Here's a chapter updated quickly...for the sake old times.

Prozen's Knight

Chapter 4. Square

Fang stood by herself listening to Irvine and Thomas argue with their superiors and speak hatefully of Aries while Raven shouted at them in Aries's defense. She watched Van, who leaned against his liger by himself. So far it was her understanding that Van and Aries had been given a mission together but neither Thomas nor Irvine would allow themselves to let him be alone with their new surprise member. Bored she went over to Van.

"Penny for your thoughts," she asked removing the strawberry blow-pop from her mouth.

Van glanced at her sadly and sighed, "I don't know, I guess I'm trying to figure out weather or not I should be for or against Aries being with us or…-."

"Just him in general," she suggested. He nodded. She placed the lollypop back in her mouth and gave it a few turns while she thought of something to say that would indicate she cared but really didn't. She back handed Van's chest to get his attention and jerked her head to leave. Taking the lollypop out to speak again she walked and spoke, "Come on. Lets just go pick him up from the holding center and get on with the mission. You can form your own opinion once you know him."

"Good plan-hey wait a minute," Van's physical mood had shifted from mild depression to contentment and then to suspicion. "Won't Raven get just a little upset at you're going off without him?"

She turned back to him and stated matter-of-factly never raising her voice, pointing her lollypop at him, "Well then he's just going to have the pluck that particular hair out of his ass if he does. I'm a big girl and can do whatever I damn well please."

Her hand on her hip and the lollypop aloft she strutted forward also stating, "Feel sorry for the idiot that gets in my way."

Van smiled warmly at her and followed, looking back at the others. He snickered at the mental picture that painted itself in his mind when he looked at Raven. He envisioned Raven bent over trying to pluck a long black hair from his buttock with a pair tweezers.

Van watched the door at the end of the double-gated pathway that was fenced off securely and topped with razor wire while attempting to ignore Fang's singing as she played hopscotch behind him. She hopped in time to the beat of the pink panther chorus tune stopping occasionally to pop the gum from the lollypop.

He snapped at her, "Will you be-!"

The heavy steel door opened and Aries greeted them with a Cheshire grin, his face lit with anticipation and happiness. His dress was simple consisting of a very basic off-white tee shirt, desert camouflage cargo pants and black combat boots. He had little jewelry, only being two silver hoops in his left ear cartilage, a twine collar, and an antique Ivory rosary coiled around his ram tattooed wrist. He ran to them letting the door shut on its own, the controlled soldier seen at the trial forgotten. He saw a flash of red light and stopped. He first glanced at the watchtowers then at himself. He found a few red dots on either side of his chest. He nodded to the men in the watchtowers and continued forward at a walk taking care to avoid more sudden movements.

"Brief me," Aries said upon exiting the second gate.

"Excuse you," Van spat back slightly offended.

"I'm sorry," Aires cringed. "Did that sound like an order? It did, didn't it? I didn't mean-God, I need to learn to think before I open my mouth! Um…what're we doin' if I have the clearance to know?"

Van was stumped. He had never encountered someone so edgy and nervous yet calm at the same time previous to now as he stood before Aries. He didn't know how to respond. Fang jumped in the conversation with a bored expression and tone, "We're going to the outskirts of sand town on Empyreal territory. Mission objective is to bust up a safe house where there is supposedly illegal and stolen weaponry being stored. The rest of the story's none of your business."

Van inhaled to protest her rudeness but was cut off by Aries who had grabbed her hand and asked, "I don't believe we've been formally introduced, I'm Aries and you?"

Fang blew a bubble in response. Van answered for her dumbfounded by the flirtatious smile Aries wore as he held her hand, "This is Fang and I'm sure you know-."

"It suits her I think. Tell me darling, would you be overly offended if I were to ask to see the bruise on your butt from when you landed after falling from grace," once the question was posed Fang began to laugh herself to tears but calmed a little when she almost dropped her gum.

Still laughing she answered, "I'll give you points for a creative spin and humor but the line is still cheesy."

"Gotta start somewhere," He shifted his attention back to Van still smiling, "Yes, I know who you are. You'd be the man who killed my father and I thank you for that."

He did it again, Aries had once again stumped Van on a response. How does one respond to the gratitude of a son for murdering his father? "…Your welcome?"

Aries laughed at him. Fang shook her head and walked off down the road leading the others. "So what zoid have I been assigned?"

"You don't have one," Van asked. Aries shook his head. Fang suggested, "It would be better for you to participate in the mission with out a zoid for now so you can earn it later."

"Angel dear, you can't be serious," Aries groaned.

"It was a serious suggestion and you know my name now use it." Aries bounced back in a theatrical tone placing both hands over his heart, "Alas, your name is but a bell hung in my heart. It would break me to pieces if I were to call you once by your name."

Van laughed and Fang sighed. She would enjoy it once her contract had been activated.

The moon rose high in the night sky when the mission was done and etched into memory for all time. Moonbay and Fiona almost had a chick fight trying to scramble into the hospital lobby with a trio of old ladies. Irvine pulled Moonbay away from the feisty woman in a walker while Thomas held the other two women. Fiona threw herself onto the counter and practically shouted, "Which room is housing the GF member…and which one was it that got shot?!"

The nurse behind the counter was taken aback and stammered. Van rounded the corner, "Fiona!"

She broke into hysterics and hugged him tightly, "Oh thank God, Van! I thought you had been killed…."

He attempted to pry her off of him enough so it was easier to breathe under her grip, "Nah I'm fine but if you don't let up I will be."

"Oh," She let go of him completely. "Sorry but-then who-?"

"YOU BASTARD," Raven ran over everyone in his path from the door to Van and buried his fist in Van's jaw. He continued to pummel him until both Herman and Schubaltz pulled them apart. "If she got hurt-!"

"Shut up Raven," Fang trudged out into the open her arms clinging to her shoulders and head hung. Raven loosened in their grip and went to Fang gently cradling her, "You're alright?"

"Get away from me," She barked and jerked away from him. "…I'm fine."

Dr. D stated what the others had been thinking since both Van and Fang were discovered to be in good health, "Then the injured one was young Mr. Prozen…."

Irvine joined them, holding Moonbay by the arm. "Good I hope the bitch is dead or dieing."

Fang spat coldly rubbing her arm and walking away, "So do I."

"What's got into you," Raven asked, genuinely concerned. Van got up off the floor and wiped the blood from a busted lip away. "Sorry about that-."

"Don't be. I'd have done the same thing if you ran off with my sister and got her hurt," he stated grudgingly trying to be understanding.

Schubaltz asked the second question everyone was silently begging for, "Van, What happened?"

Van took a deep breath, "It was an ambush. The safe house was rigged to explode when someone got to a certain point. Whatever was inside if anything is unusable now but the troops were in a camp near by. We ran for it but they were armed and a little quicker. If it makes any sense to you Raven, the only reason we're at the hospital is because he took the bullet that was suppose to paint the trees with her brain. She's been like that since…."

Raven ran a hand through is hair, "…he took a bullet for her, yeah I can see how she's pissed."

"How bad's the wound," Thomas butted in. Van shrugged, "I didn't even know he was wounded until he passed out by the zoids and I can't get any information."

"And here I thought I was a throw away soldier," Aries bellowed happily into the room, his arm in a sling. "I had no idea so many people cared."

Irvine shook his head and everyone else accepted the fact that he was walking after hearing the story that Van had to tell, "Well you're no hero but it's a hell of a start."

Aries beamed brightly with a slight blush, "It was just a through-n-through."

"Yeah so lets just go get a medal polished for the big strong man that saved and woman," Fang sneered from her seat in the waiting area. "'Cause we that have vagina's instead of dick heads can't hack it!"

Raven rolled his eyes while everyone else seemed puzzled, "Here we go again."

She stalked straight up to Aries and stayed in his face, "Let me draw the line for you 'cause obviously some of us can't find. Yeah I got tits but since when did that mean I wasn't allowed to take my own lumps? No, better question, since when did they give the right to take them for me?"

Aries had taken it calmly, "You done?"

Fang looked him up and down, "Answer me and I will be."

He took a deep breath, "Good." He reared back and slugged her in the nose as hard as he could. "We're square."

Everyone that had forgiven him for being who he was just got twice as angry. Van looked to have made up his mind about Aries in that single moment for the worst. The males in the area and even a few that had nothing to with it but had seen moved to bleed Aries except for Raven. He shielded Aries especially from Fang who had blood streaming from both nostrils. "Move Raven."

"You touch him and I'll finish what he started," he stated clearly.

"But he hit me," She growled. Raven shrugged, "And your point is?"

All fell silent, and Raven continued at her expression of betrayal, "You said it yourself a minute ago. Why shouldn't a girl get what's coming to her like any boy would? The way I look at it, he slugged a teammate whose life he saved and was cussing him out for it. I don't know what you guys see but if defending a hypocrite that wants to be an independent woman but also wants a man to defend her is considered a gentleman then thank God almightily that I'm not one."