Seven Years Later (XenobladeX_fes22)

a/n: Seven years have passed since Xenoblade X released in North America. Seven years have passed since the Lifehold was rescued. Lin has a party all planned but things have gone very wrong.

Editing? Mama tried, okay?

All the good things belong to Monolithsoft. Several of the Crosses belong to the good people of several discords.

Lin hadn't liked that they left her eyes uncovered. She hadn't liked that they didn't have a medic with them. She knew that the Ganglion had allies with ways of resuscitating captured BLADEs, brutal, painful ways, but there was no such person with them on the enemy shuttle. Just two bulky Marnuck guards and a chittering alien of a species that Lin had never seen before.

She kept trying to twist her head enough to examine him and, more importantly, the console beside him. The embarrassment of being captured would be worth it if she could get some insight into their technology while it was being used. There was only so much she could deduce from scrap dragged home by Reclaimers, even if that scrap came in considerable quantities.

Unfortunately, every time she managed to get enough of a view, one of the Marnuck smacked the back of her head and forced her to crouch lower. Sometimes they did that even when she wasn't even trying. She started to worry more. Her captors didn't seem to care what shape she would be in when they reached their destination.

The transport ship veered suddenly to the left, so hard that the smaller insectoid alien went flying. The ship lurched and dipped without their control. The Marnuck guards struggled to stay on their feet. A bright ring of blast gel seeped through the ceiling directly over Lin's head. She had just enough time to grin with delight when the top of the transport shredded like wet paper.

They hadn't forgotten her birthday.

xcxcxcxcx

"Not going to lie, but this was not how I wanted to spend my 20th birthday," Lin complained to Elma. Behind her, a younger soldier was popping loose the restraints. The Ganglion sure had chained her up well enough. The rescue party hadn't bothered to release her during the attack. They'd just ripped the necessary part of the floor free, then lifted her and it to safety. She'd gotten a nice view of a spiraling smoke trail and a distant puff of angry red explosion before they'd closed the hatch of the BLADE ship, but five minutes later she still hadn't been able to hug Elma back.

Thank goodness she could look around without being roughed up. No one she recognized was on the team except Elma. "Where's Tatsu?" she asked.

"Ambassador Tatsu is waiting for our reports in the command HQ, Professor Koo," squeaked the soldier behind her. The last restraint surrendered to the sizzle of the micro-laser drill and Lin was able to turn around. She recognized this guy.

"You need to study more, Gary," she joked, "but I need hand it to you: you're always on time."

"Thanks, ma'am." He blushed and moved away. Probably to give her a chance to talk to Elma.

Lin didn't waste time rubbing her arms or checking her wrists. She wrapped her arms around Elma and hugged her back for dear life. "That felt scary," she whispered. Around Elma, she sometimes still felt like the 13-year-old child she had been for so long.

Elma hugged her back, tightly. She didn't stop until Lin released her slightly. "Try not to worry us like that again. You aren't a teenager anymore."

"That's right! Hey, can we get back in time for my party?"

xcxcxx

Tatsu had sent all of the guests away long before they returned to New Los Angeles. He'd been the first to meet them when the rescue ship landed, launching himself at Lin's knees. He'd bounced and fluttered around their ankles and apologized for the ruined party. Mercifully, he hadn't started crying. He'd grown up a lot in the past seven years too.

It was actually his growing up that had decided it for Lin. He had turned 14 as every normal Nopon does, and she had stayed eternally 13, same as she had during the long escape flight on the White Whale. She had hated that. Lin wasn't going to be left behind by some spotty Nopon. She had asked for upgrades to her artificial body, a little faster the first few calendar years in order to catch up to her friend. By the time they both turned 17, they were in sync. He still didn't let her forget that he was a few months older by birth date. She had considered adding those two lost years on the Whale to her body's age, but that would have been petty.

The recreation lounge was empty, although something was simmering deliciously in the kitchen and a stack of plates and forks was ready on the coffee table. Not empty, Lin corrected herself. A female Nopon was humming brightly behind the kitchen work station. Tatsu had sent away Lin's guests, but he'd let his girlfriend-of-the-week stay.

Time to tell the worst "Let's Eat Tatsu" stories she could remember, thought Lin. After she grabbed a quick shower.

xcxcxcxcx

"And then the sap rubbed yogurt all over himself!" Lin howled. The pretty Nopon was weeping with laughter.

The girlfriend had loved every single story. She'd actually been around before, several times, now that Lin thought about it. Dolidoll, a plump white Nopon who was one of the better researchers for the Nopon Commerce Guild.

"Doli wish she met young Tatsu," she said. "Sound so fun to tease."

"Meh," muttered Tatsu. His blush was just as bright as when he was younger, although his youthful spotty coloring was now a solid barring along his wingarms.

Lin looked away as Doli and Tatsu did that silly flirting thing that Nopon did when flustered. She really wished that her 20th birthday hadn't been ruined by her own incompetence. Being snatched like that! Without a team! She glowed with shame. Elma's assurances that this had been a carefully planned ambush, days in the execution, didn't make her feel much better. She was supposed to be chatting and celebrating all night, not scarfing curry in the small hours with two besotted Nopon and Elma. No criticism of the company, they were the best, Elma made it worth while all by herself, but Lin would have appreciated some more party people.

She looked at the last remaining clean plate on the counter. Cross hadn't come.

/Cross was married. Cross was missing. Cross had joined the Ganglion. Cross was a Telethia, an angel, part of the planet itself. Cross was co-regent of the Wrothians, a hermit in the Roost, the mayor of a village of robots. Cross was expecting twins, leading a rebellion, writing her PhD thesis. Cross had just turned 5 last summer and the party was too late for kindergartners. Cross spent every free minute with Gwin, Hope, H.B., Mia. With Lyla, the Lustrous. Cross had a concert to give, a class to prepare, Friday evening services to lead. Cross was on vacation, on a beach, on a watch list. On a campaign to fight the ECP, the Ganglion, and God. Cross was in limbo, in another dimension, in therapy. Cross was gone./

Lin shrugged and picked up a slender knife. "Who wants cake?" She cut generously. The cake was intended for a large party, and it wasn't getting any fresher. Kind of the same as her.

The door of the barracks was supposed to slide open smoothly and quietly. Why did it seem to open with a commotion now? Lin looked up, and a slice of cake landed frosting-side down on the table.

"You came!"

"I couldn't miss my own birthday, could I?"

a/n: Happy 7th anniversary. I almost missed it but I made it, even if I spent the whole night dreaming the story. Tell me what your Cross is doing all these years later, and I'll add it in.