudden, she would do anything for him, and he would do anything for her. With him, she would always be safe and happy. If she was with him forever, she would never be afraid again.
The whole group waited with bated breath for Shion's response. "Uh-oh, someone get ready to perform CPR…I think Shion's going to faint," Momo whispered.
"Uhhh…I feel a bad moon risin'-" Jr. began to sang, but he was quickly cut off by Gaignun.
"Jr., you're killing the whole aura we've got going here!" Gaignun whispered loudly. "Besides, that's not CPR, that's CCR!" Mary hushed the two of them angrily.
"Allen Kevin Ridgeley," Shion sniffed, smiling through the tears that slowly came running down her cheeks. "Of course I'll marry you!"
Allen let out a loud sigh of relief and slipped the ring onto her finger before he stood. Shion threw her arms around him, kissing him harder than she ever had before. They ended the kiss, and Shion pulled away, laughing and crying. Momo whooped loudly and high-fived the slightly tipsy Jr., who was grinning maniacally. Albedo ran over to the crest of the hill, screamed, "She said yes!", and began rolling around in the grass.
"He's still getting used to society," Gaignun whispered to Mary. She raised an eyebrow at the white-haired U.R.T.V.
"I can't take this anymore," Shelley said softly, completely dumbstruck. chaos smiled genuinely at the two lovers, thinking of their pasts, present, and future. KOS-MOS…well, again, her face is always the same.
"Can we see the ring?" asked Momo enthusiastically. Shion nodded, a huge smile on her face, and held out her left hand for everyone to see.
"Holy rock, Batman!" Jr. exclaimed, studying it. "How many frigging karats is that?"
"Two and a half karat square-cut platinum gold diamond," Allen and Gaignun replied in unison. Everyone stared at Gaignun, confused as to how he knew.
"I kinda helped him pick it out," the black-haired man said, laughing nervously. The rest of them shrugged and sat down, happy for their betrothed comrades. Shion and Allen settled down on their blanket again, looking up at the sky. Allen smiled softly at Shion and kissed her, filling her with life and love.
"God, Allen," she gasped as he let her go. "How do you do it?"
Allen smirked at her, stroking her cheek. "Shion, it's just the power of love."
And at that moment, it began to rain.
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Check it out, the longest chapter yet is done! I was gonna split this one, but I couldn't find a proper place to chop it. Well, there's only one chapter and an epilogue left…I'll be depressed when this story is over. But, there's still the sequel to look forward to. Its title will be:
Xenosaga Episode III: Lager Unsere Kreuze
That's translated as Xenosaga Episode III: Bearing Our Crosses. At least, I hope it is…damn you, Babelfish.
I hope I didn't kill the story with the proposal.