A/N

I can't believe it's been a year, damn. Looking back at the earlier chapters of this story, I feel that I've improved with my writing, but I hope that nonetheless, it can be enjoyed even though I think I could do better.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid I won't be able to finish this story. I had the plot structured out and most of the chapters somewhat written, but foolish me turned in a bit too late. All those chapters are gone now due to too much time having passed. The only one I had left was this one, 20 days away from being deleted as well. It's sad, but perhaps it wasn't meant to be. I've been struggling an extreme bunch. With how things are going, I will likely not be uploading another chapter ever. I was very keen on finishing writing this, but alas, things tend to go array. I'm sorry to all of you who might've been genuinely invested and are not going to see the conclusion of this story now. I will upload this last chapter I still had with minor changes. Regardless of everything, thank you for sticking with me. I had a good time.

What followed was but a blur in Miku's head. Her dad had proposed for her to participate in an "experiment" with Luka, to see if what she said held any merit. She had accepted immediately, as she was keen on taking any opportunity she got to get closer to Luka, wherever she was.

A few days later she was picked up by a bunch of scientist-looking guys. All in white lab coats, which felt a bit surreal and freaky. They made Miku sit with them on one of those small buses, on which during the ride she was instructed to wear a lab coat as well for reasons that left her confused. They told her how to act around the place and to follow instructions, this and that... Miku struggled to pay attention. The only thing on her mind was her dragon friend.

When they appeared at the vicinity a long drive later, Miku and the other people accompanying her entered a room with white walls except for one which instead looked to be made of metal. It didn't fit well. The room was spacious and if the abundance of machinery and gadgets were anything to go by, this was an important room, and Miku could think of one reason why - Luka was there. Miku wasn't sure how they could've cramped a dragon into a room like it, but she also had no concept of how big it really was and what other emergency changes might've taken place except for the metal wall which looked like it hadn't always been there. Miku couldn't shake the feeling she had and it made her anxious beyond any measure. Luka was on the other side of it, she must've been!

Miku and the men continued on to a much smaller room right next to the large one, where she was instructed to sit behind a desc with various monitors, all shut off. In the center of it stood a device that couldn't have been anything but a microphone. One of the men checked up on everything before giving Miku her next task.

"Speak into the microphone."

Miku wanted to ask a thing or two, but she knew there was no point. Whatever she said now, Luka would hear, she was sure of it. The tealette sighed and gulped. She wanted to talk to Luka so bad, but now she was suddenly very lost. What would she even say? Was there anything she could say to help Luka escape? On the other hand, she had to make sure to comfort her, if nothing else.

"Luka."

What followed was utter silence as Miku waited for any confirmation that her friend had heard her. She noted how at least one of the men put a hand on his ear, presumably to hear someone better from a device perched onto his ear. Miku wouldn't know, but he was undeniably being talked to.

"Continue." was all the man said. Once again, Miku kept her questions to herself. She trusted that she already knew what was happening.

"It's me, Luka."

This time, an audible thud ringed out, followed by other muffled sounds. Miku's eyes widened in relief, a glimmer of hope returning to them. That was the reaction Miku was waiting for. She could only imagine how Luka was feeling, hearing but not seeing her and after everything that had happened, too.

"It's okay." was her immediate response to the sounds which promptly stopped afterwards. Miku had only then realized how frequently she used that phrase near Luka. Perhaps that was why it managed to calm her down almost instantly. Miku kept her eyes peeled on a point only she could see on the black monitor, but she could tell some of the people with her were surprised. The man next to her was talking back to whoever it was that was giving him information. Miku paid little attention, all she knew was that they were discussing what to do next. She herself now felt a hurry to think of an escape plan for Luka. She wasn't leaving without her!

A lot of things about Luka remained confusing to the tealette and one of those things were her abilities. She remembered being told that they show up at odd times, in a manner which Luka herself was unable to pinpoint exactly. She had clearly used a beam of light against the two dragons days prior and Miku had to put faith in her ability to do it again, even in her weakened state. By how it looked, it must've been some sort of attack powerful enough to break her out of this confinement. There was no other way Luka was getting out of there with how guarded the place was. Miku could try to run and press random buttons to open a door that might or might not have led to Luka, but the chances of succession that way were laughably small unless they really did leave crucial buttons like that unguarded and easy for her to run off and activate.

"Please, follow us." the man said, stopping Miku's train of thought completely.

"Where are we going?"

"We can't disclose that information right now. Please, follow us."

'Am I going to see her?' was another question lingering on Miku's mind, but the answer surely wouldn't differ from the previous one. Miku realized, suddenly very alarmed, that this might've very well been it. They got what they wanted, who's to say she was actually going to be able to see Luka? That wouldn't benefit them anymore, would it? This could be the last chance she'll get. Pushing away the tinge of hesitation, Miku grabbed the microphone and yelled.

"LUKA!"

She yelled with all the distress and panic she could conjure up in that brief moment before she was practically tackled by the men, dragging her off of the chair as several others went to the table, pressing buttons, typing something... All the while yelling things she had long tuned out. The only noise of importance right then was that of Luka thrashing about, slamming into walls and flailing around. Miku's heart raced as she heard it all happen somewhere in the other room. She prayed for Luka to somehow escape, to somehow find the strength to. People were yelling and Luka was trying to break out, but to no avail. Miku found herself screaming more, shouting out to her suffering companion and it was at that moment when the ground shook and something loud ringed out, almost clogging her ears.

The beam of light had returned.

The right side of the small room was completely obliterated as the unbearably bright beam was shot out. Everyone stilled suddenly and Miku covered her face, as did the workers wrestled on the floor with a firm grip on her. The beam of light travelled higher, then lower, and then far off to the right. Miku's mind barely registered the sounds of explosions, things falling and sirens going off all around her.

"LUKA!" she screamed as soon as the light disappeared, leaving a giant tunnel-like hole across the building. Either unsure of how to proceed or frozen in fear, the men didn't stop her from calling out to her friend. Regardless, it was too late as Miku heard and felt Luka drag herself towards her.

And there she was.

With the room half destroyed and with a large, gaping hole, Luka's head poked in. Miku then realized what it was that she had seen covering Luka's head from the live footage her father had shown her. It was some sort of metal contraption and it really did contain all of Luka's head. The lower half near Luka's mouth however had been completely burned off, still dripping with melted steel and sending sparks from when Luka had let out that laser-like beam. Blood dripped from her mouth, but she seemed ultimately unbothered as she stood, silent. She was waiting.

In complete ecstasy and relief, Miku called out to her one more time. Luka turned her head to stare directly at her, if only the head constraint weren't in the way. If the workers on the ground weren't silent before, they definitely were now. Miku spoke silently, saying that it was okay and that she was there and Luka took a step towards her. A few of the people there ran for their lives while others stayed, frozen in fear. Miku managed to wrestle herself free without too much of a struggle now and bolted to Luka, her arms reaching around her head as best they could to hold her close.

"It's okay," she half-whispered, unable to really find her voice, but Luka heard. Despite everything, despite the metal constraint and the injuries, the dragon relaxed, nuzzling ever so slightly closer.

One of many explosions rang out again and Miku was brought back to the present, the blaring sirens and screams all around her suddenly very audible.

"Luka, fly!" she shouted, uselessly doing the motion with her fingers as Luka couldn't see it. Obviously the dragon didn't fly, but Miku figured it was best she didn't yet for she had no grip on her. The tealette ran to Luka's side to climb up onto her back. The dragon seemed to understand. She lowered her body to allow Miku to climb on and coiled her head as she felt the girl's mass safely perched up on her. After a few seconds of gathering strength, she let out another blinding beam of light and started running as her way was burned clear. Miku couldn't tell how much of the building they ran through, but the instant Luka felt fresh air against her body, she spread her wings and Miku almost lost her grip as they bounced up into the sky. The scraps of the walls they ran through had wounded her wings as she stretched them but alas, she was flying.

Miku was thankful that Luka kept soaring despite her injuries, despite the constraint that although damaged, was still on her head and limiting her senses and despite her not knowing where she was headed.

Luka was visibly struggling to stay stable in the air, but she gave it her all. She flapped her wings rapidly with upmost strength, a scary amount of feathers falling behind her. Because of the hole in the metal contraption around the dragon's head, Miku could hear her desperately gasping for air as she pushed herself past her limits. It was frustratingly evident that Luka was absolutely exhausted, yet she kept going despite her balance faltering constantly. She kept flying lower and lower, her body now grazing against the leaves of taller trees in the forested area, and as soon as they did, Luka bounced a little higher again. She couldn't keep it up for long, but they couldn't stop just yet, they had to get far enough for no one to be able to track them. Because of that, Miku was relieved once Luka stopped leaving a trail of feathers behind.

Gazing what felt like beyond the horizon, Miku started to see buildings from behind the treetops. They couldn't just land there though, they had to hide and recover before they could proceed back home or any civilization. Miku glanced around them desperately while Luka did her best not to lower too far down. They were approaching a slightly more mountainous area though and Miku had been too preoccupied to notice them flying straight into a low enough cliffside for them to collide with it. She yelled Luka's name, but there was nothing she could do but brace for impact as Luka slammed into the cliff. Miku feared the feathers she gripped onto would rip out and make her fall, but they were sturdy enough to support her weight while Luka tumbled down onto the ground, her wings catching onto tree branches. Her body slumped into the soft grass beneath and she stayed laying there, breathing heavily but otherwise motionless. Miku climbed off her back but could barely take two steps before she nearly collapsed. She sat down with her back against the cliff, trying to catch her breath.

This might not have been a good spot for all she knew, they could still be found, but considering the circumstances, at last, they could rest. They were hurt and exhausted, especially Luka, but they could rest now. As Miku gathered her own strength, her vision cleared and she had time to really take in the sight before her.

Luka's massive body lay before her, raising and lowering as she heaved. The action of flying seemed to have reopened several wounds as they were once again bleeding, or at least so Miku assumed. Luka's feathery coat made it hard to see, but she was covered in gashes and Miku couldn't tell if they were from her encounter with the two dragons or because of the escape. She desired to cover those wounds with her white coat, just like she had when they first met, or with bandages, like she did in her apartment on that fateful day. She had the white lab coat still on her, she could use it. Luka was still in her dragon form, though.

Exhausted as she was, she made her way over to Luka's side and despite how much it hurt and scraped at her skin, shoved her hand inside the bloodied and broken metal constraint. Her hand somehow reached Luka's forehead and at long last, Luka began shrinking. She seemed to have gathered enough strength for the transformation, though it was very lengthy this time. Miku retracted her slightly bruised hand and watched as the half burnt off metal fell off of Luka's head with a clash. Luka didn't raise her head though, she kept it low, covered by her ruffled feathery hair. Luka grunted in pain here and there - understandably so. Miku didn't know what it felt like to transform, let alone to transform while covered in wounds. But, Luka was strong and resilient.

When Luka was finally done and sighed in relief, ahe raised her head. She shook her head almost like a wet dog as her hair fell to the side, revealing her big blue eyes which had not been laid upon Miku for an unbearably long time, both dried and fresh blood on her face.

Miku gave an ever so slight but genuine smile. Luka didn't smile, her lips were pressed in a thin like before she leaped over to Miku to envelop her in her arms. Before anything, Miku pulled back for just a bit to remove the lab coat she was still wearing and drape it instead over Luka. As she did, Luka's arms found their way around her body again, gripping onto her so much it almost hurt, her sharp nails teared holes into Miku's jacket, but Miku couldn't care less. She held onto Luka carefully with much less strength so as not to irritate any of her wounds, but the same amount of desire to have her close was still present. The same amount of desire to protect her, as Luka's desire to be protected. Miku swore, that no one was ever going to lay a finger on her again.

Miku couldn't tell if Luka was crying at all, but she could feel her own eyes brimming with tears. She could feel some parts of her clothes slowly soaking with Luka's warm blood. It was okay. They were gonna go home and heal her right up. Everything was okay. Luka was going to be okay.

And with that thought they continued to hold each other through the night.

As anticipated, her eyes soon opened and she could get a clear view of Luka sitting next to her. What caught her eyes was her neck. The bite marks of that awful fight with the red and blue dragon were still there and she questioned how Luka was even alive. Miku's eyes got watery almost immediately, still, she fought back tears and attempted to keep a stable voice.

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt as much..."

"That's good..."

Miku wanted to continue the conversation, but it would take just one more word for her to break down and yet, she took the risk.

"I'm sorry."

Tears began streaming down her face, but at least she said what she had wanted to above all else. Finally. Finally, she could apologize.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, her voice breaking, swallowed by her irratic inhalation and loud sobs that broke loose after each time her breath got stuck in her throat, filling the usually pleasing silence with nothing but audible guilt. Had she not been crying her heart out, she would've laughed at how quickly their roles had switched. Luka was obviously very distraught and Miku felt it was unfair for her to cry instead of the pinkette.

Try as she did, Miku couldn't hold back her cries, not one bit as she felt Luka wrap her arms around her trembling, fragile body. She wasted no time in hugging her back, trying so desperately to grab onto something, anything. She hoped she wasn't accidently pulling on Luka's hair or feathers, she knew that even if she was, Luka wouldn't show it. She was too selfish for that.

Luka wouldn't blame Miku for any of this, she was too damn selfish.

Miku couldn't tell if she was more frustrated with herself or Luka. She couldn't tell if she was sad or angry. The tealette let out one half-yell of exasperation, after which she began calming down, slowly, but surely.

Luka spoke at last when Miku's cries had decreased into occasional gasps for air and hiccups, she seemed to be extremely careful with her words.

"Miku."

The addressed girl tried to quiet down as best as she could, if only to make sure she heard Luka.

"I don't blame you."

"Of course you don't."

Miku wanted to add more, but feared her own voice betraying her. She wasn't sure if her frustration was evident in what she had said at all, she wasn't sure if she wanted it to be either.

"...Of course I don't."

The reply in itself was blunt, but the way Luka said it conveyed so much more. She understood Miku to the very brim of her existance, it seemed. She understood how the girl felt and didn't start bantering her with sweet nothings about the guilt Miku shouldn't have carried, contrary to what Miku would've expected of her.

"Thank you for saving me, Miku."

"No..."

"Thank you."

"I don't..."

Luka only smiled and giggled softly. Miku liked this. She liked being in Luka's arms, comforted by her, even though the pinkette was the one who had suffered most.

After what felt like hours since the beginning of their dream, Luka finally pulled away to look Miku in the eye. She would make sure any stray tears would be wiped away, though Miku didn't understand why the hug had been broken.

"W-were you gonna say anything?"

"Miku."

"Stop calling me so ominously."

A slight hint of amusement appeared on Luka's lips.

"Miku."

The younger girl just sighed and looked downward, not sure if she felt like the teasing was appropriate. She could tell immediately when Luka turned serious, though that kind smile remained on her face.

"You're always here for me and you've done so much... I'm always there for you too, Miku," she muttered, contemplating on how to continue.

"But, when we depart..."

Luka held Miku in a half-hug like manner, loosely resting her hands on her waist as she leaned her head on her shoulder, whispering to her.

"Please don't forget me."

Huh?

"Where's this coming from?"

Luka didn't answer, but Miku didn't need one anyway. She already knew. As much as she hated to tell it to herself, with how things had gone, her and Luka's paths could separate sooner than intended. Before she could ensure Luka's safe return, too. The pinkette had to be an absolute moron to think Miku could ever forget her though. She let one of her hands pet Luka's head, stroking that strange hair of hers.

"I'll never forget you, Luka. I'll be damned if I do."