"Your getting married?" Joshua cried in excitement. "That is wonderful news!"

"I know Isn't it? It's just pretty damn great if you ask me!" Carmen jeered. "I finally found myself a man who can actually remember my name!" she claimed, shooting Van a dirty look.

He looked back at her with a shrug, not caring the slightest on what was happening. His stomach rumbled in hunger.

"Uh… so can we come in? And hey can we have something to eat while we are here too?" he suggested, eager to fill his belly with some food. Wendy sighed, for she knew she couldn't keep yelling at him consistently for his disrespectful behavior. Keeping quite, she squinted her eyes and allowed this one to slide.

"Sure! Why not? My treat!" the blue haired woman offered. She was overjoyed to share the news with some old friends, even if she didn't get the reaction from Van that she had wanted. "Oh well" she thought, brushing off the whole plan in her head as if it had never occurred.

Her fiance, Santo, smiled giving an inviting hand into the ginormous house. Heading to the kitchen, The three (not so much Van) gaped in awe while they walked through a long hallway. They stared at the magnificently painted Japanese wallprints along with very expensive statues that lined the hallway. Looking above, the ceiling was draped with chandeliers that were made out of glimmering crystals, shining off of the rays of light. Up on the second story was a mahogany barred balcony that barricaded the second floor. High on the walls were large stain glass windows that had light pouring through in many colours making the house look even more magnificent than it already was.

"Carol.." Wendy whispered in amazement.

"Carmen 99!" Carmen sang, slightly annoyed.

"Carmen, wow… it is amazing how did.."

"I did business over seas, I'm a very good bargainer." she laughed, turning her head slightly and giving Wendy a wink. They entered a spotless marble kitchen. It was aligned with all new kitchen wear, utensils and utilities for cooking. Chef made pastries were stacked neatly on a lonely table, cluttered with silver chairs. The scent of cooking food filled the air as a plump man in a white chef outfit, labored over a burning stove, mixing and tasting a pot of … something that scented of deliciousness.

"Guys this is Bruno, our chef." Carmen introduced the man cockily. Bruno just grunted in reply. focusing steadily on his food. She was a little too overjoyed to show off her valuable and expensive belongings to her friends.

Van ignored Carmen and only stared at the exquisite deserts in front of him, his mouth dripping with drool.

"Ya got any condiments?" he asked, picking up a small fluffy white cake covered in blue and yellow frosting, and observed it in his slender hands.

"Condiments? Condiments, my dear sir, are flavour destroyers. A food made by a chef, tastes only best by itself" Bruno stated in a slurred accent, not bothering to turn around.

"That is what I've been trying to tell him for a long time." Wendy grumbled agitatedly. "Can't you just eat something with out some dressing for once?" Wendy pleaded, giving him a puppy dog look; with the quivering eyes and pouting lower lip.

Van growled, giving in to her cuteness and took a bite out of the petite treat.

"DAMN THAT IS SWEET!" he cried out, shoving more of the cake in his mouth.

Only Santo and Bruno jumped back in surprise to his sudden reaction, while the other three just laughed.

"See, told you you'd like it." Wendy teased. Van smiled lightly and walked over to interlock his hand with her's.

Carmen noticed this and stared at their hands in curiosity. "Wait.. don't tell me you two are…. a dating?" she scoffed, hinting a bit of jealousy in her voice.

Wendy blushed and stared at the floor while Van scrunched his eyebrows together, thinking hard on what to name their relationship.

"Uhh… yea… I guess." he uttered, thinking of nothing better to call it.

"Well I'd never expect that to happen Van!" she cried slyly. "Way to get him Wendy." she smirked over at the orang haired girl swaying in embarrassment. She turned over to Joshua "O, and I guess you are with Yukkiko too, right?" she mocked. "Where is she anyways?"

Joshua's face turned dark and his eyes squinted in anger. "He took her…" he uttered angrily under his breath.

Carmen stopped laughing and looked at him in confusion. "Wait… who? Is this why you are here?"

Van twitched a little in anger, his eyes deep red. "The claw…" he breathed.

"Van, come on now, not this again. You killed him remember? Sliced him in half?" she tried to inform him.

He lifted his hat to show the hatred in his eyes. "Well apparently that isn't enough now isn't it! The bastard is loose again!" Wendy flinched as he let go of her hand and stormed over to Joshua who was sulking quietly. Whipping him around he took his long blue jacket/cardigan and lifted it up to show three scars sliced into Joshua's back.

Carmen's eyes widened in shock. She staggered back a few steps falling into Santo's arms. Her fiance didn't say anything though, he just stared at the scars on Joshua's back blankly as if he was in a trance. Van eyed him suspiciously.

"Hey…Santo, you don't know anything about his man, do ya?" he asked.

Santo blinked back to reality "Uh… no… no I haven't" he murmured still in a slight daze.

Carmen lifted back up and walked up to the three. "So why did you bring me this terrible news?"

"Wa..? .. We need your help Carmen! He captured Yukkiko and is keeping her hostage!" Joshua cried out in vain.

Suddenly a thought popped up into Wendy's mind. "Hey Joshua…. how did this happen any ways?"

Joshua looked down and shuffled his feet. "Well Yukkiko and I were out on a date out in a fancy restaurant. And … suddenly the lights went out and all you could hear were bangs and crashes. Then Yukkiko screamed while the lights flicked on and I looked over to see men dragging her away. I tried to stop them but then…. " he gulped "… the claw stepped in front of me and gave me the creepiest smile… and slashed me hard on the back. I fell to the floor unconscious and when I woke back up they were gone… thankfully I was close enough to where Wendy lived, so I staggered all the way to her house." he finished.

"So, do you know where they took Yukikko?" Carmen questioned.

"Uh..no" he responded quietly.

"Where they are right now?"

"…no.."

"Where they are heading?"

"No… sorry."

Van furiously clutched Joshua's shirt and yanked it down, making him yelp in pain. Van shoved him in a corner threateningly and began to go on a tantrum.

"WHAT THE HELL! ARE YOU KIDDING ME JOSHUA? YOU DON't KNOW WHERE HE IS! YOU HAVE NO CLUE OR EVIDENCE WHAT SO EVER?"

Joshua whimpered in fright and shakily stuck his hand into his blue jacket pocket, pulling out a a strange device.

"They… they left this behind." he stammered.

Van snatched it up from his hands and observed the device carefully.

"I think it is an electronic map of their head quarters." Josh commented.

Van squinted down at it, and just nodded in agreement… he really couldn't tell what the hell it was.

"Well.. here is our lead then." he grunted tossing it back to him.

"So uh.. Caro… I mean Carmen, will you please join us to bring the whole team back together to save Yukikko?" Wendy begged.

Carmen looked up at Santo. "Let's help them honey, our wedding can wait until later." he purred, lifting up her chin with his fingers, and gently kissing her on the lips.

She sighed in defeat "I guess I could use a little more crime fighting before I get eloped." she said, laughing at her own joke. "But Santo has to come along he will be great help, he is an armor rider too!" she added enthusiastically.

Van raised an eyebrow in interest, but then lowered it back down. "He was probably one of the those dumb ass bafoons that thinks a piece of junk metal is armor." he thought rolling his eyes.

"hmhh…" he mumbled.

"Great!...well, you might as well stay here for the night." she noted looking at the falling sun.

"Perfect! And then we can all head off at morning!" Joshua chimed in.

"So… I'll just show you your bedrooms while we wait for Bruno cook! Come on you lazy asses!" she exclaimed, walking out of the hallway, gesturing for the three to follow them. "See you in a few honey!" she cooed out to her fiance.

Wendy sighed in relief "Thank gosh Carmen cooperated so easily, we already have enough things on our plate as it is." she thought to herself.

"Here's your room Wendy!" Carmen pointed to a white door.

"Thanks!" Wendy waved back at them, while they continued to walk down the hall way. Stepping into the room she flopped down on a fluffy red bed, ignoring the brilliant decor to take a long relaxing nap.

N/A: Hey guys! Hope you are liking these stories so far! Please review or critic to help me improve my writing.. or just tell me how you love or like in this story! And the adventure goes on! :D