Author's Note: Well, here's the next chapter! :)

Enjoy!


Aerrow raced across the Saharr desert, avoiding small mountains that were randomly scattered across the Terra plain. Radarr looked back, giving out a sound of concern to his owner.

"I know, I know." Aerrow reassured his pet, speeding up as much as he could. The speedometer on his Skimmer started ticking, throttling back as the bike itself started to give out some smoke along with a few sparks. "Don't worry. Like I always say: it's the rider, not the ride." he reassured the creature with a smile, continuing on after bouncing off a pillar.

He looked back to see a group of riders behind him, "Here they come." he said, trying to stay ahead. "Come on, baby, come on!" he begged his Skimmer, but it was no use. The Skimmer gave out, sparking as it began to smoke up even more. He grabbed Radarr, abandoning the ride.

After hitting the ground, he looked up to see all the other riders stopping by him, one heavily built man approaching him, "If you wanna win the race tomorrow, get a better ride." the man said with an unusually high-pitched voice.

The other riders laughed at the teen before continuing on. Aerrow managed to get his Skimmer back to the camp for Stork to take a look at.

"So the other Sky Knights totally blew past you in the practice run, big deal! The Storm Hawks always win the Great Race!" Finn reassured Aerrow.

"Have I ever told you that you're completely idiotic?" Flame asked the blonde teen. Aerrow had asked her to tag along with them as she had mentioned that the last time she attended the Great Race was when she was around their age.

"Always what?" a tall, buff man asked Finn, "The race hasn't been run in ten years. I bet you new pups aren't half as good as the old Storm Hawks." he taunted Finn, crossing his arms with a smile.

"Oh really?" Finn replied, Aerrow's hand being put in front of him and told to let it go.

"Don't bother, Aerrow. He never listens." Flame reminded the redhead.

Finn continued on, "I'd be willing to bet anything on Aerrow."

"Really?" the man said, quite entertained now, "Then how 'bout this: if your boy doesn't leave Saharr wearing the Crystal Amulet, you wash our Carrier for a year." he suggested.

Piper laughed as she walked closer to the dirty airship, "Hah, a year of Finn doing all the cleaning?" she asked, looking at Flame, "That's gonna be one dirty Carrier!" she said, the two girls bursting out in laughter, which only agitated Finn further.

"You're on!" Finn said, closing the deal with the man.

Piper looked at Flame with some concern, but the lone Sky Knight didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

"Relax!" Finn said, "Aerrow's a Storm Hawk! There's no way he can lose!"


Stork pulled up his protective and unnecessary welding helmet, "There's no way he can win." the Merb finalized.

"What do you mean?!" Finn asked.

"It's a simple matter of gimbal rotation in gyroscopic precession." Stork elaborated.

"Uh...once again, what do you mean?" Finn asked, being smacked over the head by Flame almost immediately afterward.

"Aerrow's ride isn't fast enough." Piper simplified.

"You know, I thought the 'dumb blonde' stereotype only pertained to females," Flame spoke, "You've proven me wrong on many occasions."

"Stop being a—"

"A what?" Flame asked the teen, leaning closer to him as if she were daring him to say it, causing him to stay silent.

A couple racers caught their attention as they took off for another practice run and Finn sighed, slumping a little.

"Hey, it's the rider, not the ride." Aerrow said, "I'll be fine with I got." he smiled.

"Easy for you to say! You lose, you'll just end up crashed somewhere in the desert. Me?! I'll be humiliated!" Finn said, holding his hand to his face as Aerrow's Skimmer suddenly fell apart.

"You already do that on a daily basis to yourself, Finn." Flame chuckled, walking out to visit the tavern. Finn followed her in.

"I'll have a glass of wine, Sauvignon, if you have it." she told the bartender.

Finn ordered his meal, but even though it was in front of him, his mind was stuck on the deal he so irrationally made earlier.

"You did it to yourself, Finn." Flame spoke, "Sometimes, you can't let your emotions get the best of you."

"Easy for you to say, Flame. You're a Sky Knight and was given the task of being the sole protector of Atmosia."

"That has nothing to do with having more control over your senseless decisions. You need to learn how to think more; process the possible pros and cons of a decision before you make it." she smiled, but it only caused the teen to sigh again.

"Cheer up, buddy!" Junko said, grabbing Finn's plate of food and gobbling it down.

Finn lifted his finger to order again, but his attention was drawn to the strongman he made a deal with earlier.

"I'd save your money," the man said, "'Cause you're gonna need it to buy yourself some soap and sponges when your boy loses!" he finished laughing along with his two friends.

Finn sarcastically mocked their laughter, "Laugh it up. You'll be singing a different tune when the race is over."

"Finn." Flame said, but he ignored her as usual. She questioned herself as to why she even bothered giving him advice just mere moments ago.

"Well, it might sound different, because I'll be singin' it in my freshly cleaned Cruiser!" he said with a smile, walking away with his pals.

Finn sighed, grabbing the attention of the waiter, "Better make the next one a double." Finn said, his attention being quickly drawn to a coin being tossed onto the bar.

"Allow me," a mysterious man said with a smile, "I think you and I can help each other out." he said, stopping the coin from spinning on the wooden surface. Junko and Finn looked at each other before returning their eyes on the man, Flame staying silent.


"That's as fast as I can make it with what we have on hand." Stork said to Aerrow and Piper with a short, nervous chuckle, closing the hood of the Skimmer, "Now, if I just had a power amp." he spoke to himself, screaming in excitement when Junko placed just that on the Skimmer, the Merb hugging the piece of equipment.

"How did you..." Piper started, but was cut off.

"Easy!" Finn said, "Junko and I swapped our Crystal Converters for it.

Flame stepped in, looking at Piper and the two shook their heads before looking back at the blonde.

"Oh, I know that look. You're about to tell me this is a bad idea."

Piper and Aerrow had a shocked expression on their faces when Junko ripped out the machinery from his ride.

"Yeah, I know without the Crystal Converters, our rides are less than useless, but don't worry. I got it covered." he said, trying to reassure them, grabbing the amp from Stork—to the Merb's dismay, "This amp will make Aerrow the fastest racer out there, so I'll get our Converters back from that Purple Knight of Xerxxes...and more when Aerrow wins!" he said confidently.

"You traded with the Knight of Xerxxes?" Piper asked him, a look of concern on her face.

"Brilliant, huh?"

"It seems more like...cheating." Aerrow said.

"That's because it is cheating." Flame confirmed, "I won't take part in this and don't you dare touch my Switchblade."

"I know what will make you feel better about this whole thing," Finn said to Aerrow as the teen seemed a bit hesitant about the idea of cheating to win, "A test drive." he suggested, holding his hands out as if he were holding a wheel.

"Don't you think it would be better to keep this more secret rather than displaying it for everyone to see?" Flame asked.

"Relax, babe!" Finn said, "You don't always have to be stuck up and worried."

Flame smacked the teen, "I am not stuck up! I just don't have my head so far up my own ass that it prevents me from thinking clearly!"

Aerrow smiled, placing a hand on Flame's shoulder, "It's alright, Flame. I won't be too long." he reassured her, only for her to put her hand over her face and shake her head in disapproval.


Upon his return, Aerrow had an accomplished look on his face, feeling pretty great about his ride despite nearly crashing into a pillar, finally meeting an acceptable speed without becoming too unstable, "Did you see that?!" he asked Piper and Finn.

"Yup." Finn said, pointing his hand out, "And so did they."

"Everyone in Tent City's amped their rides for speed." Stork said in a discontented tone.

"Alright, maybe you were right about keeping it a secret, Flame." Aerrow said, turning to see that the Sky Knight was nowhere to be found, "Flame? Where did she go?" the redhead asked.

"She said she was going for a walk after you started your test drive." Stork said.

"So much for Finn's 'brilliant' plan." Piper said, looking at him.

"Ugh, we'd have to trade everything we've got just to keep up..." the blonde said, becoming depressed once again.

Aerrow put his hand on Finn's back, "Then we better get started." he said with a smile, the two moving to do just that, "After we find Flame."

The Knight of Xerxxes stepped out of his tent, looking around at everyone fixing their rides and causing a smile to form on his face.

"I see you've been helping the other riders out with their Skimmers." Flame said, drawing the man's attention immediately.

"I did what I could." the mysterious man said, walking up to her, "it will make the race tomorrow much more...fun."

"Is that so?" she asked and he nodded in agreement, "you sound like a very adventurous man. I like that."

"Do you, now?" the man asked, looking at her closely as he stood in front of her, clearing his throat and pressing his hand against the stone wall behind her, "would you happen to be available? I assure you that I can take you on adventures that nobody else could."

"I'm sure you can." She said in a rather flirtatious tone, dismissing his question of her availability.

"Perhaps we can speak about this over a drink?" he suggested, "You look like a woman who likes a nice glass of wine." he 'guessed'.

"I'm actually unable to drink at the moment, but I've no qualms with keeping your company." she replied.

"Is there any particular reason you can't drink?" he asked. He could have sworn he saw her earlier with a glass of wine in the tavern.

She gave out a light laugh, "Well, you see...I'm pregnant." she explained.

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" the man spoke, his disguised voice dropping instantly and Flame couldn't stop herself from laughing for a few moments, wiping a couple tears away.

"I was honestly just seeing how long you were going to keep the charade up, but that was just icing on the cake! I truly am your weakness, aren't I?"

"That isn't funny, Flame." the Dark Ace said, frowning.

"Don't be upset, darling." she said, her laughter fading gradually, "I knew you were up to something. I was just having a little fun is all. You must know that I can spot you a mile away by now."

"Well since nobody else is here," he spoke, pressing his lips against her neck softly, locking his fingers with hers against the wall, "maybe we can take this to my tent." he suggested, his hot breath enticing every cell in her body.

"I think that is a wonderful idea." she smiled, biting her lip. They hadn't seen each other in quite some time, the Dark Ace having a lot of work to do and now Flame knew what the work involved. Regardless of what he was up to, she was just happy to see him again, to feel his lips against her skin once more.

"Flame?" they both heard, her name being dragged out.

"Damn it!" She said, not bothering to move her lover away. In fact, he continued kissing her neck, his free hand moving down the side of her body, his touch alone exciting her even more.

The voice got closer, "Fla—" the person calling out for her stopped and the two looked over to see the blonde marksman. "What are you doing to her?" Finn asked the Knight, an unimpressed look on his face.

"Nothing she clearly doesn't want." he spoke back, disguising his voice once again.

"Uh-huh...then why isn't she talking?" the teen asked, thinking he was being smart.

"You kids have fun with Aerrow's Skimmer, alright, Finn? I'm going to be unavailable for the rest of the night." she spoke as she looked into the Dark Ace's eyes, her voice sounding very different from what Finn was used to hearing. It was filled with want and desire, to her lover's enjoyment.

"...okay...I'm just going to...uh..." Finn spoke before quickly disappearing without bothering to finish his sentence.

"That should keep him away for a good while." she said, placing her hand on her lover's shoulder.

"Definitely," the Dark Ace agreed, "But just to be clear...you really aren't pregnant, right?" he asked in a concerned tone.

Flame laughed, "No! I have a...device that prevents it. You've nothing to worry about, my love."

"A device?" he asked, removing his helmet as he walked into his personal tent.

"An anti-insemination device." she elaborated to him, following him inside.

"Good." he said, turning her around and holding her hands together, pressing his lips against her neck again.

She hummed as she felt his hot breath on her skin once again, fighting against him for her hands to be released, but he held on tighter. She knew he was strong, but didn't realize how easily she could have actually been captured by him with a minimal chance of escaping.

"So, is this how it's going to be?" she asked him, a smile forming across her lips as she bit them.

"Only for a moment," he said, "I still have to get you out of those clothes." he replied, moving his free hand to unzip her skin-tight suit.

She turned around, pressing her lips against his as he removed her cape, placing it on a small crate before continuing to get her out of her suit while she worked on removing his armour. Once his armour was removed, he took off the rest of his suit on his own before continuing to remove her clothing, kissing down her body as he went. All that was left was her lingerie, which he quickly did away with the silky undergarments before holding her down once again, bringing her to her knees and bending her over on the makeshift bed.

"I thought you said that was only for a moment." she reminded him, not really complaining about his actions.

He leaned in closer to her, his lips against her ear as he put the lantern out, "I lied." his tantalizing voice whispered into her ear as he slid into her.

"Oh, God..." she moaned out, causing him to place his hand over her mouth.

"Nobody needs to know what's going on." he told her without stopping his motions. She could feel the menacing smile that was spread across his lips despite not being able to move and see it for herself. There was a square hole in the top of the tent, being the only light that they had.

He eventually let go of her hands to grip her hips as he began thrusting into her harder. The heat from the desert didn't help with the heat emanating from them and it didn't take long for both of them to become sweaty. She twisted herself slightly to look into his eyes, placing a hand on his.

"You are so beautiful." he told her, biting his lip as he continued, "I want you to do something for me."

"What more could I do for you?" she asked, considering the position he already had her in.

He slowed down and leaned in closer, kissing her deeply as he gently took a hold of her free hand, placing her fingers on her clitoris, "Play with yourself, Flame." he ordered, an evil grin forming across his face.

"I can't say that's something I've really done before, Ace." she whispered out, inhaling a sharp breath as his hand moved her fingers in circles over the swollen and extremely sensitive area.

"Like that." he told her, moving his hand away and she continued to do as shown. She bit her lip, gasping every now and then from the sensation while he continued his movements, "And remember to be quiet." he said, an evil yet tantalizing chuckle escaping his lips.

"You're setting me up for something that seems very impossible right now." she told him, eyes remaining on his.

He smiled wickedly as he forced himself into her harshly, "I know."

"Why are you so evil?" she asked him, tangling her fingers with his.

He leaned in once again, "It doesn't matter why I'm evil. You never stopped loving me regardless of the fact." he smiled, kissing her passionately.

She knew what he was referring to and there was no point in denying it when he had her bent over with himself buried deep inside of her, "You're right, Ace...I never stopped loving you." she smiled, biting her lip.


The Next Day...

"So what are you going to tell them?" the Dark Ace asked her as they put their clothes back on.

She giggled, "That I found the Knight of Xerxxes rather alluring, I suppose. It's not really their business."

"Just don't give me away." he told her, being reminded that the only person that knew about them was her best friend, Starling, whom she had sworn to secrecy about the ordeal.

"Be safe, please." she told him, looking into his eyes, "I have plans for the future that I don't need you ruining once again." she smiled.

"Don't worry about me, Angel." he told her, causing her to roll her eyes at the nickname he'd given her since she'd shown him her wings. She gave him a kiss on his jawline before leaving the tent to return to her friends.

Flame was impressed at what Stork had managed to do with Aerrow's Skimmer, regardless of knowing that it rendered all other rides, except hers, and the Condor useless.

"Kick ass, Aerrow. I know you have it in you." she told the teen, giving him a kiss on the forehead and ruffling his hair.

The Purple Knight of Xerxxes pointed out that she left lipstick on his head and Aerrow quickly rubbed it off.

She approached her lover in disguise, giggling as he held her hand and gave it a gentle kiss on the top. She placed her hand softly on the side of his neck, leaning in to whisper something that nobody else but him could hear, "Maybe if you win, I'll give you the answer to that question you've been asking me constantly." she told him, "But if Aerrow gets hurt...there will be consequences."

"We'll see how it goes." he replied, smiling that same evil grin as always before she walked away to join Junko, Finn and Stork.

"Great job with the Skimmer, Stork." she complimented the Merb.

"It's no big deal." he replied with a nervous laugh.

"All of you represent the best Sky Knights in the Southern skies!" the Starter began his announcement, "The first to grab the Crystal Amulet at the end wins. No weapons. No flying." he spoke, holding up a picture of the Amulet to give everyone an idea of what they were looking for.

Aerrow wondered why Piper wasn't in the crowd with the rest of them. He tried hailing out to Finn, but the engines of all the racing Skimmers were too loud for his words to reach the boy's ears. He guessed that she was okay. There wasn't really anything that he could do about it at that point, anyway.

"Now we're gonna see who's the best of the best of the best!" he said, moving to the side, "On your mark, get set—" he began, being cut off by one of the rider's Skimmer losing control and went blasting off, instantly disqualifying them. The Starter waited a second before shrugging, "Okay...go!" he called out, blaring the horn that officially started the race.

Aerrow and another racer were pretty close to first place, but the Knight of Xerxxes just seemed to have so much more speed than they did despite all of their efforts to modify their Skimmers for the race. One of the racers wasn't paying attention and fell off of his ride, his Skimmer breaking as he rolled down the cliff side while the rest continued on.

Aerrow was second place to the Knight of Xerxxes, maneuvering rather well around corners, were another racer had crashed.

"I thought all of you were supposed to be good!" the mysterious Sky Knight turned around to taunt the others, causing Aerrow to speed up more. They entered the tunnels, where Aerrow managed to get almost side-to-side with the Knight, "Do you think you have what it takes?" he asked the Storm Hawk.

"Try me!" Aerrow said, the Knight of Xerxxes responding by side swiping his Skimmer, causing the teen to fall back. The racer in third place looked back with a smile as Aerrow fell behind him, only to turn back around and collide with a pillar in the tunnel. Aerrow passed the crashed Skimmer, looking back for a moment and feeling rather bad for him, but continued on. There were only four competitors left.

The announcer spoke of the current status of the racers and in the process, Finn made another dumb bet with the same strongman.

"Okay, Piper, tell me how dumb that was." he said, turning around only to see that his friend wasn't there. "Wait...where's Piper?" he asked Stork, who held his arms out to explain his uncertainty.

"Shit." Flame said, grabbing Stork's attention, "I-I forgot where I parked my Switchblade." she said, walking off. She had to start being more careful about speaking aloud around the Merb.

Another racer had managed to catch up to the Knight of Xerxxes, but that didn't last long as he pulled out his signature double-bladed sword, slicing off a part of the racer's Skimmer and causing him to crash into an unstable pillar that collapsed almost immediately.

Aerrow sped up to the Knight, avoiding the pillar taking him out of the race, "I guess you forgot," the teen began, "Sky Knights don't cheat!"

The Knight looked over at him before pulling back, only to appear on the other side, "Good for you, Aerrow," the mysterious racer said, pulling off his helmet, "But I'm not a Sky Knight!"

Aerrow had a look of shock before it quickly turned to one of anger, "Dark Ace!" the teen said, noticing something very familiar to the teen. There was a lipstick mark on his jawline and there was only one person who had that colour, "What have you done to Flame?!" he asked the man as he dodged the Dark Ace's attacks.

"You have no idea." he said, an evil grin appearing across his lips before he held out his blade, the weapon easily slicing through a pillar and almost collapsing on Aerrow.

The teen stopped for a second, "The Dark Ace must be after the Crystal Amulet and we're the only ones who can stop him!" he told Radarr, who pressed the accelerator on the Skimmer. Quickly, they caught up with the Dark Ace again, bumping into the Dark Ace's ride to try and get ahead, but still ended up side by side with him, only to have small energy whips sent his way by the Cyclonian. It caused him to spin around for a moment, but that didn't stop the adamant teen from doing the best he could to stop the Dark Ace from getting the Amulet.

The Dark Ace turned around, a look of annoyance forming across his face as the teen momentarily abandoned his ride in an attempt to attack the Cyclonian Commander. Not one to just take punches, the Dark Ace sprung into action, holding his fist out just as Aerrow's was in an attempt to possibly knock him out when out of nowhere, a chicken hit him right in the face.

Aerrow landed on the Dark Ace's back as a means to jump back on to his own ride while Radarr threw another chicken at the man, the creature sticking its tongue out before Aerrow sped off.

The Dark Ace frowned for a moment before he revved his engine, easily and quickly passing Aerrow. The teen hit the accelerator once more and that brought him up to speed, hitting the same ramp as the Cyclonian, both of them holding a hand out for the Amulet, but at the last second, the Dark Ace concentrated more on stopping and Aerrow grabbed the Crystal Amulet, not noticing anything.

Aerrow cheered, giving the Amulet a kiss in his moment of victory, which was quickly taken away by the Dark Ace's menacing laugh.

"You thought that's what this was about? A little trinket?" he asked the teen, an entertained smile on his face.

Aerrow fell silent for a second, "Uh...yeah?"

The Dark Ace put his hand on the hilt of his sword as he began to speak, "Think. The racing Skimmers have crashed and all the other fighters on Saharr have been cannibalized for parts." he hinted off to Aerrow.

The teen went wide-eyed, "Which means we're all sitting ducks!"

"Very good." the Cyclonian sarcastically praised the redhead, pulling out his sword, "And as I bury you in the sand here," he continued, mounting a Crystal into his blade, the weapon firing up with a green light, "My Talons are doing the same to your friends in the camp. Though, Flame will be spared. She deserves it after the little treat she gave me last night." he finished with a menacing smile across his lips, throwing a bolt toward Aerrow, who ducked out of instinct, though it became very clear that he wasn't the target. "Hope you like the storm." the Dark Ace said as he removed the Crystal and tossing it in the air for a moment, "A little present from Master Cyclonis. Goodbye, Aerrow." he said, giving out an ominous laugh as the teen's eyes were fixed on the dust devil as he took off.

Aerrow tried to outrun the storm, but was quickly sucked into its powerful winds.

The Dark Ace stopped to ensure that the teen didn't outrun the attack, giving out another laugh as he pressed a button, sending out a signal to his Talons.

Piper, who had been captured by the Talons when she accidentally dropped a part that rolled into the Purple Knight's tent, managed to undo her bound hands. She ran out after the Talons had taken off, "It's the Cyclonians! Get to your fighters!"

Stork, who had hit his head during his attempt to dodge the Cyclonian fighters looked at Piper, "Uh...what fighters?" he asked her, reminding her that all of the fighters were rendered useless in everyone's attempt to make their racers the best.

Finn used his Crossbow to try and take down a Talon or two, but didn't aim just right while Junko managed to pick up a Canon and sent a missile into one of the Talons' rides. The Dark Ace, now in his usual Cyclonian uniform, appeared with a number of Talons, "Time to put a dent in the Sky Knight population." he said with a smile, attacking the running Piper, who managed to dodge every energy whip. Sky Knights were now scattering all around to dodge the continuous attacks on the camp.

"I swear, if Aerrow is hurt..." Flame spoke to herself as the mounted her Switchblade, dropping out of the Terra and into the clouds.


Aerrow, still stuck in the seemingly undying dust devil, lost his engines when Radarr attempted to accelerate them out of the whirlwind. He came a sudden realization of how to get out of it and don't his co-pilot to not fight the storm and the creature turned off the engines. As they continued to spin in circles, Aerrow finally pushed the throttle and freed them from the dust devil, cheering as he made his way back to camp.

Back at the camp, Piper was loading missiles into the canon Junko was holding, though they were running out of ammunition. Their attention was drawn to two Sky Knights fighting over a piece of metal.

"Guys, guys! Bragging rights aren't gonna help us beat the Talons." Finn said as he walked up to another pair fighting over something, "If we don't put pride aside and help each other, we're toast!"

"Aren't you the guy who tricked me into trading my engine for some rusty pipes?" one of the Sky Knights said.

Finn let out a nervous chuckle, not knowing what to say.

"I have an idea, but I need your help." Piper spoke up, grabbing their attention. They co-operated as Piper ordered them to, Stork working as hard as he could while Piper ensured everything stayed in a steady motion. Stork would leave every now and then to pick up smaller parts in a box, running away upon seeing the Dark Ace and his Talons heading straight for him, but their attention was drawn away by Aerrow's sudden appearance, a confused expression forming across the Dark Ace's face.

Aerrow headed straight for them, ripping two Talons away from their rides and dumping them on the top of a clothed shelter. After ensuring that Stork made it to his destination safely, he headed straight for the Dark Ace.

The Dark Ace looked back, "You! But..."

Aerrow looked at him with pride, "Next time you try to finish off a Storm Hawk, might want to try something different than a storm!" he informed the Cyclonian Commander, his co-pilot growling viciously to back his owner up.

The Dark Ace grimaced, pulling back to get behind Aerrow and sent a powerful energy whip toward the teen, but the readhead easily dodged it and the attack ended up hitting one of the Commander's own Talons.

"Form up around me!" the Dark Ace ordered his Talons, who did as told, a giant, menacing grin forming across his face as he targeted the Storm Hawk, following him as he passed the tent that Stork and the others were hiding in, which lifted off of the ground shortly after Aerrow passed by. Certain of his approaching victory, the Dark Ace began to ask Aerrow if he had any last words, but his attention was drawn to the flying tent behind him.

It was now Aerrow's turn to smile as the cover came off, revealing a giant makeup of canons and engines.

"What is that thing?!" the Dark Ace asked aloud.

"I'd say it's the cavalry." Aerrow answered him.

The canons began to blast Talons out of the sky, the Dark Ace quickly maneuvering to get as high as he possibly could and out of the makeshift battleship's wake, but didn't have enough speed to achieve such as Piper threw a blast toward the Cyclonian, blowing out his engines and he began to fall toward the Wastelands.

Everyone began to cheer as the rest of the Talon fleet fell back, making their way back to the camp on Saharr.

Once low enough, the Dark Ace deployed his glider, hoping he'd have enough fuel in his thrusters to make it back to Cyclonia.

"You really are evil." he heard, looking to see his lover flying on her Switchblade by his side. She gestured for him to hop on to her Switchblade and he did so, "You're also a complete jackass." she added.

He rolled his eyes, "And what is your plan, exactly?"

"I'm taking you back to Cyclonia before I return to Saharr." she stated simply.

He laughed out, "Do tell, how do you plan to make such a trip without your friends noticing you've been gone for an extended amount of time?" he asked quizzically.

She chuckled as she pulled a rather small Crystal out of her Switchblade's compartment. The Crystal was so small that it seemed like it wouldn't do very much, "You say that as if I'd be gone for that long." she smiled as she popped the object into her Crystal Converter, the speed in which they arrived to Cyclonia being a shocking half an hour.

"What the hell is that?" the Dark Ace asked her, never seeing such speed before.

She smiled, "That, my love, is a secret." she winked, giving him a soft, yet extremely arousing, kiss before putting another one of the tiny Crystals into the Converter and taking off so quickly that all the Dark Ace had time to do was blink before she was completely out of sight.


Terra Saharr...

Everyone cheered as the captured Talons were hauled off to Terra Atmosia Prison, Finn being extremely excited that he didn't have to clean up the Race Official's Cruiser.

"That's right," Aerrow said, "We did."

"See!" Finn told the Official, "I told you, my boy's the man!" his excitement quickly faded as Aerrow threw the Amulet into the air, sending a small energy whip behind it and breaking it into pieces.

"No single Sky Knight won today's victory," Aerrow explained, "I say we're all the best of the best!" he finalized, everybody cheering with a fist in the air.

In the end, Finn agreed to stick with the bet he'd made with the Race Official, causing everyone to laugh.

"You did very well today, Aerrow," Flame spoke as she strutted toward the boy through the crowd, "I'm very proud of you." she smiled, ruffling his hair.

"Uh...yeah." he said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as he remembered what the Dark Ace had said during the race, "Thanks."

It took a couple of days for everyone to take apart the pieces to put their own Carriers back in order, but they did so successfully and peacefully.

Flame knew that something was on Aerrow's mind, but figured that he was going to wait for a more private time to bring it up. She could only hope it didn't have to do with the Dark Ace, yet she somehow knew better than that.

Once the Condor was securely fixed, they took off from Saharr, Flame tagging along with them for the sake of having to answer any questions that the redhead had for her.


"How many shades of lipstick do you wear?" Aerrow asked her in the kitchen while she made breakfast for the teens. Finn, Radarr and Piper were present, since Stork and Junko had their own ideas of what food was.

"Just the one that I make from a Crystal," she began, "Though I have different types of them, it's only one shade."

"What do you mean three types?" Piper asked, even though she wasn't sure why Aerrow was asking about her lipstick.

"I have one that's glossy—which I'm wearing now, one that's matte, and one that looks sort of glossy, but stays on without leaving any marks until I take it off with oil." she explained.

"So I assume you weren't wearing the one that leaves no trace when you spent the night with the Dark Ace back on Saharr." Aerrow stated bluntly, causing Piper and Finn to gasp in shock.

"Excuse me?" she asked, turning around to look at the teen.

"He took his helmet off during the race and I saw your lipstick on his jaw."

That idiot... she thought to herself, "I spent the night with the Knight of Xerxxes, Aerrow, not the Dark Ace."

"But you knew it was the Dark Ace!" he accused her.

"Did you?" Finn asked, "I mean...I did see him smooching on you in the alleyway."

"It was dark in his tent. I didn't know it was the Dark Ace! Do you really think I would sleep with that bastard after what he did?!" she blurted out. She didn't actually realize that she still held a grudge against her lover for what he'd done in the past.

"What did he do?" Aerrow asked with a look of confusion.

Flame sighed, "That is a question to be answered another day. The bottom line is: I didn't know I was sleeping with the Dark Ace on Saharr."

"Well, he didn't sound like the Dark Ace, either." Finn remembered.

"No, he didn't..." Flame said as she plated their food and handed it to them.

She could see in Aerrow's eyes that he knew she was hiding something and, in a way, she confirmed it with her own when she looked at him. She chuckled a bit to change the mood.

"What's so funny?" Aerrow asked.

"I have to say, I'm impressed." she stated.

"Impressed by what?" Piper asked.

She turned around and looked at the three teens with a rather menacing smirk across her lips, "The Dark Ace isn't just extremely talented with his Switchblade and sword. I've never experienced so much pleasure with someone as much as I did with him on Saharr."

"Ugh!" "Ew!" "No!" the three blurted out and she started laughing, "That ought to teach you bloody kids not to ask questions you don't want an answer to." she laughed, giving Aerrow a kiss on the forehead as usual, leaving a glossy and sticky mark on the teen.

"Flame!" Aerrow whined and she laughed, waving goodbye to them as she headed for the hangar.

Now, to deal with this idiot...


Cyclonia...

"Flame," Cyclonis spoke, "How nice of you to visit again." the Empress greeted the Sky Knight.

"Cyclonis," Flame said with a smile, "Are you taking good care of yourself?" she asked the young woman.

"I am. Thank you for returning my Commanding Talon to me safely." she thanked her.

Flame nodded, "Of course. I couldn't rest easy if I didn't know he was safe."

"I do believe he's in his quarters right now." Cyclonis informed the woman, receiving a 'thank you' before continuing on with whatever scheme she was coming up with next.

Flame made her way over, using her speed when nobody was looking to avoid the sound of her heeled boots echoing through the hallway. She punched in the code to his room, the door sliding open as she stepped in and stood there, a hand on her hip as she posed.

"Flame." he spoke, getting up immediately and making his way over to her, placing his hand on her waist and the other on her cheek, as always, and kissing her deeply. "I didn't know you were visiting."

"I like to surprise every now and then." she stated in a sultry tone.

He smiled, taking her hand and leading her to the bed, but she stopped him for a moment, "Is something the matter?" he asked her.

"Not exactly," she said, but he knew her well enough that the tone in her voice spoke for itself, "I have a question, out of curiosity."

"Alright."

"How often do you look in a mirror?" she asked, grabbing his face and turning his head for him to look at the mirror mounted to his wall.

He saw the lipstick on his face from the kiss he'd just given her, wiping it away, "I assume the answer you're looking for is 'not enough'?" he asked back.

"You're bloody right that's the answer I'm looking for," she said, "What did you tell Aerrow back on Saharr?!" she asked, the same, sinister tone that Cyclonis tended to get when she became angry voicing through to her lover.

His eyes widened slightly, knowing full well that she really was Cyclonis' half-sister but not expecting her to carry that same trait. Despite this, he answered her, "Nothing that you couldn't get yourself out of if they asked questions."

"Oh? You think this is funny, do you?" she asked him, her voice returning to normal.

"Flame, the look on the kid's face was priceless," he explained, "I had to play a little mind game with him."

"They're questioning me, now. I had to explain that I didn't know it was you because there was no light and you didn't sound like you." she said.

There was a moment of silence before a rather amused smile formed across her lips.

"What?"

"I played a little trick on them as well," she admitted, sitting on her lover's bed. A delighted smirk formed across his lips as he made his way over and sat next to her, waiting to hear what she'd done, "I told them you aren't just extremely talented with your sword and ride and that I'd never experienced so much pleasure with anyone before the way I did with you that night." she explained and the two burst out in laughter as she mocked their reactions back to the Dark Ace.

"Speaking of pleasure," the Dark Ace said, "Will you answer my question yet?" he asked.

She leaned closer to him, kissing his neck up to his ear before reminding him that he didn't win the race; which he'd completely forgotten about in his mission to crash the Skimmers.

"What will it take for you to tell me?" he asked her.

"What will it take for you to realize how simple the answer is?" she asked him, pushing him down onto the bed and getting on top of him, unzipping her uniform with a desirous smile forming across her lips.

He bit his lip as he watched her bra come into view, forgetting about the question and taking the liberty of his hands exploring the body he knew all too well.


The Next Day...

"Are you staying in bed for a bit longer?" he asked her, kissing her neck softly.

She hummed in response, "Perhaps just a little longer." she smiled.

He moved her head gently to look at him, kissing her. She wiped his lips, taking off the lipstick that had remained. He smiled before standing up and leaving the room.

She turned slightly to look at the clock, unable to hold back a devious smile.

The Dark Ace found it rather strange that the Talons were looking at him oddly, but he thought nothing of it. He wiped his lips again, just in case she'd missed a spot.

"Good morning, Master Cyclonis." he spoke to the Empress, giving the usual 'Talon Bow'.

"Dark Ace," she spoke, a rather entertained smile coming into sight.

"You're in a good mood, today. Have you devised a new plan?" he asked.

She giggled, "I'm still working on it, but I see you and Flame had a rather good time together." she stated.

"Pardon me, Your Highness?" he asked, not following with what she was trying to say.

"Did you not realize that you're covered in lipstick marks, Dark Ace?" she asked, giggling a bit more.

His eyes widened, looking in a reflective surface. Flame had left lipstick marks from his neck all the way up to his cheek. "I apologize, Master. It won't happen again." he said, clearly embarrassed.

The young woman said nothing, but giggled more as she moved her attention to her machine.

The Dark Ace swiftly made his way back to his quarters, walking right up to Flame, "Give me the lipstick." he ordered her.

"What?"

He grimaced slightly, as he knew she was playing dumb, "Give me the damn lipstick, Flame!"

"Oh, my...you're covered in lipstick marks!" she smiled rather evilly, handing over the matte lipstick to her lover. She had planned to only wear the one that left no trace anyway, but just wanted to get a little payback for her having to explain herself to her young friends due to his lack of being more careful with their secret relationship. She pulled the glossy lipstick out of her pouch, handing it to the man as well, "You might want to take care of those marks as well, darling."

"I'm starting to think you're more evil than good." he frowned, only to hear her giggle just like Cyclonis had mere minutes ago.


≺) [ṃȧƌạṁeḤuɲʈǝrr]