A/N: Well this has been a while hasn't it? Since I've been writing to you guys like this, well don't worry, my story is not dead; neither is my wish to write it. I've only just come around with the time to write it, so not to worry I'll be getting busy. The fanfic has new life and an even better plot as you'll come to see in later chapters, well I'll get to it, as you'll say; here we go!

(End A/N)

Chapter 16: Dangers within the Dance of Combat

"Come now, this surely isn't what the great Gene Starwind has in him? I expected more than some gung ho attacks that ended so shortly when the game is just started; aren't you going to help your friends?" the Kei Assassin seemed to be boldly taunting a panting Gene.

"You must not know me well pal!" as a surprised action came from Gene, his hidden laser cannon going off and ripping a hole in his coat; he watched with some satisfaction as the large blast of energy slammed into the Assassin's face and forced him into the space captain's chair with just amazing force of contact.

While the Kei Pirate Assassin hit the floor and seemed by all means to have been defeated, Gene knew better and took the moment to look over to Aisha and Haomaru; he frowned since he knew just why he jumped head first into a one on one with this guy.

"You'd better be okay over there Aisha, I thought the Ctarl Ctarl were sure as hell not gonna stay down from child's play like this?" Gene's voice sounded out, a teasing manner despite the dire situation for the three of them.

"Shut your trap Gene, you know that this Pirate scum's not going to win!" Aisha was dragging herself back to her feet, it had been probably her fourth attempt to transform by the time she noticed she was unable to achieve more than half of the transformed state; her tail twitched in some annoyance now, having grown only half out; by now her body had gained more muscle mass and greater strength, even a bit more resistance but it was no transformation.

"Hao, what's up? Why do you think we can't change..?" her voice was quieter, but it voiced her concerns, as Haomaru helped her to stand again; she glanced over her wounds…there was nothing serious about them, she had taken far worse than this before, she also knew it wasn't her and Haomaru's child; this was just new and their baby wasn't giving her problems…was it?

Haomaru rubbed her shoulder and gripped his Katana while he stood up tall again, glaring at the pirate who was giggling like some madman, a foul creature of evil that needed to be put down for not his sake; but the galaxy's sake.

"Aww, think I'm a madman do you? And you're wondering why you can't change? Because I won't allow it! That's why!" the Kei's voice giggled again, knowing it would annoy those near him.

"Shut the hell up!" Gene's voice was one of one on the brink, he was thinking about using a caster on this guy; he had a number 13 in store, it wasn't one of those that he wanted to use…but if it would end this, he would.

"Tsk tsk tsk, if that magic didn't destroy my Lord Hazanko, it won't destroy me. As of now, my Lord is much stronger than some little Mana Caster Spell gun child; but you want to believe in it don't you? If you must know, this room is fit to do my will, my very Senjutsu skill to perform without the words needed." His tone was suddenly serious, to fit the degree of his meaning he was showing his power by forming shot orb in his hand and pointing at Gene; while the orb launched itself suddenly at him, Gene was ready.

"Gotcha!" Gene figured on some kind of stunt like this, he knew that weird spell garbage that this Pirate bastards had was far more than a gimmick; he knew better than to fool around with it. Instead he fired one of the testing Caster shells that Jim had picked up from a shop, someone was starting to make new shells…he was curious about it in truth, but didn't have time to ask Jim exactly where he got it.

There was but a moment as the two spells canceled out, this new shell…it was powerful and it didn't harm Gene. He watched the spirals of magic colliding, while he got up and made his way over to Aisha and to Haomaru, helping Aisha to get up from her stomach wound.

"Get her out now Gene, I'll be right behind you both, literally." He said as he was focusing the chi into the tip of his blade.

"Haomaru, you are not going to leave me here to pull some sacrificial garbage now! So help me, I'll drag you out by my fangs!" Aisha snarled in her annoyance, was he trying to piss her off with his heroism? She had love and she wasn't letting go at all, not while she held it by the scruff.

"Of course not my love, I know better than to anger you; trust me...please." he said as he continued to focus, while his Katana had begun to glow a nice soft red tone, something rather special no doubt about the technique that he was using now.

Hao looked at her and smiled, in a way that told her that he wasn't going to try anything funny, not to be rid of his own life when he had a future as a father right now. He had every intention to follow through and be the father of their child, he just needed to do this right, and he didn't want to have the moment...no he didn't want to let there be a chance that they could lose this battle.

"Quickly!" Haomaru had nearly yelled, as he had finished his focusing and stood up straight; with a red glowing blade in his hand, with a claw firmly gripping the handle as he made his attack swift.

The nameless attack was launched at the side of the bridge, right along the length of the glass; this slow moving cut by appearance had easily cleaved the thick window glass and suddenly then the suction began by that moment.

"Haomaru! Get your ass outta there now!" Gene called back from the corridor, he was carrying Aisha since she had been cut along her stomach; he was gone just like Hao had asked for them both to be at that point.

Just as Haomaru turned to go, he felt his shoulder grabbed, though he didn't bother looking back; that same technique was soon cleaving the face of the pirate; a forceful downward slash given with all the force he could muster in his left hand before he tumbled underneath the shutting emergency door.

"Gah…, you think you can leave? That easily? You fools will all go to hell, I'll be seeing ya! Ha ha!!" the psychotic Assassin hit the self destruct, though quickly he slammed his foot into the base of the machine and forced it to activate the quick countdown.

"If you don't die here my pets…I'll hunt you later." The words of the assassin said before he'd cast himself into space, through that great rip that Haomaru had cut; he was quick to do so without thoughts to his survival…was he insane? Well yes…one would hope that was clearly known by now.

--In the XGP--

While Gene had made his way back to the boarding claw that was one modified port in the side of the XGP, made for tearing their ways into enemy ships; though Gene had brought Aisha in and was already covering her wound with the emergency clot cloth there; designed to help wounds close fast, it took Aisha's yelling at him to check for Haomaru, though it was kind of late since the claw was being pulled out, and the XGP thrown in reverse at full.

"W-Wait! Unnh…Gene, what about Hao?! We can't leave him in there!!" Aisha's voice was distraught, clearly full of anguish; she didn't get to see if he made it, did he? He better had…the bastard promised her no heroics.

"Yo Jim! Did you find that Haomaru guy? What does Gilliam have to say?" Gene's voice was worried perhaps, though he was majorly frustrated that they were stopped by such a move like this; what one psycho could do, he was hoping that this one piece of waste didn't ruin their newly knit lives so easily.

There was a delayed answer as the explosion from the pirate ship sounded off with a chain of explosions, easily one of the bigger pirate ships that they had been dealing with; Gene shut his eyes and said nothing for the moment that he heard the explosions going off, since this wasn't exactly a moment that he was wanting to be dealing with since he had no clue whether their new shipmate was dead or not.

"Come on damn it, you promised Aisha, you had better have gotten your ass outta there." Gene muttered, he didn't want to see a Ctarl Ctarl upset; whatever they did would be contrived and he knew that as the case…overwhelming with emotion, he knew that she would likely cry…yeah to see Aisha cry; that was nothing that Gene really wanted to see such a tough woman have to stop and do.

There was nothing again, for the next 6 minutes while the Outlaw Star had escaped the radius of destruction, while taking some lumps from the destructive blasts heading out from the ship.

Aisha was dead on quiet, as if she just had ceased all function, maybe she retreated into her mind to find some kind of answer? She wasn't really sure what she was getting to, but she wasn't really looking forward to the answer unless it was that her stupid and foolish mate got away.

'You'd better be alive…you stupid jackass! Oh I'm going to punish you for making me worry.' Aisha was still her old self, her mind was just working hard, she tried not to let any of those glittering tears stain the floor or her pride; she would not cry…no she'd just have some faith in her foolish mate.

"There is a heat signature coming towards you Gene! Gilliam hasn't been able to identify it yet since we were a little damaged pulling out of the destruction range of that pirate ship." Jim's voice hastily sounded out over the comm. with some obvious stirring.

Gene drew his Caster and pointed it at the door, just as he saw the figure coming through the door; this guy was fast.

"That better be you Hao, otherwise kiss your ass goodbye." Gene was dead set on vaporizing whatever it was without a second thought to it if it wasn't his new shipmate.

"Whoa whoa! Gene it's me, I assure you of that much." Hao's voice was quick to respond, well that or be killed by the Mana Caster; which wasn't something he was looking forward to doing obviously.

"I just took an extra minute, I am quite fine Gene." He said as he had revealed himself from the shadows, there he had some scrapes up his leg, and the small wounds from the fight with the bastard himself; otherwise he was quite fine with where they were and the fact that they were all alive.

Aisha said nothing to him, she just yanked him down to her side and hugged him around his side, some annoyed tears still lighting her eyes as she squeezed her fool of a mate moderately hard; she didn't have any other way to show how happy she was other than holding him so very tight. She just let off a little growl then, holding him close and strumming her fingers through his hair.

Gene had later helped Aisha to the medic bay, well the small room so that the two could care for each other's wounds; some of them were bad enough that even a Ctarl Ctarl would need some medical attention at a time like this to consider it.

"Just try not to give each other personal attention, please not in the medic room alright? The table doesn't have that kind of strength…Aisha." He said that with a grin, though he was already out of the room before she could grab at him.

Aisha's growl lowered as she watched after him. "That's Gene for you…looking to get his ass beaten even though we just came from battle." She gave a small smile, it made her happy to realize that at least for now they were clear of that bastard; they were safe and she was with child.

"I know Melfina will be down here when the time shows it's safe to come here, till then I will tend your wounds." Haomaru was already being the attentive healer.

"YOU are hurt too moron, why don't you just wait with me?" Aisha said now, a little ticked since despite what Gene said; she at least wanted to hold her mate against her close.

"Well my love, I would normally heed you; but right now face it, those wounds of yours need some attentive care right now and I can do so." He said as he gently laid her back, taking a wet cleaning cloth; of course having a good solvent that would clean the wound of any germs or infections had it caught any.

He went to work in some minor silence, while he was cleaning her stomach slash wound carefully and thoroughly, he was reflecting back to the fight, to that warrior he knew wasn't dead after their encounter.

'Such a man was he, to wield Senjutsu in his defense…he speaks with his blade, but with such a character as he…I can see that he has a great deal of fun doing such things; that is nothing that I'd consider…good. He will be back, I will have tempered my blade steadily more by then; plus to train Aisha against my clan sword…' His thoughts were on the matter at hand, if Aisha would defend herself; this would be something that she'd need to be quite ready for.

"Hao, I think the wound is clean enough now." Her tone brought him back from his thoughts, though it was spoken with well hinted annoyance; he was swabbing softly at a clean slash.

"Um...sorry, let me apply the bandage; the wound is shallow and not of great damage…despite the fact it was a dead on cut…how odd." Haomaru was questioning the wound, that man was a fighter and knew how to wield a sword with deadly accuracy; what was getting at by not cutting her too deeply. Though to his heart's relief, their future child was still alive and well.

"Our babe still lives, which is a miracle in itself. Now I have mate and child, I never guessed that I would have such fine success." Her tone was soft and serious for a minute, as if just reflecting on herself and the situation.

Though she found herself eye to eye with her lover and by this moment she decided it was too long, she drew him down to her and held him by the waist and forced him to lie against her side now; just for the closeness of skin and warmth from him. She wouldn't admit it now, but he really did bring a sense of security to her and that was what made this a sound relationship for her; well really the only relationship she found herself wishing to pursue.

"Don't you ever leave me, you hear? I don't just mean in the physical sense, I mean…you'd better not be a stupid hero; you turn cowardly and stay at my side…please Hao? You hear me? I don't want to lose you." Aisha was speaking seriously, for that look on her face was some fear, not fear for her own life; but for her lover that she was sure after seeing his wounds today, while he was skilled still he was far too heroic for his own good.

He just took a look at her eyes and then answered the question, since there was nothing that he was considering more in his answer other than what he was realizing, he had far more than just himself to worry about; she and had made a union and even had a child now. "Of course Aisha, I promise…I promise that I will stay with you no matter what." As he said that, he felt a strong squeeze around his waist.

"Damn right you will Hao…damn right you will, after this I think we're going to retreat to our room for some time off." Aisha said with a catty grin, her fingers reaching up and finding his hair, stroking along his scalp lightly and down the length of his shoulder and hair.

"What of our child my love? You will keep heed of our child won't you?" his tone was speaking somewhat of some concern, it was from prior knowledge as to how rough that his mate usually made love with him.

"Our child is a Ctarl Ctarl, what is there to fear?" she grinned wider and growled at him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and biting his neck lightly lightly; he didn't really have a say in the matter.

As the two lay in the medic room, later to be joined by Melfina; things at least seemed to be decent for now, even the Horus II now following a parallel course. Between Jim and Gilliam's fast actions, they managed to slow the ship down and would now get to see; was this true and real? Was that honestly Hot Ice Hilda as they remembered her? Was this even real..?

"Phase One is complete…regardless of which my Lord, the battle is their's for now." The words spoken from the blackness of space, ignoring the vacuum...as this voice reported to a higher power; yep…things were just getting back to normal right now, with a new adventure on hand, would the Outlaw Star crew be ready for what was ahead?

"Jim, keep us steady, I'm going to board the Horus II. Keep the monitors on that ship and space around us, I don't want any kind of issue going on…you hear me?" Gene was being cautious as hell considering what just happened, but with no fear; he headed down to the airlock, ready to see Hilda safe…she'd better have been at least.

(End Chapter)

I hope this chapter was good for you all, as good as it was for me to write it. It felt good to finally know where my plot is headed, sorry for the lag on the writing but school is a burden as common as ever.

I'm going for a better degree xD, which is the reason I'm still going to school now.

Well until the next chapter, I bid you Adieu.

-Quentix