Disclaimer: See previous chapter

Chap. 3

Void...

'Where... What...is...this place...?'

There was nothing but darkness as far as his eyes could see. And there were sounds. Faint, indistinguishable, at least at first. But it soon began to grow louder and more distinct, becoming sounds he was all too familiar with it.

Screams...

He whirled his head abut, trying to locate the source. But they seemed to be coming from everywhere. Screams of terror and pain echoed all around. He lifted his hands up to his ears and shut his eyes tightly, trying to block out the ever increasing sounds. But despite his efforts, they continued to resound in his mind.

'What is this?'

"Destroy them all."

'That voice!' Eyes opening, Ky looked around to find himself surrounded by flames. Houses were ablaze as the fire consumed everything. In the distance, Ky saw a figure standing amid the flames. A tall, white armored creature with hair as fiery as the flames that surrounded it. A creature Ky knew all too well.

"Justice!"

The commander gear slowly turned toward the officer, sinister eyes settling upon him and a dark chuckle escaping her throat. Various other shadows soon flanked around her, stabbing at the ground and tossing into the flames what Ky recognized as human bodies. Enraged, Ky moved his hand to grab hold of his sword, only to find that it wasn't there. Whirling about, he couldn't find his weapon anywhere on his person or in sight.

Krrrrkkkk!

Suddenly, a deformed arm lurched out of the ground and grabbed hold of his leg. As Ky turned to look in surprise, another hand shot out and grabbed his other leg. In moments, more hands came out and grabbed Ky in various areas of his body. Ky tried to fight them off, but their grip held and they slowly began to drag him down into the ground. The laughter of Justice continued on and screams resounded with them as Ky desperately reached out into the sky to grab something...anything, to stop him from sinking.

And then his hand took hold of something...

It was another hand, he felt that clearly enough. However, it was very different from his own. It was soft, easily delicate. Yet it held him securely and firmly, pulling him out of the sea of grotesque limbs. Ky tried to look up at his rescuer, but a bright light from behind obscured his vision. But it didn't stop him from gasping at the sight. He couldn't make it out clearly, but he was certain of the shape.

Wings...

"Mr. Kiske..."

Sitting beside him once again, Dizzy continued to try and soothe Ky. It was nightfall now and Ky had been sleeping throughout the remainder of the day. But it wasn't a peaceful sleep as those who checked on him could attest to. In fact, if not for the medicine he received, it would have been doubtful that he would be asleep at all. Oftentimes, his head would thrash about and his face would twist in discomfort.

Such was the case now as Dizzy took her turn to watch over him. She had seen like this already, but he seemed to be in greater duress that than before. Once again, Dizzy moved to replace the cloth on his head. His fever had fallen, but his head was still quite warm. Just as she was about to place the cool cloth back on his head, his mouth began moving. No words were coming out, but the agitation on his face increased.

'A nightmare...?'

Dizzy remained still as she watched Ky beginning the thrash about in his sleep, but only at first. Lowering the cloth, she instead reached to his face and placed her hand on his cheek, hoping to slowly wake him up out of his dream. Soon enough, he began to grow still and his eyes opened; half-lidded and gazing up at her dazedly.

"Are...you...an angel?"

Dizzy blinked. 'An...angel...?' She looked at the young man questioningly. 'Maybe he is still sick, like before.' Her hand began to lift from his cheek, but she was surprised when his hand weakly lifted up and took hold of her arm.

"Please...don't..." he choked.

The gear blinked and took a slow glance at his hand, which was still gripped to her arm. It wasn't threatening in any way, but Dizzy felt...unsure. She didn't understand why he was reacting this way to her. Reaching to his hand, she softly pried it off her arm and rested it back on the bed. But before moving her other hand away, she lightly brushed it against his cheek

"Just rest now. I'll be here."

That seemed to be enough because Ky's eyes soon closed again and he fell back to sleep. His slumber seemed to be restful this time and Dizzy quietly rose up to leave. But upon standing up, she found herself reaching to his cheek again. Ky didn't react the same way as before, but his face did tilt into her palm, and a contented smile grazed his feature. Once again, she was unsure about his actions. But even more, she was confused about her own actions.

And yet, she didn't move away from him for awhile...

"May?"

The next morning, Dizzy went in search of the Mayship's second-in-command. Currently, she was in her quarters, a nice room half covered with teddy bears and other such toys. For many, it was hard to believe that such a child was a capable fighter and commander and seeing her room did little to enforce that idea. But Dizzy knew all too well of her friend's strength of will and character, which is what she was hoping for a little of now.

"Hey, Dizzy." May replied cheerfully to her guest. "What's up?"

Slinging her tail to the side, Dizzy sat down on one of the bigger teddy bears. She wasn't sure why, but she started to feel uncomfortable about speaking right now. Her hands folded together as she began to speak.

"What is...an angel?"

May blinked at the question. "An angel?"

The young gear nodded her head. "Yes. Last night, Ky woke up and he wondered if I was an angel."

May's eyes widened and a huge smile came over her face. "Really? That is so sweet!"

Now Dizzy was confused. 'Sweet? What does she mean?' But as these thoughts went about her head, May continued on, her smile fading a bit as her eyes lifted in afterthought.

"Oh. But he was still sick. And you said he had just woken up. He must have been dreaming."

"Perhaps." Dizzy replied, breaking through her friend's rant. "But I would still like to know."

"Honestly, I'm not really sure." she answered in resignation. "I only know that some people use it when they're talking about pretty ladies." With a sigh, she added quietly to herself. "I wish Johnny could call me that."

"...Oh, really?"

Noticing that Dizzy's voice lowered, May looked back up at her and nearly gasped in delight. 'She's blushing!' Indeed, the cheeks of the gear were a light shade of pink. Obviously, May's statement had affected her so. 'Oh that is so cute!'

"Maybe you should ask him." May suggested, grinning all the while. "You know, when he's a little better."

"Okay." Smiling, Dizzy rose up from her seat. "Thank you, May."

"Sure thing. Just tell me how it turns out, okay?"

"Okay. I will."

As Dizzy left, May began to giggle to herself. Ideas were already swirling in her head as she thought about her friend's current reactions as well as their sick and injured guest.

'Too cute!'