A/N: I am so freaking sorry that it has been so slow, but you know what? School really sucks. So do AP classes. And We the People. (Fifth Period! W00t w00t! Second in district!) But now it's almost time for finals, and two-year birthday of this monster. Now, responses. Yes, Megumi does suck, but the point was for Akito to suck, but I think they both equally sucked instead. That made little to no sense, but I don't really care. And to the other… I have warned you all that my style, especially when it comes to certain rather immature characters, requires for vulgar language. Nothing stopped you from that back button. This will not change now or any time soon. I have my reasons for what I do, and nothing's keeping you from going out. I never thought I would be persuading readers to leave, but honestly. I was expecting "Akito and Gai and everyone else in your stories that are gay are not OMG!11!!!!111one" before someone making a cheap shot at the language. But now I feel I've made my point. So, recap because you all need it (hell, I had to reread the last chapter to remember what happened in the first place), Megumi and Akito are pissed at each other, Akito and Gai are pissed at each other, Izumi and Inez are on very good terms again, Hikaru and Uribatake are just friends first, possibly dispelling any relationship between them, maybe, Mari is not quite as jealous of Meg anymore, Meg is kind of weirded out by thinking she's the Empress of Ninlan now, Yukina hates Genichiro's guts, Minato and Goat are not going to hook up, maybe, Ruri is sick of the people that are around her age, desires the attentions and companionship of those she cares for that are older than her, and Omoikane is having a bit of a problem accepting that she is growing up. Whew. That was a lot. Anyway, this chapter… the other half, w00t! Only… keep your eyes open for something. Trust me, when it finally comes up, you won't miss it. If you do, did you know that there is magic in this universe, because you may have missed that too. Anyway, let's hope this gets done and out without me going absolutely nuts.

~*~

It was strange, watching her fingers dance in the air. It was a familiar dance; one she had seen a great many times. Then again, despite her affinity and ability with various instruments, she always did favor her old violin, and Ryoko had seen her play it bordering on a million times. But what was so interesting about this time is that it certainly did try on her own magical powers, which she tried to not use when working with her beloved violin. Her violet brows together in concentration, her brown eyes hidden under her eyelids, she was obviously feeling the effects of ignoring her magical abilities for so long. But it was expected, especially since she was still playing even without a violin in the first place. She had had no idea that she would have been playing, but she couldn't help but to offer her services. And she knew she could do it, with a little concentration.

But concentration was the one thing that Ryoko was determined to never give her.

It wasn't as if Ryoko could help it. With Itsuki near the front of the room, poised to be leaning a bit to her right as she tilted her head to the left, her chin in the perfect position to hold her beloved instrument, had it been there, and her hands perfectly positioned to fondle the strings and the bow as they commonly did, she looked positively gorgeous and possibly even at peace with herself, had it not been for her knit eyebrows. And it didn't help that she appeared absolutely lust-worthy, at least in Ryoko's eyes, the silver dress she wore under her cloak hugging every single curve of her body, even the ones that Itsuki hated, and the light layer of sweat that was beginning to shine on Itsuki's forehead with her efforts. The silver that surrounded her hands matched her nanocontroller and dress in a way that contrasted well with her violet hair But it was the erratic movements of Itsuki's hands, holding on to absolutely nothing but air that left Ryoko's eyes a little bit hazy. But it didn't poison her mind enough to stop her.

"Itsuki, you know you're really, really hot right now, right?" Ryoko grinned evilly, waiting for it. Itsuki's eyebrows collided just a bit more, concentrating on creating unprovoked sound, somehow forming itself into a song that sounded a lot like it was originally composed by Bach, if one memorized such details. Itsuki's fingers on her right hand twiddled a bit, and it took a mere glance to realize that she had just barely flicked off her girlfriend. Ryoko grinned again. She LIKED this game.

"See, Itsuki, you'd have to stop playing for that to happen, so…" Itsuki's eyes opened for a bit, out of focus for only a moment before it turned into a glare at Ryoko's two-colored head. Somehow, the music because less like Itsuki's traditional violin and more electronic, as if the nanomachines themselves were beginning to take over all attempts to play and keep a good idea of what was going on around Itsuki at the same time. Her lips moved slightly, her words almost coming out as soft as she was now playing in her attempts to stop the electronic sound of her instrument-less music. "Would you just stop it? What would it take?"

"Oh, maybe for you to quit it and get over here." Itsuki lowered her eyelids a bit, examining Ryoko without compromising the now insane quality of her magical music. She finally gave a small nod, her voice coming back into play, just as soft as before, yet still audible, "Kiran. Switch." Ryoko's dark eyebrows took a moment to copy those of her lover's until the large dark man in silver; almost gray robes reappeared near where Itsuki stood still playing. With a few last, quick notes, Itsuki let her hands drop, and her intoxicating silver light finally dissipated, quickly met with many people in the room stopping and clapping. Itsuki smiled, took a small bow, and left the small circle, nodding once to the only other music mage present.

"Kiran?" asked Ryoko, raising an eyebrow after they finally unhitched. Itsuki nodded. "Yeah. Kiran Zapdusk, officially. He's an apprentice at the First Church here, and this is like, his first big thing. Works with bells and chimes though, so it's a little stranger than mine. Has to play things I've never heard of before. Like this." Itsuki pointing to the ceiling a tilted her head, not looking at anything in particular. It sounded almost like background music for some sort of game, but it was soft, almost inviting everyone to take a nap. Itsuki shrugged, grabbed Ryoko's hand, and pulled her away from where Kiran was assuming Itsuki's former position of concentration and oblivion to the world.

It was only once they were farther away from the sleep-inducing music that Itsuki allowed herself to shake her head. "Kid's got heart, but he'd be better used for offensive purposes I think, rather than entertainment, the way people are starting to snore."

"Oh, I see, a couple hours playing without a violin and you're suddenly an expert. That makes far too much sense to actually make sense, Itsuki." Ryoko fisted her hands on her hips, drawing Itsuki's attention a bit toward Ryoko's dress.

"And that made none whatsoever. Kind of like you in that dress." Itsuki grasped Ryoko's wrists and held her arms out so she could really see her. Ryoko was once of the few girls that hadn't cheated when it came to the dresses, and was wearing the typical full skirt, loosely-tied corset, and puffy-sleeved shirt. Itsuki shook her head and clicked her tongue. "No, Ryoko, I thought it would be adorable to see you in a real dress, but now I realize that it is just not working for you. But the whole aqua-green and black hair thing doesn't help it much."

"Itsuki, stop being so typical, okay? Give me nightmares of you with a lisp and pink hair or something."

"Please, I'm not that femme. I may be the stereotypical 'girl' in this outfit, but I guarantee you that I will never become someone's makeup artist or whatever." Itsuki let go of Ryoko's arms, letting them fall back to her sides before her own arms encircled Ryoko's waist, a slightly predatory smile marring her face. Ryoko sighed and shook her head; an action quickly ceased by Itsuki locking their lips together, Ryoko meeting her with equal ferocity as she threaded her fingers into Itsuki's loose tresses. After a few moments, they separated for breath; Ryoko reopening her eyes a small bit and breathing a bit heavier than normal. Out of reflex, she looked around her to see that no one at all was looking. Itsuki didn't notice this, pressing her forehead against Ryoko's. "Magus, Ryoko, I love you."

Ryoko had only heard Itsuki say it to her before once or twice. Itsuki barely ever said it. Ryoko knew that her lover felt it, really truly was in love with her, but for some reason, it never took on so much than it did at that exact moment. Ryoko smiled softly, making her actually look a bit more feminine than she normally did. "I love you too, Itsuki."

It was really the first time she had said it.

~*~

Soon after Akito finished dancing with Ruri to make her happy, which ended about the same time Itsuki finished playing and was replaced with the only other music mage in the room, He found that he was quickly propositioned by yet another important woman of the Nadesico, only he didn't expect her to speak with him, let alone ask him to dance.

Nevertheless, without even asking, Yurika grabbed his hand, placed it on her hip, and grabbed the other as she laid her own other hand on his shoulder. Before Akito could ask her what the hell she was doing, though, their eyes met, and Akito could see the intensity only matched by those of her patron god reflecting in her aqua depths. He sighed, but then nodded before they did begin to dance. "Okay, so we need to talk. What do you want?"

"Hostilities, Akito. You should keep them in check, since we are kind of in public." Akito snorted. "You call this public? Fine, I'll shut up."

"No, Akito, you're right. We need to talk. All this… this arguing, we need to quit it, you know? I mean, it's really getting stupid. It's not like… Well, it's not like we can't be friends, right?"

"Really, because that's exactly what I was set on. Never speaking or seeing you again. Yurika, I don't like you. I really don't. In fact, I don't even know why I bothered to help you stay at Gai's, or why I put up with this crap from you, let alone why I dated you in the first place."

"Magus, this is just like you Akito, so freaking focused on that, on you. Everything's about you, isn't it?"

"Well, you ARE asking about me, Yurika, so I would have to assume–"

"Selfish, childish, everything all wrapped up in one huge package, that's what you are, Akito." Yurika dropped her arms and pulling Akito away from her. She tried to turn and leave him there, but Akito grabbed her cloak instead, his head beginning to hurt from everyone that just wanted to start fights that day.

"Yurika, you wanted to talk, and we're going to talk. You're not running this time. You can't… you can't run away forever." Akito was surprised to find the words of his first Earthling friend and employer emerging from his voice. Yurika glared at him for a moment, but then realized that Akito was right, that they needed to get over this as calmly as possible.

"All right. Fine. First of all…"

"First of all, Yurika, you're a hypocrite."

"What!?"

"In the definitive sense of the word, you are. Think about it. You're telling me that I'm selfish and acting like a kid and all that, but I don't think you've looked at yourself lately, have you? And you pulling this whole 'relationships are based on trust' bullshit when here you were fucking a guy you couldn't have trusted any further than you could have thrown, and then a chick in the same situation!"

"You had no idea what I went through, Akito! I loved Nagare!"

"But you couldn't trust him." Yurika turned away and crossed her arms sadly. "No. I loved him, but couldn't trust him. I wanted… I wanted to find some of him in Erina, but I couldn't trust her either. You're right, Akito. Are you happy now?" She glared at him, then began to speak again. "You should be, because I may run away, and I may act like I kid, but I know when it matters to not act like I'm two."

"I find THAT impossible to believe."

"Well, believe it. And I'm not selfish either, not as selfish as you."

"Oh, and here YOU are starting shit with me when Meg and Rumiko get married. Nice example there." Yurika shook her head and pointed to where Jun stood with Hikaru and Uribatake, laughing softly and smiling a bit. Not a real smile, but one that was more for everyone else. Akito felt something sigh inside him, almost as if it was him himself. There were no words needed to be said; Jun had been off his game in the game called life for a while. He looked back at his old friend, feeling a bit calmer. "Junny?"

Yurika nodded. She smiled softly and watched him talk to Uribatake. "He's… he's been so out of it lately. I don't know why. He told me that it's almost as if he knows something bad is going to happen. But bad stuff has been happening, even though things are fairly good for him at the moment. But… My staying at Yamada-san's home, even though we're friends again, has got him feeling fairly bad."

"Because he loves you, Yurika. Why can't you get that through your thick head?"

"I know he does. And… I'm sure seeing all of this with Meg and all and then us fighting all the time isn't helping." Yurika looked at the floor. For just a moment, Akito was sure he could feel someone's fingers in his head, feeling a bit like when one's foot falls asleep. Suddenly he could hear Yurika's voice echoing on the inside, sounded a bit muffled, like his own voice. "I just want him to be happy, Akito. We're his best friends and the fact that we always fight is so… messed up." Akito could see that her fingers on her right hand were twitching a bit and some slight traced of silver light in the air between them. Akito could feel that she really wasn't trying to do it for them, that she didn't hate him, but was just very disappointed. He narrowed his eyebrows. 'She doesn't hate my guts. She just doesn't want to fight and doesn't like me as a person.'

"I never said that!" She actually said these, their magical connection severed. Yurika rubbed her arms, which were now covered in goose bumps. "I do like you as a person, Akito, that's why I just want to be friends! I was mistaken when I thought I was in love with you. It's just that… I would really like some effort back, okay? I'm trying to be nice. If only for Junny. But it would be great if we could be friends again, right?"

It made so much sense. Possibly even too much of it. Akito wasn't interested at all in being Yurika's friend. But remembering Jun and his starting small fires in his room, and also remembering at least some of the good times while on Mars with Yurika… well, she put up a good argument. Akito finally sighed and held out his hand, the light blue markings glowing faintly, not brightly as they had when he was angry with Megumi. "All right. Truce?"

Yurika smiled and quickly grabbed his hand, shaking it firmly. "Hello, my name is Misumaru Yurika." Akito rolled his eyes. "Haven't we tried something like that before?"

"Déjà vu is the best weapon in the world."

~*~

Izumi and Inez's interesting talk about precisely how the Pentakami Gods could be logically explained, conclusion turning into the fact they might just be bungled groups of Retrospect or even Boson particles, capable of influencing nanomachines as those particles can, rather than being actual supernatural creatures, was interrupted by the appearance of one yellow-clad redhead. Hikaru's sudden presence, only beaten by Boson Jumping itself, startled Inez, but Izumi barely blinked, merely turning her head to where Hikaru now knelt at their table, crossing her arms and laying them on the surface and then her hand on her arms. "What is it?"

"Bleh, Akito is causing shit and I'm tired of listening to it all over the place. First I hear Meg whining to Rumiko, then I hear Gai whining to Jun, and I just heard from Uri-P, who heard from Ruri, that he was causing shit with Yurika! Ugh! I'm just… I'm sick of the drama, Izumi." Hikaru whined a bit and frowned, looking positively annoyed. Izumi smiled and petted Hikaru's hair softly. Inez noted this act of affection and made motions to stand and leave, but a quick look from her blue-haired lover and a shaken head caused her to relax back into her seat.

"It's all right."

"No, it's not, Izumi. History's repeating itself. Remember when we were on the ship, before the war was over, and he was with Gai? Complete prick. Now here he goes again."

"No, Hikaru, he only did it before because he was scared. Now, he, like many others, is jealous of Meg and Rumiko. He lives for mundanity, only now he wants just a little more. Getting angry… that's just how he blocks out what's really wrong. I suppose he learned it after his last freak-out, when he was afraid again. I suppose it's an Aqua thing, isn't it, Inez?"

Inez took a moment to realize that Izumi was addressing her, and nodded slowly. "However, if you go on what we were just speaking about, it is rather impossible."

"No. One thing I've realized about Boson particles is that they remember certain things, possibly even people." Hikaru's eyebrows knit together for a moment, but then she quickly nodded. "Yeah, see, the shuttle really did reek of Rumiko, you know." Izumi slapped a hand on her forehead, but said nothing. Inez chuckled a bit. "So are you saying that that is how your idea works? Boson particles work in the same way as signatures?"

"You betcha, Miss Fressange! Or, I guess signatures are because of Boson particles or something like that… Hey, I'm just the cute one, not the smart one. Shut up Hikaru!" Hikaru slapped herself softly, eliciting some rolled eyes from her best friend. Inez nodded, noting this as she laid a finger upon her cheek. "I find this amusing, considering…" She nodded a bit, looking behind Hikaru. Izumi looked up and grinned manically, almost as a reflex in seeing someone she wasn't very close to. She laid her hand on Hikaru's head again. "Mine!" she cried, then erupted in giggles, to the sudden concern of the redhead and to the annoyance of her lover. Inez just sighed and shook her head, though. "Hello, Viktor. Are you having a good time?"

Viktor smiled and nodded in regards to Inez's presence. "Yes, I do believe I am, Inez, considering it all. It was certainly a beautiful wedding." Inez's lips pulled themselves into an amused smile. "And you played the part of the bawling mother beautifully."

"What can I say, it's my true tribute to the company. Everyone should have someone to cry over an event in their lives."

"Well, I wouldn't say it's your only tribute –"

"VIKTOR!" Inez was promptly interrupted by Hikaru jumping to her feet, spinning about and wrapping her arms around the man called Prospector's neck. "Man on man, I haven't seen you in ages! How've you been? What's new with ya?"

"Hikaru." Viktor raised a hand and waved it to silence the blue-haired pilot. "It's quite all right, Maki-san. I would expect nothing less from Hikaru here. Especially since we are somewhat friends." Hikaru turned her head to see Izumi and she stuck her tongue out. Izumi only raised an eyebrow in what almost seemed to be the manner of Inez, but left it be. Viktor finally pried Hikaru's arms from his neck, holding her hands down near her sides. "Now, now, Hikaru. We don't need Uribatake-san getting jealous or anything, now, do we?" He smiled at this statement, but Hikaru just wrinkled her nose. "Please, like he has anything to be jealous about."

"Well, then I suppose my asking you to dance wouldn't be too out of the question, now, would it?"

Inez immediately chuckled. "Viktor, you dog." Izumi gave her a look that silenced her, but didn't wipe the smirk off her face. 'So Hikaru needs something like this, but when it's a co-worker of mine, I simply cannot resist.'

Hikaru studied Viktor's expression, to his dismay. He was soon about ready to burst into either laughter or tears with exactly how embarrassed he was feeling at the moment. But then she suddenly sighed. "Viktor, I'm sorry, but… I'm kinda tired, you know? That's why I came over here, so I could rest. I'm really sorry to turn you down like this –"

"Oh, no, that's perfectly all right," he rushed out, feeling relieved. Not sad, not dejected, but completely relieved. "I understand completely. It was forward of me to ask. May I speak to you later without, well, an audience?"

Hikaru giggled a bit. "Maybe. Later, Viktor." He nodded and left, his grip on her wrists suddenly missing. She followed him with her gaze for a bit until Izumi's voice interrupted her thoughts. "I still don't understand why men believe your horrible lies."

"What?" Inez laughed under her breath. "I suppose this isn't the first time she's done something like this."

"Certainly not." Hikaru fisted her hands on her hips. "Hey now, quit making fun of me!" Izumi barely blinked before she caught Hikaru's eyes with her own crimson. "I'm not making fun of you. I think you need to quit it. You swear that you want companionship, but you can't certainly expect to be believed if you keep pushing them away. Uribatake-san knows you're a compulsive liar. How long do you think it's going to take before Mr. Bros figures it out as well? How can you expect them to believe anything you say?"

Hikaru glared at her best friend. "Izumi, I think that's the cruelest thing you've ever said to me."

"But it is true." Hikaru widened her eyes as she quickly switched her gaze from her best friend to Inez. "You have to let them know how you really feel if you want them to have any interest in you at all. That's just how relationships, true, lasting ones, work, Hikaru."

Hikaru sighed and looked at her yellow shoes. She knew she had a problem. But she had no idea how to fix it. "I know. I wish I could tell them that I'm sorry."

"Start today." Hikaru nodded quickly. "Yeah… Yeah, I think I will. I'll go apologize to Uri-P right now. Thanks, Izumi, Miss Fressange."

"Please, Inez." Hikaru smiled and nodded, making motions to leave. "Yeah, okay. I love the streaks, Inez!" She then ran off with an energy that completely refuted her excuse to Viktor.

Inez shook her head. Izumi frowned. "She won't do it." Inez's eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"She'll try, but then she'll realize that real lies are seen as bad through real eyes, and just give up and feel bad about it." Inez half-lidded her eyes, examining the pale, blue-clad woman in front of her. "You confuse me sometimes."

Izumi smiled. "That's my tribute to the world."

~*~

"So things didn't quite go as planned?"

"Quite the contrary. Everything actually went quite well."

"Hmph. I remember you saying something very similar when Tenkawa was still trying to figure out how to use an Aestivalis, Viktor." Viktor laughed, shaking his head. "But it was going well then, and is now. My only purpose behind that was to rule Hikaru-san out as the person I seem to be developing feelings for."

"So you planned on getting rejected. Why does that seem so very strange, Viktor?" Viktor smiled at his friend. "Because the probability of my getting turned down was up twelve more percent higher than normal, with the separation between me and Amano-san and the bridge she has been forming Uribatake-san."

"Minato's right, you are just as bad as Megumi."

"Oh, so you talked to her?"

"No, she's said it before."

"But I thought I saw you dancing with her earlier."

"…We're not going there, Viktor."

"Fine, fine, whatever you say. She is a rival now, anyway."

"You know that never matters to me, Viktor."

"No, of course not, Goat."

~*~

A violet-haired Martian. A black-haired Earthling. The CEO of Asuka Industry Limited. The CEO of Nergal Heavy Industries. A captain. A helmswoman. A Jumper. A human. Needless the say, Inez had thought it extremely strange once they reached L2 after their little adventure on Ninlan. Kaguya and Erina seemed to make one of the oddest couples Inez had ever seen, not that she had seen all that many to begin with, of course. 'But, I suppose I have no room to talk. I'm sure no one expected to see me sleeping with Maki Izumi when I first joined the crew.' But there was always something amiss when it came to those two. Inez was hard put to just brush it away as believing it was old feelings for Erina surfacing again. She may have told Izumi that she was in love with her, but she would always, always feel something for Erina.

But Inez knew that's not what it was. Anyone who had been present during all of the drama that seemed to envelope Erina, head of Nergal itself; Inez, head of the Science department; Kaguya, former captain of the Gardenia, head of Asuka, and Boson Jump Test Subject; and most strangely enough, Yurika, former captain of the Nadesico and Boson Jump Test Subject. It had begun to get so bad that Inez had gotten Hari to also become a Jump Subject, just so that she could be sure that tension between Yurika and Kaguya wouldn't affect the experiment. But the strangest thing of all was how Erina had dropped Yurika, a woman she had been obsessed about since the idea of the Nadesico came to light, for Kaguya again, someone Inez was sure was just being used for Business gain.

'Humans are in fact strange creatures,' thought Inez as she sipped her drink. There was a reason she never understood them, and it seemed that it was that their social bonds were so complex that to call them a simple web would be foolish. All of the logic in the world couldn't dare explain it. That was why Inez preferred to stay unattached to people, so that she could possibly understand it a little better from viewing the outside of this tangled mass. But she was beginning to find that it was easiest to understand when you found yourself tangled within it as well.

Inez was certainly no expert, but it didn't take a genius and master of the social threads to understand that something was most definitely wrong in regards to Erina and Kaguya.

Inez nodded to herself. She would just have to ask Yurika eventually on things that had happened prior to their breakup. She could have just been jumping to conclusions.

~*~

"…And that is why most people around my age tend to be, pardon the language, but slackers. Because they are far too set on a mindset that prefers pleasure over knowledge." Yurika nodded slowly. It all made some sort of strange sense. But it was certainly odd to hear such mind-bending understanding on the subject of people Ruri's age, despite the fact that it was coming from exactly her.

"And of course some people never grow out of that…"

"Precisely. Thus, the deterioration of the system's work ethic."

"But what about pleasure as a reward for gaining knowledge? Wouldn't that change it back in favor of knowledge?"

"Because once you are older, you have the means of getting pleasure on your own, without someone to hold it in front of you as a prompt. It defeats the purpose." Yurika nodded again, looking off into the distance at absolutely nothing as she pondered this. That is specifically why she didn't notice that Ruri was looking past Yurika's body to see someone, at least until Ruri said something. "Aoi-san. Hello."

Yurika's gaze flipped to Ruri's pale face, then behind her to where Jun bit his lip and fidgeted, wringing his hands at the wrists. Yurika felt her mouth grow into a smile, then she turned back to Ruri. "Ruri-chan, Junny and I are going to have a few moments, okay?" She stepped back to Ruri and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her an awkward hug as she kissed the top of Ruri's head. "We'll continue our talk later, okay?"

Ruri heard the happiness in her former captain's voice, and could barely control herself from catching the infectious smile. She nodded instead, biting the insides of her mouth to hold them in place. "Yes. That is all right." She nodded her head a bit to Jun, who was suddenly being dragged away by the woman he used to be engaged to.

As she watched them suddenly have to assemble their limbs, to the confusion of Jun of course, Ruri tilted her head in thought. There was so much she thought she was sure of when the war did end. So much that she thought would never changed. But looking at how the world turned out instead seemed to prove that idiotic assumption false. Ruri couldn't sometimes believe that she was living with her biological parents, that Yurika and Akito were not anywhere near dating, or that there was as much political uproar revolving around the existence of nanomachines in some people's blood, let alone that magic was real or that everyone with nanomachines in their blood could suddenly Boson Jump.

'Things have changed so much. In three years, relationships have changed drastically, science has been rewritten and we've even discovered an old planet. Three years, a lot of which had been spent in Limbo, Jumping from somewhere to somewhere else. How… sad.'

It took Jun merely seconds before he actually formulated his thoughts into words. "Yu… Yurika, how did –"

"Shh. Just don't talk, okay? You might ruin it." She smiled softly and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his as she pushed her body against his. It wasn't sexual, strangely enough, but more in a need to be close to each other.

Somehow, being this close to her, inhaling her scent of a mix of lilies and mint, feeling some kind of prickling in the back of his head, knowing that this was all her doing suddenly reminded Jun suddenly of their prom night in their last year in high school. It was strange, because this was nothing like then. Jun had only gone because it had been drilled into his head that it was a very important moment in his young life. Frankly, he hadn't cared, really. He didn't have a girlfriend, and he was sure that barely anyone knew who he was, and had planned on spending the evening sitting on the edges of the room.

Of course, though, being precisely who he was, he had found his gaze following the girl that had grown into a lovely young woman in the four years he had done nothing but follow with his gaze. She had arrived at their high school when they all did as well, but they had all known each other since elementary school, and she was new. It was rumored that she had been home-schooled and in therapy since she had come to Earth when she was ten, but no one was sure. With her beauty, charm, and seemingly uncharacteristic intelligence, she had quickly become popular and a fairly common name to hear among every group of friends there.

But there also flew the rumors that she was a prude. She had had a few boyfriends throughout their attendance of high school, but she had never actually kissed any of them. So it had been strange seeing her in what seemed like an absolutely ridiculous dress, short, red, and covered in sequins, nylons darkening her legs and her hair swinging loose from where she danced with an ex-boyfriend of hers.

He had felt so wrong watching her, wishing that he was that young man, that he could ever be in a league to win a woman like that, someone that was obviously so above him. Who would have thought that they would have eventually become engaged, despite the fact that they broke apart once coming onto the Nadesico?

Jun should have hated the ship. No, he should've hated Akito. But he couldn't bring himself to. It was the ship that allowed them to at least stay friends, and it wasn't as if Akito wanted Yurika in the first place. It was just a fluke, deus ex machina, if you will. Just some sorts of events that led to how the world was now. Yurika may not have even been there, humming softly with her arms around his neck if it had not been for certain events.

And it was this thought that pulled Jun out of what could almost be considered a lapse in conscious, realizing that his hands were clasped only loosely just above the curve of Yurika's buttocks inside her cloak, that the soft, warm flesh of Yurika's arms brushed against his cheek slightly, that he could feel every curve of her body in a way that almost a bit scary. No, it was the fact that he was so quickly swept up into his thoughts that was scary.

In one fluid motion, he pushed Yurika away from him so that he could see her face. His contorted quickly with confusion as words seemed to take on a life of their own. "Yurika, what are you doing? What is this?"

Her red lips turned up softly in a kind smile that threatened to melt him. Flamma, he loved her so much. No, this was wrong. Her right hand, the one adorned with her silver markings brushed his cheek, her thumb coming up to just touch his chin. "Junny, I've… I've been so cruel to you. I've always believed that there were just some arenas where you just had to be selfish. But… I just now realized that no matter what, being selfish can hurt people. And… it's only natural that those that are hurt leave, so that they won't be hurt again." Her eyebrows furrowed a bit and she frowned, her eyelids falling slightly as her fingers felt the ends of Jun's hair. He stayed silent.

"I've been foolishly selfish. Akito was right. Always… chasing him around when I totally forgot that I was engaged, then going off and falling for Nagare, and then having a… relationship with that bitch Erina… When you stood through all of that. I know… I know that I've hurt you, a lot. But… you've stayed with me, for me, no matter what."

"Okay, so I'm like a loyal dog, what does that have to do with anything?" The words seemed to come out on their own accord. But Jun didn't apologize for them. He knew that something was making him speak exactly as he felt. Maybe…

"That's just it." His crudeness didn't seem to faze her at the least bit. "No one else had done that for me… I know I was the one that left Akito, but it was doomed to not last, everyone knew that except us. And Erina… that was her own fault. And Nagare… he may have stayed with me if I could've trusted him more. But, Junny, I don't blame you at all. But… do you see what I'm saying?"

"That I'm one of the few that has stuck with you?"

"Yes. Call me inspired, but… I think… that's what relationships really do take." Jun had no time to digest her words before hands gripped his cheeks and his lips were being ravaged by hers, the aqua-green eyes he was just previously staring into shut tight. It took mere seconds before his own were just as close as hers, his hands roaming her body until they came to rest at her hips. It was a kiss he had been groping for blindly ever since he knew her, and embrace he had been hungry for ever since they had became friends, a closeness he had desired ever since they became engaged.

The prickling in the back of his head never ceased through the entire kiss, and he began to panic that possibly he had already gone to bed and that this was just a dream, that it would just be his mind playing tricks on him. But it became more comforting until it formed itself into words, a voice, Yurika's voice.

"Oh, it's not a dream, Junny. I've just been in your head since we started dancing. I'm sorry. But I… I was scared, you know?"

'Of what?' It didn't seem strange at all to him that he was continuing a conversation in his head. It was this lack of wonder that caused Yurika to suddenly pull away, searching his face for an expression, concern in her eyes. "You're not confused?"

Jun shook his head, but opted to answer the mental message in the same method. 'No. I know you don't like your magic, but since you have to practice anyway, this is fine.' She smiled. "I was scared of what you would say. I've always pushed you away, and I was worried that you would have gotten used to that, and that my approaching you would suddenly be inappropriate. I don't know. It made sense in my head."

'I suppose it would. So… that memory…'

"Yes, I… I found it and replayed it in your head."

'Why?'

"Because that's when I first noticed you. Granted, it was a few glances, but I noticed that you never had any fun that night. And that you were looking at me like you would never be able to talk to me. It… it gave me confidence, because now I was a little scared of you!" A laugh, then the tingling stopped. Yurika pushed a strand of Jun's hair away from his eyes. "I have fancied you for a while, you know. It's just… this is one of the first times I've actually worked on it," she spoke, her voice sounding strange without the slight muffle from her speaking in his head. Jun nodded, resting his forehead on hers the second her hands were away from his face. "Flamma, I love you so much, Yurika."

"I know. I've known for a while." A pause. "You're so warm, you know that?"

"I'm always warm, Yurika. It's the magic."

"No. Even in your head. There was this… this heat. I don't know what it was, but it wasn't bad. It was almost… passionate."

Jun let out a small laugh through his nose and kissed her once again. It was something he had always wanted to do, but only now did it ever seem like it would ever happen in the first place.

~*~

He never should have come in here. He knew it before he had even entered the room. But there was something that drew him in there, almost like a sound he had to investigate. But it didn't matter anymore, not with this, this MONSTER inserting her knife into his abdomen again and again. He did not know who she was, but he knew she was a guest.

It didn't seem to faze him as she cut through the tendons and ligaments of his wrists, blood spattering her pale skin and the wooden floor, drenching his silver robes even more than they already were. It did in fact confuse him as to why she was doing it. Her voice. He could hear it, but barely. She mumbled things about him deserving it, that he never should have done it, that she could smell her on him. It wasn't really clear.

Magus, the PAIN. The slow emptiness of his blood, the sudden ache of ghost-limbs, the convulsing that had suddenly come. He fell back, his legs shaking far too much to support him, even with her holding him up. She glared at him, rancor burning in her eyes. "You won't get out of it that easily. You will die."

"No, you have to stop! Please!" He could see her. She looked positively frightened. She shook her head violently. "Why must you make me watch this again and again?" Would it be possible that this other woman would be able to stop this heinous crime?

"Because I need you." His murderer's voice seemed to take a softer note, as if prepared for this question, but not impatient. It didn't seem to fit her, now squatting and toying with her blood-soaked knife, dangling it above his chest. It didn't matter to him if she stabbed him again. She was right about one thing; he was going to die. He could feel his consciousness slipping, his vision going dark, a slight tingling in the back of his mind. His breathing quickened, trying to keep a hold on the world around him, as if it would somehow keep him alive.

A malicious smile grew on her face; it too splattered with the liquid that gave him life, spilling carelessly on the expensive floor. The Emperor would be angry. But that was most likely an understatement. His head was becoming very woozy and it was becoming more difficult to comprehend anything.

"It ends now." With that, she plunged the knife deep into his chest, completely center on his heart. The searing ache, no, pain, he let out a noise unintentionally, but it seemed much more quiet than it was. He lost his grip. Darkness closed in, and then he was engulfed in silver light. It was over.

She pulled her knife out of his chest and looked at it, gazing at the shine of the metal and the dark red fluid staining it. "We'll have to go earlier, so that I can clean up." She glanced at the other woman, sobbing in a corner of the room. "You may want to as well. We have to cover our tracks, after all."

"Why must you make me do this?"

"Come now, you knew this was coming. Now, we go." She nodded slowly, knowing that she was right. A flash of silver, and they were gone, their carnage left behind for anyone to find.

~*~

Rumiko felt his ears perk up suddenly, as if some sort of sound that was out of place had rung in his ears without his knowledge. He listened intently, hearing the common talking and laughter associated with the group in question. But something was amiss. Like a continuous ring in his ears, he could just feel that something had gone horribly wrong, but the extent of this could never be guessed.

After a once-over glance around the room to discover that it certainly wasn't in there, he gave a nod to his newly-wed wife. "Meg, I'm going to go out to the throne room and main hall for a moment, all right?" Megumi looked over his concerned look and realized that he wanted to check something, or felt a little odd at the moment and wanted some time to look things over from the outside, or something of the like. She nodded and Rumiko left, giving her gloved hand a quick squeeze as he made his way toward the double doors.

He opened it slowly, feeling a bit foolish for his anticipation. As if he was going to find anything in there. But of course, he hadn't actually been able to enter. The lights in there were electric, and they were commonly left on unless everyone was asleep. So it came to no surprise to Rumiko that the lamps were on.

What did come to a surprise was the body of one Mythos Entrada slumped unnaturally in one of the common chairs in the room, his arms at his sides and the ends of them, where his hands should have been, oozing blood onto the expensive floor. Just under his feet was a puddle of blood that started to run toward the back of the room. His head was flung to his side, his lips parted and his eyes wide open. The gruesome scene of such a horrendous act left Rumiko scrambling for words, his hand coming up to cover his mouth as a wave of nausea passed over him.

After gagging and coughing a few times, he was able to control himself to really focus on the problem at hand. Mythos had obviously been murdered during the party. The sudden ringing in Rumiko's ears could have possibly been Mythos groping for help. He searched his own head and realized that that was not the case. There wasn't an intruder, as the doors had already been spelled against them. An intruder would have instantly fallen unconscious and alarms would have sounded. He hated to admit it, but after a quick review of the situation, it could have only been a guest.

Instead of becoming sad over the death of the old emperor, he stomped his way back to the doors and flung them open with a rage that could have only been compared to his patron God only a mere year ago.

The doors crashed against the walls loudly, bringing an instant silence. "What is the meaning of this?!" he shouted, his amber eyes aflame with anger. There was no answer, but Megumi forced her way through the crowd and to her husband. "Rumiko, what's wrong?"

He closed his eyes, attempting to put a dam on his anger so he wouldn't snap at her. After composing himself, he said in a completely monotonous voice, "There's been a murder." Whispering broke out throughout the crowd, and Rumiko felt heavy as he watched Megumi's face contort into one of disgust and disbelief. "Who?"

"Mythos." Rumiko felt his anger well again. "Someone here has murdered Mythos Entrada, and I intend to figure out whom as soon as possible."

"Is it possible that it was an intruder?" Rumiko switched his gaze toward Inez, who now stepped forward and crossed her arms, fitting her reputation just a bit too well. Megumi still looked so puzzled at how something like this could happen, but she shook her head. "No, the front doors are spelled with a certain phrase, otherwise the alarms would have gone off and the intruder rendered unconscious until someone could counter it. That's… that's just how it goes. Rumiko," she urged, grabbing his sleeve and directing his attention toward her again, "are you sure? Here? In our home?"

Inez pushed her glasses up her nose. "Rumiko, I'd like to see this, if you would." Rumiko shook his head. "No, Lady Ai, this is not a sight for –"

"Let her go, Rumiko." Igadosu interrupted. Rumiko suddenly found himself at a loss for words again. "She would be most helpful, I'm sure, in this investigation. Perhaps we could also contact the authorities…"

"No. No, we can't. Not until I get a look at this." Inez pushed past the Emperor and empress of Ninlan and into the room. She gazed at the corpse for a moment before reaching into the pocket in her cloak, pulling out a pair of gloves. Then, she put them on and began to take in facts of the scene before her. "His hands have been severed, and there is a deep wound in his chest." She pushed on it a bit, feeling its position. "Yes, it's in his heart. Also, obvious wounds to his lower abdomen. You say this couldn't have been an intruder?"

"No."

"Hmm." Inez glanced around the room, squinting. "If you were to ask me, it seems as if this would be the work of the same person behind the murder of Kusakabe Haruki and Aqua Crimson, but that is just a guess. However, we must take precautions… they have been saying that the murderer behind those was a Jumper. I can't see magic very well, so…"

Rumiko nodded. "I can. And there is some sort of silver glitter, but it may have been his…" He came in, his wife sticking her head in a bit, then gasping. Much of the crowd entered then, drawn to the scene as one cannot look away from a train wreck. He came closer, noting the silver that covered the floor near the chair. "May I borrow one of those?" Inez nodded, handing him another gloves out of her pocket. After putting it on, he tentatively brushed the patch of silver, reaching out to determine precisely whose it was.

Everyone underestimated her, but that was her plan. Everyone just thought she was a complete ditz. But she was really a tactical genius. That's why Erina chose her to be the captain. Not because of her, or at least she believed.

Rumiko didn't need to hear anymore. It was obvious. He spun around instantly and pointed into the crowd. "You," he growled, his searing rage shining through in full for the first time. The crowd parted to see who he was pointing at, and stopped at Yurika, who tilted her head to the side in confusion. "You… you think I did this?" she stammered.

"You did this." He began walking towards her, but was stopped in a second by Megumi, stepping in front of him and holding her arms out. She shook her head. "There is no way that it could have been Yurika, try again."

"No, Megan, it was her, you can check it yourself."

"Yurika would never kill anyone!"

"And you said the same thing about Jun!"

Megumi gasped, but held her ground. "How could you even think of bringing this up?"

"Megan, I have a dead body in my throne room and the evidence points at her!"

"You're not certified to even make that kind of assumption, Rumiko!"

"Well, then explain why I have a spot of her signature in here?" Megumi opened her mouth, but found nothing to come out, and was just gaping. There was no explanation.

"Oh Magus, I never thought that…" Yurika flapped her hands at her face, which was growing red and she looking like she was either going to throw up or cry or both. "I didn't think it would come to that, I'm so, so sorry…"

"What? Out with it, Yurika!" growled Rumiko, who was instantly silenced by a look from Megumi. Yurika shook her head violently, but then ran over to where the gifts lay, picking one up from the top. "I Jumped in here earlier to check on him, but I never thought I would leave a signature here, or that it would matter… I'm so sorry…"

"Him?" Even the storming Emperor was caught off guard by this explanation. Yurika nodded quickly, opening the box herself. Megumi gasped and found herself instantly at Yurika's side. "It's a puppy!"

Yurika nodded, her tears finally spilling over. "I… I Jumped in here to check on him, I was so worried about him… I didn't think I would get in trouble for it…" Megumi shook her head, "no, it's okay, Yurika."

Rumiko rolled his eyes. "There's no proof."

"Pot, kettle." Rumiko found his jaw falling as he switched his gaze to Inez, who was pulling off her gloves. "But I suppose she obviously has alibis for her innocence for the entire night, yes?"

Yurika's eyes grew wide, then she nodded. Jun stepped forward. "She was with me a lot." Inez nodded. "Who else? I know she wasn't just with you, Aoi-san, no matter how she feels about you." Inez smiled a bit at Jun, but then felt it fall again. As soon as she finished speaking, hands flew up in the crowd of people she had hung around with, danced with, talked to, or was just seen by. Among them were Gai, Akito, Minato, Ruri, Lapis, Izumi, Hikaru, and many, many others, most of which were Nadesico crew in one way or another. It was because of this that Rumiko was suddenly skeptical. But that was until he noticed that his wife's hand was now raised, despite the fact that she stood at Yurika's side.

He threw his arms into the air. "I give up. But something must be done about this." Megumi nodded slowly, finding herself still staring at the grotesque corpse. It was all so fake, there was just no way she could possibly believe that that was Mythos there, that someone in there home, possibly in this room at this very moment, killed him. Her eyes grazed over the faces, many of which she had known from the Nadesico, and so many that she had just recently met. Could it have been any of them?

She shook her head. This was the attitude that was getting Rumiko pissed off and looking to point fingers at anyone, even Yurika. She brushed a strand of hair away from Yurika's face. Her wedding didn't seem to be affecting many. But there had also been fighting, new friendships, possible new relationships, and now this. The priest that had married her to Rumiko just that morning… killed in their own house. How was she supposed to feel safe? How was she supposed to know that her marriage wasn't cursed from the start?

"Gods damn it all to hell," she whispered, blocking these thoughts as quick as she could. She didn't need to be depressed on top of it. But she had to admit that her happiest day of her life was proving to be not as happy as others would believe. In fact, it could have even been considered a horrible day. She turned to Igadosu, who was just reaching out to touch her shoulder to make sure she was all right. She nodded slowly. "Igadosu, would you be so kind as to report this to the authorities as soon as possible? Tell them all that we know. I want to know who did this as soon as possible, and I'm sure that Rumiko would agree."

"I would." He still glared at Yurika, but kept his comments to himself, something that truly deserved Megumi's gratitude she felt. With her nod, he left the room, the crowd suddenly dispersing to come look at Mythos's body for anything they may have missed, come to comfort Yurika or ask Megumi and Inez questions, or just to go back to their rooms to talk privately. Megumi answered this as best she could, and as short as possible. When she got the majority to leave her alone, she looked into the box that now sat in Yurika's lap, as she had opted for sitting on the floor since she was so afraid of moving and so tired of standing. He was a cute little dog, a very furry golden-retriever that seemed completely oblivious to what was going on, except that the girl whose head was bent down wasn't paying any attention to him and the other girl was. He quickly moved over to where Megumi could see him better. Megumi smiled and patted him on the head, then began to pet him until she finally was able to rub his stomach. Yurika noticed the attention Megumi was giving her present, which was actually a few other residents of Yamada Manor's contribution, but a nice one at that. Yurika felt a rather rare smile grow on her face, despite the still ever-present copper scent that filled the air. Megumi smiled back and patted Yurika on the head in a similar fashion to the dog. Yurika looked a little happier to know she most definitely had an ally in Megumi, even if Rumiko suspected her of murder.

Megumi looked around the room suddenly at who was still standing there. Mari was talking with Saburota, shuddering at the obvious thought. Jun, on the other side of the room with Akito and a few of their other friends, looked confused, not wanting to piss off Rumiko, obviously, but also not wanting to look inconsiderate. Hikaru, surprisingly enough, was standing over by the ruined chair, staring at what used to be Mythos Entrada. She sighed, clasped her hands in Pentakami prayer, and bowed deeply, full of respect. Megumi frowned. There were many others, but the puppy was intent on getting out of the box and she suddenly had to try to keep him in. It had touched them all, even if not everyone had met him when they had originally come to Carmina to ask for the barrier that protected and isolated Ninlan for centuries. This entire thing was crazy, and Megumi honestly could not wait for this day to end.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: So, um, yeah? ^^;;; That kind of sucked, I think, and got a little wordy at the end, but yeah. That was the plot suddenly coming up and slapping people in the face. But anyway… I didn't fuck it up too bad, did I? Yeah, I did… Dammit. Anyway, I have no freaking clue when the next chapter will be. I hate the cat. And other things that are equally sucking. And I have no idea what will be in it, actually. But this should be a good cliffhanger for now. I'm just upset that I didn't get to follow through in my plans of having this finished by January… oh well. It's okay. I'll be seeing you when I actually have time to work on this again. Till then, tell me what you thought and don't you dare yell at me for a lack of updating.