Flare stood at the airport's ticket line. Most of the people were carrying bags full enough to contain half a house, but not Flare. While most of Miami was evacuating, Flare was exchanging her tickets for new ones. With Lucia missing, and Rina, Caren and Kaito still in the hospital, the girls would be staying longer than planned. The ticket woman looked at Flare like she had two heads when she made the exchange.

"This is the worst storm we've ever had." She said. "Most people are leaving, and you want to extend your stay?"

"I have my reasons." Flare said, paying for the new tickets. She left the airport in a rented Toyota FJ, and drove strait to the hospital. Hanon was waiting for her when she got back. Caren was sitting up in bed, staring at the empty bed next to her.

"Where's Rina?" Flare asked. Then she noticed that Hanon was crying.

"She didn't make it..." Caren said, quietly. Flare gasped and covered her mouth.

"That... Time Dragon..." Hanon said. "We've lost two mermaids already, and the fight has barely started. How do we fight it with both Lucia and Rina dead?"

Flare was silent for a while, then asked, "What happens if a Mermaid Princess dies?"

"After a while, a new Princess will be born from her pearl." Caren said. "But the pearls would have to be returned to their respective kingdoms, and that would be incredibly dangerous."

"So we'd need to fight with just six of us, or risk the pearls to rebuild the team..." Flare said.

"I've seen the Time Dragon first hand." Caren said. "I'm not willing to bring children into this if we can avoid it."

"I don't know if we can..." Flare said. "Two of us have already died, who's to say more of us won't? We'll need a full force... Maybe more than a full force if we even want a thread of hope to cling to."

"Why the hell does this thing even want us, anyway?" Hanon burst out.

"I don't know..." Flare said. "Why did people go after you in the past?"

"For our pearls." Caren said. "For the power we could give them."

"But none of us died!" Hanon cried, sinking to the floor. "None of us were killed... Not like this..."

"It's my fault..." Caren said. "I tried to defend my kingdom, I should have fled."

"You did what you thought was right." Flare said. She walked towards the door, but stopped at the threshold. "We should be careful, from now on." She said. "Tracking down the other five Mermaid Princesses will be hard enough, but we need to make sure that they haven't been possessed by a mech."

Flare left the room, leaving Hanon and Caren in silence. She stopped in the hall and pulled out a cell phone.

"Red Dragon Hotel, how may I help you?"

"Nikora? It's Flare."

"Oh, what's up?"

"A lot, actually." Flare put her hand on her forehead. "We found Caren, but..."

Lucia stood in a corner of the hospital room, her hand over her mouth. Next to her stood her "Important Friend." "Do you still think your life would have been better if you hadn't saved Kaito's life?" He asked. Lucia slowly shook her head. "Follow me" He said, taking Lucia's hand. The scene around them melted into a beach in Japan. Kaito was surfing, and Lucia noticed the chain around his neck containing her pearl. It was some time before they had found each other again. "You know, you were all he really thought about. Despite how he may have acted around other women." The scene shifted again, to the festival where they had first encountered Eriru. Lucia watched as Kaito led a younger version of herself away from a group of girls chasing him.

"But what about that girl he was giving 'surfing lessons' to?" Lucia asked.

"That's all he was doing." The man said. "Just like Stephanie, anything else you saw was her doing, not his. He really does love you."

"Take me back..." Lucia said, her hair no longer black.

Flair sat in the hospital room reading a book. Caren and Rina were still unconscious, but were considered stable enough to be taken off the breathing equipment. The rain had stopped, and a double rainbow was spread across Miami. Lucia stepped slowly into the room. Flare looked up and smiled. "Feeling better?" She asked. Lucia nodded. "Who's your friend?"

The man stepped into the room. "Kyohei." He said. "I'm a Time Lord."

Flare almost dropped her book. "L-like Doctor Who?"

"No. That show does nothing to represent us. We are what happens when a Time Dragon drops it's good side, and becomes completely evil. Ironically, though, I guess that would make me the last of my kind."

"He helped me remember how much Kaito means to me, and showed me what would have happened if I hadn't saved Kaito's life before." Lucia said.

"But it's not entirely impossible for what you saw to become reality." Kyohei said. "Time Dragons are more dangerous than anything you've ever faced. And you've already seen what they are capable of."

"So what do we do?" Lucia asked.

"Fight it." Kyohei said. "Clearly, your music has a powerful effect. But you will need to learn more powerful songs. There are various types of rock and metal, you should experiment. But should you come to a point where confrontation will be inevitable, be prepared for physical fights as well." Kyohei turned to leave, but stopped. "One last thing before I go." He said. He waved his hand towards Caren and Rina, reversing the effects of the Mech Dragon's possession. "Give them, and Kaito, a few more days." He said. "They'll be fine."

With that, he walked through the door and disappeared.

Did I scare you?

Sorry I took so long. Hopefully this will help bust a hole in that wall, and I can pump out a few more chapters before the next one.