Bound (part 6 of 8)
Back to Part 5Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait in updating, but I was
in writer's block for a while on how to write this chapter. In this
chapter, we have a few more revelations for KOS-MOS (or rather "Elly"
as she'll be referred to from now on by Shion and the original
archetype,"Miang") so that means more angst for our poor heroine.
Yeah, Elly seems pretty weak compared to her video game counterpart in
this story, but I guarantee that she'll start kicking ass again in the
next chapter. And Jin, yeah I know he and Shion have been fighting
quite a bit and he's been somewhat of a comedy relief character, but I
assure you he'll start to take up a more serious role starting with
this chapter (but you can still expect him and Shion to argue from time
to time like most siblings do). The ff.net version has some edited
scenes in this chapter, I'm sure you all know where to find the uncut
version by now. Things may be confusing in this chapter, the pacing is
slow at parts, and a few more questions will arise, but please bear
with it and I'll answer all questions and other mysteries that were
made in this story in the next chapter. Why, because this story's
almost done, two chapters left and this story's finished. In any case,
let's get to the story.
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A small breeze begins to fill the air for a mere second and I can't
help but look in the direction it flew. It leads my vision to the
forest, stopping it before a tree branch where a yellow finch is
perched. A small chirp escapes its beak and I can't help but smile at
its melody. I find myself walking closer toward the conductor of the
song with my eyes growing wider with every step I take. The image of
the bird grows closer and closer, but by the time it grows close enough
for me to touch, a loud bang fills the area and the bird is replaced by
a shower of feathers. I can't help but gasp at the sight of the bird's
death as my legs suddenly grow numb and my breath short. The air begins
to grow thin at that moment and a fog begins to roll in, shielding my
vision from the forest.
"I hate birds," a voice echoes from behind me.
"Miang!" I yell my sister's name as I turn toward her.
"Such fragile creatures they are," she begins to speak. "They sing
such beautiful songs that can calm anyone's heart, but if you grow
close enough to them, they fly away without a moment's notice. Why do
they sing?" she asks as she begins to approach me. "Kevin once said
that they sing to attract others toward them, but when others do grow
close, they flee. It's true, don't you think?"
"Miang, I know what you're thinking," my eyes narrow as she draws
closer, "you think you can still tear me and Shion apart, but you know
what, that's not going to happen! Shion loves me, and I love her,
there's nothing and no one that can change that, not even you! I don't
care what you do to me, Miang, but you can't make me stop loving Shion
nor can you make her stop loving me just because of what happened
between you, her, and Kevin in the past!"
"I don't have to make her stop loving you," my sister says calmly, "in
fact, she'll stop loving you on her own."
"Lies!" I retort.
"How much patience do you think she actually has?" Miang continues.
"Do you really think she can continue to forgive you over and over
again for your actions?"
"What do you mean?"
"There's a limit to everyone's patience, even your so-called 'lover'
will run out of it," her lecture continues. "How many times do you
think she'll forgive you for upsetting her, for worrying her, or for
ravaging her?"
"I...," I am unable to find any words to respond with. "You said
'ravage her,'" I recall her last words soon after, "just what makes you
think I would do such a thing? What we do is make..."
"Coat your words with as much sugar as you like, but as I said before,
making love and rape is the same thing, it's sex, and we all know what
the goal of sex is," she quickly interrupts.
"Regardless, when Shion and I do have sex, it's pleasing to both of
us!" I explain yelling. "Not once when we have made love has she
begged me to stop or burst into tears, nor have I done the same."
"But you only 'made love' once, why is that?"
"It's because...because...," again I am at a loss for words.
"Perhaps she did not enjoy it, she was faking it. I'm sure she was
thinking to herself the entire time that she wanted it to stop."
"That's a lie!" I retort. "Shion would never deceive me, whether it be
through or words or action! I know she wouldn't, I just know it!"
"And what makes you so sure?" she begins to approach me once more and
soon her hand finds my shoulder.
"I feel it...here," I say, bringing my palm above my left breast.
"And just what is it that's there?"
"It's..."
I can feel something beating, something pushing slowly beneath my skin
as I press my hand against my chest. Thump, thump, thump, the sound it
makes, it's exactly the same sound I hear when I rest my ear on her
chest. What is this instrument that continues to push above my
breast?
"It's her heart," a third voice suddenly echoes in the air.
My head begins to swerve to the right and I find a slight illumination
of gold standing before me. My eyes narrow to try and shade the light
as much as I can but it is to no avail. Even bringing my hands before
my vision does almost no good, but suddenly the light begins to dim and
a small figure begins to form where the light had originated. The
figure wears a pink dress that is nearly sleeveless, the only part of
her arms that are covered are her shoulders. I turn my attention
inward to the figure's neck, finding a gold cross hanging and fire-red
strands of hair behind her neck. My eyes then look upward a bit more,
stopping before the figure's cerulean pupils.
"Nephilim?" I call the young girl's name.
"It's you...," the cool demeanor of my sister begins to crack.
"Miang, Elly, we meet again," the child speaks.
"Don't give me that 'we meet again' business!" Miang bares her teeth.
"Miang, stop this, please," the child begs, falling to her knees,
"can't you see that Elly has moved on, your attempt to become one again
will..."
"I'm tired of listening to you," Miang stomps, turning her back toward
the girl in the process, "I did that once and look at where it's gotten
me!"
"But Miang...," the child continues to plea.
"Nothing but trouble, that's all you've given me!" I turn to Miang's
hand which begins to glow with a dark violet light.
The next thing I know, my sister's arm rises and pushes toward the
child in an instant. The glow in her hand suddenly escapes her palm
and the next thing I know, a loud crash echoes in my ears and smoke
begins to fill my lungs and eyes. I try to hack out the contents that
had collected in my lungs within those few seconds but as soon as the
dust clears, I find the young child and my sister hovering above my
head.
"Hmph, you've grown weaker," my sister taunts returning to her stoic
manner, "normally you would've been able to get out of a blast like
that with little to no problems, but why is it that you couldn't evade
an attack as simple as that. If I had used a minuscule 2.9998% more of
my power, you would have been vaporized in an instant."
I turn to the child that hovers several feet in front of her. A river
of crimson runs down her left arm though most of it runs through the
gaps between the fingers of her right hand which clutches the wound.
The child's breath already seems heavy, her form slowly bobbing up and
down as she tries to regain the air she had lost from the blast. Her
knees are bending, it looks like they're barely able to support her
weight and may collapse at any moment. A golden glow then begins to
shine in Nephilim's right palm, the light illuminating brighter and
brighter with each second that passes. The grin on plastered on
Miang's face begins to melt at that moment and her body begins to arch
preparing her for the worst. The child then mimics the earlier action
of my sister, her arm suddenly pushing toward her opponent and an
illuminated beam escape her hand. Again a cloud of smoke erupts upon
impact, but this time when the smoke clears, only the child stands. At
least for a mere second. Miang then suddenly appears behind the child,
her body barely pressing against Nephilim's back.
"Behind you!" I try to warn the child.
"What?!"
"Got you," my sibling smirks.
The back of Miang's hand meets with the child's face for a mere second
with another stream of scarlet erupting in the process. The geyser
sprays for a mere second, following the motion of the child's body
before it meets with the floor. As soon as I see this, my eyes narrow
once more and I find my nails impaling into my palm as I ball my
fingers into fists. My teeth begin to grind and I prepare to lift
myself into their current locale, yet for some reason, I remain on the
ground.
"What, why can't I...?"
My normal functions still haven't returned, I am unable to jump off the
ground and bring myself to Nephilim and Miang's current level; the most
I can jump is a mere foot off the ground. I try to jump once again,
but just like the last time, I find myself only jumping a foot off the
surface. I then bring my arm forward and straighten it, waiting for
the R-CANNON to appear. Nothing, the weapon does not appear as it
normally would. My weapons aren't working either, none of my usual
functions are...
"Argh!" I look back to the sky to find my sister striking Nephilim once
more with her fist.
"Nephilim!" I cry the child's name.
The child tries to return to her original posture after the strike, but
her entire form arches inward as Miang lifts her knee upward, planting
it in Nephilim's abdomen. The torture doesn't end there however as
Miang then lifts her right arm upward, her fingers curled and her
knuckles meeting with Nephilim's chin after, knocking the child back
up. Another punch follows, this one with the left hand, striking at
her ribs, and then quickly followed by several more. The attack
continues after the punches, but I try to hide the vision and tears
before my eyes by closing them. It does no good, I can still hear the
child screaming and Miang laughing.
"Make it stop," I begin chanting, "make it stop, make it stop."
"Ugh!" the child's pain flows into my ears once more, blocking out the
sound of my voice.
"Make it stop, make it stop, please make it stop," I begin to chant
louder.
"Ah ha ha ha ha!" my sister's laugh echoes in my ears once more.
"Please make it stop, please make it stop."
"Ack!" the next cry again pushes through my voice, this time
accompanied with a small rain that falls onto my arm.
"PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!"
My body begins to burn suddenly as an orange glow begins to engulf me.
This burning, this fire, it continues to grow with every tear that I
shed. I begin to wrap my arms around myself to try and cool the fire
but to no avail, instead it continues to grow. The burning, for some
reason, it does not hurt, but it soothes. Regardless, I just want it
to stop, everything, just make it stop. Surging, I can feel something
beginning to glow in my hands.
"What?!" I hear my sister's voice once more, this time without anymore
cries from the child.
I tighten the closing of my eyes and my fingers begin to press on my
arms. My legs begin to inch toward each other and the burning
intensifies. Stop it, stop this sudden warmth, stop this fighting,
just...
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" I scream.
The warmth suddenly begins to leave my body and I feel a brush of
energy leaving my form, as if it were coming from my upper back. Large
gusts of wind follow the energy, blowing from my spine and suddenly
branching upward, toward Miang. A crack opens within the darkness
before my vision and I find several rays of light aiming for Miang.
Miang's mouth opens widely as the beams fly toward her and she tries to
step back, but before she can do anything, the rays engulf her, once
again surrounding the area with clouds of gray. The clouds begin to
engulf the child, but instead of swallowing her like my sister, they
cause her to lose her leverage in the air and she plummets toward the
floor.
"Nephilim!" I cry again.
Without thinking, I begin to push my legs against the floor as hard as
I can so that I may catch the child before she hits the ground. Her
form grows larger and larger with each step my feet take until she
becomes large enough to fall into my arms. My body is dragged to the
floor the moment my arms wrap around her tiny body, but I am still able
to catch her before she could hit the ground. I bring her body
parallel to the ground and hold it at the same level as my abdomen so
that I may observe a majority of her wounds. Blood, lots of blood is
tainted on her milk-hued skin and now tattered dress, I can barely even
see any pink in her clothing now. I turn to her eyes which now lie
shut and her head tilted toward the floor with her mouth slightly open.
Despite the condition she is in, she is breathing, but barely.
"Nephilim, are you all right?!" I quickly ask the child only to have
her reply with silence. "Nephilim," I begin to shake her form lightly,
"Nephilim!"
"E...Elly...?" the child barely calls my name.
"Lie still, I'm going to administer a medica ether," I order the child.
My normal functions and weapons may not be working at the moment, but
I'm sure I can still use Ether to a certain degree.
"La so le vu ve ta," I chant as I lay my palms a few inches above her
body.
My palms grow warm once again, much like the rest of my body did when I
suddenly unleashed that attack back there. My eyes then fix on the
oozing red craters all over her body, each of them slowly shrinking
with every second that passes. The red substance that travels down her
body begins to grow less rapid but eventually the leaking comes to a
halt when their sources become sealed. My palms then move away from
her body after but one hand can't help but stroke away several strands
of hair that cover her once bloodied face. A small bristle is blown
onto the tips of my fingers as they sweep away the strands and I can't
help but smile knowing the child will be all right thanks to what I
did to save her.
Wait a minute, what was it that I just did before I administered the
ether? Nephilim was in danger, and then all of a sudden my entire body
began to grow warm, particularly my upper back. As soon as I opened my
eyes, I found several rays of light firing at Miang. The way it was
fired, it was similar to that time I absorbed the Gnosis.
"I...I was wrong about you, Elly," the child's voice removes me from my
thoughts.
"What?"
"You're not like your other half, no, your former half," Nephilim
continues.
"What do you mean?" her words leave me baffled.
"Charging!" another voice suddenly enters my ears.
I quickly around to find my sister standing before us as battered and
bruised as Nephilim was. Miang's clothing is also tattered; the
strands that cover her breasts are barely attached to her corset now,
hanging together by a single thread. String hangs from the wrist part
of her left glove while the right is completely seared off. For once I
can see one of her eyes as half of her goggles now lies on the floor.
How narrow that single eye is, its crimson pupil almost as black as the
garb of Death itself. Her teeth begin to bare toward us, I can
practically hear them grinding against one another. Her hands begin to
hover before her abdomen now and suddenly her fingers plunge themselves
into her stomach. Eight petal-like devices begin to open as her
fingers pull away several plates over her stomach with an electrical
current flowing between each one. A red sphere rests inside the center
of her now open abdomen and it begins to glow as a parasitic- looking
device escapes from the lower back of her spine.
"X-BUSTER?!" I quickly recognize the attack she is about to use.
Before I could react, columns of light begin to escape her abdomen,
each of them hailing toward Nephilim and I. Out of reaction I wrap my
arms around Nephilim's form and turn my back toward the incoming fire.
I shield my vision once more as I wait for the impact, wait for each of
those beams to pierce through me just as they did with all those Gnosis
and enemy soldiers not too long ago. The sound of the beams crashing
onto some sort of surface erupt in my ears shortly after, but for some
reason I don't feel the actual beams piercing through me.
"Huh?" I open my eyes and find the child still wrapped around my arms.
"Luck," I look to my sibling who clenches her teeth.
"Miang...?" I begin to return to my feet but with one arm still wrapped
tightly around the girl standing next to me.
"I think I understand now," a small grin falls upon my enemy's face.
"I should've known you would've pulled a stunt like that, Nephilim, are
you that desperate to survive?"
"Desperate to survive...?" I turn to the child in my arms.
"That's just something a parasite like you would do," my sister
continues. "If that's the case, I'll let this little incident go for
now, but don't think I'll let it go for long."
The entire area begins to flood with clouds after and the air grows
thick, but I keep my hold around Nephilim as tight as ever.
Eventually I can see nothing but white before my eyes, even if I put my
hand before my face I can barely see it. Nephilim is still holding on
to me luckily, I feel her arms tightening further around mine as the
mist continues to grow thicker. A few moments later, I find the fog
settling and the air returning to normal.
"Are you all right?" I ask Nephilim afterward.
"Yes, thank you, Elly," she responds.
"What just happened back there?" my thoughts begin to linger toward the
recent events.
"Ether," the little girl holding my arm speaks.
"What?"
"Infinite ether," she repeats herself. "Shion is the key."
"'Shion is the key.', wait a second, what do you mean?" I find myself
confused once again.
My body begins burn again afterward, but this warmth is much different
from the one I just felt a moment ago. Drops of liquid begins to
drench my temple suddenly and my limbs begin to grow limp as my breath
begins to grow thin. My throat is again parched and the scenery begins
to blur. Hot, it feels so hot... The surface below my feet seems to
give away suddenly and my knees then stop before the floor that never
left my feet. Even then my body begins to sink further into the floor,
as if an unknown force is pulling me down. The next thing I know, I
find my side lying against a new surface and my entire body growing
limp. Everything is so warm, like I'm in some sort of furnace.
Light suddenly begins to engulf my shut eyes, awakening me from my
slumber. The sound of birds chirping also begins to fill my ears,
their lullaby freeing me from my sleep. My entire upper body pushes
itself upward the moment my eyes fully open and I find myself drenched
in sweat and my body heaving heavily.
"Another dream?" I ask myself between my pants.
These visions I've been having these last few days, they're becoming
more frequent and confusing than the last. This recent one is no
exception either, but this time I don't have a single clue what just
happened.
Another note of the birds' morning song enters my ear and I find my
breathing beginning to slow down. The beating against my chest also
lowers its pace as it tries to move in sync with nature's symphony. My
arm meets with my brow afterward, wiping away the cool liquid that it
had collected. I then turn to the direction where I had swept away the
sweat, finding my darling Shion resting beside me. My mind begins to
clear more as I admire how the sun's glow reflects off her perfect skin
and I can't help but begin to relax. My body begins to sink toward the
bed again as my arms wrap around her figure and my head falling unto
her shoulder. My nose nuzzles against her arm the moment it meets with
her skin, but it begins to travel down further. I find it brushing
against her breasts within a few moments as it looks for a region that
is able to support my head. My arm begins to travel upward, my fingers
slowly gliding down Shion's sleeve until they wrap around her hand.
"Mm," my lips can't help but purr when I feel the warmth of her body.
Soon I find my body beginning to sit up again, but not with my own
accord. For a moment I begin to worry on why I am doing this, but then
I realize my body is moving with hers. A hand then falls upon my brow
and pushes several strands away only to return once more to caress my
skin. A small pluck then falls upon my forehead a second later just as
an arm wraps around my waist.
"Elly," my lover's voice slowly calls into my ear, "it's time to wake
up now."
"Just a bit longer," I'm able to mutter as I try to find my spot on her
body once again.
"Of course," she answers as she glides her hand through my hair again.
I find comfort once again as I lie one ear to my lover's heart. Thump,
thump, thump, how each beat slowly pushes against my cheek, just the
sound is enough to make me relax once more. I feel so comfortable and
safe lying here like this, something I haven't felt since I met my
sister. It wasn't until last night that Shion was able to make me
smile again and her touch was as comforting as ever. The two of us
just laid here in her bed, holding one another in each other's arms as
our cheeks and lips continue press against one another. Not once did I
push away the hugs or kisses, they were all welcomed with the same
gesture. The entire time, she continued to rock me in her arms while
humming our song.
"Shion," the voice of her brother suddenly began to call from the other
side of the door.
"Yes?"
"Breakfast!" he calls.
"Well this is a first," Shion says somewhat surprised. "All right, I'm
coming down!" she calls back. "Come on, Elly, let's go."
For once in my life I refuse to leave my spot, instead trying to burrow
myself further in bed.
'Not now,' I think to myself, 'please not now...'
Just the thought of moving out of this space now returns the images of
my last dream of my head. The taste of dust and smoke, the sight of
blood, and the sound of my sister's taunts, they're already coming back
to me! Just let me stay here a bit longer, long enough so that I can
forget about it.
A small tap falls upon my shoulder, but I shrug it away and turn to the
side. Another tap follows and again I move. A small breath then flows
into my left ear, the air causing my body to stir. I know I have to
get up eventually and remember the horrid events, but lying here allows
me to forget for just a few seconds. Please, Shion, don't wake me up,
leave me here!
Fingers then begin to slide down my arm and for some reason my lips
begin to curl while trying to prevent a gust of air from escaping my
lips. They continue to glide once more, this time more join in and
reach for my leg. More air tries to escape and I find it harder and
harder to keep it in with every inch the fingers touch. Finally I open
my mouth and laughter begins to escape as my hands reach for those of
my love trying to stop her from touching me. It's not that the touch
is unwelcome, I just want her to stop making me laugh. My eyes are
open now and I find my love in front of me laughing hysterically as she
continues to make me laugh with her touch.
"You're very ticklish, aren't you, Elly?" she asks between her
laughter.
"Shion, ah ha ha ha, stop it, please," I try to order between my own
cries.
Her touch fills me with such joy, I can't help but begin to forget my
dream again with Shion playing with me like this. My own hands begin
to fall onto her own body, following the same movements as hers. Her
laugh begins to echo over mine for a few moments but within a few
strokes I find my voice once again balling over hers. Both of our
voices take turns echoing above the other, our faces growing redder and
redder with each chuckle and giggle that escapes our lips. My breath
begins to grow short again but I don't mind, each one is being used to
try and echo above the use of hers.
"Shion, just what are you doing up there?" Jin's voice begins to call
over our laughing. "Come on, it's time to eat!"
"All right, we're coming down," she calls to her brother with her
remaining breath. "Well now that you're awake, we should go downstairs
now," she tells me with a huge smile stretched across her lips.
"Okay," I nod, trying to regain my composure.
Shion allows me to go ahead of her as we leave the room. She opens the
door for me and allows me to pass and as soon as I do, she closely
follows. A new aroma has filled the entire house since we cleaned it
yesterday; it wasn't the smell of food, but it was something I can't
really describe. The closest thing that could describe it is that it
smelled clean, not a scent of body perspiration or dust like yesterday.
The entire house is brighter as well, the ivory-colored walls shine
enough that they almost make me squint. We walk downstairs to find the
others already beginning their meal, each of them sitting at different
parts of the living room and kitchen. The Elsa's crew still occupies
the table near the kitchen just as they did yesterday while the
Durandal's captain and young realian sit on a couch in the living room.
The cyborg is the only one who isn't eating, instead he sits on a chair
with his eyes focused on the television as it plays the news.
"Shion, there you are," her brother greets us as we enter the kitchen.
"Good morning, Jin," she smiles, "this isn't like you to make breakfast
you know."
"I know, but you seemed really tired last night so I didn't want to
wake you up," he tells her.
"You said there was food," I interrupt the two, "yet I don't smell
anything."
"Elly, don't be rude," my lover tells me as she lightly nudges my ribs
with her elbow.
"Miss KOS-MOS is pretty observant I see," a chuckle begins to escape
Jin's lips. "It's not much but..."
"Cereal?" Shion says somewhat disappointed as her brother pulls a box
with a cartoon animal on the logo toward her.
"Well it's been a while since I last went to the groceries and there
isn't enough real food to feed all the guests you brought in
yesterday," Jin tells her.
"Did you even read the expiration date on this thing?!" my lover
suddenly begins to lose her temper. "This cereal expired two years
ago, I even remember this exact box being here when I left!"
"Well excuuuuuuuse me, you're the only one who eats Sugar-Coated
Chocolate O's!" he retorts.
"You should at least be responsible enough to throw it out when it
expires!" Shion yells.
"Hey I'm not the one who touches the stuff, do you know how unhealthy
that is?" Jin retorts.
"That's not the point!"
"Stop it, both of you!" I practically scream, bringing the two's
arguing to a halt. "It's too early to be fighting, just throw away the
box and let's get something else to eat."
"Yeah, you're right, Elly," Shion begins to calm down.
"You built a pretty good negotiator, Shion," Jin says as he brings the
box to the garbage.
"By the way, Jin, you didn't give that cereal to anyone, did you?"
Shion asks.
"Only that guy with the "Caution: I'm a Boozer" hat, everyone else got
some of my shredded wheat cereal," Jin informs her.
"Ugh, this is horrible!" I hear the captain's complaints from the
dining table.
"Captain, we all know you enjoy it, so would stop pretending to
complain already?" Tony grumbles.
"No really, this tastes bad!" the captain defends his statement. "This
cereal tastes like it's been sitting in a corner for an entire year!"
'If he only knew the real truth,' I thought to myself.
Breakfast consisted of the same shredded wheat cereal the others (minus
the Elsa's captain) had. I couldn't help but notice that Shion was
practically choking down each spoonful of cereal as she brought it into
her mouth. I could understand the feeling, this particular dish tasted
rather bland and it was hard to swallow, it also made my throat itch a
little. I know cereal is normally eaten with milk poured over it, but
there was none in the refrigerator. For some reason drinking water
afterward would return that horrible taste to my mouth but it did in
turn wash away the itchiness in my throat. After somehow managing to
finish our meal, Shion and I soon found ourselves at the sink washing
the bowls and glasses we and the others had used. Shion was managing
the soap while I simply rinsed the residue off the devices and placed
them in the cupboards.
"Well I should get going," I overhear Jin above the sound of the
faucet.
"Where are you going, Jin?" Shion asks her brother.
"I thought that I might as well go to town and get some groceries since
we have a lot of guests," Jin informs her.
"Hey Jin, how about we give you lift into town," he silver-haired boy
suddenly volunteers, "it looks like it will take a while to get through
the woods."
"Hey wait a minute," Matthews suddenly interrupts, "the last time I
checked, I was the captain of the Elsa!"
"Let it go, Matthews," Jr. sighs, "he let us stay the night yesterday
so the least you can do is help him get some groceries."
"Actually maybe we should just get it ourselves seeing how...," the
navigator tries to speak.
"Shut up, ya moron," the Elsa's captain interrupts, "don't give them
any ideas!"
"That sounds like a good idea, Hammer," MOMO agrees, "don't you think
so, Jr.?"
"Yeah, that sounds a lot better," the U.R.T.V. agrees, "why don't you
guys go into town and get the groceries? The Durandal will pay for it
and we'll take whatever you buy off your debt, what do you say, it's a
win-win situation don't you think?"
"I guess that sounds fair," Matthews says, "all right, we'll do it."
"And don't think you get off that easily, I'll have Jin make you a list
of what to buy, anything else will be coming out of your wallet," Jr.
adds.
"I guess he saw right through you, Captain," Hammer informs him.
"Shut up ya moron, this is all your fault!"
"Looks like I'll be staying home after all," Jin breathes a sigh of
relief. "Come to think of it, it's a nice day today. Hey Shion, it's
been a while since you've been to the beach, right? Why don't you and
your friends go down there with me, I'll catch some dinner while we're
at it."
"That sounds great!" Shion exclaims.
"The beach?" the location leaves me puzzled. "What's so special about
it?"
"Oh, I forgot that I've never brought you to one before," Shion
remembers. "What makes it so special is... is..."
"It's just fun to go there with friends," the young realian finishes my
lover's words.
"Why is that?" I still can't comprehend the situation.
"Because it is," MOMO repeats herself.
"I still don't understand."
"Elly, just think of it like being with me, you can't exactly describe
that feeling in words," Shion answers.
"I think I understand," I say, but the situation still leaves me
puzzled.
'I still don't get it,' is what I thought to myself afterward.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The beach wasn't very far from the house, in fact, it was pretty much
right below the cliff it sat on; we simply had to walk down a small
path near the forest's entrance to get down to the beach. The cyborg
refused to go with us though, he said his parts would rust because of
the sand and sea water. I can understand the reasoning why the cyborg
can't go, but what I don't understand is the reason why everyone chose
to wear a certain attire for this occasion attire, they're all pretty
much wearing undergarments (with the exception of Allen who wears
something that looks like a pair of boxers attached to a sleeveless
shirt with green stripes). Luckily Shion didn't have me wear something
so revealing, she gave me a uniform similar to my usual attire just
that it was a plain white shade and it reveals my belly. She wouldn't
let me wear my boots with this uniform though, she said it was
inappropriate and instead gave me what seem to be shoe soles with a
strap that goes between my big toe and the one next to it. I think she
called them "flip-flops."
"Well, we're here," Jin announces as soon as we arrive.
I still don't see what's so special about this place, all I see are
rocks, sand, and the ocean. The breeze is rather gentle and cool
though and it carries a small aroma of salt and water. I look toward
the sky and find nothing but a perfect blank blue, not a cloud in the
sky. A small squawking sound enters my ear a second later and I turn
to the source to find several gulls flying over the ocean. I think I'm
beginning to see why MOMO enjoys the beach now, just the very image of
the sand alone is dull, but the combination of the wind, birds, and
smell of the ocean makes it a fascinating experience.
"This looks like a nice spot," I turn to the young U.R.T.V. who plants
a parasol into the sand as well as a towel.
"Elly, are you thirsty?" I turn to my lover who places a cooler next to
us.
My face begins to burn the moment my eyes meet with her form. This
uniform she's wearing, it's the first time I've seen her wear it and
for some reason, it's making me feel rather warm. It's basic form
looks like a normal set of lingerie, but instead of being only white or
black, it's a mixture of the two. The edges of the top are colored
darkly, as are the straps that hold it and the centerpiece that holds
the two cups together. It's nearly the same for the bottom piece, just
that center is white while everything else is black. I can see her
figure perfectly, just as I did when we professed our love physically,
but the sensitive parts are shielded from my view via the bra and
underwear. My mouth suddenly begins to fill with a substance similar
to the sweat now dripping down my forehead. I gulp the contents down
my throat but all it does is make the fire in my face burn brighter.
"Elly, are you okay?" my lover's voice breaks me out of my standstill.
"I..., uh, I'm okay," I answer with a slight hesitation.
"The heat must already be exhausting you, here, have some water," she
hands me a liter of the liquid from the cooler.
I take the contents into my mouth quickly and parch the fire within a
few sips. As soon as I return the cap to the bottle, I suddenly feel a
very light touch falling upon the side of my head. I turn to the
source to find a round, multi-colored sphere falling slowly to the floor.
"Heads up!" the Durandal's captain yells a moment too late as I stare
at the device.
"KOS-MOS, can you return the ball please?" MOMO calls.
I take the sphere into my free hand for a moment and quickly pull it
off the ground, along with a few grains of sand that stick to it. Odd,
it's extremely light, I thought it would be a bit heavier than this.
No matter, I simply return the ball with a small throw that has it land
in the young realian's hand. She returns the gesture with a smile and
then throws the ball into the air once again and taps it before it
lands so that it could go to Jr.'s hands.
"Whoa, I got something!" I turn to the west to find Jin holding some
sort of bending pole that causes him to move forward.
"Oh brother, there he goes again," I turn to Shion as she sighs.
"Elly, can you watch our stuff while I help Jin?"
"Someone help me!" I hear Jin cry after as his sister rushes to his
aid.
I can't help but smile at the image of Jin struggling to pull the pole
back and I can't help but laugh as Shion tries to help him but to no
avail. The two begin slip forward after a few moments with their
struggle, both of them falling face first into the sand. Again I can't
help but laugh, this time even harder as the pole begins to move toward
the ocean as it slips out of Jin's hands. Jin quickly returns to his
feet and chases after the device with Shion close behind him and they
manage to catch up with it and begin to pull once again.
"This would be a perfect time," my sister's voice suddenly whispers in
my ear.
"Uh...?!" my right arm begins to twitch.
Slowly it begins to rise on its own accord and begins to pull the rest
of my body toward Shion and Jin. I notice that it is only my right
arm that isn't moving on my own accord, so I quickly wrap my left hand
around its wrist and force all my strength to push it down. The arm is
gradually brought to my side but it continues to tremble as it tries to
fight against the force of my other arm. My left arm doesn't seem to
be enough to keep my right arm from stopping so I then try to press it
against the ground with my right leg.
"You can't keep doing this," my sister's icy voice whispers again.
"What are you doing to me?!" my words say, barely escaping the gaps of
my teeth.
"You and I are one, need I remind you again?" she reminds me.
"Not here," I try to convince her, "not when they're all..."
"This is the perfect opportunity, none of them would suspect a thing,"
Miang interrupts.
"I don't..."
"KOS-MOS!" I look up to find the young realian running toward me.
The twitching and sudden movements of my arm come to a halt at that
moment. I can move it again at my own accord, but despite that, I
continue to sit on the back of it's palm to ensure that my sister
doesn't take control again suddenly. I look back up to find MOMO
standing in front of me with her body bending forward and her eyes
looking into mine.
"Yes?" I act as if nothing had just happened.
"Come on, KOS-MOS, play with us!" the child takes hold of my left hand
and tries to drag me toward the beach.
"I'd rather not," I tell her as I divert my eyes to the ground.
"Please, just for...," she reaches for my other hand.
"Don't!" I order her, quickly turning my back toward her in the
process. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel like playing at the moment," I
lie to the child.
"Are you worried the ball's going to hit you again?" MOMO asks as she
takes a seat beside me. "Don't worry, it's only made of plastic and
air, it won't..."
"That's not it!" I quickly cut her off. "I just..."
"MOMO, can you leave me alone with her for a moment?" I turn around the
moment I hear Shion's voice.
"Okay," she simply nods and goes on her way.
"Elly, what's the matter?" my love asks me. "You've been acting
strangely these past few days, and I'm not just talking about the fact
that you've become more emotional. The sudden outbursts, the mood
swings..."
"It's just...," I try to explain.
"It's Miang, isn't it?" Shion asks. "If only I had been able to..."
her words begin to trail off.
"Shion?"
"I haven't been totally honest with you, Elly," my lover admits, her
head starting to hang low. "It's my fault that Miang still exists
inside of you."
"Your fault, how can that be?" I ask.
"I told you that I did your programming after we used your sister's
parts to create you, right?" she reminds me. "Well the truth is that
the programming in your memory storage could not be totally erased,
there was one black box area in particular that we couldn't reprogram."
"Black box?"
"I don't know what was programmed in there," Shion admits, "Kevin was
responsible for a majority of Miang's programming, but now I think I
now what was in there; Miang's memories and emotions. There may have
been a system error in your OS after you jumped off the Elsa which
allowed some of those memories to slowly sink into your own."
"If that's true, then her emotions may..."
"Elly, you love me, don't you?" my lover suddenly asks me.
"Of course I love you," I answer.
"Then there is no way her emotions can become your own," Shion tells me
as her arms wrap around my waist. "Your sister hates me and I can't
blame her," my love continues as I bring my head to her shoulder,
"after all, I was the one who..."
"She was blinded by her jealousy," I assure her, "if she hadn't fallen
for Kevin, I'm sure..."
"I never spent time with Miang," Shion interrupts me, "it was always
Kevin who shared his time with her, I was only there to help with her
programming. Not once did I go into the Encephalon and greet her, not
once did I help her with her lessons to become emotional, and even if
she didn't fall for Kevin, she would still resent me for never spending
time with her. Miang, I was always so negligent of her, both the doll
and your sister," my lover's voice begins to crack, "and destroying her
two years ago is another sin I had imparted on her!"
Streams began to fall down my lover's cheek rapidly after accompanied
by several small gasps and hiccups which resulted from her sobbing.
Her entire body begins to sink toward the ground now, but I am able to
catch her fall by leaning my body in closer to hers. The wrap she has
around my waist begins to grow tighter and her face then falls onto my
shoulder. It is my turn to comfort her, and I begin by brushing
several strands of hair away from her tear-ridden face.
"Shion...I...," no words of comfort can come to mind.
"No mother should ever have to bury her own child," my love's sobbing
continues, "nor must she send her to the grave. If only I had been
there for her..."
"Shion, it's not entirely your fault," I try to assure her, "I'm sure
you were so busy with work that..."
"Chief, are you okay?" I turn my attention upward to find Allen, Jin,
MOMO, and Jr.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling well today," she answers, wiping away
the streams traveling down her face.
"Perhaps going to the beach wasn't a very good idea," Jin says as he
wraps his fingers around his chin. "I'm sorry, I never should have
imposed the idea."
"It's not your fault, Jin," my lover assures him, "I actually thought
it would help me unwind after everything that happened lately, but..."
"Do you wanna go home then?" Jr. asks. "We can always come back when
you're feeling better."
"No, it's all right, I just...just want to be left alone for a while,
that's all," Shion tells them.
"It's not any fun if any one of us is depressed," MOMO pouts.
"I thank you for your concern, but..."
"Shion, perhaps it is best that we should all just return to the
house," I interrupt, "the others seem rather insistent."
"...yeah, I guess you're right."
We returned to the house shortly afterward; Shion was always in the
back of the line during our return trip. Naturally I stayed in the
back with her, but not once during the entire time did she say a word
or move her vision away from the floor. Each of her steps were slow
and wobbly, there was not a single moment when I worried about her
tripping. I was always ready to catch her if she were every to fall,
but luckily that never happened. Even when we finally went inside she
was still having trouble focusing. The others stayed in the living
room as I walked Shion up to her room while she preoccupied with her
own thoughts. The moment we arrived in her room, she immediately sat
on her bed with her eyes still lingering toward the floor. Knowing
that she no longer needs assistance at this point, I begin to show my
way out.
"Elly," my lover stops me with the call of my name.
"Yes?"
"Come here," she orders, patting the space next to her.
I follow her request without question, much like I always do whenever
she asks something of me. I take a seat beside my love, sitting a
hand's space away from her. Not a word escapes her lips as she
continues to stare at the floor, her legs lifting themselves up for a
moment every few seconds. I continue to watch her as she continue to
observe the ground, but it does not look like she has the courage to
speak. I turn away from her for one moment and finally a sentence
escapes her lips.
"Elly, if things were different, if Miang hadn't gone berserk and she
still existed and you existed as well, but in a different body than
hers, would you still love me?" my lover asks.
"Would I...? Shion, you needn't ask me such..."
"Even if I hadn't paid attention to you or spent any quality time with
you much like I did with your sister, would you still love me?" she
continues.
"Shion, I...," I begin to ponder on her question. "Yes, I'm sure I
would," I answer after a moment of thought. "I'm sure that deep down
inside, Miang loves you too, despite the fact you never spent quality
time with her. She may despise you for having Kevin chosen you over
her, but I believe she is still grateful to you for programming her."
What am I saying, I don't know any of this, I don't know how Miang
really feels. She hates Shion, I definitely know that, but I don't
know if she cares for her deep in her heart. Why did I say this? Was
it because I just wanted Shion to feel better, or...
"Thank you for trying to make me feel better, Elly," Shion sniffs, "but
I'm afraid that your sister really doesn't care if I helped with her
programming."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help," I apologize.
"But you are helping me, Elly," she assures me, bringing her hand on
top of mine, "I just want you to be here with me."
"Shion, you may be happy with me being with you for now, but...," my
thoughts linger back to what just happened at the beach, "but Miang may
awaken within me again at any moment, just as she did on the Elsa two
days ago. I don't think it's best if..."
"Elly, even if Miang were to awaken at this moment, I'll be happy
knowing that my last moments of life were with you," she smiles.
"Shion..."
I can feel my lips beginning to quiver at that moment and my body
beginning to draw toward my lover. Her own mouth begins to push
forward and her emerald eyes shut just as my vision begins to slowly
fade. I feel her own lips catching mine shortly after, the substance
within her mouth slowly flooding into my own. Her mouth tries to climb
atop of mine but they continue to fall as my lips continue to pulls
hers down. Again and again they bicker, exchanging blows with the
devices within as they fight over the ambrosia that lurks inside.
Fingers begin to slowly run through my hair as a palm begins to run
down my neck. My breath begins to fall short as the nails on that palm
begin to glide down the side of my throat, making my lips part from
hers.
My breath quickly leaves my lungs as it indulges in her touch, and I
have little time to recollect it as her mouth now begins to follow the
same path as the nails. Slowly they travel down the skin of my neck,
sucking with every inch they travel down. A tiny gasp escapes my lips
with every pull of her mouth and once again my body entire body begins
to burn. The fire crawls upward with every second that passes,
traveling further upward as her lips sink lower. The sucking comes to
a stop before my collar, instead being replaced with the lapping of my
lover's tongue. More gasps escape my mouth with every new layer that
is placed below my neck, these one more tiny and quick than the ones
that preceded them.
The other hand that was running through my hair now leaves its spot
only to travel downward like its companion but traveling more rapidly.
It comes to a stop within a second, its palm cupping one of the mounds
on my chest. It begins to push upward after, and I can't help but
nearly faint at its touch. The hand continues to push my breast
upward, moving it to the left as well. The hand does not stop when the
mound can go no higher, instead it is pushed downward and toward the
right, rotating it in a counter-clockwise fashion. I can feel the nubs
on my breasts beginning to swell at that moment, how hard they try to
pierce through the material of my clothing.
Shion notices this too and her tongue's lapping comes to a halt at that
moment, her mouth then turning to one of the straps of my clothing.
Her free hand takes the other strap into its fingers just as her mouth
takes hold with her teeth. Without wasting any time, they pull
downward, the air stinging my entire body the moment the material
leaves my skin. Shion's head begins to move inward after, her tongue
once again leading the way, its tip barely dabbing against the surface
of my skin. I can feel the warmth of the ambrosia growing warmer and
warmer as it travels toward my heart, as it slowly travels the side of
my breast. Finally it reaches the peak, my breath as short as ever.
No more, my body tells me, but the fire in my heart continues to beg
for more. Another dab meets with the tip of my nipple, and again all
of my breath escapes my lips. The device slides upward, rolling my
nipple in its direction. The warmth of her tongue frees itself from
the nub after, allowing it to bend back to its original position.
Another brush follows a second later, once again trying to fold it in
the same direction. Again and again it laps over it, making it swell
more and more with every time the device slides over it. Finally the
licking comes to a stop, but that doesn't mean my lover's tongue has
left my breast. Slowly the tip of the slippery device begins to circle
the peak, painting its base with its translucent honey. I can hardly
breath now, I almost feel like I'm going to suffocate. Regardless, I
want more. The laps come to a halt shortly after, giving me a moment
to regain my breath, but once again I lose all of it in a second. Her
entire tongue now rests atop my nipple, but it no longer slides on it,
instead her entire mouth dives in and begins to pull. How soothing her
mouth feels as it slowly plucks against my skin, but doing it so
delicately and slowly. The sucking is slow, each one indulging every
inch the nub has to offer. The skin surrounding my breast's peak
compresses momentarily with the pull of my lover's mouth, but within
seconds it returns to its original state. Each squeeze of her mouth
hardens my nipple further, I can practically feel it ready to pierce
her very mouth itself. Shion's mouth then begins to slip away at that
moment, but her lips stop before the beginning of the peak and they
continue to suckle. I can hear my pants growing louder now, and the
fire within me is burning as bright as ever. I can no longer carry
more any more breath into my lungs, I can only expel more and more.
"Elly," my lover gives me a moment to regain my breath, "I love you."
"I love you too, Shion," I tell her between my breathing.
Her mouth returns to its previous duty shortly after, but her left hand
moves to another. The tip of its fingers slowly slide down my abdomen,
pulling my uniform down with it. I'm helpless to stop it from falling
further, I'm too indulged in the soothing touch of her mouth. The air
slowly breathes onto my skin with every inch that becomes exposed until
I feel it touching my entire body. I barely hear my uniform fall to
the floor above my gasps, but it is not long enough to distract me from
my lover's touch. With my body now free of clothing, my lover's hand
begins to travel upward using my inner thigh. My attention then begins
to linger away from her touch, and my entire body begins to relax.
'Something isn't right,' I think to myself.
My entire body grows numb at this moment, except for my inner thigh. I
can still feel her fingers slowly climbing upward, but it slowly
becomes apparent what their destination is. My knees begin to push
inward and my eyes begin to shut tighter than ever. Regardless of my
how I try to block her fingers, they continue to crawl upward. The
touch begins to remind me of my sister, how she plunged her fingers so
fiercely into me. How sharp her nails were when they crawled inside
me, how quickly she jabbed them into my sex. Another inch passes my
lover's fingers and I tighten my legs further. She ignores my action,
pulling them away at the knees with her hands so that she may free my
sex of any obstacles. Her mouth leaves my breast at this moment, now
traveling toward the open space. I am reminded even more of my
sister's action, I can practically feel her fingers once more stabbing
into my sex.
"No," the words barely escape me lips, "no..."
She does not hear my pleads, instead continuing downward. My entire
body begins to toss and turn at this moment, but Shion does not seem to
realize it. I can feel her breath before my sex now, and I try to
block it once again. Her arms are too strong for me and I feel drops
of her saliva dripping closer and closer. The pain from my sister's
attack intensifies further and further, enough until it becomes
unbearable.
"No!"
At that moment my legs are able to break the hold of my lover and in
the same instant push her away. My entire body rises from the bed
after, sweat drenching down my brow and onto the rest of my body. My
arms and legs quickly wrap around my private areas afterward as I try
to regain my breath. The memory and pain of my sister's attack begins
to subside now, but the pain of the present slowly begins to come mind.
"Shion?" I look to the other side of the room to find her lying on the
floor.
"Elly," my lover responds weakly.
"I'm so sorry," I quickly rush to her aid, "I didn't mean..."
"No, I should be the one to apologize," she tells me as I return her to
her feet, "I was so upset that..."
"I'm sorry," I apologize again. "Regardless, I shouldn't have pushed
you away like that."
"It's okay, I understand why you did what you did," she assures me.
"You're not ready for this sort of thing yet, so ahead and get
dressed," she orders me, "we'll make love again when you're ready."
"But Shion..."
"It's not fair if it's only comfortable for one of us," she tells me.
"What Miang did to you, it wasn't your fault, Elly," she assures me.
"I know that event will prevent you from doing something like this for
a period of time and I can understand that. Elly, I can't enjoy making
love to you if I'm the only one receiving joy from it, that's not how
it works. I know that the words 'make love' are synonyms for sex, but
the truth is, there is something more to that definition. Making love
is supposed to be the act of conveying two people's feelings for each
other physically as opposed to sex which is merely the act of trying to
reproduce. Do you understand, Elly? I can't make love to you if
you're not comfortable conveying your feelings through action."
"I understand, but I..."
"We're back," I hear the silver-haired boy's voice coming from
downstairs.
"Elly, I'm going to go help put away the groceries," my lover tells me,
"are you going to be okay?"
"...I'll be fine," I tell her, "I..."
"Are you sure," she asks me, "if you still feel upset, then I don't
mind talking with you further."
"No, I'll be okay," I tell her.
"All right, but don't continue blaming yourself for what happened,
okay?" Shion tells me before she leaves.
I don't want to burden Shion further with my problems, I've troubled
her enough with everything that's happened so far. It hurts though
keeping all this pain inside, and I'd like to share it, but I just
can't. I admit that admitting my problems to chaos and MOMO in the
past did remedy the pain a bit, but what I'm feeling now, I don't think
I can share it, not with Miang ready to take over at any time. I have
to continue to bear it by myself. Tomorrow, maybe I can head to
Vector's Second R&D Division tomorrow while the others are still
asleep, they may think of something... No, it's too risky, Miang may
take over when I arrive in the city and even more trouble will be
stirred. I can't stay here, but I can't go out either, just what am I
supposed to do? Don't think about it now, Elly, there's nothing that
can be done at the moment that can guarantee everyone's safety...
The rest of the day went by rather slowly, we mostly spent our time
watching television. I didn't really pay attention to the programs on
the monitor, I was instead focused on Shion's words.
"Making love is supposed to be the act of conveying two people's
feelings for each other physically," I recall my lover's words.
"...it's all the same, it's sex," Miang's words echo in my ear after.
"What we do is something different!" I remember my reaction.
'It is different,' I think to myself after remembering.
Rape, making love, sex, all of them do have the same goals as Miang
said; it's to pass one genes on to the next generation. She went on to
say that there is also no greater joy than that, but what about Shion
and me? We made love once, and it made us both feel happy, but I never
thought about it until now, what was that joy that the two of us felt
when it happened? The joy of passing on our genes, no, that couldn't
be it. It's impossible for two women to pass their genes on to the
next generation if they had sex with each other, and even more so when
one of those women is an android. Android, am I even an android
anymore? What happened to me these last two days, I haven't been
feeling like myself, this warmth, this hunger, these things I never
felt before I leapt off the Elsa. Is this what being a human is like?
"We are dolls, Elly," more of my sister's words come to mind. "You and
I are the same, manifestations of one's desire, to look and act human,
but in reality we are nothing more than toys for the ones that created
us."
"You are Elly, the woman I love," more of Shion's words come to mind,
"you are no more, no less than that."
"This is just too confusing!" I find myself striking against the arm of
the couch.
"What's too confusing?" I look to the side to find the young realian
with a puzzled expression on her face.
"...it's nothing," I turn back to the monitor in front of the room, "I
just...need some time to think."
Without giving any more thought, I decide to head outside. The noise
of the conversations and TV have become to loud for me to concentrate.
The evening breeze greets me when I open the door, sending a small
chill down my skin. I never thought my normal clothing would be this
unfit for the weather, I suppose I could borrow more clothing from
Shion next time. The stars, I've never looked at them this much until
now, they've become my new sanctuary. I breath in a sigh and find a
place to sit on the ground, bringing my arms around my knees as I
return to my thoughts.
"What are you doing out here?" a voice enters my ear.
It is the voice of chaos, the mysterious silver-haired boy. I take a
moment to turn around to greet him, but I quickly return my vision
toward the sky. I hear him coming closer until I can see his figure
through the edge of my eye and then he begins to speak.
"In the early days of history, Man would always look into the stars for
answers," the boy speaks as he takes a seat beside me. "Staring into
the endless abyss would put his mind at rest, allowing imagination and
thought to sink into him. Is that what you are doing now?"
"Yes," I nod.
"What are you thinking about?"
Silence is the answer I give him, I can't think of anyway to explain
the situation to him.
"Each of us has many selves," he speaks again, "at times we can be
someone's friend, and others, we can be a parent's child, regardless of
these different selves, they all share the same memories, the same
identity. Each of these selves can each be described as our true self,
but you, your case is different...," his words begin to intrigue me.
"There is a self within you that really isn't you; you share the same
memories and experiences, yet your identities are not one. Who is this
other self within you, KOS-MOS, can she really be called your past self
or other half, or is she the remains of a memory long forgotten?"
How does he know about Miang, surely Shion didn't tell him. No, he
must've been aware that Miang has existed in me this whole time, why
else did Miang not attack him like she did the others back on the Elsa?
Why does he know all this though?
"chaos, how...?"
"Elly," my lover's voice interrupts before I could ask. "There you
are," I turn around to find my lover walking toward us.
"I think I'll go back inside now," the boy tells me.
"Oh no, you don't have to go," Shion assures him, "I was just looking
for her."
"No, I really should get going," chaos tells her, "knowing your
brother, he might accidentally burn down the whole kitchen while
cooking dinner."
"'Knowing your brother,'" Shion says puzzled as the boy leaves, "why
does he say it like he's met Jin before?"
"Is something the matter, Shion?" I ask her.
"No, it's nothing," Shion dismisses the thought, "but how about you,
are you feeling okay?"
"I'm a little cold," I admit, bringing my arms to my shoulders.
"Here," she wraps her uniform jacket around my body, "is that better?"
"A little," I tell her.
Silence follows soon after, not another word leaves our mouths.
Speechless, I don't intend to be right now, but I can think of nothing
to say, all I can really think of are many words that had been spoken
between, Shion, Miang, and myself these past few days. I hear all
three voices chattering at the same time, each of them saying something
different on the same subject. Every word feels like its gnawing away
a piece of my brain, I just don't know which voice to believe.
The voices come to halt suddenly with the touch of one's hand. My body
begins to sink to the west as the arm pulls me closer to its owner.
Another arm wraps around my waist and I find a chin resting atop of my
head now. My thoughts become clear again, but I still can't think of
any words to say to my love.
"Is this better?" she asks me.
"Yes," I nod.
"I used to go out here a lot when I was younger too," Shion tells me.
"After Jin and I moved here, I would always think about my parents, but
I never said anything to my brother, instead I would come out here and
think of them. Jin and I weren't very close when we first came here,
maybe it was because he was thirteen years older than me and we didn't
really have much in common. I remember one night though, it was about
ten years ago, I snuck out of the house and came here, I thought Jin
was asleep. I was thinking about my parents and the time we spent
together, I couldn't help but cry remembering about them. That's when
Jin came outside, he asked me, 'why are you crying, Shion?'. I didn't
answer him, and then he asked, 'it's about Mom and Dad, isn't it?' He
took a seat next to me after and then he wrapped me around his arms,
much like I am with you now. 'You're not the only one who misses
them,' he told me, 'you're not the only one who cries.' That was the
first time I ever saw my brother cry, it was probably the first step we
took to growing close to each other."
"Are you sure you're close," I ask her, "you two are always fighting."
"Oh that," she tells me after a slight chuckle, "it's not like we mean
each other harm or anything, it's just the clashing of our views,
nothing else. Besides, we always look back at our arguments later and
laugh about how stupid we were acting."
"I see."
"But Elly, the point I'm trying to make here is that we all need to
share our pain with others, no matter how much it hurts," Shion
continues. "I know you were trying to save me and the others from
further attacks when you jumped off the Elsa, but you also have to
consider the pain others will go through for your own actions."
"Shion, I know that, but...," I feel my eyes beginning to water.
"You're not comfortable talking about it yet, right?" she finishes my
words. "It's okay, something like this isn't what you'd want to
discuss if it just happened recently. When you're
ready to talk though, remember that I'll always be here."
"I know, Shion, I know...," I barely whisper.
The air begins to grow heavy now, the evening breeze has grown colder.
My skin begins to shiver now, I can feel it tightening. Not a feeling
of warmth, my entire body begins to grow numb. Shion is feeling this
too, I can feel her hold around me tightening. The atmosphere begins
to thaw now, I can feel warmth beginning to enter my body. It grows
warmer and warmer, it's starting to burn. I look back to Shion, she
still holds me as if she were cold. I now realize what is happening, I
have to do something before it's too late.
"Shion, it's Miang!" I try to warn her, but no words escape my lips.
"Elly, it's getting rather cold now," Shion tells me, unaware of
Miang's presence, "maybe we should head back inside."
"All right," Miang speaks through my voice.
Her hold begins to pull away from me soon after and she begins to walk
back toward the house. A simper falls onto my face with Shion's back
now turned toward me, just as my hand begins to unwillingly reach for
my blaster. She wants to take her time, wants to indulge the moment,
so my sister has me reach for it very slowly. I try to tell my body
not to follow this action, but it ignores my pleads. My fingers are
now only an inch from the gun, I can feel the itch my fingers that
continue to scream for them. Finally they reach for the weapon's
handle as my index finger wraps around the trigger. A small click
echoes into my ear as the gun leaves its holster and my arm begins to
rise, pointing the barrel of my blaster at the back of her skull.
"Miang, stop this, please!" I try to plead.
"Like daughter, like mother," she says.
Again I try to order my body to stop but it continues to ignore my
commands. I try to have my arm pull away, I try to have my hand drop
the gun, and at the very least, I try to shut my eyes. None of these
happen, instead my finger begins to squeeze at the weapon's trigger.
The trigger is only a millimeter away from having a shot fired and it
still continues to pull. I can still do nothing but wait for the
inevitable.
"Hyah!" a force suddenly pushes my arm down.
The blaster falls out of my hand at that exact moment, not a shell not
blast escapes the barrel of the gun. My vision then turns to the
source of the attack to find Jin standing before me with his sword in
hand and pointing it toward the ground. His appearance is different
before; for once his eyes are narrowed and his composure collected.
The way he holds his sword, it's as if he's used it many times to slay
others. Without wasting another second, he raises he sword upward
quickly, its blade slicing upward in the process. My body jumps away
at the last moment, my legs pushing far into the ground so that it may
launch me into the sky for a brief moment before I land back on the
ground a few feet away from Jin.
"Shion, get out of here, now!" Jin orders his sister.
"What?" Shion looks back to her brother, finally aware of the situation.
"Just go!" he orders again.
"Jin, why are you pointing your sword at Elly?!" she yells at him.
"She tried to kill you," he answers, "now go!"
"Jin, Elly would never...!"
"That's right, Elly wouldn't," a small laugh escapes my mouth.
"Miang?!"
"Miang?" Jin says puzzled.
"Stop this!" my vision turns back to the house to find the others
heading outside.
"It's a miracle you're all still alive," Miang speaks through my voice
again.
"Shion, what's wrong with her?" the young realian asks my lover.
"It's her sister, she awake again," Shion informs her.
"So it wasn't KOS-MOS that attacked us back on the Elsa?" Jr. asks,
keeping his pistol pointed at me.
"It's a long story, but this is not the KOS-MOS we all know," Shion
answers.
"But how's that possible," Allen asks, "I thought the current KOS-MOS's
program was..."
"Stop talking!" Miang orders. "R-CANNON!"
The weapon appears on my arm as it normally did in the past but this
time without my consent. Without wasting a single moment, a shot is
fired at the others. Rock and dust flies into the air after, but there
is no sign of the others. My scanners return at this moment as well,
but like my weapons and body, it is not under my control. It picks up
seven life forms within the dust, and again my weapon takes aim again.
Before it can fire however, several hails of bullets escape the clouds
in my direction. Clang, clang, clang, each of the projectiles bounce
off my skin on the moment of impact. My scanners then pick up five of
the seven dashing toward me while the remaining two run away. The
R-CANNON disappears from my arm at that instant, it appears as though
Miang wants to fight each of them without the aid of weapon. The
cyborg is the first to come out of the dust cloud, jumping toward me
with his left foot in the lead. My body steps to the side to avoid the
attack, but before the cyborg could land, it grabs his legs and tosses
him back into the cloud of dust toward the direction where the other
two ran.
"Ziggy!" I hear the young realian scream from within.
The clouds have cleared now and I can see the others perfectly now.
More bullets escape Jr.'s gun at this moment, but again the ricochet
away from me the moment they touch my skin. Three manage to land in my
palm, and with a flick of the wrist they return to its owner. Each of
the projectiles manages to embed themselves in a different limb of the
U.R.T.V., one in his left arm, and the other two on his legs.
"Allen, watch Ziggy," I turn back to the young realian as she finishes
using a can of nanospray on his wounds, "I have to help Jr."
"Stupid child!" Miang spits, the R-CANNON returning to my arm again.
My arm is suddenly pushed back again, and again I find Jin before me.
Another thrust follows after his previous attack, but my other arm
catches it with my wrist. More strikes begin to follow, each of them
cutting from a random direction, but both my arms manage to block each
of his attacks. The pattern continues over and over again, but neither
of us are able to push the other back. Suddenly my body stops
defending and the katana's blade manages to embed itself on my left
shoulder. A hole is cut through the skin, and tiny sparks of
electricity escapes soon after. None of these sparks manages to touch
Jin, but he stands paralyzed from the shock that his attack did
nothing. My right arm then quickly lunges for Jin's neck, my fingers
quickly wrapping around them.
Before anything else could be done, my scanners pick up another running
toward me. This time it's the silver-haired boy, but unfortunately
Miang doesn't allow him to speak this time, throwing Jin in his
direction instead.
"Miang, stop this!" my body quickly turns around to find Shion.
"Shion, don't come any closer!" I try to order, but nothing escapes my
lips.
"You...," Miang spits through my teeth.
"I know I'm the cause of all your pain, Miang," Shion begins to step
forward, "so if my death will allow you to smile again..."
"Shion, don't!"
"Are you that eager to die?" Miang asks.
"A real mother would do anything for her child, that's why..."
"Stop it!" the words finally manage to escape my lips.
My body falls to the floor at that moment and my entire body is now
suddenly covered in sweat. My entire body is sore, and I feel a sharp
pain on my shoulder and arms with a substance oozing from them. My
breath has become heavy, and my strength feels like its pouring out of
me with every drop of blood that escapes my wounds. Still, with what
little strength I have left, I have to tell Shion something.
"Shion," I barely say her name between my breaths, "don't sacrifice
your life if it's only going to please one person. Didn't you think
about what the others would go through if you were to die, what I'd go
through?!" I begin to raise my voice.
"Elly...?"
"Shion, why do you have to throw away your life so easily to her?" my
eyes begin to tear. "Is it just to repay for what you did to her back
then?! That's bull shit, Shion!" I swear at the top of my lungs. "You
can't just throw your life away expecting everything to work, isn't
that what you taught me just now?!"
"Elly, I..."
"Don't bother answering her," Miang's voice suddenly whispers into my
ear.
The entire area suddenly grows black at this moment, much like the
other times I had encountered Miang, but something is different this
time. The others are here with me now, but Miang is here as well. I
try to run toward Shion, but my hair is suddenly caught in something,
as if it were being grasped. A small scream escapes my lips as the
pain runs into the back of my skull; I try to reach for the source of
the pull, but my arms cannot reach. The pain intensifies soon after,
my body being dragged toward the source. My back meets with my
sister's body within seconds, her arms quickly wrapping around my neck,
bringing her face right next to mine. My fingers ball into a fist
after, yet I don't feel any strength left in my arms to push them back
enough to free me from her hold. I try to pull my way free instead,
but the force I exert on her arm isn't strong enough to even more it an
inch. The more I pull, the more the crimson floods run down my arms
and shoulder. Suddenly my arms grow limp and they fall to my side,
they refuse to move no matter how I hard I command them.
"You stay right here, dear sister," my sister orders me.
"What the, what's going on?!" Allen begins to panic.
"Huh?" Jin begins to return to his feet.
"What the, who's that?!" Jr. exclaims as he points toward me.
"Miang...," Shion turns to the one holding me.
"This is your doing, isn't it?!" my sister begins to yell into the
abyss. "You parasite, come out here and show yourself!"
"It is her," chaos speaks as pushes himself off the ground, "the
original."
"That's the original KOS-MOS?" MOMO asks.
"Shion...," I call for my lover with what little strength I have left.
"Miang, let Elly go!" Shion orders, the M.W.S. appearing on her arm
afterward.
"I thought you were sympathizing me just a second ago," the hold around
my neck tightens.
"Let her go!" Shion repeats herself.
"How long do you think she will last?" Miang asks, her free arm
beginning to stroke mine. "Your brother cut her pretty deep, don't you
think?"
"Ugh!" I scream as her fingers glide through my wounds.
"Dammit, if only I hadn't...," Jin swears.
"What do you intend to do with her, Miang?" Shion asks, her weapon
still pointed.
"I only intend to return things back to the way they were, there's
nothing wrong with that," she answers.
"Shion..."
I feel so weak now, everything is beginning to blur. So tired,
everything feels so heavy now, even my eyelids. Breathing is becoming
difficult too, and everything is weighing to the floor. I can't seem
to stand anymore, my sister is keeping me on my feet as she holds me.
"She's not going to last much longer," my sister's voice begins to grow
deaf, "if she dies here, neither of us will have the chance to get what
we want."
"I told you to let her go!" Shion repeats.
"You're not the one to make demands here," Miang tells her. "If you
want her to survive, you'll have to let me go, but don't worry, we'll
find each other soon enough so I'll be able to finish you all off
later. So how about it, do we have a deal?"
"No Shion, don't do it..."
Black is the only color I see now, no more colors of any sort. I'm
starting to lose feeling of everything now, even the hold my sister has
on my neck. Taking in air doesn't seem to do anything anymore either,
I can't seem to exhale either. My hearing is starting to grow deaf,
but there is one more word I am able to hear, one that will continue to
dread me in the afterlife.
"...deal..."
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Author's Note: Well, how was it? Personally I found the pacing pretty
slow and I kinda repeated myself at times, but I tried my best, I hope
you enjoyed it. This was the hardest chapter I had to write, the
reason being was because I tried my best not to make Elly so depressed,
but that seemed to have failed due to the events of the story. I'm
kinda rusty on actions scenes as well, it's been months since I wrote
one for any story. Well, if you want to review, go ahead, but no
flames or anything like that. Two more chapters left for this fic and
it's done, I assure you those ones won't be as slow-paced and I hope
you find the final chapters pleasing. That's it for now, later people!
Onwards to Part 7
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