I am finally back! Everyone, it has been far too long since I have updated ANY of my Xenosaga stories. Little by little, I will update each of it until I am finished with each and every one of it. I promise that.

Oh yes, there may be changes in the second chapter, but not too much. I won't be using OCs that much. They'll be playing a very small role in this fic anyway.

I really want to thank 100-series for her fic 'Golden Bullet', something that has inspired me to go back into writing this fic. Thanks a lot!

I hope everyone enjoys Chapter 2, even if MOMO is a bit OOC... Sorry about that. >. I'll really try to keep her in-character in the future chapters.

Disclaimer: Xenosaga does not belong to me. It belongs to its respective owners. I only own the OCs used in the fic.

FYI about this story's status: Updated: 6-15-03 - Published: 6-15-03 .

Better late than never! XD

Amber Cradle

Chapter 2: Sorry

Momo's Point of View

"Excuse me?"

I slammed my fists against the hard wooden table that belonged to the Principal of Kaiou High School, who also happened to be my father's closest friend. He flinched at the sound, but I paid no heed to it.

I was in a very bad mood.

"Y-you heard me, Miss Mizrahi." Charles Kageyama, a man in his earlier forties, said, desperately trying to regain his composure in front of me. "I cannot allow such… competition between Kaiou and Toukai to happen! You know very well that the ties between the two schools are—"

"The hell do I care about the ties between the schools! This is a matter of pride in our Academy, as well as the social welfare of our students!" once more, I slammed my fists against the table for added effect. "What if, Mr. Kageyama, I tell all of the parents of the students the reason WHY they have been getting hurt for the whole year? Well?"

I saw him paled at the mere mention of the word 'parents', and I knew that this victory was mine.

"Y-you wouldn't, Miss Mizrahi!"

"I can, and I will. I am, after all, the daughter of the owner of Kaiou." I said, feeling very confident all of a sudden, as I started to cross my arms in front of me. Seeing my father's friend's very worried face, I did my best to smile. "Don't worry about it too much, Mr. Kageyama. In fact, Gaignun Kukai Jr. has just sent us a data disc as to how the 'friendly match' between our schools will go about!"

Fixing my ruby red beret with the insignia of the Mizrahi Laboratory, as well as my own school, I handed the small device to the Principal. "If you please, Mr. Kageyama, feel free to review the content of this."

I positioned myself just behind the chair he was sitting on as he placed the data disc on the designated hardware positioned on his desk. We watched in anticipation as the data began to load…

…Only to be disappointed, though that would be in my case, for the video that supposed contained the rules and regulations of the match turned out to be something else…

It was a love confession!

Worse, it was addressed to me!

Worst still, it was Gaignun Jr. addressing the confession to me!

It went something like this:

Hi there, Momo! Ya probably know why I made this video, but I'll state it again. I just want to make sure that I keep my end of the bargain.

You would probably guess that I fell for you at first sight, when I saw you splashing those sodas at my friends and schoolmates at the café. Strange, but it felt as if I got struck straight in the heart when I saw you wearing that boring white blouse and skirt, your cherry-colored hair drenched with those carbonated drinks.

Anyways, as I promised, I AM going to announce that intend to make you my girlfriend, no matter what it takes. Understand?

I won't take no for an answer either.

With that said, I bid you goodbye, my little peach.

When it was done playing, my mood turned from a happy one to a very, very vile one. I wanted to strangle that man who had embarrassed me far too many times already! I could even sense the smile that was beginning to crack on the Principal's mouth!

Without saying anything, I started to stomp away, wanting desperately to kill that red head with my AGWS. The Principal's voice, however, made me snap back to reality. "Ms. Mizrahi, where are you going?" he questioned.

"I am going to Toukai, sir. I have an unfinished business to settle." With that, I left.

I ignored the blatant stares given to me by the students of our rival school as I made my way through the halls. Unlike my school, the freshmen classrooms were located on the topmost floor, which happened to be located on the fifth floor of the building.

Unfortunately, the elevator of their school was broken on the day of my visit, so I used the staircase. At that time, the stares started.

"Yeah, yeah, I know my uniform is an eyesore to your sight, so stop looking at me already!" I said, referring to Kaiou's red, white and pink uniform combination.

It consisted of a puffy, white long-sleeved blouse that had red forearm-long cuffs on both sides. As expected of all the female students in our school, I had to wear a red vest, which I considered something very inappropriate to wear, since the damn clothing did not run over to cover the blouse I wear. Instead, there was a rather large gap to make room for my still-growing chest!

Really, what the hell was the Uniform Committee of Kaiou thinking!

Anyways, my pink pleated skirt reached the quarter of my thigh and as compensation for the rather revealing uniform, I wore black stockings where a design of a flower was etched on my left thigh and leg. My shoes sported a reddish-brown hue.

Finally, I reached the fifth floor and to my utter delight, my target was stand on the hallway, talking to his loser friends. It was lunch time, so it was customary for students to get out of their classroom, stretch a bit, and eat their lunch. In my school, that is. I don't know with their custom, but I couldn't care less.

I want my revenge.

Without thinking, I started running at top speed…

… and I gave him a swift kick in the head.

Everyone in the hall was too shocked to say anything as he landed with a rather loud thud, while I was grinning like a mad person. "That was for embarrassing me in front of MY Principal." I said haughtily.

To my surprise, Gaignun Jr. jumped up from his sprawled position, dusted his jet black uniform that had an unusual high collar that was unbuttoned at the throat and started grinning at me, blue eyes twinkling in delight. "Aww, you didn't like it, Momo-chan?"

The nerve of him to call me by my name! "You have no right to call me 'Momo-chan'!" I yelled at him. "However, you may call me Miss Mizrahi."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really now?"

"YES!" I screamed in frustration, nearly stomping my foot in the process, something that would make Daddy faint if he saw that his 'young lady daughter' was behaving in an un-lady-like manner.

"And why is that?"

I looked at him as if he had gone daft. "Because we're not close!"

"In that case…" his sapphire-colored eyes suddenly closed halfway, a smirk forming from his lips, and before I knew it, the red head that was standing before me had bent down and kissed me right in front of EVERYONE in his school.

Oh my god.

What the…!

I pushed him away from me, breathing heavily from the lack of oxygen, something he had taken from me. "Y-you uncouth being! What have you done to me!"

"What, you've never been kissed before? Saving your first kiss for your so-called 'Prince', Miss Mizrahi?" the last two words dripped with heavy sarcasm, and I wanted to kill him right then and there. "Besides, didn't it seem that I just 'took your breath away'?"

"Shut up!" I screeched further, my eyes burning with my own tears. I will NOT cry in front of the enemy! "You have no right to do such things to me, even if, I have to admit, I insulted you. I only wanted to teach you a lesson, but you've humiliated me in front of your schoolmates!"

My feet suddenly led me away from him, and I heard him calling me like a lunatic, begging me to come back. I ignored him; my pride was at stake, and I promised myself NEVER to fraternize with the enemy.

I will never EVER betray my school.

I arrived back at school just in time for practice, and I was less than thrilled to practice, even if we had a new member joining, who happened to be a freshman like me who went by the name of Albedo Piazola.

He was good in handling his mecha, the one called something-Simeon, and as he showed us his skills, hope fluttered in my heart.

Maybe we do have a chance against Toukai…

"I've decided!" I announced to my sempais that afternoon, right after their practice. I had to sit out for the day because Hammer had gotten detention, and in turn, I placed myself in charge of the team strategies temporarily. "The main fighters for the competition between the two schools would be chaos-sempai, Shion-sempai and Albedo. I, in turn, will be the reserve. Is that alright with all of you? You very well know that I am not so good in fighting…"

"That is alright with us three." Uzuki-sempai said, speaking for all of them. She smiled at me and ruffled the hair underneath the beret that I was still wearing. "Just try and practice whenever you can, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am!" I replied cheerfully. I was feeling much better already…

That feeling, however, did not last very long, for another annoyance came its way to smack me right in the face…

"Miss Mizrahi, come here quick!" a fellow freshman, a female in particular, came rushing towards me, and without warning, pulled me away from the others. She then led me towards the entrance of the school, and the next scene almost made me want to let the earth swallow me whole once more…

The whole school was littered with peach blossom petals, and more petals were to come as a helicopter circled around the school, throwing more of it. Right in front of the entrance stood a silvery-blue AGWS and as soon its head turned at my direction, it aimed its gun skyward and the cloud of smoke began to form words.

It read 'I am sorry. –Gaignun Kukai Jr.'

I hope I didn't make a mistake... it has been too long since I have played Xenosaga Episode I and Episode II.

Hope you enjoyed that! I'll keep on writing, though I cannot write much this week because I'll be at my school for two days!

Anyways, thanks for waiting for so long for this fic to be updated!

Also, I may still edit this fanfiction because I was in a hurry to post this thing. Anyways, feel free to give me a review, a constructive criticism, violent reaction, and so on and so forth. Flames are to be used in my bonfire.