DR: Now that my ears are working again, let us continue full speed ahead. !Warning! Mushy romance fluff ahead!

Raven: Romance, Bah! Who needs that fluff?

DR: Raven, shouldn't you be cuddling with Resse right about now? (Waves hand)

Raven: Ha! Your mind tricks don't work on me!

DR: Unless I roll a 6 on this D6 (rolls dice, gets a 6. Raven looks blank, then walks off to find Resse)

DR: Don't you just love being god? Shadow, mind doing the disclaimer?

Shadow: Dragon-Raptor does not own Zoids or it characters, nor does he own Earthseige 2.

DR: Thank you Shadow, here's a cookie (tosses a cookie to Shadow)

Shadow: (munch!)

Chapter 5: Dine & Dance by Candlelight

It wasn't a dinner; it was a banquet fit for a host of kings. Trays of food from all across Zi were passed around. Great sections of cow ribs were sliced up for the diners, while bowls large enough to bath in full of salads were rolled past. Mixed in with the fine food was more simple fare, catering for all tastes. There was also the hot, spicy food that could be found in any takeaway, though these dishes had clearly been prepared with care and love. Small fountains were set at strategic points, dispensing wines and water from their many spouts.

What had appeared to be a single massive table from the entrance was in fact an intricate web of small curved sections and access ways. The team marvelled at the thought that had obviously gone into the design of the table. Every one had someone else sitting across from them and could easily reach across. May couples took advantage of this and sat facing each other. Bit decided it would be best to sit across from Leena, who he had managed, with Steve and Leon's help, to sit near one of the spar ends. As they sat down Bit noticed another curious, but welcome facet of the tables design: No one cramped another. There was room to pull out chairs and move around easily.

After all the diners had been seated, the main lights had been dimmed, allowing the candles scattered on the table to light the meal. It really was conductive to a romantic evening, and as the meal progressed Bit found it harder to not simply sit there and watch Leena. The candlelight reflected off her skin in ways that fired his mind. Mindful that this was a formal dinner with strangers, both of them went to great pains to eat slowly and neatly.

"Do they always go to such great lengths at these events?" Naomi asked her fellow diners.

"Most of the time." One replied before taking a sip of his wine. He had introduced himself as Deuce, Leader of the Hailfire team.

"Some of the smaller events don't go to such amounts or variety of food, when there's only us pilots. But at these larger ones, when we have chairmen of businesses, Board members of the ZBC, royalty…"

"Royalty?" Brad questioned from his place across from Naomi.

"Sure. See the central area?" Both Bard and Naomi looked. Sure enough there was a central section that was slightly separate from the others. The people sitting around were mostly older men, but a few younger people were intermingled. The most striking pair was sitting across from each other. The man had a high hat on, while dark red robes covered his body, edged in purple and gold. His female counterpart wore a deep red dress that showed her off complexion, and she wore quite a bit of jewellery. The most striking of which was a large ruby that sat in a heavy looking gold necklace.

"See the two in red?" Brad nodded. "That there is the Emperor of the Guylos Empire, along with his wife."

"No…" Naomi breathed.

"Believe it. Guy's a zoid battle freak, loves watching the fights. He would fight too if he wasn't Emperor."

As Brad watched, the man from before walked up to the royal couple. The Emperor, seeing him, stood up and bowed before him. The other man waved him off, before grinning and embracing the Emperor. He turned to the Empress and formally kissed her knuckle. Even from this distance Brad could see she was flushed.

"That man with the royal pair, who is he?"

Deuce looked across, and then shrugged. "No idea. He hangs around these events, mostly on the sidelines, watching. Some kind of big shot though, since just about everyone shows respect to him. Rarely seen the rest of the year. Rumour has it he's a warrior, the best ever."

"Don't mention that to Bit Cloud: he'd likely challenge him just to see if it's true."

Deuce laughed loudly. "Challenge…" His laughter subsided. "The last man to challenge him was thrown out of one of these events for trying to feel up the woman friend… there she is now." The three watched as a tall brunette stepped up behind the mystery man. He turned round and warmly embraced her.

"Anyhow, this guy takes exception to being thrown out. So he lays down the challenge. So off they go into the desert…" Deuce leaned forward. "…Dude had a well tooled up Zaber Fang when he went out. Came back a couple hours later on foot, the weirdest expression on his face. If I had to pin it down, I'd say it was something between shock, reverence, and terror." Deuce leaned back, spearing a slice of meat as he did so.

"Some of us tried to ask him what happened, but he refused. Said he had had to sign a contract of silence. Couldn't tell a soul what he had faced. The Zaber Fang turned up a day or so later. It had been really bashed around. I doubt there was single square centimetre of armour left undamaged on it. Our mystery man however had it all fixed up for the challenger, funny huh?"

"Yea, funny." Brad commented, looking at the man in question with a frown. Naomi was also watching him, but was mainly seeing how he interacted with the woman. When they shared passionate kiss, she sighed.

Brad, noticing Naomi's sigh, turned towards her. "Jealous?"

"No."

Brad smirked. "Later, after our meal."

Naomi's face lit up. "Okay, I can wait." She mock frowned. "But not all evening."

X-X-X-X-X-X

After the meal, the ZBC chairman tapped his glass with a knife as he stood. "I'll keep this brief, since I know you all well enough not to bore you with a long speech." Polite laughter and chuckles drifted across the diners.

"Firstly, welcome to the new season of Class S. We are particularly pleased to welcome the team that almost single-handedly took down the Backdraft, and defeated the 'King of Unsanctioned Battles'. Ladies and gentleman, it gives me great pleasure to honour our newest comrades, the Blitz Team!"

Applause filled the room as all the people gathered gave vent to their feelings. Bit basked in it, Leena beamed radiantly, and Jamie blushed even redder. Brad at first showed no outward response, but Naomi fixed that by pull his head forward for a kiss. The applause disintegrated into laughter at the look on Brads face when they parted, a mixture of confusion and joy. Once the noise level died down enough, the chairman continued.

"I hope that you'll find your time in Class S to be a challenge worthy of such warriors. I expect all teams to give us their very best performance this year. Which leads me onto more serious business," the chairman sobered up. The gathered pilots noticed this and turned serious.

"As you all know, the Backdraft didn't use any rules in their fights. What you may not know is how they kept functioning. Their sponsors donated huge amounts of money because the Backdraft enabled them to place wagers on the outcome of each battle. Since we outlawed such gambling years ago, the Backdraft had a strong source of income." Here the chairman paused, before glancing to his left. Bit followed his look to a small table off to one side. Sitting there was the man from before, his female companion sitting besides him. He nodded back at the Chairman.

"A wise man once said; 'To defeat an enemy, one must not only defeat them in battle. You must destroy their means of waging war, so that they can't replace and rebuild their forces. Without support, ammunition or fuel, even the best armies crumble.' Last year the Blitz Team tore the heart out of the Backdrafts' front line troops. Now we will cut them off at the source." The Chairman straightened up and braced himself.

"To do so, for this year - on a trail basis – the ZBC has decided to allow a 'limited' form of gambling on the outcomes of Class S battles. If the measures we have put in place to prevent the dangerous side effects of gambling work, then the ZBC may extend the system to the rest of zoid battles." The chamber was deafly silent. The Chairman pushed on.

"It is our hope that without their source of funds, the Backdraft will wither and die. And now…" The Chairman's mood brightened again. "…One final piece of good news." He gestured to the young Guylos Emperor, who now rose up from his seat. He pulled his wife up with him gently.

"I have the privilege to report that Emperor Nicholas the Third of Guylos will in a few months have an heir to his throne!" As the assembled pilots cheered, the Emperor bowed gracefully, before sweeping his wife up in a passionate kiss. Her face was almost as red as her dress, but the smile that lit up her face showed the flush was from embarrassment rather than anger.

"And now, let us all allow the expectant couple to lead us onto the floor." As the Emperor and Empress worked their way out of the central eating area, all the pilots rose up in respect. Many called out well wishes and congratulations. Along the route the Emperor shook hands with many of the pilots. Bit found Leena staring at the couple as they headed their way.

"They do make a handsome couple don't they?"

"Indeed they do…" She breathed.

Slowly the gathered pilots moved from the table to the main hall. There they lined the walls while the Emperor and his wife took the centre. As the music drifting down from above lifted in volume, they began to dance slowly, staring into each other's eyes.

As the dance continued, other couples began to join them, twirling out in step. Brad watched as Derek and his wife Anna slipped out and joined the slowly growing group in the centre. He turned to Naomi standing besides him. She looked at him too.

"Well?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

Brad took a step out. "Shall we?" He held out his hand.

Smiling deeply, she took his hand. "I better warn you; I haven't done this much."

"Well, I never have." Brad grinned back. "Guess we'll just have to improvise."

Bit grinned broadly as he watched Brad and Naomi drift in. Most of the gathered people were now on the dance floor. The few who weren't generally were older or alone. But they too showed that they were enjoying the dance, in spirit if not in body.

"There he is again." Leena muttered.

"Huh?" Bit turned to see what she had. The mystery man was now joining the dance, his lady friend besides him. Her vibrant crimson gown made a striking contrast to his dark tux and blue shirt, but they fitted together perfectly. They fell in step with the rhythm and the music instinctively; even when they couldn't see each other they knew where the other was. It was clear that they had done this many, many times before.

Bit looked at Leena and grinned at the expression on her face as she watched the pair. He gripped her hand and pulled her towards him gently. "Come on, your turn."

Leena's face was shocked, but over her shoulder Bit could see Leon grinning wide enough to fit the Liger. He gave Bit thumbs up.

"You sure about this? If you touch me wrong…" Her voice turned threatening.

"…I'll end up like the other guy." Bit finished.

"Just so we're clear."

X-X-X-X-X-X

The dancing continued for most of the evening. The music set the pace, and it varied each time. Slow, romantic rhythms faded into faster, more energetic prose. There was music for couples alone, and groups. Throughout Brad stayed with Naomi. The Emperor and his wife went along with most of the songs, while the ZBC Chairman sat on the sidelines, sipping his drink and smiling gently.

During a break Bit watched the mystery man walk to just below the musicians' balcony, before pulling a mike from a case and speaking into it. He must have got a satisfactory answer, since he quickly replaced the mike and return to his lady, standing in the centre of the hall with an amused expression on her face.

Once together, the man looked up at the conductor and nodded. As he turned back to his companion, a fast paced string based melody began to play. Maracas, violins and guitars created a sweeping song that fired the blood.

For the two in the centre, it was like someone had flicked a switch. They both broke into motion, again with that perfectly in step nature. They were the only dancers this time: everyone else watched from the sidelines. It was a good thing though, as the two were using a large amount of the floor space.

The whole Blitz team was spell bound. None of them had ever seen this level of dance and rhyme. While she was the most graceful of the pair, he was no clunker, and danced with a passion. Neither held anything back from this clearly demanding piece.

All too soon it ended, the music finishing on a high note. The pair stood in the centre, perfectly still, as if frozen the moment the music ceased. He stood straight up, tall and proud. She ended pressed against him, one arm over his shoulder, one leg raised up. He held the raised leg by the knee, while his other arm was wrapped around her back. As the gathered warriors cheered, whistled and applauded, the two of them shared another slow, passionate kiss.

"Beautiful." Steve Toros said gently, as the two in the centre slowly parted to acknowledge their audience. The other members of the team were simply too awed to speak. Bit slowly came to, and suddenly realised he had an arm round Leena's waist. A feeling of dread began to coil up in his gut, slowly working its way up his throat. He began to peel his hand away…

"Bit, don't…" Leena's whisper stopped him is his tracks.

"Don't? Don't what?" Bit was thoroughly confused.

Leena laughed gently. "Bit, sometimes you are so dense." She snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest. "Don't move. I like it here…"

"Okay…" Bit breathed before letting his hand return to its previous place.

"Don't get let this give you any funny ideas though…" She warned.

"Promise." Bit laughed. He looked up at Leon, who raised his glass to him. As Bit turned his head to look at Doc, he noticed someone was missing. No, make that two people were missing…

"Say, where'd Brad and Naomi go?" He asked aloud.

X-X-X-X-X-X

They stood together on the exterior balcony, wrapped in each other's arms. The hotel that the ZBC had chartered overlooked the river that ran besides the city, and it glowed with one full moon and one half moon. From the open doors music drifted down the corridor from the main hall. They had slipped away to just be alone together. Since they had found this balcony they hadn't moved from it. Nor had they bothered to keep an eye on the time. For them, the night was timeless.

"It's beautiful tonight…" Naomi breathed, as she looked out over the still surface of the river.

"You're more so." Brad replied. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and liquid.

"Really?" Her voice was one of a little girl desperate to gain approval.

"Really." Brad smiled down at her face as she rested against his chest.

They stood there for several minutes, staring into each other's eyes, unaware of the passage of time. Finally Brad broke the silence.

"Naomi…" He began, his heart in his throat.

"Yes Brad…" She replied in an almost dream like state.

"…I think I, I mean I'm pretty sure…" Brad stuttered.

"What…?" Naomi continued to gaze into his eyes, a spark of hope dancing in her own. Was he going to say those few words that she had dreamed about since shortly after they had first met?

"…I…" Brad swallowed again, and then he managed to force the words out past his swollen tongue.

"…I love you…"

Naomi felt like both crying and jumping for joy. She felt her heart soar far above the clouds, almost to the moons themselves. With tears running down her face she straightened before pulling his head towards her to kiss him.

As they kissed, Brad felt the last of his doubts crumble and vanish. He tightened his grip on her so she could never leave, as his heart blasted out so loud he was amazed the whole building didn't collapse. With their heads locked together, they were only aware of each other. Even if the Ultimate Death Saurer itself had appeared besides the building neither would have noticed.

All too soon though they had to part to breathe. He loosed his grip enough to give her room, but no way in hell was she leaving his arms. But Brad doubted she would want to, not after a kiss like that had been.

"I take it that means…"

"Brad..." She whispered, putting one finger on his lips. "…I love you too, but for now, shut up." And with that she replaced her finger with her mouth again. Once again both warriors lost track of everything but the one person they were holding. All the weapons in the world could have gone off around them, and neither would have flinched or moved. Locked together, they were blind, deaf and frozen.

That was how Leon found them. He and Jamie had volunteered to look for their wayward teammates as the night was getting late and most of the gathered pilots were beginning to drift off back to their bases and homes. The Guylos Emperor and his wife had already left in his personal transport, while the ZBC Chairman had to be carried out to his. He had been sampling the wines all evening. Most of the other pilots needed a little help to walk straight, but none were in terrible shape.

Leon watched the pair, a smile on his face. He had known about Naomi's affections for Brad for a long time now. He had seen her collection of paper cuttings she kept in what she thought was her secret drawer. Any printed shot of Brad or his zoid was cut out and placed there. Like a small shrine dedicated to the most famous mercenary on Zi. There was talk that Brad might eventually drop that title, since he seemed perfectly happy with the Blitz team and showed no sign of leaving for another team. Leon wished them both all the happiness they deserved. But he was going to have to interrupt their moment together soon. The Blitz needed to return to their base, and Naomi still had a ton of paperwork to get though before the season started.

"Leon why aren't you…oh." Leon looked over his shoulder to see a very red faced Jamie standing there, his eyes fixed on the couple outside. Shaking his head, Leon turned back before stepping onto the balcony. He waited until they parted again for breath before coughing gently.

"Brad, Naomi…" He gently asked his head bowed. Motion in their shadows showed that they had turned their heads to face him. "I'm sorry but it's time to leave."

Brad and Naomi looked at each other once more before, arm in arm they left the balcony behind.

DR: Things are heating up... (insert evil grin)

Brad: Damn straight!

DR: (Glares at Brad) shouldn't you be with Na'?

Brad: Good point! (disappears)

DR: Just a heads up, for that dance between our Mystery Man & his lady friend, think the dance done by Antoino Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the film 'Mask of Zorro'.