Before You Become A Memory, a vandread fanfic

(REPOSTED BECAUSE THE OLD ONE GOT KILLED BY THE NEW FORMATTING)

Konnichiwa! Hello everyone! This fanfic is based on the Vandread and Vandread: The Second Stage characters by GONZO. The timeline is after Vandread: The Second Stage.

This fanfic sprung from a lively debate between me and my friends, over the question: "Is there actually romantic love between the Ouma and Femme of a baby?" This of course, refers to Ezra and Rebeka, being the parents of Karu-chan... a.k.a. Pyoro 2! (If Pyoro had any say in it!)

Since this is about a love between Ouma and Femme, then there is Shoujo-ai in this fic, so homophobics, you have been warned. Anybody offended by a girl-girl relationship may leave now. But if you're really into Vandread, then I don't think you'd mind it so much. At any rate...

This is a one-shot, but like my other stories, it's kinda long. And believe it or not, I finished this in around 4 hours. :) Rated PG-13 for some cursing.

Words in italics are thoughts. Please read the author's notes before you bomb me in the e-mail or in the reviews.

So here goes... hope you guys like it. Thanks.

A Vandread Fanfiction:
"Before You Become A Memory"
By: s16thunderjet

"Karu-chan is so cute!" Dita exclaimed as she and the girls ogled at the little baby in Ezra's arms.

"Pyoro 2! The name of the baby is PYORO 2!" Pyoro shouted over the crowd of girls hovering over 'his' baby.

"Why won't you give it a rest? If Ezra-chan and the others hadn't told me how much you took care of Karu-chan, I'd have broken you into tiny little pieces already!" Rebeka roared, pissed over the fact that Pyoro still hasn't stopped claiming the baby for his own.

"Rebeka-anata! Never mind him." Ezra hushed her.

"Ezra...-chan? Rebeka-anata?" Misty wondered.

Rebeka visibly flushed. And so did Ezra.

"Eh? Since when did you two call each other like that?" the girls, save for Dita, turned all their attention towards the two mothers, finally giving the baby a rest and giving Pyoro a chance to come closer.

"Ah... anou..." Rebeka stuttered, turning to Ezra for a little help.

Ezra wasn't doing a good job either. Her entire face was flushed and she kept both hands on her cheeks, trying to hide.

"Ezra and Rebeka-san are in love, kero!" Paiway cried, starting one of the hottest intrigues in the history of the Magno Vivan pirates.

"Mou! Pai! Stop it!" Rebeka roared, face still flushed. She walked out of the room, waving off the questions and teasing of the girls.

"What's with her?" Jura asked as she and Barnette entered the room, encountering the red-faced Rebeka.

"Didn't you hear? Rebeka-san and Ezra have just announced that they love each other!" Amarone, one of the bridge operators exclaimed.

"Really? Eh... I didn't know Rebeka-san had it in her." Barnette said, having thoughts about her own confession. She ran out after Rebeka, thinking of asking for advice.

"Love? You and Rebeka-san love each other?" Jura asked Ezra, who still had her face covered.

"Ah... anou... I love everyone... you know that." Ezra said, trying to regain her composure.

"But you love Rebeka-san the most right? Just like I do with Hibiki!" Dita said, still ogling at Karu-chan.

"Dita..." Ezra whispered, amazed at Dita's honesty.

"Ne? Ezra?" Dita asked with a smile on her face, finally looking at Ezra. The older woman just smiled back.

"Ne, ne... just how did you get Rebeka-san to agree to be the Ouma of Karu-chan?" Vervedale asked, another one of the bridge operators.

"Yeah! I mean, everyone knows how professional Rebeka-san is. Compared to the Vice-commander and to Gasco-san, she can be very nonchalant and hard to talk to." Celtic said, the third of the bridge operators. Most of the other girls nod their assent.

"No... you misunderstand her. She's just had as much a bad past as most of us. She can be very kind and loving, you know." Ezra said, blushing a bit.

Everyone became silent and waited in anticipation.

Meanwhile, in the training room.

"Damn!"

Varoa turned from watching Meia shoot at the targets to see a fuming Rebeka enter the shooting range, followed by a somewhat excited Barnette.

"Come on Rebeka-san! Tell me how you did it!" Barnette pleaded, alternating from waving her arms frantically to clasping her hands in front of her.

"How she did what?" Varoa asked, confused.

"Rebeka-san and Ezra confessed their love!" Barnette exclaimed, stars in her eyes.

"Really? Wow! Congratulations, Rebeka-san!" Varoa said.

"Congratulations? What's the occasion?" Meia asked as she turned off the shooting range to join the others.

"Rebeka-san and Ezra confessed their love for each other!" this time it was Varoa who exclaimed it. Rebeka shook her head, trying to think of a way to stop everyone from talking about her and Ezra's relationship.

"Oh... that... I've known about that ever since..." Meia was interrupted by both Varoa and Barnette.

"Eh... you did?" Varoa asked.

"How come you didn't tell any of us about it?" Barnette asked.

"It wasn't my place to talk about it. Besides, I don't think anyone else outside of the 'Big Four' knew, excluding Ezra of course." she said, smirking a little at her use of the term 'Big Four' while one of them was present.

"Nothing gets past you, Meia." Rebeka said, exasperated, shaking her head.

"Never mind that! Please Rebeka-san? Please tell us how it happened? Please?" Barnette's pleading ensued, which resulted in a resigned sigh from Rebeka.

Rebeka stared after Meia, then shook her head. She turned back to the other two and found them staring at her like a child looking hungrily at a mountain of candies and sweets.

"No matter how much you pester me, I'm not gonna tell you. Might as well go back and ask Ezra." Rebeka said. Barnette thought for a moment, then ran out the door, Varoa close behind her.

"Mou... those two..." she said, then turned to Meia.

"Wanna try the newly installed versus format that Parfet created?" Meia asked.

"Why not? Let's see what you've got, Oh Great Leader of the Dread squadron." Rebeka said jokingly.

"Just because you're one of the 'Big Four' doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on you." Meia retorted, a smile on her face.

Back in Ezra and Rebeka's room...

Barnette and Varoa burst into the room and found that the girls were still trying to convince Ezra to tell the story. They joined the groups of girls and pleaded with them.

"Saa... if I don't tell you now, you're all going to keep on asking me about it until I give in. I know you won't ask Rebeka-chan about it because you know she won't answer, and I can't avoid all of you forever..." Ezra paused for a moment and resigned herself to her fate.

"It all started when..." she began.

(Flashback: Mejer, three years ago.)

"Another unit has been closed off by the Army. Over 5,000 people have been evacuated." said one of the hooded figures.

"Some residents of that unit have joined us, and most of them are under training as we speak." said another of the hooded figures.

"Good. Since you're in charge of their training, I want you to select only those that are qualified. We can't accommodate all of them on the ship." ordered the second tallest of the hooded figures.

"Understood."

With that, the three hooded figures parted and went their separate ways. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched.

"Damn!" Meia cursed as she turned off the training module. She had been training the new comers who wanted to become Dread pilots and found that none of them would make it.

All the five trainees had come from the latest unit that was closed off by the Army. She had been entrusted by Rebeka with them, since she was the Captain of all the Dread pilots.

None of the trainees stepped out of their training consoles, for fear of being screamed at by Meia. They all knew that she had a reputation of being a perfectionist.

"Take it easy Meia. They're new at this." Gascogne said, laying a hand on Meia's shoulder.

"I suppose you didn't have any problems with your batch?" Meia inquired.

"Well... I have my share of problems. I left them at the register with my crew to show them the ropes. They should be fine when I come back to check on them." she replied.

"Just how many trainees did we get from that last unit?" Meia inquired.

"I think we got a total of sixty from that unit. Twenty were sent to Parfet as trainees for the Engineering department, twelve trainees were sent to Pai for the Medical team, twenty-three were sent to me, and five were sent to you." answered Gascogne.

"I guess I got the best of them all." she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Come on Meia. I know you don't mean that. Why don't you give them and yourself a break? Let me have a talk with them first, maybe I can encourage them a little, ne?" Gascogne suggested.

"Thank you." Meia said, then walked out of the room.

When Meia was out of sight, Gascogne swore she heard five differently intoned sighs. She shook her head and headed towards the consoles. All the five trainees got up from their seats, looking tired and run down.

"How are you girls doing? You'd have to excuse Meia. She's not used to training new pilots. It's supposed to be Varoa's job but she and the rest of the Dread squadron were sent on a mission just a week ago. I'm Gascogne, head of the Register." she said, trying to ease the would-be pilots.

"I'm Naia Chousai. Training to be under Meia-sama."

"I'm Amara Sangley. Training to be under Varoa-sama."

"I'm Lorelei Hunberg. Training to be under Jura-sama."

"I'm Shirley Yansen. Training to be under Barnette-sama."

Yare yare... aren't we all too formal? Gascogne thought, scratching the back of her head.

The fifth trainee didn't answer. She would not even look at Gascogne. Somehow, Gascogne found it odd. She didn't have a reputation that would be feared by many.

"Hey, are you alright? You didn't tell me your name." Gascogne said.

"I... I'm Dana Vieil. And I don't want to be a Dread pilot." she muttered, but loud enough for Gascogne to hear.

Gascogne took a long look at Dana. She had short auburn hair, just up to her ears. She was about a foot shorter than Gascogne, but taller than most girls.

"Vieil? By any chance, are you related to Ezra?" Gascogne asked.

"Uhm... anou... etou..." Dana squirmed a little, and then motioned to Gascogne about the others. The taller woman got the hint and spared the squirming would-be pilot from her misery.

"You're all dismissed. Come back here in an hour. Your training will resume then." Gascogne ordered.

"Roger!" they all said, then walked out of the room.

"There. It's just the two of us, why don't you tell me you're story?"

"I don't have time for this Ezra. BC and the Boss have not yet returned from their trip, and they left me in charge. I have a lot of other things to take care of." Rebeka said, leaving Ezra alone in the room.

Ezra did not reply, her head bowed down. She was thankful that none of the others were there. She did not want to have to deal with any of them in her current state.

Rebeka looked back at Ezra as she walked out of the room. Her face showed sadness and guilt. She knew she had been a bit too harsh, but she just couldn't give Ezra what she wanted.

I'm sorry, Ezra. I promise I'll make this up to you. she thought, then closed the door behind her.

"You're kidding right?" Gascogne asked, almost letting the thin metal strip she had in her mouth drop to the ground.

"I'm not kidding! It's true! The first time I saw Ezra-chan was when she traveled to our unit a couple of years ago." Dana was interrupted by Gascogne.

"'Ezra-chan' huh? You two seem very close." Gascogne said, mighty intrigue.

"Yes, we are. She was the daughter of my mom's best friend. I wasn't like this at that time. My body wasn't as strong and my mind wasn't as stable. She stayed with us for about six months and nursed me to health. I'm here today because of her. If she hadn't taken care of me then, I'd be dead." Dana finished, teary-eyed.

"I remember it clearly. We were sitting by the river, it was my first time there. I used to dream of going to the river and was thankful that she fulfilled my dream. I asked her what her dream was, so that I could fulfill it for her." Dana paused, then felt herself blush.

Gascogne looked on, amused with the story.

"She smiled at me, that beautifully angelic smile, and then told me that her dream was to have a child of her own. I immediately volunteered for it. But she told me that I had to take care of myself first, before I can go and make her dream come true." she paused yet again, this time determination all over her features.

"That very day, I promised her that I would become stronger for her. I asked her to promise to me that if I were to become stronger, she would accept my proposal. And she promised." she said, happiness radiating off of her.

"From the time she left until the time I joined the recruitment, I spent every single moment of my life training and getting better. It was during this period that my mothers died in an accident. I grieved for a while, then continued on so that I could be reunited with Ezra-chan. She is my only family now."

A single tear escaped from Dana's closed eyes. Gascogne was wondering whether it was a tear of joy or a tear of pain. She kept quiet, silently willing Dana to continue.

"I changed my name and used her surname, as a symbol of my never ending devotion to her. And here I am now." she finished, then looked at Gascogne.

Dana was trying to see what kind of reaction Gascogne would have, if any. For her part, Gascogne was silently deliberating on what Dana had just told her.

Does Ezra have feelings for this girl? What about Rebeka? Gah! Love is such a crazy thing. Gascogne thought, shaking her head.

"If you don't want to be a Dread pilot, then why were you sent to Meia?" Gascogne asked after a moment of silence.

"I wanted to be trainee for a position of bridge operator, so that I could be with Ezra-chan. But when Rebeka-san took a look at me, and saw my name, she immediately had me transferred here. She told me I would be more effective as a pilot. But I don't buy it!" she cried, visibly angry.

Ah... so Rebeka knows something about this whole thing. Gascogne contemplated, not really surprised that something like this wouldn't get pass Rebeka.

"Does Ezra even know you're here?" Gascogne asked.

"I don't think so. If she did then she would have found a way to see me even for just a while. I know I would. I'd do anything to see her." Dana said in grim determination.

Something inside Gascogne clicked. She watched Dana with pity and wondered if she should help her or not. She wanted to see her brighten up a bit, but didn't want to end up interfering with Rebeka and Ezra.

Every member of their crew knew that there was something going on between Rebeka and Ezra. It's just that none of them ever dared to talk about it when either was around.

A lot of people have always wondered why Ezra was with Rebeka, especially since Rebeka doesn't seem to show any sign of affection towards the other woman.

No one has ever heard any declaration from the Commander of the Paraiso about her love for Ezra. She on the other hand, has always tried to express her feelings for Rebeka.

They all knew that Rebeka had had a horrible past, and were wondering if Ezra was just trying a little too hard to get through to the barriers that Rebeka had put up around herself.

Only the Boss, BC, and Gascogne were somewhat allowed to dwell on that topic, but none of them wanted to interfere with the two either. The Boss called it 'Lover's quarrel' and figured that only the 'lovers' should be in it.

There was a time when some of the girls decided to talk to Ezra about the whole thing. Ezra said that she loved Rebeka but the girls tried to convince her otherwise.

Rebeka had walked in on them talking like that, and it was only Ezra's pleas that saved the girls from Rebeka's wrath. That was the first time they had seen Rebeka absolutely livid.

The girls called it being rude and barbaric. The Boss called it being territorial. BC thought the girls shouldn't have interfered, that they were out of line. Gascogne, though, called it being scared of love.

And now you... she thought, looking down at Dana.

Gascogne knew that Rebeka would probably skin her alive for this, but thought that if Ezra had some feelings for this girl, then she should be the one to decide and not Rebeka.

"Yare yare... C'mon you. I'll lead you to Ezra's room." Gascogne said, against her better judgment.

"Really? You will? Wow! Thank you very much, Gascogne-san!" Dana cried, throwing her arms around Gascogne.

"Gah! No need to strangle me." Gascogne said, smiling and laughing with her.

She got my name right. I'm beginning to like this kid. Gascogne thought as they walked out of the room.

"Just a minute." Ezra said, wiping the tears that flowed from her eyes. She wiped her hands on her dress and checked her appearance in the mirror.

"Come in." she said, more composed and relaxed than before.

"Ezra-chan? It's you! I've missed you so much!" Dana cried and ran towards Ezra, throwing her arms around the other woman's neck.

"Anou... who are you?" Ezra asked, slightly puzzled.

Dana pulled back and composed herself. She knelt on one knee in front of Ezra, who sat on a stool in front of her dresser. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

"Dana-chan? Dana-chan? It is you! How have you been? And I've missed you, too!" Ezra exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Dana.

She noted how much Dana had grown since the last time they'd seen each other. Dana wasn't the skinny and sickly young girl she was then, she had gained some weight was actually taller than Ezra.

Then spent a few moments like that, wrapped in each others embrace. Ezra got what she had been wanting for the past two weeks, while Dana found what she had been searching for for the past two years.

Time passed and they slowly pulled away from each other. Ezra moved over to the bed and sat on the edge, tapping the place beside her. Dana nodded and stood from where she knelt.

"As you can see, I'm training to be a Dread pilot." Dana said, obviously downcast.

"You don't seem so happy about it. What's the problem?" Ezra asked, a little worried.

"Well, I don't want to be a Dread pilot. I want to be a bridge operator so I can be with you!" she exclaimed.

"Oh... Dana-chan. Why didn't you tell them that you wanted to work in the bridge? Come sit with me." Ezra said, waving her arms in the process.

"I did! But it was Rebeka-san who said that I was more suited to be a pilot. I already talked to Gascogne-san about it, too." Dana explained, a tinge of irritation in her voice.

Ezra couldn't give her any answer there. Rebeka had already confronted her about it earlier that week. Rebeka wondered just who Dana Vieil was to Ezra, especially since they have the same surnames.

Ezra explained that she didn't have any other living relative, but that she did know someone by the name of Dana. Rebeka fumed at this, but her temper dropped considerably lower when she saw Ezra crying.

Dana leaned her head on Ezra's shoulder, while the other woman wrapped her arm around Dana's shoulder. They were so comfortable like that, that neither moved for a while.

"Dana-chan... why did you change your name?" Ezra asked, and felt the other woman tense.

"I... my parents died a while back. And I wanted to change my name to yours because I felt that at that point, I was worthy enough to be your Ouma. I know it's pretty conceited of me. Are you mad?" Dana asked when she felt Ezra tense up as well.

"My Ouma?" Ezra asked, visibly taken aback.

"Yes. You remember right? Your promise, by the river?" Dana asked, hope shining in her eyes.

Before Ezra could answer, another voice interrupted them.

"And what promise would that be?"

They both turned to see Rebeka by the door, looking enraged and amused at the same time. Ezra quickly stood from the bed and in a second distanced herself from Dana.

"I was wondering why the two of you had the same name. I guess now, I know why." Rebeka said, slowly advancing towards Dana.

Ezra stepped forward, holding Rebeka by her arms and trying to reason with her.

"Rebeka, please. She has nothing to do with us. Please don't do anything rash." Ezra pleaded, looking Rebeka in the eyes. Rebeka relented, and stopped advancing.

"Return to your post." she said calmly, not taking her eyes off of Dana.

"I won't! Is she hurting you Ezra-chan?" Dana asked.

Ezra tensed with Dana's name for her and immediately looked at Rebeka for any sign of retaliation. Rebeka though still stood, unmoving, with her eyes fixed on Dana.

"Return to you post, now. That's an order." Rebeka said, her eyes narrowing.

"Dana-chan, please leave." Ezra pleaded. Dana said nothing, then walked out of the room.

What is Rebeka to her? Is she Ezra-chan's Ouma? Has she forgotten about the promise? Dana thought. She knew she wouldn't find any answers just standing there, so she ran towards someone who could give it to her.

"Is she the one? Ezra?" Rebeka asked, clearly upset but trying to control her temper.

Ezra sat at the foot of the bed, head bowed and eyes fixed on the floor. Rebeka was walking back and forth in front of her, almost creating a path on the carpet.

She knew that Rebeka did this to help control her temper. Rebeka had a mean streak of sorts, and that had always hindered her during battle. But she has never turned that on Ezra.

"Rebeka-chan... I..." she started, then stopped herself. She knew how much Rebeka didn't like to be called that.

"It's alright Ezra. Just please, answer the question." Rebeka said, sitting beside Ezra, but not close enough to touch.

"Yes. She's the one I made that promise with. But it doesn't matter because it's you that I lo..." a hand was in her face.

"Please. That's enough. If you really mean that, then you wouldn't have made any promise at all." Rebeka said, then stood up.

"You know that I can't give you what you want. So if you want her to be your Ouma, just go right ahead, I won't stop you." Rebeka said, then walked out the door.

"Rebeka...-chan..." Ezra whispered, as the tears started to fall once more.

"The usual?" Elise Rutherford, the bartender asked.

"Nope. Something strong." Rebeka said. She placed her keys atop the table, followed by her identification.

It was part of the bar rules that whoever was going to drink themselves to a stupor would have to turn over their keys and their identification so that they can be brought home safely.

"Something happen?" Elise asked. She placed the shot glass in front of Rebeka.

"Yup." Rebeka said, then took a shot.

"Wanna talk about it?" Elise asked, refilling the glass.

"Nah... not much to talk about anyway. She loves me, I love her. Then this other girl appears and claims that they made a promise to have a child together. Where does that leave me?" Rebeka snarled, then took another shot.

"Is this the same girl we were talking about a week ago? Have you even told her that you love her?" Elise asked, handing the filled glass back to Rebeka.

"What's the use? She doesn't need me anymore. She has that other girl to give her what she wants." Rebeka said, handing the empty glass back.

"Sheesh! Are you stupid or something? Have those men, the ones you've been fighting, rubbed off on you or something?" Elise asked, angered a bit.

Rebeka stared at the once more empty glass in her hand. She snorted, then pushed her glass back towards the bartender. She looked at Elise with that wild smirk on her face.

"Listen you! You're lucky that girl still loves you after the way you treat her. And if I were her, I'd go with that other girl and have the family that I want." Elise cried indignantly.

The other patrons of the bar looked at the two of them for a moment, wondering what the noise was all about. Quickly dismissing it as another one of those 'bar things', they turned back to their own businesses.

"You don't understand. Nobody understands." Rebeka said, her voice quivering a bit.

"Since last week you've told me about your history, about what happened to your family, and why you're so scared to love and of being loved. But this girl has seen past that and she still loves you. If you tell me that I don't understand, then at least there's someone that does." Elise said, her voice softening.

Rebeka snorted at the irony of it all.

Ten years ago, a war broke out between two units that were about to be closed off. Her mothers were both part of the Mejer Army, and were sent off to deal with the berserking units.

Peace was restored, but all those sent to the warring units were killed. Rebeka was taken in by one of her mother's close friends, and she grew up to be part of their family.

The only memento she had of her parents were the necklace and pendant that were always worn by her Ouma. It was a sapphire shaped into a diamond. Her other mother's matching necklace was lost in the war.

Those were the only two pendants left in existence, a treasure that her Ouma had gotten from her ancestors. They were told that it came from Earth, their ancestor planet.

Five years later, the unit where Rebeka and the family she had grown to love lived in had to be closed off. She was the only child in that family, hence, she was the only one that was saved.

Sometime after that, Magno Vivan found her and welcomed her into the group. But at that point, Rebeka had distanced herself from others, afraid to love for fear of losing those close to her yet again.

Here she was now, in the same bar Magno Vivan found her all those years ago. Only this time, she wasn't afraid to love anymore. In fact, she was ready to bury her past and welcome the future.

"Ezra... her name is Ezra." Rebeka stated.

"Ezra, huh? Tell her how you really feel, before it's too late!" Elise cried, happy that she somehow helped the distraught woman.

"You're right! I love Ezra. And she loves me!" she cried, slamming her fists on the counter.

Rebeka stood up, but found that the world was spinning. Elise quickly jumped over the counter and caught her. She sat her down on the stool once more, and satisfied she wouldn't fall, went back over the counter.

"Don't try to get up yet. I think you had more than eight of those. Here, drink this. This'll help you sober up." Elise said, handing the drunk woman a cup of coffee.

From behind Rebeka, a couple of tables back, a group of women sat around a table. They were a group of mercenaries but that wasn't unusual in that kind of bar.

What was unusual though, was the fact that they were all preparing to attack Rebeka. And no one, not even Rebeka, knew about it.

"Ezra-chan? May I come in?" Dana asked, waiting for a reply.

She had gone and looked for Gascogne to find some answers, and she got them. Now she understood just what Rebeka and Ezra were to each other. Now she understood how silly she must have sounded.

"Yes. Come in." Ezra said.

"I... Ezra-chan... I'm sorry about what happened earlier. If I had known about you and Rebeka-san, I wouldn't have gone and said anything or done anything like that. I'm really sorry." Dana said, bowing towards Ezra.

"You don't have to apologize Dana. It's perfectly understandable." Ezra said, trying to maintain composure. She did not want Dana to see her cry.

"I guess you can't fulfill your promise anymore, huh? But that's OK, Ezra-chan. I understand completely." Dana said, then sat on the bed, beside Ezra.

With Dana's show of compassion and understanding, Ezra just couldn't hold it anymore. She broke out in tears and leaned into Dana, who in turn took the weeping Ezra in her arms, trying to soothe the distressed woman.

"Are you sure she's the one?"

"Positive. I saw her with two others, they wore hoods but her face, I could clearly see beneath it."

"Then we can kill her now, while she's drunk and almost to the point of passing out. Then we can use her identification to find the others."

"Understood."

The group of six mercenaries stood from their seats and headed to the counter, toward an unsuspecting Rebeka, who did not know what was about to hit her.

"Thank you, for listening." Ezra said, still sniffling a bit.

"Hey, no problem! You used to do that for me remember? I'm very glad to be able to help you out." Dana said, genuinely smiling.

"She's not really like that, all angry and egotistic. It's just that, we've been having a lot of problems with the Army lately. Now that the Boss and the Vice-Commander are away, and the whole Dread squadron, save for Meia-chan, are out on a mission, the weight of responsibility is getting to her." Ezra explained.

"You don't have to defend her to me, Ezra-chan. Like I said earlier, I understand completely. She actually seems like a nice person. I guess Rebeka-san just got all possessive when it came to you." Dana said, an amused smile on her face.

"I mean... if I were in her place, and someone was trying to steal you from me, then I'd be more than just possessive." she said.

Just then, the alarm went off.

"What's happening?" they both asked, running out of the room and into the main passageway towards the bridge.

To Ezra's surprise, it was Gascogne in the bridge barking the orders and not Rebeka. Something at the back of her mind clicked, and she started to worry.

Where's Rebeka? she thought worriedly, then ran to her station.

"All four of you, scan the area for Rebeka's exact location. Dana, report to Meia in the hangar immediately!" Gascogne cried, a little tense herself for she wasn't used to being the one on the bridge.

"We found her. She's in a unit a couple of miles South of our location." Vervedale said.

"The map says she's in a bar, West-South-West of the unit's center." Celtic added.

"The bar's exact location is Quadrant 4, E6, M7." Amarone supplied.

"Oh my God! She can't have gone there!" Ezra exclaimed, clearly losing her grip on reality.

"Damn! I told her never to go back there again!" Gascogne roared, slamming her fist on the station in front of her.

"Meia! Take these coordinates and get her back here alive!" Gascogne ordered.

"Roger! I'm taking the trainees with me." she said, awaiting orders to move out.

"Gasco-san, what's in that bar?" Celtic asked.

"That bar's inhabited by mercenaries and bounty hunters. Someone must have recognized Rebeka." Gascogne said, her brow creased.

"Ezra. Calm down! Rebeka-san will be fine!" Amarone said, trying to soothe the frantic woman.

"Please Ezra, you have to focus! You can't help Rebeka-san if you're like this." Vervedale added.

Both women could not, however, ease Ezra's mind and heart. Thoughts of gigantic proportions were running through the troubled woman's mind as she feared for her love's life.

"Oi! Ezra-chan!" Dana's face appeared on the screen.

"It'll be alright! I'll bring her back to you. I promise! So don't cry anymore, OK?" she said, then smiled.

Ezra found comfort in that smile and started to ease herself. The others silently thanked Dana for uplifting Ezra. Gascogne though, had other ideas.

"Don't get yourself killed!" Gascogne cried.

"Roger!" Dana answered.

"Dread team, move..." Gascogne was cut off by Ezra.

"I'm coming with you!" Ezra cried, jumping from her station and running towards the door. Before she could exit, Gascogne caught her arm.

"Ezra... you can't..." Gascogne drifted when she saw Ezra in tears.

"Please Gasco-san... I have to see her..." Ezra pleaded.

Yare yare... the things people do for love. she thought, then released her.

"Dread team, move out!" Gascogne cried.

"Roger!"

"Shit!" Rebeka cursed, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand.

She had just barely gotten sober when the mercenaries attacked her. Most of the people had gotten out of the bar, and she and Elise were the only ones left.

"Che! Even when half-drunk you still pack a punch. No wonder you're one of the top officers. If we bring back your head, the Army will sure reward us." said the one Rebeka had hit on the mouth.

"Dammit! Elise, get the hell out of here!" Rebeka cried, trying to get the bartender to save herself.

They stood back to back, surrounded by the five mercenaries, three carrying some sort of weapon and two unarmed. Rebeka had already knocked out one of them by hitting her on the head with a stool.

"I'm not leaving you here! And you can't order me to go because I'm not one of you're pirates." Elise said, sternly.

"Kono... do you have a death wish or something?" Rebeka asked, smirking.

"Unlike you, I still value my life. Besides, I haven't had a no-holds-barred match like this since I got myself kicked out of the kick-boxing circuit." Elise said, smirking as well.

"Enough talk! Both of you will DIE!" cried the tallest one, presumably the leader, as all the remaining five attacked.

Rebeka and Elise pushed against each other with their backs, so as to split up the assassins. Two of them were dragged by Elise to one side of the bar, while the remaining three followed Rebeka.

Both Rebeka and Elise managed to get a few shots in, but a half-drunk high ranking Pirate group officer and an out-of-practice, out-of-shape former kick-boxing champion weren't really any match to the seasoned mercenaries.

"Kuso! Are you sure that emergency thing of yours works? It's taking forever for your pirates to get here." Elise cried, blocking a few shots and managing to keep herself from being hit more than she could take.

"I'm gonna have a chat with Parfet after this." Rebeka muttered, connecting with a kick to the stomach area and successfully knocking the wind out of one of the assassins.

Just then, she found a knife at her throat.

"Careless, careless." the leader said, holding the dagger against Rebeka's throat, effectively immobilizing her.

Elise saw this and was forced to surrender herself. She was immediately clobbered by the two women she was fighting with, and was rendered unconscious due to the blows.

The bartender was covered with bruises, and was partly soaked in her own blood. If it weren't for the training she had when she was a kick-boxer, she would be dead.

Rebeka herself had bruises and cuts all over her body. She had a gash on her thigh and a gnawing headache the size of the Paraiso caused not only by the amount of liquor she drank but also by the wound at the back of her head. She also felt like throwing up.

Of course, the assassins couldn't care less.

"Elise! Stop it! She's got nothing to do with this! She's not even a pirate!" Rebeka pleaded, tears forming at the edges of her eyes.

"Oh? What's this? You're actually crying?" the leader jeered.

The knife that was pressed at her throat was slowly pulled away, but Rebeka couldn't do anything with the gun pointing at her and another pointing at Elise.

The leader carefully slid the blunt side of the dagger along the edges of Rebeka's face, diligently tracing every curve of her face. She stopped just beneath Rebeka's eyes, were the tears were forming.

With the leader so close to Rebeka, she noticed that the pendant the mercenary wore was glinting in the night. Taking a closer look, Rebeka's eyes widened as she realized what it was.

"That... that pendant! Were'd you get it?" Rebeka asked, her voice shaking.

"This? I got it from a raid during a war more than five years ago. Managed to slit it off the throat of its previous owner, effectively killing her. Pretty ain't it? You can't find anything like this anymore." the leader said boastfully.

"That pendant belonged to my mother." Rebeka said in a low, menacing voice.

"Eh? So you're the daughter that soldier kept on muttering about before I took the necklace and killed her. That means, you must have the other pendant!" the leader exclaimed in realization.

She dragged the knife on its blunt edge once more, tracing a path down towards Rebeka's throat, where the chain of the necklace lay. The leader pulled at it with the tip of the dagger, and revealed the other pendant.

"Ironic isn't it? The daughter of a soldier has become a Pirate. An outsider, a criminal, just like me..." the leader drawled, amused with the whole situation.

She went around Rebeka and stood behind the immobile pirate. With her right hand, she grabbed at the wound on Rebeka's thigh, eliciting a moan of pain from her captive.

With Rebeka bent forward because of the pain, the pendant dangled out in the open and she felt an arm wrap around her left shoulder, with the sharp edge of the dagger cutting into her skin.

I guess this is it. Ezra... Darling... I never got the chance to tell you... Rebeka thought, as her life flashed before her eyes.

She could see her and Ezra working together in the bridge, walking along the hallways of the Paraiso, eating together in the Cafeteria, and just plain spending time with each other in their room.

She could see how much she tried to ignore Ezra's love for her, how much she hurt Ezra whenever she disregarded all the things Ezra did for her, how much she made Ezra cry when she couldn't give Ezra what she wanted most.

She realized she had been so scared of loving someone again, because she didn't want to lose that person, she didn't want to be left alone. Now, she regretted being scared, now she knew what she had and would miss.

"And now, you will share the same fate as your dearly departed mother." the leader cried venomously, preparing to plunge the knife through Rebeka's throat.

I love you Ezra... she thought, wishing that she could see Ezra for one last time.

Rebeka waited for the knife to end her life but found that after such a long time, she was still breathing. She opened her eyes and found that the dagger had been dropped, and that she was falling to the ground.

Someone caught her before she hit the ground head first. She opened her eyes to see who her savior was and was surprised. She had to blink couple of times, just to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.

It was Ezra.

Tears suddenly formed in her eyes as she let herself be held softly by loving arms. It was the first time she had cried with someone other than her to watch her.

"Ezra... I..." a finger was placed gently on her lips.

"I know Anata... I know..." Ezra whispered lovingly, laying a kiss on Rebeka's forehead.

Rebeka took one last look at Ezra, and tried to stop the pain and exhaustion from claiming her. She did not want to close her eyes, for fear of waking up without Ezra right beside here, for fear of waking up alone.

"I... I..." she said, but was again stopped by Ezra.

"I'll be here when you wake up... Always..." Ezra murmured, holding Rebeka tenderly, never wanting to let go.

"Oooh... my head..." Rebeka said, stirring from her slumber.

She slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the cobwebs. She raised her right hand to cover here eyes as she was blinded by the light. She shook her head a bit to compose herself.

"You're awake..." a voice said, and she immediately knew who it was.

"Hello love..." Ezra said, laying her hand on Rebeka's cheek.

"How... where..." she asked, surprised to find herself back in her room in the Paraiso.

"We got there just in time. Meia, the trainees, and myself. They used the stun lasers to knock out the mercenaries. We brought you and the other wounded woman back here for treatment..." Ezra filled in for her.

"Other woman... Elise! How is she?" Rebeka asked as she sat straight up. She regretted it a moment later.

"Don't try to get up yet. Elise is fine. She woke up yesterday and insisted that she had to return to her bar." Ezra continued.

"I've got to thank her for everything. How long have I been out?" she asked.

"You've been asleep for three days. I thought... I was... worried that you... that you weren't going to wake up..." Ezra's words broke as her voice started to tremble.

"Ezra... don't cry please? I'm OK now." Rebeka said, trying to ease her love's pain.

"I'm sorry... I just couldn't help it..." Ezra said, smiling through the tears.

Rebeka lifted her hand from beneath the sheets to touch Ezra on the cheek. Ezra leaned into Rebeka's touch as she brushed the tears that fell on her love's cheeks.

Just then, the door opened, revealing the Boss, and BC. Ezra tensed for a bit, worried that Rebeka would pull her hand back to hide because of the intrusion.

Surprisingly, she didn't. Ezra's eyes widened as Rebeka shook her head at her, a loving smile never leaving her face. Ezra leaned into her touch more.

"Mataku... I go away for a few weeks and you go and almost get yourself killed. What kind of example are you trying to set?" Magno said, hands on her walking stick.

"I guess I got a little careless..." Rebeka admitted, blushing a bit.

"Kids these days..." Magno muttered, shaking her head.

"Saa... get well soon, Rebeka. We'll be needing you in the bridge. The Boss has some plan up her sleeve and you're an integral part in it." BC said, squeezing Rebeka's other hand beneath the sheets.

"Understood." Rebeka said with a nod.

"We'll tell the others to visit you later. They're all worried about you." BC added.

"And stop making Ezra worried about you!" the Boss scolded, just before the door closed behind her and BC.

"I thought that you didn't want anyone to know?" Ezra asked after a moment of silence.

"I think BC and the Boss, along with Gascogne, knew before I did. They always told me to let go of my past and to see the future that's right in front of me." Rebeka answered.

She tried to sit up once more, this time, her body didn't argue. Ezra stood from her seat beside the bed and placed a pillow behind Rebeka to make the injured woman more comfortable.

"Thank you. I guess I never really told you how much I love you. I was always afraid that I'd lose you if I fell completely in love with you, seeing as I've lost all of those people that I love..." Rebeka paused, swallowing past the lump that had formed in her throat.

"I know I've taken you for granted in the past. But even with all the things I did to push you away, you never left my side. I feel very blessed, and thankful for that." she continued, her head facing the ceiling, trying to prevent the tears from falling.

"When the knife was at my throat, I thought I was going to die. I realized that I never got the chance to tell you just how much I love you, that I never got the chance to show you. And that I never will." she said, the tears now falling freely down her cheeks.

"Memories flew in my mind from just about everywhere. Memories of the things we did together, of all the time we spend together... And I was afraid that they'd remain that... just a memory..." she paused, catching her breath.

"Rebeka... you don't have to..."

"But I do... I need to..." Rebeka said, now facing Ezra.

"I can't promise that our relationship will be perfect, I can't promise to give you the whole universe. I know that I still might not be able to show so much affection in front of other people, and that I don't know how to make a relationship work..." she paused, gathering courage.

"I love you, Ezra, more than life itself. If I were granted one wish, it's to keep you from becoming just a memory..." she finished, eyes shining with the tears.

"I love you, too, Anata." Ezra said, teary eyed.

Ezra got up from her seat and leaned into Rebeka's open arms. They held each other tightly, savoring the feel of the other's touch, not wanting to let go, and wanting to hold on until eternity's end.

Outside their room, Meia looked down at the necklace and pendant in her hand, then slowly shook her head.

"I guess I'll just give this to them later." she said, then walked off, leaving the lovers in each other's arms.

"Are you sure about this?" Gascogne asked.

"Yup. She doesn't need me anymore." Dana said, closing the zipper of her bag.

"You're not even going to say good-bye?" the taller woman asked.

"I'll always be here when she needs me. There's no need to say good-bye." Dana said, lifting her bag and heading towards the door.

"See you around." Gascogne said.

Dana turned around and faced Gascogne one more time. She raised her right hand to her temple in salute. She brought down her arm and with a smile, turned around and walked out the door.

"Ezra-chan...?" Rebeka asked her love.

"Yes?" Ezra asked in return.

The two were snuggled atop Rebeka's bed, with Ezra leaning on Rebeka's shoulder. They had been like that for quite a while now, both absolutely enjoying the other's proximity.

"Anou..." Rebeka began.

"Hmmm?" Ezra asked, tracing circular patterns on the upper part of Rebeka's chest.

"?" she breathe in one motion.

Ezra raised her head from Rebeka's shoulder and looked at the other woman, utterly confused. She was not able to understand anything, and was curious as to what her beloved had just said.

"I said... 'Would you do me the honor of becoming my femme?'" she asked, one eye closed in nervousness while the other was open to gauge Ezra's reaction.

For her part, Ezra was frozen in shock. She never expected this to happen so soon.

"Ezra-chan? Darling... speak to me..." Rebeka said, a little worried.

Still no answer.

"Is it Dana? I know she saved me and all. But I swear, I'll fight her for you. I'll do whatever it takes... I'll beg and grovel... I'll do anything... I'll..." Rebeka was babbling.

It was then that Ezra made some semblance of a response. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against Rebeka's. The other woman's eyes widened in shock, then closed as she slowly returned the kiss.

After what seemed like an eternity, the two broke apart, looking deep into each other's eyes.

"Was that a 'Yes'?" Rebeka dared.

"Mou! You!" Ezra cried, punching her lightly on the shoulder.

(End of Flashback)

Meia and Rebeka somehow made their way into the room while Ezra told the story. Meia sat at the far side of the room, trying not to sit with the squealing females.

Rebeka had made her way to Ezra and stood behind her love just as Ezra finished their tale. Rebeka leaned down towards Ezra and wrapped her arms around the other woman from behind.

"No need to hide anymore." Rebeka whispered, then kissed Ezra's cheek.

To this Ezra blushed, seeing as she wasn't used to having Rebeka display such intimacy around other people, especially with this many people present. Her hands came up to squeeze Rebeka's tightly.

"I wish I had someone to love me like that." Jura whispered dreamily, much to the annoyance of Barnette, and much to the surprise of the rest of the girls.

Oh, Jura... can't you see that I... Barnette's thoughts were interrupted by Varoa, who, for some reason, must have read her mind.

"Don't worry Barnette. She'll come around. She is a blonde after all." Varoa said, mockingly.

Barnette blushed redder than the ripest tomato, then turned to the said blonde who was sitting beside her. She made no move to hide her face, and waited for Jura's reaction.

"Eh? What about me being blonde? Are you making fun of my hair Varoa? Or are you just jealous that my hair is more beautiful than yours?" Jura asked.

Sweat drops the size of the Earth's motherships appeared on the back of everybody but Jura's head. Barnette sighed audibly, asking whoever was watching when Jura would see the obvious.

"Saa... it's nothing Jura. Don't mind them." Barnette said.

"Barnette! You're the only one who understands me!" Jura said and wrapped her arms around Barnette in gratitude.

"Jura..." Barnette whispered, laying her head on top of the blonde in her arms.

Audible sighs made the girls look at the other couple, who still hadn't left each other's arms. Everybody had stars in their eyes as they looked at Ezra and Rebeka.

Even Dita and Pyoro were amazed with her story, and the way the two were acting right now. Ezra was clearly happy with Rebeka, and Rebeka was undoubtedly feeling the same.

Dita looked down at Karu-chan and smiled happily.

"Karu-chan! You have such loving parents!" Dita exclaimed.

To her and everyone's surprise, the baby said it's first word.

"Haaaaiiiii..." the baby uttered.

"Uwaah! Wow!" Everyone cheered as they brought their attention back to the baby, much to Pyoro's displeasure.

"What's with all the racket?" Hibiki asked as he entered the room.

"Hibiki! Anou ne... Ezra was just telling us about her and Rebeka-san." Dita said, standing up to welcome him, and finally leaving Karu-chan's side.

"How was the trip?" she asked, excitedly.

"Remind me never to join one of their 'negotiations' again. It was boring for me. Duero probably enjoyed it because Parfet was there, and Bart was definitely happy to be near the Vice-Commander. I was stuck with Grams and all..." he drifted, blushing a bit.

"And you missed me? Awww... I'm so happy to hear that!" Dita burst out with happiness, then wrapped her arms around Hibiki.

Hibiki was mumbling something about keeping quite and trying not to be too showy in public as he walked out of the room, still blushing, with Dita following close behind him.

The others laughed at this, before resuming what they were doing.

"Anou... Rebeka-san, Ezra... I was wondering... whatever happened to the sapphire pendants?" Misty asked.

The women in question smiled. Rebeka reached inside her shirt while Ezra reached inside her own. They both pulled out their respective pendants and showed them for all the world to see.

It once symbolized the love between two mothers who loved each other more than life itself, and loved their daughter just as much as they did each other.

And now, their love has been passed on to their own daughter and her chosen love, who also love each other more than life itself, and love their daughter much, much more.

The End

Author's notes:

1. I know that "-chan" usually means that the people calling each other are close, like terms of endearment; while calling a person without any name-suffix usually means that they are extremely close. Like the way Haruka Ten'ou and Michiru Kaiou from "Sailormoon" address each other; and we all know that they're more than just extremely close.

If you've noticed, there are only a few people that use "-chan" in Vandread, the known ones being Ezra and Magno Vivan. But Magno only uses "-chan" when she refers to her crew ("Chibi-chan tachi") while Ezra, on the other hand, uses it to address everyone ("Meia-chan, Dita-chan, Hibiki-chan).

So I made it that when someone other than Ezra and Magno Vivan uses "-chan," it would mean that it's a term of endearment between two people who are in love... the way I made Rebeka call Ezra. And since Ezra is so used to using "-chan" when calling people, using a different name-suffix helped in stating that she and Rebeka have a deeper relationship.

Note that I didn't do the same for Dita and Hibiki because we all know that they didn't even call each other by their real names until the final episode of Vandread: The Second Stage, i.e. Uchuujin-san and Omae. So calling each other by their first names is already a big step in their slow-blooming romance, right? Right? :)

2. Amarone Slangeba, Vervedale Coco and Celtic Midori are the three bridge operators, along with Ezra Vieil, Buzam A. Calessa a.k.a. BC, and Misty Cromwell. Amarone is the Indian like girl, Celtic is the one that always wore the bear-suite in the first season and Vervedale is the blonde.

3. 'Big Four' - I invented this name. It consists of Magno Vivan, Buzam A. Calessa a.k.a. BC, Gascogne Rheingau a.k.a. Gasco-san, and Rebeka. I call them the 'Big Four' because they're the top four officers of the Magno Vivan pirate group.

4. I invented all the things that happened before the events in Vandread, especially what happened between Rebeka and Ezra. If GONZO comes forth with the real history of things, please don't get mad at me because there was no existing back-story at the time I wrote this.

5. 'Paraiso' is the name of the green ship used by the members of the Magno Vivan group that were left behind in Mejer. Rebeka serves as the Captain of the ship, especially when they were separated from the group of pirates that attacked the 'Ikazuchi,' now more known as the 'Nirvana.'

6. The Japanese words that were used in this fanfic are either curses or just plain expressions by most anime characters. No need for translations.

7. Naia Chousai, Amara Sangley, Lorelei Hunberg, Shirley Yansen, Dana Vieil and Elise Rutherford are characters that I invented. Brief description of each character:

Naia Chousai - a cross between Maria Tachibana of Sakura Taisen/Sakura Wars and Haruka Tenou of Sailor Moon

Amara Sangley - looks like Akane Tendou of Ranma 1/2, but with the original long hair

Lorelei Hunberg - a cross between Parfet Balblair of Vandread and Kohran Li of Sakura Taisen/Sakura Wars, with Kohran's eyes and hair and
Parfet's built and height

Shirley Yansen - a cross between Michiru Kaiou from Sailor Moon, only a little younger and slightly less elegant (Michiru has got to be one of
the most elegant women in anime... :)) and Fuu Huouji of Magic Knight Rayearth

Dana Vieil - a cross between Sakura Kinomoto of Card Captor Sakura and Ritsuko Akagi of Neon Genesis Evangelion, with the face of Ritsuko
along with the mole (don't forget the mole... :)) and Sakura's auburn tresses (God, that kid is cute! :))

Elise Rutherford - a cross between a younger Kanna Kirishima of Sakura Taisen/Sakura Wars and King from King of Fighters, with Kanna's
face and King's built

All characters are original and are owned by me. Please give me some credit, it's hard to think of new characters and names. Thanks.

8. I actually feel that I didn't give Dana Vieil justice or something. I dunno, it's like, I didn't develop her character much. But to anyone who would like to know, then here's a more detailed description of her.

Dana is a year younger than Ezra. She used to be skinny and sickly, and never really had a good childhood because of her illness. Her parents were friends with Ezra's parents, and that's how they met. I guess you could consider them childhood friends of some sort. Ezra nursed Dana back to health, and was able to bring the once lonely girl her much needed happiness, and much wanted friendship. In return, Dana wanted to make Ezra happy by fulfilling her dream. That's where the promise was born.

I guess part of the reason why Dana adored Ezra so much was because Ezra was the first person, outside of her parents, to treat her with such love and care. I mean, living somewhat like a vegetable for most of your life, you don't get to meet a lot of people. And even if you did, they'd probably look at you with pity in their eyes. But Dana found the love that she needed in Ezra's eyes. After Ezra and her family left Dana and her family, this I presume is around the time when Ezra was recruited by Magno Vivan, Dana made a promise to herself that she would do everything to fulfill Ezra's dream.

I know the description sounds like the one I used in the fanfic. Gah. I feel so inadequate all of a sudden. Don't forget that I invented Dana's and Ezra's past. Please read author's note #4.

9. Barnette and Jura, a couple? I know I kinda suggested it, but a lot of people actually think there's something there. I actually think they'd make a very cute couple. (dodges rotten tomatoes and sharp objects) Hey! That hurt... But you've gotta admit that they look cute together... and I'm not the first to suggest that they kinda have a thing for each other... (please refer to Vandread Episode 10: White Love - the Christmas episode and Vandread: The Second Stage Episode 5: Somedays, Episode 6: Original Smile, and Episode 10: Easy Come, Easy Go) :)

And to answer my friend's question about a sequel, I don't really know. I mean, I know I left Dana available to make a return or something, and believe me, I already have a lot of ideas about a possible sequel or spin-off, but I don't think I'd actually have the time to make one as of the moment. I want to finish my other fanfic first, Ranma 1/2 Trilogy: The True Meaning of Love Book 1. It's actually finished, I just can't find the remaining two chapters... I'm sure it's somewhere in my computer. To all the people waiting for the continuation of that, thank you for your patience, it's coming soon! :)

All comments, suggestions, criticisms and the like, please click the 'Review' button below.

All Vandread and Vandread: The Second Stage characters copyright to GONZO. They are used without permission. Please do not sue me, I don't have money.

Thank you!