cbman's Note: This chapter would've come out sooner, but my computer's
being stupid again so I had to retype this whole chapter because I had
to reformat the whole computer. This chapter is slow at first, but
it'll build up as it goes, just be patient with it. I know Xenosaga
Episode 2 is out now, but I'm still going to continue with this fic
since it's supposed to be an AU of it. So yeah, expect some events and
stuff to be a lot different from the actual game, I'm doing it
intentionally since I'm kind of disappointed with Xenosaga 2's story so
far (I'll get into that later). Well whatever, I just hope this
chapter's to your liking in the end, I hope the wait was worth it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 3: Regret
(Jr.'s POV)
"There's no point in any of this, don't you see, Rubedo?"
It was a familiar scene, one that was played over and over again back
then. We were always bickering; it was always about his whining, about
him being so weak.
"What are you talking about, just what is so pointless in all of
this?!" I would always ask in a harsh tone. "We were created for this
purpose, it's the reason for our very existence!"
"Even if we were to destroy U-DO, what then? Yuriev would have no more
use for us, he would simply abandon us all or put us in some sort of
military unit. Aren't you tired of fighting, Rubedo?"
I was always so simple-minded back then, always wanting to stick to my
orders no matter what. A life outside the military never existed in my
mind back then, the only thing I really knew about was war. I knew
though that I was beginning to learn more as time passed, namely
because I spent it with her.
"I have my reasons for continuing," was all I could say.
"I see, it's because of her, isn't it?!" his tone becoming angrier.
"Do you really think she sees us as more than war machines, Rubedo?
That's all the other people think when they see us. All they see us as
are tools such as guns, tanks, or cannons, they don't see us as equals."
"You shouldn't care what others think," I responded.
"You're nothing but a hypocrite!" Albedo retorted. "I know how you
think about Sakura, how you think about Mizrahi's brain-dead girl.
Tell me, what is it about her that makes you think of her so? Is it
the hope that one day she'll break out of her current state, or do you
await for the day the darkness will eventually come to her thoughts,
taking her away from this world forever?!"
My fist launched forward immediately after hearing those words; my
knuckles grazing past his cheek and sending him to the ground. I
remember the feel of my nails burying themselves into my palms after
that punch, how they were practically breaking the skin. I felt so
much anger, so much that I wasn't satisfied after that single attack.
Albedo quickly returned the favor with a blow of his own however, his
body suddenly launching forward and shoving me to the ground. His own
fists met with my face then, each hand striking both sides of my face
once. My temple broke the chain as I brought it to his nose, allowing
me to once again resume my onslaught. My fingers wrapped around his
neck after and I began to raise my fist once more, but suddenly the
fight came to a sudden halt.
"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!!!!!"
It was a voice we all knew to well; it was our creator, our "father,"
Dimitri Yuriev.
"Rubedo, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Yuriev lectured to me.
"As leader of the U.R.T.V.'s, you shouldn't allow words to get the best
of you like that."
"But sir, I..."
"I don't want to hear it, Rubedo! You're supposed to be leader of the
U.R.T.V. units, are you not? If so, then act as such, you shouldn't
rely on such childish squabbles to resolve your issues with Albedo!"
"I understand, sir, but..."
"Don't you dare talk back to me, Rubedo! You're acting like such a
child! Go to my office, I want to talk with you some more."
"Yes sir..."
As I was following Yuriev, I couldn't help but look back to Albedo, who
was lying on the floor practically in tears. Several girls began to
approach him now, each of whom I knew. White hair, navy blue clothing,
they were the Kirschwassers. Each of them began to help him return to
his feet, slowly pulling him off the floor. I remember seeing how they
ran their fingers against his skin, how they continually asked him over
and over again if he was okay. Just seeing this made my anger return
once more, but this time I kept in check. I was jealous of the
attention he was getting back then, even after all these years, I still
act like a kid. Maybe it was because of that that I reacted how I did
earlier.
That cyborg, why does MOMO care about him so much? All he seems to
care about is his mission, yet she clings onto him so dearly. I
thought it would be me she would ask first to dance with her on her
birthday, but instead she went to him. Then earlier this morning she
tried defending him, and just a few minutes ago, she...
"Please, stay with me, Ziggy," her words continue to echo in my mind.
When she woke up after linking with the U.M.N., MOMO was sent to the
local hospital. I stayed by her bed for hours, the cyborg was nowhere
to be found. I thought I would take a walk for a while, but by the
time I got back, she was up again, and that cyborg was there, her arms
wrapped tightly around his waist. That's when she said it, when she
said, "Please, stay with me." I ran after that, not wanting to go back
and face the events that were going on. Why?! Why does she choose
that cyborg over me?! I don't get it, I just don't see why...
Who am I kidding, I don't just act like a kid, I still am one. I'll
never grow up at this rate. MOMO, I guess I can just let her do what
she wants with Ziggy, but still, I have a promise to fulfill.
"Please, Rubedo... Take care... Take care of my sister..."
Sakura, I promised you that I would take care of MOMO after you died,
but I don't know if I'll be able to keep that promise. Looking at her,
I see your face once more, and seeing her in the arms of another, I
feel so... So... So heartbroken...
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(Shion's POV)
The wind brushes against my face once again, my hair caught in its
embrace. A small push pulls me back from which I came, but a second
later, I find myself moving forward once more. The familiar squeaking
of the swing is common for me, there hasn't been one day in which I
felt the breeze pushing me forward and back so freely. My own voice
accompanies the sound of the swing's chain, a simple hum with a simple
melody. The sky is as bright as it's always been; everything is just
perfect.
At least I'd like to think so. Black clouds begin to paint over the
cerulean sky, just as another breeze begins to blow against my body.
The swing comes to a stop now, the sky growing as dark as a raven's
feather. It begins to rumble and it grows cold; the wind begins to
pick up again, but this time in a fierce gust. I find myself getting
off the swing now just as the breeze becomes more violent, so violent
that it nearly pushes me to the floor. Drops of water begin to fall
from the dark clouds, the sprinkles piercing me like needles with every
tiny splash. A bright flash crosses against the sky, roaring loudly in
my ears as it does so. I can't help but scream as I hear the thunder,
my body cowering into a ball and my legs shivering. In the blink of an
eye I no longer find myself in the park, but in another familiar scene,
one in which I never wanted to see again.
"Mommy, Daddy, what's going?"
"Sh! Be quiet, Shion!" my mother quickly hushes me.
"Hurry, this way!" my father orders.
I find myself now being carried across a dark hallway, thunder and
lightning once again crashing amidst the background. There is another
sound being heard below the clashing elements, one that's difficult to
distinguish. It sounds like something scratching against concrete,
along with the sound of deep breathing. Screams follow shortly after
these noises, and the previous sounds grow louder. The stench of
rotting meat begins to pollute the air, my parents now picking up the
pace as they run. We run for so long, the scenery that we pass never
changing; broken windows and doors, litter strewn across the floor,
it's the same sight wherever we turn until now. There is nowhere else
to run, the hallway finally coming to an end; we have reached a dead
end. I look to my mother who holds me, her wrap around me growing
tight as tears begin to flow down her cheeks. My father's eyes
constantly turn left and right over and over again as he looks for an
alternative. The sounds and the smells grow closer and finally he
makes a decision. He opens the nearest door and orders us all inside,
quickly shutting it after.
"Mr. and Mrs. Uzuki, thank god you're still...," my mother's nurse
tries to speak, only to be silenced by my father.
"Febronia, they're heading this way!" my father explains. "Isn't there
a way out of...?"
Before my father can finish, the door from which we entered begins to
bang suddenly. The stench and the breaths are as close as ever now,
each growing stronger with ever strike against the door. My mother's
arms practically crush me now as he hold is as tight as ever, the
perspiration on her brow quickly dropping onto mine. The wind and rain
from outside rages further, each drop of rain striking against the
building like stone. The clouds continue to roar, silencing the sound
of the creatures from outside for a second, only to reveal their
incomprehensible moans after.
I find my eyes unable to blink as I watch the shut door begin to burst
further. I feel as if my heart is about to explode like that door, I
know that those things will come in any second now. I am unable to
control the tears that run down my face, each one accelerating faster
than the last. My teeth are chattering, my body paralyzed, this has to
be the end.
"This way!" Febronia suddenly orders us, pointing to the ventilation
shaft on the other side of the room.
"Will we all fit?" my mother asks.
"Only one at a time I'm afraid," Febronia answers.
"All right, Shion, you go first," my father orders.
"But...!"
"Don't worry, we'll follow as soon as we can, so please...!" my mother
begs.
The door to the room begins to break now, the top hinge falling to the
floor. My mother plants her lips on my forehead once more and then
puts me into the vent feet first. Just as I push my entire body
inside, the rest of the door falls. The vent's cover quickly shuts
after but the slits between the bars still reveal to me everything that
happens after. Several human-shaped beings stand in the hallway, their
skin as gray as stone, and holes where their eyes are supposed to be.
Their teeth are pointed like triangles, each of them with a slab of
meat peeling down their gums. In the blink of an eye they jump
forward, at least three going for each of my parents. My mother is the
first to fall, her voice crying over the thunder and lightning from
outside. The unknown beings' teeth pull and pry at her continuously,
chunks of her body missing in seconds. Skin is torn like fabric, the
crimson elixir of life darkening their already scarlet teeth, and
string-like devices being removed from her like flower petals. My
stomach immediately grows queasy at the sight, I'm barely able to keep
its contents from escaping from my mouth. The beating of my heart is
as rapid as ever and my entire body shaking like crazy. I try to avert
my eyes elsewhere in the room, only to find my father also in the same
position. His cries join my mother's as the beings chew at him,
forcing me to finally shut my eyes. Though I force myself to look into
darkness, my ears still both of their cries, as well as the cries of
Febronia. Slowly the screams of pain diminish, but the sound of teeth
tearing at flesh is still there.
The sound finally comes to a halt and I open my eyes once more, finding
myself in another familiar location. I find several guns now pointed
before my eyes, along with two men holding me back. My eyes trace
around the room to find several of my fellow co-workers in the same
predicament, all of them being held hostage by the same men in purple
uniforms and face masks.
"This facility is now under the control of the U-TIC Organization," one
of the soldiers speaks. "Any resistance whatsoever will be met with
deadly force. As long as you follow our orders you will not be harmed.
We appreciate your cooperation."
That same soldier now removes a device from his pocket, one that no one
outside of this project should have. I turn to the maintenance bed in
the center of the room and find steam escaping the device as the top
half begins to open. I try to escape my captors' hold but to no avail
as I scream her name.
"KOS-MOS!!!!!"
My daughter awakens at that very moment as her right hand takes hold of
the edge of her chamber. She begins to pull herself up, but suddenly
her entire body jerks inward. Her head begins to swerve
counter-clockwise, swerving in a full three-hundred-sixty degrees. Her
eyes then lock on the closest individual close to her, a U-TIC soldier,
and without warning she springs forward. Everything virtually becomes
a blur as the dark color of red is continually splashed across the
room. Again the sound of thunder and lightning rage on outside, each
crash blocking the sound of gun fire and screams for an instant.
Everyone begins to run now and I find myself now free from my captors.
My legs begin to push against the ground as fast as they can, pushing
me toward the exit. I don't get very far however as my foot is caught
on my other ankle, sending me to the floor in an instant. As I try to
push myself back to my feet, I find myself staring into the eyes of the
one responsible for the onslaught, the one I dedicated my life to.
"KOS-MOS...? Miang...?" her name barely escapes my lips.
Her monotone face gives me no response, it is her hand that does.
Slowly the fingers curl into a ball, as if they were crushing
something, her thumb locking the fingers in place. Her arm launches
forward suddenly and I brace myself for the impact. The blow never
comes, though I still hear the sound of metal striking flesh. Another
strike follows and again I feel nothing. My eyes then open to find
another standing before me, his arms spread open but his legs beginning
to stagger. Something begins to protrude from his back now, it is in
the form of fingers. Scarlet ooze begins to leak from the newly formed
crater in my protector's back, several drops of that substance
splashing onto the lenses of my glasses. The fingers pry themselves
away from him in an instant, sending my guardian's body to the floor.
"KEVIN!!!!!!" I scream his name.
I wrap my arms around him at this very instant, bringing his palm to my
cheek. I wait for the usual caress he gives me with the stroke of his
hand, but it instead falls to his side. My eyes begin to burn as his
body grows cold, my throat parched, and my being torn. I begin to shut
my eyes to prevent the floods from falling further, but they still
manage to barely seep through the slits that cover them. I begin to
open my eyes, only to find a different event unfolding before me.
"Let me go!" my lover orders the men that restrain her. "Shion!"
"Elly!" I try to chase after her. "Stop it! I can't let you take Elly
away from me!"
"Restrain yourself, Ms. Uzuki, otherwise I will be forced to take
action," the one standing before me orders. "I don't want any harm to
come to you, so please..."
Without thinking, I quickly bring my knee upward, striking the guard in
the rib cage. The force of the blow makes the woman hunch forward, and
giving me the opportunity to continue my chase. After several steps
however, I suddenly find myself being pulled as if something were
trapped my hair. I succumb to the grab the security had somehow laid
upon me, and so, I return to the source for a moment. Instead of
surrendering to the guard and Sir Wilhelm would expect, I bring my
elbow back, the joint striking the lip of my captor. My entire body
turns around after, my left leg leading the way as the side of my foot
meets with the torso of the woman. Her fingers finally release their
hold on my hair and again I hurry to my angel's rescue.
"Elly!"
Before I could take another step however, the woman I thought I had
just taken care of suddenly appears before my path once more. My fist
is the first come forward this time, but before it could find its
intended target, the crook of her arm blocks its path, blocking my
attack. Before I could do anything else, a force is suddenly exerted
on my abdomen and the air flowing against my body.
"SHION!!!!!!" I hear my lover scream.
I begin to push myself up now, the pain in my stomach intensifying as I
do so. I finally manage to at least get my head to look in the
direction where I fell and I find the woman standing several feet away
from me, with her arm still stretched forward. I try to push myself off
the ground again, but I find all of my energy suddenly drained thanks
to that punch that woman dealt me.
"Chief, are you all right?!" Allen rushes to my aid.
"Why you...!" I look to my brother who begins to draw his sword.
"Don't try it!" the security now reaches for the pistol on her belt.
"That will be enough, Ms. Hawwa, Ms. Uzuki," Sir Wilhelm orders.
"No, I won't let you...!"
"Ms. Uzuki, whether you like it or not, we are taking custody of
KOS-MOS Unit 00-00-00-00-1 as of this moment," the CEO begins to turn
away. "Further more, because of your inability to follow orders and
neglecting to report to HQ three days after your arrival on Second
Miltia, I'm afraid to inform you that you are suspended from Vector
Industries for six months without pay. Further more, if you are somehow
able to violate your suspension, I will have you and your brother
arrested for assault in your attempt to defy my orders. Mr. Ridgeley,
if you even attempt to help Ms. Uzuki violate her suspension, I will
have you charged with criminal assistance."
"Wait, I didn't do anything wrong, I would never...," Allen tries to
object.
"You can charge me with anything, just return Elly to me now!" I order.
"Shion please, that's enough," my brother tries to calm me down.
"But Jin...!!!"
"Shion, forget about me for now," I look over to my lover, "we...we'll
be back together soon enough, so please..."
"Elly..."
"Ms. Hawwa, if Ms. Uzuki, her brother, or Mr. Ridgeley give you any
more trouble on their way out, please feel free to kill them if
necessary," Sir Wilhelm orders as he takes his leave.
"Come on!" the other two guards order my blue-haired angel as they
follow the CEO.
"Elly, no! ELLY!!!!!!!"
I find my entire self pushing forward now, my breathing rapid and my
entire body drenched in perspiration. Seconds pass and I begin to calm
down. The freezing air feels as if it's freezing the sweat on my body,
though my body itself feels as if its being pressed into the bed. My
heart is beating faster than a hummingbird's wings, the cold air I
breath in slowly lightens the weight of my lungs. I wipe away the icy
liquid from my brow and begin to settle into my bed once more, trying
to forget the events I had just seen.
"...just a dream," I assure myself as I realize that I'm sitting in my
own room.
Was it a dream? No, it was more like memories of the past, things I
wish were only dreams. No matter how hard I try to forget, the events
always manage to return somehow, and when they do return, it brings
back those very same emotions I felt back then.
The sound of rain falling can be heard from outside and I brace myself
for the crashes. There are none, just the sound of the water falling.
The absence of thunder does little to bring me relief as I remember the
most recent part of my dream, remembering how I couldn't do anything to
save her. Again, just like that, my blue-haired angel has been
stripped from my arms.
I return my face to my tear-drenched pillow, the corners of the cotton
cube ridden with the prints of my fingers. The tears and sobbing pick
up where they left off, the substance that was shed being absorbed into
my pillow once again. The cotton material is barely able to muffle my
cries, nor does its surface bring comfort to my face. Lying here like
this, I can't help but look back on my life, the life I barely look
back on.
My life has always been full of sorrow; everyone I grow close to is
always taken from me. My parents were the first to be taken from me,
taken away by those creatures fourteen years ago. Then it was Kevin's
turn, taken from me by our first daughter, Miang. I thought that maybe
I would never have to feel these things again when Elly came into my
life, and yet, just like my parents and Kevin, she too was taken away
from me. There has always someone to take away this pain whenever the
people that were dear to me were taken away, but this time, I don't
think there is anyone who can do that. Mother, Father, Kevin, Elly,
all of these people, all so dear to me, all taken away in an instant,
how can I smile now after I've lost so many?! Come back to me, please!
Call my name like you always do, tell me that you love me, please, tell
me that everything will be okay! Say something, anything because I...
I... I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE ANYMORE!
"Shion..."
Is it an illusion I hear, the beginning of my sanity's end? My
tear-ridden eyes begin to leave the pillow now, slowly turning to the
image of the blue-haired angel who stands outside my door. My eyes
blink, and she continues to stand there. Her feet begin to move her
forward now, her cerulean eyes becoming more clear. It is not an
illusion, I realize, this is reality, this truly is...
"Elly?" I call her name.
"Shion!" I find her arms wrapping around me.
For a moment I sit there, my body paralyzed from the shock that my
blue-haired angel has returned to me safely. I find her cheek
beginning to nestle with mine, the rivers of my tears beginning to dry
with the feel of her face. Slowly feeling returns to my body; the
warmth of her touch begins to soothe my nerves, the smell of her hair
and the sound of her breathing make my lips curl. My arms begin to
wrap around her waist now, wrapping tight enough that no one can free
her from my grasp. The sound of the rain no longer bothers me, my
attention is now fully on her. The press of her body is enough to warm
me, enough to console me. Again I feel safe, feel relieved that she is
once again with me.
"I'm sorry, Elly," I find myself apologizing.
"Why are you apologizing, Shion?" she asks. "You have nothing to
apologize for. I left on my own accord, but in doing so..."
"Whoops, I'm sorry," a figure in the doorway interrupts, "I didn't mean
to barge in."
"Miyuki, you did this?" I ask.
"Yeah, I did what I could," she answers.
"Thank you so much," I tell her as I wipe away the remaining tears,
"you don't know how much this means to me."
"It's no problem," she assures me. "I guess I'll leave you two be for
now," she says as she shuts the door.
"Are you all right?" I ask my lover as soon as Miyuki leaves.
"I'm okay," she nods, "but what about you? I made you worry again,
didn't I?"
"Don't worry about me," I tell her. "As long as you're okay, that's
all that matters."
A soft smile stretches across her lips now and her arms wrap around me
tighter. Her cheek begins to nestle against my heart and one hand
falls onto my shoulder. I begin to lie back so that I may cushion her
body, pulling the sheets over us to free her from the cold. She looks
up at me once again and I reply with a smile. My angel pushes her lips
toward mine afterward, warming my body further with her kiss. She
returns to her previous spot on my body after, the smile on her face
now replaced with a look of concern. This look slowly melts my smile
away, but it does not do enough to remove the relief that she is safe.
"What's wrong?" I ask her.
"...I just disobeyed orders from HQ...," she says in a serious tone.
"There's no way that they'll let either of us get off easy on this."
"Elly, I can just take the blame for..."
"No you can't!" she quickly interrupts. "I mean, even if you were to
take the entire blame, what will I do? I can't picture my life without
you, Shion, I don't know what I'd do. I know you can't do the same if
the situation was reversed, so..."
What are we going to do? At some point I know Vector will come here
and try and take Elly away again. Returning her to them is definitely
not an option for me, I don't care what Jin or Allen say. Perhaps we
can leave this place? If we were to leave, where would we go? We
could simply drift from place-to-place, but it would dangerous to live
in Federation-based territory, but we can always try anti-Federation
Space. Come to think of it, it's a long way from anti-Federation
Space, but... No, that's the only choice we have if we're going to
stay together. Yes, I've decided, we have to leave, our chances of
reaching our destination might not be good and there aren't any legal
means to reach anti-Federation Space, but we have to at least try.
"I'm sorry, Shion, but the safest thing we can do to stay together is
make our way into anti-Federation Space," Elly suddenly speaks my own
thoughts. "What's so funny?" she asks as I break into a small fit of
laughter. "Was it something I said, or is it because you don't have
any intention to go with me?"
"It's not that," I assure her, "I was actually thinking the same
thing."
"Are you sure you're willing to go through with it?" she asks. "What
about your life here? What about Jin?"
"I don't care about any of that anymore," I tell her, my fingers
running down her face. "I lost my job, I have no real friends here,
and Jin doesn't seem to care about what happens to me. I've never had
a life here, Elly, can't you see that? You're my life, there is
nothing else in the world that matters to me."
"I'm sorry to hear that, and yet, I'm happy how you feel about me," she
says as she nestles in her spot again. "Thank you, Shion. Thank you
for wanting to be with me..."
Her eyes begin to close now and her breath grows slow. A smile is once
again stretched on her lips as she lays there, resting so peacefully.
As I look at her sleeping so quietly, I can't help but remember when I
first created her. I never knew back then that a being of my own
creation would be able to give me so much happiness, more than Kevin or
parents had ever given me. She may have been created to be the savior
of Mankind, but to me, she is the woman I love, the woman I love for
simply being who she is.
I begin to stroke the strands of hair away from her face, the silky
feel of the cerulean strands starts to put me to sleep. Yes, tomorrow
I will say goodbye to this life, and at the same time, I will say hello
to what will hopefully be eternity with my blue-haired...
A bright light suddenly flashes from outside, along with the crashing
of the storm. The noise makes me jump for a second, forcing my body to
curl as best as it can with my lover over my heart. I find my entire
self shivering once more, no longer from the weather, but from fear.
Another crash follows, my head unwillingly bending down as a result.
My eyes turn to the mirror on the other side of the room and I find
another flash. The white light reveals the outside for a mere second,
but along with what looked like a person. I begin to pay attention to
where the person had stood, finding them once more standing outside my
window. Before I can see the face of this mysterious visitor, they
jump away, their form already vanished with the next crash of
lightning.
"Mother...," I turn to my angel who mumbles in her sleep, "...I'm
sorry..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Jin's POV)
My sister must still be upset with me, and who can blame her. I've
never pondered on words or actions for this long until now; her anger
and sadness, I had no right to return those locked away memories and
emotions like that.
"Jin, are you all right?" a voice returns me to reality.
"Yes, I'm fine, Miss Yui," I try to give her my best smile.
Helping out at the orphanage usually helps bring a smile to my face,
but not this time. I tried my best not to depress the children as I
read them their stories and tucked them in, but my eyes seem to tell a
different story than the rest of my face.
"What's wrong, Jin?" Miss Yui asks as she takes the seat across from
me.
"...it's nothing," I answer, my fake smile still worn on my face.
"I know that look," she sighs, "you always had it whenever we had a big
mission back then. You're worried about something, aren't you?"
"You still remember that day when we were still in the military, huh?"
I try to dodge the question.
"Don't change the subject," she tells me with a serious expression on
her face. "Come on, Jin, what's bothering you? And don't tell me
'it's just the weather.'"
"...I don't want to talk about it," I find myself unable to keep my
smile any longer.
"You're worried about your sister, aren't you?" she asks. "It's always
been like that ever since she joined Vector. What happened? Is she
being transferred again?"
"Miss Yui, what would you do if someone you cared deeply about was
suddenly taken away from your life?" I ask. "How would you feel?"
"Well... I'd obviously feel very sad, and maybe a bit angry, but I'd
do my best to get that person back. Why do you ask? Does this have
something to do with Shion?"
"...forget about it," I begin to push myself away from the table. "I
think I'll go home early tonight. Can you clean up in my place
tonight, please?"
"Yeah, I can do that. I hope things work out for you and your sister."
"Thank you," I say as I being to take my leave from the orphanage.
I try to exit through the living room, only to find one child still
awake, his eyes glued to the television set. Laughter escapes his lips
constantly, finding amusement in the cartoon cat and mouse who
continuously try to kill each other.
"Abel, it's rather late," I take a seat next to the child, "shouldn't
you be in bed?"
"But Mr. Jin, I'm not tired!" he begins to whine. "Can't I just stay
up just this once?"
Those eyes, those same puppy dog eyes, I was always weak to that look
when she was younger. The way she would always beg me to get something
for her, I always liked it how my sister would ask me to do things for
her. Abel reminds me of her when she was young, and so...
"Come on, Abel, you need to sleep," Miss Yui enters the room.
"Let him stay up," I tell her.
"Really?" Abel says, his eyes lighting up with my words.
"But just for tonight, Abel," I tell the boy.
"Wow, thanks Mr. Jin!"
"Will you be all right going home in this storm?" Miss Yui asks as I
open the exit.
"I'll be all right," I assure her. "Oh, and Miss Yui, please take good
care of the children. Good night."
The cold water travels down my entire body in a rapid pace, the moment
one drop falls off my clothing, an entire flood pours onto my head. My
feet constantly find themselves stepping into tiny lakes created by the
holes in the pavement, the water soaking through the material in my
clothing. I make no effort to hurry home, I don't have any right to do
that.
"Well... I'd obviously feel very sad, and maybe a bit angry, but I'd
do my best to get that person back. Why do you ask? Does this have
something to do with Shion?" Miss Yui's words echo through my mind once
more.
'It has everything to do with Shion,' I think to myself.
Would I feel how Miss Yui would if Shion were taken away? I don't
know, ever since she got that job at Vector, she's become so distant to
me. When she was younger, she would tell me everything about her day,
always smiling as she told me, now I'm lucky enough if she'll even
visit me for a day within a two year period. I must admit, I don't
like how things are right now between me and her; the fights, the
non-existent conversations, everything that's going on between the two
of us right now. Everything I try to do for her suddenly sets her off;
I keep trying to assure myself that it's probably due from the stresses
she has at work, but every time we argue, I keep telling myself that
less and less. This is all 'their' fault things have ended up this
way! Mother, Father, I've been a terrible brother. If only I had the
strength, if only I had the courage, I would have...
"It's rather unhealthy walking in a storm like this," a familiar voice
snaps me back to reality. "Or rather, it's unhealthy walking around
without a coat and umbrella."
I look before me now to find a familiar face, one I haven't seen in
years. Tanned skin, blue eyes, and blond hair that's almost the color
of white. Her entire outfit is black, with the exception of the silver
cross and choker on her neck, and her lips painted in a bright crimson
lipstick. She begins to walk toward me, umbrella in one hand and the
other dangling at her side.
"It's been a while, Jin Uzuki," she speaks.
"Your name is Pellegri, right?" I remember her name. "Why are you
here?"
"You know why I'm here," she begins to step past me, our backs now
facing each other. "We had an agreement, did we not?"
"...yes," I find my eyes drifting to the pavement once more. "But let
me just say that...!"
"You can't fight fate, Mr. Uzuki," she interrupts. "You knew this day
would eventually come. Unless you plan on going back on your word."
"I don't, but let me just say that she hasn't had an easy life. The
pain that she's endured for the past fourteen years would destroy
almost anyone, it's a miracle that she's the way she is right now.
Please, whatever you do, I beg that you...!"
"I'm afraid that doesn't change anything, Mr. Uzuki, no matter how hard
you plead. Your sister has my pity, but I'm afraid she has a large
role in the fate of humanity; you, myself, and my comrades all knew
this from the very beginning, along with that woman."
"'That woman?' You don't mean...?"
"You know I'm not after them today, you know that I am here for 'the
other.'"
"You can't be serious! The boy is only...!"
"...one year younger than your sister was when your parents died.
Surely you've seen some of the phenomena he can create. You saw it
earlier today in fact, when you and your comrades visited the
orphanage. Imagine what else he can do if that is only a fraction of
his power, a minute amount of his true potential. Power like that will
only go to waste if he remains with you, Mr. Uzuki, so I'm afraid it is
time for me to fulfill my duty," she says as she continues walking.
"I can't let you do that just yet!" my hand quickly takes hold of her
own. "Please, just give me more time! He's still too young! Don't
you see, he hasn't even lived a single day outside of the orphanage
since he came to us three years ago! I beg you, don't...!"
"We've already given you fourteen years with your sister, Mr. Uzuki!"
Pellegri quickly pulls her hand away from my own. "How much more time
do you expect us to give you? Another week? A year? Fourteen more
years? We've given you more than enough time. There can be no more
delay."
Talking any further will do no good, so I must act now. My hand
reaches for the blade on my belt now, each of my fingers tingling with
every drop of the icy rain that falls upon me. My breath and body
already feel heavy, before I have even made a single move. Pellegri
takes a moment to look at me, a blank look painted on her face. After
a few seconds of standing, she simply shrugs and continues on her way.
That is when I strike, freeing my katana from its oak restraint and
slicing the raindrops that fall before it. My feet push with all their
might against the water-soaked pavement as my arms fight against the
pouring flood so that I may raise my weapon into the air. Her head is
within my weapon's reach now, yet she still continues to walk with her
back turned toward me. My arms begin to push downward in the same path
of the rain and I await for the geyser of crimson that follows.
"What?!" I find the sword suddenly stopping before it touches a strand
of her hair.
"You dare point your blade at me?" she turns her around, her eyes now
narrowed.
A rush of warmth begins to fill my body suddenly and my limbs begin to
move without my discretion. The feel of the ground beneath my feet
begins to disappear and soon I feel a force pushing my entire body
backward. A sharp pain erupts in my entire back as soon as I feel the
surface of brick against it, my legs suddenly growing numb and my
weapon falling from my hand. My knees stop me from falling all the way
to the ground, but the pain is so great that I can't keep my back
straight. She begins to approach me once again as I kneel here, I know
that the consequences of my actions are going to be heavy.
"This is a fine blade you have," she says as she picks up my sword.
"So this is the sword that Margulis has grown to hate so much. Go on,
take it back," she holds the blade's handle at me.
My entire body is already aching from the blow she had dealt me, my
entire self is paralyzed with the pain right now. I try to move my arm
toward my weapon, but it suddenly drops before my fingers could grasp
it.
"You won't, will you?" she asks. "Then allow me to return it for you!"
Another force is exerted onto my body, this time it's the butt of my
sword that meets with my skull. The rest of my body begins to fall to
the pavement now as the world around me begins to meld. My body
suddenly stops for a second as a hand stops me by holding my shoulder.
I see my blade in her other hand, forcing its way toward my side. The
blade doesn't cut me however, instead it slides back into its sheath.
The colors around me begin to fade now, just as the sound of the rain
grows deaf.
"Pleasant dreams, Mr. Uzuki," are the last words I hear before darkness
fully engulfs me.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Elly's POV)
She hasn't said a single word after waking up this morning. It's only
been an hour since we got up, but she's already wearing that look of
concern on her face. I can't help but worry too when she wears this
face, I just wish she could tell me what she's worried about. Is it
our plan to leave her home that's causing her to feel this way, or is
it something else? I don't understand why she's been closing herself
off to me since yesterday, and I'm too afraid to ask fearing my
questions may hurt her. No, I have to ask her, I have to at least try
and help her with whatever is going on with her right now.
"Um, Shion?"
No response. She must be really deep in thought right now. This only
makes me worry more. I take another piece of waffle into my mouth now,
but I'm unable to enjoy the sweet syrup it's drenched in. I call her
name once more after and still get no response. I try one last time,
this time lightly tapping her with my finger and finally I get her
attention.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry, Elly," she apologizes, trying her best to give me
her usual smile. "Did you want more milk?"
"No thank you, it's just that you've been very quiet," I explain.
"What's on your mind?"
"...I'm just a little worried, that's all."
"Worried?"
"Don't worry, I'll be all right once we leave."
"Hey Chief," Miyuki tries to grab her attention. "I don't mean to
interrupt you two, but I thought you lived here with your brother."
"Yeah, what did happen to Jin?" Allen joins in the conversation. "I
haven't seen him since yesterday at the bar. Do you think he went with
the Elsa's crew somewhere?"
"Knowing that idiot he probably spent the night at the orphanage
without telling us," Shion scoffs. "He's so immature sometimes, he
acts more like a younger brother than an older one, always reading
those old books of his and practicing his so-called 'swordplay.' I
swear, he can be such a child sometimes. So Elly, does the dress I
gave you fit all right?" she tries to change the subject.
"It's fine," I answer as I take my dishes to the sink. "Though the
glasses will take some time to get used to."
When we woke up this morning, Shion told me that if we're going to live
on the run, it would be best not to wear the uniform Vector and the
Federation know me by. Shion allowed me to pick out a uniform from her
closet, so I decided to settle on a simple sleeve-less sky blue sun
dress with dark blue lining on the straps and stomach area. It's a
simple uniform that shouldn't attract any attention, and the skirt is
long enough to give my legs free movement as if I were in my old
uniform. The glasses however, were of my own choice. My uniform felt
more complete with the spectacles, even if the lenses themselves were
made of plastic and weren't made to correct vision in anyway. The
frame of the glasses is black, with arms on the sides of the circular
lenses, they're designed to old-fashioned glasses that were made
before the T.C. calendar. Their weight feels a bit odd, but I'm sure
I'll get used to them with time.
The others place their dishes in the sink shortly after, leaving me and
Shion to clean. There is another awkward silence between me and my
lover once more, her eyes fixated on the faucet and her hands scrubbing
the sponge against a plate continuously without any sign of stopping.
Once more I try to speak, only to be interrupted by a voice coming from
the living room.
"Chief, KOS-MOS, you might want to get over here, quick!" Allen calls
from the other room, frantically.
Without wasting another second, Shion snaps out of her trance and we
hurry to the living room to find Allen and Miyuki with their eyes
locked on the TV. I don't understand what all the commotion is about
until I see the image the monitor projects. It is the orphanage I
visited yesterday, or at least what I think is the orphanage. The roof
looks like it's caved in, like something smashed into it. The front
door looks as if it was forcefully pried it out of its hinges, the
windows all shattered, and random chunks of the structure missing or
burnt. Ambulances, police cars, and many other emergency vehicles are
parked in front of the remains, each of them with at least three
victims of the incident sitting in each one.
"What could have...?" are the only words that can escape Miyuki's lips.
"Oh my God, Jin?!" my lover screams.
The screen now shows her brother lying on a stretcher in one of the
ambulances. His clothes are tattered, his skin crusted over with
blood, and several machines hooked into his body. His eyes slowly open
as the camera zooms into his face, the rest of us body quickly shooting
upward as he tries to push himself up. Paramedics appear on screen
now, trying to pull him back into the stretcher, but he pushes them all
away. More paramedics jump on screen now and try to restrain him, but
before we could see what else goes on, the camera shifts its view to
the reporter.
"Luckily none of the children nor staff were killed in what looks like
a criminal act," reporter explains. "Police found several spots of
fuel residue created by what appears to be an old A.M.W.S., but there
are no other signs of any other kind of A.M.W.S. or A.G.W.S. being in
the vicinity. Survivors of the attack, however, have no recollection
of what happened. In addition to the Miltian Government in helping the
victims of this accident, Vector Industries, the Federation Government,
and the Kukai Foundation have agreed to assist in this matter."
'Vector and the Federation?' I think to myself. '...I see, there's no
doubt about it, they're after...'
"Chief, where are you going?" Miyuki's voice quickly returns me to
reality.
"Jin's hurt, I have to hurry there, now!" Shion explains before rushing
out the door.
"Hey, wait for us!" Allen and Miyuki chase after her.
* * *
The entire area surrounding the hospital with all the victims of the
orphanage is filled with Federation, Kukai Foundation, and Vector
transport ships. It's obvious that there's something else going on
here than a simple civilian recovery. Still, the people don't seem to
notice for some reason. It's strange though, we've passed by several
Vector employees and Federation officers and none of them have tried to
stop Shion and me. It isn't like any of these organizations to be this
sloppy after a top secret weapon such as myself has escaped a mere
eight hours ago.
Eventually we come to the hospital room where Jin is being
hospitalized. It is a normal hospital room; plain in color, no
paintings of any sort, not even any flowers. The only thing that
separates this room from the others is the lack of machinery aside from
the heart monitor next to Jin's bed. Jin himself looks totally
lifeless with the exception of his chest heaving up and down. His
entire body and his temple are entirely wrapped in bandages, some of
which are lightly stained with blood.
"Jin...?" my lover slowly makes her way to her brother's side.
She stands there frozen in silence as she takes a moment to observe
him, observing all the injuries he had gotten. Slowly she sinks to the
seat beside the bed as she takes his fingers into her hand, squeezing
them firmly in her hand as she does so. Her voice begins to crack now
and her body begins to loosen. I walk to Shion after, placing my hand
on her shoulder as a gesture of assurance. She places her own hand on
top of mine after, her sinking low as she does so. I know she wants to
be alone with him for now and I decide to abide to that wish. I turn
to the room's exit to find Allen and Miyuki also leaving. Before
leaving, I take one more look at the siblings, watching as Shion rests
her head on his chest as she sobs his name. Upon closing the door to
the room, I watch as Allen and Miyuki walk to the cafeteria of the
hospital. I decide not to leave the doorway in case Shion decides to
go at any moment.
Time passes, and neither of the two parties return. My body begins to
drift into slumber until a pair of Vector security officers pass me by.
As they draw closer and closer, I prepare to draw my blaster which I
hide in the garter underneath the skirt of my dress, but the need to
draw it never comes. None of the officers recognize me, nor do they
give me a second look. I can't help but continue to ponder why no one
has made an attempt to arrest me, but then it hits me.
'The "Project" has begun now,' I realize.
The Zohar Project, that is the ultimate goal of the Galaxy Federation
and Vector Industries. The reason for why I was created, kept a secret
to nearly all those who were responsible in my creation. With the
exception of the Original, all the Zohars are in a fixed location, the
Kukai Foundation's ship, the Durandal. I wouldn't be surprised if...
"Elly, Elly, you came to see me again!" I find myself removed from my
thoughts again by a familiar voice.
"Hello, Abel," I greet the young boy who latches onto my leg. "Are you
okay?"
"It was terrible, Elly!" the boy says, hardly able to contain his
excitement. "I was just watching TV when all of a sudden the whole
house started to come down. Everything suddenly turned off and it was
very dark and I couldn't see a thing, and then..."
"I can see that you've been through a lot," I find myself caressing the
boy's hair.
"But I'm okay, Miss Yui got everybody outside before the entire house
fell apart," Abel tells me.
"Well I'm certainly relieved to hear that," I put on my best smile.
'It's definitely already started,' I think to myself, 'they are
after...'
"What's started?" another voice suddenly enters my thoughts.
I stop thinking for a moment and try to keep my thoughts blank. I wait
for the voice to say another word, but I get nothing but silence. I
begin to ponder now where the voice is coming from, and again, I hear
the voice.
"Mother, don't you see? It's me, Mother, it's me!"
'"Mother?"' the word once again confuses me. 'Who are you? Why are
you...?'
Before I could finish asking my question, a jolt of pain suddenly
erupts in my temple. I find myself nearly falling to the floor from
the shock, but like before, it quickly resides. I begin to push myself
back to my feet only to find myself falling back to the ground from a
sudden shockwave.
"What was that?" I ask myself.
The sound of gunfire follows after my words, the sounds of screams and
panic cry after. Civilians begin to rush past my general direction,
the crowd nearly knocking me off my feet. The gunshots grow closer,
forcing me to free my blaster from the garter on my leg. More
civilians brush past me and Abel, but this time, several men in violet
uniforms and masks are close behind them. I immediately recognize
these men based on the records that were once in my data banks; these
men are soldiers of the U-TIC Organization.
"We've located the target," one of the soldiers begins to talk into his
radio, "commencing..."
My finger quickly pulls the trigger of my weapon before the man could
finish his report. The soldier falls to the ground in an instant, but
his comrades quickly take up their arms and begin firing after.
Without wasting another second, I push the boy into Jin's room and
quickly follow, my blaster firing three more shots before going to the
nearest wall's surface for cover.
"Elly, what's going on out there?!" is Shion's reaction the moment we
enter the room.
"Get away from the windows!" I order.
At that exact moment, part of the glass suddenly shatters and a small
metallic device drops inside the room. Before I could react, the
device suddenly blows up, releasing a thick cloud of smoke within the
vicinity. My lungs are immediately filled with the dark clouds,
forcing me to cough constantly and shield my eyes. The moment the
smoke begins to clear, I notice the color of dark purple once again
coming in view through the smoke. Immediately I point my weapon at our
attackers, but they all react by doing the same. All of them are
barely a centimeter away from releasing a hail of bullets on us and I
prepare for the worst by shielding my eyes once more. The sound of
guns fills the air, but I feel none of the bullets' impact. In its
place, I hear the sound of bodies falling to the ground and a few
grunts. I open my eyes slowly after and find all of the U-TIC soldiers
lying on the ground in front of me dead, but another individual
standing behind the corpses.
"Jr.?" my lover quickly recognizes the boy.
"Chief, KOS-MOS, thank goodness you're safe!" Allen and Miyuki quickly
appear behind the Durandal's captain after.
"I hate to cut things short, but we have to get to the Elsa, now!" Jr.
orders.
"But wait, what about all the patients in the hospital?" Shion asks.
"My crew's already helping with the evacuation, you guys are the only
ones on this floor. Shion, if you want your brother to make it out of
here alive, I'll need you to carry him. Allen, Miyuki, you should help
her. KOS-MOS, I need you to help me clear a path for them."
"All right," I nod as I load a new cartridge in my gun.
"Just a second, KOS-MOS," Miyuki stops me.
"What is it?"
"I want you to take this," she hands me a blue four-foot rod. "It's my
latest invention. It's a short staff made of titanium alloy, folded
ten thousand times over."
"I don't see how a stick is going to help me...," I take the weapon
into my hands.
I take a moment to look at the weapon, looking at its sleek and smooth
surface. I spin it between my fingers for a few seconds so that I may
get a feel for the weapon. I stop the moment I feel some sort of small
button protruding out of the device. My thumb presses down on it and
part of the staff suddenly shoots upward.
"It's also a short single-edged sword if you press that button," Miyuki
points out. "The blade itself works just like your F-SCYTHE, but the
material is definitely stronger. The blade uses the wielder's ether
ability to determine the sharpness of the blade, just like the
F-SCYTHE, but it also contains a logic drive just like the M.W.S."
"I guess it will have some use after all," I return the blade to its
sheath.
More gunfire follows shortly after, this time its Jr. who initiates the
first shots.
"Shion, get Jin and the others out of here now! KOS-MOS, go with them,
I'll catch up with you guys later," Jr. orders as he heads out the
door.
Without a second to think, we begin to follow those orders, running in
the opposite direction of Jr. I allow Shion and the others to go
first, giving me an opportunity to cover the rear. We run down halfway
through the main corridor, but then I realize that one person is
missing.
"Wait!" I stop the moment I notice. "Where's Abel?"
At that exact moment, I hear a scream coming from the room we had just
left. I turn around and find several U-TIC soldiers walking in with
their guns drawn. My feet begin to push against the floor with all my
strength now, each foot pushing harder as Abel's cries grow louder
and louder. Without even waiting to see if I have an accurate shot, I
quickly open fire on the soldiers, two of the eight shots striking one
soldier. The rest of the men quickly turn to face me now, but I am
already within my new weapon's reach to strike them. I free my blaster
from my hand at the moment, letting the weapon simply fall to the floor
so that I may remove my blade from its sheath. The initial swing to
draw opens a crater in two of the soldiers, a geyser of crimson
escaping from each of these newly made gashes. The remaining soldier
tries to fire his weapon after, but the sheath of my sword quickly
knocks the rifle out of his hands. With the enemy now weaponless, I
strike once more with my sword, swinging it in a diagonal fashion
upward to the left. Like the others, he quickly falls, his entire body
limp upon meeting the floor. I take a moment to sheath my sword after
and pick my gun off the floor. I then turn to the corner of the room
and find Abel sitting there, his legs huddled together and his body
shivering.
"Abel, are you all right? Abel?"
"E... Elly...?" the boy stutters my name.
"Come on, we have to catch up with the others," I try to take the boy's
hand into mine, only to have it pulled away.
"I can't!" is the boy's reaction.
"What do you mean you can't?"
"There's more of those bad men out there, aren't there?" the boy begins
to bury his head into his knees. "I don't want to go out there with
all of them outside."
"Abel, I don't have time for this. If we don't go out there, more of
those men are going to come in here and try and catch you, so come on!"
My response only makes Abel curl further into a ball. He begins to sob
continuously, his breathing deep and his cries loud. I find myself
beginning to lose my patience, but for some reason a part of me tells
me not to just drag the boy out of here in this condition. Taking in a
deep breath, I try to convince the boy once more.
"Abel, I'll protect you, so please, stop sitting here so we can get
away from those bad men," I tell the child.
"You promise?" the boy begins to look up at me once more.
"Yes," I nod, "I promise. Just stay close to me and you'll be safe."
I offer my hand to the boy now and he slowly takes it onto his. My
fingers close in on his tiny palm, firmly wrapping around his hand so
that he will never leave my grasp. His tears begin to dry and his
frown disappears. I look down at him and give him a gentle smile,
assuring him once more that I will protect him. He returns the smile
after, and finally, we begin to make our escape together.
We quickly leave the room after and run down the hall to reunite with
Shion and the others. Without saying a word, I lead everyone toward
the elevator as fast as can, my hand never leaving Abel's for even a
second. The moment we come to the elevator however, the doors to the
lift immediately open before we can press the switch. I ready my
blaster as soon as the doors disappear and find three more U-TIC
soldiers waiting on the other side. Before they can even draw their
weapons, I open fire, killing each of them before they can get a finger
on their guns' triggers. With the enemy dead, the elevator's doors
close once more and the lift begins to move upward to the next floor.
Taking the elevator would leave us trapped, but the only way out is to
go down so that only leaves one alternative.
"It would be best if we take the stairs instead," I advise to the
others.
"Why Elly?" Abel asks.
"If we take the elevator, it might be us on the receiving end of fire
if it were to stop," I explain. "Although more U-TIC soldiers might be
waiting for us on the bottom floor of the stairs as well. Still, I
believe we might have a better chance if we took the stairs. Are you
up to it, Abel?"
"Yeah, I can do it," Abel nods.
"Shion, how is Jin doing?" I ask.
"His consciousness still hasn't returned yet," she answers.
"Allen, Miyuki, would it be okay if you two carried Jin while I have
Shion act as support when we go down the stairs?" I turn to the other
Vector employees.
"We should be okay," Allen says as he wraps Jin's left arm around his
shoulder.
"It's not a problem," Miyuki takes his other arm.
"Okay then, let's go."
We hurry to the fire escape stairwell as quickly as possible, my
blaster quickly dispatching any U-TIC soldiers we come across as we
enter. Luckily my intuition was right as hardly any soldiers meet us
at the stairwell. We make it to the lobby of the first floor and for
some reason all of the gunfire has come to a stop. The elevator at the
end of the hall, however, begins to travel down to our floor. Again I
ready my blaster and await for more of the enemy, but I find an ally
exiting the doors instead.
"Jr., are you all right?" Shion asks.
"Yeah," the boy answers, scratching the back of his neck, "but it's
weird, all of the soldiers suddenly stopped attacking and made a run
for it."
"What I don't get is why they were even attacking in the first place,"
Allen adds.
"That shouldn't matter now," Miyuki says, "what matters is they're gone
so we're home-free."
I look outside the hospital doors after and find no enemy units
outside, only rescue vessels and the Elsa. I decide to go outside
first to scout the area for any hidden enemies only to find none.
Directly in front of the hospital is the Elsa, along with many hospital
patients and civilians being boarded onto the ship. I find MOMO,
chaos, and Ziggy among the crew helping the civilians. I signal the
others to come out after, and we make our way toward the ship.
"Going somewhere?" a familiar voice suddenly echoes above us.
"Who's there?" I ready my weapon once more.
Aside from the Elsa, the rest of the vicinity appears to be empty. I
find nothing but buildings everywhere else I look, but then I look back
to the hospital. A lone figure stands on the rooftop of the building,
standing tall with their arms crossed, but their face blocked by the
sunlight. The mysterious person jumps into the sky suddenly, their
arms and legs spread out as their head dives toward the ground. Slowly
the individual's uniform comes into view; a dull gray Vector security
uniform and cap, with no marks of individuality whatsoever. The
person's face is still unclear though, namely because her eyes are
covered by the bill of her cap. Her dive quickly breaks into a front
flip now, with her legs now going first toward the ground. A large
cloud of dust fills the area upon impact as a small circle around the
landing cracks. The clouds quickly settle and I find my adversary
standing before us, completely unscathed from the thirty-story drop. I
can see her more clearly now; her pale white skin, her lack of make-up,
but her eyes still completely covered from view, it's...
"Ms. Hawwa...?" Miyuki quickly recognizes the individual.
"You again?!" Shion spits. "You're after Elly again, is that it?!"
"I'm afraid that is not the case," the woman speaks, her voice
completely monotone. "Today I come for another."
"Shion...," Jin suddenly begins to mumble. "Abel... Can't... Can't
let them..."
"Jin?" Shion calls, puzzled by her brother words.
"I don't know who you are but something tells me I can't let you get
whoever you're after!" Jr. aims his weapons.
Several shots escape the barrels of his guns, each blast half a second
apart from the last. The woman barely moves each of her limbs to avoid
each shot, as if she is able to read each of the projectiles' paths
before they are even fired. The clips in Jr.'s guns eventually empty,
allowing the woman to reach for the gun on her holster and return fire.
Each bullet finds its mark on the Durandal's captain, each of them
meeting with one of his joints or limbs. Allen and Miyuki quickly fall
to the ground after witnessing the woman's marksmanship, just as MOMO,
Ziggy, and chaos hurry to our aid.
"Jr., are you okay?" MOMO asks the boy.
"I'm all right, she just got a lucky shot, that's all," the boy says,
trying to ignore the pain.
"I want to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed," the woman begins to speak
once more. "All I ask is that you give the boy to me."
"Boy?" Ziggy says, confused.
"We won't hand him to you," I find myself suddenly standing before
Abel.
"Elly?" Abel looks up at me.
"I know what you're up to, but I'm not sure what you're thinking," I
continue. "I do know this though, if you think you can go through the
Zohar Project without me, then you're wrong."
"Zohar Project?" the words confuse my lover. "Elly, what are you...?"
"You still haven't told our mother yet, have you?" the woman interrupts
once more.
"'Our mother?'"
"You still haven't figured out who I am either yet, have you? You've
forgotten once again, my darling."
"I don't know who you are but I can say this, if you want the boy,
you'll have to go through me first!"
"I would prefer not to, but I'm afraid I am obligated to carry out my
orders regardless," the woman says, dropping her gun to the floor.
"Everyone, board the Elsa now," I order. "I will take care of this
individual myself."
"Wait a second, but Elly...!" Shion tries to protest.
"Her main target is Abel, it is imperative that we get him away from
her as quickly as possible!" I explain, but none of my allies move
from their spot. "Please, Shion, everyone, I don't want any of you to
get hurt."
"Sorry," I find my adversary suddenly striking me in the cheek with one
of her tonfa.
"Elly!" my lover screams.
"Get Abel out of here, now!"
The others follow my orders without hesitation with the exception of
Shion. Unfortunately I do not have the time to force her to go,
instead focusing my efforts on Ms. Hawwa. I get my blaster ready once
more, only to have it knocked out of my hands with the next strike. A
third strike quickly follows with her disarmament, this one a swing
across the cheek with the left weapon. A fourth follows, this one
striking my stomach, and then a kick to the chin that knocks me onto
the ground.
"You have grown so weak in so little time, Elly," the woman speaks. "I
don't want to hurt you anymore than I have already, so please..."
My fingers quickly grab as much of the broken off gravel as I can and
then having my arm quickly launch forward with the pebbles, planting
them in her eyes. The woman falls back for a second, leaving her wide
open for an attack. I take hold of the short sword that Miyuki
recently gave me, taking it into both of my hands and planting the end
of the sheath on the left side of her face. The strike forces her to
stagger back a step, but it does nothing to knock her down. I follow
with a second swing of my weapon, this one with the blunt edge of the
weapon as I draw it. She still stands after this strike, and so I go
for a third. The third strike is an overhead attack, forcing all of my
weight into my arms as I strike down upon her head with the dull part
of the sword. A loud crack fills the area after the blade comes down,
the impact of this blow finally sends her face first into the floor.
The fight is already over, I have no desire to continue.
"Elly, are you okay?" Shion quickly rushes to my side.
"My face stings a little," I answer.
"Is that all?"
I turn back to my opponent and find her beginning to stand once more.
Her body moves as if the last three strikes meant nothing. Not a
flinch in her body or break in her voice. A breeze begins to blow in
the area, as if it were returning her to her feet. Her clothes begin
to wave with the wind, but her cap is not strong enough to withstand
the wind. Slowly her hair unravels as the hat escapes with the breeze,
that long, dull blue hair. My eyes can't help but widen with every
inch of the hair that flows away from its restraint, my fingers slowly
losing their grip on my weapon, my breath growing short, and the beat
of my heart striking against my rib cage with all its might.
"It can't be...," are the only words that could escape my mouth.
"You... You're..."
Those ocean blue eyes, how it felt like looking into my own. That snow
white skin, it was as pure as her original intentions. Her dull blue
hair, it was like looking into a dusty mirror. That voice, I always
knew it was familiar, as was that presence whenever she was near. That
want for forgiveness and the wish to be loved, I can never forget it.
I was never to see any of these things again, especially in the real
world, and yet, here she is standing before me. Here stands my sister
and other half, right before my eyes. Here stands...
"Miang?" my lover speaks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
XenoMark's Note: Yo people, how was it? Miang alive? I'm sure most of
you saw it coming, but yeah, there's no way I was just going to let her
die that easily in "Bound." Anyway on the subject of the Xenosaga 2
video game, I have to say I'm a bit upset. I hate some of the
characters' new voices; Shion is okay, MOMO's new voice just sounds
even younger than her original one, and KOS-MOS, ugh, that voice is too
soft for her (and I hate her new outfit, makes her look even more like
a robot). The story development isn't as great as the first's either
in my opinion, it doesn't feel as epic. But whatever, it's not a bad
game, it's just not as good as the original in my opinion. In any
case, about this latest chapter, I was originally going to have it
longer, but then I thought that 20 pages was long enough, the fight
with Miang can wait until next time. Anyway, about Elly's new look
for this fic, I actually designed it off of several characters Bridget
Hoffman (KOS-MOS's voice actress from Episode 1 [Ms. Hoffman is also
known as Ruby Marlowe]) played as, namely Cyberdoll Kei from "Hand Maid
May" (the idea for the upper part of the dress and the glasses) [On
another note, Lia Sargent, who was Shion's voice actress from episode
1, played as May in "Hand Maid May." What's strange though is that
May's face and hair is a lot like Shion's, and Kei's face and hair is a
lot like KOS-MOS's.]. Also of note, when typing Elly's dialogue, I
imagined it was Ms. Hoffman's voice when she played as Mizuho Kazami
from "Please Teacher" (AKA "Onegai Teacher") because I thought a softer
voice would suit Elly's personality in this fic. Well enough of my
ranting, reviews are appreciated if they're not flames, hope to see you
in the next chapter. (Man, this is probably the longest author's note
I've ever written.)
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