Doc headed into the conference room with a glum look on his face. In front of him sat Bit, Leena, and Jamie on one side and Brad, Naomi, and Leon on the other.

"Well team, we just received the data for our next battle."

"Who are we up against this time?" Brad asked in a rather bored tone. Doc's face fell slightly, and his eyes wondered over towards Leena.

"The Champ team!" Six heads snapped up.

"Are you serious?" Leon asked his father.

"Is it really the Champ team?" Jamie piped up.

Leena didn't say a word, but her hands began to tremble. Bit reached over to calm her down, and she clutched his hand like a vice.

"When does the battle begin?" Everyone stared at the pilot of Liger Zero.

"Bit, you can't be serious!" Doc gasped.

"Oh, it's gonna happen all right; I've got a score to settle with Harry." He turned towards Leena, and she immediately looked at him worriedly.

"But…do you really have to?" she asked in a quiet, soft voice.

"Leena, this is about more than just a zoid battle, this is about you, and I'm not about to let Harry get away with hurting you like he did. If he went to the trouble of arranging a match, then I'm not going to disappoint him," Bit said with an evil smile.

"You're right, Bit, and I'm gonna help you do it!" Leon said firmly. "I can switch my zoid gear back to the Blitz Team for this battle then change it back afterwards."

"What battle mode is it?" Jamie inquired, acting like the strategist he was.

"It's battle mode 0999, which means that pretty much anything goes! The match calls for an even number of zoids on each squad."

"So each team has three zoids to fight with. Hmm…Bit and Leon are two…" Jamie said out loud, "…I guess Brad will be the third."

"I want to fight!" Leena interrupted. Everyone gawked at her.

"I really don't think that's such a good idea," Doc pleaded.

"Dad's right, Leena, this is one battle you shouldn't be in," Leon added. She looked up at the young man next to her.

"Please, I need to do this – if nothing else than for myself," she said, gazing up at Bit with pleading eyes. He smiled at her warmly and nodded his head.

"All right, you're in on one condition – you don't fight Harry directly – that part I'll take care of for you."

"Agreed."

"Bit, you can't be serious," Naomi said with a concerned expression.

"Look…if Leena wants to fight, I'm not gonna argue with her; she should be in this battle more than any of us."

"Fine Leena, you can fight, but I want you to be extra careful," Doc said with a stern glare. "The battle is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon about thirty miles to west of here."

"Hmmph…that's a pretty wide-open area; we shouldn't have too much trouble," Leon said firmly.

"At least we won't have to watch Harry hide behind the rocks," Bit said with an arrogant smile. Everyone laughed at his comment, and their spirits began to lift.

Later that night, the Blitz Team loaded up their zoids into the Hover Cargo for the following day of combat. Bit parked Liger Zero in its storage paddock but did not open the cockpit.

"Liger, tomorrow's really important to me. This time it's more than just another battle; this one's for Leena. I'm gonna need you, partner. Are you ready to rock?"

Liger roared emphatically, and Bit chuckled lightly.

"I knew you'd be ready, pal. Get some rest, Liger, we've got a big day ahead of us."

Rest was something that everyone needed, but Bit just couldn't make himself fall asleep. He'd been lying in his bed for the last two hours just staring at the ceiling. He was so wound up that his mind wouldn't calm down. The door to his room swished open, and he turned to see who'd be seeing him this late. He sat up abruptly, seeing none other than Leena entering his room.

"Leena, is something wrong?" She shook her head and walked inside.

Bit's eyes shot open when he saw what she was wearing. In the nights he'd spent with her, she'd always worn pajamas to sleep in. Tonight however, Leena was wearing a beautiful, red silk nightgown. It ran all the way down the length of her body and made Bit's heart pound rapidly against his chest.

"Uh…Leena…what's going on?" She merely walked up and kissed him. He could feel her trembling and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey…" he whispered, seeing tears begin to trickle down her cheeks, "…tell me what's bothering you."

"Make love to me, Bit." Her statement floored him; he just sat there stunned speechless.

"Leena…I…we…I can't…I mean I…"

"You don't want me," she sighed as tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Of course, I want you, but that's not the point. We just can't!"

"I knew it!" Leena cried and snapped around. Her shoulders trembled as she cried her eyes out.

"Harry told me that no one would want me – not even you. He said that I was 'used goods', and that he was the only one who'd accept me anymore." Bit shot up off the bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Leena, don't you dare believe a word he said to you. I will never turn you away; I love you too much to let you go. I thought you knew that already," he sighed and put his head on her shoulder.

"Then why won't you make love to me?" Leena asked and turned her face towards his. Bit turned her around to face him and wiped her tear-stained cheeks.

"Because I want the time to be right. I want our first time to be perfect. You don't have to ask me just to make me want you."

"No Bit…it's not just that…not entirely anyway. I want to be with you too; I really do! I want to know what's it liked to be loved." Leena reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Please Bit, I don't want to fight Harry tomorrow not knowing what it's liked to be loved by you; I need to know. I love you with all my heart…so please, make me yours." Her eyes were now clear of tears and glowed with her warmth and love for him. She pressed her body closer to his and sighed in contentment.

Bit's mind was at war with his body. His mind was screaming 'no' over and over again, but his body wasn't listening. All he could feel was the softness of her skin as it glided over him, and the swells of her breasts pressed up against his chest.

'Man, I want her, but…should I?' He decided to give Leena the power to decide.

"Leena, tell me that you want this," he said with a husky voice.

Her warm smile turned into a very fickle grin. She grabbed hold of his white tanktop and nearly ripped it over his head. Placing her hands on his chest, she tenderly massaged his firm muscles, drawing a low groan from him.

"I want you, Bit; I want us – together right now."

They made love into the early hours of the morning. Both had incredible stamina and drove each other crazy with desire and lust.

"Leena…" Bit groaned in half pain half desire, "…I…I can't last much longer…I need to come out of you."

Her eyes shot open, and she clutched his hands to her breasts.

"No Bit, don't pull out of me. Don't you dare!"

He didn't even try to argue with her; she felt way too good and too hot to give up now.

"OHHH BITTTTT!!!"

 "LEEEENNNAAA!!!"

His cry answered hers as he exploded into her warm, supple body, and Leena had the overwhelming thought of this was what love should truly be like.

The two teenagers collapsed – dead as doornails. Bit hit the bed with a thud, and Leena landed on his chest. She managed to turn over before collapsing on top of him again.

"Jeez Leena, you're gonna be the death of me!" Bit huffed as he managed to run his fingers through her hair.

"I hope not; I don't want to give you just yet!" she teased and cracked a small smile.

"Just yet?" he questioned. She slid up his body, dragging her breasts up the planes of his chest. "No fair, you're clouding my judgment."

"Then let me say it loud and clear…" Leena bent down and kissed him long and hard, "…I will never give you up, Bit. Hmm…that was so great!"

"Leena…what we just did was more than just 'great'?"

"True…I think a better word would be mind-blowing or maybe earth-shattering."

"How about perfect?" Bit asked as he took her face in his hands. She smiled warmly and looked down into his green eyes.

"Sounds good to me."

"Are you okay, Leena? Did I hurt you?" The sarcasm was gone from his voice; he was being very serious. She merely shook her head.

"To be honest, when you first went in, it hurt a little bit, but after a minute or so, it stopped completely. After that, it was the most incredible feeling in the world."

"I'm glad you liked it so much."

"And I'm glad you were the one to show me how wonderful it could be."

Bit pulled her down for a long, sweet kiss. Pulling her down beside him, he wrapped his arms around her.

"Leena, I would love to show you again, but we need at least some rest for tomorrow," he said, reminding her of their upcoming battle.

"You're right, but after we beat the snot out of Harry…" she leaned closer to nipped at his ear, "…I don't want you anywhere else but right here making love to me."

"That's a promise, sweetie." He kissed her once again, and she curled up into his side.

Bit covered them with a somewhat-dry blanket, but it was more than enough to keep them warm. They had each other for that anyway. He tucked her head under his chin and wrapped his arms tighter around her body.

"Goodnight Bit," she murmured softly.

"Goodnight, my Leena."