Hey again guys! Wow, I have to say a massive THANK YOU to all who reviewed my last chapter. Seriously, thank you all so much! It really does mean a lot, so this chapter is therefore dedicated to everyone who has reviewed. While I am at it, sorry for taking so long! It has been a busy time here, but lets go forth and see what happened to Aerrow and Dark Ace then, shall we?

Aerrow struggled to open his eyes. His head hurt like hell, and if he was to be completely honest with himself he would say that he really couldn't be bothered getting up. He just wanted to still perfectly still, not be bothered in anyway and sleep.

However, he knew that that idea was pretty much useless. He was going to have to try and get up, no matter how badly his body complained. The sooner he got up, the sooner he could find out where he was and hopefully find a way out.

Aerrow gritted his teeth and heaved himself up of the cold ground. His parachute lay like a blanket below him. He carefully pulled himself into a sitting position and began a quick check of his status, while all the time looking around him. He gulped. This place, whatever it was, looked horrendous.

The trees were all dead, and bogs and swamps appeared to be everywhere, but luckily none where near him. He was instead next to a pile of rocks and boulders, and he counted his lucky stars that he hadn't landed on those, or else he wouldn't even be having these thoughts at all.

"Right, so…"Aerrow started, quickly looking at his arms and legs, " No broken bones…. Just a bloody nose and a lots of cuts and bruises, but otherwise I'm fine…" he muttered to himself, before seeing his arm. He now understood why it cut when he moved it. It must have been slashed at by a piece of machinery or something of his skimmer when they collided… When they collided!

Aerrow stopped suddenly in the process of bandaging his arm. His thoughts were slow, almost sluggish which was why it had taken him so long to remember a important fact:

He had been with the Dark Ace… they had fought…he had dragged him out of the falling skimmers… which led to an important question-

Where was he now?

Aerrow swore under his breath. This was all he needed. His arch rival missing, on this Terra… what was it called again… his thoughts were interrupted by a harsh scream of a passing vulture-like bird overhead.

"Grimius" he said, watching the evil-looking bird fly away. The worst Terre to be on in a situation like this. Picking himself of the ground and trying to stand, he was pleased to see that his body didn't fight anymore. Now he could start looking for rescue, shelter…and Dark Ace. Wherever he was.

"Well, I fell here…" Aerrow said, pointing at his parachute. "Dark Ace fell before me, so that means he could be anywhere over there…" he pointed in the opposite direction, towards the cluster of dead trees. He sighed. He didn't have anything to protect himself with; only one of his energy blades was working and it was pitiful at that, so the idea of walking into an unknown location with nothing to fight with seemed absurd.

"Dark Ace... This had really better be worth it… You'd better be seriously needing my help!" Aerrow shouted into the trees, while beginning to walk towards them. He was slightly off-balance, but that was down to his head injury.

He had reached the trees, and looking around him one more time, he hacked his way through the leafy and overgrown foliage and soon disappeared from view.

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Pain. That was all he could feel.

He opened his eyes, and looked around him. So they had made it, and had landed here in this God-forsaken Terra. But why did everything hurt so much?

Weakly turning on his side, he faintly smirked at what he saw.

"I knew that stupid piece of metal would cause me no end of problems…. So I will really enjoying killing whoever did make it loose in the first place now!" he muttered, looking at the remains of what had once been an absorption panel that was now currently pierced through his side.

"Right, my little friend. Time to clear off…" Dark Ace whispered to the piece of metal, placing his hands around it. Carefully, he tightened his grip and holding his breath (which hurt as well) he quickly tugged it out of him. He couldn't help a moan come out of his mouth as he did so. Gasping in pain, he looked at the metal piece and clumsily threw it overhead and heard it meet with some rocks behind him.

He wiped a hand over his face and saw with distaste the blood that was there when he removed it. Seriously, he thought to himself, it was like everything was out to get him.

"I blame the world in general for this, I really do…" he muttered faintly, as his eyes closed over and he slipped into unconsciousness.

He never heard the distant footsteps or the loud complaints of his travelling partner, though if he had, he probably wouldn't have been rejoicing at the sound of it.

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"Stupid trees, stupid rocks, stupid swamps….. I hate this place!" Aerrow shouted into the darkening sky above him. It seemed like days since he had started his search due to the thick bushes that where in his way and the time it had taken to traipse around the millions of bogs and swamps he had come across. Okay, maybe not millions, but it had sure seemed like that at the time!

He had seen on skimmers overhead, but he had found a cave-like place which he planned on using for shelter. He had heaved in his parachute and had left it there for when he got back. That was, of course, if he would ever get back.

"Bloody stupid…" Aerrow picked up where he left of on the rant but stopped because he heard what sounded like a moan come from only a short distance ahead of him.

"Please let that be a person, and not some type of creepy two-headed lion or something…" Aerrow muttered, carefully picking his way through the rest of the over-grown foliage. He slowly and quietly walked through the clearing, neatly managed to avoid certain death by mud when steered around a bog, and then looked ahead. What he saw scared him.

It was the Dark Ace.

But he was lying still…

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Aerrow walked quickly over to the older man's side. When he got there, he took in his condition. The dark Ace had defiantly had a rougher time that what he had had, and he clearly reflected this. His face had long and deep gashes down the sides, his nose was bleeding, and the way he was hunched over would seem to suggest that he had hurt his chest. Aerrow didn't know what to do. Should he wait, and see if the man would wake up, or should he try and speed up the process?

"Of all the people, it just had to be you!" Aerrow said with a faint smile on his face. His enemy was at his mercy, yet Aerrow didn't feel triumphant or anything. He was actually glad that he had the Dark Ace with him. If anything tried to attack them, Aerrow thanked that fact that he would have the Dark Ace with him at his side, fighting with him. He knew just how good of a fighter the man was. Perhaps they could team together and hopefully that way they would get out of this place, which was growing more scary by the second.

Aerrow was just about to give the Dark Ace a nudge when he heard coughing. He bent down and peered at the man, who stared back.

"I was about to ask where are we, but then when I saw you, I realised that it must be hell…" the Dark Ace muttered weakly with a grin. Aerrow sighed and rolled his eyes. Okay then, so maybe the whole joining up with each other was currently on hold.

"Hilarious. Come on, get up. The sooner we get out of here, the better." Aerrow retorted back. He grew slightly uneasy when he saw that the Dark Ace didn't make any motion to get up, or even to move.

"What is it? Are you hurt?" The sky knight asked, reaching over to the Cyclonian. Who simply rolled his eyes and edged away slowly from the hand approaching him.

"Kid, you seem to have forgotten that we have jumped out of skimmers, into the air, and didn't happily hug the ground. We smacked it. So forgive me if I can't get up quickly…" he broke off to cough, "And don't act all medical with me. I'm fine. Give me a minute... just bugger off!" he said, sitting up slowly and trying unsuccessfully to get up on his feet.

Aerrow glared at the older man who simply grinned his evil grin back.

"Go away, Aerrow!" he said.

"Fine. But hurry up!" was all that he said back, before getting up and walking a few steps away from the Talon Commander. He watched as the Dark Ace seemed to struggle to stand, but he eventually did and looked at the boy.

"Taa Daa…" he said, before having to grab a nearby (dead) tree to hold himself upright. Aerrow bit his lip. This wasn't good. The man was injured, but wouldn't let Aerrow get close enough to see where he was hurt. Aerrow watched as Dark Ace wiped blood of his still-bleeding face and spat out yet more blood onto the ground. Aerrow looked at him.

"My lip's split." Was all that Dark Ace said.

Aerrow took a couple of steps towards the unsteady man, who instantly put one of his hands up. The message could not be clearer: Stay away.

To Aerrow, he looked like a injured deer caught in a corner by some crazy natives of Terra Oceania. He then realised that Dark Ace must have thought that Aerrow still wanted to fight him. He couldn't help but laugh at the idea. How on Atmos would he be able to fight him if his head was bleeding, he felt that everything was fuzzy and his arm hurt? Aerrow realised that he still had the remaining energy blade in his hand. Dark Ace had nothing. It would look like Aerrow wanted to fight.

Aerrow sighed. They really didn't have time to do this. All he wanted was to drag himself and Dark Ace back to that cave, preferably before dark, and wait… for rescue. Hopefully.

"Look, Dark Ace," he started, while edging his way all the more closer to the injured man, "I'm not gonna fight with you. I just want to help, okay? We have to stick together if we wanna get out of here… so, why not start now?" he said, taking another step in front. Seeing the man tense up, Aerrow put down his energy blade on the ground. "See, I told you! I just wanna help!"

Dark Ace looked at the boy. Was he serious? Or was he only waiting for him to step forward, and then he would try and hack at him? If only his head didn't hurt so much; he could barely think. All he knew was that if Aerrow wanted to fight him, he would win. Ace was in no condition to fight. He felt…helpless. Weak.

"How do I know that you aren't gonna try and -" he started, but was forced to stop because his chest hurt. He coughed, holding onto a tree for support.

Aerrow watched the man. He made up his mind, and walked the last steps over to him and carefully put his good arm around the man to support him. Dark Ace immediately tried to push him off, but Aerrow held on.

"Get off me!"

"No. I am trying to help, and I don't want to watch you collapse in a heap in front of me." There was a pause, in which the Dark Ace continued to struggle and suddenly asked a question.

"Why do you want to help me?" Aerrow was stopped by this question. It was a good one- why did he want to help a man who was his enemy; his rival?

"Because…It's what Sky Knights do. Help others who need it. You need help. Accept it!" Aerrow said, watching as the older man stopped trying to push him off.

"Look, kid, I'm fine! Just let me walk by myself, okay?" Dark Ace muttered. He hated having to rely on people, and if people included Aerrow, well…

Aerrow reluctantly let go of the older man. "Okay, but if I feel that you need help, I'm grabbing you!"

Dark Ace burst out laughing.

"What?" Aerrow asked, annoyed.

The Dark Ace laughed again, before coughing. When he had stopped, he looked at Aerrow and said with a grin, "I never knew you swung that way, Aerrow!"

"What on Atmos do you mean?" Aerrow asked angrily. They began slowly walking, Aerrow leading the way to the cave which would be their shelter for the night.

"You said you would grab me. Seriously, you just can't contain yourself…" Dark Ace said, starting to laugh again.

Aerrow blushed, but still muttered back angrily, "That wasn't what I meant, and you know it!"

"Whatever, kid." The older man said, limping after the boy.

Aerrow rolled his eyes. This was going to be a very long day, with an even longer night ahead…

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Well my friends, how was it? You like, or hate? Let me know! Once again, thanks to all those who reviewed, I really appreciate it! And sorry again for not updating sooner! I'll try to update sooner next time, so look out for chapter seven, and even more banter with Aerrow and Dark Ace.

Toodles! xoxo