The Day the Moon Shines
By: deep.Indigo

Chapter 7: Kirai ni Naritai, Demo Kirai ni Narenai
(I Want to Hate You, But I Can't Hate You)






The light was warm.

Vyse yawned and, sitting up from his tatami bed, stretched luxuriously. He had slept well, with many pleasant dreams, and as such was in a good mood. He glanced over at his companions, who all slept on the floor with him; they were all asleep too. Vyse frowned slightly upon seeing Ramirez, whose back faced him, but he shrugged.

/He'll be out of my hair soon enough,/ he thought as he stood, scratching himself. With another yawn, Vyse collected his clothes and changed into them, then went to leave to wander around Yafutoma again before the others woke up.

Stepping outside into the cool morning air, Vyse stretched. While he was not really looking forward to seeing Ramirez's reaction to being left behind, at least that would get rid of the troublesome youth. Staring absently into the clear water, he allowed himself to momentarily dwell on the recent events. What with all that had happened, things had gotten rather complicated...

He was shaken out of his reverie by the sound of a loud engine moving overhead. The Yafutoman ships were particularly quiet when they sailed, so he looked up towards the source of the noise, and then he saw it: a Valuan warship. It wasn't the only one, either.

"Oh, Moons—" he breathed before he ducked back inside and shut the sliding door behind him. /What the hell is Valua doing here?!/ he thought wildly. /Dammit! And here I thought I could relax for a while!/ He looked down at Fina, Aika, Enrique and Ramirez, all still sleeping. He really hated to wake them up, but there was no choice.

He knelt down to the closest one, Aika, and shook her shoulder. "Aika," Vyse said urgently. "Wake up. We've got a problem."

The redhead murmured and turned over, not waking up.

"Aika!" Vyse snapped. "Wake up!!"

"What's wrong?" Fina inquired quietly, yawning and getting up from her tatami mat.

"Valua's here," he told her.

She sat upright, her remaining somnolence gone. "Valua? How?" she questioned fearfully.

"That's what I'd like to know," Vyse growled. "How'd they make it through the Dark Rift? It's impossi—no, wait, it is possible, because they're here," he corrected himself. "Damn! We're going to have to get moving, now!"

Fortunately, as he spoke, Aika and Enrique were already stirring. Ramirez, who apparently had not been as asleep as he had seemed, was simply sitting up on his tatami, regarding Vyse quietly.

The Blue Rogue sent a glare the Silvite swordsman's way. "Did you have anything to do with this?" he asked, attempting to keep his voice calm.

"What? How could I have anything to do with this? I have not been in touch with the Armada since you took me prisoner," Ramirez stated calmly, though with a raised eyebrow.

"What's going on?" Aika murmured, rubbing her eyes.

"Like I said, the Armada's here," Vyse told her, still looking mistrustfully at Ramirez.

Aika and Enrique both sat up and stared at their captain. "The Armada's here? How?" the former asked.

"Ask our resident Armada Admiral," Vyse remarked dryly, and three sets of eyes joined him in staring at Ramirez.

The jade-eyed swordsman glared back at them all. "Of what, exactly, are you accusing me?"

"We would like to hear an explanation before anyone starts accusing anyone of anything," Enrique said quietly. "I do not know why Valua is here. Do you?"

Ramirez regarded them all for a few seconds before replying, "Isn't it obvious? Valua is here to conquer Yafutoma."

Vyse stood, walked over to the shorter man, stopped in front of him, and glared down at him. He had only one word to say: "Explain."

The young Admiral stared at the young captain for a moment before beginning. "As I said, Valua is here to conquer Yafutoma. The plan for this has been in the works for several lunar cycles. It really was only a matter of time until it was put into action."

Vyse glared at him. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You didn't ask," Ramirez replied.

The Air Pirate glared at him witheringly, then turned. "We should try to find out what's going on," he said, "Fina, you should stay here. I don't want them getting their hands on you again."

"All right..." Fina replied, clasping a hand to her chest. The worry was clear on her face as she continued, "Vyse, please be careful..."

Enrique and Aika had by then moved away on opposite ends of the room, out of sight, to change. Vyse smiled at Fina comfortingly and said, "Don't worry; we'll be all right. You just take care of yourself, all right?"

Fina smiled a little and nodded.

Ramirez, who was now standing, cleared his throat a bit, and Vyse turned to give him a withering glare.

"What? You can't tell me you're jealous," the brunet captain said.

He raised an eyebrow and did not answer Vyse's query.

Vyse sighed. /...He just has to be difficult..../ A sudden thought occurred to him. /...Hey. He could just go back with the Valuans, right? He'd probably prefer that to being stranded here. I should at least ask him if he'd like to leave with his comrades./

Clearing his throat, he addressed the silver-haired man. "Ramirez. Do you want to go and join the Valuans? I won't stop you if you want to leave now."

Ramirez blinked and stared at the brown-eyed youth, amazed. Aika and Enrique, who had re-entered the room, watched the two, tensely waiting for his reply. But what could he say? His natural answer should be obvious, but Ramirez now needed to stay with Vyse to carry out his plans.

/It figures that Vyse would do this to me,/ he thought, disgusted, though he didn't betray what he felt. /He always does this to me...clouding my thoughts and confusing my emotions. Why can't he just let me hate him, like I'm supposed to?!/

"No," he said quietly.

Vyse blinked. "No, what?"

"No, I don't want to rejoin the Valuans," Ramirez clarified sullenly.

The captain of the Delphinus stared in open disbelief. "You...what? Why?"

He cast his eyes away. "If you must know, it's because I know who is spearheading the assault against Yafutoma," he muttered, "and I don't like either of them."

Vyse continued to stare. /Couldn't he just put up with them? I mean, he hates me, too, and..../ Shaking these thoughts aside, he asked the Silvite male instead, "Who is leading the attack?"

Keeping his expression neutral, Ramirez replied, "Admirals Belleza and Vigoro. They were the ones who were supposed to be sent, as per the plan, so unless things have changed in my...absence...they should be the ones you will be dealing with."

Vyse gave Ramirez a funny look. "I thought you hated me."

Ramirez waited for Vyse to make his point.

"So why not just deal with Belleza and Vigoro until you go back to Valua?" the brunet eventually insisted. "I don't get it."

Ramirez's face reddened. /Damn you, why can't you just accept my excuse?!/ he swore internally. He didn't dare say a word, though.

Vyse regarded the blushing Admiral. /...That's unusual.../ he mused. /.......Heh. I get it. He really does want to see the world with us. Maybe I was right. He does have something about him that is worth saving... Maybe...maybe I can help change him after all.../ For the first time since arriving at Yafutoma, Vyse smiled at the green-eyed man.

Feeling flustered, Ramirez glared at the pirate. "What are you smiling at?" he demanded.

Vyse grinned and shook his head. "Nothing, nothing," he said with a small laugh. "So you want to stay with us?"

Feeling the heat in his face and hating it, the pale swordsman nodded once.

Enrique and Aika, who now stood nearby, exchanged glances. "Vyse," the former said, "we'd better go see what the Armada wants before it's too late."

"Yeah, you're right," the captain of the Delphinus said, looking over at him. He glanced at Ramirez and asked, "Are you coming with us?"

"I have no sword," the silver-haired youth replied flatly.

Vyse sweatdropped. "Oh yeah..."

"I'll stay here and wait for you," Ramirez continued.

The Blue Rogue nodded and turned to the doors. "Aika, Enrique, let's go!" he called to his teammates, and with nods of assent from them both, the three left the rooms and ran to the docks.

Ramirez leaned against the wall, despising the way that exchange had gone. /Why? Why can't he just accept what I tell him? Why does he have to read into my actions? Why can't he just leave me alone?/ He continued to brood as such, trying furiously to will away the redness in his face.

Fina, still in her bed clothes, watched Ramirez silently. Again, she wanted to reach out to him, to talk to him, but she was afraid of what he might say. She stood there for several long minutes before she finally summoned the courage to address him.

"...Ramirez?"

He looked up at her sharply, his pale face still faintly flushed. "...What?"

"Are you...are you all right?" she queried hesitantly.

He looked at her intently for a moment, then glanced away once more. "I'm....fine, Fina," he said at length, not wanting to reveal to anyone the thoughts that plagued him.

She bit her lower lip and looked away. After another tense moment of silence, she said, her voice quavering slightly, "....Are you sure?"

He bit back the bitter reply that almost escaped his lips. Right now, what he had to do, despite any desire of his to do otherwise, was to get them to trust them, so he simply replied, "Yes."

The teenage Silvite regarded him, still worried, but she relaxed anyway. She looked down at her feet and murmured, "I'm sorry...about talking about you, I mean... I didn't think it would hurt anyone..."

"...What did you tell them, Fina?" he asked after a few brief moments of thought.

She smiled in happy relief; he was taking it much better than she thought he would. Briefly, she summarized what she had told Enrique and Aika, adding that she hadn't told Vyse anything.

"I'm sorry," she added once she was finished. "I'm truly sorry..."

Ramirez shook his head. "Stop apologizing," he told her. "What's done is done."

Her smile then was warm, the way it had been in the past. "Thank you," she beamed at him.

He blinked rapidly, and turning away from her, he picked up his jacket and proceeded to pull it on. "There's nothing to thank me for, either," he said as he did so.

She averted her gaze demurely. "But... I was afraid that you would...." She trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence.

"I would what? Hate you?" he inquired, turning to her.

Fina did not meet his gaze.

Well, he certainly wasn't happy with her, but hate her? ...Perhaps... Ramirez found that ever since his bad experiences with Valuans, it was surprisingly easy to hate people... But whatever happened here, Fina would probably eventually report it back to Vyse or Aika, so it was in his best interest to treat her kindly.

So, as he finished buttoning his jacket, he said in a mild tone, "Don't be stupid, Fina. I couldn't hate you."

Again, she smiled up at him. "I'm so happy... I was so afraid. I've really missed you, you know. I really don't want...you to hate me."

Ramirez was mildly surprised at that. Previous to this, he had been deliberately cold to her, trying to make her forget their previous friendship; if she hated him, that meant he wouldn't have to feel bad about killing her, if such a thing were to become necessary. He regarded her for a moment, then said, "Why don't you get dressed, Fina?"

She blushed deeply and quickly gathered her clothes before ducking away behind a paper screen. Ramirez respectfully turned his back to it.

"How was life without me?" he asked, raising his voice to make sure he was heard, as she made herself decent. "Did the Elders treat you well?"

"...Yes," she said, removing her bed clothes. "But...that doesn't change the loneliness I felt. I only had Cupil... The Elders...didn't talk to me that much..." She pulled on her leggings, trying to hurry her dressing a bit.

"Mm. What have you experienced here in Arcadia, Fina, since your descent?"

"Well... I was attacked almost immediately...but...Vyse and everyone saved me. Even though they didn't know me..." She broke off temporarily to pull on her dress.

Ramirez hoped she wouldn't go into a spiel about friendship. He really didn't want to hear about it—not from her, not about them. "And then?"

"...Let's see... Then the Valuans came and captured all the pirates... I don't know if it was because they helped me or because they were pirates..." Her dress on, she then went about the task of putting on her various adornments.

"It was because they attacked a Valuan flagship and got away with it," Ramirez told her. "And also because you were with them. And, to a lesser degree, because they were pirates."

Pulling on her boots, she spoke again after a few moments of silence. "But...they're good people. I know that piracy is wrong...but, even though they committed such acts, they are still good..."

"Lord Galcian does not allow anyone to make a fool of the Armada," Ramirez replied, his voice deceptively neutral. "'Good' and 'evil' don't matter. Only power matters."

Fina did not respond to that, at first. Stepping out from behind the screen, she asked, quietly, "Do you really believe that?"

"I would not say it if I did not believe it."

"...What happened to you, on this planet?"

Ramirez was at a loss of what to say. He did not want to share his painful memories with Fina, especially since he had a feeling that, even if he swore her to secrecy, she would end up telling one of her friends. However, saying so would probably hurt her, and that, too, would be reported to Vyse or Aika. Finally, he said in a distinctly cool tone, "I don't want to talk about it."

"...All right..." She gazed sadly at the floor. "I think...something really bad must have happened to you...."

/Whatever gave you that impression?/ Ramirez thought sarcastically. He did not speak, though.

Fina gazed up again and straightened her veil a bit.

"I'm glad, though...that I can talk to you again. Even if you've changed...you're still my old friend, Ramirez."

He looked at her then, wordlessly. It was undeniably strange, that someone would still call him a friend... He bit back the urge to say that he had no friends, and turned to face her instead. He regarded her for a moment more before asking quietly, "How do you consider me a friend, even though we're on opposite sides?"

Pain flashed then across Fina's face. She averted her eyes and said softly, "I...aren't you staying with Vyse?"

Ramirez realized then his mistake. He had forgotten that, in their world, if he were to choose to stay on the Delphinus, that was the same as becoming an ally. Saying that he was still on Lord Galcian's side as he just did could have ruined everything. Choosing his words carefully, he replied, "I am. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that I believe in Vyse's sincerity yet."

"...Oh..." She gazed at the floor again. "But..." she continued, looking up to meet his eyes once more, "...I hope you can come to like him someday..."

Ramirez shrugged. In an offhand manner, he queried, "How much do you like him?"

Her eyes widened slightly. "I....." she trailed off, blushing. She gazed up at him, embarrassed. "I..." Though she tried, she could not finish her sentence.

Again, jealousy welled in Ramirez's heart, and he still knew not the reason why. "Are you in love with him?" he inquired, unable to keep a certain degree of coldness out of his voice.

"...I...don't know..." she whispered, suddenly afraid again.

"Hmph," Ramirez growled, turning away. He couldn't explain why any feelings Fina had towards Vyse would bother him; it was her life, wasn't it? Why would he care if she was attracted to him... Ramirez scowled, but it was meant for himself rather than Fina. He had been inexplicably attracted to Vyse as well... It meant nothing, of course, since he could stop those bizarre feelings anytime he pleased. The entire betrayal he planned was proof of that. Still, it annoyed and disgusted him that it had happened in the first place; any feelings of that sort were by nature wrong.

But even thinking so, Ramirez still felt jealous.

Fina gazed at him worriedly, wondering at the source of his obvious discomfort. She was about to say something to him when Vyse and the others returned.

"Fina!!" Aika called, shoving the sliding doors open. When she saw her Silvite friend, she sighed a breath of relief and walked in, Vyse and Enrique behind her.

"What's wrong?" Fina asked, staring nonplussed at her friends.

"Nothing, nothing," Vyse said, waving a hand. "We were just a little worried about you. It's nothing."

The pirate girl glanced at the male Silvite, then looked back at Fina again. "Hey, he didn't do anything weird while we were gone, did he?" she asked, not very quietly.

Ramirez, obviously overhearing that, glared at the orange-haired pirate.

"...Um, no..." Fina said, face reddening slightly. "We just talked..."

"And what exactly do you mean by 'anything weird'?" Ramirez demanded icily.

"Never you mind," Aika said to him, waving a hand impatiently. "Since it's pretty obvious now that you didn't do anything."

The Admiral narrowed his eyes and looked away; as he did so, he noticed Vyse and Enrique watching him.

/For...what do they want?/ he grumbled internally.

"What's going on with the Valuans?" Fina asked, looking over at Vyse. "What are they doing now?"

"They're having an audience with King Mikado," Vyse told her, frowning. "And they seized the Delphinus. We're totally outnumbered...nothing we can do for right now. So we're just going to wait for whatever's going to happen to happen."

"They seized the Delphinus?" Ramirez asked with not entirely feigned interest. Belleza had told him that yesterday, but as a rule, he didn't trust her more than he had to. Her specialty was deception, after all.

"Yeah," Vyse said with a sigh. "We're just gonna have to wait for them to make the next move."

/I hate not having a plan like this.... I have no idea what we can do if they do take over Yafutoma.. We might all be arrested again. Ah, well... It does no use to think negatively. I'm sure somehow, things will work out all right,/ Vyse mused to himself, the room growing silent.

"Hmm," Ramirez murmured, kneeling down on his tatami. "Is that your best plan?"

"What's wrong with waiting?" Vyse asked, sitting. "Besides, better options might show up later. For right now, we've got our hands tied."

Ramirez regarded Vyse with an odd expression on his face, then looked down at his knees, saying nothing.

Aika leaned against one of the walls as Enrique and Fina stood. "Well, what brilliant ideas do you have, Mr. Master Strategist?" Aika questioned dryly.

Ramirez remained silent for a moment. "...I...suppose...waiting is the best option at this time," he said begrudgingly, to which Aika smirked, triumphant. A warning glance from Enrique kept her from making a smug comment, though, and for the next half-hour, they waited in silence.

The sound of shoes tapping against wood alerted them to someone running up to the room outside just before the sliding door was opened by Moegi, who had a look of dire distress on her face.

"What's wrong, Moegi?" Aika cried, alarmed at the look on the Yafutoman Princess's face.
"You must all flee!" she cried, quickly entering and shutting the door behind her. "Something terrible has happened! The Valuans...they've—"

"Negotiations didn't go their way, so they took over forcibly?" Ramirez guessed, rising to his feet.

Moegi looked at Ramirez, surprised. "How did you know?"

He shrugged. "Their general tactics are easy to predict: 'If you won't give it to me, I'll take it from you.' As long as they get what they want in the end, they don't care about the means."

"Aren't you insulting Galcian by saying that?" Aika wondered, crossing her arms.

Ramirez glanced at her contemptuously but did not reply.

Moegi frowned and nodded once. "They'll be here soon to take custody of you all," she said. "Vyse, everyone, you must escape at once!"

Vyse nodded grimly. "We can't hope to fight them like this. Escaping is the best course of action."

Aika threw down her hands, exasperated. "Vyse, how are we gonna escape? They've got the Delphinus!"

"I have a solution for that," Moegi interrupted, turning to the back of the rooms. "There is a boat that will take us above the clouds. Please, follow me." She then opened a hidden sliding door and beckoned to the others. Not needing to be told twice, Vyse and everyone exited through the doors, with Moegi last, carefully shutting the doors behind her.

Hurrying down the passage, the group boarded the small ship that had been hidden back there. Moegi launched the ship, and they began to soar to somewhere high above the clouds, well out of the Valuans' reach.

After a while, Aika turned to Vyse and asked, "Now what? We've escaped for now, but..." The boisterous piratess trailed off, gazing down at the clouds from the side of the ship.

"...Well..." Moegi began hesitantly, "I think my brother can help us..."

"Huh? You have a brother?" Aika asked, turning to her.

"Yes...he disobeyed a direct order from my father," she murmured, looking down at her feet. "As such, he was exiled to the shrine at the top of this island. I have not seen him in years, but..."

"It's the best bet we've got," Vyse said when the Princess trailed off. "Let's go!"



Moegi's strange boat soared straight upwards, heading up to a place where the Armada's ships would never be able to reach. Ramirez knew that this was the decisive moment; he had to pretend to extend his hand first, since Vyse was far too angry with him to do so. Still, the thought of having to submit to him disgusted him, so it was only after Aika and the others finished a conversation with Moegi about her brother Daigo and how he had been exiled to their destination that he finally worked up the nerve to step up to his hated adversary.

"Vyse," Ramirez said clearly. "Can I talk to you?"

The brunet rogue turned to face him, a questioning look on his face, encouraging him to continue. "Yeah?"

Ramirez looked away briefly. Vyse wasn't as angry as he thought he would be... Somehow, it made this more difficult. "You're going to be fighting a fleet of the Armada's ships," he said, keeping his voice and expression emotionless. "And you don't have the benefit of the Delphinus' power to help you."

Vyse looked back over the edge of the boat. "Yeah, I know. What are you getting at?" he asked.

Ramirez eye's flickered momentarily, the only betrayal of his true feelings. "It's simply that I suddenly realized that deciding to stay with you could be construed as an act of treason," he replied. "Therefore it would be in my best interest to stay out of sight. As for yourself, since you lack your ship, you are at an extreme disadvantage. My proposal is simple: if you help me stay unseen, I will help you fight. In short, I am calling a truce."

"Yeah?" Vyse said, straightening, and turned to face the shorter man full on. "Well, I'm willing to accept that," he replied, trying to restrain a slight smile. /I guess I really did misjudge him.../ he thought to himself idly. "You don't have a weapon, though," he continued.

Ramirez frowned slightly. "That isn't my fault," he replied, slightly terse. "In any case, it's possible that Princess Moegi's brother can remedy that. This is a contingency that currently can't be helped, so it's better to see what happens first."

Vyse nodded, and turned back to get a good look at what was below them.

Yafutoma could be blocked out by his two hands now; he could see a number of Armada warships, but they were far below them, and even if any of them noticed their boat now, there probably wasn't anything the Armada could do. He hated the fact that he did not have a plan, but there wasn't a choice. He just prayed that things would turn out all right.



Arriving at the island Moegi had spoken of, they soon found that they had to fight their way in. Strange pirates were all over the place, and it was a long and difficult battle to the temple at the top. Upon entering the courtyard area of the temple, they were greeted by two familiar faces.

"You dare..." called Jao from the roof, and Mao entered, "show your faces here, westerners?!" The two leapt down to the paneled ground, and moving into battle poses, Jao called, "It is time..." Mao ended, "...for you to die!!"

"HEY!!" a voice from inside the temple roared before Vyse and the others could even begin to bring their weapons to bear. "Hold it, you two!!"

Jao and Mao halted then and quickly parted to the sides as a tall, impressive figure stepped out from the temple.

"Now you face..." Mao said grimly. "...Our leader," Jao finished, glaring at Vyse and the others as a tall, muscular figure stepped out of .

"Daigo!" Moegi cried out, recognizing the man who had just appeared.

"Moegi?" the aforementioned man said in astonishment. "What are you doing here? Has Father changed his mind?"

"Whoa, this guy's your brother?" Aika cut in, staring at Moegi and then Daigo. "What's he doing leading a bunch of pirates?"

"You're pirates," Ramirez noted.

"No one asked you!" she hissed. "And that's beside the point, anyway!"

Moegi's face fell, and she averted her gaze. "Father has...Yafutoma is..."

Daigo sat then. "Tell me the story from the beginning," he ordered.

So the Princess did—about the ambitions of Muraji and Kangan, about their betrayal, about Valua coming to conquer Yafutoma, and how her current companions were fighting to stop Valua. At the end, Daigo nodded seriously.

"I will help you," he said decisively. "Though I embraced freedom during my time as a pirate, I cannot ignore my country in its time of dire need. It is my duty as the prince of Yafutoma, regardless of being exiled!"

Vyse smiled in relief. "Thanks, Daigo," he said. "I'm sure you'll be a great help!"

The prodigal Prince grinned in reply, and added, "If you need any supplies, you can just take what you need of ours. There's no sense in jumping in unprepared, right?"

"Great! Actually..." Vyse then turned to Ramirez, who quietly stood in the back. "He needs a sword...he lost his a while ago. Can you help us out?"

Daigo stood and, turning back to the shrine, motioned for them to follow. "Come in and pick out whatever suits your fancy."

Ramirez glanced briefly at Vyse before the two of them followed Daigo inside. The structure looked antique, even ancient, and the walls were covered so thickly with swords of all shapes and sizes that even an inch of wood could not be seen beneath them.

"If there's a sword you prefer, you're sure to find it in here," Daigo told the two with some amusement in his voice. "Jao and Mao won't be particularly pleased that I'm doing this, but it's just one sword, and it's for a greater cause anyway. They'll get over it."

Ramirez eyed the wall of swords, studying them carefully. Finally, he selected a katana with its handle wrapped with red and black and its scabbard lacquered in the same colors, and then drew the blade. He first checked the balance of it, and was pleased to find that it left nothing to be desired. The weight and length were reasonably appropriate as well. Ramirez then held up the katana and inspected its edge.

"Yafutoman blades are unparalleled in excellence and sharpness," Daigo commented then, having noted his actions. "A fly can't walk the edge without cuttings its feet."

Ramirez glanced back at Vyse with a ghost of a smirk on his lips. "Is that so," he said quietly. Satisfied with his choice, he replaced the sword in its scabbard and attached it to its accompanying sword belt, which he then tied around his waist.

Vyse just gave him a look and made a mental note to talk to him later. /I swear, he's going out of his way to make me uncomfortable,/ he thought as he and the other two men left the building. /Sheesh, and he just called a truce, too... Can't he make up his mind?/

The group reassembled and, checking their weapons, armor and items, made their way to the bottom of the stone bridges that lead up to the temple to the house-boat in which they had arrived. Vyse hesitated, realizing then that the tiny boat would be utterly useless in a battle. Daigo just threw his head back in a hearty laugh when he commented on it, though.

"You should come with me," he said, gesturing towards his own ship. It, like all the other ships they had seen in Yafutoma, was made of paper, and brightly colored.

"You sure about that?" Vyse asked, slightly surprised.

"Of course! You need to be on the battlefield to find your Delphinus, after all!" Daigo replied.

The young rogue grinned. "Good point. Thanks!"

The group boarded Daigo's ship, and with a grand motion, it and a fleet of the Tenkou's brightly colored ships soared into the air.

The pirates engaged the Valuan fleet, but neither side could gain the upper hand. While the Tenkou ships were more maneuverable, the Valuans had better weaponry. The battle went on for several hours before Daigo, sensing the futility, was about to order the ships to withdraw.

"Lord Daigo!" one of the Tenkou pirates called to him then, quickly walking up. "Just now, a ship matching the description of the Delphinus has been spotted!"

"It has?" Vyse asked immediately. "If it is the Delphinus, we can take it back and win this war ourselves!"

"Well," Daigo said, looking down at the young captain, "We can try to get up close to it. But... are you sure about this?"

Vyse grinned in reply. "Don't worry about it, Daigo! We're gonna take back the Delphinus, Air Pirate style!"

Daigo grinned back. "Of course, my friend. I'd almost forgotten about your undying spirit! All hands! Bring us to boarding distance of the Delphinus!"

At the Yafutoman Prince's command, the Yin Yang pulled close to a ship that could only be the Delphinus. Pulling a worried Fina close, Vyse reassured her she wouldn't fall, and prepared to jump.

"You hanging on tight?" Vyse grinned at Fina, his arm around her waist.

"Er...yes," she replied, blushing faintly. Watching them from the corner of his eye, Ramirez scowled, his new Yafutoman sword clutched in his right hand.

"Then let's go!" And with that, he leapt from the Yin Yang to the deck of the Delphinus.

"Our turn now!" Aika said cheerfully. "You go on ahead, Enrique!"

"What? AAAAAUGGGH!" Enrique screamed as she pushed him over the side and then jumped herself.

Ramirez launched himself from the Yafutoman ship and landed with ease with the others, bringing his sword to bear as he did so; Yafutoman and Valuan soldiers had already surrounded them. He smiled darkly, for he was glad for the chance for battle. It would allow him to vent his frustration and jealousy.

"Admiral Ramirez!" one of the Valuan soldiers said, startled, upon recognizing the last of the boarders. "What are you doing here, with these pirates?!"

The Silvite let his sword answer for him.

"Admiral Ramirez!! What are you doing?!" another Valuan soldier cried, the first one having already been silenced. The other soldiers hesitated to go into battle mode, the appearance of the sixth Admiral having confused them, and the Yafutoman fighters, confused by the others' indecision, also faltered; that was their fatal error.

Vyse sighed inwardly, and launched himself into the fray. He didn't like killing people, but there was too much at stake here. They needed to have control of the entire ship, and for that, they couldn't have any enemy soldiers running around, armed or not. Dispatching one of the guards, he turned to make sure that Fina and the others were all right.

Enrique had gotten to his feet, and was fighting a Valuan soldier who was obviously not fighting at his full capacity, probably due to reservations and confusion over fighting the Prince of Valua. Aika and Fina were both fighting a Yafutoman soldier who seemed to be a match for both of them, but they seemed to be able to handle themselves regardless.

Vyse rushed and engaged another Yafutoman soldier, before that soldier could get any ideas about helping his comrade. Blocking a strike from the soldier's polearm, he swerved slightly and moved forward, slicing with his secondary blade deep into the side of the upper right chest. With a scream and a flash of blood, the Yafutoman soldier stumbled—in the wrong direction. Vyse's cutlass dug deeper into his body, cutting almost to his spinal cord, and when the rogue pulled his blade out, the soldier fell back in a sea of red.

Quickly scanning the battlefield, he saw another Yafutoman soldier, this one threatening to put Enrique in a tight spot. Vyse ran up to assist his friend, and between the two of them, the Yafutoman soldier didn't stand a chance.

Once that soldier was on the deck, Vyse once again surveyed the battlefield and found that all the opposing warriors were dead or unconscious, the girls having had been more merciful to their opponents than the boys had been. Signaling them to follow, he opened the door to the interior of the Delphinus and hurried in the direction of the control room.

There were small skirmishes with Valuan and Yafutoman soldiers on the way, but Vyse's group easily dispatched them all with little collateral damage. When the group arrived at the control room, they found Muraji and a host of Yafutoman soldiers waiting for them.

Muraji looked positively shocked to see them there. Gathering up what little courage he had, he ordered his soldiers to attack the 'invading' group, but they were easily defeated.

"Please don't kill me!!" Muraji blubbered, on the floor, as Enrique held the point of his rapier before him.

"As much as I would like to run you through, it would be dishonorable to kill a defenseless man," Enrique replied coolly, drawing back his sword and sheathing it. "You are now our prisoner."

"Yes, yes," the weasel-man babbled, nodding his head rapidly. "Thank you, you are much too generous..."

Ramirez frowned slightly, watching the scene. Enrique was too generous. He would have to do something to ensure that Muraji wouldn't cause trouble at an extremely inconvenient moment...

Stepping up to the cowering man, he glared down at him and drew his sword. Holding the blade close to Muraji's neck, he spoke in a tone that promised death, "Prince Enrique may be merciful, but I am not. Misbehave and I will separate your head from your body." With that, he pulled the blade away and returned it to its sheath, his entire demeanor calm but serious.

Muraji degenerated into a quivering mass.

Vyse pulled Ramirez aside. "Two things," he said in a low voice. "One, thinly veiled death threats are not good for truces, and I'm referring to when you first got that sword. Second, what you did just now was totally out of line."

"I was simply ensuring that he knew his place, and if he stepped out of it, his life would be forfeit," Ramirez murmured in reply. "Prince Enrique isn't threatening enough do so properly. As for the other thing, I don't know what you're talking about."

Vyse rolled his eyes. "Well, whatever," he muttered. "I'll talk to you about it later." He turned away and took up the Delphinus' wheel in his hands. "All right, everyone, we've got some battles to fight! Let's go!" he cried, steering the ship into the fray.

The first ship that they encountered was a big, thick one, with a huge cannon equipped. Ramirez and Enrique recognized it immediately, and the former was slightly amused when Aika commented, "What ship is that? For some reason, it gives me the creeps..."

Enrique informed her, "That's Vigoro's ship, the Draco."

"GAH! No wonder it's so gross!" Aika exclaimed, disgusted, holding her arms as her face turned red. "Talk about overcompensation!"

They engaged the Draco, and battle ensued. Despite Vigoro's jeering over communications, and that the Draco did have an extremely powerful cannon, in the end neither of them were a match for Vyse and the Delphinus. Smoking and in shock, Vigoro and his Draco began to retreat when the Lynx, Belleza's flagship, appeared. The two ships were about to engage in battle, when a brilliant blue light blazed forth from Mt. Kazai.

"Please don't tell me..." Vyse groaned, looking in its direction, "that some idiot awakened the Gigas?!"

The mountain broke apart and a gigantic blue draconic bird soared into the sky, telling him that some idiot had awakened the Blue Gigas. With a shrill cry, the Gigas spread its wings, and a great blast of wind crashed through half the Valuan fleet.

"Bluheim..." Fina whispered, feeling paralyzed. "It's awake..."

Ramirez frowned, slightly disconcerted. The Delphinus' Moon Stone Cannon was developed based on information gathered from the Red and Green Gigases, and was supposedly as powerful as a Gigas' main weapon, but... There was a distinct difference in supposedly having that power and actually having that power. If the Moon Stone Cannon wasn't strong enough to take down a Gigas, they would be dead before long.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Valuan fleet decided that discretion was the better part of valor and retreated. Enrique watched them go, feeling slightly relieved. There was no way normal ships could stand up to a Gigas; if they stayed, they'd only be destroyed. He felt grateful to Belleza, whom he was sure had given the order to retreat.

Turning to the captain of his ship, he asked, "Vyse, what's our next move?"

"You have to ask? We take Bluheim out!" Vyse replied with a cocky grin. "The Moon Stone Cannon is supposed to be as strong as a Gigas, right? Besides, if we don't beat Bluheim, who will?! Let's go!"

Fina stepped up to Vyse, and said, "Bluheim gets its strength from the Blue Moon, so it has accelerated speed and can use the wind as a weapon... If you hold your ground, you should be able to keep from getting blown away."

Vyse nodded, taking note of her advice, and engaged the blue beast.

The battle was long and strenuous—Bluheim knocked the Delphinus completely off-course more than once, and due to its speed, it attacked almost constantly with devastating attacks. Only Fina and Aika's constant healing, along with the Delphinus' high constitution and top-class armor, kept the Delphinus from getting wiped out completely.

Finally, with one last blast of the Moon Stone Cannon, the Blue Gigas Bluheim flopped down on the side of Mt. Kazai, apparently dead.

"Vyse, we did it! We beat a Gigas!" Aika exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, and it looks like Daigo's ships have taken care of business, too," Vyse grinned back. In the distance, the Yin Yang had cornered a small, weasel-like man holding a brilliantly shining Blue Crystal.

Ramirez hated to admit it, but he was impressed. To defeat not only an Admiral, but a Gigas almost immediately after that... Vyse would probably want to talk to him later about it, too, and there was no way he could get away with dismissing the rogue's accomplishments. Besides...he had managed to pull himself out of a tough situation—he had lost his ship!—and managed to come out the hero yet again. Luck like that just shouldn't be possible... Ramirez shook his head. He truly hated to admit it, but he...admired Vyse. Ignoring the sound of his heart, Ramirez told himself that he only admired Vyse.

Still grinning, Vyse continued, "Let's go back to Yafutoma, and make sure the King's okay." With that, the Delphinus, although it was fairly battered from the battle, headed for the island country. Once they returned, the royal family greeted them enthusiastically and gratefully.

"Thanks to you, we have our country back, and what's more, I have my son back," Mikado said, evidently quite pleased with how things turned out. "As a token of our gratitude," he continued, "I would like you to have the Magatama. You did say you needed it, correct?"

Aika stared at him. "Didn't you say you needed it to determine the successor to the throne?"

The aged monarch shook his head. "We don't need such a thing anymore. Daigo has proved himself most worthy, so his return is far better for the fate of the country than any Crystal would be."

"Yeah!!" Aika cheered. "Vyse, Fina, we got the Blue Crystal! Only three left to go!"

Her two companions shared her enthusiasm, and Vyse bowed slightly to Mikado. "Thank you very much, Your Highness," he said politely.

"No, no, it is I who must be thanking you, Vyse," the king of Yafutoma replied, smiling. "It was you who saved our land and brought back our rightful heir, after all."

Moegi, after a pensive silence, stepped forward suddenly, and said, "Father... I have a request. I want to go with them. We cannot remain ignorant of the world around us anymore; this invasion has shown us this much."

All eyes turned to Moegi.

"Moegi..." her father articulated, surprised.

"You and my brother shall fulfill your duties to Yafutoma by staying here," Moegi stated quietly. "I shall fulfill my duties to Yafutoma by traveling with these people."

Mikado regarded her for a few moments, then nodded slowly. "Very well," he said sagely. "Make your country proud, Moegi."

The Yafutoman princess smiled warmly at her father, and walked over to Enrique, prompting several knowing looks from his companions.

"Prince Enrique," Daigo said then. With a smirk-like grin, he continued, "Please take good care of my sister..."

Moegi and Enrique turned bright red as everyone else but Ramirez laughed.

Recomposing himself, Enrique replied earnestly, "You have my word as one prince to another."

Daigo smiled warmly and nodded. "That is good to hear. I knew you were a good man for her."

"Yeah, Enrique'll 'take care' of Moegi in all sorts of ways, won't you?" Aika added, elbowing the Valuan Prince.

Enrique blushed furiously. "Hey, stop that!" he cried, embarrassed.

Aika laughed. "Just kidding!" she grinned. "Don't take it so seriously, Enrique!"

"Oh yes," said Daigo, after they calmed down, "I would like to give you an additional gift. I noticed your ship can't travel high or low like ours can, so I'm giving you this scroll with the information necessary to build an engine that can." With that, he walked up to Vyse and handed him a scroll with the afore-said information on it.

Vyse opened the scroll and surveyed it. "Wow..." he breathed, an enthusiastic light shining in his eyes. "Amazing! Thanks, Daigo!"

The Yafutoman prince nodded, and smiled. "It's the least I could do."

The captain of the Delphinus grinned excitedly and nodded to Daigo. "Thanks again!" He bowed to the Prince and his father. "And thank you for the Blue Crystal, too!"

Mikado smiled and nodded his respect to the young pirate. Vyse and company left shortly after, Fina glowing with happiness as she carried the Blue Moon Crystal in her arms, and Vyse walking with a certain perk in his step as he carried the Book of Polarity.

"When we get home and Brabham makes that engine for us, there won't be anywhere in the world we can't go, will there?" Aika commented, grinning.

"Nope!" the young pirate grinned back.

"Can't wait!" Aika cheered, stretching.

Suddenly remembering, Vyse turned to Ramirez, still smiling. Ramirez regarded him with a guarded frown, not knowing what to expect.

"Thanks."

Ramirez blinked. Of all the possible scenarios he had envisioned, Vyse thanking him was towards the bottom. "For what?"

The brown-eyed rogue grinned. "What else? For your help and cooperation."

The male Silvite stared at the other man, not sure how to respond. After a minute, he gave up and looked away.

"Another thing, Ramirez," Vyse added. The silver-haired swordsman glanced at him. With a little smile and a little shrug, the brunet rogue continued, "That last battle...what's your opinion?"

Ramirez blinked. "You mean against Bluheim?"

"Yeah. Thanks for your help with that one, too."

Without speaking, the strategic genius looked away, considered the question, and then looked back, allowing his expression to be more peaceable than usual.

"Well done."

He didn't say any more, but he didn't have to.

Vyse blinked at him, surprised at the lack of a sarcastic comment, but then smiled. "Well, we should board the Delphinus, and get going, okay?" he said, as he turned, and headed for the carrier boat that was docked in the harbor.

His companions all nodded, and the five of them returned to their battered but victorious ship. Various Yafutoman mechanics had been on board, by order of the King, so the bodies were cleared out, and they were currently at work on fixing the damage. Giving their thanks as they passed, Vyse and company returned to the control room to discuss their next move.

"So, now what, Captain?" Aika grinned at Vyse as they situated themselves around a table, a map and the Blue Crystal between them.

"We heard home, of course!" the male Air Pirate smiled back.

"Yeah! We have to tell everyone back home what we've found!" Aika cheered. "How are we gonna get back, though? The Dark Rift was hell to navigate before, and it's not gonna be any better this time..."

"You don't have to navigate the Dark Rift," Ramirez said quietly. All eyes were on him as he continued, "Just sail east from here."

Aika stared at him, surprised. "Huh? But...wouldn't we fall off the edge of the world?" she asked, utterly confused.

Ramirez stared back at her for a few seconds...then began to laugh.

"Hey, what's so funny?!" Aika demanded, irked.

Shaking his head, Ramirez replied, "Nothing, really...just that you were serious." Recomposing himself, he continued, "No, we won't fall off the edge of the world, because there is no such thing. The world is round."

Aika glared at him and demanded, "How do you know that?"

"I spent my entire childhood looking down on Arcadia," Ramirez replied, his tone slightly amused. "Trust me, it's round. You tell them too, Fina."

"Eh?" Fina looked surprised at being addressed so suddenly. She didn't look thrilled at being put upon, either. "Well..." She paused, uncertain, then continued, softly. "Um...well...yes."

Despite all this, Vyse didn't look too surprised. "Aika, didn't Belleza say something about coming here from the west?" he asked his childhood friend.

"Hmm..." The red-haired piratess looked thoughtful. "Now that you mention it... Then again, you can't always be sure what she says is the truth, right?"

"A valid point, but this time she's telling the truth," Ramirez stated.

"There are ancient texts in the Valuan library that also state that the world is round," Enrique added. "And some scholars perpetuate this as well. However, nobody has been able to prove it, and those who claim that the world isn't flat usually get prosecuted..."

"Well, this is a great opportunity to prove that the world is round once and for all, isn't it?" Vyse grinned.

"Yeah!" Aika cheered. "In any case, it's better than the Dark Rift again," she added.

"Great! So now that that's decided, let's move out!" Vyse declared, holding up a fist.

"Aye-aye, captain!" most of his crew responded, and they went to their respective stations to sail east to return to Crescent Isle.





NOTES: We own nothing except our ideas. Don't take our ideas. All properties of Skies of Arcadia/Eternal Arcadia [Legends] belong to everyone it is to whom they belong.

Ianthe: If this chapter sucked, it's my fault.
Ayu: ^_^; How is it your fault?
Ianthe: ...Because I don't got teh mad skillz?
Ayu: We've been doing fine before now... Anyway, we finished chapter eight before we finished this...that's how much we didn't want to write this chapter. I think it might show...

Ayu: The title of this chapter is a line from Kirai ni Narenai (I Can't Hate You), the second opening theme from Magic Knight Rayearth. The full line is "Kirai ni naritai demo kirai ni narenai itsumo kokoro ha yurete iru", which means "I want to hate you, but I can't hate you; my heart is always wavering". I think that this is an amazingly appropriate line for Ramirez. Full lyrics can be found at my lyrics site, Campus Lyrics!, the link to which you can find below.

Contact deep.Indigo: deep.Indigo@negativenergy.zzn.com
Contact Ianthe of d.I: ianthefira@rangersgrove.zzn.com (URL: Ranger's Grove (rangersgrove.tripod.com))
Contact Ayu of d.I: ensoph@goddess.zzn.com (URL: ~ T H E : E T E R N A L : M I N D ~ (theeternalmind.sterlingsylver.net))