Oh my, it's been quite a while. No, this story is most definitely not abandoned. I just wanted to finish the real episode 3 before I continued, and that took a long time. The game was…omg, brilliant twenty times over. I loved some scenes in particular that I'm sure you can guess.

Neo: She practically busted a ventricle during said scenes.

I almost died!

Neo: KOS-MOS rox doesn't own Xenosaga or anything else mentioned in this story, except the plot line.

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Xenosaga Episode III: Lager Unsere Kreuze

Chapter 5: Ghost of a Good Thing

All eyes were on Shion and Allen as they stood before the group of Vector employees. Miyuki grinned at them and gave them a double thumbs-up. "I can't believe you're getting married!" Evelyn, the blonde woman that they had worked with on the Woglinde, exclaimed. "Allen isn't as much of a wimp as I thought!"

"Hey, thanks," Allen said, deadpan.

"I'm guessing Miyuki told all of you about this?" Shion said with a forced smile, while shooting the girl a look. Miyuki cringed slightly, but the smile never left her face. The rest of the congregation looked at each other and nodded.

All of the obligatory questions followed, such as "How did he ask you? Was it creative?", "How long were you dating?" and Shion's least favorite, "Who's usually on top?" Not surprisingly, the third came from Miyuki. She promptly received a glare, and her foot was stepped on.

"I knew it!" John Bell, another man from the Woglinde, shouted. "You guys were dating on the Woglinde! Wow, I didn't think Allen had it in him."

In the corner were gathered three young, quite pretty, Second Division girls. Each of them wore a look of contempt directed at Shion. "Hey, what's their problem?" Shion whispered to Togashi.

"Apparently, they think Allen is pretty hot," he replied, trying to hide the snickering in-between his words. "They hate you now…I'd watch my back if I were you."

"Oh really?" Shion said loudly and sarcastically, looking directly at them, a sudden unbridled anger bubbling up inside of her. She opened her mouth to continue, but Allen quickly stopped her.

"Mood swing?" he mouthed to her. She nodded sheepishly. The women sneered at her.

"Alright people, let's keep it PG in here!" Miyuki said. "We don't want any trouble."

"Now it's been exciting to have our Chief and Vice-Chief engaged," Togashi concurred, "but we need to get to work. We've got a lot to do. Chief?"

"Right." Shion nodded, her take-charge attitude showing once again. "Second Division, I want the specs on the new armor I heard that you were designing delivered to me for approval before the end of this week. First Division, let's try to get through these new diagnostics and probes. We've got a lot to do, so let's get moving." The workers nodded and proceeded to their workstations.

After the group dissipated, Shion and Allen switched on their terminals again. "Well, I guess everything's back to the way it was before," she sighed.

"Well…almost," he pointed out, his eyes traveling downwards to her belly. She sighed again, more raggedly this time, seeming exasperated.

"Stop staring at my stomach, people will get suspicious." Without another word, she turned her eyes to the screen in front of her.

"Shion, Allen! It's great to see you two again!" a voice sounded from behind them. Shion and Allen turned to see the Chief of the Second Divison.

"It's nice to see you as well, Chief O'Rourke," Shion replied, smiling. They had met him formally a few times, but had never worked with him directly.

"Please, call me Kerrigan." Kerrigan O'Rourke was an average-sized man, a bit taller than Allen. He was about the age of thirty-seven, with flaming red hair and crystal green eyes. He spoke with a slight, handsome brogue which has surely attracted a good number of women when he was younger.

"How are you doing?" Allen asked.

"I've been well," he replied, a charming smile crawling across his freckled face. "I had to come over and talk to you two after I heard the news. You're to be married?" Shion blushed and smiled softly. "I'll take that as a yes," he said smugly. "I tell you, the married life is great." He pointed to the wedding band on his finger.

"We're looking forward to it," Allen agreed, smiling sweetly at Shion. Her cheeks lit up again.

"How is everyone in your family doing?" asked Shion, knowing that he was married with two children.

"Everyone is doing pretty well," Kerrigan answered. "Lianne is busy with the two fireballs, as usual. Brennan, our oldest – he's twelve now – got into a fight at school, so we're trying to settle him a bit," he elaborated. "And my baby, Riley, just started her first year of school. She's adapting well, thank heavens."

"That's good to hear."

"My kids are the greatest joy in my life," he mused aloud, eyes twinkling. "But they're quite a handful too. Take my advice: wait a while after you get married. Enjoy life as a couple for a while. Then, go crazy."

Shion and Allen stopped and stared at each other, eyes wide. Shion let out a small squeak as she attempted to talk. "Eh, I can see that you two are busy. I'll leave you to your work," O'Rourke said. "My team will have you the designs for the armor by Thursday, at most."

"Thank you very much," Shion choked out politely. He walked to the other side of the room, grinning and waving as he did so.

"Oh, do you think anyone knows? Can they tell?" Shion asked him in a panicked whisper. Allen shook his head.

"It's just a coincidence, there's no way they could know anything," he reassured her. "Let's just try to get this work done. It can take our minds off of it, you know?"

Shion nodded silently and began to type, although she knew that nothing would ever be able to take her mind from the baby.

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An hour or so passed, and everyone was diligently at work. There were no sounds in the whole lab, except for some murmuring of employees and beeping of terminals. Shion yawned and stretched, managing to tear her eyes away from her screen for a moment. She was still feeling pretty good, although she had a slight headache. Looking over her shoulder at the pod in the middle of the room where KOS-MOS lay, a sudden, humorous thought struck her.

"Hey, Allen?" she said quietly. He looked at her.

"What?"

"What do you think KOS-MOS would do with the baby?" she asked, laughing softly. "I wonder if there would be any sibling rivalry…"

"That would be pretty funny," Allen admitted. "Hey, do you think we should tell her? We could do a private dive later today, if you wanted to. I'm sure she'd like to know that she has a younger brother or sister on the way."

"That sounds like a good idea," she agreed.

"Hey, Chief!" Togashi exclaimed, appearing behind them suddenly. Both Shion and Allen jumped.

"What is it, Togashi?" she replied once she got her bearings.

"I just wanted to let you know that I've made progress on most of my probes. Man, some of them were really tough."

"That's not all, is it?" Allen asked, looking at him suspiciously.

"Well…" Togashi shrugged sheepishly. "You caught me. I just wanted to know if you guys set a date yet." Shion's eye twitched.

"You bothered us for that?" she spat. "Alright! Allen and I are getting married! Big deal, put it behind you!" She sighed and turned back to her terminal. Togashi stared at her, shocked.

"…PMS?" he whispered to Allen.

"Oh, you have no idea," he whispered back.

More time passed, and Shion's condition was beginning to deteriorate. The text on her terminal's screen swam in and out of focus as she read it. Her head was pounding as if someone was using a jackhammer on her skull. Her stomach lurched, and she let out a small moan.

"Shion, are you alright?" Allen asked. "You look kind of pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little bit diz-" Her stomach turned again, and she clapped her hand to her mouth.

"Are you sure?" Allen asked, eyeing her. "You really don't look well."

"Well…maybe some rest wouldn't hurt. Take over for me, okay?" she whispered weakly once the wave passed.

"Of course," he said gently as she stood and began to walk to the employee break room.

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The break room was absolutely nothing like the lab. It was made for comfort – it had carpeting, a fully-stocked refrigerator, kitchenette, and a sofa. The coffee maker gurgled on the end of the counter. The conjoined restroom even had a shower for people who pulled all-nighters at work, like Shion had. But, at that moment, all that mattered to her was that the room was dark and quiet.

The wave of nausea had passed, leaving Shion with a throbbing headache and terrible dizziness. She drew the curtains on the windows that saw out into the lab, and collapsed on the couch. She groaned, turning onto her side. Everything was going so well, she thought in a huff.

But her headache was relentless. She quickly and involuntarily fell into a doze.

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Meanwhile, in the lab, Togashi wandered once again over to Allen. "Hey, Allen, where'd the Chief go?" he wondered. "I had a question about one diagnostic, and I was hoping that she could give me a hand."

"She, er, wasn't feeling well," Allen stammered. "She went to the lounge to rest. She should be back soon."

"Hmm." Togashi closed his eyes and smirked. "She's pregnant, isn't she?"

"What?" Allen almost screamed. He began to sweat.

"I'll take that as a yes," Togashi said, still smirking. "Man, that's pretty cool."

"Togashi," Allen began in a grave voice. "Go back to your terminal. If you say a word of this to anyone, I'll come after you."

"Wow, okay, geez," he said, turning and walking back to his workstation. "It's not my fault you knocked her up…" he murmured under his breath.

"What was that?" Allen growled.

"Nothing, sir. You're still just hearing things."

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The darkness all around her was disrupted only by the soft glow of a holographic monitor. She stood in front of it, placing a hand on her swollen belly. The text scrolling across the screen was blurry, and she couldn't make the words out. Yet, she somehow knew that the information that she was reading should have made her feel like she had been betrayed.

But instead, she felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

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Shion woke with a miserable groan as her stomach turned again. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her belly, not thinking about the dream she had just had. She decided that she would deal with that later.

"Look, baby, I love you," she moaned, speaking to the child in her womb, "but couldn't you give me a break for one day?"

"Aww! I love you too, Shion!" an energetic voice hollered into Shion's ear. Shion's eyes snapped open to see Miyuki's face about an inch from hers, smiling gleefully. She screamed and jumped, causing her stomach more pain. Miyuki straightened and laughed, flipping on the lights, satisfied. "That was priceless. You should've seen your face." She took a sip from the mug of coffee she was holding.

Shion sat one the couch, staring at the girl. "Miyuki, what are you doing in here, and – oh dear heavens – why do you have coffee?"

"I was coming in here to see how you were doing," she replied. "And as for the coffee, well I-"

Shion's stomach lurched again. "Hold that thought," she squeaked as she made a dash for the restroom. Miyuki rolled her eyes as she heard Shion retching.

"Oh, sure, just go ahead and puke right while I'm in the middle of a sentence," she grumbled, putting her free hand on her hip. "I'm not offended at all." Once Shion finished, she came out of the bathroom and filled a glass with water from the sink. "Hey, are you okay?" Miyuki asked her.

"Yeah," Shion answered, slightly embarrassed. She took a drink from the cup. "It's just that I'm-"

"PREGNANT?" Miyuki suggested loudly, smirking mischievously. Completely taken aback, Shion accidentally spat the water that was in her mouth all over, spraying Miyuki. "Mmm, yes, lovely," she muttered, face suddenly deadpan. Water dripping from her nose and chin, she set down her mug and wiped her face on the back of her sleeve.

"Sorry," Shion sputtered. "You caught me off guard there."

"Ah, so you are pregnant," Miyuki said triumphantly, wiggling her eyebrows.

"…yes," Shion gave in, defeated. "But look, you can't tell anyone. Got it? Not even Togashi, because I don't know whether Allen told him or not."

"No problem. This will be kept top-secret," she replied, "zipping" her lips. "So were you and Allen engaged before or after this?"

"Well, we were engaged before we found out," she replied reluctantly. "But…I think we actually conceived earlier than that."

"I see. Allen must have some pretty powerful little soldiers," Miyuki commented.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" she said quickly in a sing-song voice. Shion narrowed her eyes, and Miyuki laughed awkwardly.

"Anyway," Shion said, still giving Miyuki the glare, "how did you know that I was pregnant? How could you tell?"

"Ah, it's simple, my dear Shion," the girl started, smiling. "I could just tell. It's a woman thing. Oh, and of course, I could tell by the fact that you almost just relinquished your breakfast unto my shoes."

"I guess you're more observant than I thought."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Miyuki said. "Still…I'm so happy for you!" she screeched, hugging Shion with such force that they almost toppled over. Shion let out a yelp, taken by surprise once again. Then, the door opened with a hiss, and Allen stepped through.

"Am I, er, interrupting anything?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"No, nothing at all," giggled Miyuki, in an overly-chipper voice. She brushed past Allen towards the door, and gave Shion a grin and another eyebrow wiggle before she walked out with spry steps.

"…did you tell her?" Allen shook his head at the coffee-hyped girl.

"I didn't tell her." Shion sighed. "She guessed."

"Guessed?"

"Never mind."

"Well, I guess it's not a big deal. Togashi kind of guessed too," said with a shrug. "But, are you feeling better?" he asked, resting his hands on her hips and kissing her forehead. Shion leaned against him.

"Actually, I am," she replied. "Now that I've actually thrown up, that is."

"Okay, now that's a little too much information. Ow! You didn't have to hit me," Allen muttered, rubbing the spot on his ribs where Shion had punched him.

"Sorry," Shion apologized, blushing. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay," Allen chuckled. "I just really can't wait until the mood swings stop."

"Oh, really? Well, neither can I, buddy," she said sarcastically. "Anyway, I think we should go back to the lab."

"I agree." Allen nodded.

As they walked out into the lab, Shion flipped off the lights and yawned. By that time, she had forgotten about the dream.

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It was just about time for the workers to call it a day. Finally, the end of their toil was near…until tomorrow, at least. As Togashi was beginning to shut down his workstation, Allen grabbed him by the shoulder. He turned wildly over his shoulder, jumping slightly.

"Oh. Hey, Allen," he chuckled, relieved. "You scared the crap out of me."

"Look, Togashi, I need a favor," Allen said softly. "Is it possible that you could stay a bit longer and initiate a small-scale encephalon dive for Shion and me? We haven't talked with KOS-MOS in a while, and-"

"You want to tell her about the baby?" Togashi suggested with a smirk. Allen pursed his lips.

"Well…yes."

"Alright then, it's settled!" The flat-topped man grinned. "I'd love to help you out. I've got a date with Miyuki, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind staying for a few extra minutes. Anything for you guys, you know."

After what seemed like a century, but was actually only a few minutes, the lab finally cleared. Togashi, Miyuki, Shion, and Allen were left alone. They waved their last goodbyes to their friends, and then they got to work.

"Are mommy and daddy ready?" Togashi asked in something similar to baby-talk, sitting down at his terminal. Shion furrowed her brow at him. He added quickly, "It was a joke, Shion, just a joke."

Meanwhile, Miyuki was off in her own little world. "Aww, I'll bet the baby will have Allen's eyes and Shion's hair and Shion's nose and Allen's ears and-"

"Miyuki, please," Shion pleaded, smacking herself in the forehead. "I wish you'd be a little quieter about this…"

"Shion, there's nobody else here!" Miyuki exclaimed, waving her arms and looking around wildly.

"Okay. We're ready to initiate," Togashi interrupted their little argument, handing both Shion and Allen red encephalon glasses. "This will be a small-scale dive, so there's no need to use the VR-2000." Shion and Allen put their glasses on.

"Ready," Shion said. Togashi nodded and typed in the command. Instantly, the image of the room dissolved. Shion and Allen felt the familiar weightless sensation as they went to see their "daughter".

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When Shion opened her eyes, she had to squint. The area around her was a pristine white, with the red Vector symbol on the floor. She had been there before, on the day when the Woglinde was attacked by the fleet of Gnosis. Allen stepped up behind her, placing a hand on her back.

"I'm creating KOS-MOS' digital form," they heard Togashi's voice through the auditory connection. Before them, the image of KOS-MOS appeared, flickering slightly before becoming solid. She blinked her scarlet red eyes, pupils focusing like a camera.

"Good morning, Shion, Allen," she greeted them formally in her monotone voice.

"Good morning, KOS-MOS," Shion replied cheerfully. "How are you feeling?"

"All systems are function normally." The typical response. Shion shrugged off the small amount of disappointment she felt.

"KOS-MOS, we have a surprise for you," Allen told her. Although, he really knew that what they were going to say wouldn't come as a true surprise to the android. He was sure that she had already picked up on Shion's pregnancy through a body-scan.

"Yes, KOS-MOS," Shion started, smiling wildly. "I'm pregnant!" The android blinked again.

"Congratulations, Shion. While this would appear to be a positive occurrence, I would strongly suggest that you delegate certain of your duties to subordinates, as I have detected several hormonal imbalances," she suggested.

"Now that's not very nice," Shion said, pouting at her. KOS-MOS nodded her head slightly.

"Precisely my point."

"Er, we just wanted to tell you the news," Allen said warily, trying to keep the conversation from becoming a brawl, since Shion could never win that one. "We thought you might be excited to have…well, a younger brother or sister."

"Though, you are well aware that the child would not be my biological sibling," KOS-MOS stated in her matter-of-fact sort of way.

"Well, of course we knew that…" Allen muttered, rubbing his temples.

"I wonder how KOS-MOS will react when the baby comes and mommy and daddy stop paying so much attention to her," Miyuki chimed in, apparently having stolen Togashi's voice device. She giggled loudly. "Who knows, maybe her first emotion will be jealousy!" Shion rolled her eyes.

Shion and Allen heard Togashi and Miyuki grunting as Togashi tried to wrestle his microphone away from her. "Come on, Miyuki!" they heard him groan.

"Jump for it!" she exclaimed.

"Fine, keep the damn thing." Togashi sighed, defeated. Shion and Allen decided just to ignore them.

"KOS-MOS, you'll wake up again soon," Shion reassured the android, with a small flicker of sadness. "And you'll get to see everyone. Momo, Jr., chaos, all of us…we miss you, KOS-MOS."

"Acknowledged," she stated. "Give them my greetings." Although it was spoken in a voice void of emotion, it still meant something. Shion smiled softly and embraced the android, warmed by the small show of emotion. KOS-MOS stayed rigid, making for a strange picture.

"We'll be seeing you, KOS-MOS," Shion said, pulling away from her. "Goodbye."

"Farewell, Shion, Allen," their "daughter" said. Allen told Togashi (or Miyuki, whoever happened to be the holder of the microphone at that moment) that they were ready to exit, and the world around them went black.

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The sun shone brightly through the windows of the dojo. The man and woman slowly circled one another, bare feet stepping, hardly making noise on the floor. They each held a katana, fingers gripping tightly. The woman wore a silk red top, with a very short skirt that fell to the top of her thighs. It had slits on either side, making it even more revealing. The other was clad in traditional training clothes: a dark shirt and pants.

Their eyes met, and a grin flickered on the man's face as he prepared his stance. She returned the look as she brushed a few strands of blonde hair from her blue eyes. Taking inventory, she looked at him. She knew his style, his technique. He was going to play the defensive role in the beginning, as he usually did.

Taking the initiative, she charged at him first. Their swords clashed with a deafening clang. They continued swinging and blocking with well-trained mastery. She turned quickly and tried to slash his back. He threw his blade over his shoulder to block the blow. Then, stealthily, he turned and swiped at her, catching the material on the shoulder of her sword arm. Her sleeve slid slowly down her arm, over the blade, and fell to the floor.

She came at him once again, hoping to get revenge. The steel of his blade slid rhythmically along her own, sparks flying in the battle-heated air. They were caught at a standstill for a moment, both panting slightly. Then, he swung at her, and she bent backwards with amazing flexibility. She countered, stepping behind him and slashing at his back. The shirt ripped, and it too fell to the floor. His bare chest, muscular and tone, glinted under a thin sheet of sweat. He flexed his biceps and flipped his dark ponytail, trying subtly to impress his partner. She smirked and licked her lips sensuously.

The woman swung at him, and he skillfully blocked. Then, he cut her shirt just at her cleavage. It fell, but was caught on her arm. She quickly cut it free from her body, and it floated lightly to the ground, discarded along with his shirt. His eyes traveled up and down the newly-bared skin, satisfied. She was now wearing only her skirt and a strapless red bra. He tried not to lose concentration on the battle.

After a moment's pause, they began to circle each other again, shifting their stances as they stepped. Their swords met again and again with animal ferocity as the battle grew in intensity. She swung downwards at him, but he blocked over his head. As he spun to strike her, she stepped away as quickly as he could. As if in slow-motion, the tip of his blade grazed the front of her skirt, barely touching it.

Still, the garment tore. His breath hitched. The skirt slowly fell down over her hips and thighs, revealing her scarlet panties. It crumpled to the floor, and she kicked it out of the way. The man's heart rate spiked and he began to sweat more heavily. She was absolutely stunning. His eyes scanned her whole body; chest, slender stomach, hips, and down to her thighs. She giggled softly at his expression.

She suddenly thrust her sword towards him, taking him by surprise. He leaped backwards just in time, clearing his mind of everything but the duel he was engaged in, despite the tingling sensation he was feeling. He landed quietly on one knee with catlike grace. Green eyes met blue as he slowly rose, preparing his sword. She walked backwards for a few steps, panting heavily, not breaking eye contact with him.

She tossed the sword in the air behind her back, catching it in the other hand, holding it in a reverse grip. He saw a smug look run across her face just before she threw her katana towards him forcefully. She ran after it, flipped, and did some amazing aerial acrobatics. She caught the sword in midair, and the blade traveled down his back to slice at the hemline of his pants. They met the floor in a crumpled heap, and she blushed, smiling softly. He smirked.

Their blades met again and again, both the man and woman breathing heavily. Their faces were flushed and sweaty. They fell back to back for a moment, attempting to calm their heart rates. Then, they turned simultaneously, their swords clashing for a final time. They held them where the blades had met, and metal slid against metal as their faces grew closer. Their eyes closed as they felt the other's breath on their lips. Their anticipation built to a torturous amount as they waited to feel them press together.

Neither of them felt the kiss.

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Jin was thrust violently awake, as if he had been physically thrown from his dream and propelled into his living room. He swallowed hard and wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead. That particular dream always left him like that, shaken up beyond belief. It had been a while since it had last came to him, but this time, it was as strong as ever.

The UMN television was still on, playing the news on the NAN network. He, along with Shion and Allen, had been watching a popular movie before they had all apparently fallen asleep. The two of them were snuggled together on the couch, fast asleep. Her back was pressed against his chest, and his arm was draped across her waist. Both wore peaceful, serene expressions.

In an attempt to shake the vivid images of the dream, Jin turned his attention to the UMN receiver and listened to the anchorwoman's report. "And in our final story tonight, many are quite disturbed by the alleged murder of renowned geneticist Fabiana De Luca earlier today. As of now, it is unknown if there is a connection between this death and last week's death of explorer Alden Demetrius of Keltia."

This time, the male anchor spoke. "NAN news will be sure to update you every hour on the hour on this developing story, including autopsy reports. This concludes our program for today. Have a pleasant night and we'll see you tomorrow."

Jin switched the monitor off and sighed as his eyes trailed off again to Shion and Allen. He gave them a bittersweet smile. He was so happy that his sister had found someone that she could talk to and depend on, which was a hole that he couldn't fill. But, he was also jealous. At one time, he had exactly what she did.

He tried to keep the memories from flooding back, but it was a futile defense. He was suddenly stricken with ghosts from the past that he knew he would never be able to forget. At one time, they were happy together. They shared the same dream of going into the medical field together, as doctor and nurse. They were going to spend their life with one another forever.

But, things didn't go according to plan.

The rain was pouring down on the three people during a night that would change them forever. Jin stood by himself, with Pellegri and Margulis opposite him. Feelings of terrible hurt tore through him as the woman he loved so much cut him to pieces.

"Jin, you know I love you," Pellegri said. "But our ideals are just too different. There's no way that we can bend our lives until they fit together, because in the end, both will just end up breaking. As much as both of us would have liked it, our paths…our paths never crossed."

"What do you mean?" Jin cried over a roar of thunder. "We could work through this!"

"We won't be able to agree on anything. We'll end up wanting to tear each other apart," she said gently, her expression sympathetic. "This is the only way that we'll both be able to stay true to our beliefs, if I go to U-TIC. You're the greatest man I've never met, and I want you to be able to live the life you want. I don't want to hold you back."

"Pellegri, no!" Jin yelled again, swallowing over a lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry. My mind is made up." The woman that Jin had loved the most closed her eyes and touched the necklace with the cross pendant that hung around her neck. "Thank you for all you've given me."

And with those words, she turned and walked away from him. He was about to chase after her, but Margulis turned to face him. He wore a sneer so sinister that it almost made Jin physically ill. As they continued on their way, he fell to the ground, his knees soaked. He beat the ground with his fists and cried out for everything that had been taken from him.

Those words cut through him like a knife. Jin had never felt more alone than he did that day. He had had everything, but after that, he was left with almost nothing.

The Miltian Conflict occurred two years after that night. In the chaos that ensued, Pellegri had been able to pay Jin a final favor. She had stolen a copy of the Y-DATA and managed to deliver it to him. There were no words exchanged during the encounter; she just handed it to him and fled. He hadn't seen her since that fateful…until the confrontation in the Ormus stronghold.

When she had appeared, he couldn't bring himself to harm her. He should have reacted as a warrior, not as a lover, but his feelings were just too strong. There was no way he could have hurt her. Jin let out another deep, heaving sigh. He was living his life without her, and it would never be perfect.

Jin was torn from his depressing memories by a loud, desperate banging on the door. He looked at the clock, which read 11:37 PM. Who could be here so late? he wondered, narrowing his eyes at the door. He glanced at Shion and Allen to see if they had been disturbed, but they remained fast asleep. The banging came again, this time louder than before. Jin picked up his sword and crept to the door. As soon as he opened it, he was almost knocked over by the force of someone throwing their entire weight at him, frame shuddering with sobs. He dropped his sword, and it took a few seconds for it to register in Jin's mind who this person was.

"Pellegri!" he exclaimed, completely taken aback. (I'll bet nobody saw this coming). She let out another sob, pressing her face into his chest.

"Oh, Jin," she sobbed. "I'm so relieved I finally found you, it took so long! I asked so many people about your whereabouts, but nobody knew!" She continued to cry, and Jin was still in shock.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" he stammered, the color draining from his face. "You shouldn't be here!"

Pellegri took a few deep breaths to calm her crying. Her heart was breaking with every passing second. "I ran," she explained shortly. "I couldn't take it anymore. Margulis was planning such horrible things, and…" she choked over the lump in her throat. "I had to leave!" She began to cry again, and wrapped her arms around Jin. He stepped away, however, and narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"How do I know that this isn't a trap?" he asked, picking his sword up off the floor. "You could just be here to betray my trust."

"Jin, you know me. Would I ever come to you like this only to go behind your back?" she said hoarsely, tears falling from her blue eyes.

"I don't know," he said coldly. "You crossed me before." Pellegri looked up at him, deeply hurt. She turned her back to him, body wracking with silent sobs once again.

"I should have never left," she whispered between sobs. "I was too busy chasing something that was completely wrong. I was so stupid to make the decision that I did." She turned back around, looking into his eyes. "I thought it would make me happy, but I just felt empty after I realized what we were truly trying to do."

Jin met her gaze, and in her eyes, he felt all of the wonderful memories come back to him. Her story seemed far-fetched, but he could see that she was honest, as well as deeply hurt. His gaze softened at her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We were both wrong. I was obsessed with finding the 'truth', but now I know that the real truth may never be found." He gave her a small smile. "But, just one question to ease my mind…why did you decide to run to me?" he asked her.

Pellegri returned his smile, eyes wet and shining. "After years of seeking and wanting happiness that I never found, I did some deep thinking…about my past, about what I was doing right then, and about what my future may be. It was then that I discovered that only you can make me feel that warmth, Jin. You complete me."

Without another word, Jin took her into his arms and embraced her. In turn, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed back just as hard. In an instant, it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from their chests. Jin knew that it would take a long time and a lot of trust to make this work. Yet, even if she betrayed him again, part of him felt that it would be worth it somehow to have her with him again.

After a long moment of relieved silence, Jin pressed his cheek against her forehead. In a whisper, he said, "If you need a place to stay, you can stay here. This may take a while to work out, but…for now, we'll take it how it goes."

"Jin…" Pellegri said softly, looking up at him again. "Thank you so much." She hugged him again, and he felt warm. He breathed deep her scent, the sweet scent that intoxicated him every time he was near her.

He then glanced at Shion and Allen once again. It seemed that not even Pellegri arriving could awaken them. He looked and saw that Pellegri was staring at them as well. "Oh, where are my manners?" he said with a smirk. He walked over to the sofa and gestured to the two of them. "You remember my sister, Shion."

"Of course I do." Pellegri smiled. "She was still very young when I last saw her, maybe five years old? She's grown up so much, absolutely beautiful." Shion stirred then, as if she knew that someone was talking about her, but she didn't wake up.

"Hm, you may think that now, but just wait until you see her mood," he chuckled. "This is her fiancé, Allen. He's living with us, since a few of their friends took over his apartment."

"What an adorable couple," she said, laughing. "I'm sure Shion's very excited."

"A bit too excited," he said flatly. "But see, that's not all." He crouched down and pointed to Shion's stomach. "I'd like to introduce you to my niece or nephew."

"Oh, she's pregnant?" Pellegri inquired, raising her eyebrows. "How far along is she?"

"About three and a half weeks," he replied.

"And how long have they been engaged?"

"…about three and a half weeks," Jin said, face deadpan.

"Whoops," she said, stifling a laugh.

"Indeed," he sighed. Pellegri laughed then, and Jin was amazed at how bright her eyes still were. It was just like when they were young.

"Well," Jin started, "you can sleep in my room tonight. I'll put them to bed, and I'll sleep out here on the couch. You had better go now, or else you may take a low blow from a sleepy, angry, and confused Shion. Actually, you'd better let me tell her about you staying here. I don't want her to discover you, and hurt you."

"Thanks for the advice," Pellegri said, smiling softly. "Good night." She turned on her heel and began to walk. "Oh, and Jin?" she said, turning around. "Thank you again for all that you're doing. I promise, I won't be a burden."

"Don't worry." Jin smiled. "Good night. We'll talk more in the morning." Pellegri gave him a final appreciative smile before walking down the hallway into his room.

Jin reached down and gently shook Shion by the shoulder, taking care to shield himself from a kick. Her eyes opened groggily, as well as Allen's. "Time to go to bed, you two. Come on, you'll be sore if you sleep on a couch like that."

Shion let out a loud, sleepy groan as she stood, followed by Allen. She flashed Jin a chilling glare as they trudged into Shion's room. Honestly, she's still like a teenager, he mused.

He took his place on the sofa and closed his eyes, the feeling of true happiness flowing through him. A smile crossed his face as he fell asleep, for he knew that the dream would never come to him again.

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The next morning came very, very early for Shion. Feeling extremely nauseous, she leapt out of bed and ran to the bathroom, moaning in dismay when she realized that the door was closed. She heard water running in the shower, and since Allen was still in bed, there could only be one culprit. "Jin!" she screamed, pounding on the door. "If you don't want to clean your carpet, I highly suggest that you open the door!"

After a few more seconds, the sound of running water stopped. Shion, holding her belly, sighed in relief. "Thank you!" she said with sarcastic gratitude. The door opened, and Shion expected Jin to appear and scold her for her "tone". Instead, out came someone different, wearing Jin's bathrobe. Shion's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her. Pellegri's eyes met hers for a moment. Remembering Jin's advice from the previous night, Pellegri fled without a word, retreating to Jin's bedroom.

Forgetting completely about her ailing stomach, mouth wide open in shock, Shion stared at the spot where Pellegri had just been standing. Then, she turned her head to look at Jin's bedroom door. She looked between these spots several more times before exploding, shrilly screaming a single syllable:

"JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"

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A/N: -dies all over I'm FINALLY done! This took a long time for various reasons: school, Xenosaga 3, writer's block, and a dry reservoir of ideas. I know that some parts seemed very rushed, and I wasn't happy with them, but I decided to just push them out for the sake of the story. Jin's dream was an allusion to The Animatrix.

And before anybody says anything to me about this story not being factually true to Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathusta, let me say this again: this story does not follow the plot line of the series. I'm aware of the things that aren't in the game, and I think that they do a hell of a better job telling it than I do.

Thanks for all your support, guys. I appreciate it! –Grin-