The Day the Moon Shines
By: deep.Indigo

Chapter 13: Furimuku Jikan ha Nai no
(There is No Time to Turn Back)





"Adjust your blade," Ramirez said patiently, standing six feet opposite Vyse on the deck of the Delphinus, which was currently bound for Valua. "The right one. The way you're holding it now, I could swat it away without thinking about it."

Vyse obeyed, changing his grip and tilting it slightly closer to his body. "This better?"

"It's acceptable," the Silvite replied, raising his Yafutoman blade before his body in a guard position. "Now attack me."

Vyse hesitated, naturally; it wasn't in his nature to try to hurt his friends. In addition, in spite of his knowledge that Ramirez was clearly a better swordsman and could probably beat him ten times in a row, after all the time they had spent together recently working and conversing rather than battling monsters, it was hard to think of him as the genius at the blade he was. The fact that Ramirez was also shorter and looked more feminine than him didn't help, either.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he finally decided to query, lowering his cutlasses. "I might hurt you by accident."

"Vyse, if I were you, I would worry about not getting hurt myself," the young Admiral replied, frowning, not changing his position. He smirked and added, "Or is that the problem?"

The captain of the Delphinus rolled his eyes. "Fine, forget I asked!" he smirked. "Excuse me for worrying about you!"

"I asked you to spar with me; you needn't worry about me," Ramirez smirked in return. "Now attack!"

This time, Vyse obliged the Silvite swordsman, quickly rushing forward and slashing with his main cutlass. Ramirez, however, was quicker, and moving with the rogue, he struck Vyse's blade with his sheathed katana and sent him running past, calmly returning to a guard position and watching his companion stumble, regain his footing and swiftly turn about to face him again.

The Air Pirate eyed the lacquered sheath of Ramirez's foreign blade, remembering his curt words upon being questioned about not drawing his sword: "My instinct is to kill, Vyse, and when I draw my sword, that intent is never far from my mind. I don't wish to risk that in a mere friendly duel." Vyse had been vaguely insulted that the Admiral thought he had to hold back for him like that, but he reflected that it probably wasn't that different from his own hesitating to attack a friend. Grinning at that, the Blue Rogue charged again with a yell, and this time, Ramirez yielded a step as Vyse's weapon connected with his before pushing back one-armed and fending away the pirate. A smirk was faint on the Silvite's lips as he then pointed his sword at Vyse, abandoning his guard position for a more aggressive stance.

"Don't bore me, Vyse," he said. "I'm expecting a lot from you."

In answer, Vyse raised his left arm sharply to blocked Ramirez's weapon with that cutlass and lunged in to strike with the right blade. The white-haired retreated as soon as he saw the motion, but was too slow to prevent the rogue from scoring a hit against his arm with the flat of his blade. Ramirez vaguely appreciated Vyse's attempt to not cut up his clothes as he slid his katana under his opponent's arm and ran the blade point across his chest—an act that would, had the katana not been sheathed, have cut Vyse in two. The two separated, the taller youth touching the line that had been drawn across his chest cautiously, and Ramirez's smirk returned.

"Were this a real fight, I would have just killed you," he said, slightly bemused by the situation. "Vyse, you need to remember that if you hold back against me, you are certain to lose."

"I'll have to keep that in mind," the Blue Rogue grinned before feinting and lunging again.

Ramirez caught the attack easily, seeing the ruse for what it had been, and returned it for one of his own. Their weapons struck together, and in a forceful dance, the two exchanged blow after blow, cutlass sliding against scabbard and vice versa. Ramirez was swift to force Vyse back step after step with several consecutive, powerful attacks, confident that he wouldn't even need to use half of his true ability, until the young ship captain had nearly been backed into the Delphinus' railing. The Silvite's assault was interrupted, however, when Vyse managed to dodge and sidestep a thrust, and block the following attack with his left cutlass as he nimbly danced away, putting a healthy distance between himself and his opponent.

"You're good," the rogue commented, keeping his flippant smile, though his expression didn't match it.

"The observation is appreciated, but I wanted to test your skills, not the other way around," the Admiral replied. "That's not very easy to do when you continue not to use them. Now..." He raised his sword once again. "Are you going to be serious now?"

"You're too good," Vyse replied before attacking with both cutlasses, catching Ramirez's block with his left blade and swiftly slipping through the Admiral's defenses with the right, with which he had feinted, to land a sharp blow to the chest. It drew no blood, as again the pirate had used the flat, but it managed to catch Ramirez by surprise, and the Silvite retreated a step.

Vyse used the opportunity to charge, using both cutlasses to manage an assault, and although Ramirez's skill was such that he could block both swords at once, he could not help but acknowledge that Vyse's ambidextrousness yielded him an advantage. The Admiral was forced to withdraw as his opponent maintained his continuous attack, though no blows were allowed through this time, and reassess his situation. He could easily defend, and any attack that slipped through would mean little as Vyse would only hit with the flat of his cutlass, but it was interesting how this was turning out. Ramirez knew Vyse wouldn't let him leave without a fight when he took the Crystals and rejoined Lord Galcian, and as he'd told his captain earlier, he drew his sword to kill. If he wanted practice at fighting without actually hurting anyone, now was definitely the time, especially since he was finally getting into the swing of aiming for the sword rather than the body.

With that, he caught Vyse's lesser cutlass in a swift strike and threw it clear, then made a thrust that he knew the pirate would be able to block. He did, and using the weakness of his position, Ramirez forced his weight into his next attack and forced Vyse back in another reversal of motion. However, instead of letting the Admiral flow into another series of attacks, Vyse used his momentum to run to the side, opening a gap between the two swordsmen and inviting Ramirez to give chase. With a smile, the Silvite willingly took the bait and pursued, reaching the Blue Rogue in time to meet an attack with an attack, raising a clatter as their weapons met. This time, a small distance was maintained, and only the ends of their swords clanged against each other. The fight degenerated into dance for a moment, the two simply hitting each other's blade relentlessly as they moved across the deck; then, again, Vyse dodged a strike, stepped quickly around and slashed forcefully, his cutlass beating against Ramirez's scabbard. Several harsh blows were exchanged before Vyse feinted with his left cutlass, moved to attack with the right, which Ramirez caught, and then actually attacked with the left in a brutal punch to the shoulder that forced the Admiral to stagger back with a wince, holding his left hand to his assaulted right shoulder.

Cocking a grin, Vyse moved in again, his cutlass meeting with the white-haired swordsman's sheath as Ramirez moved his left hand to the handle for the first time in that fight. They stood still for several seconds as both poured their strength into forcing the other back, and Vyse stabbed toward the Admiral's side with his left cutlass. Ramirez, however, had expected the attack and quickly sidestepped, using the opportunity to shift the flow of his energy and force his captain's main cutlass into clattering against the other. To avoid an attack, Vyse quickly stepped back, sliding his weapons away, but the Silvite, also expecting the dodge, lunged in and, when the Air Pirate stopped, cut sharply across the brunet rogue's chest in a swift diagonal motion, one that could have easily cleaved him in half. He understandably stumbled back, and mercifully, Ramirez did not follow up, content to stay at attention, now once again holding his blade one-handed.

"You have the skill," he commented calmly when Vyse had switched into a defensive position, "and the potential to be an excellent swordsman. However, you don't take me seriously enough. If you underestimate a powerful opponent, your latent skill and potential will be useless."

The brown-eyed Air Pirate grinned sheepishly as he shrugged. "Truth be told, I don't really want to fight you," he admitted. "Though, again, truth be told, it was pretty fun fighting you. I can see where you get your reputation."

"Not really," the Admiral said. "In a serious battle, I'm much more vicious."

"So you're holding back, even after you told me not to?" Vyse inquired teasingly.

Ramirez answered with a sharp tap of his blade to the top of Vyse's head. The pirate exclaimed in pain, raising one hand to rub his head when he realized it still held a cutlass.

"This wouldn't be a fair fight if I didn't hold back," he smirked in reply. Ramirez relaxed, lowering his sword, and went on, "Perhaps we should stop for now. That's the second time I've killed you."

"I can keep fighting," Vyse complained, but he relaxed as well and sheathed his cutlasses regardless. With a grin, he added, "This was pretty fun. Let's do it again sometime."

Ramirez smiled back, though the expression pained him, knowing how true his next statement would be. "We'll have to."

"Hey, Vyse," came a young boy's voice, "here." One of the spectators of the fight, the Valuan Marco, approached his captain with a grin, offering a damp towel. Behind him was the Yafutoman builder girl, Kirala, who had been up on deck for a breath of fresh air when Vyse and Ramirez had originally arrived.

"Thanks, Marco," Vyse smiled, accepting it and wiping the sweat from his face.

Leaning on one leg and folding his arms behind his head, Marco commented, "That was impressive. You held your own pretty good, Vyse!"

"Held his own pretty well," Ramirez murmured as he attached his sword to his belt, but his correction went unnoticed.

"Heh, thanks again," the brunet rogue grinned, handing the towel to Ramirez, who took it. "I'm nothing compared to Ramirez, though."

"Yeah, you were great, too," Marco said, turning to the Admiral, who was surprised to be suddenly addressed. "I've heard rumors about you back in Valua, but they're nothing compared to really seeing you fight."

"Yes, I've heard little of your prowess, and I don't know much about fighting myself, but I've heard quite a lot about Vyse, and if you could beat him, you must be very strong, Ramirez," Kirala smiled, her arms on her hips. "Especially if you really were holding back in that fight just now."

Ramirez paused, not quite sure how to take the unexpected compliments, and stared at the two. After that small hesitation, he returned the towel to Marco and said quietly, "Thank you. I'm grateful."

"Still, Vyse got in some good hits too, huh?" Marco smirked up at Kirala as he swung the wet cloth over his shoulder. "Put Ramirez on the run a couple of times."

"Heh," said pirate grinned. "I was the one doing most of the running, though..."

"Once you got into the match, you did less of that, aside from tactical running," Ramirez commented, glancing at his companion. "You just need to learn to put aside your reservations sooner." With a faint smile, the Silvite shut his eyes and added, "If you had been serious from the start, even I with my skills might have been in trouble."

Vyse laughed and replied, turning to Ramirez and placing his fists on his hips, "You're just saying that to make me feel better! Though I'm not complaining about it. If I could beat you, even with you holding back, that'd be something to be proud of."

"Maybe you'll manage it someday," the Admiral said with a small, ironic quirk of a smile. "Though I doubt it."

"Oh, shut up!" the captain of the Delphinus laughed, taking the jab good-naturedly. He faced the door leading back inside his ship and queried, "You heading back in now?"

"If you are," Ramirez replied. Beginning to follow the brunet rogue, he glanced at Kirala and Marco, and gave them a short nod and an awkward attempt at a smile. They didn't seem to mind, though, and just smiled back.

"See you later, Vyse!" Marco called to their backs as they walked away.

"See you, Marco! Keep up the good work out here!" Vyse called back, glancing over his shoulder at his first crewmate with a friendly smile and wave.

"Heh, no problem!" Marco grinned, giving him the thumbs-up.

"See you, too, Ramirez!" Kirala added, winking.

The Silvite glanced back in surprise, not having expected being addressed again. "Ah...right," he said vaguely, facing forward again.

When the two had left, the Valuan boy folded his arms and commented, "Moons, that Ramirez guy sure is a jerk."

"What?" Kirala uttered, surprised, looking down at him. "Why do you say that?"

Glancing up at her, Marco replied, "Well, c'mon! You an' me say good things to him, and what's he say? 'Thank you, I'm grateful.' Totally insincere! And then he goes and insults Vyse. I don't like him."

The Yafutoman girl shook her head and said, "I think you misunderstand him. I think he was sincere; he just wasn't sure of what to say. See, it's that not everyone views flattery the same way. In Yafutoma, for example, it's considered rude to accept praise right away; you're supposed to deny that you're worthy of it, and after the one complimenting you insists on it, you eventually give in and accept it."

"That's weird," Marco declared.

"It's not weird, it's just the way we are," the builder replied, mildly affronted. "It's probably the same for Ramirez, too. Besides, I don't think he expected to be recognized; not many people talk to him, I've noticed. I bet he's used to saying as little as possible."

"Well...maybe," the Valuan boy conceded begrudgingly, folding his arms. "But he was still rude to Vyse!"

"Marco, if Vyse wasn't insulted, then we shouldn't feel insulted in his place," Kirala said patiently. "Besides, as outsiders, we probably don't understand their relationship."

"What makes you an expert all of a sudden?" Marco demanded, cocking an eyebrow at the older girl.

Turning her gaze to the door leading back into the Delphinus, Kirala replied, "I'm an outgoing girl who likes to work with her hands. In my country, that's considered to be a very strange thing—building things is men's work, you see. I don't care what others think of me, but sometimes it's a little lonely when people don't appreciate what I do. My sister Urala is a much more traditional Yafutoman girl, so she doesn't get judged like me, except when she's being compared to me." She smiled and shut her eyes. "Ramirez is out of place among us, too. I'm not sure of how or why, not knowing him very well, but that's how it feels. When you're used to being an outsider, you start to understand other people who are the same way a little."

The Valuan lad furrowed his brows and stared at the deck, but said nothing.

Inside, unbeknownst of this exchange, Vyse was elbowing Ramirez with a mischievous grin as they walked back to the bridge.

"I think Kirala likes you," he teased him.

Suppressing a groan, the silver-haired young man merely rolled his eyes. "She and I barely know each other," he pointed out. "And I've had enough of your friend's needling over Fina, so please don't start with a different girl."

"Sorry, sorry, bad joke," Vyse grinned sheepishly. He added with a playful wink, "Kirala is cute, though; you should talk to her more. Never know what might happen!"

"Very little, most likely, as I have no interest in girls," Ramirez replied, rolling his eyes again.

"Yeah? Why not?" Vyse inquired, eyebrows raised.

The Admiral shrugged, definitely not wanting to tell his companion that there was a possibility, however distasteful, that it was because he was interested in boys. As they reached the top of the stairs leading to the upper level of the Delphinus, he hesitated, then turned to the door leading to the lookout. "I'm not in the mood to return to the bridge just yet," he stated. "I'll see you later."

"Wait, I'll go with you," Vyse said. "Besides, I'm not letting you get away that easily!"

Ramirez simply shook his head and let his companion follow him, knowing that he wouldn't be able to talk him out of it. When they both reached the top of the ladder and climbed out to admire the view from the lookout tower, the Air Pirate commented, "So, if you're not interested in girls, what are you interested in?"

"As a child, I spent a lot of my time studying maps of Arcadia," Ramirez answered after a few seconds of thought on how to reply to that. "I also studied ships and old sailing records, along with biology. Oh yes, and of course I spent a great deal of time practicing with the sword, with which, obviously, I spent an even greater amount of time once I arrived in Arcadia."

"Sailing records, huh? You ever think you'd like to sail?" Vyse queried, watching the bottoms of mountains roll slowly by as the Delphinus flew past them.

"Do you ever think you'd like to join the army?" the Admiral riposted flatly.

Vyse laughed nervously in return, shutting his eyes. "Guess that's a no." Walking to and leaning over the railing, he said, "I've been sailing since I was a kid. It's always been my favorite thing to do. To me, there's nothing better than being on a ship and riding the air currents, feeling the wind on your face and traveling to new places. It's something I love to do, so it's hard for me to imagine that anyone else might not love it, too." Glancing over at Ramirez, he continued, "Do you like being in the Armada?"

Pursing his lips slightly, Ramirez granted him, "...Not really. It's something to which I've simply grown accustomed. When I first got involved, I enjoyed it, but..." He frowned, joining Vyse near the railing. "The situation changed. Drastically. Now I stay out of duty."

"How'd it change?" he inquired.

"Eight-year rule," the Silvite stated simply. "It's a sensitive subject, one which I don't care to discuss."

The young captain nearly asked what the eight-year rule was when he remembered the agreement he'd made with Ramirez recently. He nodded, though he was terribly curious, and looked out into lower sky again. "I see. That's a shame, though... You shouldn't have to do something you don't enjoy."

"If I must be honest, had you asked me about sailing when I first came down, I would have said yes without hesitation. I used to dream of sailing when I was younger," he admitted. "But the Armada has become my life. It's not something from which I can easily separate myself."

If warning klaxons were going off in Vyse's mind, he didn't show it. Instead, he smiled at Ramirez and said, "If you ever do end up quitting somehow, you can always come sailing with me."

"...With you?" the Silvite repeated, his face a carefully constructed mask.

"Yeah, with me," the Blue Rogue nodded, smiling.

The silver-haired Admiral glanced away quickly, pleased more than he cared to admit to hear that. "...Sometimes I wonder about you, Vyse," he chose to comment.

"Huh? What do you mean?" the ship captain inquired, startled into a stare.

"Nothing," he murmured, turning his pensive gaze to Deep Sky. And again, Vyse said something suggestive, yet didn't seem to realize that there was anything to his choice of words. Ramirez had been carefully watching for that ever since the incident during the installation of the Delphinus' new engine, and whenever he called Vyse on it, his reaction was invariably one of confusion. Either he was a brilliant actor or he really didn't realize what he was doing, and more and more doubts were accumulating as to the probability of the former...

"Hey, if there's something bothering you, just come out and say it," Vyse said gently. "I won't know unless you tell me."

"Eh?" Ramirez uttered, glancing up in surprise at his companion. "What makes you think something's bothering me?"

The Blue Rogue smiled. "You said something weird, and when I asked you about it, you brushed it off," he replied. "Well, if it's just my imagination, okay, but if you have something to say to me, say it. If something is bothering you, I can't change if it I don't know what it is."

"I wasn't aware captains were in the business of catering to their crew members' desires," the Silvite frowned.

"What?" Vyse grinned. "A good captain should always take care of his crew. That's how you build trust, respect and camaraderie."

"..." Ramirez turned his back to and leaned against the railing, folding his arms over his chest. He had to wonder what Lord Galcian would have to say with Vyse's views on how to run a ship... He also had to wonder what he would have to say if he knew that he, Ramirez, wanted to believe the Air Pirate. "It just sounds like you're pushing the 'friendship' thing again."

"Ramirez, tell me honestly," Vyse said, frowning slightly. "Forget we're technically on opposite sides for a moment. Would you say I'm your friend or not?"

There was a long pause, but finally, the Silvite swordsman sighed. "...According to you, yes."

"But if it's according to you, then what?" the Blue Rogue insisted.

Again, Ramirez was silent briefly. He regarded Vyse for a moment, then glanced away and confessed, "You're quite possibly the closest friend I've ever had."

Vyse smiled wholeheartedly and laughed a little. "That's all I really wanted to hear," he said. "You know what, Ramirez?"

"Mm?"

"If Aika heard me say this, she'd have something to say herself for sure," he began, folding his hands as he, too, leaned his back on the railing. "But I don't care about whatever ugly things you're hiding about your past. Sure, I'd like to hear about them, but whether I know them or not, you're still you, Ramirez. And I just want you to know, I trust you."

Ramirez rewarded this declaration with a stunned stare. He opened his mouth a few times as if to answer, but shut it each time, unable to return any words. Knowing that Vyse trusted him...was an unmistakably warm feeling, but at the same time, Ramirez knew he would betray that trust.

He glanced at the metal floor, reminded of Lord Galcian's words from the first time they met. "'People are not to be trusted,'" he quoted quietly. "'Depend on a person too much and they will betray your trust sooner or later.'" The Silvite turned his jade-colored eyes to Vyse. "Lord Galcian told me that when we first met. You'd do well to take heed of his words." He lowered his gaze to the floor again. "You're a fool to trust me so blindly."

Vyse shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to completely disagree with Galcian," he said, his expression serious. "You can't have love and friendship without trust. Even if you've been hurt, you can't wallow in your pain forever, or you'll miss out on what the world can offer you."

"...Vyse," Ramirez said softly, "have you ever been betrayed? Betrayed by someone you had known for a while? Someone you deeply trusted?"

The Air Pirate met the Admiral's gaze, but didn't answer.

"Then you don't know how much it truly hurts," he continued, narrowing his green eyes. "You can't know until you've experienced it."

"I guess under those terms, getting tricked by Belleza wouldn't count?" Vyse half-joked. "I have experienced it, though. I'm sure you've already heard about it, so I'll skip the details, but believe me, I wasn't happy about being deceived like that, and if Drachma hadn't saved us then, we'd be dead right now—me, Aika and Fina. It turned out all right in the end, though, and I don't begrudge Belleza for what she did anymore."

Ramirez shook his head. "That's not the same," he said tersely. "You knew her for a few days at best. It was your own fault for trusting someone so quickly."

"I'd rather make a mistake in trusting someone than shut out everyone by trusting no one," the Air Pirate stated quietly. "It's the same with you. I don't trust you blindly. I trust you because I want to help you. You can't expect people to trust you if you don't trust them in return, so I'm going to choose to believe in you...no matter what you say."

The white-haired Silvite bowed his head, obscuring his eyes with his bangs. When Vyse said it, he felt as if it really were true... But he was wrong. Vyse was wrong, because as soon as they secured the Yellow Moon Crystal, he would take the Crystals and rejoin Lord Galcian, and everything would be as it was meant to be. Because...that was how it was meant to be, right?

"Let me ask you one thing, then," Vyse began when he didn't respond. "What do you believe in?"

"Power," Ramirez stated without hesitation, "and strength. They, unlike people, cannot fail me. They, unlike people, will never betray me."

The brunet rogue regarded his friend with troubled brown eyes. "Is that something Galcian told you, too?"

"It is something he told me," he frowned, "but it is also something I learned for myself—several times over."

"I don't know your circumstances, but Galcian's wrong," Vyse stated emphatically, frowning. "There are things more important than just power!"

"Vyse, the worlds in which we live are completely different," Ramirez replied, narrowing his eyes. "Your philosophy works well for you, somehow, but it has nothing to do with me."

"Ramirez, you can't possibly really believe that," said the Air Pirate exasperatedly, holding out his arms for emphasis. "Hasn't your time aboard the Delphinus taught you anything?"

/It taught me that if you're nice enough, and the people to whom you're being nice are gullible enough, those people will be willing to overlook any hints that you aren't as nice as you seem, no matter how obvious those hints may be,/ Ramirez mused, though he was admittedly not particularly elated to know this.

"Well?" Vyse persisted when the white-haired youth remained silent.

"...Not everyone in the world besides Lord Galcian is as bad as I once thought," he finally divulged, glad that there was something positive he could say that wasn't a lie. One horrible side-effect of coming to like Vyse was the growing, deep sense of guilt about deceiving him. "You, for example, I find surprisingly tolerable."

Vyse had to laugh at that. "So I go from 'I like you' to 'I find you surprisingly tolerable'?" he grinned. "Well, it's still better than 'I hate you and I swear I'll kill you' either way..."

"You should feel honored that I would tolerate, let alone like, you after barely a lunar cycle and a half's time," the Silvite noted, "considering how much I despise most of humanity."

"But you're human too, though, right?" Vyse argued. "I mean, you're a Silvite, but Silvites are humans, right? So why would you hate what you are?"

Ramirez's expression clouded. "First of all, you're making a sharp left curve from the topic at hand," he stated curtly. "Second of all, although I suppose Silvites are technically human, there are significant disparities between the two that warrant differentiation."

"Like?" the Blue Rogue prompted.

The sixth Admiral's left hand almost twitched. Almost. Ramirez had better self-control than that. "The fact that we're not self-destructive idiots," he said flatly, and whether or not that was meant to be a joke was unclear. "Can we return to the subject?"

Vyse frowned, rolling his eyes, but didn't press the subject. "Well then, okay. Why do you like me, if you hate people so much? Not that I'm complaining," he added.

Ramirez shrugged. "You turned out to be someone worthy of respect," he replied, "and to be honest, I find your sincerity quite refreshing."

The captain of the Delphinus smiled the warm, beaming smile of someone who has just heard something that made their day.

This was not lost on Ramirez, and it again bothered him that his opinion mattered so much to the Blue Rogue. He wondered, not for the first time, if he should simply ask Vyse if he was homosexual; it would save a lot of time and trouble. Once again, though, the knowledge of the complications that would surely arise if he did ask, regardless of the answer, stayed his tongue. It was probably just wishful thinking, anyway.

Instead, he said, "We've been out for a while, Vyse. We should return to the bridge. You do have your duties as captain."

"Huh? Aww. All right," the Blue Rogue conceded. "You're right. Let's go."

As they began to head back, Vyse climbing down the ladder first, Ramirez glanced out at the graying skies. Troubled, he wondered what Lord Galcian would say if he knew of this camaraderie he shared with the Air Pirate who continually interfered with his plans, and what he was thinking now...



As it were, at the moment, Galcian was in his headquarters in the Grand Fortress and regarding the light that reflected off of Ilazki, Ramirez's sword, as he held it aloft and turned it to certain angles. The spiked sheath rested on the table before him, quietly if not begrudgingly awaiting the return of the blade, and the moment when both returned to their rightful master's skilled hand.

It had been quite a while since he had seen that rightful master, his loyal servant, but that was soon to change. At this very moment, Vyse and the other filthy Air Pirates were likely on their way to collect the Yellow Crystal for him, with Ramirez waiting quietly on the bylines for the moment to steal them, again for him. Galcian could not help but appreciate all the measures to which others went, all for him; it was befitting for the one meant to control this planet. He felt no pity for the Air Pirates, who would surely be horrified when they learned that they had been duped so completely; it was their own fault for being so foolish as to accept his servant into their loathsome company. Their skills may have been greater than he'd initially expected, but their intelligence clearly was lacking. All the better for him; once he had acquired the six Moon Crystals, Ramirez returned to him and they taught those noisome Blue Rogues a lesson in true despair, there would be nothing left to oppose him. Valua itself would fall on its knees before him, and the world, too, would soon recognize him as its true leader.

That went for those hiding underneath the rocks of Valua as well. Galcian smirked; he knew many of those people would gladly kill to be where he was now, both figuratively and literally. The master swordsman tilted Ilazki again; what would they say if they knew he was so casually holding the legendary Sword of the Dark Moon? He had to wonder as well what they would say if they knew he had tolerated it remaining in the possession of a Silvite for the past seven years. It was a shame to leave it in such ignoble hands, but he himself never had any interest in the awesome artifact, and the one who wielded it was his devoted puppet, anyway, for whom he...begrudgingly admitted he had some paternal affection. Yes, the Grand Admiral was content to allow Ramirez to swing the ancient blade on his behalf.

He tilted Ilazki again now to have it reflect his cold, blue eyes back at him. Galcian smirked. Yes, if any of them expected to ride on the coattails of his success, they would be sorely surprised. That had been their intentions ever since the beginning, hadn't it? But the soon-to-be sovereign of Arcadia had no intentions of allowing that. They were unquestionably strong, so it would be a waste to kill them; he'd simply have to bind them to their unshakable honor, his unshakable honor, by commanding they all swear utter fealty to him before he so much as glanced at them. And then, once that was complete...he'd place them under Ramirez's command.

The delicious irony of it would be perfect for those who had dared to disrespect him—he, Galcian, the one who would before long hold the greatest power in the world.



Locating the Maw of Tartas was a tedious task, but Vyse didn't particularly mind; finding all these discoveries while trying to get to it was reward enough! Besides, although it took a few hours, he did manage to find the gaping hole into the depths of Valua hidden among the crags. It wasn't like it was the Dark Rift; that had been hell.

The interior of the Maw of Tartas wasn't much better, he quickly found, what with all the pathways branching here and there, often to nowhere. It wasn't fun, what with having to deal with the resident monsters as well as backtracking whenever he picked the wrong branch, but again, he and the others found their way to the place where the slumbering Yellow Gigas Yeligar hid, along with the Yellow Moon Crystal. Their efforts to take the Crystal without awakening the massive monster failed, and the battle that ensued literally tore apart the skies. Eventually, however, the Delphinus and its Moon Stone Cannon and top-class armor bested the beast, and with a screech, Yeligar exploded, leaving behind only a crater where the seal 'binding' it had been and a brilliantly shining yellow crystal.

Vyse had to wonder what the heck was the sense of creating a Gigas that self-destructed upon defeat was—how could the ancient citizens of the Yellow Civilization fix it? It certainly couldn't have been an easy task to build it, and making another from scratch was just... Well, he didn't have time to ponder things like that; the Yellow Crystal was waiting for them at the bottom of that crater, and he, Aika, Fina, Enrique and Ramirez all went to retrieve it.

"Well," Fina had said rather unenthusiastically, picking up the shimmering jewel. "With this, we've got all the Crystals, but..."

"That's great, Fina!" Aika reminded. "What are you so depressed about?"

"Now that we've got the Yellow Crystal, my mission is over," the pale-haired young lady reflected with a trouble expression. "I'll have to return home...leaving all of you behind." She flashed a wistful smile at her childhood friend. "Well, not all of you. You'll be coming back with me, right, Ramirez?"

"...As I understood it," he said calmly, thinking quickly, "your ship sank beneath the clouds when Alfonso took you prisoner. You'll have to find it before anyone can go there. And if you can't find it..." He trailed off purposely, and Fina got the idea.

"That's right," she said hopefully. "If we can't find it, we can't return! But..." she added, growing downcast, "but I shouldn't think that; we must take the Crystals back..."

Enrique, not wanting to intrude but knowing what he had to say needed to be said, interrupted, "Pardon me, but we should leave quickly. The Armada will likely come to inspect the source of that explosion just now, and we want to be far from here when that happens. We can discuss this later, Fina, Ramirez."

/An astute guess,/ the young Silvite man silently commented even as he nodded his assent; /Lord Galcian will investigate, and when he sees the remains of the seal, he'll know the Yellow Crystal is in our possession, and mobilize to come...attack.../

The train of Ramirez's thought...didn't quite become a flaming wreck, but the tracks received quite a nasty shock when he realized that in his mind, that 'our' referred not to him with Galcian, but him with Vyse and the others. In short, he had grouped himself with them, and it had seemed so natural at the moment that he didn't realize what he had said until afterwards. He had served faithfully under Lord Galcian for the past seven years, and he had been in Vyse's company for less than two lunar cycles; why had he associated himself with them, rather than just thinking of them as 'the Air Pirates' or even 'Vyse and company'?

Had he been talking out loud, he would have been rendered speechless. As it where, he simply mentally sputtered, widened eyes the only external indication of his revelation, /When did I start thinking of myself as being a part of these people...?/

The mental slip perhaps wouldn't have bothered him so much if it weren't for his tumultuous feelings for Vyse, along with the guilt and self-doubt plaguing him as the moment of truth grew ever nearer. He didn't care about what Fina or anyone else thought of him, but he didn't like the thought of Vyse staring at him with hurt, unbelieving eyes.

"Hey, Ramirez!" yelled said Air Pirate, looking back quizzically from several feet away, noticing that his friend had yet to move. "Something the matter?"

"Ah...no," he called back, moving quickly to catch up to the group. "I simply became lost in thought. Excuse me."

"What were you thinking about?" Vyse inquired curiously, still looking at Ramirez as they climbed up the crater.

"Just what Fina and I were just speaking of," the sixth Admiral lied smoothly.

"Oh, all right," Vyse said easily, looking back up to the Delphinus, and Ramirez subsequently felt his guts twist with shame.

His guilt did not abate as they prolonged the inevitable return by spending the night anchored under Valua; it was late, after all, and after the grueling battle with Yeligar, they all agreed it would be best to sleep now and sail back in the morning. What with one thing and another—Aika and Fina's inane antics, the work that had to be done with the engine, the reassuring thought that it would still be a while before he handed Vyse and company over to Lord Galcian—he had somehow forgotten the repercussions of his actions. Or perhaps it wasn't that he forgot, but he hadn't allowed himself to think of it in that way before for this very reason, to avoid this hideous self-reproach.

When Lord Galcian arrived, he would be highly unlikely to hold back against Vyse and company. Ramirez knew this well; he was there when he razed his father's isle. Furthermore, with his plans so close to fruition, he would be unlikely to bother with Valuan "etiquette" and drag Vyse and company there for "trial". No, he'd kill them all where they stood, for the dead cannot take arms against you.

It wasn't as if Ramirez had never killed before. It was hardly as if there weren't a few people on Crescent Isle he wouldn't mind cutting down himself. However, Vyse...that idiot, that complete idiot, trusted him, even after he'd stopped short of simply telling him, 'Vyse, I'm going to betray you.'

Or was he aware? He must at least suspect it... Was the captain of the Delphinus so willing to gamble this much—his freedom, his life, the lives of all his friends and crewmates—in order to "turn" him? He was going to have the letdown of his life; Ramirez had served Galcian for the past seven years of his life, and to turn against him simply for Vyse was pure fallacy.

Yet still, he wavered.

He had followed Lord Galcian because he had firmly believed that he was the only one who could save this wretched planet and its inhabitants from themselves. He had followed Lord Galcian because he had sworn that, ever since that black day seven years ago, he would believe in only strength and follow only those with power. Lord Galcian was unmatched by anyone in this world in terms of power, and he could only grow stronger... Vyse couldn't hope to be a match against him in a fair, even fight. It would be like trying to light a match in a windstorm: no matter how hard he tried to do otherwise, he would only be extinguished.

However...

What Ramirez had said before was certainly true: not everyone in this world was corrupt, aside from Lord Galcian. Vyse had charm and purity, and although it had hardly budded, his own strength was sure to flower and grow fruit. Given enough time and training, Ramirez did not doubt that, one day, Vyse could become Lord Galcian's rival. He had already thwarted him several times thus far, and was even building his own army in order to oppose him... Well, to oppose Valua, but when he realized the truth, that would quickly change.

He did not hate Vyse.

On the contrary, he...liked him.

The white-haired swordsman furrowed his brows in anxiety, leaning his head against an arm, which in turn he leaned against the wall. Like? Mere "like"? Oh, so is that what this affection was called—this quiet calm that he felt around so few people, this flush of heat, this quickening palpitation, this unbidden jealousy toward any of Vyse's love interests, this...desire not to hurt? This torment over what should have been a simple matter of returning to his rightful place? This ache at the knowledge that, though they could be nothing but enemies, he no longer wished to be his enemy?

Ramirez shut his eyes.

Tell yourself something enough times and even lies will become truth... Though he was not fond of the presumptuous, meddling woman, and he disagreed with many of her philosophies, the Silvite knew Arianne was not, in spite of her insistence on "helping" him, a total fool. There were things she had said that rang true.

Ramirez bit back a depressed sigh. There was no turning back; he would betray Vyse, he would hand over the Moon Crystals to Lord Galcian, he would cut down the Air Pirates by his own hand. There was just one small monkey wrench in that plan:

He was undoubtedly, irrevocably in love with Vyse.

Ramirez was further beginning to seriously doubt his ability to do any of these things. Yet, he had no choice; Lord Galcian was counting on him to complete his mission and steal the Crystals. If he spared Vyse, he would betray Lord Galcian, and he could not do that, not after all his father-figure had done for him—removing the blindfold from his eyes, teaching him the truth of the world, honing his abilities to their utmost, giving him guidance... It was nothing like Admiral Mendosa, who had been using him from the start. Lord Galcian was moved by neither flattery nor money; he was his strength and his honor, and though there were those who might disagree with his methods, he was not mistaken. Ramirez continued to strongly believe that even through his hesitation.

It was just...perhaps there were some shameful things that were permissible even in the Grand Admiral's rigid world? He had said himself that he trusted no one, but Lord Galcian trusted him, didn't he? So far as anyone could trust anyone else. Perhaps it would be all right to trust Vyse...

/But no, no, I couldn't do that,/ he thought frantically, vaguely aware that he was spinning in circles. /Trusting Vyse would mean turning my back on Lord Galcian, and Lord Galcian is the savior of Arcadia! This world is filled with weaklings all hoarding worthless things for themselves and stepping on others! The only way to save it is to crush the weak and give leadership to the strong!/ It was like a religious manta, and the torn Silvite repeated it as if it would bring order to the chaos in his heart. /But...but.../

Ramirez sorely wished he had not fallen for someone whose ideals clashed so violently with his own.

Why had he fallen for Vyse, then, if they disagreed so fundamentally? What drew him to the Blue Rogue?

The answer was depressingly obvious: there had been a time where he would have believed in all of Vyse's words wholeheartedly, with near-childlike abandon. There had been a time, years ago, where traveling with Vyse—sailing the skies, discovering new lands and peoples, learning the countless secrets of the world and befriending Arcadian after Arcadian—would have meant all his dreams had come true. Vyse reminded him of himself, his self who had died seven years ago, buried along with Admiral Mendosa...

Was that innocent part of himself trying to revive in him—that innocence that had brought about his own ruin? That naïveté that had threatened his life on more than one occasion... Ramirez thought he had crushed it under his heel; even his youthful optimism, his foolish hope that perhaps he had been mistaken and Mendosa had been a horrible fluke rather than the rule, had died out as the world proved to him again and again that the late Admiral had indeed been of the rule. Yet, even after all of that, it was trying to return to his frozen heart...

/There is no way this can end well,/ Ramirez thought dismally before the sound of someone entering the room interrupted his musings.

It was Vyse, of course, seeing as this was his room. The jade-eyed swordsman glanced at him, and his expression must have told quite a story, for the first thing the pirate said was, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Ramirez lied unconvincingly, moving away from the wall to his makeshift floor-bed. "Nothing is wrong."

The captain of the Delphinus frowned, clearly doubtful, but he thankfully did not push it. Instead, he shut the door behind him and walked over to and sat down on his bed. "We should get you your own room," he commented, regarding the Silvite's arrangements. "You're probably sick of sleeping on the floor whenever we're on the Delphinus."

"I don't mind," the Admiral murmured, his gaze cast to the floor. "You needn't go through the trouble."

"Well, you should at least have your own bed," Vyse insisted, pulling off his boots. "You can't be comfortable on that hard floor."

"It doesn't matter to me," the snowy-haired swordsman insisted; "I've slept under worse conditions."

"But according to you, you hardly sleep at all," the Blue Rogue argued.

"Thus why you shouldn't bother; I won't sleep for any longer with or without a proper bed, so why suffer the hassle?" Ramirez countered.

"If you're sure..." Vyse said doubtfully.

/I won't be sleeping on the Delphinus for many more nights, if any at all,/ the Silvite thought darkly, but he merely nodded and lied down.

There was a moment of silence as Ramirez kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling while Vyse changed into his bedclothes; then the captain of the Delphinus collapsed onto his bed with a yawn.

"Moons, did we go through a lot today," he said sleepily. "But we've finally got all the Crystals. Once we find a way to get Fina back home, she'll have finally completed her mission."

/I'm well aware of that, Vyse,/ Ramirez thought, equally tired but for different reasons. "Do you realize that if Fina returns to her home with the Moon Crystals, you will never see her again?" /If only for the fact that the Rains of Destruction will wipe you and all your loved ones out,/ he added morbidly.

The brunet rogue didn't answer immediately. When he finally spoke, he quietly said, "Maybe not. If we can get back her original ship, then she could always come back to visit."

/No she wouldn't. There would not be a world to visit,/ the silver-haired swordsman thought morosely. "That makes sense."

"Hey..." Vyse turned his head to gaze down at Ramirez, who still stared straight at the ceiling. "Are you going to go back with Fina, too?"

That was quite possibly the most awkward question Vyse had ever asked him, and he could see no way to answer it diplomatically and truthfully. As easy as it would be to lie, as he had been doing for so long, he somehow didn't have the energy for it tonight.

"No," the Admiral shortly decided to reply. "The Elders and I have never been fond of each other, although I...was more obedient towards them after Hahaue's death." Vyse was silent as Ramirez went on curtly, "In addition, they sent Fina and me down to Arcadia in order to collect the Moon Crystals. As long as they successfully received the five Crystals that were hidden down here, they couldn't care less if neither of us came back."

"You can't be serious," Vyse protested. "They might have been harsh with you, but they're still your people. They'd have to care if neither of you came back!"

After a moment of consideration, Ramirez conceded the point with a nod and said with a deceptive lack of bitterness, "You're right. They'd care if Fina didn't come back."

"That's not—" the Blue Rogue began, exasperated, but he cut himself off. He'd get nowhere if he attempted to argue the point with the Silvite. In either case, he had to admit that he was happy Ramirez wouldn't be returning... "What are you going to do when she goes back?" he asked instead.

There was a brooding moment of silence as the white-haired swordsman pondered the inquiry. If Fina returned to the Great Silver Shrine with the Crystals, he wouldn't have to worry about betraying anyone, because shortly afterwards, they would likely all be dead from the Rains of Destruction. Finally, he said in all honesty, "I don't know." /Fortunately, the point is moot,/ Ramirez added grimly. /Before the week is out, Lord Galcian will be in possession of them./

It would be fortunate for him, at least...somehow.

"If you want, you can stay with us," Vyse suggested hopefully, although the accompanying grin was wry.

Ramirez glanced up at him, bestowing him a small smile, and said with a slight laugh, intending to humor the brunet, "I'll stay with you until you die."

Obviously, the two had very different ideas of when the Blue Rogue would die, because rather than rolling his eyes, frowning, sweating or otherwise getting angry or worried, Vyse blushed maroon and dipped his head to let his bangs hide his eyes. "Uh...er...that's kind of..." he stammered. /...Moons. Moons! What the hell was that?!/ he thought frantically, more profoundly affected by Ramirez's declaration than he would have anticipated. His face was hot with blood, and no wonder, considering how quickly his heart was pumping it through his body. /Moons...that's... I never expected him to say that.../ Averting his gaze and running a hand through his hair to hide his face, Vyse hesitantly queried, more to have something to say than to have anything clarified, "What...do you mean?"

Ramirez likewise had his gaze fixed on the wall opposite Vyse, having realized too late how badly his words could be taken. This was bad; he'd never meant for things to take this turn, and if Vyse figured out his feelings... He'd have to bluff his way out. On the other hand, it would be as painful for Vyse not to know as it would be for him to know... There was no way the dashing rogue would return what he felt—Ramirez was nearly certain of that. There is a big difference between nearly and completely, and it tormented him still, so he gambled and replied as tactfully as possible, "...I apologize. I meant to...tease you, to parody your words as of late. It seems you took me...seriously, however."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" the captain of the Delphinus inquired, leaning forward even as his face remained scarlet.

Ramirez glanced toward Vyse, allowing his pale bangs to mask his eyes. "'If you ever do end up quitting somehow, you can always come sailing with me.' Note that you said not us, but me. Then, 'I don't care about whatever ugly things you're hiding about your past... I just want you to know, I trust you.' You can only press these kinds of words for so long before they start coming across as sounding...rather odd," he explained, keeping his tone level. "And finally, and most damningly, 'I like you.' These are all statements that...can make something about you rather questionable."

"Wait, you don't mean..." Vyse began, the heat in his face now from a different kind of embarrassment.

"It's not the sort of thing I would think a man typically says to another man," Ramirez added evenly, the emphasis slight but noticeable.

"Oh, Moons," the brunet rogue groaned, covering his face with one hand. "I didn't mean it that way, I swear I didn't!"

"I didn't think you did," the silver-haired youth commented, casting his gaze aside. "But I had to wonder, since you've been doing it for a while."

"No, you've gotta be kidding!" Vyse protested. "Aw, geez... I'm sorry! Oh, Moons, this is so embarrassing..."

He shook his head, still not looking at his captain. "Don't worry about it."

"I can't help but worry about it!" the rogue replied, flopping onto the bed. "I can't believe I made you think I might be gay!"

"It's not as bad as you think," Ramirez replied a little more tersely than he'd intended. He realized too late that his statement could be interpreted a couple of different ways, but Vyse, in his distress, didn't seem to catch the more incriminating subtext.

"Still," he moaned, "that's so... I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable!" he added fervently, turning his head to look pleadingly at his roommate.

"Forget about it," Ramirez sighed. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

Vyse covered his head with his pillow for a moment, then removed it and reassured his friend with an apologetic smile, "No, don't say that. I told you earlier that if something's bothering you, you should tell me." He set his pillow back down and rested his elbows on it, propping himself up. "It's better that we got this cleared up so there aren't any more weird misunderstandings, right? I don't want you thinking I might have a crush on you or something!" he added with a dismissive laugh.

/I might be happier if you did,/ Ramirez thought morosely, although he knew it wasn't true. If Vyse had had feelings for him, it would make carrying out his duty that much more difficult. "It's fine. Let's just go to sleep."

"All right," the Air Pirate replied, dousing the lights and shifting his pillow properly. He was up for a long while thinking, however, about the confrontation just now with Ramirez.

Specifically, it reminded him of when he'd joking wondered if when Ramirez had told him he liked him, he'd actually been confessing his love. He was glad he didn't think of that as any more than a joke—he didn't want to put the withdrawn Silvite through the mortification he'd just experienced! Vyse couldn't help but think, though, about his relationship with Ramirez, and what he felt about him. He wasn't gay, of course, but he was awfully fond of the guy, in spite of...well, everything, really. He mused that to Ramirez especially, it must feel really weird, for someone who—Vyse regretfully admitted—barely knew him to like him so much as to say so. With that in mind, it would probably be natural to wonder about his orientation. Vyse was glad he only wondered and didn't assume; that would have been humiliating!

...Or would it have been? Ramirez didn't sound like it had bothered him that much, more like it had been a question of merely academic interest. Or maybe that had only been because he turned out to be not gay, who knew? But if Ramirez took it that much in stride, he probably shouldn't sweat over it so much, either. That of course implied that he should stop thinking about it and go to sleep, but tonight, Vyse's thought pattern ignored logic.

The brunet pirate folded his arms under his head and stared up through the darkness at the ceiling. /Would it really be a big deal to like another guy?/ he wondered. The concept weirded him out, sure, but at the same time it piqued his interest. Vyse was, after all, not the type to leave an experience untried, or run away from something because it was a little intimidating. And he did like Ramirez; he liked him a lot, whether he was talking to him, joking around with him, just being near him or even arguing with him. His fellow swordsman was standoffish a lot of the time, but there were also times where he was unusually warm, usually when it was just the two of them. The young captain liked girls, true, but the more he got used to the idea of...well, being gay, the less he found it to be unappealing. And if he were with Ramirez, the two of them really could be together as friends and more, and the handsome rogue found that prospect surprisingly attractive...

Vyse blushed crimson and grimaced, deeply glad that the target of his attention couldn't see him in the dark and at this angle. It was all well and good to have these idle thoughts, but now he was getting a little too involved. Propositioning Ramirez would be, Vyse was certain, the fastest, surest way to make the reserved Silvite hate him ardently once again. Besides, it was stupid of him to take these late-night musings seriously.

/Better just stop thinking and go to sleep already!/ he chided himself, turning on his side away from Ramirez and pulling the covers up. He was up for hours, though, his brain fixed on making nervous noises, rudely reminding him that it was highly likely that his roommate was probably also awake, and wouldn't he like to discuss these things with him, because didn't he want to get all these things out in the open?

Vyse kept his mouth shut, though. He didn't want to wreck his already tenuous friendship with the reluctant Admiral.

Ramirez, in the meantime, was in a state somewhere between sleep and wakefulness for most of the time while Vyse agonized over his discrepancies, lulled partially by the pirate's rhythmic breathing. He had missed, he found, sleeping in the same room as the headstrong rogue, and just the sound of him inhaling and exhaling was enough to relax him, to gradually set him floating in a sea of somnolence...

It was dark. That was reasonable, Ramirez mused; it was night, after all. It didn't occur to him to recognize that he was dreaming, because that would mean he was asleep. There were four tall, thin, pale, rectangular shapes, like giant playing cards, a short ways away all leaning against each other, and with proper caution, he went to investigate them. Their backs shared a uniform pattern, namely that silly design Fina had created as the Delphinus' flag, lending weight to the thought that they were man-sized cards. He had to admit that it was appropriate, though, to give the Delphinus the image of its namesake, the long-extinct dolphin.

The snowy-haired Admiral cautiously touched one of the cards, and at the barest scraping of his gloved fingertips, all four cards stood straight and rigidly to attention, then rapidly moved backwards and away from each other for several yards before they stopped and stood ominously, like four painted obelisks radiating white in the fathomless dark.

Ramirez looked around swiftly at the four cards, having jumped out of the way as soon as they had abruptly stood. The faces of these cards were of the King set, one for each suit, but that wasn't the odd thing about them. The odd thing, undeniably, was that featured as the King of Hearts, Diamonds and Spades was Vyse, in his usual clothes, but in different positions with different expressions and different accessories. The King of Clubs, the card that he had touched, was oddly blank except for its border and letter K, along with the club symbol. The King of Hearts, to the right of the King of Clubs, was smiling out with a look of compassion and affection on his face, holding in both hands cups of burgundy-colored loqua, on at his hip, the other held aloft as he stood straight and proudly. The King of Diamonds, to the left of the King of Clubs, was smirking lazily, his expression one with which Ramirez was well familiar, though only on others, never on Vyse—namely, one of arrogant self-assurance that he did indeed deserve the golden coins he was flipping into the air with one hand and clutching greedily in the other. Ramirez frowned at the sight, troubled, but it was not nearly as disturbing as the King of Spades, who stood ready for battle opposite the King of Clubs, his arms crossed across his body, his deadly sharp cutlasses ready to cut down any in his way, his wild brown eyes and manic grin both alight with perverse anticipation of the sight of blood.

"What in the six Moons is this...?" Ramirez murmured, turning his gaze from card to card as he stepped backwards slowly, his back to the curiously blank King of Clubs. He hesitated for a moment, then headed towards the nearest card, the King of Spades, with the intentions of touching it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came Vyse's voice. Ramirez drew back immediately and turned swiftly to face the rogue.

He looked as if he had just stepped out of a card; he was smiling his usual friendly smile, leaning on a long wooden staff held in his right arm, one leg tucked underneath the other, and holding another staff tilted up at an angle in the other arm.

Considering he was standing right in front of the still blank King of Clubs, the Silvite had the distinct, disconcerting feeling that he had stepped out of a card.

"Vyse?" he ventured, taking a step toward him.

"Who else?" he grinned. "No, maybe you shouldn't answer that. Here, catch." He straightened and threw the staff in his left hand toward the Silvite, who caught it easily and regarded it with a puzzled frown, then looked up at his companion.

"What exactly is going on?" he questioned 'Vyse'. "Did you come from that blank card?"

"Heh, that's my Ramirez!" the staff-wielding card-pirate laughed. "Sharp as always!" He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder back at the blank card. "Yeah, I came from there. When you touched that card, you let me out. Lucky thing you got me instead of one of these other guys."

The Silvite Admiral glanced around warily at the other cards. "How so?"

"Well," the King of Clubs began in the tone of someone admitting he said something that wasn't entirely true, "you'd probably like him," he pointed his staff at the King of Hearts, "all considering."

"'All considering'?" Ramirez repeated, frowning at Clubs-Vyse.

"Well, you are in love with me," and the Silvite greeted this blasé statement with an expression of shocked horror, "and he's all for loving you back, so I don't know, you might like having some of your fantasies come true."

"—How—how—" Ramirez said very quietly, eyes wide.

Clubs-Vyse grinned apologetically and shrugged. "It's true, right?"

Ramirez didn't answer, opting instead to give what he deemed to be an imposter a guarded glare.

"Hey, don't look at me like that," he protested with a frown. "It's not my fault you think I'm sexy. OW!" He rubbed his head where Ramirez had rapped him smartly with the staff he'd been given. "Hey! I didn't give you that to beat me up! Moons, Ramirez, I only said the truth!"

The Silvite continued to glare, decidedly not amused. "I want explanations," he stated in a tone that did not brook arguments.

"Heh... No dissuading you when you're stuck on something, huh," the fake Vyse grinned, still rubbing his head. "That hurt, you know..."

"Did you know that a properly-aimed blow from a staff to the temples is as effective at killing someone as a bullet to the head?" Ramirez inquired steely.

"All right, all right!" Clubs-Vyse said, waving his hands in defeat, slightly alarmed. "I'll have you know that I don't really know what's going on either, being a whole part of this," he added defensively.

"Whatever, just get on with it," Ramirez said brusquely.

"Sheesh, can't wait even a minute, can you?" not-Vyse muttered, placing a fist on his hip. "All right. Basically, the four of us are images, I guess, in your mind, reflecting different aspects of Vyse."

Ramirez frowned. "We're in my mind?"

"That's not important," Clubs-Vyse said impatiently. "Anyway, me, I'm Vyse as your friend. I'm the closest one to the 'real' Vyse, the Vyse you perceive without any biases. That guy," he pointed his staff toward the King of Hearts, "is Vyse as you want him to be—namely, in love with you. Like I said, you might want to try talking to him."

"That's not—" Ramirez began to protest hotly, but Clubs-Vyse continued blithely, now aiming his staff at the King of Diamonds, "That's Vyse as you originally perceived him. Consequently, he's a bastard. If you touch his card—not that I think you would—give him a few good raps on the head for me, he annoys the hell out of me. And that," he concluded, pointing straight ahead, and Ramirez turned to view the King of Spades, "...I don't know what the hell he is, much less where he came from." The Clubs-Vyse paused pensively, then continued, "I guess he might be best described as the Vyse you fear."

"Fear?" Ramirez repeated, swiveling back to raise an eyebrow at him. "Vyse?"

Clubs-Vyse scratched his scar, quietly beholding the King of Spades, and shrugged. "Don't ask me," he replied. "I'll just say this, though—if you weren't afraid of Vyse, that guy wouldn't exist. He's nasty, Ramirez, ruthless and completely insane. I don't know why he even exists to begin with." He leveled his gaze at the silver-haired swordsman. "You must have a really poor opinion of me deep down if someone like that exists in your mind."

Ramirez regarded him wordlessly for a moment, then took a few steps toward the King of Hearts, now beholding that figure with a thoughtful frown. "...What happens to you if I touch another card?"

Clubs-Vyse grinned. "So you care what happens to me? I'm flattered," he said jokingly. "I dunno. I guess I just stay here, and the other Vyse appears?"

After a moment of staring at the chalice-bearing Vyse, he Silvite glanced back at the King of Clubs. "...You said you're the most like the 'real' Vyse," he said. "Does this mean that these others are just delusions?"

"We're all delusions," Clubs-Vyse corrected him. "No matter how well you observe someone, you can't really know him for real. I'm the most like the real Vyse, but I'm still just a figment."

"For my perception of Vyse, you certainly are intelligent," Ramirez observed.

Clubs-Vyse laughed heartily at that. "Hey, give me some credit!" he said with a wink. "I'm smart—you're just a blind spot of mine. You know that too, otherwise I wouldn't be able to say it."

Ramirez hesitated for a second longer, then set down his staff, turned to the depiction of King of Hearts, and hesitantly reached out and touched it.

The image abruptly burned away, as if it had been an oil painting and his fingers a flame. The card itself remained; the King of Hearts had merely vanished, seared away.

The Silvite didn't have long to wonder where and when he would appear, because he heard the clink of goblets being set down on a stone floor, and immediately afterwards, two strong arms embraced him from behind. Ramirez struggled out of instinct, but the arms just held tighter, and a gentle laugh sounded in his ear.

"You don't have to fight me," Vyse's voice tenderly sounded. "I won't hurt you."

The white-haired Silvite stiffened and obeyed; if the Clubs-Vyse had been telling the truth, then this Hearts-Vyse would be... He instead tried to turn around, which the Vyse holding him allowed him to do, and look up into the face of his loving captor.

The new Vyse smiled tenderly down at him, with the sweet affection of a lover. Ramirez blinked and glanced away, a blush creeping over his face; it was simply too strange that anyone would look at him like that, let alone Vyse or his doppelganger.

"There's no need to feel embarrassed," Hearts-Vyse told him softly, holding him a bit closer—Ramirez placed his arms on his chest; if he needed to, he could push away. "I love you..."

The Silvite's blush deepened, and he began to babble a reply when the second Vyse took hold of his chin, tilted his head up, and leaned in to kiss him.

Ramirez froze, panic coursing through his heart, but after the first several frantic beats, it and he calmed down, and letting his eyelids drift shut, he relaxed.

The funny thing was, though, that there wasn't anything to enjoy. The kiss felt like air, and the embrace was equally empty. It wasn't long before his eyes opened halfway, a trouble expression crossing his face as he attempted to pull away.

Hearts-Vyse allowed him to do so, releasing his hold on the dreaming Admiral as he did. He continued to smile as if nothing were wrong, and raised a hand to stroke Ramirez's white hair. The Silvite, however, quickly ducked away from his grasp and slipped by past him, almost running several steps away and turning around swiftly to face his pseudo-amorous delusion.

Hearts-Vyse turned with Ramirez and reached for him, looking hurt. "Why are you running away?" he queried, stepping forward, a pleading note in his voice. "Isn't this what you wanted? To be loved?"

"..." The green-eyed swordsman didn't know how to answer, so instead he ignored the second doppelganger, but for taking a step backwards to balance Hearts-Vyse's advance, and glanced sharply at the first, who was sitting on the nonexistent floor away from them, his fingers in his ears. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "There was nothing in that kiss! That can't possibly be what I wanted! HEY!" Ramirez raised his voice when the doppelganger continued to ignore him. "Listen to when people are talking to you!!"

With an exaggerated sigh, Clubs-Vyse removed his fingers and stood to face Ramirez, folding his arms. "Tell me, Ramirez, have you ever been kissed?"

"He just was!" Hearts-Vyse protested, but nobody paid attention to him.

"No," Ramirez stated.

"Then you wouldn't know what being kissed is like."

"...No."

"So, if you're in your mind, and you get kissed by an illusion generated by your mind, how's it supposed to feel like anything if you have no prior experience with it?"

The logic in this stunned Ramirez, and Hearts-Vyse took it as an opening to try to wrap his arms around him again. Ramirez, instinctively shying away from the touch and not too happy with this "illusion" regardless, leaped back and retreated several feet, glaring at the intrusive fake.

Hearts-Vyse in turn glared at Clubs-Vyse, who looked back at him with a "What did I do?" stare. "Must you interfere with our love?" he demanded imperiously.

The first imposter had to smile. "I didn't interfere," he replied. "Ramirez asked me a question and I answered it. That's all."

"He's running away from me, when all I want is for him to be happy! To be loved!" the amour protested. "Since he doesn't understand either of those things, it's up to me to teach him! He needs me!"

"Wait, what did you say?" Ramirez cut in, wide-eyed with surprise.

Hearts-Vyse turned a patient, doting smile to him, gratified to be addressed for the first time. Advancing a step, to which he was pleased to see that the Silvite only tensed for escape rather than actually escaping, he said in a soothing voice, "My lovely Ramirez, you have no one who loves you. But I love you, and I'll always love you! You need me, just as I need you. Don't fight it; you'll never know love if you do! Please, come with me, Ramirez," Hearts-Vyse continued, drawing closer as Ramirez drew away. "For no one will ever love you but me."

The silver-haired swordsman gaped. This was his fantasy? It was undeniably twisted, and he had a strong suspicion that he knew the answer why. What the two had hinted was true: he knew nothing of romantic love. Knowing nothing, of course this image would be warped... But there was something especially wrong about it. This couldn't be his 'fantasy'; he hated it!

Ramirez's eyes widened. Hated it? Of course—because of his conflicting loyalties, he was torn between wanting and rejecting Vyse. And because of that, it made this...thing... He retreated again as Hearts-Vyse tried once more to woo him.

"Hey, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE—" Clubs-Vyse shouted, alarmed, but his warning came too late as Ramirez hit a card back-first. The Silvite glanced sharply up and back in time to see the King of Diamonds' smirking face burn away. "Going," Clubs sighed. "I'll get the staff you dropped, Ramirez. You'll need it."

"Oh, come off it," another Vyse said scornfully when the Clubs had reached the second weapon; Ramirez looked sharply over to the King of Spades to see the newcomer leaning against the sinister card, idly flipping gold coins into the air and effortlessly catching them. "You, beat me off? I'm stronger than you, you idiot, and you should know it. 'Cause I'm the one Ramirez knows best. Isn't that right, Mr. All People Are Scum?" he added with a smarmy smirk at the Silvite.

Hearts-Vyse quickly took Ramirez, who had been distracted by the arrival of the King of Diamonds, into his arms and held him close, stroking his hair. "He doesn't need to talk to you, he only needs me," he said sanctimoniously.

"Bugger off, you fag," Diamonds-Vyse sneered, and Ramirez couldn't tell which was more wrong, the fact that one Vyse was essentially pawing at him, or the fact that another had the look of almost every Upper Valuan he'd ever met.

"Hey, let go of him," said Clubs-Vyse all of a sudden, prying a staff in between Ramirez and Hearts-Vyse and wrenching them apart. "Keep that," he told the dreamer shortly, handing the staff to him, and took the other one in hand and faced the newcomer. "Listen, you!" he declared. "Now that you're here, there's nothing I can do about that, but that doesn't mean I have to put up with you!"

"So you'll attack an unarmed man? How noble of you," Diamonds-Vyse smirked, still idly flipping his coins.

Clubs-Vyse smirked back. "We all know you don't need weapons to fight dirtily enough to win."

"True enough," Diamonds-Vyse acknowledged. "Say, Ramirez, wouldn't you like to know the truth?"

This sudden statement gave pause to the Silvite, who had been quietly watching the unfolding scene. "What do you mean?" he queried cautiously. The truth e'er was a slippery thing, so went an old saying.

"Ramirez, don't listen to him!" Clubs-Vyse shouted, but Diamonds-Vyse delightedly continued, "The truth, dear Ramirez, the truth! You don't think these buffoons have any clue what's really going on in your head, do you? Not when they're no better than newcomers! Why, me and this guy," he jabbed a thumb at the figure on the card on which he was leaning, "have been around for a good, solid seven years, and those other two chumps just waver in and out like mirages! You see," and the King of Diamonds leaned forward eagerly, "it's not about Vyse. It never was! You're a selfish being, Ramirez; everyone is! That's just the way people are. We just look like Vyse because he's the one you're thinking about most these days. It's really all about you!"

"Shut up!!" Clubs-Vyse snapped, pointing his staff at Diamonds as a weapon. "You're the liar here. I won't let you—"

"Silence!!" Ramirez interrupted fiercely.

"Quite right," Diamonds gloated, smirking at Clubs staring, stunned, at the white-haired Admiral. "So anyway, as I—"

"That goes for you, too," said the Silvite quietly, his green eyes narrowed.

There was a long silence among all four people present before Ramirez advanced three steps and glared at the third delusion. "Whatever you say," he declared, "will be a lie. Your very nature proves this."

"I'm your nature, bitch, so shut up and get used to it," Diamonds-Vyse replied with a tight-lipped smile. "Everyone's greedy. Everybody wants things for themselves. You're the same way. So what you want happens to be power instead of money. So Galcian's lust is reserved for control rather than material wealth. What makes either of you any better than the people you've killed?"

"SILENCE!!" Ramirez roared, moving into a battle position; he was slightly awkward with the staff, having had far less experience with it than a sword, but his stance was still capable. Hearts-Vyse moved to stop him, but Clubs intervened, pulling him away with a murmured, "Let him. That guy'll finally get what's coming to him."

Sneering at the dreamer, Diamonds ignored the threat and continued, "You know deep down inside that you're just as dirty as the Arcadians you despise. What's wrong with getting dirtier, then?" Spreading out his arms, he exclaimed, "Take what you want, Ramirez! Be it gold, power, justice, destruction, or even Vyse himself! You have the strength to cut down anyone in your way. No one will be able to stop you, so just do it!!"

Ramirez leapt forward and jabbed at Diamonds, but he jumped aside agilely, inviting the Admiral to follow through with his attack. Follow he did, rapping the insolent copy on the side of the head. The blow wasn't aimed well enough to bring him down as well as a gunshot, as the Silvite had mentioned before, but it did induce a swear and a stagger. As Ramirez moved to finish him off, Diamonds changed gears and lurched forward purposefully.

"No! Ramirez, LOOK OUT!!" Hearts and Clubs both screamed, but it was too late by then. When the Silvite had moved to attack again, Diamonds grabbed the staff and shoved his weight into forcing his attacker back. Although Ramirez held his ground well, his weapon of choice wasn't the staff, and overbalancing caused him to stumble backwards a step—and that was enough to make him brush against the final card.

Clubs yelled, "NO! What have you done?! You know what he's like!! Why did you make Ramirez free him?!"

Diamonds' smile was nihilistic, and yet somehow self-satisfied. "Ramirez will understand," he replied. "I'll make him understand the kind of scum he really is...even if I have to use his power to do it."

"He'll destroy you too!" Hearts choked, his brown eyes filled with fear.

"No he won't," Diamonds replied confidently. "Because we're partners."

Ramirez heaved the staff up, cracking in the gold-carrying imposter's face, breaking his nose and causing him to fall backwards and curse loudly and colorfully. "Enough of this!!" he snarled, very tired of being jerked around. "I don't—"

The Silvite then went very silent, because he had heard someone humming... a very familiar tune. It brought back memories of innocence, of childhood, of Fina's mother...

Ramirez, Hearts and Clubs all looked around quickly—Diamonds was too busy pulling himself up and tottering away from the Silvite to do so—and found the source almost immediately.

It was, of course, the King of Spades, his cutlasses in hand and resting by his hips. He was leaning against Clubs' card and had his head bowed so that his bangs covered his eyes. He wore an odd little smile, and he was very serenely humming 'Hiru no Tsuki'.

When he felt all eyes on him, the King of Spades looked up at the others, his eerie smile widening into an anticipatory grin. "Itsuka~, shiru toki ga kuru no?" he sang in a light, airy voice. He took a step forward...and then burst into a run, beelining for Ramirez. With an alarmed cry, Hearts-Vyse ran forward to block the way, and he was rewarded with both cutlasses driven deep into his chest.

"Mune no..." Spades-Vyse sang on, then kicked his boot against his victim's chest and pulled his blades loose, sending the fresh corpse hurtling to the floor. "Itami wo~!"

He grinned at Ramirez and Clubs-Vyse, both horror-struck, and laughed a delighted, hair-raising laugh. At his feet, Hearts-Vyse's now silent body slowly bled out, the crimson liquid creeping across the blackness.

"You...how could you?!" Clubs-Vyse demanded, preparing to engage the King of Spades, though clearly frightened of him. "I w—"

Spades-Vyse jumped at him, slicing through his staff easily. While Clubs gasped in shock, Spades laughed again horribly and proceeded to assail his victim with a multitude of cuts—all small, all drawing only a little bit of blood each, each away from a vital spot, though some overlapped and send chunks of flesh flying—and combined, certain to bequeath the first doppelganger a slow and painful death.

Ramirez stared with a fascinated horror, unable to move from where he stood. The presence of the King of Spades was overpowering, petrifying, like the imminent onslaught of a storm worthy of the Dark Rift, and it filled the Silvite with a certain nameless panic that sapped his strength, besieged his senses.

The King of Diamonds watched as well, holding his bleeding nose. "Yuh wunt bead him," he said quietly but with arrogant confidence, made almost ludicrous by the effect of his clogged nose on his voice. "Yuh can't. Hull kill yuh jus' like he killed thuz two idiots."

The silver-haired swordsman didn't reply. He simply watched as Clubs finally fell, bleeding from countless wounds, breathing heavily and looking pleadingly over at Ramirez, perhaps to save him, perhaps to end his misery. He mouthed something, but the Silvite couldn't tell what he was trying to say; in either case, it was hard to pay attention to him when the more captivating King of Spades was walking leisurely over to the King of Hearts' forgotten chalices and plucked one from the floor. He dumped out half of its alcoholic contents, kicking the other one out into the darkness past the barrier of cards while he was at it, and stepped lightly to his dying victim. Humming tranquilly once more, Spades-Vyse grabbed Clubs-Vyse by the hair and lifted him up, then allowed him to bleed into the cup, filling it up again.

When he was done, he dropped Clubs, who continued to stare pleadingly at Ramirez. This time, he mouthed just one word, and the Silvite caught it well enough:

Why?

'Why didn't you help me?' 'Why did you abandon me?' 'I tried to protect you. Why did you let him do that to me?' 'Why did you choose to betray me?'

"I—I—" Ramirez said falteringly, staring anguished at the dying doppelganger but unable to say anything sufficient.

Meanwhile, Diamonds smiled triumphantly at Spades; he had done an admirable job of fixing his broken nose, all considering. "Amazing job, as always," he stated with a hint of pride, as if he'd had a hand in it. "Shall we?"

Spades returned the smile. "'We'?" he repeated.

Diamonds' smirk faltered. "...We've been powerful together, with me in the foreground and you in the background," he elucidated, a note of worry in his voice. "We control Ramirez, you and I. That's how it's always been. That's how it'll always be."

Spades' smile increased. "Oh?"

The two stared at each other and laughed quietly for a moment.

Then Diamonds whipped around and bolted for the barrier formed by the cards. Still smiling, Spades-Vyse let him go, and Ramirez didn't need to wonder why for long; as soon as he'd taken three steps outside, Diamonds-Vyse's body was consumed by crackling rays of darkness, and with a resonant death-scream, he was devoured and disappeared.

As much as he didn't want to, Ramirez let his gaze slide to the King of Spades, who held a cutlass in one hand and a cutlass and a wineglass in the other. His eyelids at half-mast, Spades-Vyse bared his teeth in a grin at him, and the Silvite mustered enough strength to edge away.

"St...stay away," he whispered, unable to remove his eyes from the approaching delusion. "Stay away... Don't come near me..."

"I've always been near you," the final replica said in a sing-song voice. "Always, always, all ways lead back to me~"

"Don't come near me..." Ramirez almost pleaded. "Don't..."

Spades-Vyse ignored him, and when the gap between them had been filled, he wrapped his arms around Ramirez's waist, rested his head on the dreamer's shoulder, switched both cutlasses to the left hand and took the chalice with the right, and brought it up, fingering it not an inch before the Silvite Admiral's eyes.

"Love, friendship, loyalty—who cares?" he whispered, his breath hot on Ramirez's neck. "Galcian or Vyse, what's it matter? Just destroy it all..."

He nipped at the Silvite's neck in a teasing kiss, and unlike Hearts-Vyse's attempt, Spades-Vyse's gesture sent waves of powerful emotion coursing through Ramirez's body. He gasped, throwing back his head—and Spades-Vyse poured all of the dark red liquid in the wine-cup into his opened mouth.

Ramirez sputtered and choked, but hurling the goblet aside, Spades-Vyse grabbed his chin and mouth and forced them shut, then forced him to the floor, nearly slamming him down, then kneeling over him. The Silvite, stripped of his power, flailed as best he could to fend off the insane parody of Vyse, but Spades giggled with unholy glee and, brandishing his bloodstained cutlasses, slowly caressed a line of the liquid from the blades with his tongue as he watched Ramirez lazily, his eyelids half-shut...then grabbed both swords and drove them into the Silvite's body with the speed and accuracy of a cobra, one blade pinning Ramirez to the floor by his left wrist, cutting into the Silver Crystal in that hand so closely that he could swear he felt it crack, the other simply driving into his arm just above the elbow. The pain burned worse than if he had been stabbed with pokers fresh from the fireplace, and Ramirez tried to scream, but the bitter-coppery taste of bloody loqua filled his throat, and he merely gurgled instead.

He was trapped...his arms were agonizingly pinned, and the King of Spades' legs covered his own. This twisted image of Vyse could do whatever he wanted to him, Ramirez realized with mounting horror.

Whatever he wanted...

"So afraid," Spades-Vyse purred, straddling his now immobile victim. "So very, very helpless and afraid. I love you like this, Ramirez..." His smile and brown eyes widening in perverse pleasure, he crooned like a lover, "It's disgusting and shameful and dirty and beautiful and I love it. Wouldn't you like to stay like this with me...forever?"

His green eyes opened to their limit with terror, the Silvite only choked out an incomprehensible reply through the mix of blood and loqua.

Spades-Vyse laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and then he dipped his head down and ravenously sank his teeth into Ramirez's shoulder and tore the flesh away and the Silvite Admiral awoke with a jolt, a scream fresh on his lips, his heart trying to batter its way out of his chest. Vyse—the real Vyse—was up in an instant, looking very confused and disheveled, and when his eyes met with Ramirez's, he stumbled out of bed to see what was the matter.

That turned out to be a bad decision, because the delirious Silvite, still in the throes of his nightmare, immediately leapt up and back, groping for a weapon of any kind and grabbing a chair, which he threw at the Air Pirate with surprising accuracy and strength, and screamed, "Get AWAY FROM ME!!"

Luck was with Vyse at that moment, because even though he had just awoken, he managed to foresee Ramirez's attack quickly enough to be able to dodge it, though he could feel the air pass swiftly by as the impromptu projectile barely missed and clattered raucously when it crashed behind him. Alarmed by his friend's state, he righted himself and stepped backwards, holding his hands up with his palms open in a gesture of nonviolence, and quietly said, "Ramirez, you were dreaming. It was just a nightmare. You're fine now. I'm not your enemy."

The silver-haired swordsman continued to stare at him wild-eyed, his chest heaving and sweat dripping from his brow, for several tense seconds before the reality of his current situation began to sink in. He slowly slid down to the floor with a soft groan, holding his left hand to his mouth in an attempt to quell his nausea.

Vyse almost took a step forward, but decided he should confirm his friend's state of mind first. "Ramirez?" he ventured. "Are you okay now?"

"I'm sorry," was the weak reply. "I just..." A giant shudder. "I'm sorry."

Heartened by this, the Blue Rogue cautiously approached Ramirez and kneeled down next to him, though keeping a respectful distance. "What was your dream about?"

The Silvite was silent for so long that Vyse eventually prodded worriedly, "Ramirez?"

He simply shook his head, his left shoulder still aching where the so-called delusion had bitten him. His elbow and wrist still stung badly, too... "I don't want to talk about it..." the shaken Admiral managed to murmur.

"Was it worse than the last nightmare you had?" Vyse inquired softly. "The one where you called for Hahaue?"

Ramirez's shoulders stiffened in such a way that Vyse became immediately certain that had been the wrong thing to say. "Never mind," he added quickly, though he knew it was probably too late to keep from rubbing salt in old wounds. "Better that you forget it soon, like that other dream."

The Silvite Admiral still well remembered his dream with Hahaue and Lord Galcian, and thinking of that along with his dream just now only aggravated his poor mood. He didn't fault Vyse for bringing it up, though; the fool was just concerned about him. Somehow, right now, that meant a lot to him.

"You're right," he murmured, lifting his head, still covering his eyes with one hand. "Best to forget about it right away..." He glanced at Vyse tiredly. "Will you do that for me?"

Vyse started, surprised. "Huh? What do you want me to do?"

"Just talk," Ramirez said with a sigh. "Talk about anything. I don't care, just as long as it's not about dreams."

"Well, 'talk about anything'... That's pretty vague, you know!" Vyse protested. "Can't you give me a topic? Just say the first thing that comes to mind, and I'll talk about that!"

The conflicting experiences in his dream with Hearts and Spades still fresh in his mind, Ramirez blurted, "What's love?"

The brunet Air Pirate stared at his friend, vaguely grateful that the darkness would hide the warmth building in his face. "Love...?" he repeated, glancing away quickly and scratching his scar. "Uh, let's see...love... That's pretty broad, but I'll give it a shot..." Leaning an arm on one raised knee and looking fixedly at the ceiling, Vyse began, "Love is...well, it's a lot of things. There's love you have for your family, for your friends, for your comrades...and of course, for your boyfriend or girlfriend, depending." The Blue Rogue glanced furtively at Ramirez, but the Silvite was still hunched over, his expression morose. "And...uh..."

"Have you ever been in love?" Ramirez inquired softly, and the train of Vyse's thought promptly performed a few pirouettes and crashed magnificently.

"Huh?" the pirate uttered, staring blankly in incredulity of what he'd just heard.

"Have you ever been in love," the silver-haired young man repeated in a slightly louder voice.

"Um," Vyse replied intelligently. "Uh...well..." He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Well, you remember when Aika said I've never had a girlfriend... No, you probably wouldn't remember that," he corrected himself, remembering that that was the night when Ramirez passed out drunk. "But...yeah. Like I said."

"That doesn't mean you couldn't have experienced unrequited love," the Silvite pointed out quietly, glancing at him, finally dropping his hand.

"Well...yeah," Vyse acceded. "I guess...no, not really. I've had a few crushes, and I've been attracted to a few people, but I haven't really been in love."

"People?" Ramirez repeated. "Not just women?"

The Air Pirate blushed deep crimson at that, and he opened his mouth several time wordlessly, futilely, before he just shook his head and ducked it, groaning, "Aww, Ramirez, come on..."

Somehow, that brought a small but sincere smile to the Silvite swordsman's lips. The loneliness in his heart was devastating, but there was just something about bantering like this with Vyse late at night... "I'm sorry," he murmured.

With an aggravated sigh, Vyse glanced at Ramirez, then blinked when he saw the smile. Smiling himself, he noted, "Good to see you're feeling a little better."

"Mm," Ramirez non-responded, the smile fading into sadness. This was likely the last time they would ever do anything like this...

"...Why d'you ask, anyway?" Vyse asked, not missing the smile's disappearance. "About me being in love, I mean."

Leaning his arms on his knees and his face against his arms, Ramirez didn't reply at first. When he did speak, though, he said, "I...have very little experience in love, myself...and the experiences I have had weren't...entirely pleasant ones."

"...Ramirez..." the brunet murmured, gazing worriedly at his friend. He reached out a hand hesitantly, then cautiously rested it on the Silvite's shoulder.

The young Admiral glanced, surprised, at Vyse, but aside from tensing slightly, he didn't shy away. He just smiled melancholically. "It just seems to bring me pain," Ramirez said softly.

"It won't always be that way," Vyse reassured him, driving that pain deeper. "I can guarantee you that."

Ramirez simply shook his head slowly and took the hand on his shoulder into his own. "Vyse, you are kind," he quietly said, his smile still despondent. "That kindness will be your downfall."

"You're wrong," the Air Pirate replied confidently, turning his body to Ramirez and placing his other hand over Ramirez's. "It'll be my salvation."

Their eyes met in the darkness, and the two friendly enemies simply gazed at each other silently, unmoving. Vyse's hands, wrapped around his own, were warm, and the Silvite was surprised to realize he was content to let them stay there, considering he overall disliked being touched. It occurred to Ramirez that if he were to admit his feelings once and for all, now was likely his last chance. The ambience—silent but for the indistinct, somnolent hum of the Delphinus' engine and the muffled sound of the wind outside—was perfect, the mood was perfect, the moment was perfect, it was late at night and just the two of them, and if he leaned over to Vyse, he could simply let a kiss say the words for him, perhaps in a manner far more eloquent than he could manage under the circumstances...

He felt slightly lightheaded as his heart thudded, and he hoped Vyse couldn't hear it. Even if Vyse hated him, by this time tomorrow, it would no longer matter. What did he have to lose?

...Everything. He could lose everything. If Vyse didn't push him away—if he indeed pulled him closer!—Ramirez didn't know if he could betray him. If he couldn't betray Vyse, it would mean he would betray Lord Galcian without fail, whether that was what he wanted or not. He could not serve the soon-to-be ruler of the world faithfully and be in a relationship with the handsome Blue Rogue, after all.

/Is this the so-called power of love...?/ the Silvite wondered in a daze. /To bring me this close to the brink of breaking the oaths I swore to Lord Galcian? Is my heart truly this malleable...?/

Vyse still hadn't moved—was still watching him. Ramirez regarded him in return, a dull blush suffused on his cheeks. It would be easier to say nothing, to say it was late and they needed sleep, to let the conversation come to a close and face the rest of his tomorrows wondering what would have happened; if enough tomorrows passed, perhaps he would be able to forget even this wavering of his heart. This moment, and all the moments like these he'd spent with the charming rogue, would fade away in the light of reality, and in Lord Galcian's company, he would know how weak he had been to ever hesitate to begin with, and smile scornfully at his former foolish self.

That would be in the piercing rays of someday.

This was still the soothing dark of tonight.

"Vyse..." Ramirez began, glancing down at his captured hand. "I..."

The Blue Rogue uttered a small surprised noise, then laughed nervously and pulled away. "Sorry; that must've made you feel uncomfortable," he grinned apologetically, rubbing the back of his own neck. "I should know better now than to overstep my boundaries around you."

The Silvite gazed silently and steadily at his freed hand, his expression empty. "It's..." he began, slowly closing his fingers over his palm, "...all right."

Vyse stood, marking that the moment had officially passed. Ramirez's chance had gone. "We'll be getting up early to head back to Crescent Isle," he reminded his friend gently, offering a hand to help him up. "I know you probably don't want to, but maybe you should try getting some more sleep...?"

Ramirez glanced up and stood on his own, ignoring the outstretched hand. "Worry more about yourself than me," he replied. "I'm going to take a shower, anyway. Wash this sweat away..."

"All right," Vyse nodded. "Good night, Ramirez."

"Good night," the Silvite replied, then turned away to gather the necessary shower-things.

Vyse sat down on his bed and watched him for a moment, but the lateness of the hour soon smacked him on the back of the head, and by the time Ramirez was out the door, he was lying down with the covers over him. Sleep was delayed for a short moment as he somnolently glanced at his right hand, which he'd placed on his friend's shoulder, and was subsequently grasped...

He blushed lightly as he curled his fingers into a tightly squeezed fist with a small sigh.

"What am I thinking," he murmured, shutting his eyes and drifting into sleep. "He's my friend, just my friend..."

Ramirez, meanwhile, did not take long to get to the men's bathroom and prepare for his shower. Stepping into the rain of warm water alone did marvels for easing his stress, and bowing his head, the Silvite youth shut the shower door behind him and let the water fall over his shoulders and body.

The calm that filled him as he cleansed himself didn't last long, however, and though the warm water washed away his sweat, it couldn't wash away his most memories...neither the most recent ones, nor the ones he had long since tried to bury. He was reminded of this as he was soaping himself and his eyes fell to a long, thin scar on his stomach, nearly two inches long and curving in towards his navel. Ramirez's jade-green eyes narrowed as he recalled how he had received that particular scar: the circumstances surrounding it, the event itself, and the aftermath...

It had not been a pleasant experience in the least.

The Silvite ran his fingers over it lightly, feeling the raised, pale flesh. It had been not long after he had joined Lord Galcian. Having only been in the Armada for a short time, Ramirez had been assigned to a unit; Lord Galcian, too, had told him to do so, saying that his time in that unit would likely be highly enlightening. Ramirez had told as he'd been told without complaint. By then, also, the emotional wounds from Admiral Mendosa's lies had scabbed, and he was wondering if perhaps his judgment of humanity had been too hasty. There was an entire world of Arcadians out there, after all, and Admiral Mendosa had been one man. When he conveyed these sentiments to Lord Galcian, the powerful swordsman had simply smiled, shook his head, and told him he would see soon enough.

That should have been ample warning; then again, back then, Ramirez had only just made the Admiral's acquaintance, and didn't know to trust his judgment and keep on his guard not for monsters, but for his own would-be comrades.

The young Silvite man smiled bitterly, returning to his shower even as he remembered. He had, since his youth, been talented at the sword; he'd known that for a long, long time. What he hadn't known is how other Valuan soldiers had seen his skill as a threat to their receiving promotions, in moving up the ranks of the Armada.

There had been another soldier in his unit named Brand. Ramirez had liked him somehow—he reflected now that he understood those feelings a bit better that he'd been attracted to him. They were both amazing at the sword; the difference was that the other soldier had been a few years older. Ramirez had, after a while, started to rely on him...

Clearly, it had been a mistake...one that had nearly cost him his life. He couldn't say he'd been backstabbed, Ramirez thought with dark humor, seeing as Brand had driven a knife into his front. It had been easy for him, too, considering nearly half the unit had been helping him by holding Ramirez still.

They had left him to die one of the craggy mountains near Valua; the Silvite supposed it was only because they hadn't had the foresight to finish the job, that Brand had only stabbed him however viciously that once, that he'd managed to survive climbing down and finding a doctor. It had been a lesson he had learned well.

He made sure the other soldiers of Valua wouldn't forget it, either. There was many reasons why his was the most feared name among the lower ranks, given due respect regardless of the speaker's personal feelings. The first few reasons were the corpses he had made out of Brand and the others who'd tried to kill him.

Ramirez had been sent to Lord Galcian, who claimed to take responsibility for him, for recrimination for his violent actions back then. Lord Galcian and he had regarded each other for several long moments before he had begrudgingly bowed to him and apologized.

The Admiral had had but one question: "Did you learn anything, Ramirez?"

He had paused, eyebrows furrowed, before quietly and understandingly replying, "Yes, sir."

/There is no one you can trust,/ Ramirez thought broodingly, recalling that lesson all too vividly. /If you give someone too much trust, they will use it against you./

Lord Galcian was the one exception to this rule, of course.

Smirking mirthlessly, the Silvite brushed his soaked bangs out of his face. Vyse would soon learn that lesson, too... He would know true suffering. There was no room for mercy in Ramirez's world; he had sworn to lay down his sword and his life for Lord Galcian, and it was undoubtedly the Grand Admiral's will that the Air Pirates be liquidated once and for all.

Pity, hesitation, affection, doubt... It had been by straying from Lord Galcian's teachings into these things that he had been hurt.

He would not be hurt again.

So Ramirez told himself, locking away the love that thought of Vyse in his heart. There could be no such weakness. They were enemies. Ramirez would hate who he was supposed to hate, fight who he was supposed to fight...kill who he was supposed to kill. He needed only obediently follow Lord Galcian, and all things would become clear.

The silvery knobs squeaked slightly as Ramirez turned off the hot water and on the cold water, tensing as the frigid liquid began to assail him.

His heart, which had begun to thaw...he would freeze it again.

He had no other choice.



The next morning, they set sail. As they'd thought, no Valuans had discovered their ship—although several scout ships had found the wreckage of the seal over the night and reported it dutifully to Galcian. Other scout ships, which had been tracking the Delphinus' movements prior to this and found the coordinates of Crescent Island, also reported to the commander-in-chief of the Valuan Armada, who immediately began to mobilize the Serpens and the Monoceros, having had them prepared days before. Vyse and company knew nothing of these movements, however, and thus for the moment it wasn't their concern. They were just happy to be out in the blue sky again, away from the depressing storm clouds of Valua.

It was Aika who made the suggestion that made Ramirez sweat. "Say, Fina's looking pretty depressed, so before we head back to Crescent Isle, why don't we do a little shopping so she has some mementos to bring back?"

"Mementos?" Vyse grinned from the wheel, glancing at her as he sailed. "Don't you mean souvenirs?"

Aika rolled her eyes playfully. "Whatever!" she smiled before turning to the young Silvite lady. "What do you think, Fina? We can head to Maramba, spend a few hours relaxing and picking out nice things for you to take back home, then sail onto Crescent Isle and back to business as usual!"

Fina had perked up considerably upon hearing the suggestion. "That does sound awfully nice," she said thoughtfully.

"Maramba is a bit far, though," Enrique pointed out. "If we went to say, Nasrad, then that would take less time traveling, and means we could spend a longer amount of time there. In addition, if we spend our money there, it will help their economy a little, and Moons knows they could use it."

They all knew. A few telltale glances at the Silvite Admiral conveyed that nobody had forgotten who had burned down the city and crashed its economy in the first place.

"You have a point, Enrique—and Nasrad could use more business to help with rebuilding," Aika frowned. "But that's the same reason I say we go to Maramba instead. They'll be busy rebuilding at Nasrad; they aren't going to have anything for sale. I'm sure even if the bazaar wasn't wrecked, it's been closed down."

"I agree," came help from an unexpected corner. Ramirez faced his current crewmates and continued, "The citizens of Nasrad will barely have enough provisions to keep for themselves, let alone any to sell to us." Glancing at Aika, who was staring at him dumbfounded, which was understandable considering she would never have expected him to agree with her, he added, "However, there's no need to go 'shopping'. Fina isn't leaving as soon as we return to Crescent Isle. We can put this off until another time."

Aika frowned at him and crossed her arms, but said nothing.

"I don't mind if we go to Nasrad," Fina piped up. "Even if we don't get anything, I'd like to go there and see how the city is coming along. We might even find people who'll join the Delphinus' crew there."

The redheaded pirate girl perked up at that. "That's true," she said brightly. "No lack of people who hate Valua there! No offence, Enrique."

"None taken," the blond Prince said graciously as Ramirez went, "..."

"Voting on Nasrad, huh?" the captain of the Delphinus grinned with a wink. "It's fine with me. What do you say, Ramirez?"

"Do as you please," the Admiral replied, his tone and expression neutral. "I'll just stay on board while you all...shop, if you don't mind, though."

Vyse laughed a touch nervously, but he set sail for Nasrad regardless. The trip there was indeed a short one, and the Blue Rogues spent several hours in the wreckage of the city, well into the afternoon—what they found so fascinating, Ramirez had no idea. He did notice that they did return with, if nothing else, new crew members: a fat, over-painted merchant, and a trio of burly gunners. They took sail again, chatting gaily amongst themselves, as they headed back to Crescent Isle, and when they landed, Vyse and company headed up to the meeting room up the side of the mountain. The five found waiting for them there an old friend of theirs with his boots resting on the table.

The handsome red-coated Air Pirate turned his head to them with his usual quirk of a smile. "Hey, long time no see!" he called. "Wow… you've got yourself a nice little base set up here!"

"Gilder!" Vyse grinned, surprised but glad to see the older Blue Rogue.

"I heard that you sailed around the world!" the blond ladies' man went on, now addressing the brunet rogue directly. "As always, kid, it sounds like you've been trying to get yourself into more trouble." His glance at Ramirez wasn't pointed, but for anyone paying attention—that included the Silvite in question—it was also not discreet. Gilder looked back to Vyse and continued, "I came here to hear all about your travels...that, and for a good meal."

With a wink, the captain of the Delphinus placed his fists on his hips. "Haha... Good old Gilder..." he smiled. "Pleasure before business..."

Crescent Isle obliged the captain of the Claudia a dinner, and the only one not making a racket of any kind was Ramirez, who was simply noiselessly awaiting the forthcoming end. After everyone's bellies were satisfactorily filled, they returned to the meeting room, each of them continuing their story until everyone had been seated, Vyse at the head of the table with his feet up, Gilder similarly seated, Aika with her elbows on the table and chin propped on her folded hands, Fina sitting back with her hands in her lap, and Enrique and Ramirez sitting straight with their arms on their chairs' armrests.

"...so you went to Yafutoma and then on to the Lands of Ice, huh?" the handsome older rogue recapped, eyes on Vyse. "Just listening to your stories makes my adrenaline flow. And so in the end, you collected the five Moon Crystals..." As if to punctuate his remark, aforementioned multi-colored Crystals shimmered prettily from the tabletop. "Nice work."

"Yup, we got 'em all!" Aika smiled.

Looking to the orange-haired piratess, Gilder surmised, "And since all of them are together, I suppose that means Fina will be taking them with her when she heads home soon..."

/That's what you think,/ Ramirez thought deadpan, showing no reaction as Fina bowed her head and murmured, "...Yes."

"Actually..." the dusty-blond man added, leaning forward slightly. "There was something that was bothering me from earlier." Turning his shades-obscured eyes to the Silvite girl, he inquired, "Fina, where exactly did you come from?I mean, where are you going home to?"

She was silent for several seconds before she stood and walked to the window, her hands clasped to her chest, and gazed out into the starry sky.

"Fina?" Aika spoke up.

She turned and smiled at her friend, then caught Ramirez's eye and silently beseeched that he help her out. Half-heartedly considering that the knowledge would shortly be of no use to any of them, he obliged, turning to the others and stating dully, "Fina and I are, as most of you already know, from the same place. We were both born and raised in a placed called, among Silvites, the Great Silver Shrine...a shrine in orbit around the Silver Moon, far higher than any Arcadian ship could ever reach."

Vyse stared in surprise. The pale swordsman had told him that their birthplace was someplace high up, but he hadn't expected that high up!

Fina smiled gratefully at Ramirez and took up the explanation, now gazing back out at the night sky, and said, "Long ago, when the Rains of Destruction fell upon the lands, and most of the world's population was killed...all seemed lost... The most powerful Silvite mages met at the Shrine. They combined their energy to send it into the Sky...above the destruction..." With a wistful sigh, the pale-blonde young lady resumed, "They escaped the horrible fate that fell upon the rest of the world, by rising above the destruction. Ever since then...from far above...we have sworn to protect the people of this world from the same fate that our ancestors suffered. That is the primary mission of the remaining Silvites." With a nod to her childhood friend, she finished, "As Ramirez said, the Great Silver Shrine is located high above the clouds. Our mission is to take the Moon Crystals back to the Great Silver Shrine, so that no one will ever be able to abuse their powers again."

Ramirez knew that the girl with whom he'd grown up had no clue as to their people's true past and motives, but he marveled anew regardless at the ignorance Fina flaunted. He didn't bother to correct her; he didn't have the heart.

"But," Enrique began, "how are you two going to get home?"

"If I can get back the ship that I came in, then Ramirez and I should be able to make it home," she explained. "But, when I was attacked by Valua, my ship sank beneath the clouds..."

"Yes, I remember..." Vyse said with a nod. "You're talking about that ship you were flying when Alfonso attacked you."

"Hmm..." the Prince of Valua murmured contemplatively. "It appears that we must find another way of getting Fina home."

Her brown eyes reflecting sad misgiving, Aika spoke up, "But...if we find a way to get Fina back home...does that mean we'll have to say good-bye? We'll never get to see her again..."

The white-clad Silvite averted her gaze to the side and murmured, "Lately, I sometimes find myself thinking...I started thinking, if I am unable to find a way home...that I'll be able to stay here, with everyone." She smiled a little, but the gesture was forced. "Haha..." she laughed weakly. "I'm sorry... That's so silly of me.My orders were to gather the Moon Crystals and to return to the Great Silver Shrine with them… And besides," she added, her mint green eyes alighting hopefully on the silver-haired young man, "at least Ramirez will be with me at last, won't you, Ramirez?"

The Silvite Admiral smiled back unpleasantly as Vyse frowned slightly in worry. Vyse knew his answer already, he knew. He could give her a sweet lie to perpetuate her mistaken hopes, but he no longer had a need for pretenses. Though he had ample regrets, he had none to spare for Fina. Ramirez opened his mouth to make a hope-crushing retort; however, the sound of a cannon firing and the force of a shell impacting the isle cut him off neatly.

"What the hell—?!" Vyse yelled, nearly falling off his chair as he brought his feet down from the table to the floor.

It was time, Ramirez knew, not needing to as much as glance out the window. He wondered fleetingly why the blonde girl hadn't noticed them, but the answer was fairly obvious; when an island is half mountain, of course you're going to use that blind spot in your favor for a surprise attack. He remained seated as the others rushed to out the meeting room door to see what had attacked the island. Their reaction, thankfully for him, was to take the platform down, and he took the opportunity to leisurely gather the five Crystals. Carrying them was not difficult; they were inclined to hover over his left hand, where a piece of the sixth Crystal was hidden, and that made his job depressingly much easier.

He hated himself for this. But it was the path he had chosen—the path he'd chosen a long time ago. He had sworn to dedicate, for as long as he lived, his sword to Lord Galcian... The petty promise of friendship was not enough to make him forsake that.

His chest in pain, his heart gripped by a frozen hand, his expression like the onset of a thunderstorm, Ramirez followed the others, the Moon Crystals in one hand, his substitute blade in the other.

The timing could not have been better; as he rode the platform down, Lord Galcian's ship, the Serpens, was sailing directly overhead, and when Ramirez glanced up, his eyes met with the man to whom he had dedicated himself. Their smiles were both mockeries of the gesture, but both knew it did not matter.

When Ramirez reached the bottom, Galcian tossed Ilazki overboard, and the white-haired Admiral threw up his arm, sending the five Crystals hurtling into the air as beams of multicolored light, which stopped at where the Grand Admiral was; in return, the sheath of Ramirez's sword fell neatly into his hand, and he slowly brought it to his side as he lowered his gaze to Vyse and company, who beheld him with eyes varying from disbelief to shock to accusation to hurt. He returned their stares with a cold smile as he walked forward, ignoring the crack of cannonshots and the Valuan soldiers dropping onto the island to prepare for assault, only gazing directly at the one who had foolishly decided to trust him. Vyse looked back at him as if he were having a nightmare, as if he were trying desperately to wake up, to realize that none of this was real.

Ramirez knew, however, that unlike his own recent night horror, there would be no moment of awakening for Vyse—except, of course, for when he awakened to the magnitude of his folly.

Aika was the first one to step forward, her enormous boomerang readied for imminent battle with both the invading Valuans and her former crewmate. "Ramirez, what have you done?!" she demanded.

His mirthless smile increased. "You must be very pleased with yourself," he responded, "to know that you were right about me all along." He drew his silvery sword in one smooth motion and held it ready, the light of the Red Moon reflecting off of it a premonition of the blood it would taste. Desperately ignoring the look of wounded dismay on Vyse's face, he darkly declared, "In short, I've betrayed you."



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.

"Basically, the four of us are images, I guess, in your mind, reflecting different aspects of Vyse."
Ayu: "I am the Vyse that exists in your mind!" "And I am the Ramirez that exists in yours!" :D Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'll shut up now... ^^

Itsuka shiru toki ga kuru no? Mune no itami wo
Ayu: This line that Spades-Vyse sings means, "Will the time when you know someday come? About the pain of my chest". I'd say between that, the entire dream itself, and the cliffhanger, not to mention Ramirez betraying Vyse after all, you're all pretty much screaming that I'm the most evil person alive. ^^ ("I", since Ianthe-chan again didn't have a hand in writing or editing this chapter.)

Ayu: For those arguing that one cannot feel things from a dream prior to awakening, I-chan and my best guy friend, Bluejay, has serial dreams wherein the pain from the wounds he sustained during those dreams remains with him for as long as the rest of the day. If Bluejay's dreams can be that vivid, so can Ramirez's.

Ayu: Last chapter took the prize as longest chapter, at 22-some pages in MS Word, 12-pt. Times New Roman font, single-spaced; this one beats it out with a good 34 full pages under the same conditions. (This is also a personal first, by the way. I suppose I should have cut it into two separate chapters, but I felt it would have interrupted the flow if I did so.) Seems these chapters are getting continuously longer and longer... As I said before, I wrote and edited this chapter myself (in only two weeks—yay, me!); Ianthe-chan should have a greater hand in things from now on, though. (So to speak.) Thanks to Kinzoku (our official fangirl!) for transcribing the events around this area for me for reference.

Ayu: The lyric-title this time is taken from Itsumo Yume Dake ha Mikata Dakara (meaning Because Always Only a Dream is My Friend, ironically enough), the third ending theme to BURN-UP W. Full lyrics can be found, as always, at my lyrics site, Campus Lyrics!, the link to which you can (indirectly) 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))