Author's Note: I know it's been a long time since I've updated this fanfic. Good news is that this chapter exists. The bad news is that from now on, Love Angel, Identity, and Dark Angel is on hiatus until further notice. I wouldn't have a problem updating if people actually review for the chapters I put up. I put up with Dark Angel getting the same treatment, but I can't tolerate this anymore.

Even if you do review for this story, it is going to take a lot to start writing again, especially for Love Angel. I pour too much of my time into my fanfic and I'm in college as a Freshman and that is taking a lot of my time right now. Maybe I'll think about updating in a few weeks or so. Don't count on it though.

Enjoy, seriously.

Chapter 5

E.S. Asher

5:34 P.M.

chaos:

'Yeshua…'

Huh? I glanced around my person. Nothing but the vacant black heavens surrounded the huge E.S. that shielded my tiny, frail form. It was rather lonely out here and I missed the safety and comfort of the Durandal.

'Yeshua…what will you do?'

The question chilled my bones. It was the same question that Nephilim had asked me a year ago. I still didn't have an answer to it anyway. Besides, it meant that I was due for a talk with the divine entity.

"Nephilim, honestly, it is a time of peace. I really don't want to hear about my destiny," I said softly.

The bright form of the entity known as Nephilim materialized in front of the cockpit.

"Yeshua, you know your job is never done. Be careful around your allies."

As cryptic as ever. The 'being careful about my allies part did worry me. Shion meant a lot to me, so much so that I would annihilate the cosmos for her.

"Nephilim…I'm not sure what you mean."

Nephilim closed her eyes and touched the glass of the cockpit.

"I will show you."

I watched in awe as the surroundings melded into that of a dull grey field. 'Look and see…' A shill roar drew my attention upward. Hundreds of gnosis were floating in a full circle above me. It was far too much for me to dispatch by myself. I was hopelessly outnumbered. As I kept my focus upward, the Zohar appeared in the middle of the circle. A ripple of pain shot down my spine, ripping a yelp from my throat. In a mighty shriek, the gnosis came down at me.

I pulled energy up from my center, ready to defend myself. Pain shot through my body again, crippling me. I was falling forward…

"Nephilim…" was all I could say before my eyes closed.

'Protect them, Yeshua. Secure the future.'

When my eyes opened again, I was back in the seat of the E.S. Asher in a cold sweat. The 'petite angel who feels like she needs to send people on meaningless, yet frighteningly real visions' was gone and there was no sign of her ever arriving. I rubbed my arms gently, trying to suppress a shiver. What did she mean by 'protect the future'? Did she mean the universe's future? Or perhaps my own?

"Gods…this is not a pleasant feeling," I whispered to myself, noting the appearance of the Kukai Foundation ahead.

I tapped a few keys on my keyboard and brought up a window. Jr.'s face appeared in it, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes, chaos?"

"Do you still have those sedatives? I need to sleep."

He gave me a strange look.

"chaos, sedatives? Are you out of your mind? Do you not remember the last time you took sedatives?"

I ran my hand through my hair.

"Yes. Do you have them or not?"

"I do. What's wrong?"

I couldn't shake off the feeling of Nephilim's warning.

"Nothing. I just need some rest."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Leave the sedatives by my door. I will be docking soon."

"Ok…I imagine you'll tell me later."

"I will."

Shion:

I was very pleased with the wonderful treatment I received at the spa in Second Militia. chaos had made sure that I was beautiful from head to toe. I wanted to see him again and thank him. The only problem was that no one knew where he was. Funny…he just disappears off of the map when he wants to. Why couldn't I do that? I rounded the corner into another hallway. This was…well, much different than the others. It had pictures on the wall of places that I had never seen before.

I had never known Jr. to take much interest in décor. Two glass doors appeared at the end of the hallway, tinted slightly blue. There was a plague above the doors that read 'Yeshua, the Angel sleeps'. Yeshua, the Angel sleeps? Interesting. I continued right up to the doors and nearly jumped as the doors slid open by themselves. I walked into the middle of what was a dimly lit room. There was a bed tucked away in the left corner with…a person laying across it.

I quietly walked over to the bed, curiosity holding my attention on the figure. It wasn't until I saw the silver hair splayed across its face that I recognized the figure. It was chaos. So…this was his cabin. It was about the same size as mine…and not that bad either.

"…Who's there…?"

He sounded so tired.

"Relax, chaos. It's me, Shion," I said carefully.

Two startlingly blue eyes peered at me from under a curtain of hair. There wasn't much hidden in their depths this time.

"Shion…ah…how did you like your present?" He asked sleepily.

"See for yourself."

chaos brought himself up into a sitting position and yawned softly. Maybe it was a trick of the eyes, but was his hair longer than usual? It was now hanging past his shoulder and in his eyes. It was quite sexy, actually. chaos clapped his hands once…and the lights came on instantly.

"Hmm…you certainly look different."

Was that an attempt at flattery?

"Thanks to you."

He brushed his hair out of his face gently. He looked like a gnosis hit him several times in a row.

"You look…troubled. Is something wrong?" I asked softly.

Don't close up on me, chaos. I know something's wrong. chaos stared at me intently with tired, shimmering eyes.

"Nothing's wrong, Shion. I'm just tired, that's all."

And he officially closed up on me. Part of me told me to leave him alone, because eventually he would come clean with me. Another part told me to force it out of him. That part was speaking very loudly.

"chaos, why won't you open up to me? I mean…I'm very curious about you…"

Much to my surprise, he started laughing.

"Spare me the curiosity bit, my dear Shion. I mean, I am very mysterious, but only because I chose to."

His answer caught me slightly off-guard. I wanted to think that he was crazy and that my beloved image of chaos was not being tarnished by…

"chaos…"

"Truth is…I've felt…I've never felt so…scared."

Huh? I approached the bed and sat down next to him.

"Why are you scared?" I asked softly.

chaos closed his eyes slowly.

"I had a vision…the gnosis were surrounding me from above. It was way too much for me to handle. Then…the Zohar appeared and I felt pain. I had never quite felt anything like that before…"

"What else happened?"

"The gnosis charged at me. I tried to defend myself, but the pain grew too strong. Then I heard something that sounded like 'Protect them, chaos. Secure the future'."

Secure the future? What was that supposed to mean? I rested my hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure it was just a random dream, chaos."

I pulled him closer and allowed him to rest his head on my chest. chaos shivered and let out a small whine.

"I hope so. It was…scary…"

"Don't worry, just rest."

"Ok…"

7:34 P.M.

chaos:

For a moment, I was truly calm and centered. The fear that settled in after Nephilim's warning was just so sudden; I couldn't force it to the back of my mind. Maybe it was because I knew I had a huge responsibility still hovering around me. I know. I sat up very slowly, noting that now my hair was splayed all in my face. My hair wasn't usually that long unless I slipped up and let my real form show. My gaze fell on a pale arm that was currently wrapped around my waist. I. Am. Never. Taking. Sedatives. Again. I turned my head slightly, following the arm to its source…which was Shion.

Wait…Shion? What was she doing here? Oh, god, what did I do?

"Oh…you're awake, chaos."

I nodded weakly. I seriously hope I didn't do anything to her. Sedatives have always made me a little weird. Actually….more than a little weird.

"Shion, I hope I didn't do anything rude or undignified," I blurted out.

Shion sat up and smoothed her beautiful brown hair out of her face.

"No, you didn't."

"Are you sure? Sedatives have a very unique effect on me. Please know that I wouldn't make you feel awkward or wrong."

"That vision really scared you, didn't it?"

"I don't want people to get hurt."

"I don't think anyone wants that."

I started to get up from my bed, but Shion grabbed and pulled me back.

"I never got to thank you properly for the gift."

"No need, ser—"

She cut me off by placing a kiss on my lips. I started to pull away from her automatically, but I mentally stopped myself. It wasn't long before I started to feel like I was flying or rather, floating. Shion pulled away with a gentle smile on her lips. I stared at her through dreamy half-lidded eyes, taking small gulps of air.

"There."

"Uh…your welcome?"