Sorry that this one took so long. This week (5-10-05) was my birthday, so I deserved a break. Happy birthday to me! Here's the quick summary of the story so far… Nirvana meets people from two planets, bad guys come to challenge the nirvana, and Hibiki fights some guy and wins on a technicality because he blew up the guys cannon. Hibiki goes to the spirit world and has some flash backs. Okay keep reading.

I don't own Vandread. I only make fan stories about it. It's my birthday!

Chpt.4 Dearly Beloved

"Hey Hikaru? You awake yet?" Asked a blur.

"Laviene….I cant see anything right."

"Yore eyes just haven't gone back into focus yet idiot."

"Heh. You do look prettier when I can't see your face."

Laviene squeezed his broken fingers in retaliation.

"Ow! Okay, I get the point! Sheesh."

"So our leader has awoken" said Lucas in a cool tone, "Now we can kick those traitor's asses!"

"I wasn't even done with that bitch!" Whined Vile, "She called me a brat!"

"I'd also like to get my hands on that airhead!" Agreed Laviene, "She was so dumb and I fell for her trick."

"I cant believe I lost that fight!" Snarled Hikaru. The voice of Hibiki rolled on in his head, 'You're such a coward….I'm not crazy, I'm just no coward...You're just like the red peixis. You put yourself behind giant weapons to hide your fear…' his face also stuck there.

"And to someone like him too!" Hikaru stood up from his bed. "We attack tomorrow!"

"Hurrah!" Cheered everyone.

"Hikaru! Don't act like such a fool!" Scolded Lord Andréa who just walked in the room. All knelt before her presence.

Hikaru began to apologies profusely. "Forgive my actions, my lady. But we can't let this go unnoticed."

"I know we cant, and we wont." Her green eyes transfixed on Hikaru. "Tell me…Did you get this so called pilots name?"

"He said he was Hibiki….Hibiki Tokai."

She gave a keen smile. "Hmmm…I'd never thought I'd see them again."

Everyone couldn't understand what she was rambling on about.

"Uhh….My lady…" Lucas asked, "Who are them?"

"None of any concern." She walked toward the door, "Hikaru, you'll get your chance to fight them. But not so soon."

"When?"

"When I'm ready to come with you. I'm off now. I must tell everyone that were taking the nirvana." She left the room and walked down the hall. 'At last Father, I'm going to get you!' she said in her mind, 'But first I'll deal with Hibiki!'

'Hibiki……Hibiki…." Called out the voice.

"Who are you?" He called out. He felt tired and there was a pain from his chest.

"Save them." It called back.

"Who? Who am I fucking supposed to save!" Figures suddenly flew out of the ground, entrapped in green crystal. They were people from the nirvana and people that he just met. His eyes were fixed upon a girl that had a cheerful attitude and red hair that was now entrapped inside a crystal.

"No! Not Dita." He gasped. "What does this all mean?"

"Only time will tell." The voice whispered. He now saw himself fading away.

He opened his eyes to see that he was in a white room. He saw an IV was put into his left arm injecting something into his bloodstream and he heard beeps coming from a heart monitor that was hooked up to him. He wore blue pajamas with the shirt unbuttoned revealing blood stained bandages wrapped around his chest. With a slight groan he managed to sit up in the bed.

'What happened?' He asked himself as he tried to get out of the bed. He then remembered the battle he fought with the boy Hikaru.

He held onto the pole, holding the IV, for balance. He tore off the wires on his chest and began to drag himself through the room. Every step he took made his chest burn more and more. Soon it felt as if someone was stabbing him with a heated knife. He clenched his chest trying to hold back the pain and soon he tripped and fell flat on his chest making him cry out in agony.

Duero was luckily on his way already to the medical ward. He held a tiny portable computer with him that told him that there was something wrong with the life support system because it was turned off. That's when he heard the cry of pain. He immediately rushed in to see Hibiki on the floor.

"Hibiki! You're awake?" He couldn't believe the boy regained consciousness in such a short amount of time. He should have been out of it for another week.

Hibiki tried to get up again revealing fresh blood dripping from his bandages and dripping on his arms.

"Don't try to move!" Duero ordered running to the boy's side.

"I…have to…go to…her." Hibiki pushed Duero back as he stood on his knees but then falling over again. "Dita…she's waiting for me."

Duero knew he wasn't going anywhere with this. "Just calm down." He pulled out his drug injector (he used it on Hibiki before when he wanted him not to be found by Tarak's military.) and shot Hibiki in the neck. The drug made its way through the boy's body, numbing the pain and making him fall into a deep sleep.

A few hours later Bart came into the ward. "Hey Dureo!" he greeted, "How's Hi-woah! What's with the bloodstain?"

Duero turned to look at the red mark on the floor. "Hibiki woke up last night. His wound opened up and left that as a souvenir."

"Hibiki woke up?" Bart turned to the sleeping boy in the cot, "But he's…"

"I had to stop him somehow. I gave him a sedative to make him sleep for a few hours."

"What's with you and conking out that guy?"

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't the first time you did it. What about that time when the Nirvana was captured. We could've just thrown him off the railing but noooooo. You had to drug the kid and then throw him off."

"Would you have rather have me hit him with a wrench?"

"Arrrgh! You just don't get it!"

"I get it."

"What…are you two fighting about?" Hibiki groaned as he woke. His body felt heavier than last time.

"Hey Hibiki!" Bart greeted, "Glad to have you back."

"Thanks. Hey! There's no more pain!"

"I put you on some heavy painkillers." Duero informed, "Your wound had reopened so I had to sew it up again, and I didn't think you wanted to feel that."

"Of course not." Hibiki then began to stare at his bandaged left hand, "Did we win the battle?"

"On a technicality, yes."

"It was because of your suicidal attack that made us win!" Bart laughed.

"Hey! It was not suicidal!"

"You almost died. I call that suicidal."

Meanwhile in another part of the Nirvana, two pieces of cloth were hanging out to dry. Clean from their stains of blood. Dita just so happened to be there and nestled her head on the counter. Pyoro hovered next to her and began to poke her arm.

"Dita….Dita?" He poked her harder, "Wake up Dita."

"Errm…Mr. Alien?" Her eyes opened to see the robot next to her. She was really hoping it was Hibiki. "Oh! It's only you Pyoro."

"Dita, you should really get some sleep. Hibiki will be waiting for you."

"I just can't do that Pyoro." Dita pulled the cloths off the wire she was hanging them on. "Mr. Alien and I have a special bond. It fills my heart with warmth. And when I'm not around him, I feel all alone and I bet it's the same for him. So I can't leave his side." She folded them into a nice stack and began to head out the door followed by the robot.

"I will never understand you humans." Pyoro sighed.

"Silly Pyoro!" Giggled Dita, "It's the same way you feel about Kalulah."

"She's not Kalulah! She's Pyoro 2!"

Dita could only smile at this remark as she walked into the medical ward. Her eyes gazed on the boy that was awake. She was overcome with joy that he awoke that she ran over and gave him a hug.

"MR. ALIEN!" She sobbed as she wrapped her arms around his chest.

"Gyaah! Dita! Are you trying to kill me! I'm injured!"

She loosened her grip. "I…I knew you would come back to me."

"Hey don't cry." He said in a soft voice.

"I can't help it! I've missed you!"

"I'm sorry Dita." He said.

"Its alright." She replied, "Would you like me to make you some food?"

Of course there was no reply from Hibiki. He snoozed off at the last minute.

"The painkillers must have just taken full effect." Duero informed.

Bart then growled, "There you go again! You keep conking him out!"

"Are you trying to say I enjoy doing it?"

"I bet you do! It makes him shut up! I bet you like that!"

Dita began to giggle. "Good night Hibiki."

A few days later, another conference was held.

Magno sat in her chair, "Let's begin shall we?"

"Yes." Meia agreed. "During the battle, we've encountered enemies like nothing we've encountered before. They have copied our ships, know our weaknesses and use it to their advantage."

"We also have a serious damage problem." Gosconge added in, "The dreads and the vanguard caught in the blast don't function properly anymore. If the enemy were to attack now, we won't stand a chance."

"Don't be too sure." Yuki said positively, "We still have the upper hand."

Magno liked where this boy was going, "Tell us what you think Yuki."

"They only use their attacks to split us up, because they know we are strong in numbers. They also know if we were to attack with a Vandread, they'd parish. If we were able to keep them away for a long enough time for the team to combine, it would be an easy victory."

"That's impossible in the shape were in right now." Meia huffed, "Gosconge just pointed out that the machines don't work."

"She said they don't work properly." Yuki corrected, "We could still use them as a last minute resort."

"That's suicide!"

"We should always try all options if we can."

"We still have another problem; some of our pilots are injured. Including the vanguard pilot we need to combine with!"

"Duero says that their injuries minor cases and nothing to worry about. As for Hibiki, he's got the fighting spirit. He'll be back on his feet in no time."

"He's already tried to make some escapes from the medical ward," said Duero, "He just doesn't know when to give up."

Yuki's face brightened, "That's why he makes a great member on your team."

While this was going on, Hibiki tried to escape again. He would try and make his new escape while people were in that meeting. The pain from his chest was getting worse when he walked so he clenched on to his bandage.

'First I need to go to my room. Change into my real clothes and then go to my partner.' He planned in his head. 'No sweat, this will be a piece of cake.'

"Ribbit! Ribbit!" said a young girl in a nurse's outfit. She had a frog puppet and was pretending that it was the one talking. "You shouldn't be out here. You need to come back with me! Ribbit!"

'Crap! I forgot about Paiway.' Hibiki tried to think of a plan.

"uhh…You didn't hear Paiway? Duero let me out. He said I was fine."

"If that's true then why didn't I hear about it?" Asked a woman that just appeared, she wore a Mejere doctor's uniform. She was none other than Amber Bureaumere, the doctor when Magno still had her pirate crew. She also taught Paiway all she knew about medical studies.

"You better not be lying to me Hibiki." She said in a threatening tone. "We all know what happened the last time this happened."

"Yeah I know. How could I forget?" Hibiki growled, "I said I was going to the bathroom and when I didn't come back you drugged me."

"I'm only looking out for your best interests."

"You put drugs in Dita's cooking! How's that in my best interest?"

"Look. If you are well, you wouldn't feel any pain if I do…. this." She poked Hibiki's bandages with her index finger.

"EEeergh!" The pain shrieked inside. He clenched his chest trying to hold it all back.

"I knew it. You aren't well. Your injuries haven't healed all the way yet. Now go back in the medical ward before something happens."

Hibiki just took off before she could grab his hand. "Sorry, but I have no time for this!"

"Get back here!" Amber hollered at the boy, she found it was no use to just wait for him to come back so she chased after him along with Paiway.

Hibiki rushed into the hangar where he met up with Dita.

She hugged him very tight. "Oh! Mr. Alien did you come to see me?"

"Yeeargh! My ribs are still broken you know!" Dita quickly let him out of her grasp. "Dita. You have to hide me."

"That kid is so predictable" Amber thought, 'he always goes to the hangar that fool.'

"Gotcha!" She yelled out as she ran into the hangar bay. But to her surprise, Hibiki wasn't there, only Dita in her dread.

"Hey Dita. Have you seen Hibiki?"

Dita shook her head, "Isn't he with you?"

Amber looked as though she was going to explode, "Just tell me if you find him!" She then stomped out of the room.

"Ok Mr. Alien." Signaled Dita, "She's gone."

Hibiki emerged from behind the pilot seat. "Thanks Dita. That was close."

Dita was about to give Mr. Alien a big hug but she then heard footsteps.

"Get down Mr. Alien! Some ones coming!"

Dita immediately pushed Hibiki's head back inside while she sunk into the pilot seat herself. The person who came in had short brown hair and wearing a torn pilot suit with black gloves.

"Its Hinoki." Dita whispered.

"I know that!" Hibiki snapped, "But what's she doing here?"

"Mr. Alien, she has cuts all over her arms!"

"She was probably doing intensive training."

Hinoki walked toward her dread pulling off her gloves revealing a strange tattoo and a ring on her left middle finger. "Why can't it be over." She asked herself as she took off her ring. "You promised you'd follow my every move I made. But does your home mean so much more to you…. than freedom?"

"Crash!" Went Hibiki and Dita as they tumbled out of the dread. They leaned too far off the edge.

"Were you two spying on me!" Snarled Hinoki.

"N-no! We were just hiding!" Hibiki stammered

"Oh! That's not suspicious at all." Hinoki said sarcastically.

"Hinoki, what are those marks on your hands?" Dita asked.

Hinoki completely forgot she had her gloves on. "T-there nothing." She immediately put them back on. "There just a reminder…of who I was…and who I never want to be again."

"That's a pretty ring." Dita complimented.

Hinoki grabbed Dita's hand and placed it on her index finger "Then you can have it…it has no more value to me anyway."

"No….more value?" Dita repeated.

Suddenly, a hand grasped Hibiki's shirt. "There you are!" It growled.

Hibiki turned to see Amber. "You're coming back with me." She said in a kind tone. Hibiki knew she had something in store for him.

"Not again." Moaned Hibiki as he was dragged by his ear all the way back.

"Ribbit Ribbit! Hibiki's in trouble." Laughed Paiway.

While that was going on, the Flag ship called 'the beast' was coming the nirvana's way.

"So why can't we blow the ship to smithereens." Asked Lucas who really wanted to blow something up right now.

Hikaru didn't realize until now that Lucas had AD-HD and didn't listen to lord Andréa's whishes. He just attacked blindly.

"Because my lady wants to learn information about the peixis progma." He sighed. "If we don't blow the ship up, we will have two peixises. Think of the power."

"Do you think that Lord Andréa has something else in mind?"

"What are you thinking Vile?" Laviene questioned.

"Nothin. It's just that, she really doesn't steal ships, she orders us to blast them. And that goes for the same with peixises."

"We shouldn't question the high ruler." Hikaru said, "We should just follow orders and get this over with."

"Ooooh! Ya goanna see ya girlfriend?" Lucas teased.

"Ooooh! Ya goanna take ya Ritalin?" Hikaru threw back.

"Hey! AD-HD is nothing to make fun of!" whined Lucas, "A lot of people have it!"

"They still listen to Lord Andréa instead of looking at her rack."

"You gotta admit, she's one hot bitch! Arrrroooo!"

"Captain, the flagship we met a few days ago has returned." Misty reported from her post. "It also seems that they want to give us a message."

"Let them send it."

A video broadcasting showed up from the four head pilots of Castila.

"Hello all of the Nirvana! This is Vile Ablee asking the bitch who called me a brat! To a rematch."

"Hey hey! I'm Lucas Heart saying a good morning to all the bitches and hoes on the Nirvana. I'd also like to challenge that hot piece of ass I was fighting last time to a rematch.

"Hey Red! It's Laviene Entoia. You fuckin air head think you can get rid of me that easily think again. Come on out!"

"This is Hikaru Kashino. Hibiki, come on out and face me!"

"What should we do captain?" Beldevere asked.

"Launch all available ships."

Beldevere announced for all pilots to launch ASAP.

"Fuck damnit!" Cursed Hibiki, "This cant be happening to me!" His hands were cuffed to the metal banister of a bed to keep him from escaping. "Hello? Anyone out there? Get these things off of me!"

No one could hear him though; everyone was running around preparing for the battle.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

"Hehe! Sounds like you're in a bind Hibiki." Yuki chuckled.

"Oh it's you." Groaned Hibiki, "What do you want!"

"I'm here to help." Yuki held a little remote in his hand. He pressed a button and the cuffs came off.

"Heh! You must be quite a trouble maker for them to resort to this."

"Well they can't keep me in here forever."

"You remind me of my sister."

"Why does everyone say that! Errgh!" The pain returned to Hibiki's body.

"You wont be able to walk in your condition. I'll be glad to carry you on my back."

"I still have some dignity left in me!"

"Fine. Guess its plan B then." Yuki grabbed Hibiki with one arm and dashed through the halls.

"Hey! I said I can do it myself!" Hibiki yelled.

"Yeah. But you'd never make it in time. Before it comes."

"It?"

"Yeah. They seem to have set up a new battle formation, the same formation they do to capture ships. When they do that, they send inside the ship some red peixis creation that will eat everything inside. I call it, Sammy."

"Sammy? You call a devouring monster Sammy?"

"I had to give it a name and I always wanted to name something Sammy."

"You're crazy you know that?"

"I'm constantly told that."

"Awww!" whined Vile, "When are they goanna come out? I want some action."

"We can always use the big behemoth we have cooped up in the box." Laviene said pointing to a case she was dragging along.

"Ooooooh! Looks like the fun has come!" roared Lucas as the dread ships began to make their appearances.

While back in the hangar Meia had just finally gave up trying to get her dread moving again.

"Arrgh! Why won't it move."

"Hey! I can climb up the stairs myself!" Growled another voice seaming to be talking to someone else.

"Hibiki." Meia yelled, "What do you think you're doing?"

Yuki finally let Hibiki out of his grasp so he could get in his machine.

"What does it look like? I'm going to fight." Hibiki then launched his vanguard into space.

"Well well. Looks like all our sparring partners are here."Cackled Laviene.

"Aww." Moaned Vile, "That lady isn't here. I wanted to fight her."

"Don't worry Vile. We'll just send out tubby back here to get her. That's one way to get a rat outta their hole." Laviene pressed a button and the cargo she had was launched into the Nirvana.

"Meia, you have to leave here right now!" Yuki cried as ran to her side.

"I really cant talk right now, my dread isn't working."

"Then forget it! We need to shut all doors leading to this area!"

"Why should I order something like that."

A medal containment unit crashed into a part of the docking bay. It opened to show a giant scorpion thing, created by the red peixus.

"Roooaar!"

"Oh shit!" Cursed Yuki, "They already let out Sammy!"

"That thing's name is Sammy!"

"That's what I call it! If Sammy goes rampant through the halls, he'll have a giant buffet waiting for him! Shut the doors now!"

"I hate to say it…." Meia stuttered, "But the controls to the doors are right behind, him."

"Kraahhhh!" Sammy howled his battle cry, for he saw two appetizers just waiting for the taking.

Yuki made a quick dash toward the controls before the scorpion could grasp him with his pincers.

"Which button do I press?" He asked in a hurried tone.

"The blue one."

Quickly smashing the button, the doors smashed tightly, locking in the two with their death.

"Hey Meia? You can fight with fists, can you?"

"Of course I can." She said showing her laser ring.

"Oh good. Cause those doors wont hold him for long. We need to fight him."

"Well, if it isn't Hibiki." Smirked Hikaru, "I thought you'd be dead after the beating you took.

"You don't know me quite well do you." Hibiki remarked, "And what happened to your fancy gadgets you had? Did they blow up in the explosion."

Hikaru was beginning to be very irritated by this, "Less talking, more fighting!"

"It would be my pleasure." Hibiki pulled out his sword from his holster.

"Hikaru! I want a rematch too!" Hinoki demanded rushing towards the two.

"Hinoki and Hibiki versus me? I'd hit two birds with one stone."

"Not if I kill you first!" Hinoki snarled. She dashed right to Hikaru's red vanguard for a ramming attack.

"Don't forget me!" Hibiki yelled as he charged with his sword in both hands.

"Leave him to me Hibiki!" Hinoki growled at her friend. "This doesn't concern you!"

"He's my opponent too! So he's my business as much as he is yours!"

"No! It's more than that! He was my ally, my friend, my companion; Hikaru was someone that I could depend on!" she almost cried, "And before I left the city, Hikaru followed me and tried to kill me!" Tears ran down her face as she grasped tightly to her controls. "Hikaru! I thought…I meant something to you! For god sakes! You gave me your fuckin imperial's ring!"

'She must mean the ring she gave to Dita.' Hibiki thought.

"I hate to admit it Hinoki…" Hikaru began biting his bottom lip, "But you mean a lot to me! But I can't let your acts go unpunished!" He grabbed her dread and began to thrash it with his fists. "Lord Andréa raised me when I was only two! My parents were killed by terrorists; my family was trying to protect the royals. So as they did for her, I'll do the same. I'll protect my homeland until the day I die!"

"Hikaru! Please!" Pleaded Hinoki, "You don't need to do this. Our planet is killing off innocent lives! How could you protect someone that horrid?"

"I don't need to listen to your lies you bitch!" He grabbed his sword from behind his back, "I won't need to listen to you anymore!"

"Noooo!" Cried out Hibiki, "Don't do it." He rushed to the black dread just before it was struck. 'How could two people that loved eachother so much…choose to fight against one another?' he pondered at this question as he suddenly merged with her ship.

Meia furiously began to shoot the creature with her laser. "Damn! His body is hard to break."

"He's structured like a scorpion." Yuki said as he retrieved a medal rod from the ruble of the crash. "He has a hard outer body, but he's soft on the inside." He charged at the beast with his new weapon only to have it smacked out of his hands.

"Great!" Meia moaned, "How do we do that."

The scor-uh I mean Sammy was getting very irritated with his blue haired lunch hitting him with what felt like a stone. After her fifteenth time off shooting him, Sammy ignored the boy and charged at Meia, hitting her to the ground and staring at her with his deadly eyes.

"Meia! Don't look in his eyes!" Yuki cried.

But Meia was out of this world now. It seemed as if she was back on Mejere, looking at her dead mother.

"No mom!" she sobbed as she hugged the dead corpse covered in blood. "Noo!"

Sammy's pincer was ready to strike into her body.

"Meia! Meia! Shit!" Yuki dashed for the entranced girl.

"Mom! Mom! Why did this have to happen!" Meia sobbed on and on. She clenched her mother's body close to her. She felt warm. No…not warmth from her mother. She felt something warm on her face. She came back and saw that she was drenched in blood. Not hers, but Yuki's.

He took the blow to his back for her. "Hey.." he struggled to say, "It gets ya every time. I should know, I-I've been attacked by him for years. He shows your nightmares in his eyes." He drenched his hand in his blood then flung it at the beast. It roared in anger as it tried to hit him with his claws but for some reason kept missing. "He can't see. Strike now." Meia grabbed a sharp metal object next to her and logged it in Sammy's head, making the monster fall over and wither into a corpse.

"Oh my god! Yuki!" Meia rushed over to her fallen comrade. Hiss blood drenched his uniform.

"How could you do such a thing!" She hollered at him, "Why? Why would you risk your life for mine!"

"I…I couldn't stand…watching you die." He wheezed, "You…have lost someone special to you…like I have…and I cant stand loosing something close to me again…I think…y-you'd do the same for me."

"How…how did you know I lost someone."

"Because your expression is the same as mine when I lost them…and besides…you were saying aloud about your mother."

Meia broke a little smile for him.

"You seem to glow…when you smile."

"There's one thing I don't understand. How did you get through the monster without seeing your nightmare."

"I did…Its just…ungh…I'm…so cold." His eyes shut and his body fell limp.

"Hey! Don't die on me!" Meia screamed at the boy.

"Hey! What happened here!" Hollered Hinoki as she had just found out, she wasn't in her dread anymore. "Where the hell am I? What the hell is-wha! Hibiki what are you doing in here?" Hibiki was sitting on her lap.

"I guess…this is a new Vandread." Hibiki said enthusiastically

"Wha! How can that be?"

"Who cares? Just go with it." The new vanguard was shaped like a type of wild beast with humanoid features.

"What is this? Is that some sort of lion?" Hikaru asked in a confused tone. "Well no sphinx is going to take care of me that easily!" He rushed for another attack with his sword.

The lion ermm sphinx oh whatever it was, dodged the attack and stuck Hikaru with its black paw.

"This things pretty powerful." Exclaimed Hinoki. "Lets give him all this puppy's got!"

They both pressed a giant red button making the beast roar.

"Hey this thing got supersonic voice!" Hinoki shouted with glee.

The voice was so powerful, it blasted Hikaru's ship away.

"Damn! What trick is that!" Hikaru growled.

"You want some more?" Teased Hinoki.

"You win this round but I'll be back! Troops fall back."

"Fall back?" questioned Lavieve, "why?"

"Because of this." Hibiki made the beast roar at all of the ships blasting them away!

"Good enough for me!" Lucas yelled to his friends, "I'll se ya later bitch." He blew a kiss in Jura's direction and flew off.

"Eergh! That moron will pay for this!" Screamed Jura, "No one gets away from calling me a Bitch!"

"Let it go." Moaned Barnette, "We have better things to worry about."

"Hey Yuki! Wake up! It's me Hinoki!"

"Let him sleep Hinoki." Duero said, "He's very weak from the loss of blood."

"You don't understand." Hinoki beamed, "When I wanna talk to him, I get to. Now get up!" she began to shake his shirt making him open his eyes.

"unngh."

"Yukiiiiii! You're back to the world of the living! Say something!"

"Ow"

"Yup! He's alive."

"Hinoki, let me sleep." Yuki whined, "I'm so tired."

"Awww! Come on Yuki!" his sister moaned, "I wanna hear how you beat Sammy all by yourself!"

"I didn't beat him alone. Meia helped too."

Meia blushed a little, "We'll I really did nothing, I kinda just got in the way."

"Happens to everyone on their first fight with that monster."

"But, I'm pretty ashamed about what I did. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead."

"Oh my god!" Hinoki gasped, "Did my brother really save you."

Meia nodded.

"Ooooh! You know what that means right? You have to make it up to him."

"What do you mean?" Meia questioned.

"It's an old custom on castile that when someone saves another's life or rescues them from a terrible circumstance, the rescued must do the rescuer a favor in return for gratitude."

"Meia, you don't need to do it." Yuki comforted, "It's just a silly tradition. There's really no need."

"It's the polite thing to do!" Hinoki stubbornly said. "It's very rude to not do the favor in return." She began to pat Yuki's back, "Besides, I bet you'd love a sparring partner and I hear she's the best in this whole place."

"OW! Hinoki, don't hit me there!" Yuki barked, "If the bandages weren't a dead giveaway that I'm injured, then I think you're just stupid! Meia, it was really nothing, think nothing of it."

Hinoki began to pull her brother's hair, "I'm not dumb! And she has to do it! It's a custom that has been done for years!"

Yuki began to smack her on the head with his pillow. "You've been staying at the palace for too long! It's just a dumb custom. They did something to your brain. Probably made you sniff up glue till you killed all your brain cells."

"Arrrgh! I won't be insulted like that." She grabbed his pillow and retaliated.

"It's fine." Meia spoke.

"What?"

"Its fine, I'll do it. There's no reason why I shouldn't."

"Good for you Meia." Cheered Hinoki, "Now Yuki, ask your favor."

Yuki looked at Meia for a long moment, examining her front to back.

"What do you think you are doing!" Meia growled.

"Hmmm…I wanted to ask you this for quite some time now," He grasped her hand, "Would you model for my drawings?"

There was a state of shock running through the room.

"M-me…model?"

"Yes! You're perfect! It's not going to be nude or anything. I'd never do anything like that. So…will you?"

Meia didn't know what to say.

"If she doesn't want to then I'll model for you." Said Jura enwrapping her arms around Yuki's neck. "I always wanted to be a model!"

"What makes you think I wouldn't?" Meia shouted at Jura who released her grasp, "Yuki, I'd be glad to do it. This will be my favor to you."

Yuki's whole face brightened. "This is great! I promise to capture the real you!"

"Wow!" Exclaimed Dita "How romantic!"

Meanwhile on the ship known as Beast…

"Hikaru….Hikaru…" a voice cried out in a green mist.

"Don't leave me Hikaru! You're my only friend! Don't leave me all alone!" A figure appeared calling to him. He was very young; he had long black hair tied around in a bandana.

Hikaru tried to reach him but he seemed to be going farther and farther the more he tried. He also seamed to have become very young.

The boy gave up reaching to him and took off the bandana in his hair. "If you can't come with me, I'll still be your friend. With this symbol of friendship, I'll never forget you." Then he disappeared in the mist.

Hikaru awoke from this nightmare with a start.

'Damn!' he thought, 'This is almost the third time I had it. It's because of that damn nirvana pilot. I'm sure' He wiped the sweat from his face, 'but then…why does that kid look like…I've met him before?'

Hikaru gave up thinking and went back to bed.

Hell yeah! It's done! Woohoo! Another chapter done! On the next chapter: The question on Hinoki's tattoos is revealed. But is it only a faint memory like she says, or something terrifying that she's been hiding.