[Hello

[Hello.  This is for all of the Iria and Gren lovers out there.  I'm R. Cybelle Gil and I've written a follow up to the anime movies Iria.  I didn't like the ending too much, though it was all right… so I did what I do best.  I fixed it!  Here is the final product and I hope you all enjoy it!  I made up a new character—Thea—and I hope you like her as much as I did.  The action is great so, guys, don't you all go anywhere!  Have fun reading it and tell me what you all think.  Should I send it in to the animators and have it made into a movie, ne? ^_~ j/k!]

Iria

Episode 7

Lost Memories

            His scream echoed through the room.  The healer rushed to his side desperate to calm him, to ease him, to heal him.  But he fought against the terrifying memories of the horror he'd endured as they roared through his body without end.  The healer covered his freezing, thrashing body with her own, but he only continued to scream his agony.  The fever he was suffering through because of his illness only intensified the pain and brought the memories of true anguish to the surface.  He remembered being eaten alive; being overwhelmed by an evil that he knew only one person could destroy.  Only one person who knew enough to help him.  Only one word escaped his lips, only one word emerged from his tired, pain-racked body, only one word…A word which he shouted to the heavens with all of the strength left in him.  A word filled with hope.  A name.

            "IRIA!"

*          *          *

            Thea couldn't believe she had agreed to this.  She had saved his life.  She didn't want his gratitude like this.  Especially since he still didn't even know who he was.  But Micah had wanted to marry her because…he loved her.  Thea wasn't sure if he wanted to repay her this way or if he really had feelings about her.  She flushed as she remembered their first heated kiss.  Her body trembled.  Well there was definitely sparks going on between the two of them.  But marriage?  She thought she had saved and healed Micah.  Obviously not all of his mind was in tact.

            Micah smiled at his bride.  She gave him a disgruntled look that told him he was out of his mind.  She actually thought that he was marrying her because of a misplaced sense of gratitude he was feeling.  She wasn't even close.  When he had awakened and stared into her beautiful golden eyes, his heart and soul had been lost.  He was going to make sure he kept her no matter what.  And it didn't matter to him who he was.  He was going to marry her.

            The small wedding finally began and as Thea stared into her groom's eyes she realized that she loved him with all her heart and nothing was going to prevent her from being with him…no matter who he was.

*          *          *

            Kay shot at the targets Iria had brought home.  She was getting much better, but she was still nowhere as good as Iria.  Kay shook her head and continued to shoot.  She would be as great a Hunter as Iria.  After all, she was Iria's apprentice.

            Iria smiled from the doorway as she watched Kay.  Who would have thought she would take her brother's place in another's life?  Another who is exactly the same as her.  Iria shook her head and strode toward the young girl.  Kay had spirit and will, but she still didn't have any skill.  Just like her when she had started out.

            "Move your elbow closer to your body."

            Kay looked up and Iria and the older woman smiled down at her.  Kay smiled in return and did as told.  She hit every target.

            "Yes!"  Kay leaped into the air, grinning from ear to ear.  "Did you see that, Iria!  Every single one!"

            Iria nodded and smiled down at the grinning little girl.  "Yeah, you're a natural."

            "Just like my older sister!" Kay shouted.  But after the words had registered in her mind Kay backed down, her cheeks flushing.  She'd never called Iria her older sister though she felt as if they were sisters.  How would Iria react?

            Tears filled Iria's eyes.  She had lost an older brother only to become the older sister of another like herself.  Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.  Oh, Gren.  You'd be so proud of me.  Iria rubbed her arm over her eyes and smiled down at the little girl.

            "Yeah, Kay.  Just like your older sister."  Iria bent down and stared at the little girl in the eye.  "But if I'm your older sister, then Gren must have been your older brother, right?"

            Kay nodded enthusiastically.  "I have the two greatest Hunters as my older siblings!  That means I'll be great too!"

            Iria shook her head and laughed.  "You're incorrigible!"

            The woman and girl laughed together until a shrill beeping sound came from Iria's wrist.  "Bob?" The holographic image of the computer-based human appeared above her wrist.  "Why that beeping noise?" Iria asked irritably.

            "Because," the floating computer based image of their friend said, "with all that laughing going on, you couldn't hear me calling!"

            Iria and Kay chuckled at that bit of information.  "Sorry, Bob," they said together.  "What is it?" Iria asked.

            Bob flashed and replied, "I have a mission for you.  And you can take Kay along.  It shouldn't be too difficult."

            "All right!" Kay shouted.  "Finally I can go on a mission!"

            Iria gave her a look.  "As soon as you can hit every target without me helping you, then you can go."

            "But, Iria, Bob just said…"

            The hologram on her wrist laughed.  "Go on, Kay.  Practice now so Iria won't leave you behind."

            Kay nodded and rushed back, practicing her shooting as much as possible.  Iria shook her head at the girl and turned back to Bob.  "I swear, Bob.  You encourage her.  But enough of that topic.  What are the details?"

            "A renegade Hunter.  He's been detected in the Rhea system.  He killed a mess of civilians and most of the administrative officers in a town called Aura.  But it is suspected that his partner and he moved on from there, but that would be the best place for you to start looking."

"Bob, do they know who the renegade Hunter was?"

"No."

"Then how do they know it was a Hunter?  Did he have a license pendant or something that could identify him as a Hunter?"

"Yes.  It was his fighting style.  Only Hunters could take out that many without a scratch.  From what I heard he didn't even have proper Hunter weapons.  It was just the way he fought that gave him away."

"But that doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't have to.  I booked you a transit flight from here to Aura.  You should be there for the transit in an hour."

            "All right, but that doesn't give Kay that much time to practice now does it, Bob?" Iria said with a grin.

            Bob laughed while Kay grumbled.

*          *          *

            Iria and Kay jumped out of the Creeper once they reached the town market.  The entire town seemed to be out shopping and that would make it easier for them to ask questions about the massacre and the renegade Hunter.

Iria and Kay stayed together as they walked among the people of the town.  It was strange, but none of the people seemed the least bit affected by any major tragedy.  It was almost as if nothing had ever happened.  People didn't just resume a daily routine with such calmness after such a massacre.  Yet there they were.  Acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever occurred.  Most curious.  And that was an understatement.

Iria approached a middle-aged woman bargaining for some fruit.  After she was through, Iria tapped her on the shoulder.  The woman spun on her heals with startled surprise.  But when she saw Iria and Kay she bestowed on them a huge smile.

"Hello, ladies.  Can I help you?"

Iria nodded and reached for her license.  "Yes, please.  My name is Iria and I am a Hunter.  I would like to ask you some questions about an incident that happened here a few weeks ago."

"You mean when the administrative officers went berserk?"

Iria and Kay shot each other a look.  "That wasn't what we heard."

"Really?"  The lady seemed confused.  "I don't imagine how anyone could have changed the details.  One minute we were in the market, and when I say we I mean most of the town, and the next the administrators are bearing down on us, shooting us down from every direction."  At the horror on Iria and Kay's face the woman quickly reassured them.  "Oh, it's all right!  They only injured a few people before Micah and Thea interfered.  They stopped the administrators before they could kill anyone.  It was really heroic of Micah.  Especially since he only regained consciousness a few months ago."

Iria lifted an eyebrow.  "What do you mean by 'he regained consciousness'?"

The woman smiled.  "Oh, I mean exactly that.  Our local healer, Thea, found him practically dead.  She healed his body, his soul, and his mind, but unfortunately couldn't save his memory."  The woman shook her head sadly.  "But I think it was more of a blessing than a curse to loose his memory.  I'll never forget his screams when she was healing him.  He was a wreck when she found him, but by the time he had finally been healed, she was the mess.  I'm surprised she managed to save anything of him."

Iria couldn't believe her luck.  She had latched onto the gossip of the town, but the woman really seemed like a nice person.  Could this Micah be the Hunter in the report and the healer his partner?  Only one way to find out.  But before she could ask the woman about it, she asked something that took Iria completely off guard.

"Why do you ask?"

Iria wanted to laugh.  After giving all that information she wanted to know why she told.  This woman was really one in a million.  Kay rolled her eyes.  Iria answered, the woman deserved one anyway.  "In the report I received it was the man and his partner that went berserk and killed the administrators and the civilians."

"Oh."

Iria smiled at the answer and turned to leave, but the woman stopped her.

"Please, don't do anything to Micah and Thea, Hunter Iria.  They just got married and they saved us all.  Please believe me.  If you want to meet them, Thea's home is the one farthest out of town.  Please listen to them.  They are great people."  The woman's eyes pleaded for a promise or a conformation.

Iria nodded.  "Don't worry.  I've learned to trust eyewitnesses more than reports anyway.  It comes from experience.  Good day."

The woman nodded and waved.

Iria and Kay climbed back onto the Creeper and headed in the direction the woman had pointed.  Iria's mind drifted as she thought about what the woman had told her and the report.  Whoever this Micah was, if he was a Hunter, he was obviously one of the best in order to take out a mess of crazed administrative officers.  But there were too many questions.  How had the administration gone crazy?  Who was this Micah?  Iria shook her head and turned to the wrist plate where Bob was contemplating the same questions.

"Bob, do we have a Micah listed in the Hunter files?"

The holographic computer symbol appeared and was silent.  Within a few moments, Iria had her answer.  "No."

"But remember what the lady said, Iria.  The guy lost his memory so his real name probably isn't Micah," Kay reminded her.

"You're right.  Bob search for a list of Hunters that could have taken out that many without any damage to himself and with no casualties in bystanders."

Bob flashed.  "The only two who could possibly make that list is you and Gren.  Not even Fujikuro could pull something like that unless he trained with Gren.  Your brother specialized in preserving life.  He was one of the best Iria.  Obviously the woman exaggerated when she spoke of his expertise."

Iria looked at Bob, perplexed.  "And what is the not so obvious, Bob?"

Bob said nothing for a moment.  "That the man named Micah is Gren."

Iria stared at Bob in consternation.  "Give me a break, Bob.  I'm still recovering over Gren's death.  We both know I killed him when Zeiram took over his body and mind.  How could it be Gren?"

Bob sighed.  "You're right, Iria.  It couldn't possibly be Gren, but he is the only Hunter who could have pulled off a feat like that unless it was a fluke or the woman exaggerated.  Or unless this is someone who was going to be a Hunter but never entered the files.  But if you really want to get creative, then the Hunter's League knew about him, but they don't have him on file because he was too dangerous.  But from what that woman said, I think we can discount that idea.  He saved the lives of everyone."

Iria nodded.  "Then it has to be one of those.  A fluke, an exaggeration, or a possible conspiracy in our own Hunter's League.  But which one?"

"We'll find out when we meet him.  Right, Iria?" Kay said eagerly.

Iria turned to the girl and nodded with a smile.  "Right, Kay."