"Of course I didn't grab my jacket," Shion grumbled morosely to herself as the downpour of cold rain pounded at her. "It fits."

"I should be hurrying inside like everyone else, but really I don't care right now." She glanced up in time to see a mother leading her son quickly through the rain toward some drier destination; the mother looked as miserable as Shion felt but the son had a grin of wonder and joy on his face as he looked up into the bruised sky. "Just wait," she thought to herself as they passed by, "you'll see the dark for what it really is soon enough."

She felt bad for being in a dismal mood and scolded herself for wishing a bad future on the little boy, she couldn't help it though since discovering what Vector had done...nothing had seemed right with the world.

Tucking her chin back into her chest she watched the ground roll by, walking aimlessly through Second Miltia was not a common thing for her but like her life at the moment she had no destination.

Soon she found herself outside a familiar doorway, looking up she saw the sign and let a small smile play across her troubled face. "If nothing else I can get dry and maybe something to eat." She stepped through the sliding doors and was accosted by a warm blast of air that sent shivers to her spine. Standing in the center of the air current for a moment she dried her cloths; tossing her hair over a shoulder she squeezed the majority of the water into a nearby potted plant. being mostly dried off she walked slowly up the stair discovering that her boots made a unpleasant squishing sound. Groaning she fishined the short flight of stairs and was welcomed by the site of Moby Dicks.

Sighing and feeling more relaxed already she made her way to the bar, "Shion?" asked a surprised voice behind her.

She stood stock still for a moment, then realizing it wasn't Jin she turned slowly; "I really don't want to see anyone right now." she thought. The voice had come from the table in the alcove, but she couldn't see who was there as they were sitting behind the pillar. "Hello?" she called.

Hearing a scrape of chair legs over the floor she braced herself and put on a unfelt smile. As the person walked around the corner the smile faded into a open mouthed gape, there stood Gaignun Kukia Jr. "Hey Shion, I thought that was you." Giving her a cocky grin he raised an eyebrow, "Um, do you want me to feed you?" he asked.

Quickly blinking her eyes and shaking her head she stuttered, "Huh, what?"

"Your mouth was open like a baby bird." he told her with a laugh.

"Oh: she answered, making sure her mouth was closed. "What are you doing here? Last time I talked to MOMO she said you were out looking for that big ship that swallowed the Zohar."

"You talked to MOMO? How is she I haven't seen her in a while she is supposed to be here at the UMN center getting a checkup." Jr rushed out taking a eager step forward, cerulean eyes shining.

Shion couldn't help but laugh, "Is that why you are here? To see MOMO?"

Jr blushed deeply, "No! Not at all!" Shion gave him a quizzical look. "I mean, thats not...damnit." He grunted, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Ok," he started, taking a deep breath, "I was out with the Durandal but we decided that the Foundation would be safer if it was closer to Second Miltia so we moved it here and we just arrived a couple of hours ago. It is just a coincidence that MOMO is here too."

Shion giggled, "Ok, if you say so."

Rolling his eyes Jr asked, "What are you doing here?"

Caught off gaurd Shion fumbled for an excuse, "Oh, I, um, Second Division, KOS-MOS..."

Jr gave her a lopsided grin, "Wanna sit?" he asked motioning to his table.

Shion thought for a moment, she had to tell him something and maybe he was the one to talk to, he understood things better than most people who looked three times his age. Nodding she followed him and took a seat across from his empty plate of curry.

Sitting and taking a sip of his drink he asked, "So you had to bring KOS-MOS back to Second Division? Helmer didn't mention that when we talked this morning."

Opening her mouth to answer, Shion was unble to tell himt he lie she had quickly cocntructed. "He knows what it's like to feel lost, and he'll find out soon enough." she told herself.

Jr noticed the far away look in her eyes and her body language was screamed how tense she was. "Shion, is everything ok?" he asked, concerned.

It was like his question slapped her, her head came up and she gave him a hard look. Jr sat back in confusion, he had only seen her this way when they discovered those girls with the Zohar.

"I am sorry Jr, " she said, her face softening, "It's just...I quit Vector."

"Wha?!" he exclaimed, taken aback by the sudden confession. "What happened, why did you do that?" he asked confused.

Shion sighed deeply, "Things had seemed kinda strange for a while, since about the time I met you really. Not to say your the problem!" she added. Jr waved away her comment and leaned forward to listen, "Things just didn't add up; KOS-MOS saving the Elsa and showing up outside of Old Miltia then docking with the Dinah, the Zohar and how Vector seemed to always be involved somehow."

"I know what you mean, but Vector has always been a major player in whats going on." Jr responded as Shion looked down at her hands quizically.

"More than you know," she said softly. "I started looking through old files a couple of months ago, Vector has been around as far back as I can search; all the way to Second Jerusalem."

Jr's eyes grew wide, "Damn, I knew they had been around awhile, but...damn"

Shion looked up at him, staring straight into his eyes, "Then I found something else, something I still can't quiet beleive...there is a file that links the appearance on the Gnosis and Vector."

She looked at Jr, the shock on his face was plain, "I must have looked the same way when I read the file." she thought.

Jr blinked slowly, gathering his senses, "What was in the file." he asked quietly, still triyng to wrap his mind around what was said.

"The file wasn't completely clear, but it did show figures on the increased rate of Gnosis appearance whenever the Rhein-Maiden showed up and...it made reference to the giant ship that took the Zohar, its called Abel's Ark."

"You mean that Vector knew the name of that ship? What else did the file say?" he asked anxiously.

"The only other thing was that after the path to Old Miltia was revealed Alel's Ark was expected and...it has something to do with finding Lost Jerusalem."

Jr didn't think he could be shocked anymore abut he obviously was, now totally blown away he lept to his feet; needing to do something. "I...Gaignun...Helmer..." he stuttered, "I have to go tell them, if Vector knows all of this, they probably know more than just what you found."

"Probably." Shion whispered.

Jr looked at his friend, the information she told him was of dire importance but he could tell she wasn't dealing with what she had found very well.

He sat back in his discarded chair and took her hand in his. "Shion, no matter what you did for them while you worked there, you had nothing to do with any of that. It's not your fault."

She looked up and into his expressive eyes, "But it was my fault, the file also mentioned...KOS-MOS, she is part of it too somehow."

"Even if she is part of it, she also saved us from Proto Merkabah when it was breaking up, she saved you and Allen in the Dinah and helped set those two girls free from the Zohar, your like her mother and your raised her right."

"I just don't know what I am supposed to do, Vector defined me, all my time and energy went into what they wanted of me, and now I find out that I might be responsible for horrific things, I can't stand it." she said, choking back a sob.

"When Albedo did those things to MOMO, I felt like it was my fault, and then we almost lost her...butt in the end it was Albedo I lost." Shion looked at the young man and the pain etched on his face, he had never talked about this before she knew, "We kind of made up in the end, when I went to him. I realized that he made his choices and I had made mine, we were brothers but the past was the past and we couldn't change that, only try to understand it."

"Jr, I didn't know.." said sympathetically, slowly understanding what he was trying to tell her.

He looked at her, eyes blazing, "The past can't be changed, we can only make our way to the future, what ever happens that is all we can do."

She looked at him gratefully, he smiled softly before taking his hand from hers and standing up, "I have to go let Helmer and Gaignun know what you told me, but I think you should catch a cab to the UMN center and see MOMO, she would like that and you could use the cheering up."

"Thank you Jr, I..." "Just go see MOMO, and...tell her I say hi." he said with lopsided embarrased grin, cutting her off. "I'll try to catch up with you later."

Shion nodded as he turned and made his way down the stairs to the exit. She sat for a moment; thinking over what he had said before getting up and going to the comm station near the bar and called for a cab. "To the future." she thought, "Maybe, I can make my own way."