Disclaimer: I do not own Vandread. I did make Kagen and I am ready to cooperate with anyone if they want to put him into another story.

The next morning

Duero walks into the infirmary; he sees that Kagen is sleeping. 'Hmm, as soon as he wakes up he'll get up and try to do something.' Duero prepares a syringe. 'He isn't recovered enough to get up yet. I'd better give him a sleeping dose to keep him asleep.'

Duero walks over and injects Kagen. "That should keep him asleep for a week."

In the women's bathroom

Belvedere says, "Hey, hey, do you know? I heard men have some funny tube stuck between their legs!" Dita hears this and leans closer to listen in.

Some other girl says, "No way! Are you sure it's not antennae?"

"I wonder if it makes it hard to walk…"

"Gross!"

Dita looks up her skirt, and then looks up with a smile.

"It must feel weird!"

A few minutes later in the men's bathroom

Hibiki screams. Dita is kneeling in front of him as he pulls his pants back up quickly. He shouts, "G-Get out!" he then picks her up and drops her outside the door.

Dita asks, "Why, why, why?"

Hibiki says from inside, "Even the stuff that usually comes out won't!"

Dita sighs and says, "I just wanted to know more."

Somewhere else

Parfet and Pyoro and walking the halls looking for people. Well, Parfet is the one walking, Pyoro is hopping. Shouting, "Pyoro!" Parfet stops and says into a speakerphone, "Let's see… We want to get rid of this unfashionable name of Ikazuchi. So I'm looking for a name fitting for this ship! And so…" she then she flashes the tickets and says,

"The person who comes up with the name we use…will get one year's worth of food certificates at the Trapeza!"

Jura asks, "A year's worth?"

Barnette asks, "What's this? Nirvana? Isn't that corny?"

Parfet leans close to Barnette and says, "The commander came up with that."

Barnette asks, "How do we name the ship?"

Parfet says, "You just enter it into Pyoro!"

Jura bewilderedly asks, "Pyoro?"

Pyoro says, "Ms. Parfet gave me that name! Isn't it a good name?"

Jura then says, "Well, I'll say 'Luxury Night'. Thanks for putting it in, Pyoro."

Pyoro asks, "A night of underwear? Lingerie!"

Back in the infirmary

Kagen is snoring softly in a corner bed as Ezra is having her monthly checkup.

Ezra and Duero are looking at a holographic image of her baby using a very advanced ultrasound device. Duero says,

"Such an organ does not exist in a man's body." Ezra says,

"It's called the uterus."

"It's for reproduction? Interesting."

"I wanted a baby. So I got a seed."

"Seed?"

"I get an egg from an ohma…and we splice the genes of the fahma into it…planting it into the uterus. Anyone who wants to be a fahma can be one."

"Can I be one, too?"

"Huh?"

In the message pod bay

BC is preparing the message pods. A view screen opens behind her and the Captain says,

"BC."

BC turns around and says, "The communication pod is ready for launch."

"Why is there an extra one?"

"This one is for Tarak. I thought we needed to inform Tarak of this crisis as well."

"Well alright. Do it."

"Yes, launching now."

BC presses the button and launches the message pods. Soon after they blow up and the enemy flies through the debris cloud.

The Captain says to the whole ship, "All hands, prepare for combat!"

In the lounge Meia asks, "An enemy attack?"

Kagen wakes up and runs to the hangar bay with Duero thinking, 'How can he even move with that dose I gave him? It must be his adrenaline rush, and that will run low probably as soon as he gets to the bay.'

Meia runs up to Dita and asks, "Dita, what are you doing? Board your Dread."

"Mr. Alien already rushed out." She spins around and says, "He's really fast! Zoom!"

Kagen runs up and asks, "He left already?"

Then he starts to collapse as his adrenaline rush runs low. Meia catches him and then helps him over to a seat thinking, 'Why am I helping him?'

Meanwhile outside

Hibiki shouts, "Come on!" as he slices through the first enemy. The other 2 fire at him as he approaches and he dodges their shots and slices one of them.

Then 2 surround him and he looks at both of them trying to decide which one to attack first. The enemy decides for him as they both rush at him at ramming speed trying to crush him in between. Hibiki quickly puts his arms up to guard as both enemy droids crash into him causing an explosion. As the debris field clears they see Hibiki's Vanguard sitting arms and legs crossed. From inside the cockpit Hibiki puts his thumb up and says, "Didja see that, women?"

Then his Vanguard starts cracking heroic poses and Hibiki says, "In the end, you can't live without me!" then he laughs.

Before Hibiki docks Kagen motions Meia over and says in her ear, "I have an idea how to break this habit before it starts being a problem, but I want to see how you handle it first. Your way may be better than mine."

Meia looks oddly at him and then notices that she is staring at him and nods. Hibiki docks and comes out of his cockpit looking triumphant. He then sees Meia looking coldly at him, and he asks, "What? Didja come here to thank me?" Meia says,

"Don't be so conceited. Your solo performance was too dangerous. Next time, act on my orders."

"Don't make me laugh. If you are afraid of danger, you can't be the enemy. Well, don't worry. I'll take care of you with my expertise!"

Kagen thinks, 'Expertise? What expertise? He has flown a few missions and he thinks that he has expertise?'

Meia says, "The weaker the dog, the more it barks."

"That's true. But it is better than no bark at all."

"You're not the one that's great. It's that weapon!"

"What was that, bitch!"

Kagen thinks, 'Ok I'll make sure he pays for that comment.'

"I only spoke the truth."

"You lookin' down on me? Who do you think you are!"

"You're our prisoner!"

"And who were the ones who were saved by a prisoner!"

Meia waves him off and walks over to Kagen as Hibiki walks off to complain to the Captain. Kagen says, "I've figured it out. Send him to Gascoigne, she'll straighten him out. I'll make sure he pays for calling you a bitch."

Meia is startled and thinks, 'Why should he care?' Kagen continues saying, "That was stepping over the line."

She backs up as she sees green flames in his eyes. Kagen calms down and says, "Sorry if I scared you, I got carried away. I promise that I won't hurt him."

Kagen turns away and calls Gascoigne up on the comm. link and says, "Gascoigne, I need to speak to you about something but I can't move. Could you send a hover-cart? I don't want to talk over the link."

Gascoigne says, "Right. One will be there in a few minutes to convey you to the Reg centre." Kagen turns to ask Meia something but she isn't there.

Dita says, "She just left. I don't know where to." Kagen nods and asks, "Then could you help me onto the cart when it comes?"

Dita nods as the cart whooshes right up to Kagen. Dita helps Kagen balance as he gets on the hover-cart. (He is still drugged and is only awake by righteous anger and determination.) Dita pushes the button and the hover-cart speeds away.

On the bridge

Hibiki says, "Like I said…I saved you, so you oughta listen to me! Isn't that how the world goes around?"

Magno says, "How the world turns, huh? So what would you like me to do?"

Hibiki says, "First, do something about that girl! The annoying one that goes alien this, alien that!"

"Oh, Dita…"

"And the creepy one with that weird contraption on her face! Make her quit complaining! She doesn't need to butt in on a man's fight!"

Bart says from the Nav pod, "He's really bad at making a case."

Magno says, "Let's see…" A screen pops up and Meia says into the Captain's earpiece, "Send him to Gascoigne." Magno continues saying, "Then how about working with the Reg crew?"

"Reg crew?"

"It's an amazing job. And it's under a different boss, too."

"A different boss? I'll take it on!"

Magno turns to the vid screen and asks, "Was that all right?

"Yes. Thank you very much."

"Gascoigne will take care of the rest?"

"Yes. Men acting on their own risks damaging the pilot's morale. Out."

"She's still got a square head, as always."

Bart says, "What a mean woman!"

"How long are you going to eavesdrop?"

"Going now!" Bart quickly jumps in the Nav pod and as he switches the ship to auto-pilot says, "Sheesh, why do I get the flak for this?"

He jumps out and says, "I switched to auto-pilot! I'm getting some rest!"

In the Reg centre

Kagen is finishing his special instructions to Gascoigne and then Hibiki walks in the main door and asks, "Is this Reg?"

Kagen says quickly, "And put him in one of those uniforms. He will really hate that." Hibiki looks around and all he sees is girls standing behind their counters wearing the same uniform all smiling.

They all say, "Welcome!" Hibiki is halfway paralyzed and says, "What?"

A few minutes later

Hibiki is wearing the uniform (complete with boobs) and is reciting some lines saying, "W-Welcome. This is our easy-to-read menu…Uh, we recommend the Kamikaze Set. The regular menu…"

Hibiki can't take it anymore and he flings the fake boobs across the room in frustration, saying, "I can't do this!"

The girls say, "But you were doing it!"

"What the hell is this Kamikaze Set? I don't get it at all!" Gascoigne walks in from her meeting with Kagen and says,

"It's a set with enough fuel for one way and a bomb. It was modeled after men."

"S-So you're the boss here? What is this place? You just sit and smile all the time!"

"Seeing friends take off with a smile. That's the most important job at Reg."

"Smile? What part of this is so great? This pisses me off!"

"It's a great job. Pilots aren't all flying by themselves. They can fight because of a lot of help they get. In other words we're stagehands."

"Stagehands?"

"Looks like Reg isn't for you. Come on back."

Kagen thinks, 'I need to go and ask the Doc what he gave me.' He keys the cart and it quickly gets to the sickbay, as it pulls up he is sound asleep his adrenaline rush and determination depleted. Duero thinks, 'He programmed this cart himself. I'd better start replenishing his adrenaline.'

Back at Reg's storeroom

Gascoigne says, "I think I'll ask you to do warehouse inventory. How's that? You get to take care of deadly weapons. Isn't that an amazing job?"

"It's not bad, but it puts me back in a hellhole. I came here because I hated being stuck in dark rooms! And you want me to go back to places like these?"

"Hey, so you are one of us."

While Parfet is searching for people to ask for a name for the ship she stumbles into a men's storeroom filled with food pills.

She says, "What is this?"

Pyoro says, "It's food on Tarak."

"Food? Men's?"

"One tablet assures 30 hours of labor."

"I see…" Dita is walking by and sees the mess. She asks Parfet,

"Have you seen Mr. Alien?"

"I heard he went to Reg."

"Reg? Oh, what's that?"

"I hear this is the alien's food." Dita kneels and picks one up saying,

"Really?" She eats it as Parfet asks, "You're eating it? How is it?"

"I feel sorry he had to eat this stuff…I know!" Dita gets up and starts to leave. Parfet remembers and says,

"Oh, give us a name first!"

"Roswell!"

Back in the Reg

Gascoigne is showing Hibiki a holo-vid of Mejale. Hibiki says, "This is the women's kingdom? Hey, it's pretty gaudy."

"Yeah…Gaudy, beautiful, and clean. But I hated the fact it was all so superficial. Mejale is a county…where everyone is friendly and has a good time. But that's just on the outside. Women have a sense of showing off…and they want their gardens to look better than their neighbor's. They kept using excessive energy because of that…and as a result, one of the units had to be shut down. Our captain, with no place to go, created this pirate fleet for us. There is no men or women for pirates. Your lives were spared. If this was the real Mejale army…you'd be dead before you could bark a single word."

Hibiki gulps at this statement. Gascoigne pushes him through the hologram and says, "Here! Well, you're like us in that you've got nowhere to go, right? The rule here is that you have to work to eat. You're free to bark, but before that…Well, at least work enough to bark."

"But then what do I…" Gascoigne hands him a mop and says, "Smile! Smile!"

"Fine!"

Amarone says, "Enemy ship! Distance 3000Gr! It's moving fast!"

Magno says, "It's rather a hurried one there. How many?"

Ezra says, "Just the one!"

Amarone says, "Distance 2500Gr!"

Magno calls Bart saying, "It's showtime, young man."

Bart wakes up saying, "They really handle people roughly here!"

"Distance, 1800!"

Bart arrives on the bridge saying, "Why is this ship so damn huge?"

Magno says, "Show us something good!"

Bart says, "I'm good at running away!"

Magno says, "I figured that…"

Bart says, "I'll run even to the ends of the universe!"

He then boosts the ship around the enemy and starts to go faster. But the enemy ship goes even faster and gets in front of it again.

Magno asks, "What's going on here?"

Bart tries to pass but the enemy stays in front of him no matter what. The enemy starts to scan the ship.

Amarone says, "The flying object is keeping a set distance from us…and holding that position."

Magno says, "Bart, stay on this course! Meia, launch the Dreads! Prepare for combat!"

Meia says, "Roger!"

Dita is sitting in her Dread patting a box lunch that is in her lap when Meia pops up on a comm. screen saying, "What have you been doing?"

"Meia!"

"This isn't a game! Lateness can be the difference between life and death!"

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Let's try a formation attack. Be on guard."

"R-Roger!"

Hibiki tries to run out the door saying, "All right, time to go!"

Gascoigne catches him and hold him off the ground saying, "Stagehands don't get up on stage."

"What?"

A Reg member is saying, "Welcome!"

Barnette says, "Can I have the A set?"

"Of course! Would you like a homing missile with that?"

"I don't want to make the ship too heavy…but all right, add it on."

"Thank you very much!"

Gascoigne says, "That's the job of a stagehand…And so…There." She locks him into his seat with a painful looking harness. (At least for guys)

Hibiki asks, "What are you doing?"

"For today, you get to watch what we do. All right?"

In the Reg bay machinery moves in preparation of loading. Someone announces, "Topping gates in operation. Danger. Please do not enter from the gate."

An operator of the machinery says, "The topping for the A set is going in!"

As soon as everything is attached Barnette says, "Barnette, going out!"

From inside the other members of the Reg crew say, "Take care!"

As the Dread team forms up the enemy is scanning them quickly.

Amarone says, "The sphere is still holding position."

Hibiki asks, "Why aren't they attacking us?"

Meia says, "The Dread team's setup is complete."

As she says this the sphere locks on to 4 Dreads; Meia's, Dita's, Jura's, and Barnette's.

The sphere disregards Barnette's dread and starts to move toward the others.

Amarone says, "It's starting to move!"

As it deploys tentacles Kagen's medication starts to wear off and he wakes up.

"Where am I?" Duero looks at him weirdly and says, "That medication was supposed to keep you asleep for a week. I don't understand why it keeps not working."

"Doc, do me a favor and STOP TRYING! I still can't move! The medicine put my body to sleep not my mind. Hurry and give me the anti-sedative so I can get out there. I'm fine, really. Check me over. But do it quickly! I have to get out there fast!" Duero starts his examination of Kagen's health.

As the tentacles solidify into spines Jura asks, "S-Sea urchin? Wait, are we going to fight that thing?"

Meia says, "Calm down, Jura. Team leaders, check your formations. All teams, commence attack!"

"Roger!"

Suddenly all the Dreads boost towards the enemy firing off their arsenals. As they do the sphere starts to spin and the needles start to spin also. Barnette fires some of her missiles, but they harmlessly explode on the needles not even touching the actual sphere. The dreads dodge the needles as they spin trying to strike the Dreads as they get close. Jura says, "No good, Meia. Those needles get in the way."

Dita says, "So they ARE bad aliens!"

BC sits down at her station and says, "They've been observing our actions and analyzing us…Perhaps they wish to eliminate us now."

Ezra says, "We're going to collide!"

Magno says, "Young man!"

Bart says, "I-I know!" He starts to move the ship out of the way but doesn't move it fast enough to avoid the enemy. The enemy's spikes go through the right arm as they go past hurting Bart who is linked to the ship.

Ezra says, "Starboard arm damaged!"

BC says, "Barriers!"

"Enemy turning 180 degrees!"

"Dread force is down to 85!"

Barnette says, "That thing is too fast!"

Dita calls Meia and says, "Meia, let's call Mr. Alien here!"

Both Barnette and Jura say, "Alien?"

Meia says, "No! He's a man! An enemy! Have you forgotten?"

Dita says, "But he's a GOOD alien!"

"I told you not to rely on the strength of others! We'll do this… on our own!"

Duero finally injects Kagen with the anti-sedative and quickly carts him to his Vanguard and says, "You might feel sluggish at first but that will wear off."

Kagen's Vanguard launches as soon as Barnette says, "Ms. Gasco, I need a delivery!"

In the Reg centre an operator says, "Delivery order received! 50 Type B homing missiles! 15 close-range! 750 slime bullets!" The machinery starts to load the Reg pod.

Hibiki is shouting at the view screen saying, "What are you doing out there! No! Not that way!"

Kagen flies up and grabs a tentacle at the base. He pulls and flings it free then he has to duck as a missile almost hits him. Then he pulls another spike free and flies off saying,

"I've got an idea, but I'll need some speed for this." Barnette flies the closest and Kagen takes that as an agreement. He grabs on and uses his boosters to speed both of them up and Kagen says, "Ok now!"

Barnette flies down and around while Kagen still hurtles straight at the spot he pulled the spikes out with the spike extended. About 5 sec before they collide the spikes grow back and stick Kagen on both arms and legs leaving him pinned.

Hibiki says, "Dammit, let me go!"

A Reg member hands Gascoigne a data pad and says, "Manager, here's the list."

The enemy strikes the ship across the top. The impact shakes loose the needles holding Kagen. Kagen says, "Damn it I can't move!" He then notices that he is on top of the Reg pod and that his hand is clenched on the rim. "Why did that hand do that? It won't move now."

Meia says, "I won't lose! I don't need the help of a man!"

Hibiki is struggling trying to get free saying, "Dammit, take this thing off!" suddenly Gascoigne releases the restraint and says, "Come on. I'll show you the work of a stagehand." Kagen shouts, "I've had enough of this! This is the second time today that I've had trouble moving!" As he says that the Reg pod undocks and Kagen's Vanguard's systems start to come back online. "Yes! I'm moving!" Then he realizes that his Vanguard is only moving because the pod is moving. "No wait that is just the pod under me. Dammit move!"

From inside the pod Gascoigne says, "Let's go." Hibiki says, "Y-Yeah!"

The Reg pod moves at an incredible speed and Kagen grabs another needle thinking, 'This time it might just work.' The Reg pod decelerates rapidly, throwing Kagen off with his systems completely restored. The Dreads quickly move under the Reg pod and Gascoigne attaches them and says, "All of you. I'm gonna do this at once! 50 seconds! Begin delivery!" Arms start attaching missiles and other armaments to the Dreads. "15 left!" Hibiki says, "Heads up!" Gascoigne moves the heavily armored portion to cover the Dreads as the sea urchin attacks. Kagen quickly flies back over to the Reg pod as the enemy is attacking only it. It circles around and Kagen grabs a hold of a needle as it passes he pulls out a sword and cuts some needles off just above the base so the urchin can't grow them back. He then gets slammed by a tentacle and floats off with his systems incapacitated again. The urchin attacks the Reg pod again and again. Hibiki asks, "This is the work of a stagehand?" "I told you. The pilot isn't flying all by herself. Delivery complete! Get out there, girls!" Kagen says, "Ahhh!" and boosts again towards the urchin as it attacks the Reg pod once again. He draws his sword and plunges it deep in the urchin's armor then he pulls another sword out of the sheath and says, "You like to be a porcupine? Well here's more needles!" this sword glows green as it penetrates the armor sending the urchin into a frenzy. The urchin then shoots needles and launches Kagen from itself paralyzed once again. As the urchin hits the Reg pod again the 4 Dreads launch from underneath. Hibiki notices a flashing light and says, "Hey you've got one left!" "Oh, is that right? Well, I brought it out here. It'd be a shame not to use it."

The urchin attack one last time before it realizes that it isn't a target anymore. Suddenly the last bay opens up and Hibiki launches out of it. Barnette and Jura both say, "That's…"

As Hibiki is flying forward he says, "Hibiki the man is here!"

Dita says, "Mr. Alien!"

Suddenly the urchin recognizes Hibiki's Vanguard and fires its needles at him completely detaching his sword sheath and sticking him in the shoulder. Hibiki says, "How dare you do that? What? Move, Dammit!"

Jura says, "Pathetic…"

Dita starts to fly up and says, "Mr. Alien! Let's combine!"

Then the urchin attacks and Meia is smashed into from behind by the urchin. Kagen sees this and tries to move but he has about 7 needles piercing his armor and his Vanguard's systems are completely shutdown. Suddenly he stops trying.

Kagen says, "I can't lose…"

Meia completes his sentence by saying, "…in a place like this!"

Suddenly Kagen's Vanguard boosts forward loosing all but one needle. Suddenly as they near the collision point a flash of light happens and in it Meia asks, "What?"

Kagen says, "I-It can't be!"

Then Kagen's Vanguard looses the last needle and straightens out just in time to slide into a slot in Meia's Dread.

A hatch closes over it, then two legs flip down opening into claws, a head flips up, and a visor flips down showing its jade green eyes. Suddenly it gives out a screech and the transformation is complete.

Barnette says, "No way!"

Jura says, "So cool!"

Bart says, "He sure has a lot of tricks up his sleeve…"

Meia has her legs braced forward forcing Kagen to lean forward over the panel. She finally relaxes and Kagen finally can sit back. He does only to be shoved forward again.

Kagen says as he is shoved forward, "What is this?"

Meia says, "What are you doing here? I don't need your help! Get off!"

Kagen says, "If I could, I would've already!"

Suddenly the urchin fires needles at them. Kagen says, "This isn't the time for us to fight!"

The urchin thinking that it has incapacitated them starts to attack the ship again. Suddenly a streak of blue light arches past in pursuit of the urchin.

Barnette asks, "What's with that acceleration?"

Jura says, "I envy Meia…"

Kagen grunts as he feels the impact of a few hundred g's of acceleration, but says nothing although all his nerves are screaming in extreme pain. Meia asks without thinking, "Are you alright?"

Kagen doesn't answer but just grunts again. He thinks, 'I know that was as rude as hell but I can't talk right now.' Kagen weakly says, "Faster, we need to go faster! We won't win at this speed."

Meia quickly steps on the pedal and the Vandread speeds even faster after the urchin. The needles start launching at them trying to get them off its tail. Then the Vandread swoops and dives and avoids them all.

Kagen says, "I was waiting…" Meia says, "…for this!"

Suddenly the Vandread has a green aura and it boosts going even faster straight for the urchin they go through the urchin's weak spot and out the other side then they stop and the talons re-extend breaking the aura. The urchin blows up.

Magno says, "I think I'm going to be sick looking at this."

Parfet says, "Don't throw away those spheres! We can use them."

Kagen is leaning over the console again breathing extremely heavily. Meia is leaned back panting. Kagen says once he recovers,

"What a mess of everything…"

Meia says, "To think that we'd be thinking the same thing. You see now, right? You couldn't win with just your Vanguard."

Kagen says, "I knew that, remember? Hibiki is the one who didn't. Also you couldn't win with just your Dread either."

Later in the bridge

Pyoro floats in front of the Captain showing a view-screen with Parfet on it. The Captain asks, "The ship's name?"

"Right! The entire crew came up with ideas. Captain, please choose one!"

"You don't mind?"

"Please pick a cool-sounding one!" The screen starts to scroll down the list and it stops on one.

"Nirvana? This sounds good. Whose was it?"

Pyoro says, "Nirvana was the commander's!"

"All right, then this one it is. From today, this ship is the Nirvana!"

Parfet says, "I knew it…"

Bart looks as the door opens to an exhausted Hibiki and Kagen. (Hibiki is exhausted from pounding on his console continuously because it wouldn't move.)

Bart says, "You're back!"

Hibiki and Kagen go to their separate rooms and Bart asks both of them, "Hey, what's with that Van-type?"

Duero asks, "Are you two ok?"

Hibiki handcuffs himself and Kagen just waves Bart off.

Bart walks over to Hibiki and says, "Come on, cheer up!"

"What the hell am I?"

Dita runs in carrying the box lunch saying, "Mr. Alien!"

Bart holds out a pill and says, "Here."

Dita takes the pill from Bart and flicks it away. She then places the box lunch in Hibiki's lap. Bart says, "My pill!"

Dita says, "Here's lunch!"

Pyoro says, "It's a disgrace not to eat what you're given!"

Pyoro hold his mouth open while Dita sticks some food in his mouth. "Bite down. Chew. Swallow." Hibiki thinks, 'Wow that was great!' He looks at the food and asks, "What is this?"

Dita says, "It's good, isn't it?" Hibiki grabs the whole thing and starts to wolf it down in response.

Dita says, "Mr. Alien, promise you'll only combine with me! Come on, Mr. Alien!"

Hibiki says, "I'm not an alien!" He then proceeds to lick the box clean of all the sauce.

Parfet says, "I'm done entering the sphere's enemy/ally detection system."

Magno says, "So you're using the enemy as something to hide under…"

BC says, "Launching now!" The two pods launch and disappear into the bleakness of space.

Parfet says, "I hope they get it…But even if they get it, we don't know if they'll accept it…"

"Wish hard for it. That way, someday…the wish will reach them."

Duero finally walks into Kagen's room and asks, "You have to be in pain after all that. Meia wouldn't but that is because she is used to it because her Dread goes fast all the time. But you on the other hand don't go that fast in your Vanguard. I demand a check-up now."

Kagen says, "I don't think I can get up. Too much pain."

Duero pulls a hover-bed in and says, "I was prepared for that."

He carefully places Kagen on the bed and pushes it to the infirmary. Once there Duero says,

"I can give you a Pain Reliever but you are recovering very fast. You should be back in business by tomorrow. Just sleep tonight and you'll be fine."

Duero leaves. A few minutes later Meia walks in and just stares at him. She asks, "What are you doing here?"

Kagen says, "I'm hurt that is why I'm here."

Meia says, "You didn't say anything while we were in the cockpit."

Kagen says, "That was because I couldn't. I didn't want to worry anyone. Especially during battle. So I endured the pain and I paid for it."

Duero walks back in and gives Kagen the pain reliever then leaves for the night. Meia walks over and stops herself thinking, 'What am I doing? I need no one. Having people you care about makes you weak.'

She runs out of the room and straight into her own room and locks the door. Kagen is bewildered. He asks himself, 'What just happened? What didn't happen? Did I scare her again?' He then falls asleep thinking of her and what had just transpired.

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Sorry about the length of this one but I had a lot to write. I might rewrite it later. I kept changing my mind as to whether or not to have Kagen combine instead of Hibiki. At first I thought about leaving him out for this episode. But this way I get to crush Jura's dreams and progress on Meia. Flame me I don't care. In fact if you actually say anything I'll be surprised. I need input! Good, bad, or otherwise!