Xenosaga: Gottlicher Eingriff
Chapter Thirteen: Recovery
Shion arrived quickly in the sickbay, smoothing down her sleep-rumpled hair. Her contacts had been forgotten, and as a result her vision was severely blurred. Fortunately she had run into Allen along the way, who had graciously offered to guide her to her destination, as he was going that way himself. Before them were four blurred shapes. Shion supposed the purple blob was Shelley, and the blue one next to her was no doubt Mary. Two tall, hulking figures were there as well, and Shion assumed they were Ziggy and Gaignun, although without her glasses she couldn't be sure.
"How is he?" Allen asked, guiding her around the tables to the bed where a figure with a violent red head was lying.
"He'll probably pull through, although he's going to be a little weak for awhile. There's some poison in his veins."
"Poison?" gasped Shion. "Were you able to identify it?"
"Yes, thank god," Mary said. "Unfortunately, the Durandal is completely unequipped for such an emergency. The Kukai Foundation has assured us that they will be able to deal with it, so they're going to synthesize an antidote and rush it over here as soon as possible."
"We have no idea how any intruder got onboard the Durandal, which unfortunately may mean someone has been helping an outside group," Ziggy remarked from where he was standing.
"Despite what everyone thinks, I am fully confident that my crew would never betray any of us," Gaignun said.
"We never suggested – " Shion started, but Gaignun mere shook his head.
"It wasn't you, just some others," he replied. "The fact remains, however, that we need to figure out where exactly our security is lax. There has already recently been a case of leaked information, and we need to shut this down immediately."
The door opened yet again, and in poured three more people. Shion supposed they were MOMO, KOS-MOS and chaos.
"I have found your contact case, Shion," informed KOSMOS in a voice that wasn't quite as mechanical as before, walking over toward her and placing the small, white plastic into her hands.
"Thank you, KOS-MOS," Shion said. She quickly pulled the contacts free, and popped them both in without a hesitation. With her vision cleared she could take in the scene before her better.
KOS-MOS was her usual neat self, and chaos was composed as always, but MOMO looked terrible. Her clothes were rumpled, her hair was in disarray and her eyes were duller than usual. The two walked up toward the bed, although MOMO was a bit more hesitant than KOS-MOS and chaos.
"W-what happened?" MOMO asked shakily. "We heard that Jr. had been hurt somehow…"
"I found him during my nightly rounds," Ziggy said. "He was lying on the ground and breathing shallowly. I brought him here, and the doctor discovered that he had been poisoned."
"But…that's just… Who would want to poison him?" MOMO gasped. She was now at the edge of the bed, and she leaned over it to look at Jr. He looked almost peaceful, Shion had to admit. If it weren't for the slowing heartbeat she never would've known he'd been injured.
"We don't know," Shelley said. "It is our hope that once the Little Master comes around he will be able to shed some light on the mystery."
"He needs his rest," Gaignun said. "We ought to allow him some time alone to heal until the antidote arrives, which should only take a few hours, at which time we will come back."
"Sounds good to me," Allen yawned. "Maybe we could stop by the mess hall, 'cause I'm starving. Plus some coffee would certainly help me wake up."
"That's sounds like an excellent idea, Allen," chaos said. "And I think the food will do all of us some good."
They all filed out together, although Shion waited until MOMO had exited to step out of the doorway. The young Realian certainly didn't look too good, and Shion wanted to keep a close eye on her.
---
He couldn't remember exactly what had happened. All he knew was that one moment he had seen a face before him, and the next he was floating, numb, in a sea of eternal white. He twisted his head this way and that, frantic for something substantial to anchor himself.
"Rubedo…" called a voice. He turned his head, and saw an unknown figure standing behind him, smiling gently and waving to him.
"Sa…ku…ra?" he tried. Her name came, unbidden, to his lips, but it was flat and dead, devoid of any meaning to him.
"Rubedo," she said again, her face splitting into a brilliant smile. He supposed that this must be his name, yet he couldn't be sure.
"Where am I?" he pondered, looking about him. Then, a more important question struck him. "Who am I? Who are you?"
She smiled, sadly. "Didn't I tell you already? Didn't you tell yourself already?"
"Yeah, Rubedo and Sakura…but that isn't an answer. They're just names. I mean, it's your actions that define who you are, and you can recall previous actions through memory… I don't have a memory. I don't have who I am."
"Oh," she said. "I can't help you there. I don't know what they are. I knew you once, a long time ago, but many years have past since then."
"In a building of white…" he murmured slowly, as bits and pieces began to come back. He could see some brilliant flowers that reminded him of peaceful conversations, an old tree that made him think of death and sorrow, a room with a piano in the middle invoking memories of warmth. "The Yuriev Institute."
"Yes!" she clapped her hands excitedly, and the white space around them began to darken a little as color seeped into it. They were across from each other, separated by a pane of glass. She sat at the piano, picking out a tune hesitantly. He stood in a flower bed, watching her and remembering.
In a flash, it all came back to him. New planets, new words floated into his brain. Old Miltia and Lost Jerusalem and U.R.T.V. and Realian and so many more, floating and twisting and ricocheting off his skull until he felt like a pinball machine. These thoughts danced through his brain faster and faster, the words spinning round and round in a whirlwind.
And still the girl played on.
The words and planet brought emotions and memories like a tidal wave, crashing over him and trying to drown him. He clung to himself desperately, trying to keep himself from going insane as his entire life, all the good and all the bad, sped past him in an instant. And one final image, a girl he had come to care about, striking him in the vein with a syringe.
Sakura smiled sadly as the tune ended.
"You remember."
"She hates me, she hit me, she…she…" he stopped, slumped, and the endless white was back. Sakura moved forward, and knelt next to him, her hands on his shoulder.
"Shhh…" she whispered gently. "It'll be alright."
"No, it won't," he said dully. Sakura stood up, a knowing smile on her face.
"You like her…" she said brightly, and he paled.
"No, that's impossible," he said.
"Do you hate her?"
"No."
"Does she annoy you?"
"No."
"Is she just a friend?"
"No…"
"Well then, when you've exhausted the possible, the only answer left is the impossible!" she clapped her hands, looking for all the world like a child who has just received a piece of candy in praise of a job well done.
"But…" He had no defense, and they both knew it. "Are you mad? Hell, is it even right?"
"It isn't up to me anymore, Rubedo," Sakura said, her face suddenly very serious. "It never actually was. This is between you and MOMO."
"But you're always there," he protested. "I start to think maybe its okay, and then I remember my promise and you and I wonder if any of it's even really me. You and your promise are always lingering just a step behind me."
"Only because of you. You need to let me go, dear. I'm gone, expired, dead. Accept it, grow up, move on. I keep trying to pull away, and you keep clinging to me harder. But that's done now. Let go."
"You're right, I suppose…" he said slowly. "But, you were such a big part of my life, Sakura. I can't just let you go."
"You won't be loosing me, you know. You just need to let me free, Rubedo. I'll always be watching over both of you."
"I…I know."
He bowed his head, and she bowed hers.
"Goodbye, Sakura."
"Goodbye, Rubedo."
Jr. took one last look at her, and then closed his eyes and relaxed his mind. She drifted away, and he drifted into sleep.
---
MOMO felt a little nervous about this, but she had to make sure that he was okay. If he took a turn for the worse, and if he…she couldn't say it. But if he was gone and she never got a chance to tell him the truth about why she was avoiding him, she'd never forgive herself.
The room was dark, but MOMO's eyes could clearly see his outline against the white sheets. She tiptoed closer, and reached out hesitantly to see if he was breathing. She could feel his chest rise and fall beneath her hand, and her sensors confirmed that he had a pulse, although it was an erratic one.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I wish that I had a little more courage…then maybe I wouldn't keep getting into these messes, and you wouldn't have to keep coming to help me. Not that you can right now, can you? I mean, someone hurt you and I didn't even know about it. I used to feel your pain all the time…"
She swallowed down a painful lump in her throat, and reached out to grasp his hand in a feather-light grip. "Maybe I made a mistake, maybe you did, maybe we both needed to be a little more honest. But it doesn't matter anymore, because you're lying there close to death and I'm sitting here alright. I'm so sorry, Jr. I should've been there, I could've been there, and maybe this wouldn't be happening."
His hand tightened around hers, and she bit back a yelp of surprise.
"Thank you…" she murmured. "But I don't really deserve it."
He frowned in his sleep, and she giggled softly at the expression.
"Dream peacefully, Jr. I'll be watching you from now on. I promise." She extricated her hand from his, and then leaned hesitantly over his forehead, and finally decided to press a gentle kiss to his temple.
Behind her, though she couldn't see it, his pulse slowed to a normal rate.
---
Shion had been trying to draw MOMO into the conversation for over an hour, although all the Realian did was respond with a minimum of words. Still, one could hope that soon she would be willing to talk to them again.
"He has woken up," called a voice from the doorway. Shion looked up to see Gaignun standing there, his face grave.
"Well?" called Mary. "Was there anythin' useful he said?"
Gaignun said nothing, and Mary narrowed her eyes at him. But before she could say anything he stepped back into the hall. "I'm sure he would appreciate his friends being there right now."
"He ain't changin' the subject that easily," grumbled Mary, but she stood up with Shion and the rest anyway. A silent procession made their way to the room where Jr. lay in a sterile white bed, a wane smile on his face.
"Hey, why the long faces? I'm not dead yet. Or, is it because of that fact…?" he wondered aloud, and Shion laughed a little. If he was making jokes, then he was certainly feeling better. Only MOMO didn't laugh, merely looked at him with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Shame on you, Little Master, for worryin' everybody like that," scolded Mary, shaking a finger in his face, although he had gotten a bit too big for it to be as funny as it had been. "You need t' behave better'n that."
"Sorry, Mary. Shall I sit in the corner as punishment?" he asked in a falsely apologetic tone.
"Just don't do it again," Mary said shortly. "We were all worried."
"All of you?" he asked Mary with a slight hint of confusion, and she nodded.
"All of us," she repeated firmly. Shion looked between the two, and wondered what exactly she was missing here. Although, from the looks on almost everyone else's face, she wasn't the only one who had been left out of the loop.
"Jr. does need his rest, so I must ask you all to leave. If he actually listens for once, he'll stay in bed today so that he can be released tomorrow."
As they all began filing out Jr. reached out to place a hand on MOMO's shoulder. "Would you mind staying a moment, please?"
MOMO looked confused. "Of course."
"Thank you," he said. "It won't be but a moment."
"I'll be right outside, Jr.," Gaignun said. Jr. frowned.
"I'll be fine," he insisted.
Shion was the last to leave, looking between the three of them. But aside from confusion on MOMO's face and sorrow on Jr.'s she couldn't figure a thing out. Gaignun followed her closely, and stood beside the door, looking almost like a guard.
---
"What…?" MOMO began as the door shut behind Shion, but Jr. just shook his head.
"Do you remember?" he asked softly. MOMO turned to face Jr., although she couldn't meet his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"Last night. Do you remember what you did?"
"Um, a little. I went to bed, and said my prayers like I do every night. Then…I don't know. I passed out, and when I woke up there was an announcement for everyone to be alert because you'd been…you'd almost…almost…died…" she trailed off.
"So you don't remember greeting me in the hallway with a loaded syringe?" he asked curiously. MOMO's head snapped up, startled.
"What?" she gasped, her mind whirling. Had she? In her memories there was only her room, and a shadow on the wall, and a prayer…
"I don't think it was really your fault," he said. "Before Albedo died he spoke of changing you… I thought it was a reference to his earlier trap in your subconscious, but perhaps he meant this."
The room seemed to spin. Was that the reason she didn't know he was hurt, because she had been there herself? Jr. would never, ever lie to her, she knew that. If he was sure he had seen her, then he had seen her. Her synapses went into overdrive trying to remember what exactly she had been doing that night, but all she remembered was passing out in her room.
"…MOMO? It's alright, you know. I understand you wouldn't want to hurt me intentionally." His word broke through her thoughts, and what he had said suddenly sunk in.
She had hurt him.
She had hurt him.
It was suddenly painful to breathe.
Her golden eyes widened in shock, and she mouthed wordlessly as she took a step backward. She'd broken her own promise even before she had made it. If she couldn't' remember anything, there was a high chance that she had been in that hallway, that she had attacked him with a syringe of poison, that she had actually tried to…kill him…
"I…" What was there to say? He frowned at her, and reached out as though to touch her face, but she pulled away. "I…I hurt you…"
"MOMO, I know it wasn't your fault – " he began, but she never gave him the chance.
"Oh no, oh no, oh no," she muttered, running out of the room. She collided with something black and solid, and looked up into Gaignun's unreadable eyes. "Just lock me up, please."
"Is that what you want, MOMO?" he asked quietly. She nodded, and her eyes stung even though she knew she could produce no tears.
"I don't want to hurt him," she said. "Please, make sure I can't hurt him ever again."
He studied her a moment more with that unreadable expression on his face, and then he nodded. "Come with me, MOMO. We'll make sure you have a nice place to stay while we try and figure out what happened."
"Thanks…" But she didn't feel thankful. He was supposed to punish her, not be sympathetic and understanding.
---
"You what?" shouted Jr.
"Oh her own request I placed her under house arrest," Gaignun said. "She was quite adamant about it, saying she wanted to make sure she didn't hurt you."
"But…but she didn't mean it!"
"That much was evident in her concern for your wellbeing. Nevertheless, something or someone made her attack you last night, and we need to find out what exactly is going on while we make sure they can't finish the job. That means keeping MOMO away from you."
Jr. just looked out the window sullenly, his brow furrowed in thought. Gaignun sighed.
"I made sure she was as comfortable as possible, if that's any comfort."
Jr. said nothing, and Gaignun sighed yet again. When he was like this there was simply no dragging him out of it. Once upon a time MOMO had been able to make Jr. liven up, but even he hadn't been blind to the sudden gulf between the two lately, one that seemed to stem from nothing. And now this, on top of all of that –
"Thanks," said a grudging voice.
"You're welcome," he replied. "Now get some rest. The antidote should rid your system of the poison within twelve hours, at which point you will be allowed to leave."
"Fine," he said, and Gaignun left.
Only to find himself face to face with an angry Mary and a glaring Shelley. He edged slowly to the left, seriously considering an undignified escape route full-speed out the door. But that wasn't really an option when the two sisters had him cornered. Besides, when they set their minds to something, all the Gnosis in the universe couldn't dissuade them.
"Well?" demanded Mary the moment the door shut behind him. Gaignun decided it was high time to try the innocent card. Perhaps it could gain him a crucial few moments.
"Well what?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm. Shelley stepped closer, and he fought the urge to step backward.
"You know perfectly well what it is we want to know," she replied, her usually cool voice now sounding like icicles in a snowstorm.
"Ah…that," he said. When innocence didn't work, distraction was also useful. "The Kukai Foundation was pleased to report that within the next twelve hours the poison would be filtered from Jr.'s system. At that time he will be allowed to return to his normal duties."
"Great! I oughta go tell the bridge crew, 'cause they were worryin' somethin' awful," Mary exclaimed. Had it been just she there, he might have been able to make good his escape without further embarrassment. But Shelley was not so easily deterred.
"That is good news about the Little Master, yet it was hardly our original query," she said, and Mary turned back from the doors she had been about to exit.
"Right! Hey…that was a mean trick," she grumbled.
"It is true," he added, hoping to salvage a little of his dignity.
"That is all well and good, yet we want to know what happened to him."
"Shelley, Mary…I wish I was at liberty to say. But until we have all the details we cannot embarrass anyone further with this…"
"With all due respect, Master Gaignun, half the Durandal has figured out MOMO is on house arrest," Shelley interjected. "Within the hour the remainder of the staff will know as well. Without the full truth unwelcome rumors will spread, and that will be a true embarrassment."
"How? That was completed with the utmost secrecy – "
"An' that grabbed the attention of the crew, of course! They love t' know secrets of any kind, ya know."
Gaignun mulled over his options. The truth – or at least a partial truth – would indeed be unfair to the young woman, yet without it the rumors would damage her even further. Indeed, unless he was willing to trust the rumor mills to treat her fairly, and he wasn't, then a modified version of events would have to do.
"I trust you two will be able to distill this appropriately to the masses," he began, and they nodded. "We believe it was yet another trap left by Albedo. Jr. says he saw MOMO attack him with the syringe in her hand, and she ran away from the scene of the crime. MOMO herself told us that she was unconscious during the time we believe Jr. to have been poisoned, and as a result of his statement asked me to place her under house arrest."
"I see…" Shelley said. "Why would he want to hurt the Little Master, though? That part makes no sense."
"Well, if he was dyin', an' if he really did love his brother…maybe he didn't wanna be alone, so he decided to kill him," suggested Mary. "It makes a twisted kinda sense." Shelley gave her an odd look.
"Remind me to die before you, Mary," she said in a perfect monotone, and Mary retaliated by sticking out her tongue. Gaignun shook his head, the edges of his lips twitching into a faint smile.
"I trust you will be able to make that into a story of half truths to appease everyone?"
"Of course. The story will no doubt run along the lines she was kidnapped by an unknown person or persons, and it is believed that during her captivity she was implanted with a virus to make her attack the Little Master."
"Yeah, an' since she spent time on Asteroid Pleroma, we could also hint it was the work of U-TIC. Then we could add the bit about her wanting the house arrest so that the virus wouldn't make her hurt him again."
"Nice thinking, Shelley, Mary."
"Thanks."
"Thank you, Master Gaignun."
"I believe I will turn in now. Keep me posted on Jr.'s condition, and please place a security detail out here. I don't want him up until we're sure the poison won't weaken him too badly."
"Of course," said Shelley. "I'll get on that right away."
"An' I'm goin' up to the bridge to tell them what's goin' on," Mary added.
"Good work once again. Good evening."
"Night."
"Goodnight."
On his way back to his rooms he stopped by MOMO's new quarters, away from the Residential Area. With a solemn nod to Ziggy, who had insisted on being posted there, he entered the room. She was sitting with her back to the door, reading a novel on the computer.
"Are the quarters acceptable?" he asked her. She turned, smiled, and nodded.
"They're very nice," she said. "Thanks again for doing this."
"Not a problem. I, too, would like to make sure that Jr. is safe. Unfortunately, the crew heard about your predicament."
"Oh no." Her face fell, and he smiled gently.
"Don't worry. I had Mary and Shelley concoct a story about how you were kidnapped by person or persons unknown and implanted with a virus that made you attack Jr. Then, when you found out, you willingly placed yourself under arrest."
"It's the truth, at least, just not the whole truth."
"Since none of us will be going to court over this incident, it hardly matters."
"That's true," she said. "Is that all?"
"For now," he said. "I will check in on you tomorrow."
"Thank you. And, if you see Jr., please…please give him my best wishes for a speedy recovery."
"Of course. But I rather think he already knows your thoughts are with him." And he left the room, leaving her to ponder what exactly he meant by that. As if the entire Durandal hadn't already figured it out. It was just up to Jr. and MOMO to catch up.
---
Author's Note: So, yeah, this chapter was pretty much Jr. and MOMO, I'll admit. While they are the main pairing, I intend to focus a little more on the others and their reactions to what happened next chapter (as well as getting into what happened to Jin and Canaan from a couple of chapters ago).