Disclaimer: SF西遊記スタージンガー "Starzinger" and its characters are property of TOEI Animation. No money is being made, so no infringement of the copyright law is intended.

Note: This story starts on the events of Episode 64.

For W.

Times of peace

"You cannot fight the photon monster all by yourself. It's dangerous," A worried Kugo warned her. As he watched how she stares with determination at her sword, ready to leave on her fighter jet, a heavy feeling invaded his heart… he knows her intentions.

Avoiding his look, she tried not to be weak. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel how his eyes were fixed on her face, concerned, trying to read her thoughts and begging her to change her mind.

"Kugo, one day… even an hour was enough…" she allowed herself to think but not to say. She was aware of her feelings, and minutes ago, even now, she could sense that he might feel the same way.

"No, we would never…" she shook her head. It was too late. What is left of the woman in her would not prevail over the reason why she became a cyborg warrior. The opportunity to help restore the Galaxy Energy, the reconstruction of a new world… her redemption for serving an evil queen…was in front of her. She was determined to fight, even to die, for that.

"Belamis!" She heard, but ignored.

The cockpit closed. He stepped back. The false indifference hurts him.

"She doesn't want to live…" He realized, as Belamis flights toward the monster. Suddenly, the sad memory of the day when he thought she was dead when the Queen Lacet's planet was destroyed, urged him to stop her.

"Starcrow!" Kugo rushed to his vehicle. He followed Belamis at high speed. In just a few minutes, he was pretty close to her craft.

The Monster of Light, a massless creature, transformed into an enormous tiger and roared ferociously into space.

"Belamis, wait! Let's fight together!" He appeared on her screen, insisting. She didn't respond, but looked back, taking a final look at him.

"One day, just one moment… I was happy when I was with you…" Again, she gave herself permission to think about him on the last moment of her life. With some anguish, she also regretted what could never be. "If only I had met you in times of peace… Goodbye, Jan Kugo."

The farewell gave her the strength to face the destiny she'd chosen.

"What the hell…?" Kugo was shocked to see how bravely she stood on the pilot's seat, took her helmet off and raised her electromagnetic sword. The eyes of the photon beast beamed, shooting rays at her. She blocked some with her sword. None hit her.

Belamis's fighter and Kugo's Starcrow flew below the energy creature. Luckily, the monster faded. It gave Kugo time to reach Belamis's jet even closer until both flew side by side.

"I've got to stop her!" Without hesitating, he leaped from the Starcrow to Belami's jet, landing harshly on the left wing. The Starcrow didn't follow from then. It stayed suspended into space.

"Belamis!" He called her out, staggering as he got near the cockpit while the fighter jet turns.

"Ah?" Her face revealed his presence caught her off guard at first, but, as he came closer, fixing his brown, caring eyes on her, she became instinctively defensive.

"You can't stop me!" The tip of her sword pointed directly to his chest, as a warning for him to keep some distance. "Go away, Kugo".

Her stare was, as usual, impenetrable.

The attempt of pushing him away was unsuccessful. Instead of intimidating him, her desperate action encouraged him even more. "Remember Mandorago? You said you wouldn't die…" His look and his voice, like those of a true, kind friend, were about to tumble her defenses down, "Not before you and I have our duel."

He noticed her sapphire eyes evaded his, as it seemed the memory hit her, but only temporarily.

At a distance, ahead of them, the tiger reappeared and roared. Its eyes beamed again. A ray almost hits Kugo, but hit the left vertical stabilizer instead. The craft shook abruptly, decreasing altitude for a moment and, fortunately, getting them out of harm's way.

"Please leave! Now!" She yelled out of concern for Kugo and then turned, getting out of the cockpit to face the monster and thinking, "don't make it harder than it is…"

By the look she just had on her face, Kugo knew this wasn't a hopeless case. He could save her.

"Since I was a kid, I've always been disobedient!", he defied and stood behind her.

"What do you think you're doing?" She looked over her shoulder, exasperated, as there was barely enough room between the jet's cockpit and the nose.

"We are in this together!" He insisted and pulled out his Astrolance. She sighed deeply, giving up.

Again, the monster was ahead, waiting for them.

"I'll attack first!" Belamis demanded.

"Ladies first, of course!" He dared to joke and chuckled. He loved when she looked over her shoulder again; giving him the same killer stare she always gives him every time she challenges him to the unfinished duel. "That's more like you," He thought. That was another good sign.

"This time, I'll do it right," Kugo heard her say, but there wasn't time to wonder what she meant.

As they got closer to the monster, she stepped forward and positioned herself to attack.

"Arrrgh!" She threw her sword with all her strength and might. The monster also fired rays at them.

"Belamis!" In a flash, Kugo grabbed Belamis' arm and pulled her to him. Then he wrapped his arm around her waist and jumped from the craft. Before they knew it, both were falling down into the empty space.

During seconds, as they fall, Kugo held Belamis tight. To his surprise, she remained quiet and made no resistance. She rested her head on his shoulder, laid her hands on his chest and missed to watch how her sword and fighter jet went straight into the monster's mouth. His arms held her tighter when she heard a huge explosion.

They landed safely on the Starcrow. Immerse in the heavenly scent of her jet black hair, Kugo still kept his arms around her while Belamis sank her face on his chest to avoid the blinding light.

"I'm glad you're safe," Kugo said to her ear and searched for her face. She seemed defeated, vulnerable. Being so close, Belamis feared that he would discover her emotions. Realizing her slip, she frowned, broke away gently from his embrace and turned.

As the precious moment shattered, something caught her eye.

"We'd better go back," he said, hiding his disappointment.

"Not yet. Kugo look!" Belamis shook her head in disbelief at the remnants of the explosion, "the monster has not been destroyed yet!"

"What?" Kugo stared at the cloud, which was still pulsating. Belamis' fighter was still visible.

"I'll finish what you started," Kugo assured her; "your effort won't be in vain." The Starcrow moved towards it. At a safe distance, Kugo pulled out his Astrolance again. The weapon glowed and he shot it straight to the remains of the monster. This time, nothing was left after the explosion.

"You did it!" Belamis admitted with some admiration, regretting being wrong from the start. She couldn't possibly beat the photon monster alone after all.

"No," Kugo corrected, laying a hand on her shoulder, "we did it."

A deep sigh escaped her. His actions and words were hard, for the women in her, to resist. A moment ago, her mind was set on letting him go. Now, after all he has done, after all he has shown, he was changing all that she once thought certain. Everything starts to seem possible.

Behind her, Kugo still hoped that she would, somehow, stop pushing him away. He longed for a chance to talk to her, to end all misunderstandings between them…and he would seize the opportunity to start over.

"Belamis, can you see it?" He pointed toward the fading cloud, as it revealed what was beyond it.

"Yes," She whispered and, as soon as she recognized it, an unexpected feeling of thankfulness for being alive flooded her soul, "The Great Planet."

It was a breathtaking spectacle. A blend of different shades of green light radiated from the center of the galaxy.

The splendor of the Great Planet encouraged Kugo to keep trying to win her over, "Belamis, even though we were on opposite sides, we fought for the same cause. Now our dream is about to come true." He paused for a moment to think of the right words, "When we get there, the Galaxy Energy will be restored. There will be peace and then, maybe, you and I…"

"Ah?" Stunned and wide-eyed, Belamis turned to face him.

"…could be friends?" He kindly extended his right hand, eyes filled with expectation.

"If only I had met you in times of peace…"

Caught by her own words, she looked away, taking a moment to deliberate on them and on his gesture which promises exactly what she, previously, regretted. She found no arguments to contradict him. She also found the hope she thought lost.

In a new world, the world she has dream of, she wouldn't have to behave like a cyborg warrior anymore, living to kill monsters. She could live a different life. A life in which she could be more like the way she was before; a life that would let her show another part of herself.

Still pondering, she gazed at him. He was waiting, patiently. She had to admit that he has been a friend, her only friend. For the first time, she felt sorry for not seeing it before.

This time, unlike Mandorago, she wouldn't refuse him.

A shy smile appeared on her face in anticipation of what will be. She would try to get over. She would try to leave the anger and the bitter ache behind. To be his friend was a good start. For her, for now, would be more than enough.

"Jan Kugo, you are right," With a friendly tone in her voice and a new gleam in her eyes, she gave him a firm handshake, "Let's be friends."