The moment Lord Cyclonis entered the room, Dark Ace could tell she was in a bad mood. Her teeth were clenched, her hands were balled into fists, her eyes were glowing red, and electricity flowed from her body with every step she took.

Not wanting to risk getting fried, Dark Ace made sure he was at least fourty feet away from the infuriated girl before asking (rather loudly), "What seems to be the problem, Lord Cyclonis?"

The girl turned her head to Dark Ace and snapped, "PROBLEM? WHAT PROBLEM? I'M PERFECTLY FINE, YOU BASTARD!!!" After living with this psychotic female for so long, Dark Ace had learned how to tell if she was lying or not.

"Come on, as if the lightning bolts and glowing eyes weren't enough, you screamed at me for no reason!" he replied, "Now, tell me what's wrong?" After a few moments, Lord Cyclonis let out a disgruntled sigh and the lightning ceased.

"Have you ever...loved someone?" she asked quietly. Dark Ace was a little taken aback by this question. He had never expected Lord Cyclonis to ever think about love, especially not thinking about it. "I guess I have. But she died long ago without ever knowing how I felt about her..." Dark Ace replied sadly, a shadow fallen over his face.

Surprisingly, Lord Cyclonis seemed to look sad for Dark Ace's loss. Even more so, she said, "I know how you feel, Dark Ace. The one I love...she hates me..." Dark Ace nodded in understanding. Lord Cyclonis had admitted her budding sexuality to Dark Ace only a few weeks ago.

Right away, Dark Ace guessed who it was. "You love Piper, don't you?" He asked, a small smirk evident on his lips. Lord Cyclonis brushed some hair out of her face and said, "It was that obvious, eh?" Dark Ace nodded and walked up to Lord Cyclonis, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Ever since you returned from that mission to recruit her, you have been much more angrier than usual." he stated, "You really want to be with her, but she hates your guts. So, you can only vent off your fury and sadness by tormenting others..."

Suddenly, before Dark Ace could continue talking, Lord Cyclonis slapped him across the face. "ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME FEEL EVEN WORSE, YOU IDIOT?" Dark Ace grinned and exclaimed, "See, you still have some fight in you! If you really want Piper, you need to keep trying! It's the only way, believe me!"

"I hear what you're saying, but what chance to do I have? Piper wants nothing to do with me!" Lord Cyclonis replied. Dark Ace shook his head. "I'm sure she'll find it difficult to forget about having such a great 'friend'..."

"Hey, Piper? You coming down to dinner?"

The dark-skinned girl looked up from her desk and saw Aerrow standing in the doorway. "How ya doin'?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice. Piper forced a smile and replied, "I'm fine! I'm fine! I'll be done in a moment, so you can go on ahead, okay?" Aerrow nodded and walked away.

Sighing, Piper looked back down at her desk and fingered the small red gem that laid there. Pressing it gently against her lips, she thought, 'Goodbye, Cyclonis...my love...' She could feel a immediate warmness fill her mouth.

Without another word, Piper put the stone into a drawer and left the room...