Riki coughed up a mouthful of blood a hand curled around his stomach where the pain seemed most intense. By now a wealth of bruises now decorated his skin leaning his right hand broken and his right eye swollen shut in the after math. All things considered it had gone rather well at least they didn't all hate him and the good old faction truth about his pregnancy for the Blondie only helped to get the crap beaten out of him. But he had refused to fight back it was better that way their solemn farewell was now etched in stone wall for the most part anyway. Luke and Norris didn't really care what his situation was as long as he was alive.

The rumors that he had died in the Dana Bahn incident a ploy, he had his suspicions, were instigated by Katze to keep him and the pregnancy a secret, had gone viral. So to have seen him saunter into their usual hang out spot was like seeing a ghost in real life. They had wanted to hear him refute the truth but he couldn't, not any more. He had a Blondie as a lover and that was a fact that wouldn't change even if he was forced to deny it.

"Are you sure a hospital isn't for the best I mean think about the baby," Luke began coming into the room they had brought him to recuperate after the retaliation of certain members of Bison with a change of clothes.

Right after he was all but left for dead was when Norris and Luke had came along and carried him here. It was by sheer coincidence, saying a small voice brought them there but he wasn't about to judge the hand of grace that may have saved his life and prevented a war between Jupiter and Ceres. Certainly she wouldn't take it lying down and what of Iason, he shuddered at the thoughts of the streets running red in blood, no one would be spared. He was certain. He could still feel Iason's blood boil, his hate rising venomously with each strike Riki took.

It didn't take much to guess that the Blondie were now doing all it was in their powers to keep him from charging clear into Ceres and massacre the whole lot of them. He had told Iason not to get involved, though it was just a thought he was certain he heard. But at this point Iason had lost all reason; it was going to take more than just words to detain him, especially as he was now.

"No, I can't let anyone else know about my…condition," Riki breathed from where he was with his head hanging off the bed over a rusty bucket, "and besides this is nothing. there's something I…there is one more thing I need to tell you guys or rather one more I need to show you but you have to promise not to freak out. It's something I haven't even shown Iason with how busy he was I never really had the chance."

Norris who had gathered the first aid kit ready to tend to him raised an eyebrow before looking toward Luke. What could be so bad it made Riki the Dark think hard enough to give a warning beforehand?

"Look I think we've already gotten past the worse by now," Luke stated as he took a seat on a chair next to Norris still caught in disbelief at seeing Riki alive and even more so pregnant but after all that had happened you would think they were used to him vanishing without a for long periods of time.

Riki sighed knowing, for the most part, that seeing was believing. After a moment after simply staring at them as though he was engraving their faces in his memory just in case they after what he was about to do decided to wash their hands of him or anything to do with him.

Taking a breath he laid back in bed before resting a hand on his aching stomach. If anything the little ones were perfectly fine but he was concerned either way. He sighed letting go off the reigns he had been holding on to when he had submitted himself to his earlier bashing.

A few nanoseconds later there was a burst of blinding light. And within that instance time stood still, silence dawned, and bliss seemed to know no limits. By now Riki had seemed to become the very embodiment of that light all but a vague outline within it. Under the touch of radiance that only continued to grow the shadows that veiled Ceres fled for only just an instant and with that instant a wave of peace swept through the slumbering city.

-Simultaneously in Eos-

If an abyss had existed it would have resided in Eos. The city of Pleasure at this moment knew no joy as an air crisp and cold and death whispering loomed overhead like a noose awaiting the next victim. By now the Blondies sat in somber silence waiting desperately for Riki's return.

When would he return?

Would it be soon?

As ironic and cliché as it was they wanted nothing more than to see the fierce tempered mongrel walking along these corridors. The very air shuddered as a crash sounded within the containment unit, that at one point had been one of the strongest holding cells this side of the galaxy had to offer. And Orphe had once prided himself in knowing that he had been the one to construct it but now he wasn't entirely certain if it was as efficient as he once thought or if the test result might have exaggerated a bit.

"I don't think it'll hold much longer Aisha spoke his voice being the only thing they were able to identify him by in the immense darkness that seemed heavy and tangible to the touch.

There came no response for none was needed. It was a fact that within twenty four hours or less the confinement unit would be blown to smithereens and death itself would lay waste to them all.

Behind the eternity's worth of metal and high tech security to boot a darkness that pulled the night to shame enraptured the room swallowing the wash of light that was once there. Another blub shattered, another light lost its brilliance under the assault of darkness.

Amidst the writhing darkness seeking a way out, a lone figure seated on nothing but thin air fumed silently in rage. Control had lost to his anger and despite all his effort he could only do so much to reign in his rage.

He wanted nothing short of a bloody massacre.

How dare they lay hands on what was his?!

And by gods Riki that blundering fool by what forces compelled him to throw his life in harm's way and refuse to defend himself, defend their children?!

Malice oozed out of the darkness and strangled the air. Heads would roll in Ceres before he turned a blind eye to such an insult. First Guy and now this, he should have done in the whole lot of them when he had been revived. But it wasn't the time for regret not when revenge was the new state of affairs.

No!

Riki's voice found his consciousness yet again allowing him just a moment of rational thought. But he refused to allow his resolve falter, if he had stuck true to that Riki would have been safe in Eos instead of being brutally battered in the slum.

Damn it…it was my choice to come to Ceres and I knew the consequences…

He blocked out the thoughts. He didn't want to hear it.

-000000-

"Are you sure?" a figure concealed by the darkness questioned dark green eyes probing every inch of his subordinate for a shadow of a lie.

"Yes sir," the fretful subordinate confirmed, "it was him."

Sensing no doubts about all he had just heard he dismissed his subordinate from his private quarters.

He refused to reveal his excitement. After their failed attempt to breach Eos impenetrable system, months of planning going up in flames all in just seconds, he had all but lost hope.

He raised to his feet the wheels in his head turning once again.

Riki, the idol he hard worshipped in his golden age had finally waltzed back into town and what's more he was ever so gracious enough to carry the instruments which would condone his success right to him. This was an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss. It's no question whether anyone would know that Riki was in Ceres and it didn't take much to guess to they'd be coming for him soon. He couldn't allow them to get their hands on him; if they did there would surely be no way to get a light year close to his ticket to success.

"Yager well don't you seem happy," a twirl of smoke caught by his peripheral vision alerted him that he was no longer alone.

He turned to the man with the lengthy brown hair perched on top of his head in a sleek ponytail. The stood up to eye level with Yager himself and was rather handsome at that. It was a pity though that he only had one arm but even without it he was still a formidably handsome man.

"When did you get back into town?" the leader of Dead Beats questioned as the man who had simply appeared out of thin air took a seat casually in the first thing that resembled a seat.

"Just now but I'm just passing through sorry" he sighed kicking of his boots before sprawling out on the large oval cushion he intended to use as a bed for the night, "if Katze found out I was here he'd gut me where I stood."

Yager kept his eyes on the only legit candidate for a pairing partner he could find in all of the trash Ceres had to offer. He felt the man in ways he could feel for no other but sadly the feeling wasn't mutual. No matter how much he asked Guy would shoot his offers down in the gentlest ways possible saying he killed the love of his life once out of jealousy and didn't want to do so again.

That love so happened to waltz right back into town around the same time he just suddenly pops out of thin air after such a long time. What were the fucking outs just when he was getting guy to warm up to him this happens. If Guy met Riki again or heard of his plans then certainly he would never look at him the same way.

It wasn't as though he planned to desired for his affection to be returned immediately just for him to acknowledge it. But he refused to consider Yager to be anything more than a friend saying time and again that he the one who had his heart hadn't returned it thus he has no love to give. Did he treasure Riki that much that even in death he would remain loyal?

Scratch that Riki was not amongst the dead and before word got out that he was alive he would ensure that he would be.

"What ungodly things have you been scheming in my absence?" guy questioned heaving a sigh as his lids slid shut.

"You know me just up to the usual," Yager responded airily if only Guy did return his affection…

And then what?

He gave himself a mental stab. To Guy Yager was his closest confidant. What would he think if he found out Yager was still mooning over him like a little girl.

He banished the thought opting for blowing all he had on him at the nearest club hopefully getting himself wasted like the good old days would help him sober up after the hang off did him in. by the time he returned guy would have been gone anyway

===============================….=================================