WARNING
Vyse is going to be a huge jerk for the next two chapters. Now before anyone gets on my case about it, I couldn't think of another reason for Fina to leave. I like Vyse as a character, but in this fic he's going to be a bit of a jerk.
Sorry,I won't do it againI promise.

Dearing

Chapter 6
Friends Reunited and Friendships gone bad

Vyse kicked an engine component angrily. She had lied. She hadn't done anything to the Victory, or the skiffs. All the engines had been fine, except she had taken the moonstones out of them, and hidden them on the ship in her old room.

So Vyse's Engineer's had practically torn the Engines apart trying to find what was wrong, only to find there was nothing wrong with them.

"Since when has Fina been so good at lying?" he cried angrily, throwing his arms in the air.

"It's a whole lot easier to lie on paper than to someone's face, you know," Aika pointed out, her arms folded and a small smirk on her face.

Vyse just fumed as he trudged out of the underground dock and up into the open air as the sun began it's daily crawl across the sky.

"She didn't have to run away," he said for the thousandth time since that fateful night.

"Well, maybe she thought it was for the best?" Aika shrugged.

They now stepped in to the elevator that led to the meeting room.

Vyse stormed out onto the balcony even before it had fully stopped. He slumped on the railing and looked out into the sky.

"I could have explained it to her," he sighed at last as Aika put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I was going to explain it to her on the night she left,"

"I know," she said quietly, "And as soon as we have the Victory's Engine back online, we'll go find her and explain it all to her."

Vyse sighed again and turned around to face Aika, circling his arms around her waist.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Aika," he said with a small smile.

She smiled gently and kissed him briefly on the lips.

"You'd still be swabbing decks in the Albatross that's where," She joked, then pulled him into a deeper kiss.

Just then a large bell rung clearly through the morning air with a since of urgency.

Since the end of the Crystalline War, Vyse had had a new watch tower built on the very top of the mountain of Crescent Isle. It was accessible via a elevator like the one that took him from the ground to the Meeting Room, only this one took someone to the watch tower.

Vyse sighed and broke of the kiss, before heading to the Elevator and going up to the watch tower. When he got there he found Bill, his new Lookout, ringing the bell furiously.

"Report Bill!" Vyse yelled over the din.

Bill looked at him for a moment before handing him the telescope.

"See for your self sir," he said quietly and pointed southward.

Vyse peered through it and almost gasped at what he saw.

Sailing towards the Island at best speed was his old ship, the Delphinus, the pride and Joy of the new Valuan Armada.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Vyse wondered aloud.

Suddenly the Radio in the watch tower burst to life.

The Watch tower and Meeting room had both been fitted with radio's allowing contact with upcoming ships, to see if they were friend or foe.

"Attention Crescent Isle," said a young, powerful voice, "This is Captain Daniel Mackenzie of the H.M.S Delphinus, do you read me?"

Vyse immediately picked up the microphone.

"This is Captain Vyse Dyne of the Blue Rogues, how may we assist you Delphinus?"

The voice suddenly got a whole lot cheerer

"Ah, greetings Captain, I'd hoped you'd be home."

"We don't have much of a choice at the moment, captain, we've had to...um...take apart the engines of our ship, the Victory to...erm...upgrade them."

Suddenly there was a sound of very girlish giggling came off at a distance, a giggling that sounded strangely familiar.

"I guess you fell for Fina's bluff then eh, Captain?"

Vyse's jaw dropped.

"How did you...?"

"Relax captain, relax, I have Fina safely in my custody. We shall be arriving shortly. I believe you and Fina have a few things to talk about. See you soon captain. Delphinus out."

The radio clicked and went dead.

Vyse stared at the Microphone before glancing at Aika.

"Things to talk about?" he asked.

Fina gazed on as Crescent Isle drew ever closer as they sailed the remaining way by Lifeboat.

As Daniel had said, it would just be him and her. He would be there to supervise the conversation between her and Vyse.

The Captain stood at the wheel of the lifeboat, looking dead ahead towards Crescent Isle.

She smiled to herself, and quietly walked up behind him and slipped her arms around his neck, nuzzling his neck slightly.

She felt him smile slightly, reaching up with one hand to hold her own.

"You think they'll be pleased to see me?" she asked.

"Well, by the sound of it, they've spent the last week taking apart the engines of the Victory, but aside from that, yeahI'm sure they'll be happy to see you," he replied with a small chuckle.

She smiled faintly, thinking of the Engineers that had joined Vyse and how they would be trying to figure out what she had done, only to realise she hadn't done anything.

She sighed and detached herself from Daniel, before gazing out to the Island rapidly approaching.

She just hoped, they wouldn't be too mad.

"FINA!"

Fina had barely stepped off the life boat and onto the Island, when she suddenly found herself in the strong arms of Vyse, who hugged her tightly.

She glanced back at Daniel, who looked slightly amused, but she noticed something in his eyes, something that looked like...worry.

"I'm never going to let you out of my sight again!" she heard Vyse say.

"Vyse, it's alright," Fina managed to get out, "Captain Mackenzie rescued me."

Vyse slowly detached himself from Fina as Aika bounded up the ridge and started to dance in circles with Fina, calling her name over and over.

"Your Captain Mackenzie?" he asked.

Daniel gave a short bow.

"I am."

Vyse shook The Captain's hand.

"Thank you for saving Fina. I can't thank you enough."

"It was nothing, " the captain shrugged, catching a glance from Fina, who gave him a small shy smile.

Vyse nodded, then slowly turned away him, placing a hand on Fina and Aika's shoulders, slowly pushing them back down the ridge towards the buildings.

"Thank you for returning Fina, Captain, I trust you will be on your way soon. Goodbye."

Daniel saw Fina glance over her shoulder at him and immediately cut in.

"Captain Vyse, Once I found Fina, I returned to Valua first, in order to have better equipped doctors take care of Fina. While I was there, I was given orders by Emperor Enrique himself. I want you to hear those orders."

Vyse stopped, his hands still on both on the girls shoulders.

"Go on."

"I was ordered to escort Fina back here to Crescent Isle, which I have done. Once I arrived I was to take her directly to you, and then supervise a little talk between you, her and Miss Aika."

"About what?" Vyse asked, not turning around.

"Your relationship," The captain said simply, "Once you've finished your conversation, I have been told to give Fina a choice: she could remain here, or she could return with me to Valua, or I could take her to an place she wanted too. The choice, as they say, is up to her."

Vyse froze, and finally turned around to face the Captain.

"A choice? what choice? It's obvious that she would want to stay here. And why do we need to talk? We're all friends, we always will be. Sure running away was a bit rash but..."

"But nothing." Daniel interjected, his eyes turning back to the familiar cold stare Fina remembered,"Fina ran away because she felt it was the right thing to do, so that could totally contradict your statement about wanting to stay here, and although you three may be friends, has it ever occurred to you that she might not feel comfortable with the fact her two best friends are in love with each other? Especially when she originally ran because she loved you and you loved someone else. I think that merit's a discussion, don't you, Mr. Vyse?"

Vyse's shoulders slumped.

"Alright, fine. Meet us in the Meeting room in five minutes, then we'll talk."

And with that he walked down the ridge, pushing the girls with him.

Daniel sighed and looked out into the sky, gazing at the Red Moon.

"He said five minutes, not five hours."

He turned to see Fina come back up the ridge, a small smile on her face.

"Shouldn't you be catching up with Vyse and Aika?" He asked, turning back to the horizon.

"We can catch up during the meeting, I've only been gone a week."

She stood beside him in silence, the flapping of the flag against the pole the only sound.

"I remember, just before the final fight against Galcian and Ramirez, I had come up here to think. Vyse somehow managed to find me and came to see if I wanted anything. I said I was unhappy about fighting Ramirez. I said I knew one of us was going to die. I was scared and he...he just stood next to me, and gently put his arm around me.

It wasn't the first time. But it made me feel...loved."

The captain said nothing, he just continued to stare as the Delphinus hovered nearby.

"You could join us you know," she said quietly, "you could live here, with us...with me."

Daniel sighed. He cast his gaze to the Delphinus, before shaking his head.

"No, I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because if I joined you, I'd loose her," he indicated to the Delphinus, "When I was in the salvaging industry, I was just a salvager, I had nothing, I got paid a decent wage to live on and that was it. When I signed up for the New Valuan Navy, I was given the Delphinus. My first command, my pride and joy, as well as New Valua's. If I became an Air pirate, I would loose my command of the Delphinus. And I cherish that ship, her crew, and her responsibility."

He sighed and finally faced her.

"I truly, deeply, love you, and I would follow you to the ends of the world if it had them. But the Delphinus and I have a bond, and I don't think I could be kept sane if she was taken from me."

She smiled and gently took his hands in her own.

"I will respect any judgement you make, even if it means we must be apart," he said softly.

She reached up with out a word, and kissed him softly on the lips, father confirming her love for him.

They held it for a few seconds, then broke apart, as they watched the sunrise, they had no idea that they were being watched.

Vyse stared angrily at Fina and The Captain from a distance, his eyes narrow.

When he saw them kiss, his jaw dropped.

"No way!" he whispered to nobody, "There's no way. How can she be kissing him? She doesn't even know him. This has to be a mistake, I must be dreaming."

He rubbed his eyes, only to find them now looking out to the sun rise, the captain with his arm over her shoulder, his head gently resting on top of hers.

"He must have brainwashed her or something," he mused as he watched, "he must have tricked her or something."

For some reason or other, Vyse hadn't liked the captain from the start. The way he seemed to prod into his relationships seemed to him to violate Vyse's privacy.

While it was true that he loved Aika, enough to want to marry her, he loved Fina as well, and the thought of loosing her unsettled him.

"If she decides to leave, then it just won't be the same," he said aloud.

He gazed as the two young people finally came down the ridge, a good space between them.

A evil smile suddenly crept onto Vyse's lips.

"It's obvious she's smitten over him," he thought,"So if I make her smitten for me, she might not leave, and then we can continue our adventures as a team once more"

He continued to smile as he made his way up to the Meeting Room.

It was time for him to put his plan into action.