More than Words Can Say
Chapter Nine: A Walk on the Beach
Jr. waited impatiently upon the stone steps that led to Jin's door. In his nervousness and agitation, he bit the nail of his thumb, a bad habit that he never had broken. His feet kicked stray pebbles on the ground as he grew more restless by the minute.
The front door behind him creaked open, and later revealed a brown- haired Allen. His blue eyes found Jr. below him. "Come on in, Jr. We're having coffee now."
"I can't drink coffee at a time like this!" yelled Jr. "Not when MOMO is missing!"
"Jr., Chief and the others aren't-"
Jr.'s anxiety intensified, his thumb lying forgotten on his side. "How could she be so STUPID!? She can't go anywhere without telling us, especially when the Federation is after her! What the hell is she thinking!?"
"Jr., Shion left a note on the refrigerator saying that she, Jin, MOMO, and chaos left to the city to go shopping."
Jr.'s head jerked suddenly to glare at Allen. "Why didn't you tell me!?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you were too busy loading your MAKAROV pistol to listen to me!"
Jr.'s eyes fell to the ground as if he took a sudden interest in it. He crossed his arms and pouted. "Well, still...she shouldn't have gone without me."
Allen let out a deep sigh. "Jr., MOMO is safe. She's with Shion, Jin, and chaos. I don't think that they would let anything happen to her."
Jr.'s hands nearly balled up into fists upon hearing the name 'chaos'. The fact that the sterling-haired teenager was absent along with MOMO also made his blood boil.
Why is she always hanging around him, Jr. asked himself. Is it because she likes him more than me? Or is it...is it because he actually looks his age?
Jr.'s azure eyes saddened from coming to this possibility. What if that was really the case? Perhaps MOMO did not consider Jr. anything more than a whiny, immature child because she did not look beyond his preteen appearance. Although chaos' age was unknown, he actually had the facade of an experienced and understanding adolescent. In addition to that, Jr. has seen the way young women looked at chaos. There is no doubt that he was quite appealing to the opposite sex, and as much as Jr. hated to admit it, there is no way that a woman would pick HIM, a scrawny preteen with wild crimson hair and a short temper to boot, over the modest and compassionate chaos. Even if chaos did not exactly possess bulging muscles, his slightly feminine looks were attractive to women. His soft shoulder-length silver hair and bronze skin would send any female fainting. Knowing this fact, maybe MOMO found chaos more attractive than Jr., just as any other girl would.
A blue car lined with white stripes on its sides drew nearer to the house as Jin was pulling up to the driveway. Jr. sprung to his feet when he saw that they had returned.
Shion was the first to step out of the car. "Hey guys! I'm going to start lunch right now."
"Do you want me to help you?" Jr. heard the gentle voice of MOMO.
"That's all right. You should put all your clothes away in our room when you get in." Shion headed towards the house and entered the door. Allen followed after her, muttering something about helping her with lunch.
Jin carried two shopping bags in his hand and began walking to the house. "MOMO, I'll put these in your room so you can unpack."
"Thank you, Mr. Uzuki."
Jin nodded and went into the house with the bags by his side. chaos helped MOMO out of the car, her hand holding his for support. Again, jealousy took Jr. in its clutches as he watched him doing so.
"I'm going to go inside and see how the Captain is doing," chaos told her.
"Okay, see you later," MOMO chirped. chaos went to the door and nodded his head to Jr. The U.R.T.V. only managed a small smile out of sheer politeness. After chaos left, he approached MOMO, suddenly remembering why he was mad at her for leaving in the first place.
"MOMO, you..." His voice trailed off and his anger diminished when he saw what MOMO was wearing. He examined the baby blue dress that she donned, thinking that the color was more than suitable for her. She gripped the brim of her sun hat, in fear that it would escape from her grasp again when she and the others were driving on the road with the top down.
"Wow, you look great," Jr. said outloud.
A rosy tinge took to MOMO's ivory cheeks as she smiled. "Thank you. Shion and Jin helped me pick out my clothes. Speaking of which, I have to go and put them away."
"I'll help you," Jr. walked her to the front door of the house. When MOMO passed the crew of the Elsa, everyone was astonished by her change of clothes.
"Now doesn't she look cute," Matthews commented sincerely, not caring that he sounded more fatherly than his crew was used to hearing him.
"Hey MOMO, how many guys asked you out today?" Tony joked, but his face fell when Jr. whipped out his loaded MAKAROV, the lethal weapon twirling in his hand threateningly. Everyone was silent as he followed MOMO up the staircase, not wanting to utter a word until they knew that Little Master was gone.
"Was he angry that MOMO didn't tell him where she went?" chaos finally asked.
"Angry? More like furious!" Hammer answered.
"Yeah," Matthews confirmed. "Tony, Hammer, Allen, and me had to wrestle him so he wouldn't go into town and start going trigger-happy. We had to tie him down onto a chair 'cause he gave Hammer a good kick in the face. We promised him that we would untie him if he swore that he wouldn't go anywhere."
"And you know Little Master. He's always good to his word," Tony added.
chaos could make out the red mark that Jr.'s shoe had left on the right side of Hammer's face. He shook his head. "Sometimes that temper of his worries me."
"Ah c'mon, chaos!" Tony exclaimed in defense of Jr. "He's only being protective of his girl is all."
Hammer threw Tony an indignant glare. "Yeah? Why don't you let him kick you in the face and then try telling yourself that!?"
Tony was silent after Hammer made his point. He greatly considered whether Jr.'s strong will to look after MOMO justified his acts of violence.
Meanwhile, MOMO was busy hanging her dresses neatly in the wide closet of her room. Jr. was helping her by stowing away her shirts, shorts, and pants in the drawers that MOMO pointed to.
"You got a lot of nice stuff," Jr. remarked after organizing her jeans and pants in their correct drawer.
"I would have paid for them myself, but Shion and Mr. Uzuki wouldn't even hear it from me," MOMO replied while hanging a denim skirt in the closet. "They're really kind people."
"Yeah," Jr. answered. "That Jin guy has great taste in books."
MOMO took out a yellow sundress from the shopping bag and proceeded to hang it up. "How do you know?"
"I was bored waiting here, so I went into his library and checked out the books. I'm gonna ask him if I could borrow a few while we're here."
"I think that he would let you," she responded optimistically. Jin was such a giving person that she did not think that Jr. wanting to borrow some of his books would agitate him.
Jr. put away the last of MOMO's clothing. "Hey, MOMO. Why didn't you tell me where you were going this morning?"
MOMO's thin eyebrows knitted together, not certain if Jr. read the note that Shion wrote. "Well...I didn't want to bother you."
Jr. raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Bother me? Why would you be bothering me?"
"Because, you were sleeping when I came into your room. You looked so peaceful when you slept. Did you have a good dream?"
"Um, something like that!" Jr. spouted out nervously upon remembering the kiss that he had stole from MOMO's lips while she slept last night.
"Really? So did I," MOMO blurted out without knowing it until it was too late.
"What was it about?"
MOMO covered her mouth with her hands, her face flushing. She looked back at Jr. as he awaited her answer. She did not want to bring herself to confess what she saw last night, whether it was a dream or not. The thought of Jr. looking confounded or even offended when she told him that she dreamt him kissing her was mortifying. "I-it was nothing! Nothing at all!" She quickly said.
Jr. noticed the sudden tenseness in her usually cheerful voice, but he did not delve into the subject anymore since he did not want to talk about anything that made her uncomfortable. "Anyway, do you want to do something with me after lunch?"
MOMO was relieved when the topic of the conversation had changed. "Like what?"
"Well, I was wondering if you want to take a walk with me on Jin's beach," Jr. said, his voice somewhat trembling.
"Sure, I'd really like that," MOMO answered sweetly. The day was beautiful and she would want nothing more than to spend it outside with Jr.
"Then we'll go after we eat," Jr. said, his poise slowly returning. "Let's go downstairs. Shion's probably going to call us down soon."
MOMO agreed and Jr. and her left the room for lunch.
* * * *
"You guys tied Jr. down onto a chair!?" Shion repeated in disbelief.
"We had to Chief!" Allen exclaimed defensively. "He was loading his gun and about to leave for the city to look for MOMO!"
"Still, there was no other way to restrain him?" Shion asked while organizing the turkey sandwiches onto a tray.
"We would have used tranquilizers but they were back on the Elsa," Allen informed her.
Shion just rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant-"
"You know," Jin interjected his sister. "I think that that boy is quite taken by MOMO."
"He is," chaos answered when he entered the kitchen. "He's always had affection for her, but of course he's too proud to tell her."
"Poor MOMO," Shion said in sympathy for the Realian girl. "She really cares for Jr. as well. But because she's so shy, she can't go up to him and say how she feels for him."
chaos nodded. "I think that she doesn't want to tell him unless she knew that he felt the same way."
"The same with Jr. I don't think that he wants to go and tell MOMO what he wants to say in fear of being turned down by her," Shion stated. "If things keep going the way they are, I think that both of them will end up miserable."
Jin raised an eyebrow. "Why don't they just make a date or something?"
Shion glared at him after finishing arranging the sandwiches. "Weren't you listening? MOMO's too shy and Jr. is too stubborn for his own good-"
"I was listening!" Jin protested. "I'm just saying that one of you should try to convince Jr. to ask MOMO out."
"How do you suggest we do that?" Shion implored.
"There are a lot of things to do in the city. Take a look at what it has to offer and find something that both MOMO and Jr. would enjoy."
Shion contemplated over Jin's simple, but possibly effective, suggestion. "That might actually work. Since you're running out of food anyway, I'll go grocery shopping and look for myself."
"Excellent!" Jin's hands clapped together. "You should be thankful that you have such a genius of a brother, Shion."
Shion's mouth twitched. "Yes, I sure am proud of my brother who sticks his face in dusty books all day and can't cook or clean to save his life."
* * * *
MOMO and Jr. went down to the dining room to find that a mountain of sandwiches stood in the middle of the table and Matthews, Hammer, and Tony were already gorging.
Jr. cautiously reached his hand onto the heap of the sandwich platter and managed to grab two large sandwiches for himself and MOMO. He handed it to her and she accepted it graciously.
"MOMO, can you come to the city with me tomorrow?" Shion asked the Realian girl while setting a large pitcher of ice-cold lemonade on the table.
MOMO swallowed the bits of turkey, lettuce, and tomato before she answered. "Sure. What do you need my help with?"
"I'm going to go shop for groceries since Jin is running out of them," Shion said. "We're going to leave early tomorrow like we did today, okay?"
"That's fine," MOMO responded after taking another bite out of her sandwich. She then took two of the glasses on the table and poured some lemonade into them for herself and Jr. She approached Jr. and gave him the beverage-filled glass and took a drink from hers. She smiled after tasting it because Shion had added the right amount of sugar without overpowering the lemons, just as MOMO liked it.
After Jr. devoured another two or three sandwiches, he and MOMO left for the beach. They walked into the backyard from the kitchen and traveled down the cobblestone path, which twisted down the hill that led to the sandy shores of the ocean beneath. MOMO felt the warm sand beneath her toes and as it had done all morning, the sun beamed down upon her. She ran from Jr.'s side into the shallow depths of the ocean, the cool and inviting waters wading around her submerged ankles. She was careful not to get her dress wet since Shion and Jin went to the trouble of purchasing it for her.
Jr. caught up to her and stood in the waters beside her, the sea breeze whispering quietly in both of their ears. He took a deep breath of the salty ocean air and exhaled, his senses somewhat invigorated. "Man, you never get air like this back at the Foundation."
MOMO looked towards him. "What about Gaignun's beach, Jr.?"
Jr. shook his head in denial. "Well, the thing about Gaignun's beach is that it's simulated. The sand there is fake, the water's fake, and hell, even the smell of the air is fake. If Gaignun or I wanted to change the weather, we could do that with the push of a button. Yeah, a simulated beach has its good points, but it's not like this."
He kicked the water with his feet, enjoying the feel of it as it ran from his toes. MOMO saw that the ends of his pants were cuffed to his knees to prevent them from getting wet. She gazed down to the water where her reflection stood against the surface to greet her. "Then...I must be fake, too."
Jr. stopped kicking the water as if someone had just ceased him by the shoulders. "What? Why do you say that?"
MOMO scooped up some water in her hands, the water mirroring her youthful face from her palms. "I wasn't born the same way most humans are. Daddy made me in the appearance of his daughter, Sakura. I was made to look like her, to talk like her, to act like her...I'm just an imitation."
Jr.'s eyes flashed angrily after listening to MOMO. "Don't talk like that!"
She turned her head to him so her amber eyes met his sapphire ones. "It's true, isn't it? Sakura was an individual when she lived. She was kind, caring, helpful-"
"MOMO, you're all that, too!"
"But don't you see? I'm just a copy of her. I was programmed to be that way because I was modeled after Sakura when she died! I am a duplicate that resembles someone who was an individual. If Sakura were living, I would be obsolete..."
Jr.'s eyes softened. He never knew that MOMO had felt that way about herself. Another reason to despise the lunatic Joachim Mizrahi. How could the old man do such a thing like that? How could he possibly believe that making a Realian in likeness to his daughter would ease his soul? Joachim only created MOMO to store his cursed data and to heal the wounds that were inflicted from the loss of his daughter. MOMO should not have to carry that burden on her shoulders. To Jr., she was an individual herself because she possessed a strength that even Sakura Mizrahi did not possess. She was able to live her life despite the fact that she was created by the hands of the greatest yet most hated man in the universe. MOMO was able to smile and laugh, even after all the torture that Albedo and the U-TIC organization put her through. A normal human being or Realian would have been drained of their sanity if they were forced to undergo what MOMO went through, but she was different.
Jr. took her hands into his and looked deeply into her golden eyes. "Listen, you're not what you say you are. I know that you were created to look like Joachim's daughter, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're just a copy."
MOMO felt the warmth of his hands against the skin of her palms, but she was not totally convinced. "But Jr..."
"You still know what sadness and happiness are and the difference between right and wrong. You have feelings just as any other person does. So what if your looks were modeled after someone else? Do you think anyone cares? You're just as much of an individual as anyone of us, so don't tell yourself otherwise!"
The sun shone high above their heads as they looked at each other in silence. MOMO saw the vitality and passion swirling in the crystal blue depths of his eyes. She did not know what to say in response to Jr.'s outburst but in a sense, she was comforted by what he had said. She was happy that people considered her to be someone unique, someone different, instead of a mere shadow of her predecessor.
Jr. felt her hands slip through his fingers. "Thank you," she muttered audibly. "I'm...happy about what you told me..."
Jr. smiled as his hand ran through the tresses of his crimson hair. "It's nothing."
MOMO took his hand again and gripped it securely. "No, it wasn't. It really meant a lot to me...what you said..."
He could feel his cheeks burning, and he knew that the cause of it was not from the noon sun. She released his hand once more and turned his back to him. He was about to reach to her again, but something caught her eye. A pink conch shell was resting on the shore, the waters lazily washing over it. She ran towards it as it glistened from the water that dripped onto the sand from its glossy form. She picked it up in her hands, feeling the smoothness of its texture against her skin.
"Jr., look what I found!" She called out to him, and he waded out of the water to come to her.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" She asked as she held it out to him. He took it into his own hands, examining the spiral curves of the conch.
"It is. Y'know, Gaignun told me that people would put their ears against the shell and they claimed that they could hear the ocean."
"Do you think it's true?"
"Probably is. I'll check it out," Jr. said and he nuzzled his hear near the large opening of the shell. He listened carefully, but all he heard was a strange clicking noise reverberating into his eardrum.
"Well?" MOMO asked excitedly.
"It doesn't really sound like the ocean-OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" A hermit crab had clamped onto Jr.'s right ear, dangling firmly onto his flesh with its large jagged claw like a second earring. "GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!!!"
"Oh no!" MOMO looked around frantically for something to strike the crab with. "Hang on, let me look for a stick or something!"
"DAMN YOU GAIGNUN!!!" Jr. cursed on the top of its lungs, startling the seagulls that flew above the deep blue waters. "YOU KNEW THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME!"
Jr. stomped his feet onto the ground, thrashing around the sand in his pain while MOMO attempted to find a way to save him from the small crustacean's wrath.
SPECIAL NOTE: Wow, almost 50 reviews...I seriously didn't think that I would get so many! Thanks! I'm happy that a lot of you really like this, but I'm still not close to finishing yet. See what I have to do to keep all of you happy!? (j/k)
Hikari-chan: Thanks on your comments on the characterization. I really want to do my best to keep everyone in character. I'll continue to do so, but am glad that I'm doing a good job at it! And thanx for not thinking that Chap 8 was crappy.
bfcat: LOL, you don't have to put this in your fav. category. I'd be too lazy, too. I'm glad that you think that I got talent!
Angel-chan: Thanks for not thinking that Chapter 8 wasn't bad. I'm really flattered that you're excited that I updated. so chaos is yours, huh? Hope that you can keep all the other fan girls off of him!
lizabeth: I still am developing a plot, but of course I can't tell you as of yet. Try and figure it out yourself! Oh and you don't want more writers like me. I live off of candy and caffeine, and have a really, REALLY short fuse.
Vi3t Girl MOMO: I meant what I said about you and the others. I continued because I wanted to and you guys couldn't wait to see what happened next. Btw, you BETTER update soon!!! I want to read the rest of Warmth of Blue!!!
Naela: I'm ecstatic that once again I'm able to keep everyone's character in check. Another chaos fan huh? That guy ought to have a club or something. Anyway, I really thought that I could form a brotherly bond between him and MOMO. I do remember what scene you're talking about, and that's where I was inspired.
Sugar: Thanks for being patient on how slow the plot is developing. It's great that you're hooked on the story! Don't worry, the plot won't be disappointing at all. You'll see ^_^
Akai Yuki: It's wonderful that you really like this story and all the MOMO/Jr. parts in it. As for chaos, well...I'm not telling! He plays a part in my story, not a completely major one, but you'll find out. But yes, I do have to agree he's kinda mysterious...but his looks more than make up for that.
miwata: I'm glad that you think this story is sweet. I play on emotion a lot more than anything because...well, it's a romance fic.
Kawaii Karen AND Sizzle: Yeah, another Pisces! Anyway, I do happen to know about both transformations and I do like that pink one! But since I'm trying to keep a low profile on MOMO, I don't think I can really put her in her transformation outfit. But thank you for suggesting it! But I still plan on doing something broader for MOMO.
Sage Kaley: Man, you have a lot of muses! But that's okay cuz they're all really cute (go Vincent!). Thanks for adding this fic to your favorites!!!
Kyosnekozukigirl: Hmmm, I don't think I'm making it too sappy. At least I don't plan on making it extremely sugar-coated. But thanks for thinking my story is great! ^_^
Koko Kung and Yum Yum: My God, how many people like chaos!? Anyway, MOMO and Jr. are my favorite characters as well...well, you just read the updated chapter, so keep the sharp pointy thing away...
Arcia: LOL, well, I did go on! Thanx for reviewing! ^_^
Chapter Nine: A Walk on the Beach
Jr. waited impatiently upon the stone steps that led to Jin's door. In his nervousness and agitation, he bit the nail of his thumb, a bad habit that he never had broken. His feet kicked stray pebbles on the ground as he grew more restless by the minute.
The front door behind him creaked open, and later revealed a brown- haired Allen. His blue eyes found Jr. below him. "Come on in, Jr. We're having coffee now."
"I can't drink coffee at a time like this!" yelled Jr. "Not when MOMO is missing!"
"Jr., Chief and the others aren't-"
Jr.'s anxiety intensified, his thumb lying forgotten on his side. "How could she be so STUPID!? She can't go anywhere without telling us, especially when the Federation is after her! What the hell is she thinking!?"
"Jr., Shion left a note on the refrigerator saying that she, Jin, MOMO, and chaos left to the city to go shopping."
Jr.'s head jerked suddenly to glare at Allen. "Why didn't you tell me!?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you were too busy loading your MAKAROV pistol to listen to me!"
Jr.'s eyes fell to the ground as if he took a sudden interest in it. He crossed his arms and pouted. "Well, still...she shouldn't have gone without me."
Allen let out a deep sigh. "Jr., MOMO is safe. She's with Shion, Jin, and chaos. I don't think that they would let anything happen to her."
Jr.'s hands nearly balled up into fists upon hearing the name 'chaos'. The fact that the sterling-haired teenager was absent along with MOMO also made his blood boil.
Why is she always hanging around him, Jr. asked himself. Is it because she likes him more than me? Or is it...is it because he actually looks his age?
Jr.'s azure eyes saddened from coming to this possibility. What if that was really the case? Perhaps MOMO did not consider Jr. anything more than a whiny, immature child because she did not look beyond his preteen appearance. Although chaos' age was unknown, he actually had the facade of an experienced and understanding adolescent. In addition to that, Jr. has seen the way young women looked at chaos. There is no doubt that he was quite appealing to the opposite sex, and as much as Jr. hated to admit it, there is no way that a woman would pick HIM, a scrawny preteen with wild crimson hair and a short temper to boot, over the modest and compassionate chaos. Even if chaos did not exactly possess bulging muscles, his slightly feminine looks were attractive to women. His soft shoulder-length silver hair and bronze skin would send any female fainting. Knowing this fact, maybe MOMO found chaos more attractive than Jr., just as any other girl would.
A blue car lined with white stripes on its sides drew nearer to the house as Jin was pulling up to the driveway. Jr. sprung to his feet when he saw that they had returned.
Shion was the first to step out of the car. "Hey guys! I'm going to start lunch right now."
"Do you want me to help you?" Jr. heard the gentle voice of MOMO.
"That's all right. You should put all your clothes away in our room when you get in." Shion headed towards the house and entered the door. Allen followed after her, muttering something about helping her with lunch.
Jin carried two shopping bags in his hand and began walking to the house. "MOMO, I'll put these in your room so you can unpack."
"Thank you, Mr. Uzuki."
Jin nodded and went into the house with the bags by his side. chaos helped MOMO out of the car, her hand holding his for support. Again, jealousy took Jr. in its clutches as he watched him doing so.
"I'm going to go inside and see how the Captain is doing," chaos told her.
"Okay, see you later," MOMO chirped. chaos went to the door and nodded his head to Jr. The U.R.T.V. only managed a small smile out of sheer politeness. After chaos left, he approached MOMO, suddenly remembering why he was mad at her for leaving in the first place.
"MOMO, you..." His voice trailed off and his anger diminished when he saw what MOMO was wearing. He examined the baby blue dress that she donned, thinking that the color was more than suitable for her. She gripped the brim of her sun hat, in fear that it would escape from her grasp again when she and the others were driving on the road with the top down.
"Wow, you look great," Jr. said outloud.
A rosy tinge took to MOMO's ivory cheeks as she smiled. "Thank you. Shion and Jin helped me pick out my clothes. Speaking of which, I have to go and put them away."
"I'll help you," Jr. walked her to the front door of the house. When MOMO passed the crew of the Elsa, everyone was astonished by her change of clothes.
"Now doesn't she look cute," Matthews commented sincerely, not caring that he sounded more fatherly than his crew was used to hearing him.
"Hey MOMO, how many guys asked you out today?" Tony joked, but his face fell when Jr. whipped out his loaded MAKAROV, the lethal weapon twirling in his hand threateningly. Everyone was silent as he followed MOMO up the staircase, not wanting to utter a word until they knew that Little Master was gone.
"Was he angry that MOMO didn't tell him where she went?" chaos finally asked.
"Angry? More like furious!" Hammer answered.
"Yeah," Matthews confirmed. "Tony, Hammer, Allen, and me had to wrestle him so he wouldn't go into town and start going trigger-happy. We had to tie him down onto a chair 'cause he gave Hammer a good kick in the face. We promised him that we would untie him if he swore that he wouldn't go anywhere."
"And you know Little Master. He's always good to his word," Tony added.
chaos could make out the red mark that Jr.'s shoe had left on the right side of Hammer's face. He shook his head. "Sometimes that temper of his worries me."
"Ah c'mon, chaos!" Tony exclaimed in defense of Jr. "He's only being protective of his girl is all."
Hammer threw Tony an indignant glare. "Yeah? Why don't you let him kick you in the face and then try telling yourself that!?"
Tony was silent after Hammer made his point. He greatly considered whether Jr.'s strong will to look after MOMO justified his acts of violence.
Meanwhile, MOMO was busy hanging her dresses neatly in the wide closet of her room. Jr. was helping her by stowing away her shirts, shorts, and pants in the drawers that MOMO pointed to.
"You got a lot of nice stuff," Jr. remarked after organizing her jeans and pants in their correct drawer.
"I would have paid for them myself, but Shion and Mr. Uzuki wouldn't even hear it from me," MOMO replied while hanging a denim skirt in the closet. "They're really kind people."
"Yeah," Jr. answered. "That Jin guy has great taste in books."
MOMO took out a yellow sundress from the shopping bag and proceeded to hang it up. "How do you know?"
"I was bored waiting here, so I went into his library and checked out the books. I'm gonna ask him if I could borrow a few while we're here."
"I think that he would let you," she responded optimistically. Jin was such a giving person that she did not think that Jr. wanting to borrow some of his books would agitate him.
Jr. put away the last of MOMO's clothing. "Hey, MOMO. Why didn't you tell me where you were going this morning?"
MOMO's thin eyebrows knitted together, not certain if Jr. read the note that Shion wrote. "Well...I didn't want to bother you."
Jr. raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Bother me? Why would you be bothering me?"
"Because, you were sleeping when I came into your room. You looked so peaceful when you slept. Did you have a good dream?"
"Um, something like that!" Jr. spouted out nervously upon remembering the kiss that he had stole from MOMO's lips while she slept last night.
"Really? So did I," MOMO blurted out without knowing it until it was too late.
"What was it about?"
MOMO covered her mouth with her hands, her face flushing. She looked back at Jr. as he awaited her answer. She did not want to bring herself to confess what she saw last night, whether it was a dream or not. The thought of Jr. looking confounded or even offended when she told him that she dreamt him kissing her was mortifying. "I-it was nothing! Nothing at all!" She quickly said.
Jr. noticed the sudden tenseness in her usually cheerful voice, but he did not delve into the subject anymore since he did not want to talk about anything that made her uncomfortable. "Anyway, do you want to do something with me after lunch?"
MOMO was relieved when the topic of the conversation had changed. "Like what?"
"Well, I was wondering if you want to take a walk with me on Jin's beach," Jr. said, his voice somewhat trembling.
"Sure, I'd really like that," MOMO answered sweetly. The day was beautiful and she would want nothing more than to spend it outside with Jr.
"Then we'll go after we eat," Jr. said, his poise slowly returning. "Let's go downstairs. Shion's probably going to call us down soon."
MOMO agreed and Jr. and her left the room for lunch.
* * * *
"You guys tied Jr. down onto a chair!?" Shion repeated in disbelief.
"We had to Chief!" Allen exclaimed defensively. "He was loading his gun and about to leave for the city to look for MOMO!"
"Still, there was no other way to restrain him?" Shion asked while organizing the turkey sandwiches onto a tray.
"We would have used tranquilizers but they were back on the Elsa," Allen informed her.
Shion just rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant-"
"You know," Jin interjected his sister. "I think that that boy is quite taken by MOMO."
"He is," chaos answered when he entered the kitchen. "He's always had affection for her, but of course he's too proud to tell her."
"Poor MOMO," Shion said in sympathy for the Realian girl. "She really cares for Jr. as well. But because she's so shy, she can't go up to him and say how she feels for him."
chaos nodded. "I think that she doesn't want to tell him unless she knew that he felt the same way."
"The same with Jr. I don't think that he wants to go and tell MOMO what he wants to say in fear of being turned down by her," Shion stated. "If things keep going the way they are, I think that both of them will end up miserable."
Jin raised an eyebrow. "Why don't they just make a date or something?"
Shion glared at him after finishing arranging the sandwiches. "Weren't you listening? MOMO's too shy and Jr. is too stubborn for his own good-"
"I was listening!" Jin protested. "I'm just saying that one of you should try to convince Jr. to ask MOMO out."
"How do you suggest we do that?" Shion implored.
"There are a lot of things to do in the city. Take a look at what it has to offer and find something that both MOMO and Jr. would enjoy."
Shion contemplated over Jin's simple, but possibly effective, suggestion. "That might actually work. Since you're running out of food anyway, I'll go grocery shopping and look for myself."
"Excellent!" Jin's hands clapped together. "You should be thankful that you have such a genius of a brother, Shion."
Shion's mouth twitched. "Yes, I sure am proud of my brother who sticks his face in dusty books all day and can't cook or clean to save his life."
* * * *
MOMO and Jr. went down to the dining room to find that a mountain of sandwiches stood in the middle of the table and Matthews, Hammer, and Tony were already gorging.
Jr. cautiously reached his hand onto the heap of the sandwich platter and managed to grab two large sandwiches for himself and MOMO. He handed it to her and she accepted it graciously.
"MOMO, can you come to the city with me tomorrow?" Shion asked the Realian girl while setting a large pitcher of ice-cold lemonade on the table.
MOMO swallowed the bits of turkey, lettuce, and tomato before she answered. "Sure. What do you need my help with?"
"I'm going to go shop for groceries since Jin is running out of them," Shion said. "We're going to leave early tomorrow like we did today, okay?"
"That's fine," MOMO responded after taking another bite out of her sandwich. She then took two of the glasses on the table and poured some lemonade into them for herself and Jr. She approached Jr. and gave him the beverage-filled glass and took a drink from hers. She smiled after tasting it because Shion had added the right amount of sugar without overpowering the lemons, just as MOMO liked it.
After Jr. devoured another two or three sandwiches, he and MOMO left for the beach. They walked into the backyard from the kitchen and traveled down the cobblestone path, which twisted down the hill that led to the sandy shores of the ocean beneath. MOMO felt the warm sand beneath her toes and as it had done all morning, the sun beamed down upon her. She ran from Jr.'s side into the shallow depths of the ocean, the cool and inviting waters wading around her submerged ankles. She was careful not to get her dress wet since Shion and Jin went to the trouble of purchasing it for her.
Jr. caught up to her and stood in the waters beside her, the sea breeze whispering quietly in both of their ears. He took a deep breath of the salty ocean air and exhaled, his senses somewhat invigorated. "Man, you never get air like this back at the Foundation."
MOMO looked towards him. "What about Gaignun's beach, Jr.?"
Jr. shook his head in denial. "Well, the thing about Gaignun's beach is that it's simulated. The sand there is fake, the water's fake, and hell, even the smell of the air is fake. If Gaignun or I wanted to change the weather, we could do that with the push of a button. Yeah, a simulated beach has its good points, but it's not like this."
He kicked the water with his feet, enjoying the feel of it as it ran from his toes. MOMO saw that the ends of his pants were cuffed to his knees to prevent them from getting wet. She gazed down to the water where her reflection stood against the surface to greet her. "Then...I must be fake, too."
Jr. stopped kicking the water as if someone had just ceased him by the shoulders. "What? Why do you say that?"
MOMO scooped up some water in her hands, the water mirroring her youthful face from her palms. "I wasn't born the same way most humans are. Daddy made me in the appearance of his daughter, Sakura. I was made to look like her, to talk like her, to act like her...I'm just an imitation."
Jr.'s eyes flashed angrily after listening to MOMO. "Don't talk like that!"
She turned her head to him so her amber eyes met his sapphire ones. "It's true, isn't it? Sakura was an individual when she lived. She was kind, caring, helpful-"
"MOMO, you're all that, too!"
"But don't you see? I'm just a copy of her. I was programmed to be that way because I was modeled after Sakura when she died! I am a duplicate that resembles someone who was an individual. If Sakura were living, I would be obsolete..."
Jr.'s eyes softened. He never knew that MOMO had felt that way about herself. Another reason to despise the lunatic Joachim Mizrahi. How could the old man do such a thing like that? How could he possibly believe that making a Realian in likeness to his daughter would ease his soul? Joachim only created MOMO to store his cursed data and to heal the wounds that were inflicted from the loss of his daughter. MOMO should not have to carry that burden on her shoulders. To Jr., she was an individual herself because she possessed a strength that even Sakura Mizrahi did not possess. She was able to live her life despite the fact that she was created by the hands of the greatest yet most hated man in the universe. MOMO was able to smile and laugh, even after all the torture that Albedo and the U-TIC organization put her through. A normal human being or Realian would have been drained of their sanity if they were forced to undergo what MOMO went through, but she was different.
Jr. took her hands into his and looked deeply into her golden eyes. "Listen, you're not what you say you are. I know that you were created to look like Joachim's daughter, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're just a copy."
MOMO felt the warmth of his hands against the skin of her palms, but she was not totally convinced. "But Jr..."
"You still know what sadness and happiness are and the difference between right and wrong. You have feelings just as any other person does. So what if your looks were modeled after someone else? Do you think anyone cares? You're just as much of an individual as anyone of us, so don't tell yourself otherwise!"
The sun shone high above their heads as they looked at each other in silence. MOMO saw the vitality and passion swirling in the crystal blue depths of his eyes. She did not know what to say in response to Jr.'s outburst but in a sense, she was comforted by what he had said. She was happy that people considered her to be someone unique, someone different, instead of a mere shadow of her predecessor.
Jr. felt her hands slip through his fingers. "Thank you," she muttered audibly. "I'm...happy about what you told me..."
Jr. smiled as his hand ran through the tresses of his crimson hair. "It's nothing."
MOMO took his hand again and gripped it securely. "No, it wasn't. It really meant a lot to me...what you said..."
He could feel his cheeks burning, and he knew that the cause of it was not from the noon sun. She released his hand once more and turned his back to him. He was about to reach to her again, but something caught her eye. A pink conch shell was resting on the shore, the waters lazily washing over it. She ran towards it as it glistened from the water that dripped onto the sand from its glossy form. She picked it up in her hands, feeling the smoothness of its texture against her skin.
"Jr., look what I found!" She called out to him, and he waded out of the water to come to her.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" She asked as she held it out to him. He took it into his own hands, examining the spiral curves of the conch.
"It is. Y'know, Gaignun told me that people would put their ears against the shell and they claimed that they could hear the ocean."
"Do you think it's true?"
"Probably is. I'll check it out," Jr. said and he nuzzled his hear near the large opening of the shell. He listened carefully, but all he heard was a strange clicking noise reverberating into his eardrum.
"Well?" MOMO asked excitedly.
"It doesn't really sound like the ocean-OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" A hermit crab had clamped onto Jr.'s right ear, dangling firmly onto his flesh with its large jagged claw like a second earring. "GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!!!"
"Oh no!" MOMO looked around frantically for something to strike the crab with. "Hang on, let me look for a stick or something!"
"DAMN YOU GAIGNUN!!!" Jr. cursed on the top of its lungs, startling the seagulls that flew above the deep blue waters. "YOU KNEW THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO ME!"
Jr. stomped his feet onto the ground, thrashing around the sand in his pain while MOMO attempted to find a way to save him from the small crustacean's wrath.
SPECIAL NOTE: Wow, almost 50 reviews...I seriously didn't think that I would get so many! Thanks! I'm happy that a lot of you really like this, but I'm still not close to finishing yet. See what I have to do to keep all of you happy!? (j/k)
Hikari-chan: Thanks on your comments on the characterization. I really want to do my best to keep everyone in character. I'll continue to do so, but am glad that I'm doing a good job at it! And thanx for not thinking that Chap 8 was crappy.
bfcat: LOL, you don't have to put this in your fav. category. I'd be too lazy, too. I'm glad that you think that I got talent!
Angel-chan: Thanks for not thinking that Chapter 8 wasn't bad. I'm really flattered that you're excited that I updated. so chaos is yours, huh? Hope that you can keep all the other fan girls off of him!
lizabeth: I still am developing a plot, but of course I can't tell you as of yet. Try and figure it out yourself! Oh and you don't want more writers like me. I live off of candy and caffeine, and have a really, REALLY short fuse.
Vi3t Girl MOMO: I meant what I said about you and the others. I continued because I wanted to and you guys couldn't wait to see what happened next. Btw, you BETTER update soon!!! I want to read the rest of Warmth of Blue!!!
Naela: I'm ecstatic that once again I'm able to keep everyone's character in check. Another chaos fan huh? That guy ought to have a club or something. Anyway, I really thought that I could form a brotherly bond between him and MOMO. I do remember what scene you're talking about, and that's where I was inspired.
Sugar: Thanks for being patient on how slow the plot is developing. It's great that you're hooked on the story! Don't worry, the plot won't be disappointing at all. You'll see ^_^
Akai Yuki: It's wonderful that you really like this story and all the MOMO/Jr. parts in it. As for chaos, well...I'm not telling! He plays a part in my story, not a completely major one, but you'll find out. But yes, I do have to agree he's kinda mysterious...but his looks more than make up for that.
miwata: I'm glad that you think this story is sweet. I play on emotion a lot more than anything because...well, it's a romance fic.
Kawaii Karen AND Sizzle: Yeah, another Pisces! Anyway, I do happen to know about both transformations and I do like that pink one! But since I'm trying to keep a low profile on MOMO, I don't think I can really put her in her transformation outfit. But thank you for suggesting it! But I still plan on doing something broader for MOMO.
Sage Kaley: Man, you have a lot of muses! But that's okay cuz they're all really cute (go Vincent!). Thanks for adding this fic to your favorites!!!
Kyosnekozukigirl: Hmmm, I don't think I'm making it too sappy. At least I don't plan on making it extremely sugar-coated. But thanks for thinking my story is great! ^_^
Koko Kung and Yum Yum: My God, how many people like chaos!? Anyway, MOMO and Jr. are my favorite characters as well...well, you just read the updated chapter, so keep the sharp pointy thing away...
Arcia: LOL, well, I did go on! Thanx for reviewing! ^_^