It was a little over two days after the children and the Shuffle Alliance made it back to Argo's ship before Thomas de Sand woke up. George, Maria-Louise, and Fleur were at his side the entire time. Also during that time, Chen returned to be scolded by the adults for disappearing for as long as he did. He had nodded and taken a punishment from Sai Saici with such a calm and surprisingly not bored face (he had been forced to sit at Sai Saici's side and meditate while the others talked and recovered in some cases) all day long.

Nastasha had been focusing on getting Josh to full recovery, which he did not seem to mind all that much, but for those who knew him, he was feeling just a tad awkward that his dead friend's mother would treat him as her own. Then again, they were both somewhat army children, being raised (to some extent, seeing as Nastasha's story was different from his own) by the army. Still, he let her bandage him without a word, but his mind felt guilty as if he were trying to take the dead boy's place.

Tiso had been gradually recovering; she no longer needed constant attention. With the help of Vateen, she was able to walk around and talk to the adults. She had more sense than the others in opinion of the adults, especially after she informed them that she had been given a lot of time to think, and she just did not think that she could actually go through with finding and killing Kier. She felt that it would be doing the same thing that he had done to Nicolas, and in turn set Kier's family against them.

Eva had disappeared from the ship and still had not been found. Jamie had searched the gundams with Josh to see if she had done the same thing as Fleur, but there was not even a trace that she had been in them. It seemed that she had just vanished from the ship, as if she was never there. However, the pirates knew that she had been there, and two or three reported seeing her sometimes walk around at night, calling for someone who was not there.

The Shuffle Alliance (save George) all spoke with one another often in a room to themselves. More often than not, they would leave in different moods, and more often than not, Argo would go to the back looking depressed. The children would watch him leave for the back and wondered if there was anything they could do. They had a feeling that he would go back to Nicolas' room, which had been locked off to everyone else except for himself and Nastasha. Nastasha did not like to go into that room, because no matter how many times they cleaned that room, it would always be messy again the next day—and everything would be laid out the exact way it had the day Nicolas died. That and the door would sometimes fly open…

Josh took back his arm and moved it as soon as Nastasha finished wrapping his wounds. "Thanks," he said, nodding to her as he moved it around. He stopped when his arm when something popped in his chest, and looked to the other kids with his trademark bored look.

"Josh," Nastasha said quietly, looking at the boy's wounded shoulder, "why are you fighting for Nicolas? You told us when you came that you would not if it did not involve you."

Josh nodded. "And this does involve me. Whether or not I like the facts of this matter, he was one of my only friends. He died like little Emily Rose, and that I can't forgive. Not yet, anyway…"

Nastasha looked at him. "Who is… Was Emily Rose?"

Josh was quiet a long time before answering. "She was my baby sister. She was shot by a kid who hated her 'cause she had me. I never forgave that…" He sighed, getting up. "But that's done and over. It was years before I ran from the military." He held out a hand to help her up, which she gladly took.

"And they haven't found you? You are a Gundam Fighter, and yet…?"

Josh nodded. "That was part of my reason to become a Gundam Fighter. As long as I work for them, they can't charge me. They technically couldn't, really; I got rid o' the bar code on my neck," he told her softly, rubbing his own throat in thought. He pulled her up before he turned back to the other kids.


"Dammit, Kier!" A man yelled, slamming his fists on his desk. "You have drawn the attention of the Shuffle Alliance. The New Nations are now at risk!" he spat.

Kier nodded gently, bowing his head in regret. "Forgive me, Da. That was not part of the plan. "

"No, it wasn't," the man snarled, failing to see Kier's fists clench.

The older man was wearing a dark grey suit, very unusual for him and likely helping to stir his pissy mood. His silvering hair still had traces of brunette in his and his light brown eyes held the boy's own hazel eyes captive, demanding that he got some answers.

Kier clenched his jaw shut, some of his own brunette hair falling into his face when he looked down. "I ask that you forgive me," he grit out. He took a breath when the man laughed a cold, hard laugh.

"You are ruining this for us, Kier, and I don't like failure," the man told his son, clicking his ink pen on his desk. He turned back and forth in his chair thinking, one arm resting on the chair's arm and holding up his head. His legs were crossed men's style on his lap. "I didn't raise you to mess up."

Kier bowed his head further. "I understand, Da."

"If you understood," said a high, girlish voice in the back, "then you would stop drawing attention and just do as you are told.

"Eva," Kier growled. "Why are you here?"

"I asked her to come see me," the man told his son, reaching out to his little girl. He pulled her onto his lap and held her close to him.

"Aren't you a little old to be held, Eva," Kier snarled, earning glares from both father and daughter.

"You would do yourself some good to be quiet, be a good little boy, and cut the connection between yourself and the Shuffle Alliance," Eva retorted. "You are messing up this operation faster than you will be able to fix it. If you ruin all of my hard work, all that I have done for my daddy, I will personally see that you get what's coming to you, brother."

"Now, now, little Eva," her father cooed. "I don't want to hear you saying anything so nasty again, my little angel." He played with her hair, and she giggled, resting her head on his shoulder. "Kier, I am done with you for now. Go."

He did not have to be told twice.


Vateen laughed, grasping his sides as Jamie growled at him. "Shut up," she growled as he continued. "You tripped me; that wasn't fair!"

"Doesn't matter," Vateen gasped. "You lose." Both were out in gundams—Vateen with his own, and Jamie in her father's Gundam Maxter, the adults all close by to watch. "At least there's no ground to hit."

"Cheater," she growled, then laughed with him. "It was pretty funny, I guess."

Vateen nodded, holding out a hand to help her up, his face wide with a grin. "Whoa!" he cried as she threw him.

It was Jamie's turn to grin. "Ha!" she grinned, backing away.

"Not gonna help me up?" Vateen asked her. He smirked when she shook her head.

"Not that stupid," she said simply, and waited for him to get up to start another round.


Josh sat next to Tiso, watching over her as Vateen had asked while he sparred with Jamie. None of the adults liked the idea of the children sparring in such states as they were, but they had been unable to convince them otherwise. Josh had decided that what he really needed was rest from all of the fighting and Nastasha had quickly praised him for such thoughts.

It was weird. All of his life, he had been alone, and now he had friends and people who cared for him; besides for his orphan brothers and sisters, of course. He did not know how to feel, but he did know that he would not let any more of them get hurt if he could help it. And if he could not…

He would not think about that.

"C'mon," he told Tiso gently, doing his best to pull her up without hurting her. She was one that he really had not gotten to know over the years; the only one, actually. He did not know her. "I'll take you to your room…"

Tiso nodded, and allowed him to lead her to her room. He was a caring person, even if he could not always show it. They would have to get to know one another…

A/N: Okay, guys. I just realized something. I miscalculated ages. Since Nicolas was four years younger than the others, Argo was thirty-one when he was born and Nastasha was thirty. That means that during the story, Argo would be fifty, and Nastasha would be forty-nine. Being pregnant at that age combined with all the stress… I don't think that I'm going to have the baby survive because of the realistic facts. I did have plans, but they're screwed now. D:

Darn! Nicole and Nolan were awesome! And even if the first were born, then it would still be ruined because the other wouldn't be there. I might write another with them in it. Such is life. XD

But I think I just might have a new plan, now…MAYBE.

Enjoy! :)