A/N: Yeah, i know this was supposed to be the wedding chapter but i had to make this one to make the plot between the actual Vandread show and this fic come together much easier. And to those who want Parfait and Duero to get together, i have a surprise for you. Enjoy! Also, the last chapter wasn't that bad so yet i couldn'tplace it along with the M rathing considering that i didn't go so in depth of it. Emotions are better than actually having me to explain everything.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Almost there (Predetermined Judgement)

She let out a yell, as she tightened her grip on his shoulders. Feeling that same sensation arise within her, she pushed in to him trying to feel more of the pleasure that she wanted. Both of them panted as Hibiki lowered her back onto the floor, they kissed one final time before hugging each other. Hibiki had a difficult time trying to comprehend this new feeling he felt. As he rested his head on her shoulder, he began to think about it. He had never felt this before. It wasn't the feeling after having sex, it wasn't even the feeling of intense love for the person you were with. He rubbed his eyes, it was the feeling of knowing that the person you're going to spend your life with was right there in his arms.

"We'll always be together..." whispered Hibiki into Dita's ear. She nodded slowly.;

"To the end of time..." she whispered back.

Dita walked happily next to Hibiki, their hands intertwined. Dita couldn't help but ask.

"You know, Hibiki. No wonder men and women got along before on Earth. I wish we could have met there." she said massaging his hand.

"Yeah, this would be must simpler to swallow if Tarak and Mejare were to come together. But you know, I was sort of intimidated by you when we first met. Then again, I knew nothing about women at the time." he said.

Dita nodded, although she didn't feel that sort of intimidation when she had first met him. It was mostly curiosity. She thought more about the issue until she noticed Misty walk up to them.

"Oh, there you are. Dita, we need to do something. Hibiki, the men are waiting for you in the lounge." she said pulling Dita away from him. Dita was just about to pull Hibiki with her, but thought otherwise.

Watching Dita disappear from view, he sighed. All he wanted to do was to spend time with her for the rest of the day. But the planned died quickly. He shrugged his shoulders as he headed to the lounge, what could Duero and Bart possibly want with him? He walked with his hands buried in his pockets, he found himself moments later in front of the lounge door. He entered, the light were off.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he called in through the darkness. He went in further and heard a thumb and then a groan.

"Duero! Damn, you know you could have moved that out the way." said a voice. Hibiki smiled, what an idiot.

"Alright guys, what are you doing?" he called. Silence. Feeling himself slipping into an awkward position, he flicked the lights on. He looked around and couldn't help but shake his head. Duero and Bart sat at the center of the room, both looking rather dazed. In front of them were a deck of cards, they seemed to be gambling.

"Um, you said you needed me?" Hibiki asked. Bart looked up.

"Oh, yeah. We just thought it would be great if the men could get together and have some fun before your big day tomorrow." he said holding up a can. Hibiki eyed the can, it was whiskey. Bart threw it to him, which he fumbled to catch. Duero, even though looked like himself seemed to be disoriented himself.

"Oh and Hibiki, Misty sent this for us." he said pointing over to the corner of the room. Hibiki looked over and raised his eyebrow, there was an oversized box in the corner, and suspiciously had holes in it.

"What is it?" he asked opening the can.

"Not sure, but she said not to open it until everyone was here." said Bart. Hibiki went over to the box, and tapped it with his index finger.

"I guess we could now." he said. Hibiki went behind the box and began to push it to the center of the room.

"Damn, this thing is heavy." he said panting for air. He finally managed to push it in front of a set of chairs. Duero and Bart sat down, but soon became curious when a small letter fell out one of the holes of the box. Duero picked it up.

"What does it say?" asked Hibiki. Duero glanced at him and back at the small paper.

"To the men, enjoy this little something from the women. Especially Duero." he said confused at the last few syllables. Hibiki smiled, he eyed the box and was just about to lift the lid when something inside had done it itself. A women stood tall from inside the box, wearing a skimpy school girl outfit. The women's brunette hair bounced behind her, as her think glasses shined in the light. Duero let out a gasp as it took him a whole second to realize who it was.

It was Parfait.

Hibiki felt a nose bleed come on, as Bart was trying hard not to laugh at Duero's expression.

"Hey guys, they told me you needed some entertainment so I'm here to satisfy." she said seductively. She hopped from the box and walked over to Hibiki, she sat on his lap. Hibiki tried to escape by flipping his chair over but found it almost irresistible to watch what was going to happen next.

"What... are ... you doing?" he asked, Parfait smiled as she went dangerously to her face. He was afraid that she was going to kiss him, even though he wouldn't mind. Just the thought of her on him was too much after what happened earlier. Bart didn't see kindly to this.

"Hey, what about me?" he asked. Parfait glanced over to him and done something Hibiki would have never thought she do.

She took off her glasses.

Bart and Duero gasped as they stared at Parfait with wide eyes. She placed her glasses back on as her gaze went back to Hibiki who didn't actually get a chance to witness the event himself. She removed herself from Hibiki's lap and went over to Duero who seemed to be in an extreme state of shock. This gave Hibiki a chance to escape. Without a word, he managed to exit the lounge with little noise. At last, he found himself in the hallway gasping for air. That was too close for comfort. He needed a walk.

Meanwhile, Dita walked silently behind Misty as she tried to sort out her priorities in life. She was interrupted when Misty stopped suddenly in front of her.

"What is it? What's wrong" she asked. Misty dropped her clipboard suddenly, she hung her head forward, her shoulders bobbed up and down. Hinting that she was sobbing. Dita placed her hand on her shoulder but Misty retaliated when she shook it off.

"Con... congratulations again... I'm glad to be helping you with your wedding. Really I am." she said. Dita smiled,

"Thanks..." she said walking passed her.

Dita arched over in pain as she felt a fist hit her abdomen hard. Her eyes were widened, as the wind from her lungs escaped. Misty grabbed Dita by the collar and pinned her to wall, rage and jealousy stirring in her red eyes.

"I'm planning your goddamn wedding. I'm planning every freaking thing in this hell hole. I'm not doing this out of pity or self assurance, I'm doing this because of him. Hibiki was supposed to be mine, I'm supposed to be his wife. Those are suppose to be my kids. And yet, he has the goddamn nerve to stick me as the god mother." she said fiercely.

Dita was frightened intensely, not because her own life might be in the midst of danger but because she was afraid for her children. Was Misty going insane?

"Everyday I slay myself over this pile of worthless shit, and yet this is my thanks. While you and Hibiki get it on in the showers?"

Dita's heart froze, she saw them. She knew about the whole thing. Dita no longer felt scared, rather very pissed off. There was entirely no need to act such a way.

Dita grabbed Misty's wrists and gritted her teeth and she begun to pry them off her collar.

"Get your goddamn hands off me, now. Or I will kill you myself." Dita hissed through her teeth. She meant every word, she was blinded by hatred. Misty finally came to her senses, it was like to returned to her plain self. It was like she was possessed and was finally released. She let go of Dita and stumbled backward.

"I'm... I'm so sorry. Please, I didn't mean any of it. I'm just under pressure. Please forgive me, I'm sorry." she pleaded. Dita's rage disappeared as she knew it wasn't her fault.

"It's alright Misty, why don't you go and take a nap or something, huh?" she said. "It looks like you need it."

Dita let out a breath as she waited for Misty to leave, that was intense. Then again, she fully understood the whole situation. It wasn't like Misty's nature to act in such a behavior, something would have to happen to her in order to trigger something. But she would have to keep an eye on her.

The big day... (finally)

Hibiki stood at the bridge, his gaze fully on the stars that were shining through the Nirvana's giant windows. It was remarkable as it only was 2 in the morning. All the lights were off, so it made the scene look much more fantastic. In a few hours he would be married to someone he always knew he would have in life. To someone who understood him as well as he did. He smiled to himself as he heard footsteps appear from behind him. He didn't bother to turn around to see the person. He already knew who is was.

"Couldn't sleep either?" he asked placing his hands behind his head. He heard a faint chuckle behind him.

"Nope, I see that's what brought you here. It's beautiful isn't it?" said Dita as she looked into the heavens.

"Yeah, just to think that in several hours, you and I will be in an unbreakable bond of love. Well, that's at least what I see of it." she said walking closer.

"Dita..." whispered Hibiki.

"Yes?" she whispered back..

"What's up with Misty?" he asked finally glancing over his shoulder. Dita froze, how did he know about that?

"What do you mean? There's nothing..." she said softly.

"Don't bullshit me, I know for a fact that something is up. So tell me." he said looking back. Dita looked down at her feet and fiddled with her hair. Might as well, she had to be trustworthy.

"She's still a little upset about you and I. Nothing out of the ordinary." she said. Hibiki laughed.

"Oh, no. There's much more to it. Let me guess, she became extremely hostile to you. Isn't that right?" he said. Dita froze, damn he was good.

"Yeah, but so what. She's fine now." she said. Hibiki shook his head disapprovingly.

"Let me tell you something, that I have just found out for myself several months ago." he said as inched his way to Dita.

"There's something about her, that you must know." he said. Dita's eyes bolted to him, waiting for the next set of syllables to leave his mouth.

"Alright, what is it?" she asked. Hibiki sighed.

"Remember that day, when we rescued that pod from the harvest? And when we found out that she was in it? During the battle, something happened..." he started. An immediate face came over Dita. She had of course remembered that day, that was when their whole love triangle began.

"You see, even if someone's body is cryogenically frozen. Their mind is still active, that's how it remembers past memories. But, since her mind was active, the harvest wanted her. Because of her strong brain wave lengths. But the pod was able to keep her lengths short, but once they got close enough to reach it, they tried to feed their negative energy into her. So the pod will think the enemy is actually a friend. When we came, they went frantic, but that had already messed around with her mind. In the end, she was given an alter ego that can react at different moments and at different times depending on what she is feeling. Most of the time, it would react on hostility. See what I mean?" he said. Dita understood it all, in a way. She was possessed.

Dita embraced Hibiki, she wanted to feel his heartbeat against her cheek. So much has happened and she knew there was more to come. If only, the could have normal life's? Why couldn't they live on a planet with no worries of danger or the occasional hostility? That would be the life they were meant to have, but she would just have to accept the fact that they were the soul defenders of the human race. With blood and breath still running through the veins, they would always be there to defend life. To defend the future.

"Dita?" asked Hibiki. She looked up and into his brown eyes, they glimmered in the dim light.

"Hmm?"

"Let's go to bed, there is going to be a big commotion in a few hours." he said. Dita nodded as she released him, she smiled before turning around and leaving the bridge. Hibiki glanced behind his shoulder to get one last glimpse of the stars before he too headed out. He wanted to see the last light before he went into the darkness.

"Hibiki! Get up! Get up!" yelled a voice. Hibiki flinched as he pulled his knees to his chest. He made himself into a ball as laid under his thick sheets as felt someone bounce around over his bed. He wasn't even sure he was dreaming until he felt the sheets rip away from his body bringing the harsh cold wind.

"What? What?" he said rubbing the saliva from the edge of his mouth. He finally opened his eyes to see Misty at the edge of his bed holding clothes in her hand.

"Get dress! Then come with me, you just have to see the bridge." she said throwing the clothes at the foot of his bed. Hibiki sat up and eyed them, it looked like an all black body suit but couldn't really tell considering that the room was still dark. Hibiki perked his ears up, he heard many people running passed the men's quarters, it sounded like a giant panic except that the screams were replaced by squeals of excitement. He sighed, he swung his feet off the bed and soon caught sight of his alarm clock which read 3 in the morning. Before he could get up, he felt a downpour of water fall on him, immediately waking him up from his somewhat morning daze.

"Ah! What the hell? I'm awake already! Dammit." yelled Hibiki as he looked behind to see Misty with a large empty pail.

"Sorry, 'bout that. Hee, hee. Hurry up!" she said exiting the room. Hibiki shook off the access water from his long shirt and scooped off the clothes left for him. Duero and Bart weren't in the room, so most probably they had already left. He laid out the clothes in front of him on the bathroom counter, a question mark happened to be present. There were so many pieces of clothing, that he didn't know which one went on first. Actually, that was only an excuse he made to himself. He didn't really want to wear something so formal.

Dita felt her heart race as she looked herself into a mirror. Her mind was racing with thoughts, thoughts of how her life has changed dramatically. Behind her, Meia was getting into her almost skin tight dress along with Misty who she kept in her sights. Dita began straightening her bangs, still thinking about it. But as she continued, her insecurity increased dramatically. Was... was she making... a mistake? Was she going through with something so life changing that it will alter her life style?

She was having second thoughts...

She was considering... calling the whole thing off.

She shook her head violently as she slapped her hands onto the drawer, making the small items on it tremble. She shut her eyes and forced herself to stop thinking about such things. This wasn't the time to think of the consequences of marriage, this was the time to think about how her life will benefit her more. This was her life now, she wasn't about to let it fall through her fingers.

"Something wrong?" asked Meia as she placed her hand over Dita's shoulder. Dita couldn't believe she felt tears running down her cheeks. Why was this happening?

"No... I mean... I don't know." she said quickly wiping them away from her eyes.

"No, there is something. You don't normally do this." she said tightening her grip. "Come on, you can tell me."

Dita thought for a moment, that was true. Besides Hibiki, she trusted Meia more than anyone. She decided to explain her emotional outburst.

"Meia, I really want to marry Hibiki. But, every time I think about our future, the more upset I get. I just don't know what to think." she said looking down. Misty entered the conversation,

"Oh, Dita. You're just having cold feet. It's perfectly natural." she said fixing her ear rings. Dita couldn't help but smile, that was a relief.

"You think so?" she asked, Misty nodded.

Dita took in a breath, she sighed pleasently. Her chest seemed to lighten, at least she knew she wasn't the only one with such a feeling. As she placed her mascara on, she found the happiness she had been waiting for. As she pushed some of the items on the drawer away, she found a small grey box that she had long forgotten. She opened the box gently, revealing a small chip. She took it and placed it on her wrist and immediately, a bright glow emitted from it surrounding her wrist. It was the holographic bracelet Hibiki had given her all those months ago. She couldn't believe she had forgotten it.

Sweet love.

Hibiki sat quietly in the lounge wearing his new attire. He had to admit it, it was rather comfortable. Not sure on what to do, he decided to wait there. If someone needed him they would surely find him there. The lounge door opened, he scoffed as the last person he had ever thought entered the room.

"Hibiki! There you are." said Paiway with her frog hand puppet. Hibiki closed his eyes and pretend not to hear her. She pouted.

"If you're not going to come, then I'm going to have to tell everyone to throw away the food." she said slyly. Hibiki sat up quickly as he eyed her.

"What do you want?" he asked, she smiled as her purple pony tail bounced merrily behind her.

"You have to be at the bridge, right now!" she said hitting him with her puppet. Hibiki felt a vein in his forehead bulge but quickly reminded himself that was the whole reason he was in the lounge. To tell the truth, he was becoming intensely nervous. He had never had so many people's attention on him alone. He stood, wiping his clothes even though there were no visible debris on it. But before he left, he glanced at Paiway.

"Don't tell me, you're the flower girl?" he asked pointing at her dress. She nodded. He laughed as he strolled into the hall.

He continued down the hall, his hands buried deep in his pockets. His thoughts began to stumble upon the future. About what will happen in the next few years, would they still be together? Will their love be as strong as it was now? Would this marriage thing totally alter their life's? He shook his head. No, he shouldn't be thinking along the lines of the consequences. He should be thinking of the benefits.

"Something wrong Hibiki?" asked Duero. Hibiki looked up and found Duero and Bart standing in front of him in identical clothes.

"No... I mean... I don't know." he said keeping his eyes to the floor. Bart placed his hand on Hibiki's shoulder.

"No, there is something. You don't normally do this." he said. Duero placed his hand under his chin.

"Are you having second thoughts?" he asked. Hibiki looked up, although the thought never came to mind it sounded like sounded like something he was just about to bring up in the matter.

"Look, it doesn't matter. Let's just get this thing over with." said Hibiki as began to walk pass them. Bart and Duero looked at each other in confusion. Was he considering calling the whole thing off? Before they could say another word, Hibiki turned to them with a grand smile.

"Come on guys, I need to be at my wedding." he said.

Dita slipped into her dress, it was quite remarkable. Her gown had diamonds embroidered into a flower design, along with the material which seemed to fit her curves so naturally. She turned to Misty who had made it.

"Wow, this is beautiful." she said. Misty blushed.

"Don't give me all the credit now. Parfait helped too. And by the way, where is she?" she asked. Meia turned to her and shrugged her shoulders. It wasn't until they heard the toilet flush in the other room that they figured out the status of their comrade. Parfait stumbled out of the bathroom, holding her stomach.

"Uh, you guys... I don't feel so good." she said. An immediate spark went through Dita's brain.

"Parfait... do you feel sick? Or are you constantly going to the bathroom?" she asked. But before she could answer, Pyoro came bursting in. Looking rather excited.

"Positive, positive, positive..." it yelled. Everyone in the room gasped.

"Parfait? Are you pregnant?" asked Dita clasping her hands together.

"If what Pyoro says is true, than yeah. I'm pregnant." she said smiling. Dita jumped with joy. But soon stopped.

"Who's the father?" she asked. Parfait smiled.

"Duero of course."

Alright, this was by far the longest chapter i have ever done, be grateful for this one. I put my heart into it. (Not literally)