Vega was the first to arrive. The Liger Zero, without armor and only shreds of the joint caps, was lying on the sand; curled, staring with eyes frozen open. A young man, the one with gray-purple eyes and ebony hair was leaning against the Liger, cradling the limp form of a teenaged woman. The man looked up at them and focused his eyes blearily on Vega. He smiled before sliding down onto the sand.

The Fury looked at the crumpled hulk of Shadowrage, nudging it with his nose. The Blitz Team screeched up. Bit stared at the Liger's thin form, no armor, no weapons. He didn't care. Liger was home safe, and that was all that mattered. The teenager looked at Bit and whispered, "Hi, Bit," before falling into sleep. Vega kneeled by Shadowrage, mumbling to himself as he ran his hands over the zoid, stopping at a hook on one side. "Doc? Do you have rope?"

The doc quickly produced some steel rope, and Vega thanked him before turning to the zoids. He ran it through the hook on Shadowrage's left side, tied a knot, and ran the rope over the Fury's back and through two hooks that luckily faced backwards. He tied more knots, and quickly looped the rope around the Liger Zero's massive head. Brad and Bit ran forward, lifted the boy and his companion up, and waited for Vega's orders.

"Put both of them in the Fury's cockpit. Fury, open all your boosters." Just before the Fury roared away, towing the two zoids, Vega grabbed a claw and swung, settling quite naturally on top of the arm. The Blitz Team ran back to the base and watched in shock as Vega easily lifted the two teenagers and headed to the infirmary. Doc hooked them both up to heart rate monitors and such, as they lay in the beds. Screaming from the hangar reached their ears.

Shadow opened his eyes and ejected. A boy, Brad, and a girl, Leena, were staring, mouths agape, at him. As one, they opened their mouths and screamed. Vega walked in and slapped a hand over their mouths. "Shadow, Raven is in the infirmary, six doors to the left." Shadow nodded his thanks and ran to the infirmary.

Vega followed and smiled at the scene. Raven and Astarael were still holding hands, while Shadow curled up like a dog between the two beds. Doc was cowering in the corner, Brad and Leena were probably standing in the hangar in shock, Jamie was probably in the computer room, and Bit was sitting next to Liger. "Doc? Get out." Doc Tauros nodded and fled.

Vega sat down in a chair and pulled up closer to Raven. He laid his head on Raven's chest and listened to the slow, steady thumping of his father's heart as it lulled him to sleep.

Bit stuck his head in the door and smiled. It was a Kodak moment! The young man and his friend were holding hands, no matter that they were unconscious, the organoid was lying like a dog, and Vega was stretched out on the boy's chest, sleeping peacefully.

It was strange, he mused, how much younger all of them looked when they slept. Vega looked at least eight, the teenagers looked twelve, and the organoid just looked silly. The young man moved his head and lifted one eyelid.

"Hi, Bit. Where's Liger?" Bit shook his head in bemusement and sat down. "You know my name?" "Yeah." he grunted. "Raven, at your service." Bit was left staring with his mouth slightly open. Raven, the Dark One? Raven, the pilot of the Destroyer? Raven, whose eyes had witnessed the destruction of so many people and zoids it was horrible to think about? Raven, the most deadly zoid pilot ever to walk the surface of Zi? The one who defeated the Death Stinger single-handedly and was a zoidian, a forgotten relic of Zi's past?

"Don't look so surprised." Raven whispered before looking down. "Ah, Vega." He lifted one hand and smoothed Vega's hair back into place. (A/N: Ah, fluffy father-son moment!) "You know him?" Bit queried. "Yeah, I do. Where's Liger?" Bit shook his head before moving to the side of the bed. Raven carefully shifted Vega's head off his chest and swung to his feet. "He's in the hangar."

Raven quickly jogged out, with a procession of freaked-out people following him. Jamie, Doc, Brad, Leena, Bit, all turned into the hangar and gaped. Raven was sitting with his legs crossed and Liger's huge head in his lap. Well really, just the tip of the nose. Raven was stroking Liger Zero as one might a cat, and muttering to him, "Liger, Liger, Liger. You didn't have to do that you know. You might have…………" Here he choked, laying his head on top of Ligers, "died. I couldn't stand it if you died, and neither could Shadow." (A/N: More fluffy moments!) The massive zoid moved one claw, gently laying it on top of Raven's shoulder.

Raven miraculously was unaffected by the massive weight of the zoid. "As soon as I get my strength back, I'm going to get you some better armor, one that can stand up better to fights. I'm so sorry you had to use up all your strength like that. Go to sleep and heal, please!" Liger rumbled contently and laid his head on the ground.

"A lullaby? You want a lullaby?! Sorry, nope." The Liger cranked one eye open and glanced wickedly at him before growling. Raven sighed defeatedly. "Fine, fine. What do you want?" Liger growled sleepily. "Eeerg! Again? But I just did that one last night!" The Liger growled. "Okay, okay. I'll do the one about the Riders at the Gate and the one about the war. But you have to promise me not to move." They watched as Raven hummed softly and sadly,

"Riders at the gate! There are riders at the gate!"

Cried the herald, who could not wait.

The king called his lords, and found the fate,

That they should go and battle the riders at the gate.

And the war was waged, with the sinking of the sun,

But still was the king, who was only one.

For crimson splashed the good hard earth,

And a thousand died, who had proved their worth.

For fallen was the king,

Of whom many will sing,

And thunder rang as the good King died,

And stars tumbled out of the evening skies,

And the crash of the war was a dreadful sound,

And crimson stained the cold hard ground.

And all who fell, with a sharp cold pain,

Added their blood to the crimson rain.

But the battle was won,

With the rising of the sun,

But going, going, was the King.

They found him with the sword

And gave him sworn word,

That this battle would always be sovereign.

And so with the fates,

They gave their King,

And entrusted with him,

The cold hard earth.

And the minstrels still sing,

Of the fall of the king,

"We fall that you may ride.

Remember, remember."

For thousands fell,

And filled the well.

O the battle, the battle of the Riders at the gates."

Liger Zero rumbled drowsily. Raven grimaced. "Alright, I did promise. Now the story of the Great War.

We heard of the horns in the hills ringing,

The swords shining in the south-kingdom.

Steeds went striding in the Stoningland,

As wind in the morning. War was kindled.

There the King fell, Monarch mighty.

To his golden halls and green pastures,

In the northern fields never returning,

High lord of the host. Harding and Guthlaf,

Dunhere and Dourwine, doughty Grimbold,

Herefara and Herubrand, Horn and Fastred,

Fought and fell there in a far country:

In the mounds of Mundberg under mould they lie

With their league-fellows, lords of Gondor.

Neither Hirluin the Fair to the hills by the sea,

Nor Forlong the Old to the flowering vales

Ever, to Arnach, to his own country

Returned in triumph; Nor the tall bowmen,

Derufin and Duilin, to their dark waters,

Meres of Morthond under mountain-shadows.

Death in the morning and at day's ending

Lords took and lowly. Long now they sleep

Under grass in Gondor by the Great River.

Grey now as tears, gleaming silver,

Red then it rolled, roaring water:

Foam dyed with blood flamed at sunset;

As beacon mountains burned at evening;

Red fell the dew in Ranmas Echor."

Liger Zero was quiet, sleeping. Raven stood up and looked at their surprised faces. "What? He likes Lord of the Rings." They choked as he strode past them to the infirmary.