Well, here we are again! Let's follow Dawne on her new adventure!

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Disclaimer: Do not own Storm Hawks, Final Fantasy 7, or any song lyrics used in the course of the story. This disclaimer shall be the same one used throughout the story. Got it memorized?

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Prologue

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yume ni kizutsuite mo nanimo kawari wa shinai

atarashii tobira o aketa...

hirogaru sekai e tsuzuku

setsunai hodo ni dakishimerareteita kono karada o

honno sukoshi dake tsuyoku naru tame ni mizukara o

kizuketeita...

tooku e tsuzuku michi o ima wa arukitsuzukeru... dake sa

~Gackt, Lapis-Prologue-~

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Dawne , for once in her life, was content. It had been three years since the fall of ATLAB, and her life as a mercenary had been rather fulfilling. Many a time, she had Zack on the job with her, though it was more often than not that she worked solo.

Not that she was alone. On one of her more recent excursions, she had come across an orphaned wolf pup. The ink-black fur had reminded her too much of Kira, and so she had taken it in. Kira, as it soon came to be named, became her new companion, and was inseparable from her. Zack sometimes got jealous of the little pup because it got more of her time than he did.

Of course, Kira was protective of Dawne, and upon meeting Aerrow and Zack, became protective of them, too. In other words, they were Kira's "pack." She was amiable towards the other Storm Hawks, yet held a slight distrust towards Stork.

The feeling was mutual. Stork was convinced that Kira held some disease or disease-bearing creature on her being. Dawne constantly assured him she didn't, but it did nothing to assuage the merb's fears.

But this is only Dawne. What of her "little brother," the one everyone knows as Aerrow?

...He had changed drastically since the day ATLAB fell, and not for the better.

Ever so careful was he to never let anybody touch him for fear of his power - his ability to see somebody's past - be used against his will. He'd rather it never had been there at all.

His squadron - his friends - had noticed that he was no longer the happy, carefree teen he once was. Yet they could do nothing, could not comfort him, for he would shy away before they could. Even Dawne - who he knew the past of already - was unable to help the one person who had once helped her.

This story begins during one of Dawne's visits to the Storm Hawks...

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"Wow, so you really got to see a pack of Amazonian horned tigers?!" Piper squealed as Dawne told of her latest mission, having only read of them in one of her many books.

"Yes, and they are as majestic as people say they are." the silverette answered, chuckling a bit at the bluenette's enthusiasm. "Anyway, as I said, my mission was to find out just who was poaching them - as you know, the Council has placed tons of rules on that sort of thing."

"They place tons of rules on everything." Finn grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back against a nearby wall.

"Be as it may, the fines for poaching are incredibly high - around four thousand gold pieces, more depending on how endangered the species already was."

Finn nearly fell over at that.

"As I was saying before, this pack was the only one left on Amazonia, so adding to my most recent comment, the fines would be extravagant."

"Yet, the risks are worth taking, because the species is so rare?" Aerrow speculated from where he was sitting...away from the main group.

Dawne nodded, a wave of sorrow passing through her at the sight of the once-cheerful, ruby-haired teen. She pushed it away quickly, at least long enough to continue her tale.

"That's correct. Well, long story short, I was able to get the poachers...and stop a bit of Cyclonian trade at the same time." She sighed, shaking her head. "I had a feeling it'd be them, so I wasn't a bit surprised when that turned out to be the case."

Piper was about to say something, until Stork cut her off.

"Um, would anybody care to explain why there's a hawk flying right at us?"

"Oh, that's how the mercenary guild usually contacts me, since they never know where I'm going to be next!" the silver-haired woman laughed, opening a window quickly to allow the bird in. It landed on the back of a chair, holding its head up proudly to reveal where the message was hidden.

"How does it know where to find you?" Junko asked, amazed at this event.

"Tracking crystal." Dawne said simply as she took the message crystal from its place. The hawk made a proud noise, as if glad it had completed its task, then took off. "I carry one with me when I'm not on a mission so they know where to find me."

Everyone was silent as she activated the crystal.

Dawne, this is not going to be a mission like normal. We have received a transmission over an unknown line, asking for you to meet them at Terra Saharr. We advise you to be careful, as this will be a long-term mission with, as we have said before, an unknown client.

The silverette was silent for a few minutes, violet eyes closed as if she were holding an inward conversation. When she opened them again, she glanced over to Aerrow.

"Would you take care of Kira for me?"

"Sure, but...why?" the ruby-haired teen questioned, quite confused as to why she would leave her beloved partner behind. Said wolf was puzzled, as well, rubbing up against Dawne's side and nuzzling her hand.

"I'm dealing with multiple unknown variables in this mission. I would rather that my life be the only one placed in danger." she explained, scratching the black wolf's ear fondly. "Also, I'm unsure where Zack is currently located. I trust you, Aerrow, to take good care of her...and I know she adores you."

As if to prove Dawne right, Kira leapt over to Aerrow and curled up next to his feet, staring up at him with bright red eyes - the "please-can-I-stay?" look.

"Alright, I'll look after Kira while you're gone." the young sky knight said softly, the faintest traces of his old smile returning for a brief moment.

Dawne smiled when she saw that trace of her old "little brother" show up from deep within him.

Yet inside her, she felt a sense of worry begin to gnaw at her insides, much like Kira would at the bone from a good piece of meat. She got the strange feeling...that this mission would lead her to something that would change everything...

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Alright! Prologue is done! Tell me what you think, and if you want me to, tell me in your review to send you the translation for the lyrics at the beginning.