Me: "…I think it's time for Heero to have another one of his… Harem girls in the party."

Heero: (Enters IC) "What exactly are you talking about?"

Neptune, Compa and IF: (Run into IC after Heero) "Hey, whatcha mean you're adding another Harem girl into the party? You mean I'm gonna have more competition for my lover's love? That sucks!"

Compa: "Yeah! We haven't had our M Rated scene with Heero, and we're already getting another party member?"

IF: "What I want to know is who it is that's joining the party?"

5pb: (Enters through entrance in center of IC) "Hello, everyone! How are we today?"

Me: "Does that answer your question?"

IF: "5pb?! She's joining our party?"

Zero: (Enters IC from Break Room) "Considering that you are back on Planeptune in the story and will advance through two more event scenes in the 5pb DLC event, the Author thought that he might as well dedicate this chapter to the rest of the 5pb event and have her join your 'party'."

Red: "(Enters IC through a window like a creeper) "What about me? Do I get to join the party and spend more time with my wifey?"

Me: "Sorry, but not yet. You'll be added to the party later in the story."

Black Heart: (Enters IC from Lounge and grabs Author by the arm) "I need to talk to you for a minute."

Me: "H-Huh? What? What's going on?"

Black Heart: (Cheeks turn pink) "Am I going to join the party? N-Not that I want to or anything! I-It's not like I want to join them so I can get closer to Heero! I never once thought of the idea! I-I just want more time in the story!"

Me: "Sure you do, Noirey. Anyway, you will end up joining the party, just not yet. Let's get back to the others and read off the disclaimer because I know you just want to spend more time next to Heero."

Black Heart: "Yeah, and maybe we can-" (Stops for a moment as her face turns red) "N-No! I didn't come here to be with Heero!"

Me: "Whatever you say." (Returns to cast with Black Heart) "Since she's already here, she's going to help with the disclaimer." (Points to cast) "さて、行く!(Okay, go! Pronounced: Sate, iku!)"

Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Zero, 5pb, Red, Black Heart: "HeeroUzuki does not own Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Hyperdimension Neptunia, Super Robot Wars, or any work pertaining to any of the franchises. However, he does own the idea of crossing over Gundam Wing and Hyperdimension Neptunia."

Neptune: "Hey, where are the other peeps who help us with the disclaimer?"

Me: (Eyes look up at the ceiling) "Umm…"

(Flashback)

Me: "Hey, Vert! I was wondering if you could help read the disclaim-"

Green Heart: (Has apologetic look on her face) "Sorry, but I just got my copy of Hoop: Reach and I just can't wait to play it." (Runs back to Leanbox)

Me: (Turns to White Heart) "Blanc, my good friend! I was wonderi-"

White Heart: (Looks up from her book) "…I can't. I'm too busy working on a story. Get someone else to do it." (Walks back to Lowee)

Me: "…" (Insert Poker face meme, as a reader is suspected to say 'You mad bro?') (Turns to Nisa) "Nisa, think you can help with the disclaimer?"

Nisa: "Of course! Anything for our-" (Suddenly hears a cry for help) "A cry for help? There is injustice to be dealt with!" (Jumps out of IC)

Me: (Stares dumbfounded before turning to Gust) "Gust, can you-"

Gust: (Already gone)

Me: "…They all left."

(End Flashback)

Me: "Uhh… Technical difficulties and lag?"

Neptune: "Ugh… that sucks! Oh well, at least they aren't here to steal my Destined Lover from me."

Heero: "We are not lovers."

Me: "Let's just leave so the readers can look at our work… I'm getting a headache."

Me, Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Zero, 5pb, Red, Black Heart: (Leave IC)

Ch. 16 Dedication of a Musician

As per IF's request the day before, the party had returned to Planeptune so that she could try and see one of 5pb's live concerts. Heero was sitting on a bench in one of the parks of the futuristic landmass, taking a break from his early morning routine of looking for information in regards to the party's quest of finding the Key Fragments. He had left his denim jacket and laptop back in the party's hotel room so that he could take his mind off of working, if only for a little while.

Of course, since no one had ever seen or heard of the item, Heero was unable to find anything. The Perfect Soldier was about to close his eyes and take a nap when he heard a voice behind him. Heero looked over his shoulder and while he could not see who was talking, he knew that she was there, because the voice he was hearing was feminine.

Heero may have been a cautious soldier, but he was also curious as to who it was that was out this early in the morning. The Gundam pilot walked towards a nearby tree and carefully glanced past it while making sure that he would not be seen by the person on the other side. The person that Heero was seeing behind the tree was 5pb and it looked as though she was talking to… a guitar? "Oh… Mr. Guitar, I hope we do well with today's concert."

The Perfect Soldier cocked a questioning eyebrow, "…Is she mentally unstable or something." Heero walked out from behind the tree and was standing right behind 5pb since he was able to move without giving away is location like IF. "Who exactly are you talking to?"

5pb jumped up in surprise, turned around and saw Heero behind her. The cerulean haired singer looked incredibly nervous and scared, just like when IF had tried talking to her. Seconds of painful silence passed, then 5pb responded in the same way that she responded to IF… by screaming, "Agh! Aghhhhhhhh!" The singer/songwriter turned on her heels and ran as fast as she could. "Kyaaaaaaaah!"

Heero was not really surprised by her response to the situation. Heero noticed that she in her haste to get away, 5pb had left her guitar. The Gundam pilot picked up the black and blue electric instrument that was leaning on a tree, "…She was too focused on getting away. She left her guitar behind."

With nothing else to do until the girls woke up, Heero walked after 5pb to return her instrument.

Xxx

A relatively large stage was standing in one of the parks that was frequented by more of Planeptune's inhabitants than most of the other parks. Back stage, a nervous 5pb was looking around frantically for something, "Oh no… where did I put him?" The cerulean haired teen began to look in another section back stage, looking more and more nervous with each passing second. "Where did I put Mr. Guitar? I can't go on without him!"

Behind the teenaged idol, Heero was walking up to her and could see the panic on her face as she was looking for something… that something presumably being the guitar strapped to his shoulder, "…Are you perhaps looking for this?"

5pb whirled around in a state of panic, which seemed to dissipate when she saw the object slung over Heero's shoulder, "Ahhh! Mr. Guitar!"

Heero grabbed the guitar by the shaft and held it out to 5pb, "You left this in the park in your bid to run away." 5pb gingerly took ahold of 'Mr. Guitar', gently running her hand over its strings before looking at Heero, a somewhat nervous look on her face, "Why… Why are you… here…?"

Heero turned around to face the exit, "I only came to return your guitar. Now that I have accomplished that, I have no need to waste any more time here." As Heero began to walk towards the back stage exit, he felt something pulling on the back of his tanktop. When he looked back, he saw 5pb with her arm outstretched and her hand grabbing onto his green tanktop. Her eyes were cast down to the ground and her cheeks were tinged a light pink. The singer cast her gaze to something out of the corner of her eyes, "I… want to… thank you…"

"There is no need for you to thank me. I can tell you are straining yourself to engage in conversation as it is." The cerulean haired singer strengthened her grip on the guitar in her other hand, and almost instantly her personality changed from a shy to more outspoken and upbeat, "No, I insist. You didn't have to bring Mr. Guitar back, but you did anyway. I can't just let you leave without giving you something."

Heero kept his surprise to himself, just moments ago she was incredibly shy and spoke in broken sentences. Now, 5pb was speaking in complete sentences and did not seem the least bit nervous, "(…It would appear that Lyrica is 5pb.)"

The singer let go of Heero's tanktop and pinched her chin with her thumb and index finger, "But what can I give you?" After a few seconds of thinking, 5pb suddenly snapped her fingers as she finally came up with something. "I know! Why don't you listen to the concert from the VIP section? But, umm… I'll need you to tell me your name."

Heero would have reassured the girl not to worry about thanking him, but remembered that he did not have anything to until Neptune, Compa and IF were up. Not only that, but he would admit that simply doing work would eventually wear him down, "Heero Yuy."

5pb ran over to her dresser and pulled out a small card and a pen, she proceeded to write something on the card. Once she was done, she walked back over to Heero and held the card out to the Gundam pilot with a smile on her face, "Here, I hope you enjoy the concert!"

Heero took the small card from 5pb, who was making her way over to the curtains in preparation for the concert. The card was cerulean blue on both sides and had an image of 5pb on the left side of the card and a thin black line near the bottom with Heero's name written out on it. Heero walked over to the VIP section… and noticed that he was the only one in said section, "…Strange, I would have though more people would be in these seats."

The curtains on the stage opened to reveal 5pb, who gave a wave to the large crowd of people who had gathered to hear her sing, "Hello everyone! I'm flattered that you all came just to see me." 5pb had a firm grip on Mr. Guitar as she was starting her concert performance.

The concert lasted a few hours and the audience seemed really into the performance. There were a few moments throughout the concert that Heero was actually captivated by 5pb's voice, though that may have been because a few during her performance, she would look directly at him as she was singing… perhaps to add emphasis to her songs. A few people noticed that Heero was in the VIP section and people began to whisper things such as 'how did he get so lucky?' and 'maybe he's 5pb's boyfriend.'

When she was finished singing 5pb cast her gaze around at the audience in front of the stage, a small smile on her face. The singer closed her eyes as she tilted her head to the side as her smile grew, "Everyone, thanks so much for coming to see little old me today! That's all for now!"

5pb opened her eyes and looked out to the audience, "You'll have to learn where my next show will be through my website, so be sure to keep your eyes on it!"

The cerulean haired singer left the stage, and the crowd of people began to disperse. As they did, a disheartened IF was standing in the back, "Ugh, I didn't make it on time. I was really looking forward to this, too." IF's left eye began to twitch with pent up anger. "If only we cleared the dungeon just thirty seconds faster… If only Nep didn't try to eat that hamburger-shaped rock…!"

It took IF a moment to realize that the area she was in was quite crowded. A nervous drop of sweat ran down her cheek, "…It's so crowded here. I guess the show just ended." As IF gazed around the area, her eyes were half open when she caught sight of 5pb. "…Hmm?"

"Okay, that should be everything." 5pb had been looking over the items she had brought with her to make sure she had all of them. "Is your show over?"

The singer was surprised to see IF standing next to her smiling. 5pb shot up, the wavelengths in her eyes signifying that she was nervous. "Huh?! O-Oh, you're the suspicious girl from th-the forest…!"

IF was clearly confused when 5pb said that they had meet in a forest, "Forest?" The brunette silently tried to connect the dots, wondering what forest she could possibly have met 5pb. It was not long before IF put two and two together. "No way! So it was you! You're so different from who I hear on the radio."

5pb had her eyes cast elsewhere as she addressed the Guild Moderatist, though she was more open than she was during IF's previous attempts to talk to her, "It's a radio personality, so 5pb is like a show name for an act. Were you at the show today?"

While IF did have a smile on her face, the disappointment could be heard in the tone of her voice, "No, unfortunately. I didn't make it time. I wish I did, though. So your real name is Lyrica, huh?"

Lyrica's suddenly turned pale as she came to a realization, "Wh-What do I do? Someone who… knows my real name… heard me singing…"

IF scratched her cheek, "No, I just said I didn't make it in time." Lyrica had a delirious look in her eyes; all of the color on her face was gone, "Gotta go!"

"Hold it!" Unlike her past attempts, IF was successful in getting the singer to stop. Lyrica slowly turned to face the brunette. "…Let's chat. We can keep walking, okay?"

As the two were about to leave to go chat, they heard a familiar voice behind them, "It would appear that you have been successful in speaking to her."

IF turned to see Heero approaching the two girls, "Heero? What are you doing here?" The Gundam pilot crossed his arms over his chest, "I originally came to return her guitar when she left the park. However after returning it, 5pb insisted that I stay for her performance."

Lyrica looked between Heero and IF with a slightly confused look on her face, "You two… know each other?"

IF looked away as her face slowly changed a light shade of pink, "Y-Yeah. He's the only guy in my party."

"So… is he the really-" IF quickly covered Lyrica's mouth before she could say anything, "S-Shh! Don't say anything while Heero is here!"

Heero was looking at the two with a perplexed look on his face. IF lightly scratched the back of her head, "S-So anyway… You got to see her concert Heero? Did you get a good seat?"

The Gundam pilot pulled the small card he had received from Lyrica out of his Pants pocket, "Lyrica asked me to sit in the VIP section, though I was the only person in that particular section."

IF had a look of disbelief on her face as she looked at the card in Heero's hand, "You got VIP?! No one has ever gotten VIP at one of her live performances!" The brunette looked at Heero then back at his card. "(Heero is really lucky… maybe I should have him stick with me so some of that luck will rub off on me.) Hey, why don't you come with us, Heero? Nep and Compa are back at the hotel, so we've got some time."

"…Very well. Though, it would be best not to waste too much time."

The brunette turned around to hide her slowly reddening face from the Gundam pilot, "Y-Yeah… right. So, let's go." Heero accompanied IF and Lyrica as they made their way out of the crowd to talk.

Xxx

Heero was leaning on a nearby tree while IF and Lyrica were standing next to the lake nearby. IF wanted to use this opportunity to get to know Lyrica better and help her feel less nervous… since she still looked very nervous. Lyrica looked around for a moment before trying to speak, "Um… S-So… Nevermind."

The brunette gave Lyrica a slightly weathered smile, "Just say what's on your mind. It's not like I'm going to spread your secrets across internet forums worldwide."

Lyrica had a very nervous and panicked look as her face turned pale, "Wha-?!"

IF gave a nervous smile to the songstress, "Can't you take a joke? What's wrong? You're always so confident on the radio."

Heero cast a glance at IF, "This is neither the time nor the place to be making jokes IF. Considering her current state of constant anxiety, I believe it would be best to keep such jokes to yourself."

IF felt herself getting mentally kicked in the head by her inner chibi, "(Engage your fucking brain before you engage your fucking mouth, IF! You're not scoring any points with Heero, you're losing points!)"

Lyrica seemed to have calmed down somewhat from IF's joke, "Well, this is… I mean, I'm usually like this. When I'm singing or talking on the radio, I get so into it I don't even notice…"

The brunette next to Lyrica tilted her head as she began to piece together this new information with what she already knew about the singer, "That's your reason for 'disappearing' right after your live shows?"

"…Uh-huh." IF's face showed sympathy mixed with concern, "Also why you were practicing in such an isolated location at such a ridicules time?"

Lyrica cast her gaze to the ground, "Yep." The Perfect Soldier turned his gaze on Lyrica, "So you developed a split personality to manage your performances and radio talk show, while holding onto your main personality."

The blue haired singer scratched her cheek, "I guess… you could say that."

IF blinked a few times before taking on a more serious façade, "But after the show is the best time to get to know your fans." The Guild Moderatist smiled as she nodded her head. "Fan service is important. You're missing out on the best opportunity to grow!"

Lyrica had clearly never thought of the idea in such away considering that she tilted her head and the confused look she was giving IF, "You think? I never looked at it that way. The fans only come to hear the songs. Not me."

IF frowned at Lyrica for even thinking that, "That's completely wrong! Don't be like that!" With a confident smirk on her face, the brunette decided she needed to do something about Lyrica. "…Fine! We'll help you out."

The cerulean haired teen had a hysterical look on her face, "Huh?! …I pass."

The look on IF's face suggested that she was not going accept that as an answer, "I didn't hear that! You're starting to gain popularity, so this isn't the time for you to act so hesitant."

Lyrica looked away as she allowed IF's words to sink in, "…W-Well… I guess." IF gave the girl a smile in an attempt to reassure her, 'I promise we won't lead you astray. Okay?"

5pb looked away in silence, questioning whether or not she could trust IF and Heero. The brunette turned around to face Heero with an apologetic look on her face, "I'm really sorry for dragging you into this Heero, but I didn't know if I would be able to help her by myself. I know Nep and Compa wouldn't be of any help at all, so you were the only other person I could ask."

"I expected this result, and while I do not approve of the fact that you volunteered me for this without my consent, I will applaud you on the way you handled the situation."

IF's inner chibi began to scratch her head, "(I'm not sure… but I think we just got back the points you lost… I think.)" IF repeated her inner chibi's action, but for a different reason, "I promise I'll make it up to you for this Heero."

Heero returned his gaze to the girl that he had been volunteered to help, "For now, we should focus on determining how we are going to assist Lyrica in overcoming her shy and reserved nature."

The brunette knew this was going to be difficult. "We'll just have to work something out. For now we should head back to the hotel and make sure Nep and Compa haven't gotten into any trouble."

Heero and IF made their way back to the hotel with a reluctant Lyrica in tow.

Xxx

Helping someone overcome their own personality wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do in the world… especially when that personality is shy and reserved. Hell, fighting hundreds of boss monsters one after the other was easier than that. IF said she was going to help Lyrica; who was known by her stage name 5pb, overcome her anxiety… but she clearly had not thought the idea through 100 percent, and even worse, she had volunteered Heero to help her with this endeavor without really asking him.

The trio had returned to the park after checking up on Neptune and Compa, the aforementioned nurse in training was tending to Neptune, who was complaining about a toothache. The park they were in was the same one that Lyrica had used for her performance not long ago, the only difference being that all of the people who had come out to listen to her were long gone and the park was not receiving many visitors, making it the ideal location for Heero, IF, and Lyrica to hold their little pow-wow.

IF began her questioning of the cerulean haired singer, she had to know what she had to work with, "The number of people doesn't matter, right? I mean, you were nervous just around me… and from what I heard a while ago you were nervous with Heero, too."

Lyrica had a rather sad expression on her face, "No. One person or one-hundred people… Doesn't matter…"

"What if you picture your audience as a variety of fruits in a giant basket?" IF thought on the idea for a moment before realizing the flaw in it. "…Nah." The brunette went back to questioning Lyrica for more information that she could use to help come up with a plan, "You said you're fine during shows or when you're on the radio, right?"

"…It's probably because I'm focused." Lyrica began to look down at the ground as she went on, the same sad expression on her face. "I don't care about my surroundings when I get absorbed into my songs. Radio broadcasts are the same. It's like there's personality switch inside my head. It turns on for shows, and turns off right after so I get al skittish and afraid." IF had been giving the girl a sympathetic look as she went on about her personality changes during and after her work, and Lyrica was truly sad about it, "I really don't like that feeling… I wish my songs would never end."

IF furrowed her brow for a moment as she listened to the girl, "Switches on and off… You're uncomfortable with yourself when it's in the 'off' is the best time position. As an artist, you're fine. However, you lose your confidence when you revert to your normal self. Maybe you're just uncomfortable with Lyrica, when you cast your 5pb name aside."

The blue haired singer looked away from IF, "…Probably." Lyrica closed her eyes as her lips curved into a smile. "Singing is so fun. I feel this energy swelling up from deep inside my belly."

Heero glanced over at the singer as she talked about how singing felt so good to her, "That may be what we need to help you overcome your shy and otherwise reserved nature." IF smiled at the Gundam pilot as had she thought the same thing, "Great minds think alike, huh?" The brunette returned her attention to Lyrica. "That'll aid in overshadowing your normal self even more."

Lyrica was unsure of how her singing would help with her lack of confidence, "What do you think I should do?" Truth be told, neither Heero or IF knew what to do. It would take some time for the duo to come up with some kind of plan in regards to making sure that the switch that Lyrica was talking about stayed in the 'on' position, "Unfortunately we will need some time to formulate an idea in regards to your personality dilemma."

"Heero's right. Just ease into the fact that you have two facets of your life for now. We'll keep thinking about it." IF decided to throw out one more idea before calling it a day with the singer. She tilted her head and gave an awkward smile. "Instead of fruit, maybe imagine your audience in their underwear next time."

Lyrica had a slightly delirious, but mostly embarrassed look on her face at the suggestion, "In their underwear? …Would that really work?"

Heero frowned at the Guild Moderatist, "Now is not the time for jokes, IF. This is a matter that must be taken seriously." IF was sure that she had felt herself being mentally kicked once again by her inner chibi, "(What the fuck did I get done telling you?! You're gonna cause us to lose all of our points with Heero!)"

With nothing else they could do, Heero and IF parted ways with Lyrica to go back to their hotel room, while the singer went her own way… quite unsure as to whether or not the duo could help her.

Xxx

"You want us to what? Booooring!"

It was the day after Heero and IF had discovered that Lyrica was 5pb… as well as the day that IF had volunteered herself and Heero to help the songstress overcome her anxiety. IF had just found out that Lyrica had moved to Lastation to continue with her work, and the brunette had brought up the idea of going back to the somewhat dreary landmass to the party. Suffice it to say, Neptune thought the idea was boring. "The Tech Expo… thingy isn't gonna be for a while or nothin', right? So we should just go back looking for the Key Fragment on one of the other landmasses."

IF needed to get to Lastation, and she would need Heero a well, "I know that, but I- I-I mean, Heero and I have some very important business to attend to in Lastation." Compa tilted her head to the side with a quizzical look on her face, "What kind of business?"

The brunette looked away from the nurse in training as she tried to think of an excuse, "Um… well… it's uhh… Guild related business."

Neptune gave IF a questioning look, "If its Guildy stuff, then why does Heero have to go?" IF was actually at a loss for words. She didn't know if she could think up an excuse for why Heero needed to go to Lastation. "That's because… uhh…"

"I apologize Neptune, however I cannot divulge that information." Neptune had an excited look on her face, "Ooh, I get goose bumps when Heero acts all secretive and stuff! Okay, we'll go, but we're only going 'cuz Heero is the one with the super-secret important stuff to do."

IF inwardly breathed a sigh of relief before whispering to the Perfect Soldier next to her, "(I guess I owe you big time for this, huh?)"

"(You may return the favor when our mission had been completed.)" Since they had been successful in persuading Neptune and Compa to go to Lastation, the party began to make preparations to go to the heavily industrialized landmass.

Xxx

As soon as they arrived at Lastation, Heero and IF left Neptune and Compa to their own devices… even though that was clearly not the best thing in the world to do. The duo found out that Lyrica was staying at a hotel that was near their safe house, "We still need to come up with a solution to Lyrica's problem."

IF didn't seem too concerned, "I've already come up with a plan we can try. Just let me take care of it." Heero and IF walked down one of the hallways of the hotel until they arrived at the room Lyrica was staying in. IF knocked on the door a few times, not wanting to be rude. "…Lyrica, are you here?"

The brunette opened the door and just casually walked in with Heero behind her. The look on Lyrica's face suggested that she had not expected see the two, "IF! Heero! You two came all this way to see me?"

IF smiled at the songstress who seemed less nervous around Heero or herself then when they first met, "Something like that. Want to tag along with us to a festival? It'll be fun."

As expected of the nervous singer, she had a nervous look on her face as she looked at the two, "Huh?! Umm… Do you… really want me to go?"

"Sure! Don't worry, we'll be there the whole time. Let's just go for a little bit." Lyrica looked down for a moment, clearly the idea made her very nervous and for good reason; she would be surrounded by a lot of people at a festival. The cerulean haired girl looked back up at IF, "…Okay, but you better stay with me the whole time. I'll grip your sleeve real tight."

IF gave a nervous smile as the idea of Lyrica clinging to her arm went through her mind, "W-Well, yeah. While we're there…" The brunette stirred the conversation onto a more relevant topic. "..We should try to work on your anxiety issue somehow."

The strange wavelengths that appeared in Lyrica's eyes when she was nervous were plain as day, "You have an idea? How do we do it? Will it hurt? It won't be easy y'know."

Heero briefly looked at the songstress before looking back out one of the windows in the room, "We do not have time to play twenty questions. If we are going to this festival, we should leave now."

IF held her hands out to Lyrica, "Heero's right. Close your eyes and hold onto my hands."

Lyrica was very confused, unsure of what IF was planning on doing or how it would help with anxiety, but did as she was told. As they began to make their way out of the hotel there was one thing that was bothering Heero; he had not heard of any festival going on here on Lastation. The only one he knew of was the Technology Expo, and even that was days away. IF saw the questioning look Heero was giving her and whispered to him so that Lyrica would not hear her, "(Trust me on this.)"

It's not that he didn't want to trust IF, Heero just wasn't sure if the Guild Moderatist was handling this the right way. Lyrica turned her head from side to side, despite the fact that her eyes were closed, "L-Like this? Where are we going? I can't see…"

"Just keep your closed until I say you can open them. I'm letting go now." IF let go of Lyrica's hands, and a small wave of anxiety washed over the songstress, "Will this really keep me from getting anxious?"

Heero watched Lyrica and looked at her surroundings before shaking his head, "…I almost feel sorry for her." Lyrica looked from side to side again when she didn't hear IF, "IF…?"

Lyrica waited a few more seconds before opening her eyes… only to find that not only was IF nowhere to be found, but that she was in the middle of a busy intersection bustling with people. The songstress had a delirious look on her face as she looked for the brunette, "…She's gone!" The cerulean haired girl looked to her left, then to her right. Her face turned pale from the large number of people walking around her and her inability to find IF. "I… I'm in the middle of a crowd! IF! …IF?!"

As Lyrica began to walk through the crowd in a bid to escape, she bumped into a teenaged boy. The singer grew more and more nervous with each passing second, but remembered her manners nonetheless, "O-Oh, I'm… I'm sorry…"

"Yo, watch it!"

The familiar wavelengths that came about from Lyrica's nervousness were visible in her eyes as she continued to apologize to the rude teen as she tried to escape the crowd of people, "I'm so sorry, 'scuse me… Uggggh…"

Heero could not understand why, but he felt bad for Lyrica… REALLY bad. The blue haired teenaged singer had tears welling up in her eyes as she waded through the crowd, and she wasn't close to getting out of this hell she was in. Heero made his way into the crowd of people and headed towards Lyrica, pushing people out of his way to get to her.

Just as Lyrica was about to continue walking through the seemingly endless crowd of people, she felt someone grab her by the wrist and was pulled in the direction of the hand and felt her head come in contact with someone's chest. When she looked up, Lyrica saw Heero looked from left to right, "IF had the right idea, however she is going about it the wrong way."

Lyrica looked up at the Gundam pilot and was about to cry, "IF left me… I don't want to be here anymore."

Heero swept the teen off of her feet and turned back in the direction he had entered the crowd, "That would be best. Your level of anxiety has more than likely reached its limit, meaning that we must vacate the area immediately."

"H-Heero? Y-You don't have to carry me…" Heero either ignored her, or was not paying attention as he continued to carry the cerulean haired singer through the crowd. Lyrica began to feel more relaxed as she forgot about all of the people around them, focusing her attention on Heero. Even after they had escaped the crowd, Lyrica had her gaze fixed on Heero's face, "…rica. Lyrica."

The blue haired singer snapped out of her daze as Heero called her name, "H-Huh? Yes? Heero looked down at Lyrica as she slowly regained her senses, "We are outside of the intersection now. We should return to your hotel room for now."

"R-Right…" The Perfect Soldier set Lyrica down so that she could walk, and the two made their way back to Lyrica's hotel knowing that that was where IF would be.

Xxx

When Lyrica and Heero returned, they found IF waiting in the room with a smile on her face, "Welcome back."

Lyrica's face grew pale as she remembered the crowd of people IF had left her in the middle of, "That was horrifying…" IF gave the singer a somewhat weathered smile, "What could be more effective, though? I know it was kind of rough, but…"

"More than 'kind of!' I can't believe you left me alone in that. If Heero hadn't been there, I probably would have never gotten out." Lyrica let out a tired sigh and IF went on to explain her reason for doing what she did to the singer, "I'm sure you're prone to get anxious over most anything, right?" Lyrica looked at IF as she continued. "Your guard was down since it's your day off and you thought I was here with you."

The teenaged idol looked away from the brunette, starting to question whether or not it was a good idea to let her continue with her plan to cure her anxiety issues, "…I dunno if you're mentoring is going in the right direction…"

A nervous drop of sweat ran down IF's cheek from the less than enthusiastic response from Lyrica, "C'mon, you'll get used to it. You can't become confident in a single day." Heero, IF and Lyrica turned their attention towards the door when they heard someone knocking. "Oh, hello?"

IF answered the door and held a short conversation with the person on the other side before pulling a cart into the room, "I ordered room service. I'm ready to listen to you complain, but let's relax and fill our stomachs first." When IF looked up from the cart of food, she immediately noticed that Lyrica was missing. "Huh?"

The Guild Moderatist saw movement underneath the bed behind Heero and could guess who it was, "What're you doing under the bed? Are you looking for monsters? They're in the closet, you know."

Lyrica came out from under the bed, a sheepish smile on her face, "Oh… Um, sorry. Hiding… is a reflex." IF speared her errant bangs before folding her arms over her chest, "We've got a long way to go…"

Heero began to make his way towards the door, "I have other matters to deal with. If my business here is done, I'm leaving." The Gundam pilot left the room and made it halfway down the hallway when he heard someone behind him, "Um… Heero?" Heero saw Lyrica behind him, though she was looking down at the floor, "I… wanted to thank you for today. If you hadn't been there to help me… I don't know what I would have done to get out of that crowd of people."

"There is no need for you to thank me. I did it on a whim." Lyrica finally looked up at Heero, "Still… thank you."

Heero looked at Lyrica for a moment before turning his head and walking down the rest of the hallway towards the lounge to leave the hotel.

Xxx

Heero and IF had gone to visit to see Lyrica the following morning to continue with IF's plan of curing Lyrica's anxiety issues, though when they got there they received some rather unsettling news from her, "People aren't paying attention to you as much anymore?"

Lyrica was quite saddened by her situation, "Right. They won't even look at me, let alone stop and watch me sing…" IF furrowed her brow as the cerulean haired girl in front of her went on. "It's been this way for a few days… I don't get why this is happening… Maybe my songs aren't reaching people's hearts anymore…? What're your thoughts?"

Heero stood off to the side since IF was the one who originally volunteered to help Lyrica, but would let his opinion be known, "That is highly doubtful. From what I have seen from your performance on Planeptune, the masses seems to take great joy in hearing you sing. The cause lies elsewhere."

IF nodded her head in agreement, "Heero makes a pretty good point. Besides, I doubt that's it. Your songs weren't written recently, you know?"

"Yeah…" The brunette flashed a reassuring smile at the singer, "Then they aren't he issue. Cheer up!"

IF had a look on her face that suggested that she found the situation to be a little more than suspicious, "It's odd people are reacting differently all of a sudden, though…" The Guild Moderatist nodded her head and smiled at Lyrica once more, "…We'll come to your next show. Let's meet up there."

Lyrica's face suddenly turned pale at IF's suggestion, "Gah! Are you going to drag me somewhere else and abandon me?!"

IF scratched her cheek at the conclusion Lyrica had cam to, "No. Relax. We're going to gauge your fans' reactions." Heero and IF left the hotel room so that Lyrica could get ready for her performance, while they began to make their way towards the park she would be performing in, "…You seem to enjoy dragging me around to take care of your own business."

IF gave the Perfect Soldier an apologetic look, "I know, and I'm really sorry Heero. But I can't rely on anyone else to help."

"Regardless, we should focus on the task at hand… though I believe I already know what the problem is." The brunette came to a complete stop as Heero continued down the hallway, "Well, why aren't Lyrica's fans paying attention to her anymore?"

Heero looked over his shoulder at IF, "I want to assess the situation before I reach a conclusion. The sooner we arrive at the mission area, the sooner we can observe the problem." IF quickly caught up to Heero and the duo hurried towards the performance area.

Xxx

Sometime into Lyrica's performance, Heero and IF had watched for any reaction from the audience. Rather… they were observing the lack OF an audience. IF looked out at the empty park, a cold bead of sweat running down her cheek, "You're right. You sang five songs and not a single person stopped to listen…"

Lyrica was no better off than she had been when Heero and IF had gone to see her, "See? Maybe a person or two will look my way every now and then, but…" The songstress tilted her head in discouragement. "Am I in… a slump?"

IF straightened herself up and held a serious look on her face, "Nah. It's not your music or your talent. It's like people are actively trying to ignore you."

The cerulean haired singer began to grow more depressed with each passing second, "This has never happened to me before… I dunno what to do…" IF was silent as she listened to the distressed singer, not sure of what to do or say in this situation. As the trio mulled over the lack of fans, a man approached the table they were standing behind, "Well, let's check this out…"

The man looked down at the CD cases on the table, then at the price tag laid out in front of them. "What?! Why would anyone pay so much for a single CD?!"

Even though she had only just met this person, IF was already angry with him attitude and his questioning of the price tag on the music, "What'd you day?"

"You got a problem, lazy eyes? I'm just speaking on behalf of consumers. This is a preposterous price for a CD with only a handful of songs!"

IF was doing her best to restrain her sudden urge to lunge at the man, specifically his throat. The brunette held a frown as she looked at him, "That's incorrect. It's the standard MSRP for this type of product. Plus, 5pb's songs hold value and meaning you can't buy with money. This is a great deal for what you get!"

"What a typical sales pitch. It's obvious you're just looking to cash in for a quick buck."

It was becoming increasingly difficult for IF to suppress the anger welling up inside her as veins began to pop up on her fist, which were concealed by her large sleeves. She didn't want to look bad in front of Heero, but this random person was really asking to get beaten to a bloody pulp, "Then listen to her live! Don't judge her skills before you even hear her!"

5pb attempted to get IF to back down, she didn't want to cause a scene in the middle of the park, "IF, it' okay…"

"Oh, I heard, all right! Everything sounds better live compared to little headphones. You can't say the sounds on this disk are worth as much as her live show."

IF had gone from angry to flat out disgruntled with this man who was testing her last nerve, "Y-You're grasping at straws! You better shut up, or else…"

5pb made a second attempt to restrain IF before she did something they would regret, "No, IF! This… This isn't his fault. It's my fault the CDs aren't selling." The songstress had a somewhat more serious look on her face. "If people don't think my CDs are worth their price, that's how I see it."

The brunette didn't know what to say as she looked at the singer with a sad look on her face, "Lyrica…"

Of course, the man in front of the table didn't know how to keep his mouth shut, "Hmph. At least she understands more about lift than you do."

Almost instantly, all of the anger IF had within her from dealing with this random, uninteresting, manner less, and completely unimportant to the plot development of any story came rushing back as the veins in her hands began to pop up once more, "What was that?!"

Seeing that IF was about to go off the deep end, Lyrica tried once more to restrain IF, "Please, enough…!"

IF really wanted to wail on this man, but wanted to honor Lyrica's wished, "Ugh, fine. You're off the hook this time. Just get outta my sight!"

"Don't bother asking. You need to learn your place."

The man began to walk away from the stand, while IF's hands began to shake from her pent up anger, "Grrr…!"

Heero watched as IF seethed, he knew that she wouldn't have taken any verbal abuse otherwise. The trio went about putting away the unsold CDs and carrying them back to the hotel.

Xxx

Back at Lyrica's hotel room, the cerulean haired singer was consoling IF, "Sorry. I know you were protecting me."

With a sigh IF closed her eyes and looked at the ground, ashamed of her behavior, "No, I forgot he was your customer. I might've made the situation worse."

"IF…"

IF gave Lyrica a tired smile, "It's getting late. We'd better go. Good night!" Lyrica gave a short and sweet smile to the brunette as she turned to leave, "G'nite."

After Heero and IF left the room, Lyrica closed her eyes and continued to smile, "Thanks, IF… You have my heart."

As they walked down the hallway of the hotel, Heero noticed that IF was beginning to slow down, and she began to wobble from side to side. The Gundam pilot stopped and waited for IF to catch up, "Are you felling alright?"

"I'm fine. I guess I'm just really tired…" As she got in front of Heero, IF tripped and fell forward… right into Heero's arms. The brunette's eyes widened as her cheeks turned a dark shade of red, then IF could feel her eyelids suddenly getting heavy, "(Heero is so… warm. I could fall asleep right here…)"

Heero looked down at the Guild Moderatist, "Your self-restraint earlier was admirable, though I imagine you are quite exhausted from the ordeal. If you need to sleep you are more than welcome to, I can carry you back to the safe house."

"I-I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble, Heero…" Truthfully, IF would LOVE for Heero to carry her, though she really didn't want Heero to have to work any harder than he already had to. The Gundam pilot lifted the tired brunette into his arms, "It is not a problem. I can manage this task just fine."

IF slowly began to drift to sleep as Heero carried her through the hotel and out into warm night air. IF snuggled closer to Heero as she slept, "(…Heero really is… a great guy… All the more reason to… make sure he doesn't… end up… with… Neptune or… Compa…)"

Xxx

The following day, Heero and IF went to visit Lyrica to see how she was coping with her current dilemma, only to find that she had moved over to Lowee. Once more, IF had to convince Neptune and Compa to move landmasses… only to fail and end up relying on Heero to play his 'super-secret stuff' card as Neptune called it, which left the preteen swooning and more than willing to travel to the snowy landmass.

Heero and IF went to pay the singing idol a visit at her new hotel, and found the door to her room slightly ajar. They peeked into the room to see the cerulean haired girl looking down at the floor with a saddened look on her face, "I kind of understand what that guy was saying. I'm sure the cheaper, the better… I wonder how I can reduce the price…?"

Lyrica closed her eyes and immersed herself in her thoughts, though the look on her face suggested that she was having trouble thinking. "Hmm. It's hard to think of a way. But his voice… is the voice of the market." The singer looked down with a slightly upset look on her face. "My songs aren't worth their current price. If they can't sell at a standard price, it means I'm not cut out to be a musician."

The distraught singer looked at her guitar that was lying on her bed, "Mr. Guitar… What do you think? Do I play you well enough?" Silence dominated the air in the room as Lyrica looked at the musical instrument, waiting for an answer. Of course, it was not like she was going to get one, Mr. Guitar as it was called was an inanimate object and could not speak otherwise. Lyrica had a sad smile on her face as she looked at the guitar, "Not like it'd answer me."

IF could not stand to hear Lyrica talk about herself this way, "She's really down… what do we do?"

Heero watched through the opening in the doorway, and even he would admit that it was sad to watch, "…We just make the guitar talk."

The brunette gave Heero a confused look as she tried to decipher what he meant by 'make the guitar talk', "What do you mean? How do we make a guitar talk?"

"Think about it for a moment. Lyrica is talking to her guitar, there is an opening in the doorway, and she was hoping to receive a response from the guitar. Just talk for it, and that should alleviate her distress."

IF didn't see how she could not have thought of the idea sooner. She directed her face towards the opening in the doorway and poke into the room, trying to make it seem as though Mr. Guitar was alive, "…Don't you fret, dear Lyrica."

Lyrica looked at Mr. Guitar for a moment before she looked at the instrument in disbelief, "Th-The guitar… talked!"

"Indeed. Don't underestimate this guitar! I promise I've been at your side for many years and I swear by your skills as 5b!"

The cerulean haired teen overcame her initial shock as she listened to Mr. Guitar, "Really? Do you really?"

"Of course. Keep doing what you do, and your songs will soon reach the hearts of all people! Remember the times we struggled and worked tirelessly together!"

All of the stress and sadness Lyrica had been felling just moments ago had completely vanished from her conversation with Mr. Guitar, "…Yes! Thank you, Mr. Guitar!"

IF pushed the door to the room open and walked in with a smile on her face, "…Just kidding. Your door was open." Lyrica spun around to face IF, surprised to see the brunette in her room, and she saw Heero standing outside her doorway, "Wh-What?! IF, Heero, when did you…?"

"About the same time Mr. Guitar gave you a pep talk." Lyrica was quite embarrassed to hear that both Heero and IF had heard her talking to an inanimate object. "I meant what I said, though. You're not doing anything wrong. Don't ever doubt yourself!"

Lyrica was touched by IF's words and her confidence in the song writer, "Okay!"

IF turned towards the doorway, "Heero and I just came to check on you today." The brunette closed the door behind her as she left, then turned her attention to Heero. "Heero, back on Lastation you said you had an idea as to what the problem was. Care to fill me in?"

The Perfect Soldier looked out a window in the hallway. Snow was falling from the sky, as was the norm on the snow covered landmass, though Heero was not paying attention to that, or anything in particular, "Remember the discussion you had with that forgettable individual on Lastation?"

IF felt her eye twitch as she was reminded of the man that she had wanted to murder for his verbal abuse, "Don't remind me… what about him?

"He complained that the price of Lyric's CDs were too high, despite the fact that the price was the standard for such a product. Only one kind of person would complain about such a trivial thing; someone who has access to music had a reduced price. Stolen music. And I do believe that Lyrica's own music has been stolen as well."

IF was shocked; the reason people were ignoring Lyrica was because they were already listening to her music… and it was all stolen at that, "Wh-What?! That's low! Well, where do we find the person or people behind all of this? There are four landmasses, but it would take a while to check all of them."

Heero turned around and began to lean on the wall, "I can easily reduce the number of landmasses we need to check down to one."

Heero never ceased to amaze IF, he already knew which landmass they needed to search to find the culprit? "Wow, that's incredible. S-So, what landmass do we need to go to? I can use my Guild connections to take care of the rest."

"Leanbox has a relatively high level of protection, however its level of technological advancements removes it as a potential location. While the landmass does have some means of electrical use, the equipment would have to be transported from another landmass. Not only would that make the culprit stand out, but the cost to keep the operation going exceeds the amount of income they would make, leaving them in the red. Planeptune is the exact opposite of Leanbox. The level of Planeptune's technology far outpaces that of Leanbox, however it is constantly besieged by monsters, and it becomes a question of does the culprit value money over their own life? Lastation would seem like the likely location for the culprit's operation since it has a fairly high level of technology and some degree of protection. But the level of protection is not enough to completely ward off monster attacks on cities, and again, becomes a question of does our culprit value money over their life?"

Planeptune, Lastation and Leanbox had been ruled out… leaving only one other landmass, "So… are you saying that we're already on the landmass where we need to look?"

Heero nodded his head, "While Lowee may not be the most technologically advanced of the four landmasses, it is high enough to where if someone wanted to, they could rip music from a CD, put it onto other discs, and then redistribute those discs on the black market to turn a profit. Lowee also has a fairly high level of protection, meaning that monster attacks are not a threat."

IF grit her teeth for a moment before her lips curved into a noticeable smirk, "Mind if we stay here for the night? I'm sure Nep and Compa will be able to come up with something to eat while we're out, and this will make it easier for us to contact Lyrica."

The Gundam pilot nodded his head, "That would be the best decision regarding the situation. It would be best for us not to contact them, as we do not want Neptune or Compa to get involved."

Heero and IF rented a room in the apartment that Lyrica was staying at, and waited until night fall. IF was sitting on one of the beds in the room with her favorite pink cellphone in hand, a frown on her face, "…Don't underestimate the Guild's information network. Did they think they could get away with this forever? This must be why the 5pb CDs aren't selling anymore. Illegally copied discs… And the black market dealers handling those discs. Just as Heero said."

IF went on to read what else was on her cellphone in regards to what she had received from her Guild connections. "It says 'The only rule to become a member is to never purchase an official disc.' Hmm. 'If you follow this one rule, you can get any CD at a very cheap price.' …Seems 5pb's songs are listed on their product catalog. This must be the reason."

IF put her cellphone away and crossed her arms, disgusted with what she had just saw, "I knew something was wrong. …This is unforgiveable!"

The door to the room swung open, and Heero entered the room, "Which is why it would be best for us to find the facility that is being used to produce these discs, and destroy it. Still, it would not be best for us to go after the target tonight, as we would more than likely draw attention to ourselves if we were to head out at this time of night."

IF couldn't argue with that logic and decided to make herself comfortable, seeing as the following day would be rather busy. The brunette slipped off her jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair, "We try and get as much sleep as we can, so we'll be prepared for tomorrow."

It wasn't until that she felt comfortable in the room that IF realized that there was only one bed. Her cheeks slowly turned pink at the idea of sharing a bed with Heero and not having Neptune or Compa to interrupt. Heero looked at the single bed for a moment, then looked at IF, "I can sleep on the floor. You may take the bed."

IF knew that Heero would sleep on the floor if necessary, but she was not about to pass up the opportunity to sleep in the same bed as Heero… alone… and without Neptune or Compa to complain about it, "Y-You don't have to do that. W-We can share the bed. Neither one of us kick in our sleep, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"If that is what you want, I will not object."

IF waited for Heero to lie down on the bed that looked like a piece of a strawberry shortcake before lying down on the bed herself. The brunette could feel her heart thumping against her chest from being so close to the Perfect Soldier. IF shivered slightly as she felt a cold draft wash over her, which did not go unseen by Heero, "…Are you alright?

IF rubbed her arms in an attempt to generate some heat to warm herself, "Y-Yeah, just a little… nothing too bad."

Before she knew it, IF felt an arm wrap around her waist and found herself looking at Heero's chest, causing her face to drastically heat up, "If you are cold, then it would be best to share body heat and cover yourself up. It is not hard to find a means to retain body heat, IF."

The brunette found it difficult to think in her current position on Heero's chest, "(…D-Did I say Heero was a g-great guy? …I meant to say he was the P-PERFECT guy! O-Oh… I think I'm gonna faint… I wouldn't be able to resist if Heero decided to have his way with me…)"

IF stopped her train of thought after what she had just said in her head, which only caused her cheeks to turn an even darker shade of red, "(N-Not that I think Heero w-would try to pull something on me! N-Nor am I saying that I would m-mind if he did…! B-Because I wouldn't! ...Not that he would... but still! I-It's so hard to think right now…)"

Xxx

Back at the safe house, Neptune had an annoyed look on her face… the kind that came when she felt someone was trying to make a romantic advance on Heero, "I feel like someone is totally trying to steal my Destined Lover!"

Even Compa had a somewhat annoyed look on her face, "Heero isn't just your Destined Lover, Nep-Nep. But I do feel like someone is trying to steal him from us."

Xxx

In one of the dungeons on Lastation, Black Heart had just defeated a boss level monster when she suddenly felt annoyed, "…I can't explain why… But I feel like someone is trying to steal Heero from me…"

The white haired swordstress violently shook her head, "N-Not that I care or anything, I-I just don't like the idea of Heero having to be forced into doing something he doesn't like or want to do."

Xxx

Back on Lowee, the mysterious blue haired girl was walking thorough one of the towns when she suddenly had a rather angry look on her face, "…I feel like someone is plotting to steal Heero from me and do to him what I should be doing to him."

The young girl's cheeks turned a light shade of red, "…I should probably keep my thoughts between T and M ratings so as not to break too far off of this story's rating."

Xxx

Heero, IF and Lyrica were standing in a back alley within one of Lowee's more shady districts the following day. It was midday, and they were in their present location because IF's connection in the Guild had found this place to be the center of the production of illegally copied discs on Lowee. Lyrica looked around at the room, seeing old wooden chair, a wooden table, wooden crates, useless sheathed weapons, a small chest and some barrels, "I thought black markets were called black because they took place at night. This is midday."

IF looked around and noted the number of people in the area, "We should scour the area when people aren't around."

Lyrica had a smile that was a mixture of nervousness and excitement, "This is trespassing… We're really trespassing, right?" IF scratched her cheek in response, "It's 'killing a bee to save the hive.' I heard Compa say that when she overcooked my toast."

The trio made their way into a more secluded area that did not have anyone around. Heero narrowed his eyes as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, "…We have company."

A man, presumably a Black Marketer, approached the three, "What're you doing here? Don't you now the black market opens at midnight?"

IF smirked at the man, "Unfortunately, we're not customers." The Guild Moderatist looked back toward Lyrica. "…5pb, come here."

Lyrica reluctantly stood in front of the Black Marketer, since she was dealing with someone she didn't know she became nervous, "5pb, huh? So you know about us."

Remembering why she was here, a wave of confidence washed over the cerulean haired teen, "S-Sure do! You copy my CDs and sell them for next to nothing and don't even tell me!"

"Is there a problem? I'm getting your music to the people. You've lost a lot of your customers, huh?" 5pb was becoming somewhat discouraged as the conversation went on. "And you want to do something about it. Fine, but no matter what happens to me, this isn't going to end. Millions of people like me exist, motivated only by money. If you close this place down, another will pop up. It's a waste of your effort. Understand?"

Lyrica had a sad look on her face as she looked at the Black Marketer, "…Do you hate music?"

"Huh? I love music, duh."

5pb looked down at the floor as the sadness she was felling began to pour out, "But you're abusing my songs."

"Nuh-uh. I'm helping you spread your songs around the world! Everyone can access your music at a low price. Isn't it awesome?"

IF was doing her best to suppress her anger, which was starting to seep out, "What're you talking about? You're the only idiot who thinks that."

"You're the idiot. Businesses don't stick around if they're the only ones profiting. …Think like that and you'll see I'm a shining example of excellent customer service."

IF could feel the veins popping up on the side of her neck and hands, "How's this a good business example when it sacrifices the artists who create the products?! It's completely unfair! How selfish can you be, profiting by abusing the one who makes your products?!"

Lyrica was silent for a moment before she suddenly found herself with new confidence, "Listen. Musicians like me support ourselves by selling our music."

"So?!"

The musician narrowed her eyes slightly at the Black Marketer, "Sacrificing the music…" 5pb's eyes opened all the way, the wavelengths in her eyes seemed to emphasize her emotional speech. "Is like sacrificing those musicians' futures!"

"…The musicians' future?"

Lyrica began to tone down her voice, "If you keep abusing the artists, eventually the industry will… You'll destroy the entire music industry itself!"

"Nonsense! You're blowing things way out of proportion."

5pb shook her head, giving the individual a somewhat angry expression for his inability to comprehend the consequences of his actions, "Nuh-uh. If things continue for me like they are… I'll have to quit the music scene and like, flip burgers. Yet you'll still keep your business even after hearing me tell you this?"

"Tch…! Shut up. I don't care about this preachy lecture crap! Grr… Dammit! The hell…? M-My… head… Gaaaaah!" The Black Marketer held his head, and after a brief flash of light, fell to the ground with a monster looming over his unconscious body, "Ghhh… Gaaaah! H-How dare you…?!"

Lyrica was shocked to see the monster in front of her. She closed her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs, much like when she first met Heero and IF, "Agh! Kyaaah!"

A cold bead of sweat ran down IF cheek. Not because she was nervous, rather she was disturbed, "Amonster…? Did you just… come out of that guy?!"

"Correct. I advertise songs at near five-finger discounts… Then I took over the body of this fool who answered my ads. I made some money to add to Overlord Momus's war funds! Mwahahahaha!"

Heero had retained his silence for this majority of the trio's time in the black market area, content with simply playing the silent bodyguard. The mentioning of Overlord Momus, however, reminded the Perfect Soldier of where is true role of bodyguard lay and made his presence know, "…A rather unexpected turn of events, though it does seem to run parallel with our original objective."

IF nodded her head as a smirk formed on her face, "Involving innocent people for your own profit is unacceptable! I'm glad you conveniently explained everything, though."

"I won't let you live, knowing my secrets. I'll just kill you and I won't have to worry about it anymore!"

IF had a somewhat disgruntled look on her face as she looked at the monster making death threats, "Who do you think you are?!"

Without warning, IF delivered a rib breaking kick to the monster' stomach, "Gwaaaah! How could you?!" The brunette had been feeling very angry over the past few days from all of the verbal abuse, scandals and whatnot that had happened while she had tried to help Lyrica… with Heero's help of course. Now, the monster had threatened to kill her and Lyrica. That was crossing the line. As if that wasn't bad enough, the monster had the gall to threaten Heero… the lone male member of the party and 'Perfect Guy' who IF was secretly infatuated with. Now, a smart person would not have made any kind of threat towards Heero, but the fact that this body snatching monster was able to do just that clearly showed his lack of a brain. Because be it IF, or Neptune, or Compa… or the two 'stalker ladies' as Neptune would call them, a threat towards Heero in their presence was pretty much the same as crossing the point of no return.

IF proceeded to viciously beat the monster, using her powerful legs, her Katars, the guns hidden in her sleeve… and everything that wasn't nailed down. Finally, the monster succumbed to its injuries and fell dead, "G-Gwaaaar…!"

Heero just stared at the monster while IF crossed her arms, a triumphant look on her face, "That's that. You're nothing compared to what I've fought in the past."

After looking at the dead monster for a few seconds, Heero turned his attention toward IF, "…Remind me again why it is you brought me along if you were capable of handling the situation yourself?"

IF scratched the back of her head as she smiled sheepishly at the Perfect Soldier, "Sorry, I didn't know if I would need help or not." The brunette returned her attention to the monster. "Anyway, who unleashed the monster? I forgot to ask where he got his discs, too… Momus, huh…?"

Lyrica poked her head out from behind a wooden barrel, since she had hidden from the monster, "Is… Is it over?"

"Yeah. You're safe now."

After a few moments, the Black Marketer began to regain consciousness, "Ow… Where am I? I thought I was picking up 5pb's CD…"

IF gave the man a rather irritated look, "You were taken over by a monster. You remember that much, right?"

"R-Right… I heard someone was giving her songs away for next to nothing."

IF knew this person was unwillingly dragged into this, but was nonetheless disappointed with him, "I know you're a victim too, but I'm not impressed to hear you were interested in illegal copies."

"Yeah, I guess it was wrong and selfish. …I'm sorry, 5pb."

Lyrica still felt somewhat upset over the situation despite the fact it had more or less been resolved, "…Now you know not to do this, right?"

"Yeah. I don't want to get possessed by any more monsters and all that. I'll help you destroy the discs kept here. I really apologize."

Heero stopped the man before he could do anything, "That will not be necessary. I already have a method to dispose of the illegal discs that is much faster than what you are planning to do. Now leave, before I decide to kill."

The nameless Black Marketer quickly left after hearing Heero's death threat, meanwhile IF had her thoughts focused elsewhere as Heero prepared the crates full of discs for disposal, "Illegal discs and body-snatching monsters… There might be more places like this we don't know about…" Instead of dwelling on her thoughts, IF decided to take comfort in what had been accomplished here. "Still, at least this one's settled."

Lyrica smiled at the brunette, "Yep. Thanks a lot, IF."

IF cleared her throat, though it was merely to get 5pb's attention, "Aren't you forgetting someone?" The cerulean haired girl tilted her head in confusion before turning her head to look at Heero. "A lot of this wouldn't have been possible without Heero. I kind of volunteered him to help with your anxiety issues without his permission… and since all of the mishaps that came with this, Heero had been stuck with all of the trouble. I told him I would pay him back for what he's done, but… I don't think there is a way for me to repay him for what he's done. I know there were plenty of times when he could have just open left… hell, I wouldn't have blamed him for it."

IF looked away as her cheeks began to turn red, "Even still, he stuck by me through all of this… and… I'd like to think that he and I have gotten closer through all of this."

Lyrica had not gotten to know Heero as well as she knew IF. He had a tough exterior, he was emotionless most of the time, and he was coldly efficient. If what IF was saying was true, then Heero was much nicer than he let on to be. That may have explained why she felt so relaxed around him on Lastation… and that everything that had happened up until was thanks to Heero. The Gundam pilot finished stacking all of the crate on one side of the building and turned to face the two girls, "I have finished moving the crates and have set timed demo charges to dispose of the facility."

A nervous bead of sweat ran down the side of IF's face, "Demo charges? What's that?"

"It is short for demolition charge… an explosive."

Heero thought he heard the sound of breaking glass as IF and Lyrica gave him deadpanned looks, "…Explosives?! Wh-When are they gonna go off?!"

Heero look over at one of the demolition charges, then back at the two girl, "…In thirty seconds. It would be best for us to vacate the premises."

IF and Lyrica turned on their heels and began to run, with Heero right behind them, "You don't have to tell us twice!"

The trio ran as fast as they could, they were in a snow field when the explosives Heero had placed went off, reducing the area to dust and ash and making a mushroom cloud in the sky. Lyrica had dove into the snow and poked her head out to see the end result with wide eyes, "…Is this normal?"

IF scratched the back of her head, "You want the truth? Yes."

Xxx

The group of three had returned to the hotel they had been staying at after taking care of the production facility. 5pb was sitting on the bed in her hotel room, looking out the window as she recalled what she had heard the monster say about the operation regarding illegal discs, "Someone is still out there… Someone using monsters to control people and distribute illegal discs…" The cerulean haired teen looked down in sadness. "Other innocent people might still be in trouble… That guy… He loved music, but he… I can't believe someone would take advantage and twist people's love for music like this."

Lyrica took on a more serious facial expression, "It can't be forgiven."

IF suddenly entered the room, having listened to the musician talking to herself, "…You want to save those people who are in trouble? Musicians, too?" Lyrica was silent as her face turned a dark shade of red, she had been caught talking to herself again. "As a member of the 5pb fab club, I'd prefer you to focus on writing new music, but…"

Some of the color in Lyrica's face drained away as she resolved herself, "I know I can't have both, but I won't sit by as other artists get abused and sacrificed!"

IF nodded her head in acknowledgement, "That's right! …Plus, I know you can do this. Personally, I feel lucky I get to travel with you."

A small smile curved the cerulean haired teen's lips, "So you'll let me join your party?"

Obviously, IF was all for having the musician among their numbers, "It'd be my pleasure. Come on, Lyrica! Fight with us as 5pb!"

5pb felt somewhat excited to be joining the small group, "…Yeah!"

Heero watched the two girls from the doorway, "…I do not believe Neptune will object to your decision, nor will Compa." IF nodded before heading for the door, "I better phone ahead and tell them we'll be having one more person over."

IF left the room to get her cellphone and Heero entered the room, "You are quite resolute in your decision. That's good. Following through with something as serious as this is not for the weak of heart."

Lyrica oddly felt relaxed with Heero, "Well, this is important to me. I can't ignore this when it has already happened to me. If I don't do something, who else will?" The musician looked at the floor for a moment, playing with the hem of her skirt before looking back up at Heero. "Umm… Heero? I wanted to say thank you for everything you've done for me. IF told me what you had to go through, and it didn't sound easy."

"There is no need for thanks. I was merely carrying out the assignment given to me." Heero held a more powerful gaze as he looked at the teenaged musician. "Lyrica, it would be best for you to disregard what that monster had said to you."

5pb blinked a few times as she wondered what exactly she was supposed to forget, letting Heero continue. "I have been placed in similar circumstances as you, though the threat was not focused solely on one kind of people. Know that there is no such thing as wasted effort. No matter how long or difficult the mission, as long as you stay focused and do not give up, you will reach the end before you know it."

Heero turned to head out the door, "And I'm sure I speak for all of your fans when I say that it would be best to start on this mission as soon as possible, so that you may reach the end sooner. That way, your fans will be able to hear your beautiful singing voice again."

Lyrica felt her cheeks heat up at Heero say her singing voice was beautiful. Sure she heard it from her fans before, but for some reason hearing it from Heero had a much more profound effect. The Perfect Soldier stopped in the doorway and looked over his shoulder at 5pb, "Do not hesitate to call for me if you need my help."

With that, Heero left the room and Lyrica fell back onto the bed behind her, holding a hand over her chest, "Oh wow, Heero…"

IF entered the room again slipping her cellphone back into her jacket pocket, "Well, I knew those two wouldn't have a problem with you joining us." When the brunette looked at Lyrica, she could see that her face was noticeably red and that she was in a daze. "…Are you okay?"

The blunette shook her head for a moment, "Y-Yeah…" Lyrica looked down at the floor and smiled. "Heero… said something to me… it made me feel really confident about what I'll be doing."

IF smiled at the musician, "I don't know if he realizes it, but he has a way of inspiring people."

"Heero is really amazing… I don't think I've ever been as moved by someone as I have by him…" IF looked at Lyrica, unsure of what exactly she meant, "What are you getting at?"

"I think…" 5pb let out the sigh of a love-struck girl. "…I think I'm in love."

IF's mouth dropped open, 5pb was in love with Heero?! The musician looked at IF with a somewhat confident smile, "IF, I know that you're in love with Heero, too. So, I guess that makes us rivals in love! I won't lose Heero to you!"

The brunette overcame her initial shock and smirked at Lyrica's open declaration, "I never turn down a challenge. I won't lose Heero to you either, 5pb!"

With the addition of Lyrica, aka 5pb, the party's number increased to five… though anyone with even half a brain would know that the addition of another girl that was into Heero just meant that the Gundam pilot would be in for even more headaches and misunderstandings in the future.

Xxx

Me: "Well, there you have it. The 5pb DLC event comes to a close, and she joins the party!"

5pb: (Enters ACCC from Break Room) "So does this mean I'll appear more in the story now that I'm I the party?"

Me: "Of course! And the addition of another female party member is sure to spice up the romance of the story."

Heero, Neptune, Compa and IF: (Enter ACCC from Lounge) "Aww, but now I have more competition for Heero's love! That totally sucks!"

Compa: "At least we have a new party member, right?"

Neptune: "Hey, Author man! What's the big idea? Heero and I are supposed to be the main pairing, right? How come I got so little time in this chapter?"

Black Heart: (Enters ACCC from Break Room) "I wanted to talk to you about that, too!"

White Heart: (Enters ACCC from left entrance) "…Me three."

Me: "You're lucky I even put you in this chapter at all. During the initial type up of the chapter I didn't put any of you in it. It's not like not having a major part in a single chapter is gonna kill you."

Zero: (Enters ACCC from Lounge) "Besides, this chapter is important to the development of the story as a whole."

Me: (Points to Lyrica) "To commemorate your joining the party, you can wrap up the chapter 5-chan."

5pb: "Leave it to me, boss man!"

Me, Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Zero, Black Heart and White Heart: (Leave ACCC)

5pb: "Please read and review this chapter, and hope to see you all in the next update!" (Leaves ACCC)