Wow, two uploads in one day! :D It's been a while since I've done that, hasn't it? I didn't think I would finish this chapter until tomorrow, but… No complaints here. XD Anyway, I got a lot of rambling out of my system earlier in the notes for Questions, so I'll just skip ahead to the review replies.

YuukixZero16-in-yellow: Thanks. :D Oh, he definitely is; he was in the regular season, thus he must be here. ;) In fact… He might even be showing up sooner than you think. ;D Sorry for the wait (at least it's a little better than last time…), but here it is! :) O-oh… *blushes* Thank you! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it; I'll try to keep it up. :)

Prince of Tennis' Shaman: *blushes* Thanks. XD I miss you, too… I'm sorry that I've been slow with messages and reviews and such… I'll try to move faster. Th-thank you… (Game Jiro: Great… Now you look like you're ready to cry.) It was indeed (with a vengeance, if I remember correctly). Ah, d-don't panic; it was only… what Jiro doesn't want us to talk about. No worries; as long as you're alright. :) (Oh, maybe a bit, Jiro, don't you think? :P) (Game Jiro: Let's see… No.) (Still no fun… XP) XD Yeah. XD Alright, then. :) (Kaede: Ah… Sorry. *sweatdrops* Oh… *blushes* I don't think anyone's ever added "-san" to my name before.) I'm sure it'll be okay; the first chapter was incredible, so I'm sure the next one will be, too. :D (Ooh, I want to see them, too!) (Game Jiro: *pinches between eyebrows*) Ah… Yes. :) Okay. Don't worry, it's alright; take your time. :) But… Unless you want to keep translating, you don't have to, since I've been translating the Spanish subs (I've been moving kind of slow with that, but still…). *sigh* Unfortunately, it does seem like I'll need to get a new one… But, I'm trying to be optimistic about it; this means I can get a DS Lite (I've still been using the original DS). XD I'll probably be able to get one sometime in December or early January; not sure when exactly… But, I'm pretty excited about it, because I'll get to play my DS games again. :D Anyway (I'm rambling again, aren't I?)… Thanks, An. :) Yeah; think those are the most descriptive notes I've had for a while. Ah, cool; I wish I could see them… but it's cool all the same. XD Oops. I knew I forgot something. *sweatdrops* When I mentioned Marumaro lifting his arms, I'd meant during his own summoning sequence for Saber Tiger. Sorry about that… Ah… Oh, well… Considering how things often happen to me, it's probably one of the episodes I haven't watched yet. XP Yes… Me, too. I actually didn't, either, but I thought that was likely how they would react (it wasn't out of character, was it?). Well… More Marumaro than Shu; he just might be having some feelings for a certain someone, so accordingly, he responded a little rashly. (Kaede: Feelings for who?) (Marumaro: N-nobody, maro!) Ah… Perhaps I am, too. XP Marumaro cares a lot for… Kluke? Well… I suppose he does; I just didn't think it was that obvious last chapter. He tried to… I think he might've felt a little bad about being quite so harsh to Jiro, and that was kind of his way of making up for it. (Shu: Was not!) (Hm… Denial. XD) Oh, dear… Is everything alright? *slightly worried* Glad to hear it. :D Ah, that's good; if it had a bit of everything, then I consider it a success. :) Yep, she will be appearing this chapter (since the preview from last chapter already revealed that, I'm not worried about spoiling it). And I'm glad for it; I've missed her while she's been gone, especially from a writer's perspective. I don't know why, but certain situations just seem easier to write when she's there… Don't worry; they've still been turning out great. :) Alright… Ah, well, don't worry about it; I'll figure something out. But, if you do happen to see it, just let me know. :)

WindGoddess Rune: Yep! :D Finally, huh? XD Really? Ah, that's good news; I hadn't thought it would be that funny, but I'm glad it was. :) I know; I haven't read it yet, but you mentioned it in some other reviews… I'm sorry it's taking me so long, but I will try to get around to replying.

Ultimashadow: Thank you! :D Don't worry; take your time. :) Looks like it. :D Suppose so… Though it is because he's worried about his sister. (Jiro: Guess it's alright…) Ah, yes… Yep; I was so happy to finally write that scene. :D Yeah, I guess it is pretty unlikely. XD Well, it would have hurt in the morning if Kaede hadn't healed him. ;) Ah… If it left you in suspense, then I'm doing my job right. ;D Really? Well… Maybe she will. Maybe she won't. ;) It'll probably be revealed this chapter, though. Alright; I'll try to do my best. :) Actually, it almost always helps me feel better, even if only for a little while, so that's how I usually manage to do it. Again, don't worry about it; just go at your own pace. :) Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. :D

Ultimashadow: Oh… I actually hadn't noticed it until I read this review. XD No problem.

Growlmon1: Glad to hear it! :D It's okay; whenever you're able to, it's fine. :) Yeah, I had a feeling he'd be that way, too, so that's something I tried to emphasize last chapter (though it's probably pretty obvious I was trying to do that). Definitely. XD And that's actually a very good prediction; you'll know what I mean later on. ;) Yes… She's pretty strong, especially considering how recently she received her Shadow… Well, maybe not exactly with General Rogi… But, then again… Ah, well, you'll see in the chapter. ;) Maybe… But I'll let you read to find out. No, if they were to fight Zola, she probably wouldn't. (Kaede: *scowling* You bet I am.) Ah… At least one should be answered. ;) Well, in that case, here's the next chapter! :D

And review replies are done! :D Still don't really have anything to say, so… I don't know how well this chapter turned out, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. With that, read on! ;D

Rogi was not having the best of days.

Something he had a great appreciation for was a clear, orderly goal, and the last week had not been a prime example of that.

The orders had all come directly from Nene, but with how haphazard they had been, Rogi seriously had his doubts.

First they were flying and trying to stay out of sight. Then they were landing to refuel the battleship. Then they were staying put until Delphinium showed up. Then after they'd gotten her, they had to wait - in the same spot - for further instructions. Then they were supposed to leave and get away from that place as quickly as possible. And finally, they were supposed to stay absolutely still - in the air - as they received some kind of special delivery from a cargo ship. (That's where he stood now - where the two ships were connected for the delivery - and waiting for this supposed cargo.)

... Was it too much to ask for Nene to make up his mind?

But... It wasn't all bad. Despite the orders being given randomly, it still had the desired effect - Nene had succeeded with whatever he'd been planning, simultaneously allowing Delphinium to board the ship undisturbed, and for them to leave directly afterwards.

So... Even if he didn't entirely know everything that Grand Kingdom's king had planned, everything seemed to be moving along nicely, which meant that there wasn't much need for Rogi to worry about-

The pain came suddenly.

He grabbed at his scar, which had started to burn. But... Why? How? Why and how could it be doing this? Unless...

Rogi's eyes widened. No... It couldn't be... It couldn't-

The door slid open, two armed Grand Kingdom soldiers walking out; from the space between their shoulders, Rogi could make out Szabo's head. The soldiers moved aside, and then Rogi saw - cradled in the Mecha Robo's arms was the unconscious, silver-haired woman.

Zola. Rogi's composure vanished instantly. "Szabo, what in the-"

"That will be enough, General Rogi." Szabo interrupted him smoothly, sounding quite smug.

Rogi paid him no heed. "What is she doing here?"

"I trust that you were informed that we would be making a delivery," Szabo continued, ignoring Rogi completely. "Your task is to keep an eye on the cargo, and if it still hasn't sunk in yet, you're looking at it."

"It is a she." Rogi ground out, wondering if maybe his past connection to Zola hadn't been severed after all.

The Mecha Robo chuckled. "Getting soft, are you?" With a slight turn of the head, he offered Zola to the nearest soldier. "Bring her to one of the confinement rooms. Don't dally - come back immediately, or we'll leave you behind."

Once the soldier had left, Rogi glared at Szabo. "Just what do you think you're doing, anyway? This is my ship - I am the one in charge here."

Szabo came as close as he could to a sneer. "We'll see about that."

The glare turned to daggers. "What did you say?"

Szabo turned his back on Rogi, chuckling. "Nothing. Just remember to watch your back, human." Szabo's chuckles turned to a full-out, malicious laughter as he re-entered through the sliding door, leaving Rogi with more questions than answers.

ロギの船 (ろぎ の ふね)/Rogi no Fune (Rogi's Ship)

Kluke swore in her head, one eye open, the other closed, teeth grinding together. How could she have been so careless?

Everything had been going fine - they'd almost been at Rogi's ship. And then, somehow, they'd wound up in a thick cloud bank.

Being in the clouds had caused static on the radar, so there would be no chance of using it to help them get back into the cloudless part of the sky. The only thing Kluke could do was keep piloting the ship and hope they managed to get out somehow, hopefully sometime soon.

"How are we going to find the ship like this?!" Bouquet wailed. "We'll never get out of here!"

"Bouquet, shut up," Jiro snapped at her on the aside, patience being worn thin, though he felt a slight bit of gratitude towards her (and a good deal of amusement) when he heard Shu's yelps as she crushed him in one of her hugs. Turning his attention forward, he said, "Don't listen to her, Kluke. Just keep your cool and do what you always do. I know you'll get us out of this."

Kluke let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Thanks, Jiro." She didn't know what had brought on his encouragement so suddenly, but she was grateful to him - her doubts about herself had evaporated, and she was more than confident enough to get them into the clear. She threw the mechat controls forward, "Hang on, guys!"

With startled shouts, the group held on tightly to the railings as the ship rocketed through the clouds, barely able to make out the grayish curves that were blurred by the speed, before most of them closed their eyes from the stinging wind.

When Shu dared to open his eyes again, just a fraction, he shouted over the storm, "I see light up ahead!"

"Come on..." Kluke whispered, to both herself and the ship. "Just a little further..."

And then they were out on the other side, the sun shining down brightly on them, but not as far away as it had been before.

"We're out!" Kluke's voice was happy, nearly laughing.

Bouquet screamed, pointing at the thing that came out of the clouds directly above them. "It's huge!!"

"That's not all that it is," Kluke said tightly, looking at the radar, which had become operational as soon as they were out of the clouds. "That's General Rogi's ship."

Rather abruptly, Cynthia was leaning against his room's doorway. "Hey, you hear about what happened?"

Andropov closed his eyes and started counting to ten. He made it to thirty-eight and wasn't any less agitated than when he'd been at one. Slowly, he said, "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."

She pushed off the doorframe, twirling once, before leaning in front of him, hands placed just above her knees. "We had a cargo delivery."

"Fascinating," the sarcasm in his voice was incredibly thick. "Now maybe you can tell me something I don't know, because unless you've recently gotten short-term memory loss, the whole squad was informed about it."

Cynthia pouted. "Come on, Andropov dear, don't be so grumpy. You didn't even give me a chance to tell you the best part."

"Maybe that's because I had actually been doing something before you decided to come and bother me." He hadn't been doing much of anything, actually - mostly just reading, and not really even paying much attention to the book besides. But, in fairness to him, with all of the craziness around the battleship, saying that Andropov had been overworked would be putting it lightly, and as such he'd been very irritable as of late.

"Hmph." She closed her eyes, tossing her head to the side. "Fine, be that way. But, you'll never find out what I was going to tell you."

"What a terrible loss." Andropov muttered, not quite under his breath.

"I heard that. And just because of that, I'm going to tell you anyway."

He arched an eyebrow. "And this is getting back at me how?"

Cynthia let out a gusty sigh. "The cargo is a person. Zola."

Andropov's head shot up. "What?"

"Zola. You know, the woman who leads those Shadow User kids." And that haughty little brat Bouquet, she added in her head. She started examining her nails. "Also, General Szabo supposedly said something to upset Rogi-sama, so he isn't in a very good mood right now."

Andropov only grumbled, "He isn't the only one..."

"Hold on, everyone! I'm going to bring us closer!" Kluke told them.

"We have to be careful!" Kaede shouted over the engine. "We'll be able to sneak by for a little while because the mechat looks like one of theirs, but they'll figure out pretty soon that we aren't one of them!"

Jiro nodded, noting how they were especially close to the ship now. "We'll make it quick, then. It'll go better if we move fast anyway-"

"What the heck?" Shu unintentionally cut him off. "What..." Without another word, he started striding towards the back of the mechat. When the others looked to see what he was doing, they saw that he'd knelt down by their bags and started pushing them aside until he found what he'd seemingly been looking for - he yanked Kaede's bag away from the pile. But the thing that caught their attention, and what had caught Shu's initially, was that the bag glowed brightly.

Kaede rushed forward, taking it out of his hands. "What happened to my bag?..." Then, an idea struck her, one that seemed crazy enough that it might actually be true. She stuffed her hand inside, shuffling through her belongings until she came across it, and bringing it out of the bag, discovered that she'd been right after all.

Marumaro voiced what Kaede had been thinking. "The mural piece is glowing, maro!"

Bouquet's eyes widened. "Why is it doing that?"

Jiro stared at it for a moment, then asked, "Kaede, can I see that for a moment, please?"

"Sure." She placed it in her brother's palm.

Jiro turned it over in his hands a few times, then looked around a little before turning his attention back to the stone. Suddenly, he snapped his head upwards, looking at the battleship with a mixture of stun and astonishment. "No way... I don't believe it..."

"What is it, Jiro?" Shu looked up as well, albeit being unable to find whatever his rival had.

"This... might sound a little crazy..." Jiro started. "... But I think it's glowing because we're near the Extra Seven."

Kaede put a hand under her chin. "Oniichan, I think you're right about that. I remember reading some ancient text that seems like it proves this-" She didn't get to finish her explanation.

From the ship's speaker came the voice of a Grand Kingdom soldier. "Unknown mechat, identify yourself immediately."

"Now what do we do?!" Bouquet whispered loudly.

Shu grabbed fistfuls of his hair, moving his hands about his head frantically, eyes scrunched shut. "Oh man, they're gonna get us!"

"Would you two stop panicking?!" Jiro hissed at Shu and Bouquet.

"Stop panicking?!" Shu all but shrieked at him. "They've spotted us, and they'll figure out we're not on their side in just a couple of minutes! So, in case you haven't noticed, we're all going to die!!"

"Not if I can help it, maro!" Marumaro rushed to the machine gun. "I never miss, maro!"

The four group members, excluding Kaede, remembering the last time he'd said that, simultaneously yelled, "Marumaro, wait-!"

Marumaro opened fire. "Da, da, da, da, da, da!" The gun was halfway to overheating before he actually managed to hit the ship, and even then the only thing he managed to damage was a window; the remaining half of the ammunition only went through the glass he had just broken, and went straight through without even touching the sharp edges.

When the window broke, Andropov yelped and Cynthia screamed. When the second wave came through, Andropov snatched his communicator off his desk and dived to the ground, dragging Cynthia down with him. They landed mercifully next to the glass, and not on top of it.

Cynthia gritted her teeth. "What the he-"

"Rogi-sama!" Andropov shouted into his communicator, inadvertently cutting off Cynthia's swearing. "Someone has fired on us! We're under attack! I repeat, we are under attack!"

"Marumaro, you idiot!" Jiro shouted at him.

"I had to protect everyone, maro!" Marumaro argued.

Bouquet shouted in frustration. "The only thing you did was let them know we aren't on their side!"

"It'll be okay, though!" Shu cut through. "All we have to do is get in, get the Extra Seven, and get out as fast as we can!"

"Oh, now he isn't panicked..." Jiro muttered acidly.

Kluke nodded. "Sounds like a plan, Shu! Hang onto something, everyone - I'm going to ascend, and I'm going to do it fast!"

This wasn't hard for the rest of them to do - at the rate that Kluke accelerated the mechat, if they hadn't held onto anything, they very well might've fallen off.

She held the mechat relatively still near the top of the Rogi's ship. They managed to dodge the turrets on the battleship's side easily, but that wasn't what worried Kluke at the moment - it was the mechats that they would soon be sending out to deal with them first hand.

"The glow got brighter as we moved!" Shu informed them. "That must mean that we moved closer to the Extra Seven."

Kaede folded her arms, eyes closed and deep in thought. "Well, it certainly seems possible..." Any more musings were abruptly cut off.

"Darling!" Bouquet screamed when Shu leapt onto the mechat railing, crouched down on it and looking like he was about to jump off at any second.

"Shu, are you crazy, maro?!" Marumaro shouted.

"Considering that this is Shu we're talking about," Jiro had shut his eyes tightly, unable to watch, though he was still unsure if this was caused by Shu's stupidity or some kind of sympathy for the untimely death his rival was probably about to have, "I'd say that's something of a moot point."

"Yeah, thanks for that, Jiro." Shu said shortly.

"Behind us!" Bouquet pointed in the direction; when everyone turned, they saw three mechats coming towards them.

"Marumaro, open fire on them!" Jiro urged. "Kluke, we have to send out some missiles; I'll give you a hand!" Jiro had started moving towards her. But not quite fast enough.

A mechat had been positioned behind the battleship, where they wouldn't be able to see it, but it came out of hiding now - and immediately launched its missiles.

The projectile connected, though not directly enough for it to be serious, but enough of a hit to rock the ship.

From where Bouquet landed on the floor, she saw that he had stood. "Shu, don't!"

The one thought in his head: Just hang on a little longer, Zola. And then, he jumped, bracing himself for the impact.

End of Part One

*eyecatch of Shu and Blue Dragon*

Beginning of Part Two

When Shu had leapt from the ship, he'd imagined in his head a graceful, flawless landing, complete with a backflip or two, something fancy to impress the girls.

... That was not how it went.

His head smacked so hard against the side of the ship that he couldn't tell which of them had been injured (himself or the ship), and he'd had a somewhat painful, if difficult to describe, landing on his knee that left it slight bloody. In summarization, his entire body ached, reminding him of himself at five years old when he'd jumped out of a tree and landed stomach-first in the large pond on the outskirts of Talta (the experience had left him fervently wishing he hadn't taken off his shirt, presuming, correctly, that if he'd been wearing it, his landing wouldn't have hurt quite so much).

Through the blood pounding in his ears, he thought he heard Jiro shouting at him... Something along the lines of him being a "complete and utter fool". His knee gave a sudden ache, as if it was agreeing with his rival, and he was half-tempted to agree himself.

Shu suddenly became aware of the fact that he was hanging on for his life, since at that very moment he started to slide down slightly. He secured his grip as best he could, using both hands and feet in a desperate search for a better place to hold onto.

He heard a mechat coming closer behind him, and immediately snapped his head to the left - he let out a breath of relief when he saw that it was the others and not the enemy.

Shu only had to hold on for a minute or two more; as soon as they'd disembarked, Marumaro and Bouquet rushed over to help him up. Once he was safely on the top of the ship, Bouquet started crying and threw her arms around his neck (he battled with himself to keep his cheeks from reddening), while Marumaro reiterated that he was completely nuts for jumping ship.

He managed to pry Bouquet off of him just in time to see Kluke stalking towards him. He opened his mouth-

"Don't." She held up a single finger. "You messed up the plan, and there's nothing you can say."

"The plan isn't messed up!" Shu shot to his feet, wincing at the pressure applied to the leg with the injured knee. "It's just a little... altered."

Kluke spread her arms out. "We're on top of the ship. Tell me, how exactly are we supposed to get inside?"

"Like this!" Before any of them could really register what he'd meant by that, he'd run over to the side of the ship, summoned Blue Dragon, and promptly jumped.

Jiro swore, though quietly so Kaede wouldn't hear. Did Shu ever think before he did anything?

When they heard glass shatter, all of them hurried to the edge, peering over just in time to see Shu and Blue Dragon flying through one of the now-broken floor-to-ceiling windows.

Jiro placed a hand at his temple, the location of a forming headache. "He's impossible."

Kluke sighed. "We'd better follow him, before he gets himself killed. Phoenix!" She brought out her Shadow, and after everyone had gotten on, flew down after Shu.

Andropov yanked open the door to his room, Cynthia running alongside him as they made their way down the hall. He yelled into his communicator, "Schneider! Lemaire! Gilliam! Prepare for battle, then report to Rogi-sama immediately!"

There were three concurrent yells of "Roger!", and then Andropov turned off the device, putting all of his effort into speeding down the hall, trying to ignore how tired he felt as he turned the corner - and came to a sliding halt.

That boy, the one with his hair tied up. The Shadow User boy, Shu. "You!" His shout sounded accusatory.

Andropov narrowed his eyes. "I could say the same."

Before either boys had a chance to do anything but glare, Phoenix swooped down into the area, entering from the broken window, stopping the flight to let her passengers off.

Bouquet yelped as she caught sight of Cynthia. "Oh, no! Not her again!"

Kaede got into a fighting stance. "Don't worry; I'll take care of this!" She summoned Panda, and after a "pyon", used their attack to create, as she'd done a short while before, a wall of fire.

Andropov grabbed Cynthia's arm, pulling her backwards away from the fire; both of them staggered slightly. He glared through the blaze; even with the waving flames partially obscuring the view, he could see the Shadows being unsummoned before the kids ran. (Well... Not that he was much older, but that wasn't the point.) "We'll have to go around. It takes longer, but it'll take even more time to extinguish this."

Cynthia thrust out her arm, pointing. "But, they're getting away! Bouquet is getting away-!"

"Would you put aside that nonsense about that girl for a second?" Andropov interrupted her. "You're getting obsessive about that, by the way," this part he added under his breath, but apparently not quiet enough, since Cynthia scowled at him, "We can't waste anymore time talking about this, though. Even if we have to go around, we have to get to Rogi-sama, and fast - the Shadow Users are heading straight towards the Extra Seven."

Though it had previously been mentioned, it seemed worth repeating: Rogi was not having the best of days.

As the soldier finished his report, the last detail being how the children had just entered the ship, Rogi's hands tightened on folded arms. Their ship had been practically shot down, yet they still managed to infiltrate his battleship... And they'd managed this feat without Zola... Perhaps he had underestimated them.

"That will be all." Szabo said to the soldier, bringing Rogi sharply out of his musings. "Return to your post." After the man had left, the Mecha Robo shook his head. "I'd hoped to be out of here by now, but it's become apparent to me that I'll need to stay until this issue has been dealt with. It's obvious that you are incapable of handling it on your own."

Rogi gripped the hilt of his sword; it took a great deal of willpower to not draw it. "I have the situation well in hand, Szabo. I would hate for you to be so inconvenienced - please, feel free to leave at any time." It would be a blessing to all of us, especially me. This he didn't voice, no matter how much he wanted to, though from the narrow look that Szabo gave him, it seemed that the message had leaked out anyway.

Before the badly-disguised, wordless exchange could continue, another soldier rushed towards them, out of breath and panicked. He saluted shakily. "Sirs, forgive my interruption, but I have urgent news!"

Rogi cleared his throat. "Report."

"The, uh... cargo... prisoner, er... the, uh, the woman," he brightened a little, seeming relieved that he'd found likely the safest description, but the relief was short-lived.

"Out with it!" Szabo snapped at him.

The soldier yelped. "Sh-she has escaped! Th-the woman has escaped!"

"This way!" Kaede directed them down the turn. They didn't have that schematic, but she knew better than they did how Grand Kingdom had their layouts, so she'd wound up being the one who lead them through Rogi's ship.

She didn't tell them how unfamiliar it seemed, how she was unsure if she would be able to find the Extra Seven. They'd let her do this because they had faith in her, and hope in the stolen pages themselves, and she wouldn't be the one to take that away. Instead, she wracked her brain, straining to remember nights when Nene had shown her maps of forts, outposts and such just before bed...

She immediately swallowed the lump that had made a sudden home in her throat. Back then, Nene had not been an enemy, but one she called friend. He had not been known to her as the one responsible for her parents' deaths. And at that time, she'd thought her brother had been dead as well. She glanced to the side, where he ran beside her, then looked forward again, this time with determination. No. I'm going to find it. For Jiro's sake, I'll find it.

Marumaro's voice cut through her thoughts. "Kaede, your pocket, maro!"

Her eyes darted downwards, and were immediately met with the sight of her side glowing. The mural piece that she'd tucked away. "We must be close!"

Shu was suddenly on the other side of her; he must have started moving faster. "Then let's hurry up so we can get it!"

Lemaire looked over his shoulder as Andropov and Cynthia came running (and out of breath) towards the rest of the squad; his blue eyes were filled with amusement. "What took you?"

"Shove off, Lemaire," Cynthia snapped at him. "You know what."

"Ah. Of course." He nodded, eyes closed, smirking. "I believe Andropov might have said something about how both of you were stopped by a measly little fire."

"Why, you..." She growled at him.

"For the record," Andropov was still attempting to catch his breath, for the most part failing, "that's not what I said."

"That's enough," Rogi spoke before any of them had another chance to, "all of you. Time is of the essence." After the three of them had straightened and quieted, Rogi continued. "Schneider, Andropov, you two will be coming with me to search for our escapee. Szabo is searching for her as well, but I'm sure that all of you know I won't just stand around and leave it to him alone. As for the rest of you, you'll be hurrying to the location of the Shadow User children, and doing whatever you can to prevent them from retrieving the Extra Seven." His eyes scanned the squad. "Is all of this clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The five voices blended together, echoing upward, exuding readiness for the battle that likely lay ahead.

Shu was the one to grab the door's handle, swinging it open... Then stopping. Staring.

"Maro..." Marumaro breathed, even he being awed by the sight of the Extra Seven, which seemed to have that power even from a distance.

"Hey!" From the corner, a Grand Kingdom scientist pointed at them. "What are you doing in here?!"

"Wait a minute..." The other scientist's eyes widened with realization. "Those must be the intruders! Hurry," he started towards where the Extra Seven pages were contained in hanging glass cases. "We mustn't let them take the Extra Seven!" But he was already too late.

Before either side had registered it, Jiro had brought out Minotauros and charged forward. "Seiha!"

The electrical attack didn't harm the scientist - he jumped backwards in fear before it had a chance to hit him.

But it did shatter the cases; the pages fell to the ground in a rain of sparkling, shattered glass.

"If I were you," Jiro spoke to the Grand Kingdom workers, while Minotauros sneered at them, "I wouldn't move."

"We have to hurry and grab them!" Kaede sped over to where the pages lay among the broken glass, kneeling down to collect them. The paper crinkled as she picked it up, just from touch alone seeming to emanate their ancient age.

Kluke and Bouquet quickly grabbed up the pages that Kaede hadn't, and then the six of them were slowly backing up, keeping a careful eye on the two scientists; both of the men looked angry about the Extra Seven being taken, but too frightened to do anything about it.

"Sorry, but we've gotta run," Minotauros gave a short wave. "We'll pay you back for the broken cases."

Jiro sighed, shutting his eyes, eyebrow twitching. "Minotauros, really."

The Shadow snickered. "Nothing wrong with being courteous."

"There's also such a thing as a time and place." Jiro shook his head, then cut off the not-exact conversation by unsummoning Minotauros (who complained in the form of a small shout before he disappeared in the shimmering blue light). With one last glance at the cowering scientists, Jiro followed the others out of the room.

Rogi's anger made itself clear with every footfall - though he was too occupied with the current emotion to have noticed, both Schneider and Andropov had taken note of his bad temper, and had accordingly put a slight space between themselves and the general - as well as being made clear in the tight set of his jaw. He'd just been trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Zola was even here, and then she'd somehow fled... The only bright side he could find in the situation was that it had made Szabo cross.

Just then, a blast of yellow energy in front of them sent all of them to the ground. As Rogi got to his knees, he could've sworn that he'd seen and heard the flutter of dark purple wings that vanished around a corner.

Zola... His eyes narrowed. So, she thought she could best him, did she? Well, he would see to that.

Schneider grunted as he sat up. "Andropov, are you alright?"

"Honestly? No, and I haven't been for a week," Andropov joined him, settling into a crouch. "But if you want to know if I'm fit for battle, then yes, I'll manage."

"Good," Rogi stood. "Because when we catch her, she'd better be prepared for a fight."

Shu let out a joyful whoop, in his celebration nearly bumping into Kluke (who slowed down from the run just enough to momentarily glare at him). "Yeah! We actually took back the Extra Seven!"

"Don't get cocky," Jiro chided him. "We're not out of here yet."

"Stop being so negative all the time! We got the pages back, and we're going to keep them no matter what - let Grand Kingdom do their worst!"

"I have a feeling we're all going to regret him saying that..." Jiro muttered under his breath.

It didn't take long for Jiro to be proved right.

Their senses were keen enough to see it coming, so the six of them were able to quickly press themselves against the wall before a rain of razor-sharp feathers from the other end of the hall had a chance to harm them. When all of the dark gray plumes had passed, some distance away, they could see Gilliam and his Shadow, Uphir.

Marumaro pointed. "It's that guy again, maro!"

Jiro cursed. "It's a trap. Come on!" Whirling around, he sprinted the way they'd come from. "Let's try to loose them!"

Bouquet practically wailed as she heard the members of Rogi's squad getting close. "They're going to catch us!"

"Keep running!" Kaede urged. "Let's try to go back to where we came in! We'll just go out that way!"

They took several turns in an attempt to shake them, but to no avail - the three opposing Shadow Users seemed to get closer by the second. Gilliam's Shadow cawed every so often, as if it were taunting them.

Another turn, and then they saw it - the broken window. "There it is!" Shu dashed towards it.

"Oniichan!" Kaede cried fearfully.

Kluke turned at the younger girl's exclamation, and then her eyes were widening in panic. "Jiro, look out!"

He looked behind him, just in time to see Lemaire and his Shadow about to strike him down.

"Hornet Assassin!"

The attack exploded against the ground, bringing up smoke. A few seconds afterwards, Jiro took his arm away from his eyes, discovering that the smoke closest to him had cleared just slightly. Enough to make out a person.

Enough to make out their long, silver hair.

"It's her." He heard Kaede say bitterly from behind him.

"Zola..." The pain, the longing, the relief in his voice, and their severity, took him completely off guard.

"Jiro!" Zola held onto his shoulder firmly, worry evident in her eyes. She felt him leaning into her touch, and wondered if maybe he needed to know she was there just as much as she did for him. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "I'm fine... And you? Did they... hurt you at all?"

A quick shake of the head. "Not really. But... Jiro, I..." She swallowed with difficulty. "Jiro, I'm sorry. For what happened in Nene's Fortress."

He held onto the hand that still held his shoulder in a secure grip, one that, though he wouldn't say it, he found to be extremely comforting. And one that he had dearly missed. "Don't think anything of it. That wasn't your fault; you couldn't stop what happened."

Both of them snapped their heads toward what was behind Zola when they heard the sound of Gilliam's voice. Zola turned to him again urgently. "I want to go with you... but I can't-"

"But, we can get you out of here!" Jiro interrupted, sounding desperate.

Zola shook her head. "Not yet. It isn't safe to try it yet. Trust me on this."

Jiro gazed at her for a moment, then nodded mutely, miserably.

"Did you find the Extra Seven?" When Jiro confirmed this, she continued, "Then, I have something to tell you about the pages. You must translate the Extra Seven. It will be difficult, but necessary; it will help you discover your Shadow's true potential. Once you've done so, travel to every place that each of you were born in, and when you're there, locate the ruins of the Shadows. That is where each of you will face a trial, and if you succeed, will gain your Power Ups. Once all six of you have received your new powers, you should be strong enough to face Nene and defeat him." Her eyes searched his. "Do you understand, Jiro?"

He nodded. "Yes. But... Will we really be strong enough?"

She smiled sadly. "That will be up to all of you."

"I won't let you down, Zola." His eyes shone with determination. "I promise you, I won't let you down."

A yell from behind them. "Don't let them get away!" Cynthia sounded furious.

Zola pushed him towards the others. "Go!"

"Zola!" Shu, who had been in shock at seeing Zola (as most of the others had been), finally snapped out of it and ran towards her - but was stopped by Jiro's arms around his waist, holding him back. "Jiro, let go of me!"

Jiro raised his eyes to Zola's. "Be careful."

"You, too. And..." She met Shu's gaze, which caused him stop struggling, then looked to Jiro again; this time, he could see the sadness that was badly hidden behind ice blue. "Watch over them." With that, she ran towards the trio of squad members, who'd started towards her as well.

"No! Zola!" Shu started kicking out again with renewed vigor, even as Jiro dragged him backwards.

"Kluke, bring out Phoenix and get ready to take flight!" Jiro instructed over his shoulder. "We're getting out of here!"

"No, we can't! Jiro, stop! Stop!!" He pushed against the arm that held him, but Jiro was steadfastly unwilling to let go. "Zola!! Zola!!" This last cry echoed, telling of the tears that could no longer be held back, mourning the friend that had been left behind.

"You're very hard to find, Zola." Rogi took several steps toward her. His face showed almost no emotion. "Very hard to find."

Zola didn't even bother struggling against the soldier who held her arms behind her back. She lifted her head, several strands of hair rolling over her shoulder. Their eyes met in a challenge of who would flinch away first; neither seemed like they would be giving up anytime soon. "I thought you would've figured that out after all this time."

A corner of his mouth upturned. "I suppose I should know better, shouldn't I?"

"We have to land as soon as possible," Kluke said, having found the courage to break the silence that had been pressing down on them, suffocating them, ever since Shu had stopped screaming himself hoarse. "The damage that the mechat sustained isn't bad, but it will be if we push it."

"I think there might be a village or two near the mountains." Kaede offered quietly.

And then the silence was back full force, just as heavy, and neither girl had the will to push it off and away.

Jiro blinked against the way his eyes stung, telling himself that it was just the wind. When that didn't work, he told himself that it was from sitting on the cold, metal floor of the ship.

He still hadn't let go of Shu. He didn't know why, but he couldn't bring himself to. Maybe it was because they were both apprentices to Zola in a way that the others weren't. Maybe it was because her absence hurt them far more than anyone else in the group.

And maybe it was because of those things that the two were the only ones they could take comfort in. A silent comfort, a bitter one, a sorrowful one - one that was mortared together by a rivalry and the knowledge that someone else just understood.

"We left her..." Shu had finally spoken, and it made everyone freeze. "We left her again..."

And then Jiro could feel him quaking, and knew instantly that it was from crying. But, after a minute, he could tell that from listening, too.

Shu had never been very good at muffling sobs.

"But we have the Extra Seven," Jiro said softly, knowing that it was a pitiful consolation, but thinking that perhaps it could be enough to sustain. If nothing else, when it came to Shu, it was possibly the kindest tone he'd ever used. It had to count for something, then, didn't it? "So pull yourself together. It's time to make her proud."

End of Part Two

*eyecatch of Jiro and Minotauros*

Chapter Preview

*cue scenes from next chapter in background*

Narrator: The Shu-tachi have finally taken back the Extra Seven. However, the translation process may prove to be more difficult than they're prepared for.

Shu: Man, this is even worse than schoolwork!

Kluke: Stop complaining; it's bad enough as it is.

Bouquet: Hey, who's that little boy that keeps following Shu?

Shu: Ugh, now what…?

Kaede: Hey… Who's following me? Wait… is that… Maro-kun?

Marumaro: I-I just wanted to tell you something, maro…

Jiro: You'd better not do anything to my sister!

Narrator: Next chapter of Blue Dragon: Maple Leaf – Preparations.

… And chapter three is done! :D I'm glad that's finally done… I'm a bit worried about if it turned out good or not… But that's pretty normal. ;) I still don't really have anything to say, except for what I usually say at the end of a chapter. I think that's my cue, so… If you can, please review! I'll try to update after 10 hits, but updating is mostly decided by the poll on my profile. Unlike the upload of Questions, this time the poll results WILL be cleared, so please remember to vote again (or for the first time, if you like)! And, that's everything I have to mention. See you soon, and happy Thanksgiving ("happy belated" if it's past midnight where you live… XD)! :D