A/N: Okay, despite popular belief (AKA: Shadow brought this to my attention as an unconnected reader), INEZ IS NOT FREAKING DEAD, DAMMIT. I know I said there would be death in this, oh well, this isn't it. Anyway. Yeah, there was lots of insanity with descriptions last time, ne? I think it worked pretty well. Anyway. Last time? Descriptions up the ass, debating, mostly between Mythos no baka and Yurika, but yeah. And of course, that latest incident. Well, almost all about that will be explained, so… Okay, finally, what do I predict this time? Hmmm… Well, explanation on Inez's falling, Magus whining like the whiny bitch he is (always insisting on FRESH bagels at five in the morning, pfft), and back on normal schedule of random characterizations. In future? Hmm, I predict more chapters to this story than the last, but on length, we may have to wait and see. Because we're coming up on the climax soon and fast, faster than I expected, not to mention that it won't be just a climax, it'll drag itself farther than it should, and all, you know. Whatever. Anyway, just keep your eyes and ears open, because some (obvious) foreshadowing will be taking place, so, um, whatever. Let's get going, ne? I think I've yapped long enough…

~*~

'Pulse rate, normal for one sleeping. Breathing, also normal for one sleeping. Internal injuries, none. External injuries, none.' Ruri opened her amber eyes and took a deep breath. "I can't find anything physically wrong with her, Kanchou, Maki-san. No injuries, no sign of sickness, nothing." Izumi, sitting on a chair in the corner, continued to sob as Hikaru tried to hush her, and relayed Ruri's findings to her in a more kindly manner than the younger girl's.

Yurika thought for a moment. "Physically, nothing, ne? What about mentally? Did Mythos's Possession do something to her mind?" Ruri shook her head. "I cannot tell, Kanchou. I only work with the physical aspects. The mind confuses me." Akatsuki, also worried about Nergal's top scientist, furrowed his brow. "Why would Mythos's magic do something to her? I mean, I even share her type of magic, and I'M fine."

"Miss Fressange is not only from recent history, but ancient as well. Maybe that has something to do with it. Now hush, I'm trying to concentrate." Akatsuki's mouth clamped shut with Yurika's firm order as she closed her green eyes and inhaled, reaching for the pale silver mass inside her and coating her mental images of her hands with the ooze before reaching out to Inez's brain and, deeper still, her mind. What she found made her own eyebrows snap together. "A cage? No… a box. The hell? Why is she…" Yurika circled around the brightly shining silver box and touched it. The force that pushed back forced her to return to her normal state. "The hell was that?!"

Akito was concerned about his former girlfriend. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "The hell was what? Come on Yurika, we're going insane with wonder." Yurika bit her lip, and raised her hand from Inez's forehead. "Of course there's nothing physically wrong with her. She's… Her consciousness has been trapped in a big box, and I can't open it."

Igadosu furrowed his light brown, graying eyebrows. He stepped up to the plate. "Let me try, Misumaru-san." Yurika stood away and gave the old man some room. He took a deep breath and clamped his hand on Inez's forehead. Moments later, his eyes popped open and he yelped as he ripped his hand from her forehead. He covered his eyes and forehead, as if someone put a hot iron on them both. After a few seconds, his pain subsided and his breathing slowed. "Of course you can't open it, Misumaru-san. No one can. That box has been forged and locked by Magus himself." He looked up to his former apprentice, who stood before the kneeling man. "'And the prophecies state that the younger priest would imagine the woman, and the comet would fall, bringing an end to Magus and, in affect, our world.'"

Rumiko nodded slowly, beginning to understand. "The prophecy. My dream about Meg began the cycle, than the Nadesico felt to Ninlan and then-"

"Magus attacks Inez," sniffled Izumi. "He…" Hikaru shushed her, but stated what her best friend was trying to say, through her tears and frights. "He's scared, and trying to take us out, one by one."

Rumiko shook his head. "No. No, that's not the case, Hikaru. He's looking for a Host. Apparently, Lady Ai isn't who he wanted, but to stop her from working against him, he trapped her."

Megumi crossed her arms. "Then… why wouldn't he kill her?" Izumi hiccupped. Rumiko shrugged. "I don't know." Yurika sighed, then nodded. "Megumi, I want contact with Ryoko." Megumi, though not at her post, nodded as she punched in both Yurika and Ryoko's communication codes, linking them together faster than Yurika could have done on her own.

Ryoko's face appeared before Yurika's, and the sight was not a happy one. "Kanchou, pardon my asking, but where the hell are you? It's raining like fucking cats and dogs out here!" Yurika nodded. "I know, and I'm sorry, but we need you to come over here on your Aestivalis immediately. Just you."

Ryoko's dark eyebrows knit. "This close to the village? What if I scare someone?" Yurika shook her head, her blue violet hair flying. "Doesn't matter now. We've got accomplished what we needed. This is an EMERGENCY, Ryoko. We need you here now."

The scenery behind Ryoko's head was now moving as she sprinted to her Aestivalis. "Kanchou, what happened?" Yurika sighed, and glanced over to Inez, who still lay on the bed, but Gai and Akito were attempting to dress her in her uniform, so she wouldn't freeze in the giant robot. "Inez's unconscious, Ryoko." Ryoko's jaw dropped, and she stopped for a split second, then increased her pace up the ladder to her cockpit. "I'll be there in a few seconds. Meet me outside the outer wall." Yurika nodded and closed the window. Akito and Gai finished dressing the Martian woman and were now slinging her arms over their shoulders. Yurika nodded to the two of them, and they left immediately, heading unprotected against the rain, but uncaring.

Yurika adjusted her captain's hat, and took a deep breath. She then turned to what was left of her crew in the room. "I suppose till now this little cake walk on Ninlan has been exactly that. But now, it's obvious. We HAVE to go home, back to Earth, or there will be nothing left for us. This God is an angry one. And he doesn't like us. I don't think being on Earth will make more of a difference, but it will at least get us away from those who use his will as law."

Akatsuki was skeptical. "But could we manage a Jump back to Earth without Inez's help?" Yurika shot a glare in his direction. "We did last time. And we will this time. This whole time, she has held our hands in the Jumping arena, Akito and I. This time, it's up to us. Last time it wasn't really required of the both of us, I know that. But this time, if we don't Jump us back, we're screwed."

Izumi looked at her with crimson eyes, accented by the flushing of her usually pale face. "Who cares about that now, Kanchou? We'll get home eventually. What matters now is getting back to the Nadesico and fixing Inez before Magus decided it's her time to die, don't you see?" She hiccupped again, and Hikaru patted her back, lifting her out of the chair. Hikaru had long since coaxed Izumi into her more decent uniform, and thus Hikaru led her out of the room, out of the inn, into the soggy town, following after the two men, who had already traveled through No Man's Land and reached the outer wall, where Ryoko's red Aestivalis stood like a guard.

~*~

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all to Hell! Curse My minion, he pointed out the wrong one! I didn't want Ai, she isn't in enough anguish to raise her strength, nor will she be in the near future. Damn it!

Well, it isn't a total loss. By her own magic being brought to the light, I WAS able to trap her in My box, the box I usually use for those I will be Possessing for long periods of time. Though she is not of much use in that sense, at least I can drain her energy from her. Yes. My rise will be my greatest yet, save for the one where I cunningly gained the strength of the Four of My own colleagues. But I doubt any rise of Mine will counter that one. Well, this one will at least be DELICIOUS. So much power within my grasp, and then so unknowing! But patience is the key, yes, patience. With patience I will drain enough strength from this one to rise before them, beat them down, and claim them as My own. Yes. No good ever came to one easily, or quickly. In My patience, I will relish My victory over these insignificant, yet highly amusing and powerful foes.

~*~

About two hours into the day's trip back to Somenolenthe, Hikaru beeped into Izumi's communications. "Are you all right now, Izumi?" Despite her being upset with them at the moment, she was concerned for her best friend. But, with the knowledge she had gained about her best friend over the years, she knew the girl needed someone to comfort her initially after a trauma, but then she wanted to be left alone and let to think. But also reminiscing on Izumi's latest trauma, the one with Rinji, Hikaru didn't want her doing anything drastic.

Izumi took a deep breath before answering, "Yes. For the most part." She had stopped crying an hour ago, but her pale skin around her crimson eyes still bared the glow of the rubbing she gave them while she was crying. But she was well composed; Hikaru could tell that. She was telling the truth: she was all right, for the most part.

Hikaru chose her words carefully; she wanted to get the ball rolling, but she needed that initial push to start it down the hill. "Do… you want to talk about it?" Unlike the girl in question, Hikaru respected the privacy of others' problems. Izumi figured, that if it bugged you enough to mention it, you have to talk about it, no matter how much you said no.

Izumi took a moment to consider, then nodded. Hikaru helped her when she was upset about Ken's death, and though she could quite reach her, she tried after Rinji died. "Yes." She took another deep breath to calm herself fully, then began. "Hikaru, I don't think I can take losing another one."

"Oh, Izumi…"

"Let me finish, dammit!" she snapped, but tried to regain her composure. "I mean, people always say, 'Third time's a charm', and so far, it has, Hikaru. It really has. But… what if third time isn't really a charm? What if she doesn't make it? Or, what if she's in a coma for the rest of her life? What if, she's a different person when she comes back? What if she d-"

"She won't, Izumi. She won't die. Don't even think it, it'll hurt much more, and you'll be worried and all flustered over nothing. None of that stuff will happen. When we get back to Somenolenthe, you'll see. Ruri and Rumiko will get to the bottom of it, and try to break it off. Everything will be okay."

Hikaru's positive attitude had never failed to raise Izumi's spirits; Hikaru never had many positive days, to begin with, but she was always ready to sweep the cloud of a rainy day away to let the happy sun shine through. Izumi smiled at her best friend. "Hikaru, you're fantastic."

"Yeah, I know."

~*~

Once Hikaru closed the communications window with Izumi, she sighed, as if she let go of something very heavy. Uribatake immediately knew it was her smile. "Getting difficult?" he asked. Hikaru turned her head a bit to look at him, then sighed, shaking her head. "No, I've been piloting for almost three years now. I'd ASSUME it gets easier."

"That's not what I meant…" Uribatake was sure she knew what he meant, but perhaps she didn't. The redhead giggled. "I know! I was just messing with you." She turned back to her full view of the late morning of the plains before them. The rain had long since stopped, but it was still cloudy, and fairly windy, judging by the tree's movements. Hikaru could also feel the tug, even in her Aestivalis, the urge to go out and fly with the gusts of air as they flowed through the atmosphere, pulling the cloud's as much as they could, but unable to move them for now.

"Well… after all this time, I suppose it is. Uri-P, do you know what people called Izumi in school, especially after Ken died?" She paused, but did not wait long enough for an answer. "They called her… Bad Luck," she answered her own question, using the English words for Izumi's nickname. "Until then, people respected her, looked up to her, idolized her. And she was quite popular. But when Ken died, she just… shut down. She didn't care much about her life anymore. She would only respond to me, and I was always around her to protect her as she protected me when we were children. But… when Rinji showed up, I was initially jealous. Very jealous. He rose Izumi's spirits more than I could, and I was her best friend. But time passed, and she soon fell in love with him. I came to accept that. As long as she was happy, I was happy. And then they planned to be wed, despite Akatsuki's family flipping out on them." Hikaru paused. "And then… he just died. Izumi had been left for the Angel of Death twice. At times, she wanted to seduce her into taking her life as well. But then, when Ryoko came back…" She stopped, seemingly unable to continue.

"She responded to Ryoko, but not you?" Uribatake guessed, but he was pretty sure he hit the nail on the head. Hikaru was quivering now, and she slammed a fist against her controller pad. "I couldn't help her, not when she needed me. And I tried, Aer, did I try. But it never ever helped. She always went to someone else." Hikaru sniffed, but pushed her tears back behind her eyes. "Here I was, supposed to be her best friend, and I was being pushed into the background. But," Hikaru's voice took a cruel tone, "that's what happens when your best friend is popular."

Uribatake couldn't reach her shoulder from behind the chair, but her could reach her head. "I understand. It's never easy when people seem to grow apart. I tried not to put too much emotion into my connections with people, so I could still get what I wanted, whether it be money, help, or, hell, sex, without all the bullshit. My best friend was Ayuko for a while, actually. But since we got married, it's been nothing but fighting. I don't seem to have a best friend, but that's all right with me. Because I can just leave without any regrets."

Hikaru furrowed her brow, but didn't turn to meet his eye. "What about Ariko-chan?" Uribatake took his hand off her head to scratch his chin. "Well, Ariko's like me when I was younger. I used to be left alone by my father a lot, and, with his royal parents, I'm sure he doesn't get all the chances of being a kid like everyone else. So… after this, I've offered him room and board at my house, if he doesn't want to go home."

"What about Ruri?"

"Well, Ruri can come stay with me too, I suppose. If she wants, that is. And if Kanchou or Tenkawa snag her away first."

Hikaru took a deep breath before unleashing the kicker. "What about me?" She braced herself for the disgusted answer she normally got, or the answer dripping with sarcasm.

Uribatake blinked. He should have seen this coming a mile away, but he didn't. The way she said it seemed forced, like it was prepared for any answer. "You, eh?" He paused to choose his words carefully. "Actually, I seem to connect with you on a personal level, more than Ayuko on our best days, even. I don't have to worry about boring you senseless with my rambling, nor do I have to worry about being insulting, or anything else. It's like… I can just let go, you know? I can honestly say that you're my best friend, Hikaru." He leaned over her chair to make sure she wasn't upset.

Hikaru turned and grinned at him. "That's great, Uri-P! I didn't think I would mean so much to you! Thank you!" Uribatake shook his head, laughing. "Just like a kid." Hikaru scrunched up her face at the remark. "You're so mean, Uri-P!" Then she also began to laugh.

~*~

It was late afternoon when Rumiko finally made his decision on what will be done in efforts to bring back Inez. As the sun began to set in the west, he leaned his head back, concentration still set on piloting the robot towards Somenolenthe. "Meg, I'd like to ask you a favor." Megumi, who was half-sleeping with boredom, jerked awake at the sound of her name. "What?" she asked, wiping her eyes and pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Personally, I'm not really sure it would work with you, but it never hurts to try…" Rumiko murmured, thinking about what he was about to ask Megumi. The American girl pulled herself to her feet, careful to not trip on her Ninlandish skirts. "What?"

"But maybe Meg being on the same psychic plane as me will help somewhat, and maybe make the fact that she's a non-mage not count…" Megumi fisted her hands on her hips. "WHAT?"

Her shout frightened Rumiko, and made him jump. He clamped his mouth shut to not curse until he regained his composure. "Meg, I'd like you to help me try to unlock the box that Lady Ai is trapped in." Megumi's blue eyes became wide with disbelief. "But… I thought only Magus could open it, since He locked it, and He's a God!" Rumiko blow a strand of hair out of his face. "That's what Igadosu believes, but I think it can be opened. And, I also think that Mythos had a hand in getting her trapped. Therefore, we could try to trace his signature on her, mostly around the box, and try to counter it." Rumiko smirked smugly, as if he was certain it would work.

"Okay, sounds like a plan, but why do you need me?" Rumiko sighed. "I'm a weak mage, Meg. I can't both check signatures and counter strong magic. It just won't happen. I'd either pass out, the favorable of the choices, or burst into flame." Megumi's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that Rumiko could be so plain when talking about himself dying. The thought of the first person they met on Ninlan dying, before her eyes, no less, made her feel worthless and empty inside. "No…" she whispered before Rumiko began to tell her what he would need her to do.

"I'll have to cast a spell on you, but it won't be a bad one, just a useful one. It'll let you be able to sense signatures and see where magic has been used. Is that all right?" As Megumi nodded dumbly, he continued. "I'll have to have you tell me where you can find signatures, so I can counter the places. Is this agreeable?" Brought back to her senses, Megumi nodded, but was still concerned. "How am I supposed to find these signatures? I'm pretty sure I won't see people's names etched their magic, ne?" Rumiko chuckled. "No you won't. Signatures… you feel for them, and you can identify them because they trigger memories about the person, or certain things about the person that you can identify them with easily." Rumiko thought for a bit. "Example. If you were to trace Yurika-san's signature, you'd probably recognize her as your captain, or the color of her hair, or her uniform-"

"Or our rivalry," spat Megumi bitterly. She plopped back on the floor huffily. Rumiko's eyebrows knit, but he didn't dare take his eyes off the view screens. "Rivalry?" Megumi nodded. "During the war… Kanchou and I had a small rivalry going. She was in love with Akito, but I was too, so I thought. But then he turned us both down, for a man, no less!" Rumiko blinked. "Ninlan believes that homosexual relationships, like between Akito-san and Yamada-san, or Kazamo-san and Ryoko-san, or between Izumi-san and Lady Ai, are completely acceptable. Despite the fact that they do not reproduce, they are still a form of love all together. And besides, Magus Himself is partly homosexual as well. The legends hint that He may have had an attraction to Terra, though He was with Flamma."

Megumi shook her head. "I don't mind the fact that there are gay people on the ship anymore. As long as I don't see it, is the fact. But… Akito still isn't someone I'd like to be associated with anymore. He's childish, and though he has goals, they all lead to dead ends. I'd like to be with someone more mature, someone that knows what their doing with their life, someone…" she blushed and whispered, "from here…"

Rumiko's eyebrow twitched; he heard Megumi's last statement perfectly. He leaned into his control pads. "It's getting late. I suppose we'll be stopping soon."

~*~

And stop they did, for the night. However, there was a sense of slight anger in the air, or, rather, in the minds of the people on the trip. Slight mistakes and quirks were causing rage all over the camp, and Akito actually cursed out Mikako while cooking dinner, something he would normally never do.

Once fed, however, the feeling left the travelers. Well, most of them. Yurika still glared at the fire before her, as if everything that had happened was its fault. She caught snippets of everyone's conversations, and it just fed her intolerance.

"I won't cast the spell until we're in-" "Please, Inez, don't die on me…" "Stupid moon, I can't sleep with all this light." "Akito, I'm still hungry!" "Hey, are you okay?"

The last of them came from right next to her, and made her jump. She glared at the speaker, Akatsuki. He regarded her with concerned brown eyes. "You've been flinching ever since we set up camp. Anything wrong?" Yurika turned away from him, angry. "And what do you care?" Akatsuki's eyebrows knit. "You know I care, Yurika. I thought it was common knowledge." He reached over to lay a hand on her shoulder, but she whipped around, rage flaring in her green eyes. "Don't you touch me! Someone like you could never care for anyone, and you know it!" She crossed her arms defiantly, as if daring Akatsuki to retort, as he was so tempted to. But he took a deep breath, inhaling her subtle scent of mint to remind himself that this was Yurika he was talking to; he can't get testy with her. "Yurika, you've been working all day, and I think you should go get some rest or something, because I don't think you understand what sort of things you're saying," he suggested calmly, wondering if it was her time of the month or something.

Yurika glared down Akatsuki. "You think I don't know? It WAS an open communications channel, you know! And after all you said about love being something precious. I can't believe you!"

Akatsuki raised his hands in defense. "Yurika, what ARE you talking about?" Yurika poked him in the chest. "You and Izumi, Akatsuki Nagare! I heard you flirting with her! You were cruel to her, and then kind, kinder than I've ever seen you with me! Behind my back!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Yurika, you're blowing this way out of proportion. IZUMI messaged ME!"

"Oh, and this makes it okay?!? Nagare, I thought you cared about me!"

"I do! And that whole thing… Dammit, Yurika, she was almost my damn sister-in-law!"

Yurika had tears in her eyes now, but she still stood against him. "Nagare, that was cruel for you to do to me. I knew there would come a time when I wouldn't be good enough for you anymore, but you could have at least told me you didn't want me anymore." She sniffed, and raised a hand to her face to shield and wipe her tears. "I'm going to bed, Nagare. Alone. And I'd rather you no longer speak to me." She ran off, her hair and cape billowing behind her.

Akatsuki took one small step in her direction, then stepped back. 'She… she just broke up with me. I've never been the one dumped before.' He furrowed his brow and crossed his arms, trying to see where he went wrong. 'Perhaps… she wanted to see me cheat on her so much, that she saw my being civil with Izumi, for once, as flirting? Or maybe it wasn't so much that she wanted out as much as she didn't trust me. Well,' he thought with a cold chuckle, 'I never gave her any comfort in trusting me. I suppose THAT'S were this went wrong.' He frowned. Somehow, he imagined being left by someone to be more of a release, like a mousetrap on his neck had opened and he was still alive. But instead, it was like the mousetrap clamped down just then. He felt trapped, stuck, even dying, as something, his breath, even, was stolen from him. 'I never realized that losing someone you love this way would actually hurt, let alone this much.' His jaw dropped as he realized what his train of thought just whispered to his mind. 'I love her, don't I? No wonder… But me? Akatsuki Nagare? I don't fall in love. I use women and lose them. I'm a PLAYBOY, for crying out loud. But… amazing. I actually fell in love with her.' He smirked, but it was sad; like a little boy trying to smile after losing his favorite teddy bear. Because that's what he felt like.

~*~

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Oh I am so evil. ^^ Before you ask, last chapter, yes, Yurika and Akatsuki did have sex, but she was just using him. Pet resembles the owner, remember? Anyway. Okay, how was this? Explanation about Inez, and random characterization that fit the plot, relationship building, and stuff. ^^ Aren't I evil? How many of you want me dead, come on, tell me. All righty, what do I predict for next time? More of the same, I guess, and Hikaru making a certain statement that will set the stage for the climax. ^^ Whee! This is going QUITE well. How was this? Again, who should I be looking over my shoulder for? Anyway, I'll see you all next time, and don't forget, a little R and R always does people good~! ^^