The Day the Moon Shines
By: deep.Indigo

Chapter 21: Kokoro no Aosa Kono Te ni Daite
(Holding the Blue of My Heart in These Hands)







 Ramirez did not feel well. Common sense dictated that he not attempt another confrontation with the man he had once served so loyally, the man who had very nearly killed him, but here he was, on the Delphinus as it was sailing to Dangral Isle. As much as he tried to pretend that all his loyalties belonged to Vyse now, he couldn't help but feel ill at the thought of opposing Galcian again...

"You know, Ramirez," Vyse had said, turning to him with a serious look. "I'll understand if you decide to stay behind and not face Galcian again. You don't have to go with us."

"I'll be fine, sir," the Silvite had replied. "Besides, I need to prove that I now am truly your ally."

The Blue Rogue's expression had softened, and he began, "Ramirez, I..." But he had cut himself off with a shake of his head. "Okay," he said instead. "And for the love of the Moons, stop calling me 'sir'."

...so the exchange had gone. Ramirez had certainly meant what he had said; after betraying Vyse, then allying himself with the Blue Rogue, he had to prove that he wasn't going to betray him again. Before, he had warned the brunet pirate countless times that he couldn't be trusted, that they were enemies... Funny how circumstance can turn one into a liar—although only half of one; Ramirez wasn't Vyse's enemy anymore, but the Silvite certainly didn't believe himself any more trustworthy. He had once sworn his everything to the Grand Admiral, all intention and belief stating that he would follow the man for the rest of their lives, but now...

/Yes, how terribly amusing indeed,/ he thought bitterly, /that way circumstance can change the sincerest words into filthy falsehoods./

Ramirez still didn't believe himself worthy of life, but that was no longer something that was up to him. His life was now consecrated to the Blue Rogue; whether he kept it or lost it was now entirely up to Vyse... No matter how much he tried to deny it, the Silvite couldn't hide or eradicate what he felt for his captain—that small touch on Fina's ship had proved that.

The memory of the way Vyse had bared himself without hesitation once again filled Ramirez with doubt. If the former Admiral had been so inclined, he could have crushed the idealistic Air Pirate... It would have been so simple. Vyse had as much as exposed his chest for a sword thrust. Somehow, though, that was what had made Ramirez hesitate; he knew Vyse was an honest person... The Silvite had assumed that the young ship captain had been lying or patronizing him, or felt indebted to him, or was otherwise similarly confused, and as such he had rejected him. Assuming that Vyse was telling the truth and then later discovering it anything but for whatever reason would have been torment far beyond whatever transient solace—he dared not call it "happiness"—he might have found in the handsome rogue's arms. Ramirez had been protecting himself: one cannot be disappointed if one does not hope. He couldn't believe in Vyse...it was as simple as that. But yet again, the cogs of change were grinding into motion, and though he had felt them churning in the earth beneath his feet several times before, he had yet to grow accustomed to their machinations, and as they had many times in the past, their movement overwhelmed him.

He knew that, when one was overcome by one's situation, one should accept things and move from there. That was the key to conquering one's fear. It seemed that ever since he had begun to travel with the Blue Rogue, though, he was having an increasingly difficult time accepting what happened... Now he had gotten to the point where he wasn't just afraid of the situation, he was afraid of stepping back and calmly observing it. He was afraid of what he might behold...

/If he is sincere.../ Ramirez pondered, stealing a glance towards the Blue Rogue, who was at the wheel of the Delphinus, /...what then? I pointed my blade at Lord Galcian in order to protect him... I've chosen to live on for his sake in memory of Alita... But I'm utterly miserable now. Would accepting his advances make me happy...? No./ He shut his eyes and bowed his head slightly. /I cannot think like that. I do not deserve happiness. I admitted it just a second ago—I pointed my blade at Lord Galcian. Those who break the bonds of their oaths do not deserve joy. I suffer by being near Captain Vyse...and that is for the best. I chose him over Galcian; I deserve to endure the consequences. Yes,/ he thought, lifting his chin to stare straight forward, molding his expression into an indifferent, steel mask. /That is the answer. That must be the answer. I will serve Captain Vyse until the moment he dismisses me, and I shall suffer every minute of it as penitence. What I desire is irrelevant. I am a servant, a soldier; that is the only role suited for me. This is the way it should be...the only way it can be./

Ramirez knew that, in a way, he was admitting to himself that he wanted to be with Vyse. He also knew to an extent that he was just fooling himself, and that this "solution" was unlikely to ultimately work, but he didn't think about it. He didn't need to think about anything unnecessary anymore. All he needed to do was act on behalf of his new superior.

No one else noticed either his subtle motions or his internal struggles, but Fina nonetheless fretted over her "older brother's" mental state, something that was noticed by the redhead monitoring the controls next to her.

"Hey," she said, keeping her voice just above a whisper. "What're you thinking about, Fina?"

The blonde girl started in surprise at the sound of her friend's voice, but relaxed quickly. "I was thinking about...various things..." she replied, intentionally vague, but unable to keep herself from glancing at Ramirez across the room.

"Don't you have better things to worry about than him?" Aika frowned, gazing at Fina with well-meant concern. "Between what happened on the Great Silver Shrine, and what's going to happen in Deep Sky..."

The Silvite shook her head, not bothering to ask how her friend knew what she had meant. "I've been thinking about those things too," she replied. "I have a lot of my mind. But there was something in particular about Ramirez that I was wondering about; about what he said about Vyse just being his captain now..."

"Yeah?" Aika prompted, trying to keep her eyes on Fina and not glance shiftily at Ramirez.

She hesitated. "Is it... Aika, it is considered wrong for a male to be in love with another male?" she queried in a low voice.

The brown-eyed girl understood. "Normally? No, although it's kind of weird and you don't usually want to be too public about it," she responded. "But Ramirez and Vyse..." She scowled. "The first one I loathe—I'm sorry, but it's true. I can't stand the way he treats other people, I can't stand his attitude, I can't stand him. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful how he bought us time against Galcian, but that doesn't mean I like him any better. First he was an arrogant and self-centered jerk, then he was a depressed and mope-y jerk, and now he's just a creepy jerk. He'd need to seriously lighten up before I could begin to tolerate him. And the second..." Aika sighed a bit, smiling half-heartedly. "Well, you know about how I feel about him."

"Mmm..." Fina murmured, bowing her head slightly. "So it would be the same if Ramirez were male or female..."

"If he had the same personality, yeah," Aika replied. "Hmph... Maybe if he were nice, people would actually like him."

"He used to be nice," the Silvite girl said sadly.

"Yeah, well... Not anymore," the Blue Rogue sighed. "I don't know how he thought he ever stood a chance with Vyse, the way he acts."

"Maybe he didn't," the blonde pointed out. "Maybe that's why he said what he said."

Aika mused over this prospect. "You know, you've got a point," she conceded. "It makes sense. Anyway, have I answered your question?"

"Yes," Fina murmured. She smiled slightly, glancing away. "You know... I wonder what it means, for me to be...relieved now."

Her friend furrowed her orange brows, not understanding. "Huh?"

"I've turned my back on the Elders," she explained, "and while I'm a little frightened and a little sad, I don't regret it. And...even though what we're trying to do right now is dangerous, I'm not worried, because I have you and Vyse and everyone with me. I feel as though, as long as we're all together, nothing can stop us." She smiled shyly. "But most of all...Ramirez is on our side. I know you don't like him, and I don't blame you. I'm not asking you to like him, either; you've got a right to dislike him. But...when I stop and think back to how things might have gone differently...it might be Galcian and Ramirez both we'd be going to stop now. That's why, while many bad things happened because of it, I'm glad he joined us those months ago...because that means I don't have to fight him."

Aika thought it would be churlish to argue, so she didn't reply. Her Silvite friend didn't seem to mind, though, and gazing out at the dark clouds of lower sky, she whispered, "I think Ramirez looked down on me because he thought I was weak...but now, I want to be stronger—for his sake, too."

The yellow-clothed rogue grinned. "You know, if I were him, I'd be really grateful to have a friend like you, Fina." She leaned on one elbow to gaze outside. "No such luck, huh?"

"Thank you, though," she replied softly, smiling. "Hearing that means a lot to me."



Though air resistance in the lower altitudes was awful, the trip from Glacia to Dangral did not take long; it helped that they didn't need to change directions much, as their destination was almost due north, and that, being in the lower altitudes, no monsters impeded their journey. There were some murmurs about Ramirez joining them as far as Deep Sky, but no open complaints, something for which Vyse was grateful. The group made inside the Armada base with no problems either, other than the usual token guards and soldiers—something several people thought a bit off, since it was not the first time the island base had been infiltrated—and with Aika's guidance, Vyse lead the way to the lower level, to the place of the mechanized platform leading across and down the skies to the station delving into the realm beneath the clouds.

Ramirez surveyed all 360 degrees of their position with mounting unease as Vyse messed with the controls to the platform. He had not been apart from the Armada so long that he was completely out of touch with how it worked, and this utterly minimal security disturbed him. They had fought with a machine soldier before reaching this place, true, but this was Soltis they were headed for, the Lost Continent, which Galcian intended to make his own; it was nothing but odd that that was the best the powerful man would have to halt those who might come to stop him. Though he had destroyed Crescent Isle and told Vyse never to oppose him again, the Grand Admiral surely would never assume that the Air Pirate would actually do so. Galcian was confident, not foolish, Ramirez knew.

The platform shook and grinded slowly into motion, and the Silvite's misgivings increased. There was probably a trap involved; the white-haired swordsman could only imagine the possibilities. He glanced nervously at Vyse, who was talking to Gilder and Fina. Should he warn the young captain? But what good would it do? Knowing the Blue Rogue, he would go anyway, the others right behind him. And perhaps Vyse already had a plan...

He stepped forward, raising a hand to his chest and bowing in a quick salute before opening his mouth to request permission to speak, but Aika, who had her back to the Silvite, commented to Vyse, "It's just a short ride before we reach Deep Sky...and Galcian."

The Blue Rogue, distracted by the two people, had his attention stolen away again when a deep voice called above them, "You'll be dead before you get there."

As the platform creaked out from under the cover of the Dangral base, those on it swiftly turned to face the muscle-bound Admiral, Vigoro, as he leapt from the beam above them to join them. Bearing the armor and cannon that he hadn't sported the last time Vyse and the others had fought him, he stood, smirking, but the confident expression sublimated off his face when he saw his former fellow Admiral among the ranks of his enemies.

"Ramirez!" Vigoro blustered, gawking at him. "I thought you were dead! Admiral Galcian said he'd executed you!"

The Silvite's heart was thumping quickly; this was not the battlefield he would have preferred, but the second Admiral was also limited in his movements, and he was also outnumbered. And—the real reason for Ramirez's racing palpitation—this, a fight, was the one last place where the ex-Admiral could feel like his old self...

"If you prefer to think of me as a very solid ghost," the pale swordsman replied, his eyes and tone sharp, "by all means, do so."

The muscle-bound man recovered quickly; he was an Admiral for a reason. "Eh, no big deal," he shrugged, smirking. "I'll take you out with the rest of them! Too bad, eh, Red?" he added with a lewd wink to the pirate girl for whom he'd been lusting. "You and me would've been great together!"

"Ew!" Aika exclaimed, holding her oversized boomerang in front of her like a shield. "No way! Vyse, let's beat him up already!!"

All parties moved swiftly into action, and everyone fought fiercely, but when it was five against one, even Vigoro should have easily predicted the outcome. Regardless of the particulars, though, when the platform noisily docked into the building that would lead down into Deep Sky, the Second Admiral, who had been thoroughly trounced, took his defeat with surprisingly good grace.

"Heh," he chuckled, "looks like you guys won. Can't say I'm all that surprised." He shrugged slightly, and continued, "I'll stand aside. If you're really gonna go challenge him, well...it's your own funeral. The only man I've ever lost to before now was Lord Galcian, and let me tell you, he's no pushover. Though I bet Ramirez could've told you that," he added, eyeing the silver-haired man, but the former Admiral refused to meet his gaze. Vigoro again shrugged his massive shoulders, then turned to Aika with a rueful grin.

"Looks like this is good-bye, Red," he told her. "I'll have to give up on you."

"What? Why?" Aika replied in surprise, though she thought, /Although I'm not complaining.../

He grinned, tapping his cannon on one shoulder. "'To the strongest man goes the finest woman,'" he quoted. "Vyse just whupped me good, so I guess that means I don't deserve you."

It was highly flawed logic, but Aika was touched nonetheless, and said with some warmth, "Wow, maybe you wouldn't be such a bad guy if you didn't come on so strongly... So what are you gonna do know?"

"I dunno. Maybe I'll become an Air Pirate like you guys," the brown-haired man mused. "It'll be a nice change of pace. Well, I'll let you guys go—but there's just one thing I want to ask you, Ramirez," Vigoro added, turning to his former associate.

"My reasons for switching allegiances are none of your business," the Silvite snapped coldly, correctly guessing on the inquiry.

The muscular man just chuckled. "Wish I could say you've changed, but you'll still as uptight as ever." He turned to the controls of the platform to send himself back to Dangral, but before setting himself in motion, he looked back over his shoulder with a grin and another wink at Aika. "Maybe we'll meet again sometime in those big, open skies, Red! We'll see if I can't win your love after all!" he called back.

Vyse grinned, placing his fists on his hips, and shook his head as the Second Admiral left. "He never gives up, does he?" he commented to his childhood friend.

Aika laughed and grinned nervously at her captain. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, though..."

The brunet rogue chuckled, but his demeanor quickly turned serious again. "All right, no time to lose, everyone—let's go," Vyse declared, and at his word, the five turned to the station and quickly entered one by one.

The reinforced structure centered on several elevators leading deeper and deeper into the inky maelstrom outside; nobody wanted to think of what might happen if it happened to rupture somehow. Finally, they found themselves on a giant curving path leading away, to a destination they couldn't clearly see though the murky gloom; whenever anyone took a step, there was an extremely distinct and rather loud clink sound.

Nobody vocally stated that they were finally in Soltis; everyone understood it immediately. In addition, the darkness surrounding them and the deathly quiet but for the sound of their footsteps made speaking seem awkward. It was thus that the group ran for their destination, where each was certain Galcian—and Zelos—would be.

More than ever before, Ramirez was questioning his decision to come along. It still didn't feel quite right, running alongside Air Pirates to go stop the Grand Admiral, and it was odd to think that, had things gone differently during these past several lunar cycles, he would already be inside, assisting Galcian with the breaking of the seal. But at the same time, the Silvite couldn't picture himself as he might be in that position...

They reached the end of the path and stepped through a door, with a brightly lit room inside. To all appearances, it was a dead end, but as Vyse stared inside, unsure of what to do, Ramirez quietly said, "We step on the platform, and it will take us up the tower in front of the place where the Silver Gigas slumbers."

They did so, and light surrounded them, whisking them upwards, then depositing them in front of a large door. They entered to see a hallway and another door at its end.

When they reached it, Vyse paused for a moment, then pushed it open.

And inside awaiting them was Galcian, with all six Crystals. To the side was a force field glowing ghostly blue, and Vyse had a wrenching gut feeling that what could be held under it could only be the Silver Gigas.

The Grand Admiral glanced over in their direction with a smirk, looking wholly unsurprised to see them—perhaps he had been expecting them. "Heh, heh..." he chuckled. "So you made it this far." His cold blue eyes slipped from Vyse to his companions, then widened as they beheld the thought-to-be-late Admiral.

"Ramirez!" Galcian exclaimed. "You are alive?!"

Staring at the Grand Admiral as if transfixed, the male Silvite found that he could not speak. Instead he merely stood there, looking at Galcian but not meeting his eyes, his very guts twisting with shame. He wasn't even sure if he could bear to face him in battle again, especially when he had almost killed his mentor in the last fight...

Everything about him was untrustworthy now.

"No matter," the military man said then, his voice even, though his ruminations were by far more disturbed. /For he to have survived those wounds.../ he thought,

/...is it Ilazki's doing? It is said that, when he wielded it, it also protected Michaol's life when he was in danger... And there is Michaol himself to consider. When Ramirez and I engaged in battle on the Air Pirate's base, it definitely was not he whom I was fighting towards the end... This could be extremely troublesome.../

Then he remembered what he was about to unleash upon the world, and his smirk returned threefold. What was the power of the Sword of the Dark Moon compared to that of the Silver Gigas? Though the irony of the situation was by no means lost on him... Gesturing towards the contained Zelos with ease, he declared arrogantly, "Surely you realize what this is?"

"Vyse... That sphere is the Silver Gigas, Zelos!" Fina said, taking a step forward, confirming what the young captain had feared. "And he already has the Moon Crystals assembled!!"

"Precisely," Galcian chuckled as the Air Pirates set themselves in an uproar, though Ramirez was surprisingly quiet. "Once Zelos is freed, I shall control the greatest weapon of all time! I will be able to call down the Rains of Destruction at will! And then, my reign shall begin. The six Moons shall obey my commands!"

Unable to keep silent any longer, the Silvite swordsman took a step forward. He couldn't let things end like this—perhaps he had no right to speak, but he had to say something. "Lord Galcian!" he called.

The Grand Admiral turned an unfeeling eye to him. "Ramirez," he replied coolly, looking down upon his former Vice Captain. "I had thought that perhaps I could have trusted you. It never crossed my mind that you would throw all I have given you away to pledge yourself anew to a lowly Air Pirate."

Words failed the green-eyed man, and he hung his head, burning with humiliation.

"He's better off with us, anyway!" the brunet rogue yelled, clenching a fist as he threw an arm out in front of himself. "He was just your pawn when he was with you!!"

"Amusing... I could say the same of you," the Grand Admiral smiled coldly. "How useful Ramirez must be to you, with his superb swordsmanship, his understanding of the Armada, and his knowledge as a Silvite... Not to mention what a blow it is to my forces now that I no longer have him serving as my right-hand man. I must commend your cunning, Air Pirate. There are few among my soldiers who could do better."

Ramirez's head jerked up, and he stared at Lord Galcian and Vyse in turn.

Could it be...?

He had wanted to trust Vyse; he still did... But he had trusted Admiral Mendosa all those years ago, had wanted to trust him, and in the end, the worst had indeed been true... And the only reason he ever even found out was because of—Galcian's words...

But things weren't the same as back then. He wasn't an innocent, impressionable teenage boy any longer. His hands were as good as soaked with blood. He had witnessed countless horrors; he had committed murder and more time and time again in the name of justice. And now, yet again, the Silvite man had gone too far, and he couldn't turn back. Even if he was being used...even if he was being manipulated...he had done the same before, hadn't he...? He was no longer entitled to righteous fury...

/I'm...not going to betray anyone anymore,/ Ramirez told himself. /No matter what happens to me./

As the Silvite was thinking, with a sound of outrage, Vyse began, "You're wrong!! I—"

But Galcian was no longer in the mood for banter, and raising an arm, he bellowed, "Behold! A might far greater than fragile human loyalties!"

"NO!!" the blue-clad rogue shouted as energy from all the Crystals surged over the translucent blue seal, shattering that which had kept the last Gigas asleep for untold ages. "He broke the seal!!"

Buzzing and crackling with suddenly released power, the silvery orb rose several inches into the air, and with a sneer, the Grand Admiral commanded, "Zelos! I am your master! Raise the Lost Continent of Soltis! From this day forth, Soltis shall be my castle!" He turned his fierce gaze and condescending smirk to the brunet rogue and his companions then. "Farewell, Air Pirates. This place shall become a grave unto you all!"

As Zelos steadily ascended and the slab upon which the powerful man stood began to grind upwards to follow it, Ramirez flinched. Galcian had referred to all of them as Air Pirates. That acknowledgement, coming from the man whom he had served, more than anything, drove home the reality of what he had become...

"Vyse!" Fina cried as she turned to him, having seized some presence of mind to break her gaze away from the events unfolding like iris petals before them. "He's raising Soltis! This whole place... We've got to get back to Dangral!"

The doors behind them slid open as Aika and Gilder moved to prepare for flight, stopping only to wait tersely for their companions. Clenching a fist, Vyse growled, "Damn... We were so close...!" Turning to the others, he shouted, "All right, let's get out of here. Go! Back to Dangral Isle!!"

Fina, Aika, and Gilder didn't need telling twice; they made good time, Vyse at their heels, but as the captain of the Delphinus ran, he swiftly noticed that there was one person who had yet to move. Halting and turning back, he yelled to the Silvite, who was still staring numbly at the forms of Galcian and Zelos moving further and further away, "Ramirez, what are you doing!?" He quickly stepped forward, grabbed the former Admiral's wrist, and pulled. "We've got to get out of here!!"

Quite literally jerked out of his reverie, Ramirez turned and looked at Vyse, or more accurately, past him. "I'm sorry, sir," he said, his tone dull despite his efforts to appear otherwise, before he stepped to join the awaiting group.

His own doubts, his own regrets, he reminded himself, were meaningless.

The young Air Pirate squinted at the former Admiral, his chest aching at the older man's attitude, but now was hardly the moment. He sprinted into motion again, this time with the white-haired Silvite behind him.

Ramirez, though, couldn't help but glance behind himself one last time before they exited the tower and made their way as quickly as possible to the Deep Sky station, and from there, the dock and the lift that would bring them back to Dangral Island and safety.

The lift did indeed start, which was a great relief, considering the amount of shaking and crumbling that was going on, but it was when it had reached the half-way point that the lift abruptly ground to a halt.

An almost ghastly silence fell over the group. If they couldn't get back up to the base, then they would almost certainly...

Gilder, regaining his wits, immediately turned to the controls, trying force the lift to move again, and in the distance, the others could see the silvery peaks of Soltis beginning to surface from the black miasma of clouds that made up Deep Sky.

"No..." Fina whispered, staring at the slowly rising continent. The Rains of Destruction... they would fall again... She shook her head and deliberately averted her verdure eyes from the sight, trying to push such dark thoughts out of her head.

Gilder had continued to struggle with the controls, but to no avail. "They're not working," he finally sighed.

Shaking her head, Aika said adamantly, "No! There's gotta be something we can do!"

"The rail," Vyse said then, his brown eyes on the metal beam that supported the lift and following it all the way back up to their destination. "That's it! We'll run up the beam!"

"What?" his redheaded friend gawked. "Vyse, are you serious?"

"It leads all the way back to Dangral Isle!" he said firmly. "It's our only chance!"

Raising an eyebrow and looking distinctly put off, Gilder commented, "Y'know, Vyse, some of us aren't as young as we used to be..."

But the brunet had already leapt down to the steel beam, and was waving the others on to join him. The sunglasses-wearing pirate grimaced, but muttered, "No helping it, I guess..."

Aika jumped down after Vyse first, and Fina was next, although she hesitated, looking down nervously.

"Don't be afraid," her captain called up to her, spreading out his arms. "I'll catch you!"

The blonde woman nodded, reassured, before jumping down into Vyse's embrace. As she did so, the former Admiral looked away, a twinge of what he knew could only be jealousy in his chest. But he knew it would hardly be a surprise if the Blue Rogue's affections grew stronger for her than for him...

It was all the more reason to separate his feelings from Vyse.

He turned his head, now looking at the progressively rising continent. It had started to crash through the structures where they had been perhaps ten minutes earlier. He darkly estimated that it would be less than a minute before Soltis caught up with them in turn. Behind him, Gilder launched himself from the lift to the beam, landing easily, and turning to his proper destination, the ex-Admiral gracefully followed suit.

"C'mon, let's hurry!" the brunet pirate shouted, Aika and Fina already waiting ahead, as he beckoned them forward. Nobody was in the mood to argue, and the two other men passed their captain. Together, all five began to sprint up the shaking metal lifeline as segments of it began to break apart and fall behind them.

Aika reached the upper lift dock first, and after pulling herself up, she helped up Fina, who was almost right behind her. A screech of metal made the redhead turn abruptly, and she could only stare in horror. Soltis had begun to tear through the bottom of the last beam, causing the whole thing to start to bend with the sickening screech of fracturing steel.

"RUN, VYSE! FASTER!" she screamed, rooted to the spot, for the young captain was still far behind.

He responded by gritting his teeth and leaning forward, his boots clanging on the beam beneath him as he picked up his speed. Gilder, ahead of him, had just joined the girls, and Ramirez was climbing up... He had to make it, too—

But beneath him, the beam snapped and tilted upwards from the force, making Vyse have to run up to reach the end. He knew if he hesitated for a second, it'd be over for him, so he poured everything into a last burst of strength, and reaching the end of the beam, he launched himself forward towards the flat beneath him.

"Vyse!!" his best friend called, her arms outstretched to catch him, backing up a step. With a crash, he landed on her, sending them both to the floor, Aika pinned beneath him. Neither minded that much, though, and Vyse rose partially to turn and stare behind him. Aika, too, stared at Soltis as it rose, but Ramirez, who was being helped up by Gilder and Fina, found his gaze rooted directly on the two childhood friends.

The twinge of jealousy in the ex-Admiral's heart grew exponentially more powerful when he saw the position Vyse and Aika were in, but again, he held his tongue. The captain of the Delphinus was safe, and that was the important thing...and it was foolish of the Silvite to think he had a chance against two attractive girls who had known and been friendly with Vyse for much longer than he had, anyway. It was better to give up completely, to let Vyse be with someone who would make him happy... His own obvious envy and Vyse's admission of love from before were irrelevant, Ramirez assured himself. This would be for the best. It had to be.

Current events were a touch more pressing than Ramirez's emotional issues, however, and he observed that the circumference of Soltis didn't quite reach them—they were safe where they were, thankfully. However, the silvery continent kept rising, and they couldn't afford to stay put... With that general thought in mind, they made their way quickly out of the lower-sky base, returning to the Delphinus.

/Maybe,/ Vyse thought to himself as he took the wheel, steering the ship away from Dangral and raising the Delphinus' elevation, /just maybe, if we can get inside, we can try one more time to stop Galcian before he summons the Rains of Destruction.../

Ramirez was not so hopeful, however. He knew about the defense system that Soltis boasted, and he knew that it was virtually impenetrable; it had to be to stand up to Zelos' wrath. It was as such unsurprising when, as the Delphinus sailed purposefully towards the resurrected Lost Continent, the ship jammed against an invisible force, and multiple facets of a pale blue shield—much like the seal around Zelos—rapidly appeared, one after the other, until they covered all but the very top of Soltis.

"What in the Moons is that?!" Vyse gasped, staring.

"The Dome of Light," Fina replied worriedly. "It was an ancient defense mechanism..."

"...to ensure that Soltis would not meet the same fate as the rest of the world," Ramirez finished dully.

Vyse turned slightly, looking at the two Silvites. "Is there any way to get by it?" he asked, hoping they would have a solution.

"It's meant to stand up to the Rains of Destruction," the swordsman replied, shaking his head. "There is no way we can pierce it with the Delphinus' power alone."

"Not even with the Moon Stone Cannon?" Vyse persisted, dismay beginning to cloud his features.

Fina shook her head. "If the Rains of Destruction can't break it, the Moon Stone Cannon would never be able to," she pointed out unhappily.

"Damn!" the brunet cursed. "Then what do we..."

He abruptly cut himself off when he noticed light gathering at the tip of the Soltis tower. Before he could react, a great golden beam shot from the tip past the small hole in the at the top of the Dome of Light—so much for trying to sail in from above!—then hurtled up into the atmosphere and curved north, heading for the Yellow Moon over Valua.

Ramirez knew all too well what was going to happen; Lord Galcian and he had discussed this, though it felt like it had been in another lifetime. Valua would be ravaged by the Rains of Destruction, destroyed by its own Moon. Countless lives would be snuffed like open candles in a thunderstorm, and the country would fall, an example to the rest of the world. It would also serve to remove the only country that could hope to pose a threat to them.

Back then, he had thought all that death would be an acceptable sacrifice for the salvation of the world, particularly since people were worthless wretches anyway, but...

...he wasn't so sure of that anymore. No, there was nothing he was certain of anymore.

And so he merely watched, his face an impassive mask, any thoughts or doubts locked deeply away.

"Damn it!!" Vyse cursed, watching the trajectory of the Rains of Destruction with a hated feeling of helplessness. Neither Valua nor the Yellow Moon could be seen from this distance, but he had a good idea of what would happen. He only hoped that Enrique, at least, could find his way to safety, for Moegi's sake as well... "No choice," he declared, turning the wheel. "Let's retreat and regroup!"

"Vyse," Aika interjected, approaching him to put a hand on his shoulder, "Shouldn't we go to Sailor's Isle, instead? I mean, you're not planning on giving up, right?"

"Of course not," he said hotly, turning to her. "But what do you mean?"

"You gotta let other people know that!" she declared, taking her hand off his shoulder to gesture emphatically. "There's probably a lot of other people who don't want to give up, either!"

He considered her words, stunned, and then nodded emphatically. "Most people probably think we've been wiped off the face of the planet," he said with determination. "We'll have to let them know that, even if we can't touch Galcian—he can't touch us either! And that's at least a start!"

Not wanting to think of how, even with Glacia as their new base, they still couldn't hope to defeat the entire Armada with one ship—even one as powerful as the Delphinus—and turned the wheel to head north-northeast.



The view from Sailor's Isle was much better for telling what was going on over Valua, and as such the people there were heavily shaken. Still, Vyse's charisma and passion reached them, and soon word was buzzing all over the sailors that the guy who'd broken out of the Grand Fortress twice wasn't going to take this new development lying down.

Perhaps the universe was in the mood for a little more irony, but when the group visited the Sailor's Guild to ask the guildmaster to pass the word on for them, he had a message for them—specifically, a Black Spot, which meant that Piastol was targeting them for a third time.

"Not now, of all times," Vyse groaned. "There's no helping it. She'll just hunt us down personally if we ignore her, and that might be worse than going to confront her ourselves. We'll go fight her after we visit Doc and feed Maria's bird."

Nobody contested his decision; probably everyone thought that it was better to nip the threat the Angel of Death posed in the bud. With any luck, this would be the last Black Spot she'd be sending their way. After buying new equipment, ship parts, and items, the group returned to the Delphinus.

As the others walked in, Ramirez stopped Vyse, bowed slightly, and inquired, "Sir, if I may request my current orders?"

The Blue Rogue grimaced. "Ramirez, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'sir'?"

Ramirez glanced aside, as if thinking about something, then replied, "My apologies, sir, but as my commanding officer, I cannot address you in such a manner."

Vyse sighed and shook his head. "Piastol's pretty tough," he said, conceding for the moment, "and really stubborn. This is the third time, I think, she's called us out. We might need your help."

"I am willing to wield my sword for your sake, sir," the Silvite replied simply.

Vyse glanced over at the silver-haired man wearily. "Look, Ramirez," he began, the former Admiral's words turning back his thoughts to the encounter with Galcian, "It's not an order. You don't have to help out if you don't want to." He paused before stating bluntly, "I'm not using you. I don't just care about how good you are at fighting."

The Silvite stared at his captain for a long moment, his expression guarded; however, there was a flicker in his jade green eyes. Finally, he replied quietly, "You may use me however you wish, sir."

Taken aback, Vyse blinked in surprise and blurted out, "You're not an object!"

His expression never changing, the ex-Admiral said diplomatically, "Of course not, sir."

Vyse's expression grew pained, and he shook his head but did not argue further. Instead, he just sighed, "She's not too far from Sailor's Isle, so make sure you're prepared, all right? You've probably heard of her—she's on the Valuan wanted list for piracy. She's listed as the Angel of Death."

Ramirez gave a short nod. That name had stuck in his mind—no doubt it had been selected for good reason. But for a bounty hunter, if she was indeed that, to end up on the wanted list, and to have gotten there by getting her bounties to come to her...!

But it wasn't his place, not anymore, to ask such things. He was to do as he was commanded, only that.

"I'll let you know when we're ready, so make sure everything's in order, okay?" Vyse said, to which Ramirez nodded acquiescently, and they parted ways.

The ex-Admiral, as he double-checked his equipment, couldn't help but brood again. Seeing Lord Galcian again only continued to pound home what he already believed, that he was a failure and a traitor. And even if his former mentor's words were true, even if Vyse was using him and would shortly discard him in turn... He deserved as much, didn't he? He continued to repeat that mentally, almost as a mantra, trying to brush aside the ache he felt in his chest. What happened to him no longer mattered. He no longer mattered. He was only worth anything as long as he could be of use.

Telling himself that and only mostly believing it, he finished his preparations and returned to the bridge to wait.



One of the Delphinus' lifeboats approached the small boat where they had visited so many times before. Aika and Fina had elected to come with Vyse to visit Doc one more time; Ramirez had politely declined, adding those respectful appellations that Vyse so despised, and Gilder, too, had expressed little interest in such a visit.

"Vyse, Aika, Fina! Hi," Doc greeted the three with an easygoing smile, much different from his stiff, almost formal mannerisms from when they had first met lunar cycles ago. Standing nearby was his young blonde charge, and next to her was the marshmallow-like, mysterious, yellow-and-white bird. "Stopped by for a visit, I see! Have you got any more Moonfish for Maria's little friend?"

Vyse nodded with a grin. "Yeah, I've got some more!"

The group watched, pleased, as the chubby bird grew taller and rounder with every translucent fish it was fed, and while the fact that it threw up items wasn't exactly charming, they tended to be surprisingly useful items, and the Air Pirates pocketed them as usual. Maria beamed at them and thanked them before running off to play with her pet, to which everyone was pleased, if not thrilled.

"By the way, Vyse," Doc said once all the Moonfish were gone, growing more serious. "I was wondering—do you know what's going on in Mid-Ocean? The skies in that direction are growing strange..."

Vyse's expression became grim. "Galcian," he said, glancing back towards Mid-Ocean. "He's resurrected a lost continent, and now Valua's..."

"What?!" Doc said, his eyes widening. "Then...the explosions coming from the north...those were his doing?!" He shook his head in disbelief, though the ship doctor knew Vyse was not lying. "Say," he added, his brows furrowing, "if you know that much, do you know anything about Ramirez...?"

Vyse paused momentarily. Ramirez had once said that he didn't want him to talk to Doc about his past, that he wanted to Vyse to ask him first, but now...he wasn't likely to get much more than some tired apology or loathsome gesture of respect from the former Admiral. A lot had changed, and things wouldn't get better unless Vyse had some answers. And so he admitted, "Yes. He's with us."

"He's w—" Doc gaped in shock, then shook his head. "What do you mean, he's with you? I've heard rumors about the two of you, but..."

"It's a long story..." Vyse sighed. He gave Doc a summarized version, which still took well over an hour in the telling, and partway through, the Valuan stopped him and invited them all inside, where they could sit down. By the end, the 30-year-old was leaning back in his chair, looking simply stunned.

"He...definitely sounds different from seven years ago," Doc said sadly. "That reminds me—you didn't get to hear what I told the girls about Ramirez last time, did you, Vyse?"

Vyse shook his head. "No, I don't think so," he said, "Please, if you think it's important, I'd like to hear it..."

"Well...it's a story Aika and Fina already know, but..." Doc frowned, looking at the girls, but they just nodded him on, and he returned his gaze to the brunet youth. "Very well. You remember how Ramirez and I met, right? Well, soon after that, we were sent to Ixa'taka, just after Valua had begun to occupy the area..."

Ramirez had been looking ill at ease for a long time, and considering what a bright, cheerful young man he usually was, it was impossible for Doc and Mendosa not to notice. Doc was fine with leaving well enough alone, believing that Ramirez would share what was bothering him in due time, but when the captain of the flagship Aquila had them both in audience, he turned a fatherly gaze toward the silver-haired teenager.

"What's wrong, Ramirez?" he queried calmly. "Ever since we got to Ixa'taka, you've looked troubled. Don't be afraid to speak your mind."

Ramirez, who was normally somewhat demure, was startled by the sudden attention, and glanced away at Doc briefly, who nodded encouragingly now that the matter had been brought up, before taking a deep breath. "Well..." he began hesitantly. "If I may speak freely, I feel that Valua is wrong in its ways...in the way it treats the Ixa'takans."

The ship doctor had wondered what had been bothering his friend so, but these words were borderline treason, which could get the naïve soldier into more hot water than he'd bargained for. "H, hey," he interrupted, looking alarmed and concerned. "Wait a minute there, Ramirez!"

But now that he had begun, the young soldier continued with growing strength and passion. "Putting the people into slavery, forcing them to mine for Moonstones...and all for Valua's profit? It's horrible."

Stunned by the truth of his friend's sincerity, Doc murmured, "Ramirez..."

Admiral Mendosa had listened patiently and with a noble, thoughtful gaze—or at least it seemed that way on the surface. Had either of the men Mendosa had named as being like sons to him been watching carefully, they might have noticed a tautness to his face, a slight twitch to his eyelids that would have hinted that he was trying to think very quickly.

"...Ramirez," he began at last, his voice soothing. "You are absolutely right. I, as a father of two, feel the same way. I feel a sadness deep in my heart for the plight of the people of Ixa'taka." Leaning forward slightly, Mendosa added, "How's this, then? I will personally express those grievances to the Empress herself. Let me deal with it, Ramirez."

Smiling in relief and never realizing how Admiral Mendosa had been stalling for time, the impressionable Silvite bowed and replied, "...Thank you, m'lord."

"One day, we ran into Admiral Galcian in Ixa'taka. Back then, Lord Galcian was still just another Admiral in the Armada, but stories of his military prowess were spreading rapidly." Doc sighed slightly. "Actually, the reason why Valua had so easily conquered Ixa'taka and occupied it was due to the great military feats of Lord Galcian. Of course, Ramirez went straight to Galcian, being the root of all the evils in Ixa'taka."

Vyse had a hard time picturing Ramirez confronting Galcian over anything, even now... "And?" he asked, prompting the other man on. "Then what happened?"

Doc smiled ruefully as he recalled the conversation that had ensued...

The moment the young soldier had laid eyes upon the Admiral who had almost single-handedly conquered Ixa'taka, his righteous fury had kindled and promptly exploded. His first reaction was to lunge at him, and it was only because Doc happened to be there at the moment and was quick enough to grab his friend's arms from behind that Ramirez didn't outright attack Galcian. Instead, he only shouted at the surprisingly unperturbed and even amused Admiral, "Lord Galcian! How can you treat the Ixa'takans like this?! It's despicable!"

Shocked all over again at his young friend's forthrightness, Doc yelled even as he struggled to hold him back, "R, Ramirez! You can't talk like that to an Admiral!!!"

Glaring back over his shoulder, lessening but not ceasing his attempts to get away, the Silvite snapped, "Stay out of this, Doc. This has nothing to do with you. And no matter what happens, I know Admiral Mendosa will stand up for me."

"Admiral Mendosa?" Galcian repeated, even more amused than ever as he scrutinized Ramirez, somehow finding something about the youth to be exceedingly fascinating. "Heh... Fool."

"What did you say?!" the naïve youth demanded, snapping his head forward to glare in outrage at the one whom he regarded as the villain. "How dare you speak ill of Admiral Mendosa! I will not stand here and let you tarnish his honor!"

"It was not Mendosa that I called a fool," the Admiral refuted, never losing his calm, arrogant, condescending demeanor. "It is you, boy, who follow him so blindly, that is the fool."

His outrage mixed with abrupt confusion and a sudden unexplained feeling of dread, and though he told himself he shouldn't listen to what this man had to say, he couldn't divide his attention from him. It was while he felt that way that Ramirez queried almost out of reaction, falling completely still, "Wh, what did you say?"

Pleased that his carefully aimed words had struck home and he now had the Silvite in the palm of his hand, Galcian replied with the complete self-assurance of experience and knowledge, "People are not to be trusted. Depend on a person too much and they will betray your trust sooner or later." Smirking at the stunned look on Ramirez's face, his expression as much as saying that what the Admiral had said struck a chord in him, the conqueror of Ixa'taka resumed, "I only believe in power. Power will never betray you. And that is why I search this land for an even greater power. And if such a power exists, I swear, it shall be mine." Utterly undisturbed by the look of confusion and shock on the boy's face, the Admiral turned his back to him and Doc. "You will someday understand the meaning of my words. When that day comes, I will be awaiting you."

And without another word, he strode away, his steps measured and reflecting Galcian's utter confidence that the seeds he had sown would bear ripe, blood-red fruit.

Ramirez had been rendered motionless and speechless, and slowly, when he felt sure he wouldn't run after Galcian after all, Doc removed his arms from the young lad. The ship doctor didn't know what to say to his friend, and as he gazed upon the frozen look of shock upon the white-haired soldier's face, even the questions he had about what the Admiral had been talking about withered away.

He hadn't known it then—he couldn't have known, for he was only aware of as much as Ramirez—but something terrible had been set into motion...something that, once it had begun its spiraling descent, could not and could never be stopped.

The ship doctor let loose another deep sigh as he finished his story. "That was the first time Ramirez and Galcian had ever met. If I had only stopped Ramirez back then, things may have turned out much differently."

Vyse stared at the doctor the entire time he recounted the meeting with Galcian, a chill running down his spine. Those words... Ramirez had repeated them or variants of them so many times to him...

Galcian...really had corrupted Ramirez. But why? What had happened to make the older swordsman trust...that man so much?

"Doc..." he spoke at long last, finally collecting his thoughts, "I gotta know. What happened...? What happened to change him that much?"

The medical man grimaced slightly. "I can understand the position you're in...but it's just too difficult for me to talk about. It's an extremely sensitive subject..." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

Vyse shook his head and smiled, though it was somewhat weak. "No...that's okay. I don't want to force you to talk about anything you're uncomfortable about," he said. "Besides, I'm grateful enough for you to have told me this much already."

"I've grateful to you too, for all you've been doing for Maria," Doc smiled back; his gesture, too, was slightly forced. He stood and walked the group out, saying, "I wish you the best of luck on everything, all three of you."

As they headed for their lifeboat, waving in return, Vyse called back, "You too, okay? Take care of yourselves!"

Doc saluted with a grin in reply, and the young Blue Rogues headed back to the Delphinus, then to the bridge.

"You sure took a while," Gilder observed, pushing himself off the wall. "What took you three?"

"...We had a lot to talk about," Vyse said simply, then added, "Why? Do you want to know?"

The older pirate shrugged good-naturedly. "Nah," he replied. "Not if you don't want to share. So on to the so-called Angel of Death now, Vyse?"

"Yeah, I'll have to try and settle things with Piastol again," the captain of the Delphinus sighed. "After all, there's not much else we can do right now. We let everyone know that there are people who oppose Galcian..." He glanced away momentarily, his face sterner. "If no one will stand by us, we'll just have to try on our own, even if the odds are against us."

The powerful Valuan ship sailed northwest past Sailor's Isle to the place where its crew had encountered the black-clad pirate-killer, and sure enough, her ship was sailing there, and as soon as the Delphinus was spotted, it approached them. The blue and white of the Avenger's sails rippled in the wind as it passed by, and knowing the drill, the Air Pirates ran to deck to greet the Angel of Death. As she had twice before, Piastol awaited them, her threatening azure-bladed scythe in one hand, her Deathhound by her feet.

"Vyse," she greeted him with a frigid glare, virtually ignoring the others, "today is the day I take your life."

"Hold on just a minute!" Aika interjected, stepping forward and throwing out an arm in front of Vyse. "Why do you hate Vyse so much, anyway? We've never even met you before you started sending us those Black Spots!"

The bounty huntress bowed her head slightly, her eyes shut, and smirked faintly. "I despise all Air Pirates. That is why I became a hunter of you despicable people. It all began seven years ago...when my family was brutally murdered by Air Pirates." She angrily glared at Vyse then, bringing a hand to her chest, and declared, "And that is where I saw you, Vyse—among the Air Pirate scum that took my family from me!"

The entire group reacted with shock, each of them knowing that there was no way that the captain of the Delphinus would or could do such a thing, but taken aback by the deadly seriousness with which Piastol spoke. Even if it weren't true—which it couldn't be—she obviously deeply believed otherwise.

Vyse and Aika in particular stared back at her in surprise. "H, huh?!" the former gasped.          

"You've gotta be mistaken! We're Blue Rogues!" the latter added. Her gaze growing saddened, the redhead continued, "We'd never do something like that!"

"Silence!" she cut him off, shaking her head in flat-out denial. "Blue, Black... You're all the same! You all deserve to die!" Narrowing her eyes at him in utter hatred, Piastol growled, "My only purpose in life since then has been to deliver justice unto the Air Pirates that destroyed my life. Vyse, it is time for me to have my revenge!" Twirling her scythe and leaping forward, she snarled, "Have at you! I will avenge my father!!"

Despite her proclamation, with the odds at five-to-two against her, it was not surprising that the self-proclaimed bounty hunter lost, although she had put up a good fight. When it was over, Piastol dropped to one knee, her teeth gritted, her injuries aggravating her breathing.

"F... Father...am I doomed...to never win?" she asked the wind, her voice agonized. "To...never avenge your death?"

Although she had tried to kill him, Vyse was not inclined to be heartless towards her—and besides, he couldn't simply leave the situation as it was, not with her making an accusation he couldn't understand but she very obviously wholeheartedly believed.

Stepping forward, he said calmly and seriously, "Piastol, tell me. Tell me what happened to you seven years ago. I want—no, I need to know why you think I killed your family."

The Angel of Death lifted her head, looking up at him, her gaze never softening. "...Very well. I will tell you. Perhaps you will at last remember, as well..." she said after a long pause before shutting her eyes and bowing her head. "Seven years ago... I was a young girl of ten years. My father was a soldier in the Valuan Armada. My entire family lived aboard his ship as we sailed the Valuan skies...together."

Seven years ago... It seemed to Ramirez that that year was a bad one for those connected with the Armada, he reflected broodingly as he gazed at the cerulean-haired teenager.

Piastol continued, her voice undulating with rage and anguish, "One night, I was awakened by a loud explosion and rumbling. I rushed to the deck, and found nothing but a sea of flames. But, I could see through the flames that an Air Pirate ship was fast approaching. The rest of my family was on the bridge of our ship... but the flames were too strong. I couldn't get through to them. My father used to always tell me that in situations like this, to 'save myself first'. I was so worried about my father... and my baby sister... but instead, I rushed to the room where we kept the life boats." She glared up at Aika lividly, her blue eyes burning, and added, "That is where I ran into an Air Pirate... A red-haired Air Pirate girl!"

Aika's brown eyes widened in realization as the story suddenly became much more familiar, and she gasped, "Wait a minute... That was you?!"

"Yes," Piastol stated, staring coldly at the 'red-haired one', "it was I. And for whatever reason, even though you were invading our ship, I found you unarmed. I reacted, as the soldier my father had raised me to be. Without a second thought, I drew my knife... I threw it with the intention to kill. But, my knife missed its mark. It's because you, Vyse," and with this she turned and gestured at the Blue Rogue in question, "jumped in the way to protect her. And my knife struck your cheek." She sneered as memory suddenly flooded into Vyse's face, and he stared at her with abrupt, total recognition. "Yes, that scar on your cheek is from the knife that I threw. And while you were both still disoriented, I made away on a lifeboat and left you two to burn on the ship that you destroyed."

The Angel of Death bowed her head, glowering at the deck of the Delphinus. "I later learned that the flagship 'Aquila' did not sink..." She shut her eyes tightly and went on, not noticing how Ramirez had gone tense, "And that they...found my father's corpse. The doctors say that it was not the fire that had killed him...but a sword wound."

/No,/ Ramirez thought to himself, /it couldn't be... Could she really be one of Mendosa's daughters?/ But her name, now that he thought of it, seemed ominously familiar, as well as the events she'd described—and the only flagship Aquila that had been sailing seven years ago had been under the command of none other than the Admiral who had plucked him out of the Mid-Ocean skies.

The vengeful teenage girl had paused briefly, shaking her head, when he interjected, "Piastol."

She opened her mouth to continue, then started slightly and stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. "What is it?" the bounty huntress growled, displeased at being interrupted when revealing something that pained her so much.

"...Was your father's name Mendosa?" he asked quietly, which prompted startled stares from all but Gilder. He had vowed to serve Vyse, and that included sparing him from a bounty hunter's wrath...especially since it was his own doing that had likely been the cause of such hatred in the first place.

She continued to stare at him, now with a look of amazement. "Yes," Piastol replied. "How did you know?"

His shoulders sagged, his suspicions confirmed. He did not revel in the thought of bearing the brunt of her violent wrath, but there was no use in running away; he had to take responsibility, for if he refused, she would only continue to erroneously seek Vyse's blood. "...Because Vyse didn't kill him." He paused, then confessed, "...I did."

There was a long, stunned silence as everyone realized the gravity of Ramirez's unexpected statement before Piastol finally sputtered, "Y, you lie—to protect him!" Jabbing a finger at Vyse as she sneered at the Silvite, she went on, "What proof do you have?!"

Ramirez sighed. "...Seven years ago, I was in your father's service. I suppose you might not remember me..." he said, trying to recall something, anything, that would make her believe him. It was...almost ironic, that he would be trying so hard convince someone that he was indeed the perpetrator of a murder he had in fact committed.

"It was night when it occurred," he went on dully. "We had recently been in Ixa'taka, and returned to Mid-Ocean temporarily." She continued to glare at him, but didn't interrupt, and Ramirez continued, "The ship didn't sink, despite the damage. You must know that much as well."

She furrowed her brow, and glanced quickly at Vyse, who was staring dumbfounded at Ramirez. "What were you doing there, then?" she demanded of the Blue Rogue.

"We saw the ship ablaze from a distance, and came to help," he said, turning his gaze to her seriously. "Even though it was a Valuan warship, you shouldn't leave people in trouble stranded."

"Yeah," Aika piped up. "I remember, because I thought it would just be a rescue mission when we were getting prepared, I didn't bring my weapon with me." She glanced at her childhood friend sadly and went on, "And because of me...because of my stupidity...Vyse got hurt. All because of my carelessness..."

"Aika..." he murmured, glancing at her in return.

The redhead set her gaze levelly at Piastol. "...Piastol," she stated, her voice determined. "We weren't the ones who killed your dad." Turning her brown eyes to Ramirez, she concluded, "But now you know who did."

The former Admiral bowed his head slightly. "Is there anything more you want to hear?" he asked the bounty hunter.

She didn't reply at first. She was too busy staring from Vyse, to Aika, to Ramirez, and back around again, with a look of growing horror on her face. "This—this can't be true," she insisted, denial clear in her voice. "I can't have been hunting Air Pirates for all this time...for naught..."

Gilder spoke up for the first time then, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "Now you're just refusing to accept the truth. The killer you've been searching for is right here..."

At this, Ramirez stiffened slightly, but he said nothing.

Piastol now stared only at the former Admiral, frozen in her still kneeling position. "You...killed my father...?" she said in an almost wondering, querying tone, before repeating perhaps to herself, "You killed my father..." A short pause, then, again, her tone steeped with growing rage, "You killed my father?!" And finally, she punched the metal deck in fury and anguish, snarling, "You killed my father!!"

Snapping her head upwards to glare at him in pure odium, she screamed, "WHY?! You said you worked for him!! Why would you murder my father?! Why did you destroy my family—why did you ruin my life?!"

From some part of his mind, a thought came screaming that if she knew what sort of person her father was, she wouldn't be so ready to defend him. Mendosa was a liar, he had played the Silvite false, he...

...was no worse than Ramirez himself. After all, there was little Mendosa had done that he hadn't. Perhaps in different ways, and under certain circumstances, but wasn't he just as false as the man whom he had once considered his surrogate father?

And so he did not refute her anger or try to explain himself.

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?!" she demanded anew, her knuckles white and trembling. "I can't believe it... I search all this time for an Air Pirate—and it turns out it was one of my father's own men who ended his life!!"

Ramirez glanced off to the right, his head bowed. /I have no right,/ he repeated to himself mentally.

Vyse, who was just as surprised by the Silvite's sudden confession as Piastol, didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to try to defuse the situation, and stepping forward, he attempted, "Piastol, calm down. You—"

"Calm down?!" she cut him off with a snarl. "How can you possibly understand how I feel right now?!"

Taken aback by the intensity of her anger, Vyse fell silent. Glancing over at Ramirez, he couldn't help but realize how complex this made everything.

He had known that the male Silvite was a soldier, and had done an unknown number of unpleasant things; hell, he himself had been on the receiving end of some of them. But this... Piastol had lost her father, and Ramirez wasn't even trying to give a reason. Perhaps it had been in cold blood; while he had seen the effects of the former Admiral's brutality before, they could be at least attributed to his taking orders from higher up. This, though, was nothing more than plain murder, and if Doc's account was correct, Admiral Mendosa had looked on him as a son.

It was Aika who spoke up then. "Piastol, to be honest, I'm not any more of a fan of Ramirez than you are," she said, stepping forward. "But no matter how angry you are, you're in no condition to fight."

Piastol glowered at the redhead from where she knelt, still heaving, and deliberately forced herself to stand. "Fine," she conceded coldly. "I shall let you go for today. But know this, Ramirez," she hissed, clenching her teeth and glaring balefully at the former Admiral. "I will cut you down and avenge my father. I swear it!! Even if it takes me the rest of my life, even if it costs me my life, I will kill you!!"

Ramirez, still not meeting her gaze, merely nodded.

/If I can make some use of my life...even if it is to expend it for his sake.../ he thought to himself disjointedly. /Please, Moons, give my existence some meaning.../

Still piercing him with a glare of pure loathing, Piastol made her way off the Delphinus back to the Avenger, and once she had gone, Vyse and the others returned inside. However, once they were at the foot of the stairs, the young captain stopped everyone and turned to the Silvite.

"Okay, you need to tell us what happened," he said firmly. "Now."

Though the Silvite couldn't say he wasn't expecting it, the confrontation still froze his insides, and though he kept his gaze on the Blue Rogue, his face was taut and his expression stricken.

"...I'm not kidding," Vyse added, planting his fists on his hips.

Ramirez glanced away, his green eyes tortured. "...I..."

Shaking aside his urge to let him be, Vyse persisted, "Please, Ramirez... We need to know."

The Silvite shut his eyes tightly, clenching a fist as if to steel himself...and then let out a long sigh, his entire body sagging. "How much did you hear from Doc?" he inquired, defeated. "I'll pick up from there..."

"The last he told us was how you and Galcian met," the Blue Rogue replied with a slight frown, gazing at Ramirez sadly. "About how he told you people can't be trusted."

The white-haired man swallowed hard. "...After that..." Even his long hatred of the man he had thought of as his father seemed distant now. But, as he had realized, he wasn't all that different from Mendosa. He, too, had lied and used people for his own ends, even though he didn't mean it for personal gain...

"...After that, sir," he repeated, not meeting anyone's gaze, "I began to wonder about what Lord Galcian had said, and started to investigate into Admiral Mendosa's transactions..."

The Silvite paused for a moment, the memory of the moment when he found that damning proof that even then he had tried so desperately not to believe paining him. Gently, Vyse prompted, "Go on."

"...It was not long," Ramirez continued with great difficulty, "before I found out..." He swallowed hard. "...that Mendosa...had been forcing the Ixa'takan slaves to work extra hours...and the Moonstones they found...he would pocket for himself."

Taken aback, Vyse stared at him, eyes widened. Was this why—? Rather than think about the consequences of that discovery now, though, he asked quietly, "And then?"

The ex-Admiral shut his eyes. "...I didn't want to believe it," he said quietly. "I wanted to believe it was a mistake. He told me once I was like a son to him, sir...and that, when I admitted to being disturbed by the Empire's methods concerning the invasion of Ixa'taka, he would speak with the Empress about the treatment of the slaves taken. I didn't want to believe that he would deceive me like that." Hi clenched his hands tightly and continued, "So I confronted him personally to find out the truth." Ramirez swallowed hard. "...And he admitted it was true."

This, Vyse thought to himself, his face grim, explained a lot. Not only his inability to trust, but also...his attachment to Galcian. He shook his head slightly; now was not the time to think deeply about it. Instead he said, "And that's when you...?" He trailed off. He hardly needed to complete his question.

Ramirez crossed his arms, drawing them tight to his chest as he kept his head bowed. "Admiral Mendosa declared that he couldn't have me knowing his secret, so he ordered his guards to seize me. I was young then; I still didn't know anything. My entire world was turning upside-down, and it was all too much for me." He smiled then, a haunted, eerie smile. "...So I guess I went a little crazy."

There was a long moment of silence, and Aika exchanged a worried glance with Vyse over just what 'a little crazy' could mean.

"...And I suppose you can infer the rest from Piastol's story," the Silvite mumbled in conclusion.

Fina gazed at her "older brother" sadly. She could not condone what he had done, but there was very little about him anymore that could shock her. He had truly fallen very far, far out of her reach...perhaps too far to reach at all.

"Ramirez," Vyse began as he took a step forward, and his chest ached when he saw the silver-haired man hunch in on himself further, as if in anticipatory defense of a reprimand. The Blue Rogue honestly didn't know what to do or say. If he tried to comfort the distraught man or tell him it was all right, it would belittle what had occurred, and that would be an insult not only to Ramirez but to Piastol as well. Even if he thought so, Vyse couldn't tell him it was all right. Although there was a lot of property damage and broken trusts, nobody actually died when Ramirez betrayed him. This, though...was something completely different...

He shook his head, a slight movement. "We'll...talk about this later," he said. As much as the issue needed to be resolved, they had a lot to deal with right now. It could wait a little longer, he decided.

Besides...he needed to think over what he had just learned, before he could begin to talk to Ramirez about it.

"Yes, sir," the Silvite whispered, letting his arms drop to his sides. He still kept his gaze on the floor, not wanting to see how the others were looking at him.

An awkward silence ensued. At length, the young pirate captain said, "We'd probably better get going. We've got a long haul ahead of us."

"Right," Aika said a little too quickly. "We've done everything we can here. Let's get back to Glacia and try to prepare."

Vyse nodded, and with one last worried glance over at Ramirez, he re-entered the Delphinus.



It was obvious by the time the Delphinus returned to Glacia that there was a blanket of anxiety over the group. Vyse, whose charisma was derived from how he remained optimistic even in the blackest of times, was agitated in particular, and everyone else around him could feel it. He, however, remained unaware of this, and continued to exhort his companions to keep their spirits up, though it was painfully obvious that his heart was not in it. Ramirez remained bland and almost listless, responding only to orders, and as soon as it was possible, he quietly retired to his room and didn't leave. That, perhaps, was the garnish on the soufflé of stress rising inside the Blue Rogue, and he felt as if one good bang would be enough to completely deflate him.

When it was finally time for the entire crew to get to sleep, Vyse collapsed onto his bed, painfully aware that the one he loved was so close and yet so far away. He just wanted to talk to Ramirez, to make him really understand how he felt...but the Silvite refused to respond to anything. With everything else that had been happening, he was truly beginning to despair. He tried to remind himself that he shouldn't give up, that nothing was impossible...but when he tried so hard and still nothing was the result, he couldn't help but think that perhaps some things were impossible...

And that, beyond almost anything else, was causing him anguish.

/What if I've been wrong all this time? Have I been seeing things only the way I'd wanted to see them?/

He covered his face with his hands. Maybe some things just couldn't happen, no matter how hard you wanted them to... He didn't want to believe that, but he couldn't very well change the fact that Galcian now controlled the greatest power in the world as well as the entire Armada, had wiped out Valua, and was sitting behind what was essentially an impenetrable barrier. As much as he was trying to pretend otherwise, there was little more they could do here in Glacia than hide. No matter how powerful the Delphinus was, it was still only one ship. Even if he didn't mind uneven odds, the current odds were just too horribly skewed against their favor. They'd need a fleet to go against the entire Armada, and where was he going to find that? Even the recent victory against Piastol felt like anything but, considering she now desperately wanted to kill Ramirez. She'd have to get in line, as there were so many people who wanted to do that: Miran, Khazim (although he was good at swallowing his hate of the Admiral to keep the peace, much as Vyse knew he must hate it), the entire city of Nasr, probably lots of other people the Blue Rogue didn't even know about... Even Galcian wanted him dead now, although perhaps on a less personal level than everyone else.

And then of course there was the matter of Ramirez himself. If the man he perhaps foolishly loved could just give him a sign—a reason to keep hoping and trying—he could hold on to his cheer and vigor, but... He wasn't responding to anything except orders. It was practically as if he'd given up on living as his own person. At least, at the very least, he seemed to have given up on dying...but what he was now was hardly an improvement.

Vyse was not normally one to dwell on the past, but he couldn't help but think back on the days before all this had happened, before it had all gone horribly wrong...

It had only been a month ago, but it felt like another lifetime, when they had been growing so close. True, Ramirez had been intending to and would eventually betray him, but that didn't matter, looking back. No matter how much they had been angry with each other, back then...

...if only he could bring back that time again.



Aika was also besieged with worries. Her crush on him aside, Vyse was her best friend, and she'd known him practically longer than anyone else. This was the worst she'd ever seen him, ever. He was trying not to give in, trying not to show everyone how bad he felt, but he always was terrible at lying.

/It's all Ramirez's fault,/ she thought furiously, turning on her side, her sheets in disarray. /If he hadn't caused us all so many problems, Vyse would never be this bad! Why does he even.../ she started to brood, when a thought occurred to her. What if Vyse were in love with...?

The thought was too disgusting to her to complete. After all, she utterly despised that man. For what he did, for how he acted, for whom he loved... If Vyse loved him back, then he really would be a total idiot! Ramirez had done nothing but cause everyone a lot of grief. Surely he wouldn't pick him over his friends!

She rolled over again with a sigh. /Dammit, Vyse.../



Fina wasn't even trying to sleep. She had a chair next to her window and was gazing up at the canopy of ice from which the city of Glacia hung, her hands clasped to her chest. She wondered if it was because the citizens of the Purple Civilization couldn't see their moon from here that they left. It was too depressing to be unable to look upon what gave you its blessings... Was that a bad omen for them as well? Was the Purple Moon perhaps unable to hear their thoughts and wishes? She had never thought of it before, but ever since coming here, things had been growing steadily worse; it looked like even Vyse was losing heart...

/But then, that's not really because we came to Glacia,/ she glumly admitted to herself, glancing down at Deep Sky. /It's because of Ramirez.../ She lifted her chin to gaze up at the darkly shimmering ice, her earrings trembling as she moved. /But I mustn't blame him again. Even if I can't condone what he's done, even if I can't save him...I still have to be stronger, for everyone. For Vyse, for Aika, for Gilder...and even for Ramirez.../

She shut her eyes and bowed her head, bringing her clasped hands in front of her, and prayed, "Please, Moons... We're trying our very hardest. We'll find a way to win—I know we will, somehow! But please...won't you grant us a miracle to help us along?"

Fina of course received no direct reply, but above the thick, near impenetrable glaciers, the Purple Moon shone a bit more brightly than usual even as a providential wind began to blow.




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.

Ayu: Eeyaaargh. Sorry this chapter is so incredibly late. The second semester marked a huge increase in work for both Ianthe and myself, and whenever we managed to catch each other online, one or both of us just wouldn't be in the mood to write, or not have the time, or something like that... I'm a little 'meh' about this chapter, and Ianthe didn't like how I decided to use dialogue direct from the game (she doesn't like that), but I hope it was at least sort of worth the wait. Oh, and I received an email from one of our fans asking how the chapter was going—I'm sorry, I read it, but before I got a chance to reply, I accidentally deleted it, and I can't remember who sent it. ^^;; Sorry! -_-;

Ayu: I finished the character designs for Arianne and Miran (colored 'em, too), so for any interested parties, you can find them here: ayu-ohseki.deviantart.com

Ayu: This chapter's lyric-title is from Asu he no brilliant road (The Brilliant Road to Tomorrow), the opening theme to Uchuu no Stellvia. Uh...I have the full lyrics translated at my lyrics site, Campus Lyrics!, but since I haven't updated it since September, well, uh...they kinda aren't there. _;; (*coughcough*)

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))