Hello people! It's valentine's day! Unfortunately, I have not come to much of a mushy part in this fic (probably should have thought about that in advance -_-). However, I was quite pleased with what my friends said about chapter 3. BTW, I must thank Yaoi Tama for some ideas about Sora's outfit, no one else recommended anything, so thanks you unhelpful but-heads! Not really; as far as I know not many people actually read this so no harm done. I think (it is bad that I think I can get away with this, isn't it? -_-). oh, and surprisingly enough, my 11 year old sister also contributed to Sora (of course with a little heated argument about personal tastes on the side). I say surprising because normally my sister wants to bite my head off for one reason or another. Also I know that it isn't Valentine's day, but this was supposed to be published then but problems and yada, yada I'm rambling again!

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonaut or any character in it, yada yada yada, I see now how old that gets after a while.

Chapter 4

Memories

"How is the subject holding up?" asked lead D-Project researcher Yuuri Kitajima, wearing her signature skin-tight red jumpsuit/dress (how else do I describe it?).

"Subject, Alaurum, is stable for the moment Dr. Kitajima." said an assistant while watching Lucan's vital statistics.

Alaurum? Sora thought. Did she not catch that his name is Lucan? She looked at the doctor. Every time Sora lays her eyes on this woman, she wonders just what is the point of that ridiculous outfit, not to mention her outrageously large chest. Without thinking she looked down at herself, now sporting a pink lace camisole with an open blue button-down shirt over it, a pair of denim capris, and black flats. She also had a friendship bracelet on her left wrist. She had let her little-more-than shoulder length hair down today, and had long bangs that framed her pretty, young face. Her chest was average sized for one of her age, but that didn't mean she didn't feel tiny next to the doctor. Dr. Yuuri noticed her stare and turned to look at Sora, but the younger girl turned back to the window, beyond which lied a rather gaunt, though now dressed in hospital clothes, Lucan. He was unconscious, which made this the perfect time to perform a scan, or so the research team had said. Sora had pleaded with them that he was weak and needed food badly, so they hooked an IV tube and fed him vitamins and nutrients through it to satisfy her. Yuuri stared for a moment at Sora, confused as to why the girl was looking with mixed feelings, concern dominating them, at the motionless Alaurum, and decided to ask her about it.

"Girl, Sora was it? What do you think of the Alaurum?" she asked. Sora looked spaced out for a moment before answering.

"Who, Lucan? He seemed confused and bewildered when we found him." she said absently.

"Lucan? You know him, don't you? It's written all over your face." Yurri said. Sora looked at her in shock for a moment.

"Lucan … that dragon … he looks like a friend who died a few-" she started. But just then, the assistant got some data that startled everyone.

"What in heaven's name?" Yuuri asked in disbelief. The data that had appeared on the monitors was telling them that there was so little resonance in Lucan's body that it was nearly nonexistent.

"I knew he had to undergo a resonance in order to have that form, but how can he maintain it with so little resonance? Not to mention, who, or what, did he resonate with?" she asked out loud. Just after she finished speaking, however, an alarm sounded on another monitor displaying Lucan's vitals.

"Dr.?" the assistant said hesitantly, "He's waking up."

. . . . .

Lucan was having some strange dreams. He remembered some explosion, then dreamed he was running nude through a forest being chased by someone he couldn't see. But then it got worse, as he found himself holding on to something floating in a sea of gray-brown shapes that writhed and moaned all around him. A voice called out to him, telling him to give in, to let himself become whole, but then to his horror, he noticed that the flotsam he was using not to sink into the writhing mass was himself, bloodied and lifeless, except for light coming from where his eyes and mouth should have been.

"Give in, become whole!" his body shouted in Lucan's face. Lucan screamed in horror and let go. The mass of shapes, which he now saw where humanoid, envoloped him while his dead body just smiled as it watched him sink. Then there was only blackness.

He awoke with a start. His eyes popped wide open and he and he became aware of sweat pouring down his face. He tried to wipe the sweat from his face, but found instead that his hands and feet were strapped the bed he was on. He was starting to panic as he heard voices next to him and when he looked, he saw ISDA security guards on either side of the table speaking frantically into their radio's asking what to do.

"What is this? What is going on? Where am I?" he demanded. They ignored him, so he began to struggle to get out of his bonds, which seemed to panic them even more. Suddenly, Lucan got one of his hands free, which was immediately followed by his other. That was easy, he thought, guess they didn't secure them all the way. This really panicked the guards. In their panic they tried to restrain him to the bed.

"Hey!" Lucan yelled at them, "Get off! What the hell do you want!" And with that, as he flailed one of his arms in an effort to get them to back off, his left arm hit one of the guards and he went up a few feet and hit the far wall to Lucan's left. Lucan stopped resisting and just looked at the hit guard in shock. What the … . Just then, the door across from where he was lying opened and several guards poured into the room and helped to restrain him. Lucan offered no resistance, just looked at everything in shock and confusion. He then noticed a tall and rather busty woman in a red one-piece and a lab coat walk in with a syringe in hand.

"What are you-" he started before she injected some fluid through the syringe into his neck. Lucan started to feel woozy and everything was becoming fuzzy. The woman began giving orders but Lucan could only hear distorted voices. He looked between the guards and saw a fuzzy, yet familiar girl standing in the doorway. Then there was only blackness.

Lucan woke up again feeling groggy. This time he was in a chair with his hands cuffed behind him and the chair. He was in a smaller room than before with a square table before him and a security guard standing by the door.

"He's awake." the guard said into a shoulder mounted reciever.

"What's going on?" Lucan asked him.

"Someone will be here shortly to speak with you. Dr. Kitajima will have many questions for you." the guard responded.

"Dr.? Is she that woman in red I saw earlier?" Lucan pressed.

"Yes, please stop talking." the guard demanded.

Lucan wondered what was this guy's problem, then remembered what had happened to that guard when he had first woken up. He decided that if he waited patiently enough, all of his questions that were plaguing his thoughts would be answered. He waited for what felt like hours, going over in his head he remembered. Thanks to that ocean view on that island, he had remembered everything up until the night before he was to take a shuttle to the moon. What confused him though, is what happened between when he went to bed that night and when he woke up nude, skinny, and on an abandoned island. He tried to puzzle this out, but what kept surfacing in his thoughts was one question: who were those people on that island, and what was Sora doing among them. He knew she was ISDA and he was clearly in an ISDA facility, but he couldn't figure out who those people could have been. He did recognize Jin and Kazuki, but since when were they in ISDA? Last he knew, they were still in astronaut school.

His thoughts had so distracted him he almost didn't notice the door finally opening. He looked up to see the woman he could only assume was Dr. Kitajima. She mumbling something to someone he could not see, then stepped in, nodded to the guard who then stepped out and closed the door behind him. The Dr. then sat down and put a closed laptop on the table.

"Hello, I am Dr. Kitajima of the ISDA research division. What do you call yourself?" she said.

"Uh … I'm Lucan Sato. Can I ask why you phrased that question like that?" Lucan said, a little perplexed. Is she … examining me?

"No reason." she answered nonchalantly, "tell me, what is the last thing you remember before waking up on that island?"

"The last thing I … well … going to bed the night before I am supposed to go to the moon."

"Ah, you remember who you are then? Good. I assume you are referring to ISDA moon flight 029?"

"Yeah, but how did you-"

"We are ISDA, we do our research." the Dr. interrupted. Research? Lucan wondered.

"Tell me, what do you think today is?" she continued.

"Uh … July 23." Lucan answered, perplexed.

"Year?"

"2023?" Lucan was starting to get really suspicious now. Just what was she getting at?

"You do not remember waking up and boarding the shuttle that day? Before you answer, I want you to see someone." she then looked at the camera in the corner of the room and the door opened. Lucan was shocked for a moment as Jin and that pink haired girl entered the room.

"I believe that you have met Mr. Kamishina." said the Dr., "And this young lady is Toa." Lucan noticed that Jin was holding hands with Toa. Wow, Jin got himself a girlfriend! I think.

"Uh … hi Jin. Sorry about running from you guys back there. I couldn't remember anything!" Lucan greeted him, forcing a chuckle as he did so. Jin just shrugged apologetically and wore what seemed to Lucan to be a forced smile.

"There is something else I want you to see." said Dr. Kitajima, refocusing Lucan's attention on her and the now open laptop. She turned the laptop towards Lucan so he could see the screen. On it Lucan saw a YouTube page and video titled ISDA Flight 029 Accident. Before he could ask what was going on, the video started and he watched a normal shuttle takeoff, but then there was a flash of light that intercepted the shuttle, and then BAM!, a huge explosion in the sky where the shuttle should have been. Lucan's eyes opened wide in horror. Everyone else in the room now wore grim expressions as Lucan looked from the video to them with an expression that asked "why?".

"Continue watching." said the doctor. Lucan reluctantly turned back to the screen just as the video named Jin the sole survivor. Lucan looked to Jin in surprise, then looked back to see a scrolling list of people who had been lost in the accident, until the Kamishina family came up. Lucan looked to Jin in shock.

"Jin I had no idea … I'm so-" he began.

"You were-" Jin began before Yuuri stopped him.

"Keep. Watching." she said forcefully. Lucan forced himself to watch the list of dead or missing people go on and on for what felt like an eternity. Finally the end of the list came, the last person reading "Lucan Sato". W-what? This … this is impossible! But I'm right here! How can they think I'm … the crater ... the whole in my memories … what is going on?

"Tell me," the doctor interrupted his thoughts, "what does Thanatos mean to you?"

"Thanatos? What does that thing have to do with-" just then Sora walked in the room. She looked at him with sad brown eyes.

"She has everything to do with this, Lucan." said Kitajima.

"She? I-" Lucan began, but he felt a familiar feeling of agonizing pain. The last time he had felt like this was when he had looked at that sea-view. Answers.

. . . . .

"Grrr!" Lucan growled. Why won't this stupid bag just go in? I knew I shouldn't have packed so much! He thought to himself. His carry-on bag was stuffed with books and pencils and sketch books and was just too big to into the storage compartment. Commercial transport hasn't much since jetliner days I guess, he thought grumpily. He kept trying to cram his bag into the overhead compartment until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Lucan turned to find Jin grinning broadly at him.

"Hey Lucan! I'm surprised see you here. Do you need help?" he said. Lucan just nodded and smiled as he stepped out of the way to let Jin try to get the bag in the holder, not thinking he would have any luck.

"Ta-da!" he said as he shut the compartment closed with no problem. Lucan's smile turned into frustration and a vein popped out of his forehead. How the hell did he do that? Lucan thought. Jin just laughed at his expression. Lucan couldn't help but laugh too. A buzzer ringed and an attendant asked everyone to take their seats.

"I'll see you on the moon then. And thanks by the way." Lucan said.

"Yeah I'll see you there." Jin said. They waved goodbye and found their seats. Shortly afterward, the shuttle hurtled down the magnetic rail towards the ramp. Next thing Lucan knew, he was nearly vertical, rocketing towards the heavens. He decided to look out the window and noticed something odd. He saw a flash of light that grew and grew until …

Wind blew in Lucan's ears and whipped his clothes around him. What? What the hell? He opened his eyes to see a huge smoke cloud before him and debris falling all around him. Am I … falling? What just happened? He looked around desperately for an answer before he saw Jin falling near him. Jin? Thank god he's alive. Then he noticed that Jin was looking somewhere else. Lucan turned to get a look, and saw who he recognized as Jin's mom and sister. Lucan's blue eyes opened wide in horror as he saw a piece of debris labeled "ISDA 029" make the two women disappear. Oh god. The shuttle … I don't … was it that light? And speaking of the devil himself, Lucan saw another light hurtling toward Jin. NOOO! The light grew until it enveloped Jin. What the hell is that? he thought as he saw some huge winged creature's silhouette with yellow glowing eyes grabbed Jin and seemed to … hug him to its chest.

Lucan had to look away for a second as there was a blinding light, and then he turned back to look. He rubbed his eyes because he could believe what he was seeing. There Jin was, naked, and in the arms of a beautiful pink-haired girl, who was also nude, but yet both of them were suspiciously covered by a fog of light that obscured their … ahem … parts.

As confused as Lucan was, he turned to look above him when he heard a noise. He saw a flaming piece of wreckage hurtle toward him. He closed his eyes and felt no more.

. . .

Lucan felt … warmth. But I should be dead. I saw that wreckage … come for me.

"You are indeed dead." said a woman's voice. Lucan's eyes popped wide open and he saw a glowing sphere of light with what looked to be a woman with blonde hair inside, but the light made her hard to see.

"That debris of which you refer to did indeed kill you. Currently you are nothing but the sum of your emotions, thoughts, and beliefs, which you humans sometimes call spirits or souls. I see the shock in your face. I know all of your memories and emotions. Your parents died when you were young, and you have felt so lonely since then, you felt that no one would ever fill the void in your heart."

With this, she reached out a hand, which emerged from the silvery sphere and placed it on his head. When was I that close enough for her to touch me?, he asked himself, slightly freaking out. Do not be afraid., Lucan heard in his head, the merging has already begun. You will never have to be alone again. All that pains you will be washed away. Become a part of me. And with that, all semblance of Lucan and who he was melted into nothingness, just … drifted into a sea of other consciousnesses from across the galaxy.

. . .

The one formerly known as Lucan had lost track of how long he had been a part of Mother Thanatos. Although, he had stopped thinking as an individual long ago, when his mortal body had ceased its life in fact. Now, Mother did all the thinking, and lately she had been very angry of late. She also seemed- What the hell to I give a damn? What? I … I'm myself … but … how?

Deciding he didn't care, Lucan, now tried to climb his way through the gray-brown mass of shapes to where he thought he heard voices coming from. If I could just … eureka! he cried out in his head. He finally broke through! He saw Jin in a weird one-piece white suit, and next to him was that pin-haired girl from before. Jin and the girl were giving a speech about love and something about resonance between humans and … dragons?, to a woman who must have been one of Thanatos's many newer additions to her sea of consciousness while stuck in some pillar of the same stuff Lucan was trapped in. But then, miraculously, when the pair held hands, there was a bright flash of pink light. Lucan blinked in surprise. Both Jin and the girl were free and told Thanatos that she was alone. Much to Lucan's amazement, Thanatos, in her woman-in-a-sphere form, appeared, agreed with them, apologized, and pledged to one day return to earth.

With that, Jin and the girl disappeared. Lucan watched for a few days as earth grew more and more distant from Thanatos, with each passing mile making him more and more depressed. That was his home, but how could he go back? He was dead as dead can be and stuck in Thanatos to top it all off. I am so sorry. Lucan blinked in surprise as he saw Thanatos again. I thought I was helping you when I merged with you. I have seen the error of my actions and wish to make up for it. Your death was premature and an accident. Allow me to give you a new body, that you may return to earth to live again. Without waiting for a response, she showed him what appeared to be a sphere with a red stone within. It has no soul, no mind. It is an empty shell with no purpose, and it has yet to be born. You have yet to be reborn.

Suddenly, Lucan's point of view changed. He seemed to be trying to look out of some semi-clear container. Be born again, my child. Be a child of both earth and Thanatos. Become a dragon. And then the shell cracked and he saw space, and earth rushing to take him home.

. . . . .

"Get a medical team in here now!" screamed Dr. Kitajima. Lucan was spazzing erratically in his chair, and his eyes had rolled back into his head.

"Lucan!" Sora shouted as she ran around the table to try to help him.

"No! Don't touch-" the doctor tried to yell, but it was too late. Sora grabbed Lucan by the arm to try the prevent him from hurting himself or anyone else, but instead he stopped moving as a blinding light emitted from where Sora was touching Lucan. Everyone was stunned, and Sora tried to pull away but she found that she could not move a muscle. When the light died away, Lucan lay still and unconscious while Sora managed to pull away.

"W-what just happened? That light … it couldn't be. Toa?" said Dr. Kitajima.

"Resonance." Toa said, "they just underwent a Resonance."

And that is another chapter guys. I am not feeling as great about this one as I did chapter 3, but let me know what you think in the comments. And yeah, I should probably lay off the cliff-hangers, I'm overusing them just a bit. Also, remember when I talked about my little sister? Yeah, I neglected to mention that she drew a pretty damn good interpretation of Sora as she is portrayed in this chapter. If you guys want to see it, leave your e-mails in the comments or by PM and I will send it via e-mail.

Happy late Valentines Day!