JUST LOVE

Chapter Twenty

Ryudo entered the gates of Cyrum Castle with Elena on his back. When the two were about half way through the meadow to get to Cyrum, they decided to take a break. Ryudo sat under a tree and relaxed there while Elena went off on her own to find a river for a drink. When she least expected it down at the river, Elena was attacked by a Chameleon. The Chameleon bit her leg and managed to poison her at the same time. Fortunately, Elena managed to cast a Cure spell on herself before the poison had a chance to spread throughout her body. More fortunately, Ryudo got to save her on time when she cried for help. But unfortunately, magic spells were not enough to fully heal her leg so Ryudo had to carry her on his back for the rest of the trip since she could not walk on her own.

"Great, we're finally here," Ryudo panted when they entered the castle. He was ready to fall down any second for having to carry Elena for the rest of their journey.

"I am sorry for not being careful back there Ryudo. If I did not let my guard down, I would not have been such a burden," Elena apologized.

Ryudo laughed a bit. "No kidding, I'm really tired for hauling you all the way here. Geez Princess, you're heavier than a hippo. What have you been snacking on lately?"

Elena hit his chest lightly. "Are you calling me fat Ryudo?"

"Fat? I didn't call you fat. Did you hear me call you fat, huh Princess?" Ryudo retaliated innocently.

"No but you..."

"Lord Ryudo! Lady Elena!" a voice called out. It was Paulk with Skye flying right behind him. "Are you two all right?"

"I'm okay but Elena hurt her leg," Ryudo answered.

"I am sorry to hear that. Please take the lady to her room. I will go get the royal doctor," Paulk suggested and left.

"Sure, I'll do that," Ryudo nodded.

"I've got a lot of things to tell you," Skye said.

"We've got a lot of things to tell you too but let's take Elena to her room first," the Geohound told him.

Ryudo took Elena to her room. He laid her gently on her bed as gentle as he could as to not hurt her leg further. He then collapsed on the floor and panted for his breath. His back hurt and his legs were sore. The combination of carrying Elena all the way to Cyrum and taking all of those stairs to get to her room drained all of his energy.

"Ryudo!" Elena cried.

"I'm okay... heh... uh... just give me a minute to..." Ryudo wheezed. He crawled towards a chair and managed to pull himself up and seat himself.

"Thanks for everything Ryudo," Elena smiled.

"Don't worry about it," Ryudo smiled back. He then looked around and noticed something. "Say, where's Melfice and the others?"

"That's what I was going to tell you about," Skye said, who was perched on a bookshelf. "You see, we were attacked by a dragon. We tried to fight it off but it was too strong for us so we decided to retreat. I ran away first... well fly really, but when I almost reached Cyrum, I noticed that the others weren't following me anymore. I went back to look for them but there was no sign of them so I decided to come here to see if any of you would show up. How about you two? What happened to you?"

Ryudo scratched the back of his head and chuckled a bit. "Well, we got trapped in the Birthplace of the Gods. Me and Elena... well we... uh... um..." Ryudo looked away as he blushed a bit when he remembered the tender moment he and Elena shared.

"We tried looking for a way out but we uh..." Elena continued but she started to get flustered herself.

"We were attacked by a dragon! Yeah, we were attacked by a dragon! Yeah that's right but I beat it and managed to find another exit," Ryudo blurted out when he felt the redness in his cheeks fade.

Skye gave the two a suspicious look. "Really?"

Ryudo cocked up an eyebrow. "You don't believe us?"

"Well..." Skye started but was cut off by Elena.

"Look, Paulk and the doctor are here!" she announced. "Come in you two."

Paulk and the doctor entered the room and gave Elena a respective bow and then Ryudo. "Thank you kind Lady," Paulk said.

The doctor took a step forward and knelt down next to Elena's bed. He examined Elena's leg to see what was wrong with it. "Let's see what's wrong here."

Ryudo finally gathered enough strength to stand up. "What's wrong with her leg doctor?"

The doctor stood up and adjusted his glasses. "Well, her muscles are sore and some of her tendons were twisted. You should see some swelling and bruises a little later on. I don't have anything right now that could treat your leg so I'll be back tomorrow. Right now, Elena should stay in bed and get some rest."

"Right," Ryudo nodded.

"Thank you doctor," Elena said gratefully.

"You are welcome. I will see you tomorrow Lady Elena." The doctor took a bow and left the room.

"It looks like you'll be stuck in bed for awhile Elena," Ryudo told her.

"What about the others Ryudo? When do you plan on looking for them?" Skye nagged.

"I'm thinking!" Ryudo snarled through clenched teeth.

"Oh, that reminds me... the Granasaber Ship's repairs and upgrades have been completed," Paulk announced. "With it, you can search for King Roan and the others with ease."

Ryudo arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes, the Granasaber Ship is ready to aid you in your mission. Would you like me to take you to it?"

"Yeah, sure," Ryudo said.

"Please follow me." Paulk bowed to Elena respectively and left the room.

"I'll go check that ship. I'll be back." Ryudo let Skye fly onto his shoulder and exited Elena's chamber to follow Paulk.

Paulk led the Geohound and the talking eagle back to the factory that used to make the Automatas. The three stepped into an elevator and Paulk pressed the "down" button when the doors closed. "We shall be there shortly."

"Say, why did you guys rebuild this place?"

Paulk cleared his throat and spoke. "My Lord, this place was equipped with a lot of advanced technology that could easily rival Liligue's. King Roan's advisors suggested that we rebuild this place to increase Cyrum's industrial economy. Instead of producing Automatas, we make various machines here that are beneficial to our people like hospital equipment, household appliances, and ship engines. In fact, some of our engineers are working on a new ship engine that is more powerful than the 50/50. And now, we are using our technology to fix your ship. The Granasaber is found at the very bottom of the factory."

"Wow, I hope your engineers do make a better engine than the 50/50's," Ryudo said with a small touch of sarcasm.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. "It looks like we are here," Paulk announced.

The three stepped out of the elevator and Ryudo was in awe when he saw the Granasaber stand a few meters away from. The Granasaber was all fixed and shiny. Any dents or scratches from the battle with the winged dragons were gone. He was impressed that they accomplished this in a few days although he did not show it. "So... exactly what kind of upgrades did you guys do?"

Paulk did not know the answer. He looked around and saw a group of engineers, who sat around in a table at a corner of the underground harbour while they ate their lunches. He waved at them. "Lord Ryudo wishes to know about your work on the Granasaber Ship."

One of the engineers walked up to Ryudo. He took out a flat, round little gadget from his pocket and pressed a red button on the side of it. "Lord Ryudo, Sir Paulk, let me present you the new and improved Granasaber!" he said excitedly. The center of the gadget on his palm fired a small beam of light into the air. The beam of light formed a rotating, semi transparent holographic model of the Granasaber in front of them.

"First, we repaired your ship but I'm pretty sure you can already see that so next, we... installed some weapons. We equipped the Granasaber its original weapons. The ship can shoot out yellow chains of light but at the same time, it can also use these chains of light to form a protective barrier around it. We also added another weapon. We call it the De Esperanza." The engineer pressed another button on his gadget. The hologram showed the Granasaber firing a powerful red laser from its tip. "The De Esperanza is very powerful, it could easily destroy a town or maybe a mountain but it uses up a lot of fuel so be careful.

The engineer pressed another button and the hologram zoomed in at the Granasaber's midsection. The hologram showed a cross section of the Granasaber so Ryudo could see what the ship looked like on the inside. "We left the bridge and the hangar just the way they were. However, we included seven bedrooms with their own bathrooms in case anyone needs a rest. We also included a small lounge where you can grab something to eat or coffee. Finally, we added an emergency room where you can find spare fuel tanks and parachutes. So, Lord Ryudo, what do you think of the ship?"

Ryudo scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Thanks... thanks a lot for doing all of this... but I've got a question."

The engineer raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

"Does it come with a manual? I don't know how to fly this thing, only Tio does."

The engineer laughed. "Oh, do not worry about that. The ship is programmed with an auto pilot feature."

"Okay, thanks." Ryudo looked at the Granasaber from its tip to its end. "This is great, with this, I can find Melfice and the others and also give us an edge against the Cathedral Knights and whatever dragons they sic on us," he thought.

***

Lance and company left the Iga Ninja Fortress after they ate their breakfasts. They went through another forest and then crossed the Baked Plains to get to Liligue. Millenia wiped sweat off of her forehead and snarled, "Are we there yet?!" She was really annoyed with the Ninja. They had spent most of the day walking under the blazing heat of the sun. She insisted many times that they should take a break once in awhile but the Ninja just urged everyone to keep going.

Lance walked forward and looked ahead to see if they were close to Liligue. "Hmph, it's just a mile away from here."

The others ran up to him. "You... you are right... I can see the gates from here..." Roan panted.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Lance said coldly and started to walk again. He was just as tired as everyone else but did not let it show. Besides, he had important things to attend to so he was very anxious to get to the city.

Melfice, like Lance did not show any signs of fatigue as well. "Liligue, here we come."

Millenia glared at the Ninja and followed him. "Finally, we can rest when we get to my house. I don't care what Lance says but we're spending the night there."

Lance stopped walking and turned around to face Millenia. "Fine, if you insist. Lead us the way."

Millenia eyed the turquoise haired man suspiciously. "Fine, I will," she hissed. Millenia looked at Roan, Tio, and Melfice. "Okay everyone, to my house!" she announced excitedly and they continued their journey with her on the lead.

***

Ryudo returned to Elena's room to find her sleeping. He decided that he should leave now and look for the others using the Granasaber Ship. He wanted to stop by her room to tell her he would be leaving shortly. "I should leave her a note or something... I want her to know where I am when she wakes up," Ryudo whispered to Skye.

"Very good Ryudo. You're finally learning how to deal with women," Skye said.

"Shut up Skye! Get out of here!" he snarled silently. Skye then spread out his wings and flew out of the room. "Stupid bird..." he muttered as he walked to the door and closed it. Ryudo strode towards the study table at the corner of the room as quietly as possible in search of pen and paper. He saw a notepad on the table and noticed that there was something written on it. "It's a song. I wonder what's it about..." Ryudo read the song and when he was done, a smile spread across his lips. He turned around and looked at Elena lovingly. "Oh Elena..."

Ryudo tore a piece of paper from the notepad and wrote a note about his whereabouts. He folded it in half and wrote "To Elena" on the front side. He tip toed to her night stand beside her bed and put the note there. He then kissed Elena lightly on the lips before he left her room. "Good bye Elena. Sleep well and hope you feel better when I come back."

***

By the time the gang reached Millenia's house, it was very late in the afternoon. The group sat around in the living room to catch their breaths and just plain relax. With dragons chasing them, Cathedral Knights wreaking havoc, and a psycho Ninja killing anything in sight, they had less and less relaxing time.

"Nice home you got here," Melfice complimented.

"Thanks," Millenia smiled.

Roan looked around the living room and noticed a little golden statue on top of a cabinet. "Miss Millenia, what is that?"

Millenia giggled. "Oh, it's a trophy. I won the Teacher of the Year Award last year. Isn't it great?"

"Congratulations Millenia," Tio smiled although she and the others sweat dropped internally and wondered if the judges were high on crack at the time.

"Hey, do you guys want to eat anything? Thanks to Lance here, that was one hell of a walk to here," Millenia asked.

"Now that you mentioned it, I am kind of hungry," Melfice replied.

"Okay, I'll cook something but I don't have anything in the fridge so who wants to go grocery shopping?"

"I... uh... I have to go for a moment. I have to contact Paulk and let him know that we are okay. I am very sorry," Roan answered and started to get up.

"I have to go too. I have to help him," Tio added and left the house with Roan.

"I have something important to take care of. I'll see you two later," Lance said in his monotonous voice and exited the house.

Millenia sighed an irritated sigh. "I can't believe they left me alone with Melfice," she thought.

Melfice stood up from the couch and smiled. "Well, I guess it's just the two of us."

"Yay, how nice," Millenia said sarcastically with a small sigh. "Come on, let's go."

The two stepped out of the house and Millenia locked the door. They walked down the street to get to the nearest grocery store. The store was only a block or so away from Millenia's house so it did not take long to get there. When the two got to the store, Millenia grabbed a small, green basket near the entrance and handed it over to Melfice. "Here, you carry this."

"What kinds of things do we need?" Melfice asked.

"Well, it depends on what you guys want," Millenia replied.

"I know what I want. But what about the others? You should've asked them what they wanted and then we could've made a list of what to buy."

"Well, I could've done that if they didn't bolt out of the house the second I mentioned 'grocery shopping'." Millenia hit his shoulder playfully. "Anyway, it looks like I'm going to have to cook something you want, aren't you a lucky guy?"

"You know how to cook Cream of Mushroom Pork?"

"It requires some work but I'll do it."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure, it's my favourite dish."

"Mine too. Don't worry, I'll help you cook," he smiled.

The two strode towards the first aisle to find some of the ingredients they need. "Are you sure you want to help me in the kitchen? We have to brown the meat before putting it in the oven and sometimes the cooking oil has a tendency to fly out of the frying pan."

Melfice arched an eyebrow. "Sounds nasty but nothing I can't handle," he chuckled a bit.

Millenia let out a small laugh. "You sure? It can slightly burn your skin." She grabbed two cans of mushroom soup from the rack and put them on the green basket that Melfice held.

"Worry about yourself, I'm wearing armour."

She smiled devilishly. "I can wear a pretty red apron with black bat wing designs around it."

He frowned slightly at that. "They sell those now?"

"Yeah, they do. Found it in a sale. 50% off."

"Good bargain."

"It is."

The two left the aisle and headed to the frozen meat section. Millenia took what they needed from the freezer and gave it to Melfice. "You think they have any with bullhorn designs?" he asked as he put the meat in the basket.

"Think they have what?"

"Aprons."

Before Millenia could answer, they heard a squeal from behind. The two turned around at the source of the voice and saw a little girl ran up to them from her parents down an aisle. "Miss Millenia!!" the little girl chirped.

Millenia gasped. "Lynn! How are you? Enjoying your vacation?"

The little girl nodded her head. "Uh-huh. I went to the zoo, a... a carnival, lot's of places Miss Millenia! How about you?"

"I'm having fun..." Millenia answered flatly. "...having fun from getting chased by dragons, dumped by Ryudo, and fighting Cathedral Knights," she continued in her head.

"I'm glad," Lynn said and looked up to the tall, blue haired man with the silver armour and red cape beside her teacher. "Miss Millenia, who is he? Is he your husband?"

Melfice and Millenia looked at each other and then almost fell on the floor. They turned away from each other and started to cough violently to cover up the embarrassed look on their faces.

"Did I say something wrong?" the little girl asked innocently.

Millenia pat her head and smiled. "No and this is Melfice... he... he is a friend."

Melfice waved his hand at her. "Hello Lynn."

Lynn shook her head. "I find that hard to believe."

Millenia looked irritated. "Look you little brat, I said he's my friend and nothing more!" she snapped. Lynn did not flinch from Millenia's harsh tone. After a year in Millenia's class, she and her classmates had gotten used to her temper. "I have to get rid of this snoopy little brat some how," she thought.

Melfice looked at Millenia and read her mind. "Hey Lynn, look! There's free candy samples down aisle seven," Melfice told her.

"Really?! I have to get there before it's all gone!" Lynn exclaimed and bolted away.

"Thanks," Millenia said in a small voice.

Melfice started to cough as he remembered what the little girl just asked. "Cough... no... cough... problem... cough."

Millenia joined him soon. "Cough... do...you want... cough... to get some dessert?"

The two finally managed to get the coughing under control. "Sure, strawberry creamed cheese pie?" Melfice suggested.

"Sure," Millenia agreed and the two went to the frozen dessert section in silence.

The two grabbed the pie from the desserts section and went over to the cashier. The cashier checked their items and gave the two their total. The two gave the cashier the money and left when they got their change. They then headed back to Millenia's house without saying a word to each other. When they got to Millenia's house, they got dinner started and only spoke to each other when it was absolutely necessary like when Melfice had to ask where she kept the salt and such.

By the time the two finished dinner and setting up the table, everyone arrived. Their nostrils were assaulted by the smell of browned pork that was broiled in mushroom soup. Roan entered the dining room with a smile on his face. "Some thing smells really good," he stated.

"Oh good, you're all here. Sit down and let's start eating," Millenia offered. Millenia sat down next to Melfice. Roan, Tio, and Lance soon followed. Melfice and Millenia watched the three take a sample of their food and waited for them to swallow. "So, what do you think? Melfice helped me cook."

Roan's eyes were brighter than usual. "This is really good. What is this meal called?"

"It's called Cream of Mushroom Pork," Melfice answered.

Millenia giggled. "I'm glad you like it. How about you Tio, Lance?"

"It is very delicious," Tio smiled. "I did not know that the two of you could cook."

"I like it. Thank you for the meal," Lance said in his usual monotone voice.

"Yes, thank you for the meal," Roan and Tio added.

"Oh it's nothing," Millenia replied and continued eating.

"So, did you guys get a hold of Paulk?" Melfice asked in the middle of dinner.

"Yes, me and Tio told him that we are staying here. We also have some great news." Roan paused and gestured for Tio to continue.

"The Granasaber Ship had been finished. When we contacted Sir Paulk, he said that Ryudo and Skye just left with the Granasaber to look for us. Sir Paulk said that he would try to contact Ryudo and let him know to pick us up here," Tio announced.

Millenia stood up and walked over to the fridge. "Good. I never liked those Skyways. They're so slow. It just seems to take forever to get somewhere. Hey, anyone for strawberry cream cheese pie?"

"Sure," the others nodded.

Melfice stood up from his chair and went over to the cup boards. He took out some saucers and new, clean forks for everyone. "Let me give you a hand."

"What about Elena?" Lance inquired.

"Oh, she is not coming with Ryudo. Paulk said she hurt her leg," Roan answered.

"Was she all right?"

"Paulk said it was nothing bad and that he got a doctor to treat her."

Lance paused for a moment and then hurried out of the room. "I'll be back."

Tio frowned. "What is wrong with him?"

"And he didn't even get to try the pie..." Millenia said softly.

***

Lance ran down the street while he cursed to himself. He then jumped high in the air and landed on a small building's rooftop to conceal himself should the others try to follow him. He ran to the end of the rooftop and jumped to another and another to get to his destination. Before long, he was on top of the Liligue Hospital and jumped down to the ground.

He entered the hospital and strode towards the receptionist. "Is Doctor Drew here? If so, I would like to speak to him, in the room."

The receptionist knew who the Ninja was. "Welcome back Mister Lance. Doctor Drew is here but he is on break. I will inform him of your arrival."

"Good." He turned around with his black, leather trench coat billowing around in the process and headed down a hall. Lance walked up the stairs at the end of the hall and went in the first room to his right. As he entered the room, he heard a familiar squeak.

"Konril?"

A small, cat like creature covered in white fur and with a red, light bulb like tail crawled out from under the room's patient's bed. It looked up to the visitor and squealed happily. Lance lowered his mask and watched Konril the Carro climb up to his shoulder and nuzzle his now exposed cheek with its head.

"How are you Konril? Have you been good?"

The Carro made its usual cute little noise and nodded its head as if it understood what Lance said.

"That's good. Otherwise, you wouldn't get this present."

Presents from Lance only meant one thing to the Carro; Poff Nuts. Lance reached inside his trench coat and took out a Poff Nut. Konril grabbed it from his hand with its mouth and went to the corner of the room to devour it. Lance chuckled at the Carro and turned his attention to the room's sleeping patient.

The patient was a girl about a year younger than him. She had long, raven black hair that reached her waist. Beneath the bed covers and that ugly hospital gown, she had a slender, perfect figure. She had a few wires and gadgets wrapped around her right wrist. The wires led to a machine, which measured her pulse, stood next to her bed.

Lance walked over to the girl and ran a finger down her cheek slowly and smoothly. "I'm here." He kissed her lips softly and then stared at her with those hopeful ruby red eyes... hopeful that she would wake up. But she did not, she had been in a deep sleep or a coma rather for a year now. Lance took her hand and held it fiercely. "Rhea..."