DISCLAIMER: This is a novelization-in-progress of the masterpiece Xenogears from SquareSoft. I do not own the content of this, save for maybe the way I described "how" something happened. All characters, speech, and storyline are exclusive property and copyrighted by SquareSoft.

Lahan Village

The continent of Ignas, in the northern hemisphere of our world. On this, the largest continent, a war has been raging between two countries for hundreds of years. In the north of the continent lies the Kislev Empire, in the south lies the desert kingdom of Aveh. The war has gone on for so long that the people have forgotten the cause, knowing only the pointless circle of hostility and tragedy.

The chronic war obsession was soon to encounter a devastating change. This was due to the 'Ethos', an institution that preserves our world's culture, repairing tools and weapons excavated from the ruins of an ancient civilization. At once both countries excavated these ruins, and had the 'Ethos' repair the discoveries, in order to increase their military power.

The various weapons excavated from the ruins greatly changed the form of warfare. The outcome of the battles between the two countries was no longer determined by man-to-man combat, but by 'Gears' - giant humanoid fighting machines - that were obtained from deep within the ruins.

Eventually, after continuous swings in the state of the war, Kislev gained the upper hand. The major factor behind this lay in the enormous difference in the amount of resources buried within their ruins. But suddenly a mysterious military force appeared in the continent of Ignas. Called 'Gebler', this force decided to make contact with Aveh.

With the assistance of this Gebler military force, Aveh was able to recover from being hopelessly outnumbered to being back on an even standing with Kislev. Then, taking further advantage of its newly gained momentum, Aveh started to capture one territory after another from Kislev, showing no indication of slowing down in their invasion campaign.

The remote village of Lahan, in the outskirts of Aveh, near the border with Kislev. This is where it all begins.

Fire. Fire was everywhere. Villagers were running everywhere as the village burned. The sounds of gunfire were heard all around. A gear stood in a defensive stance surrounded by white gears.

"Damn you!" yelled the black gear's pilot. "Hiyaaaaa!"

He knocked down one of the white gears.

"That's one down?" The gear got back up, as if it wasn't harmed. "What on earth are you? No matter how often I knock you down you still get up!"

On the ground a man in his twenties was yelling at the black gear as best he can.

"Fei! Stop! You must not fight here!" he yelled

The opposing Gear fired a few rounds at Fei's Gear. The man ducked instinctively even though the shots were way over his head.

"Guh! Boy are you persistent!" said Fei. He knocked the opposing gear down again. "Damn it! How come...? Why did it have to come to this?"

The day before…

A picture of flames sits on its mount, an exotic blend of red, orange, and yellow. It looks like it had been worked on for a long time.

"Whew! That about does it…" said Fei as he set his brush down. He looked around briefly and then stretched his arms. "Alright…now for a short break."

Fei turned around and walked into the next room, the maid was working in the kitchen. The maid heard him come in and greeted him warmly.

"Hello, Fei. You're looking well today. My, how time flies! Why, it has already been 3 years since you came to our village...When they first saw you brought in all bloody and soaken, to tell you the truth, they didn't think you were going to make it. And that strange masked man who carried you here that day...Do you think that maybe he was your real father? Don't you remember anything? Why, they say you had terrible nightmares and constantly called out for your father."

Fei stopped for a moment to reflect on this. It was three years ago. It was windy and rainy as a blue caped man walked up Lahan's path to a door and knocked on it.

"Who is it?" a voice asked from inside. The door opened and Chief Lee stepped outside. "Who are you?" He noticed that the man was holding Fei. "...What? You want me to look after this boy?"

"But now, you're so healthy and strong…And it's all thanks to our village chief, Lee. My, should you be grateful!" Her sudden words brought Fei back to the present. He decided to go upstairs.

Timothy, his best friend happened to be visiting with the Chief when he walked him. Timothy waved him over.

"Yo! Hi there, Fei. Sorry for us all using your house like this. But, we have to talk about the big day tomorrow with the village chief."

"Yeah tomorrow, huh… Your wedding with Alice! Now that is a big day!"

"Yeah… right… But it still hasn't hit me a reality though,' said Timothy.

Suddenly Fei wanted to thank him.

"Hey, errh, Timothy. I just want to thank both you and Alice... 3 years ago, I woke up in this village without a trace of my memory... I didn't know who I was, where I had been, or what I had been doing up until that day... I couldn't recall a single thing..." Fei looked at the floor. "Despite that, you and Alice sympathized with me and encouraged me to go on. If the two of you hadn't been there for me, I don't know what would have become of me…" He looked up at Timothy now, straight in the eyes. "Timothy…from the bottom of my heart, I thank you! Now, you and Alice had better live happily ever after!"

Timothy laughed at him, but it wasn't a cruel laugh.

"Hah! Quit it will ya! You don't have to go and get all mushy on me… Anyway, to me it feels like I've always been friends with you ever since we were kids." Timothy nodded at him. "And we will go on being friends forever, right?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Fei.

"Oh yeah, Fei… Could you stop by and check on Alice? I still have stuff to discuss with my old man and the village chief. But I'm sure she'll be glad to have some company."

"Yeah, sure! I'll do that... Anyway, I'll see you later. Oh, and I am really looking forward to the ceremony tomorrow."

Fei turned around to and started to walk out the door. But as soon as he put his hand on the knob, the door burst open, knocking him in the forehead. A small, obnoxious looking kid barged in.

"So there you are! Fei, I have to talk to you about something!" he exclaimed.

"Why, hello there Dan! You're lively today...as you are everyday!" greeted Fei.

Timothy turned around and scolded Dan, "Dan! Don't be so rude. What's this barging in and all?"

"Argh! Timothy's here too," grumbled Dan. Timothy stared at him for a second. "Butt out, Timothy! Until you marry my sister, you have nothing to do with me at all! I just have some business here with my friend Fei!" Dan turned back to Fei long enough to say, "So anyway Fei, I err... I have something to talk to ya about later..."

Fei looked at him skeptically for a second, putting his hands on his hips. "What is it, Dan? It sounds serious!"

"Yeah, that's why I can't talk about it here... There's a certain person listening in who could cause us trouble...! It's really important! We gotta talk, seriously, one-on-one, man-to-man" I'll be hanging around outside. So I'll see ya there later, OK!" Dan turned back to Timothy, "Be seein' ya, Timothy! Take care of yourself until tomorrow..."

Fei turned to Timothy, "Huh? What's up with him?"

"As of tomorrow, I'm going to be that kid's brother-in-law... Hah! That part isn't going to be no honeymoon!"

Timothy turned back to whatever he was doing. Fei decided that it would be best not to bother him, so he turned around and stepped out the door. The sun was shining brightly, and the village was in a bustle. Children were playing everywhere in beaten path that separated the houses. Nearby, a woman milked her bullcow. Fei smiled. He had only been here for 3 years, but it seemed like he had lived there all his life. He spotted Dan wondering around near the local pub, looking businesslike. Apparently he had something in mind. Fei walked up to him to see what it was he wanted.

"Oh good, Fei! Ya ready to talk" inquired Dan. Without waiting for a response, he continued. "As you know, tomorrow's finally the day of my sister's wedding... So, what I want to talk to you about is exactly that... Alice's marriage" Dan looked down at the ground. "Fei, to be perfectly honest with you... I've always wished you could have been my brother." He looked back up at Fei. "It's still not too late. You could go steal Alice and run off with her! If you need me to help, I'd be glad to! It may be odd for me to say this, but my sister's beautiful and a good cook..." He paused for a moment, and then whispered into Fei's ear"And this is just between you and me but, she's well endowed too! Heh heh heh"

He looked completely serious. Was he for real? Fei pondered on this for only a few moments before Dan interrupted his thoughts.

"So c'mon! Go for it"

Fei decided that even though Dan was acting seriously, he was going to gauge his reaction by playing along. "Alright Dan, you've got it...I guess I'll just go sweep Alice away and make a run for it"

Dan looked surprised for a few moments. This wasn't the answer he was expecting. Quickly, he regained his composure. "Really? I knew I liked you, Fei! That's the spirit" However, he must've realized something, because he once again looked down at the ground."... But, if only it was that easy...It's not like we can change their feelings... And you would need to have love for her too... But, I'm not gonna forget this, Fei! You were really willing to go that far to help me... Fei, you're a good guy" He seemed rather pleased with this conclusion.

Fei remembered that Timothy had asked him to keep Alice company. He bid Dan goodbye and sauntered over to Alice's house, which happened to be directly across the pathway from his own. Outside, there was a maid guarding the door. It was Lahan custom not to allow men to see the bride before the wedding night. But since Fei was not born in Lahan, he was often dismissed from said customs. He greeted the maid warmly and asked to be let in to see Alice.

"Why, hello Fei. Are you here to see Alice? Actually, it's customary that we don't let any men in to see the bride today... But, you can be an exception." The maid stepped aside, but not before she jokingly warned him"You know you won't come out in one piece if you try and pull anything on the bride"

Alice and her brother Dan lived in a fairly large hut when compared to the other huts in Lahan. They were considered a fairly well-to-do family. Immediately to the right there was a kitchen complete with the appliances required to cook a decent sized meal for a family. Alice's aunt was busily making food for the next day's ceremonies. Further off and to the left was the living area. It was a tastefully decorated area with some potted plants in the far corner. Fei greeted Alice's aunt, who appeared to be rather busy. However, it looked as if she was looking for a reason for a break in her feverish work.

"Why hello, Fei. Have you come to visit our Alice? She's upstairs right now." She paused for a second, as if she was remembering something. She looked somewhat depressed. "But doesn't time fly...? It has already been ten years since my brother and his wife passed away. We did our best to raise the two children in their place... But now, as far as Alice is concerned, I can finally say my job is done. I know Timothy will take good care of her from here on...Now all that's left is Dan... I'm going to have a hard time raising him to adulthood." She sighed, and absentmindedly returned to her work, apparently forgetting that Fei was even there. Fei walked up the stairs that lead to Alice's room. He found her examining a beautiful dress that was draped on a stand next to a window that was overlooking the path below. It was obvious that she had made it herself because she was still stitching a few places secure. She didn't see Fei as he walked in.

"Hello, Alice. Is that your wedding dress" asked Fei.

Alice jumped, as if startled, and then turned to face Fei. A man was the last thing she was expecting to see today. However, her surprise ebbed away when she realized who it was. "Oh? Fei, you startled me" She glanced back at the dress behind her. It was a beautiful white woven dress with wide sleeves and long flowing fabric on the bottom. Remembering what Fei had asked, she answered his question"Yes it is... I just finished it. It took more work than I expected."

Fei looked it up and down. It was exquisite work. It must've taken months for her to finish. After all, making something such as a wedding dress required as much artistic skill as it took to draw the landscapes that he commonly painted. "Hmmm... You did a great job there! It'll look wonderful on you, Alice...Congratulations."

Alice turned around and walked a step towards Fei, then looked down at the carpet. There was something on her mind too. "Thank you..." Then she turned back to face him. She opened her mouth to say something, but Fei had also tried to speak.

"Oh, um, Fei..."

"Hey, uh, Alice..."

There was an awkward silence as they stared at one another for a few moments. Fei was the first to regain his composure, and broke the silence.

"What is it?"

Alice looked back at the ground away from Fei, while he stared at another section of the wall. Another awkward pause ensued. This time it was her who broke the silence.

"Oh, nothing..."

Fei was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Something was troubling Alice, as well as himself. He felt confused.

"I see..."

Alice looked up, but still not directly at Fei. "Um... Oh yes, that's right... Fei, have you seen Dan"

Fei nodded. "Yeah, he's outside... bragging as always."

"Ugh, that kid! I just told him that I had an errand for him to run" said Alice, rather disgusted.

"Oh yeah? What kind of errand" Fei inquired.

"It's for my wedding ceremony tomorrow... I was hoping he could go borrow a camera and some lights from Doctor Uzuki, up on the mountain peak."

"If that's all it is, I'll be glad to do it for you."

"Could you? Oh, but I couldn't possibly..."

"Don't worry! It's no problem" interjected Fei. "Anyway, it doesn't exactly make me feel comfortable having Dan handle such delicate instruments. What's more, I might have a chance to eat some of Yui's cooking if I go to the doc's place."

Alice laughed"Hee-hee...that's my Fei!"

"Well, I'll go up there now and get them for you"

Fei turned around and started walking out the door. Alice watched him for a second, and then suddenly burst out, "Oh... Fei, wait..."

He turned around, looking a little puzzled. "Huh...? Is there something else you want me to get from Citan"

"No... It's not that..." said Alice as she looked at the dress, and then at the carpet. ""Fei... Have you ever thought about things this way" She walked back to the dress, and ran her fingers down the hems along the sides. "If... If, you had only been born in this village... And if we had only known each other earlier on..."

Fei was taken aback. Quickly, he turned back towards the wall opposite Alice, willing the blood to stop pumping to his face. She didn't need to see his embarrassment.

"... Oh, it's nothing. I'm sorry..." said Alice when she realized that she couldn't go any further with what she started.

"... Well, I think I had better get going now" said Fei, as he struggled to keep his voice even. Alice didn't need this kind of complication. Not on the day before her wedding night.

"Oh, OK... Be careful on that mountain path. And give my regards to Doctor Uzuki"

Fei nodded, and started to walk out the door again. He paused for a second as if to contemplate on whether or not to say something on his mind, but decided to keep it to himself. Without another word he walked down the stairs, and out the hut. Alice stood where she was, and then turned to face the wall again. "... Is this fate..." The wall didn't answer. Alice looked back down at the carpet, as if searching for answers. "I feel so foolish... Who am I kidding"

Outside, Fei silently walked towards the northern exit of the small village as he replayed what had just happened in his head. Alice's heart was going to be troubled for a long time, as will his. There was nothing the two of them could do about it, however, Fei was an alien to the village, and therefore the native born took precedence before him when it came to marriage. Silently, almost grimly, he continued towards the mountain path that would lead him to Citan Uzuki's house.