Chapter 5: Escaping Light
Chitose was placed on life support since her condition has gotten worse after returning the ship the hour before. Both Ranpha and Forte returned from Eonia's palace all bruised. Vanilla healed their wounds. Forte asked Volcott, "How's Chitose?" "She's gotten worse since we returned." He answered. "What's wrong with her?" Ranpha asked. "Well, since you asked, I should tell you all." Volcott said. "Tell us what?" Mint asked as she brought the tea on a tray. "Something about Chitose that only Milfeulle did." Volcott answered. "Which is?" Forte asked. "Well, the first seventeen years of her life, Chitose has a very tramautizing illness, her father tried turning to me and the other scientists to find a cure and we came up with nothing. Her father knew about the comet that hit here and read about its materials and left the Lucky Star Kingdom to retrieve some of its matter to see if it can help cure the illness but as what Lester and Takuto said, he was killed. Then the princess heard about Chitose being ill and came to her while she was in the hospital one day."
A young Chitose was looking out of the window of the hospital. She asked one of the nurses, "Can I go outside today?" "Sorry Chitose, the doctor is still worried that you'll get worse again, maybe tomorrow." The nurse answered. Chitose sighed and said, "Okay." She went back to looking out the window. An hour later, she heard a knock on the door and Chitose said, "Come in." "Chitose, a special visitor came to see you." A nurse told her. The door opened wider and Milfeulle and Mint came in. "No way, the princess?" Chitose asked and she curtsied and she almost fell over. Mint helped her get up. "You really don't need to curtsy." Mint told her. "But…" Chitose said. "It's okay Mint, she was just being formal after all." Milfeulle told Mint with a smile. Mint nodded. "What brings you here your highness?" Chitose asked. "Well, I came to see the daughter of the professor's friend of course, I heard that you have been in the hospital for a very long time." Milfeulle answered as she sat down. Chitose nodded. "How long if you don't mind me asking?" Mint asked. "Since I was a baby, there is no cure anything, the doctors even told me that I will die from it but they don't know how much longer I will live either." Chitose answered. "I see, so your life is in the hand of fate but you're lucky that you're still alive today, why don't you become part of my court?" Milfeulle asked. "What, you really want me to be part of it!?" Chitose asked. "Of course, you have a great potential to be parential working for me as any part of it." Milfeulle answered. "There is one thing I would like to do." Chitose told her. "What is that?" Mint asked. "Work alongside as both a scientist in inventing stuff and also a historian!" Chitose exclaimed. "Well, you will of course and as proof! Here is your star charm, it will help you live a better life without worrying about your illness." Milfeulle told her as she handed Chitose the charm. Days later, the ccharm worked and Chitose's luck ccame true and she was released and started to train with Volcott and the court historians right after her release.
"I guess the princess really helped her out." Normad said. "Yes she did, but now, I don't know if she will be able to live long enough since her luck was taken away." Volcott said with a worried look. "What should we do now? Eonia might send the Hell Houndds after us if we try again to break into his palace." Mint said. "Mint's right, we better come up with a better plan than just going in without one." Forte said. The others nodded in agreement. Back at Eonia's palace, Eonia was looking at the charm he took from Chitose and smirked and said, "I have another star and it seems to me it holds this girl's life." "So, what are you going to do with it?" Vermouth asked. "I might threaten them with it of course even though it may help me with what we want." He answered. Meanwhile, Milfeulle was still in Eonia's room. She thought, I need to get out of here, but how, this palace is not like mine. She looked at the door. Does that lead into the hallway? She got up and walked over and opened it and saw a hallway andshe walked in and started walking down the hallway and saw another corridor when she reached the end of it. "Where to now?" she asked and then she turned right. She kept on walking through hallways and passed by the dining area and kept on walking down more hallways until she reached a grand staircase. "Coud this be the way out?" she wondered and she walked downstairs. She saw Red-Eye and Camus walk by. She gasped and hid behind one of the pillars. Her heart was pounding. "Hmm?" Camus asked. "What is it?" Red-Eye asked. "I thought I saw something but I guess it was my imagination." He told him and the both of them kept on walking. Milfeulle came out from behind the pillar and she sighed in relief and said, "That was close." She saw the big doors across from her and went over to them and opened one of them and felt the rush of icy, cold air and she sivered and said, "Well, here goes." She went out of the door and started running. In the sky, Ranpha was patrolling overhead like Mint, Apricot, Forte, and Vanilla were. "Do you see anything?" Mint asked. "Nope, nothing." Apricot answered. "Well, keep on looking girls, the princess might be somewhere!" Takuto reported from the Lucky Ciel. "Yes sir!" the girls exclaimed. Back at the palace, Lady Sherry ran into Eonia's throne room and yelled, "The princess has disappeared!" "What!?" Eonia yelled. "Should we go out looking for her sir?" Vermouth asked. "Yes and hurry! Within an icy cold place, she won't survive and I need her." Eonia answered. The Hell Hounds flew off in their Hell Frames to search for Milfeulle.
Milfeulle kept on walking towards the east, she had her arms crossed in order to protect her from the cold. She fell over and yelled, "Ouch!" She got back up and started walking again. After a while, snow started to fall again. The Angel Frames kept on flying overhead trying to search for her. Vanilla noticed that her radar was beeping. "Hey Vanilla, I think we found something." Normad said. "Could it be?" she asked and started flying over to where the location that the radar was pointing to. Milfeulle fell down again and tore some of her dress in the process. "Where am I? Am I already far away from that castle I was in earlier?" She closed her eyes. Vanilla found the location and landed and ran over to the spot where Milfeulle was lying down. "It is…" Vanilla said. Normad ran over and said, "We finally found her!" He looked up and saw a black ship and yelled, "Ah! We need to get out of here! One of Eonia's henchmen are here!" Vanilla wrapped Milfeulle's arm around her shoulders and ran back to Harvester and got back inside. Riserva noticed it and said, "Bingo, I found one of the girls." "Good, take care of her and if she has the princess, bring her back." Vermouth told him. "Roger!" Riserva exclaimed. Vanilla took off from the ground and was starting to head back. She reported to the others as she was flying, "Everyone, Normad and I found the princess and we are coming back to base." "Good job Vanilla!" Forte exclaimed. Vanilla's warning alarms beeped and Normad yelled, "Oh man, we're being followed!" "What?" Forte asked. "We spotted one of the Hell Hounds when we were getting the princess back onto Harvester!" Normad exclaimed. "Hold him off for now, I am nearby!" Apricot exclaimed. "No Rico, what if they catch you?" Ranpha asked. "Don't worry, I will be fine, that is my sister in there, I can't let those guys catch her again!" Apricot yelled as she piloted her Cross Caliber towards Vanilla's location. Here I come sis! Apricot thought to herself. Vanilla and Riserva were in combat when Apricot arrived. "What the?" Riserva asked. "Rico!" Normad exclaimed. Apricot started to shoot at Riserva and yelled, "Stay away from my sister!" "Eh? Sister?" Riserva asked. It can't be, the princess' sister? Maybe I should tell Eonia. He thought to himself as he kept on fighting. Both Vanilla and Apricot kept on firing back. "Damn, you two won this time, don't forget, we can hunt you down especially you Miss Little Princess!" Riserva exclaimed as he pulled away. Apricot gasped. "You okay Rico?" Vanilla asked. "Yeah, I think, is my sister okay?" she asked. "When we picked her up, she was unconscious, but she seems okay." Normad answered. "That's good, let's hurry and get her back to the Lucky Ciel and fast!" Apricot exclaimed. "Right." Vanilla said and the both of them headed back to the Lucky Ciel.
Back at Eonia's palace, Riserva told Eonia about Milfeulle's sister. "So, the princess is not an only child." Eonia said. "That's right and I failed in retrieving her older sister." Riserva said. "Leave her for now, I have a better plan for getting her and this time her sister too, I have a feeling that their lights will help out a lot." Eonia answered with a smirk.