Holy wow, I've been waiting to write this chapter since the beginning of DKdL. Speaking of which, I forgot to mention that if you haven't read Die Kraft der Liebe, you probably should do so. –Sweatdrop-

Neo: KOS-MOS rox will probably go into violent convulsions at a few points in this chapter, and I'll have to set her straight.

Yep, you will!

Neo: Nothing in this chapter belongs to KOS-MOS rox, you can trust me on this one.

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The First Station: Jesus is condemned to death

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Xenosaga Episode III: Lager Unsere Kreuze

Chapter 1: Amor Fati

Second Miltian autumn mornings were usually cool and crisp, with bright sunshine. The rays of sunlight shone through the windows of the traditional Japanese house. Allen lay peacefully asleep on the futon in Shion's bedroom. His blue eyes opened slowly and lazily, a wide smile creeping across his face. He wasn't surprised when he didn't feel Shion beside him; she often woke up before he did.

It was about two weeks into Shion and Allen's three-week vacation, fifteen days to be exact. They had been having a lot of fun…and by "fun" the author means what you think she means. The instant that they had been contacted with the information of their break, they had absolutely lost it. The two of them had danced around Jin's kitchen like maniacs, banging on pots and pans with spoons. It was…an almost scary sight.

Jin had returned the two days previous, highly fulfilled with his new occupation. The Second Miltian Regional Hospital had hired him on the spot, in dire need of obstetricians. Needless to say, the samurai was ecstatic. He had gone out with his new colleagues the previous night. The newly-engaged couple couldn't pretend that they were happy he was back. Before he had gotten home, no surface was safe from their wrath, if you know what I'm saying. Except for Jin's bed…they were true to their word.

Something that Allen had noticed over the past few days, however, was that Shion had been acting…strange. She had grown extremely moody, and her emotions were as volatile as an unstable molecule. Take two days before Jin returned for example…

Allen walked through the hallway, yawning and scratching the back of his head, just after waking from an afternoon nap. He stopped and allowed himself a luxurious stretch before heading into the living room.

Shion was sitting on the couch, staring at the wall with an anxious look on her face. Allen sat down next to her, silently placing an arm around her shoulders and leaning in towards her, hoping for a kiss. Instead, she sighed in frustration and jerked away from him. Allen tilted his head to the side, hurt.

"Shion, is something bothering you?" he asked. She closed her eyes and threw her head back against the cushions, clenching her jaw.

"I don't know," she moaned miserably. "I'm probably just PMS-ing…I'm actually due." She smiled sheepishly at Allen.

"Oh boy." Allen sighed. Shion giggled and hit him with the pillow resting next to her before pushing him down onto his back. "Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" he asked, bewildered.

"I'm sorry about what I did…" She grinned mischievously. "And I'm going to make it up to you now." She leaned in towards him and kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth.

"Are you sure you don't want to relax for a little while?" he groaned as he felt her hands splaying down his chest. His hands instinctively found her hips. "I mean, I don't think we should do this right now."

"Mmm…that's what your mouth says, but your body disagrees," she informed him, smirking in satisfaction. Allen immediately turned a deep shade of crimson as he realized what she was referring to. Then he got to thinking…Jin would be back in a few days, and they wouldn't have free will like they did now. Needless to say, he allowed her to continue. Hehehehehe.

Also, Jin had informed Allen that she had seemed to be sort of sick. Like yesterday…

Jin was in the kitchen, wearing his white medical coat and drinking a cup of tea, preparing for his first day on the job. Shion sat nearby at the table, putting butter on a piece of toast and booting up her connection gear. Allen had gone out to the 2nd Division headquarters to help Miyuki with some paperwork, since she couldn't do it herself. Lazy bum.

"Say, Shion…that toast looks preeeetty tasty…" Jin murmured, sneakily moving has hand towards Shion's breakfast. She snarled and smacked his hand away, giving him a glare that read nothing but death.

"That's my toast," she growled. Jin gulped and quickly retracted his hand. "You'd better not think about touching it again."

"Wasn't going to," he replied. He glanced at her personal data unit, surprised to see details on the KOS-MOS Project displayed on the holographic screen. "You know, Shion, it's beyond me how you can be on vacation for three weeks and still do work. Not many people get the opportunity for a break like that."

Shion rolled her eyes at him. "I don't trust Miyuki with KOS-MOS. I'm too afraid that Miyuki will get frustrated and attempt to stab KOS-MOS with something blunt, and then take an R-BLADE to the boob from her or something." Shion cringed at the very thought of it. "I just want to be caught up."

Shion brought the slice of toast to her mouth and bit off a piece, chewing it slowly. A grimace crossed her face as a sudden wave of nausea hit her. Quickly, she grabbed a napkin and spat the half-chewed toast into it.

"Ohhh…" she moaned, leaning forwards and holding her stomach. Jin hurried over to her, placing his hand on her back.

"You alright?" he asked concernedly, tilting her chin upwards. Her eyes were squeezed shut in pain, and her face was as white as a ghost.

"Suddenly I'm not feeling so well," she groaned. "You can have the toast if you want it. I'm going to go lie down for a while…" Shion stood and slowly walked into the hallway, not bothering to shut down the connection gear. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks, turned on her heel, and took an obviously unplanned pit-stop in the bathroom.

"Is it possible that…?" Jin wondered aloud, staring into the hallway at the spot where she had just been. "No, it couldn't be."

His eyes trailed downwards to the plate of almost untouched toast that Shion had left. He switched off her connection gear before snatching the food. He smiled contentedly and took a bit bite.

"It's my toast now."

Allen let out a loud yawn. As he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, he knew that this particular day was very special.

It was his birthday.

It was Saturday, September 21st. That's right, Allen was twenty-five. A quarter of a century. He was especially excited because this year he actually got to celebrate it with people…everyone was coming to Jin's house that night for a dinner of…well, probably curry. Plus, the two of them were going out for brunch with Miyuki and Togashi. Life was good, there was no denying it.

Allen sat up and stretched, surveying the room. No sign of Shion (or Jin, for that matter) ready to pounce on him and scream "Happy birthday!" He considered calling her in to fool around for a bit before getting ready to head out to the restaurant.

Then, Allen heard moaning and the flush of a toilet coming from the bathroom. Immediately concerned, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and landed on the floor. Both of his knees cracked simultaneously.

You really are getting old…he told himself.

Allen crossed the hallway and quietly pushed half-closed bathroom door open. He was surprised to see Shion on the floor in front of the toilet, sitting back on her haunches. She was breathing heavily, pale green in the face, and sweating.

"Whoa, Shion, are you alright?" he asked, kneeling down beside her and gently rubbing her back.

"Uhnn," she moaned in a sickly voice. "I'm feeling really sick…it must be that goddamned flu that Jr. had while we were helping him and chaos move into the apartment…"Allen raised an eyebrow. He could have sworn that Jr. had faked that flu so that he wouldn't have to do any of the work. He must have actually been sick…

"So I'm guessing that you don't want to go out with Togashi and Miyuki?" Allen asked her, inwardly disappointed.

"I'm just not feeling up to it," said Shion, raising her eyes to meet his and giving him a soft smile. "But I insist that you go. It's your birthday, and I don't want to ruin it." Allen looked at her eyes and noticed that they were bloodshot, as if she had been crying.

"I'm not going to go if you're not," he told her firmly. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"If you don't go, I'll beat you up once I'm feeling better."

"Sounds like fun." Allen smirked. Shion slowly got to her feet, being careful not to dizzy herself. Allen also stood. The woman went over to the sink, steadying herself with one hand and splashing cold water on her face with the other.

"Seriously, get dressed. You'll be late. Give the two of them my love and apologies, okay?" she asked him sincerely. Allen let out a heavy sigh. "I know you'll feel guilty…don't. You worry too much! Forget about me."

"If you insist," Allen said. "I just feel bad for Miyuki…she was really looking forward to seeing you."

"Yeah, the last time I saw her was a whole week ago," Shion said sarcastically, turning off the faucet and turning to look at Allen, smiling softly.

"Take it easy, okay? I love you" said Allen, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. Funny, it didn't feel like she had a fever…

"I love you too," she replied. "Now, andale! You'll never make it if you don't leave within a few minutes. I'll be fine; I'm going to lie down on the couch for a while."

Allen gave her a nod before turning to walk out of the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway and peered at her over his shoulder. "You're sure?"

"Yes!" Shion rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated groan. "Now get out of here before I kick your ass!" she added, grinning.

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Meanwhile, on the planet Senir, business on the hidden U-TIC base was going on as usual. Commander Margulis and his aide, Pellegri, were overseeing the work from the command station. All around them, soldiers dressed in dark violet uniforms and masks were sitting at terminals and working on the next plot. A few of them, however, seemed to be either sleeping or goofing off.

"Ever wonder why Colonel Sanders up there wears his sword in front of his crotch? Because I have," one soldier whispered to another.

"Remind me to fire them later…" Margulis murmured, rubbing his temples. Pellegri nodded absent-mindedly. The commander sighed. "You're thinking about him again, aren't you? That confrontation at the stronghold?"

"I was not," Pellegri said defensively, turning away from him to hide her face. He had a gift that helped him be able to tell when people were lying to him.

"Then why do you still wear the pendant? Why have you worn it for the past seventeen years?" he asked her smugly. She self-consciously fingered the cross on her necklace as a blush crept across her tan cheeks.

"Commander! Commander Margulis!" an out-of-breath soldier puffed, hustling up to their location. "We have the test results!"

"And!" Margulis asked with a keen and sudden urgency, whipping around to face the worker.

"Positive!" he exclaimed. Then, he collapsed on the floor, trying desperately to catch his breath. Margulis sneered.

"Yes, perfect. Everything is going according to plan."

"What test results?" Pellegri asked Margulis, furrowing her brow. "Why wasn't I briefed on any of this?"

"Because I needed to keep it top-secret until we knew that it was positive," Margulis explained. "But…now I can tell you. Come here." Pellegri moved closer to Margulis, and he leaned over and whispered his plan into her ear…the secret that would push her from him forever.

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Alden Demetrius took a deep breath and looked up into the frigid arctic sky through his goggles as his sled dogs halted. He studied the readings coming from his high-tech sled, checking for anything out of the ordinary. He loved to be out here. It was his life…he was a man of adventure. Always, he would come almost to Keltia's North Pole for expeditions. Just him with his dogs, the way he liked it.

Although he was only at the age of forty-eight, he had many heavy memories from his life. He had belonged to U-TIC for a while, a few years before the Miltian Conflict. Alden was not your average soldier, though; he was an "Unknown". He worked directly with Mizrahi and knew of all the projects, but no record of his membership in the company existed except for in the deepest part of the main database. He had always been safe from attackers. He didn't exist…for then, at least.

Just before the Miltian Conflict, a huge error was found in the database. Security walls could be breached with just a few simple keystrokes. At this rate, any eight-year-old with a modem could access top-secret company information. It was kept quiet, though Alden still quit promptly. He received word later that the database flaw had been fixed. He was safe.

But even quitting the company couldn't erase the things he had learned. The greatest secret of all had been about a certain project that could have destroyed everything within the Miltian star cluster…

The Divine Form.

He knew everything about the project, and the other Unknowns did as well. It had been a hard secret to bear, but he had received wind a few years ago that the subject, Shion Uzuki, had been killed tragically in an accident at Vector Industries Headquarters on Second Miltia. It had been commenced by U-TIC, a clean kill. Now, he refused to listen to anything about the mysterious disaster. It was not his duty to remember, and it was no longer his burden. Or so he thought.

His dogs began whimpering and backing away slowly. "What's wrong, pups?" Alden asked them softly. Suddenly, on the white horizon, a figure caught his eye. Approaching him fast on high-tech skis was what looked to be a teenage boy, with dishwater blonde hair and blue eyes. His skin was pale, and he had a muscular build. His bangs were obscured by snow goggles resting on his forehead.

What is this? Alden wondered, squinting and shielding the watery sun from his eyes with a gloved hand. He moved his own goggles to his forehead to see more clearly. The teen appeared to be wearing a black and blue combat suit, with an assault rifle on his hip. The large firearm instantly made Alden uneasy.

"You!" the boy exclaimed in an average voice. "Alden Demetrius!"

"How do you know my name?" the man asked in an incredulous voice, beginning to sweat. The teenager stood in front of him, looking directly into his eyes.

"Where is the Divine Form?" he demanded, glaring at Alden. His eyes had a fiery rage to them that frankly scared the explorer.

"Wh-what?"

"Don't act like you don't know," the boy snarled. "You worked with Mizrahi, and you know where she is now!"

"She's dead," escaped Alden's mouth in a terrified whisper. How had they found him? There was no possible way! Unless, however, they had acquired the information before the problem with the security walls was fixed…

"Don't lie to me." The slender teen sneered at Demetrius. "She's not dead."

The last thing Alden Demetrius remembered seeing after the attacker reached for his belt were two silver blades coming fast towards his neck. Then everything went black.

The assassin put a hand to his ear, and the tiny communication device automatically came on. "Come in, Genesis. Subject: Alden Demetrius. Kill confirmed. Returning to base. Exodus out."

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Just as Allen walked out the front door, Shion moaned in pain and collapsed on the couch. There was no telling how horrible she felt, but she couldn't let Allen know that. She knew how he got when he worried. She couldn't ruin his birthday like that.

"What the hell is wrong with me? I haven't felt this bad since…" Her voice trailed off. "But…it's impossible that that could ever happen again. There's no chance." She groaned and rested her head on one of the pillows, closing her eyes.

She was still dressed in her pajamas: gray and blue flannel pants and a gray tee shirt. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, since she knew that she was going to be headed for the bathroom again soon. There was no use in having her arm be sore as well from having to hold her hair back.

"Damn you, Jr.!" she yelled miserably. She would kick his ass later on for making her this sick. "I'm sure Jin has some nausea medicine somewhere…" she muttered before slowly getting to her feet and trudging to the bathroom.

She opened the medicine cabinet and rooted around for a few minutes before pulling out a pink bottle of stomach soother. (Yes, they still use Pepto Bismol in the future; throw me a friggin' bone here.) She then grabbed a medicine cup and measured out her dosage before drinking it down. It tasted horribly chalky, but it would surely help the sickne-

No good!

Shion fell to the floor in front of the toilet before heaving into it. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she took a few deep breaths, trying to regain her composure. She couldn't possibly have that much left in her stomach…nonetheless, she moaned and retched again. Alternating chills and hot flashes washed over her. Her vision wavered sickeningly. You know what? I have a better idea. I won't kill Jr…I'll give him this flu again! Once everything had passed but dry heaves, Shion dizzily got to her feet and brushed her teeth. Her morning was seriously sucking right now.

Shion slogged towards the bedrooms, head pounding in sync with her rapid heartbeat, extremely thankful that Jin's house was all on one level. She did not feel like trekking up and down steps right now. She didn't even want to think about how much her abs were going to hurt the next day from heaving so much.

It seemed that she had not awoken Jin from his slumber. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard Jin come in last night at all. She grimaced in frustration.

If he got arrested, it's his own damn fault.

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Meanwhile, Allen was just pulling his gray sedan (that hovers…yes, I watched the chase scene in episode two) into a parking space at the restaurant where he was to meet Miyuki and Togashi. He had picked it up at his apartment during the big moving day, when Jr. was sick. Shion was so thankful that he owned a car, because she apparently sold hers before the Woglinde trip. She would get a new one later.

The dining place was small and quiet, the last place he would have ever imagined Miyuki to suggest. He half-expected the place to be a nightclub. That'd be quite a sight, eh?

Inside, Miyuki was sitting next to Togashi, counting the tiles on the ceiling. "...one. That was boring," she said, not taking into consideration that the ceiling was plaster. Togashi sighed, drumming his fingers on the table.

"Where do you think they are?" he asked her.

"Take a chill pill!" Miyuki said, laughing. "They probably just got caught up in a quickie. Hehehe. Quickie." Togashi flashed Miyuki an utterly bewildered look. "Oh, you didn't hear?"

"Hear what, exactly?" His face kept the look of "what the crap".

"Oh. Well a few weeks ago, they spent the night together and then got engaged. I thought it was common knowledge!" she informed him in a chipper voice.

"...damn!" he whispered. "That was unexpected! Why can't we go that fast?"

"Hey hey hey," Miyuki scolded him, closing her eyes. "I gave you last night, wasn't that enough?" Togashi blushed.

"Hey guys," Allen said, walking over to the table and sitting down. "Sorry I'm late."

"How's it going, man?" Togashi greeted him, standing and shaking his hand from across the table. "I heard you got hitched with the Chief, not bad!"

Miyuki looked behind Allen, behind herself, and then under the table. "Where's Shion?" she asked slowly, drawing out her words.

"She was really sick to her stomach," the tawny-haired man replied. "That's why I'm late. She told me to give you guys her love, so…" As soon the younger Vector employees heard that she was sick, the obvious cause of her predicament crashed down upon them like Bob Dole campaigning in Chico, California. They exchanged sly looks. "What is it?" Allen asked. "Guys? G-Guys?"

"Uh-oh…" Miyuki sang in a high-pitched voice. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Togashi?"

"I think I am, Miyuki…" the tall man said smugly. Allen gave them a look that read "Allen has no clue what you're talking about."

"What?" Allen demanded. "You'd better tell me!"

"Never mind. Let's just order some food," Togashi snickered, hiding behind the menu as he laughed hysterically.

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Pellegri ran into her quarters on the U-TIC base, silent tears running down her cheeks. She quickly grabbed a few things she could carry and collected them in a bag. "I have to leave," she whispered to herself. "I can't do this!"

Margulis's plan had been ingenious, but so cripplingly evil. Ariande was one thing, but in no way could she let herself live with this…especially when it so closely involved someone that she used to (and still did) feel so much for.

The woman quickly wiped her eyes and checked outside the door. The coast was clear, thankfully. She took that as her chance to run. She knew what the consequences of her actions may be, but she ran anyways. She still had a sense of right and wrong, and this was wrong. His plan was something that she could never reveal to anyone now…she would do what she always did in this situation: she would make herself forget.

Pellegri moved quickly from the door of her room, being sure to keep low. She didn't need to be seen now, now that she was so close to escaping. All that remained were the guards at the double-door entrance, and she was home-free. Margulis would never track her down if she was able to stay at the place she had in mind.

She walked casually up to the guard, who was for some reason not wearing his mask. He probably couldn't breathe in it. This guard definitely did not look like a U-TIC type. He had bright orange freckles and hair the same color. Actually, he looked fresh out of high school. Pellegri inwardly growled at the person who was stupid enough to hire him as a guard.

"Oh! Ms. Pellegri!" he squeaked. "Where are you goin-"

Pow!

Fist connected with cheek and the redhead guard fell to the floor, unconscious. Pellegri was marveled at her own strength…Margulis had always told her that she depended on him for survival. Yeah, right, she thought to herself.

Pellegri grabbed fistfuls of the guard's clothing and grunted as she tossed him into a nearby empty room. She stood still for a few moments, regaining her composure. Just one guard left, she kept telling herself. But she had a feeling that this one wasn't going to be quite as easy.

She walked briskly through the first set of doors, which the juvenile soldier was keeping watch at. Narrowing her eyes through the darkness of this particular chamber, she peered to the second guard. Her hope deflated instantly, for it seemed that this guard was a senior in the ranks. This one was wearing a mask, so she could not tell who it was. "Damn," she muttered under her breath. For a few seconds, she tried to think of a plan on what to do. Then, it hit her. The perfect lie.

"You there!" Pellegri yelled. The guard quickly turned.

"Me?"

"Yes, you!" Pellegri strode towards him. "Margulis wishes to see you. He sent me to fetch you just now," she said in an official tone.

"Are you sure?" the man clad in the violet uniform asked in a deep voice. Pellegri sighed in frustration.

"I'm directly following orders from our commander and you as me if I'm sure?" she said in a stern, angry voice. "I suggest you get your ass to the command center or we'll both lose our jobs! Now, move!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" stammered the guard, frankly scared by her outburst. He broke into a jog as he ran through the set of doors through which Pellegri had just come. She heard him in the distance, saying, "Jimmy, where did you go? What am I going to do with that boy?" Like taking candy from a baby, she thought bitterly.

Pellegri took a deep breath as she gazed at the thick, sturdy door lying before her. She slowly pushed it open, and sunlight flooded into the darkened chamber, and she looked into it with courage. Something about the brightness was so alluring, and she wanted to be a part of it. Oftentimes she would feel the same way when she was doing Margulis's bidding; as the darkness consumed her, she would pretend she was burning bright.

Her hand instinctively went to her cross pendant, making her strong and ready. The necklace had been her source of strength for all of these years when she had been separated from her love. She stepped out of the dark life she had been living and into the Senirian sunlight. In her mind, she saw someone smiling at her:

Jin…

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Shion fell onto the couch and rested her head on a pillow, wrapping the comforter she had taken off of her bed around her. Her mother always used to say that a sheet on the couch could cure any illness, and Shion had gone with the next best thing. She definitely did not feel well enough to painstakingly remove the sheet from her futon. The memory of her mother made her feel a bit better as she slowly felt herself drifting off to sleep.

Suddenly, she heard the front door open, interrupting her half-asleep daze. She sat up, expecting Allen to have returned early because of the guilt. Instead, she was greeted by the image of her brother. Oddly enough, there was a top hat perched on his head. Shion didn't even want to think about where that may have come from. She stared in complete and utter bewilderment.

"I'm home," Jin called. "Sorry I'm late, but- Shion, are you alright?" he asked as he saw her on the couch. She looked awful…pale and bedraggled, with bloodshot eyes.

"No," she replied miserably. "I feel horrible. My stomach and head hurt so much…"

"Hm. Are you sure you're not hung over? You and Allen were hitting the champagne pretty hard last night," he suggested, shrugging. Shion sighed and rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Jin, Allen and I didn't drink last night!" she exclaimed. "You're probably thinking of yourself!"

"…oh," Jin said, tilting his head to the side. "That would probably explain this, then." He took the top hat off of his head and looked at it for a moment, then nonchalantly chucked it across the room. Shion held her stomach and groaned again as the wheels of the obstetrician's mind began to turn.

"I just don't know what could possibly be wrong with me," Shion moaned, sinking back against the cushions. Jin brought a hand to his chin and spoke in an official manner.

"Shion…now, if you don't mine me asking," Jin began, "has your…Sunday Bloody Sunday…come yet?"

"What!" Shion asked, totally and completely appalled. "Why would I tell you that?"

"Please, Shion, I'm a doctor."

"…fine. No," she replied grudgingly.

"When was it due?" Jin prodded.

"Two days ago," his sister responded sheepishly. Jin's eye twitched. "No, Jin! I'm not pregnant, it could never be that!" she yelled defensively, standing in front of him. Immediately she became dizzy, and Jin quickly supported her.

"Then can you explain how irritable you've been lately?" Jin asked coolly.

"I haven't been irritable!" Shion spat. Jin winced at the shrill pitch of her voice.

"I rest my case."

"I'm not pregnant!"

"All signs point to yes, though. I wish you would've listened to me earlier before you decided to go unprotected," he upbraided her. "I'd feel better if you took a test. Come with me." Shion sighed and followed him into the kitchen, where he produced a thin package covered in shiny silver foil from his medical bag. She grimaced at the sight of it. "In the bathroom, now. Move it, girlie."

Is he serious? Shion shot him a glare and snatched the test from his hand. "You'll be sorry you wasted this when it comes up negative," she grumbled. Yet, deep inside, she became worried. She had an odd feeling that the result of the test wouldn't be as she expected it. She growled menacingly and stomped off into the bathroom.

"You know how to do it, right, Shion? You hold it under the stream of-"

"I know how to do it!" his sister spat in a shrill tone.

Jin smirked in satisfaction. He sang to himself in a whisper, "I was right, I was right, I was right…"

A few moments later, Shion emerged from the bathroom and thrust the narrow device towards Jin. "I don't want to touch it!" Jin said, moving his hands away from it. He handed her a saucer and a teacup. "You must keep it covered for a minute and a half. Put it under the teacup." Shion did so. Both of them sat and stared at the upside-down mug.

"You know, let's agree never to use that saucer again," she commented wryly. Jin nodded in agreement. Both of them waited with bated breath as almost half a minute passed.

"Eighty-five, eighty-six," Jin counted slowly. He sighed in anticipation. "Eighty-seveneighty-eighteighty-nineninety!" he said in one breath, obviously not giving each number its appropriate time duration. He picked up the teacup and held the stick test between two fingers, peering intently at it.

"Well?" Shion asked impatiently, not being able to wait until he dropped this whole suspicion. Jin gave her an unreadable look.

"See for yourself. See what the digital readout says?" he asked as calmly as possible, handing it to her. As she looked at it, she felt the world crashing down around her.

"No…" she whispered almost inaudibly. There, in letters on the LCD screen, read the word she never wanted to see: "Positive".

Shion was pregnant.

She felt light-headed, something not brought on by the nausea…or was it morning sickness? Shion didn't even know what to think anymore. "I am going to kill your fiancée," Jin growled through a clenched jaw, trying in vain to contain his anger. Shion immediately panicked.

"No! Don't think that it's right just yet," she exclaimed frantically, scrambling to her feet. "What's the percent of correct results?" She grabbed Jin's bag and began rummaging through it before pulling out the box from which he had retrieved the test. Apparently, as it said on the front, it was correct 99.998 percent of the time. It must have been developed by KOS-MOS…okay, bad pun and a bad place for humor. Sorry.

Tears began running down Shion's cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away. She didn't want Jin to see her like this. This…this wasn't supposed to happen… she thought to herself. Never again…

"How could this have happened?" she sniffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Jin tilted his head to the side and took a deep breath.

"Well, Shion, I think it's quite obvious how it happened," he replied smartly and angrily. "I think you and I should have a little talk."

"Jin, you're not making this any easier!" Shion yelled, trying to hold back another wave of tears. "This is bad, what am I going to do?" she asked Jin almost hysterically.

"You're having that baby," he told her firmly. "And you're telling Allen as soon as he gets home." Shion whimpered.

"What if…what if he leaves me, though?" she asked in barely a whisper. Jin made a patronizing clicking sound with his tongue.

"I don't think that Allen would ever do that to you. He's a great guy," he told her, trying even harder to suppress his anger. "But you still need to tell him as soon as possible about the baby. Give me his cell phone number." Shion sighed in defeat and sadly gave Jin a sequence of numbers at which to reach her fiancée…and the father of her baby.

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Back at the restaurant, brunch had just arrived. Allen smiled and hungrily dug into his omelet with a fork. Miyuki suddenly stopped eating and gasped, chestnut eyes widening.

"What is it?" Togashi asked her, looking up expectantly from his meal. Miyuki was just staring at Allen, terrified.

"He's not wearing his uniform," she said in an entranced tone. "That's blasphemy!" Togashi and Allen raised their eyebrows at her.

"Neither am I," the younger man said slowly. Miyuki studied him head to foot, and it registered in her mind that he was wearing a dark green polo shirt and knee-length cargo shorts. "And…hate to say it, but neither are you." The clueless woman looked down at herself, seeing an outfit extremely similar to Shion's. Her shirt was blue, though.

"Whoa," she said incredulously. "It's hard to believe that we actually have a life outside of Vector, eh? I mean…you and Shion, Togashi and I...we'll all have inbred children!" Some sooner than others… she added silently, smirking.

Togashi and Allen facepalmed.

Suddenly, Allen's pocket began vibrating. "Havin' some problems there, Allen?" Togashi asked, grinning. Allen shook his head as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. As he read the number, he grew worried. Shion was calling him.

"Hello?" he asked nervously, holding it to his ear. Instead of Shion's voice, the deep and angry-sounding voice of Jin boomed through the receiver.

"You had better be home within ten minutes, or I'll stab you," the samurai warned gravely. "I'll stab you so much that…that…that you wish I would have never stabbed you!" Then, the call disconnected. Jin had hung up. Allen slowly looked back up at the puzzled couple awaiting him to speak.

"Errr… I have to go now," he said in a squeaky voice, standing from his seat. "My brother-in-law to be wants to kill me, I think…"

"It's cool, we understand," Togashi said, not being able to help a smile spreading across his face. "Happy birthday!"

"Yeah, go and make sure that Shion's okay!" Miyuki chirped, the same smile plastered goofily on her countenance.

"…yeah," Allen said, turning over his shoulder. "I'll talk to you guys later. Thanks so much for the meal!" With that, he walked briskly out of the dining room, almost knocking down a waitress on the way. Togashi and Miyuki stared at the spot where he had just been for a few moments. Then, they turned to face each other, mouths pulled taut against their features.

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" Togashi said, snickering.

"Oh yeah," Miyuki replied. "…I want his omelet." She picked up her fork and skewered Allen's meal.

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Allen had broken the speed limit and, very nearly, the sound barrier as he sped back to Jin's house. Normally, Shion's brother wouldn't get aggressive, but when he did…let's just say that you didn't want to be on his bad side.

He ran up to the front door of the house and opened it, stumbling inside. Shion and Jin were sitting in the living room, obviously waiting for him. The look on his fiancée's face was one of fear and sadness, and Jin…Jin looked as if he would go ballistic at any moment. He was fingering his sword, jaw taut, eyeballs bugging out of their sockets. Allen gulped.

"Allen…" Shion half-whimpered. Then, she felt a wall crumble inside of her. She burst into tears, trembling in her seat on the couch. Allen's heart fell and he over to her.

"Shion, are you alright?" he asked, genuine concern filling his crystalline blue eyes. She stood in front of him, falling into his protective embrace. "What's wrong, why are you crying?" he gently wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"Allen, something has happened…" she sniffed. "And…and I don't know how I'll be able to handle it!" She began to cry again, pressing her face into his chest. He brought his hand to the back of her head, gently stroking her hair.

"What is it?" Allen tilted her chin upwards to look into her eyes. "You can tell me anything. I promise." Shion avoided his gaze, looking down at the floor.

"I'm…I'm…" she tried to say through the sobs. Allen waited for her to finish. "…pregnant."

Allen's mouth fell open. Of all the things it could have been…he wasn't expecting this. Shion held her breath, waiting for his response. A few tortured seconds later, he finally spoke:

"Shion…" he started, speaking in awe. "That's wonderful!" A huge, proud smile spread across his face as he hugged her as tightly as he could. The tears stopped as Shion raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're…not upset?" she wondered aloud, pulling her from his suffocating embrace. "You're not going to leave me?"

"Of course I'd never leave you!" he exclaimed. He took her left hand in his and kissed it, running the index finger of his free hand over the diamond and emerald side-stones (that KOS-MOS rox forgot to mention, shut up) of her engagement ring. "You see this? This means that we're in this together forever, the good and the bad. And this is definitely one of the good!"

"So you're excited?" she half-laughed, completely taken aback.

"Hell yes! I've always wanted to have a child," he replied, grinning. "This is…the best birthday gift you could have ever given me!" Shion smiled through the tears and laughed. Why had she reacted so badly to this? She had Allen now, and everything would be okay. The couple smiled even more as they kissed, thinking about the new life they created.

Allen got down on one knee and loosely wrapped his arms around her midsection, talking to her stomach. "Hey, baby," he cooed. "This is unbelievable!" He looked back up at Shion as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Oh Allen," Jin interrupted in a singsong voice. Allen slowly stood and faced him, gulping. The older man grinned from ear to ear. "Come give me a hug." Allen let out a sigh of relief as he and Jin embraced in a brotherly manner.

"S-So you're not going to kill me, are you?" Allen asked timidly, breaking away from his future brother-in-law. Jin tilted his head to the side in a cocky manner.

"Now, I never said that, did I?" he added nonchalantly. The color drained from Allen's face.

Shion suddenly moaned, sitting back down on the couch and holding her head in her hands. "Are you alright?" her fiancée asked her.

"Just…" she started, smiling. "Morning sickness, I guess. Damn, that sounds strange to say. I should probably go back to bed for a while before the others arrive."

"And I'll carry you." Allen smiled. "After all, you're walking for two now." Shion giggled as Allen picked her up and carried her off towards their bedroom.

He entered the darkened room and laid her gently on the bed, and she let out a small noise of appreciation. She smiled and closed her eyes as he stroked her cheek gently. He stood to leave, but she caught his hand in hers.

"Stay with me…with us," she whispered, not bothering to open her eyes. Allen felt his heart skip a beat as she referred to the baby. He hardly believed that he was engaged to Shion…the thought of them having a baby was almost overwhelming.

"Of course," Allen replied, joining her, inexpressible love and passion filling the room. He rested his head on the pillow and wrapped his arms around Shion, her back pressed against his chest. He put a protective hand over her stomach, and she rested her hand on his. They both fell asleep with smiles frozen on their faces, at complete peace.

Jin stood silently outside the door to Shion's bedroom, watching them with a soft smile. They're going to be fine, he mused. With one last proud glance at the couple, he slid the door to the room shut.

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-Falls over, anime style- Whew! Man, that took a while! ...HAHA she's preggers! And Pellegri's leaving U-TIC! And some minor character is dead! And Miyuki likes omelets!

Andale is Spanish for "hurry up", just to clear that up.

Until next time, this is KOS-MOS rox, signing off!

By the way, I'm sorry about the top hat. I'd been planning that for a long, long time, and I couldn't bear not using it. Hehe!