Disclaimer: I do not own Vandread. I did make Kagen though. I'm taking Neo out of the story, sorry in advance I just can't handle two new characters at once. I'll probably explain him away at another time.

Later in the hangar

Parfet is going through the cryo-revival procedure on the pod. (Kagen's crystal is in the background.)

Everyone is crowded around staring at the pod wondering who or what will come out of it.

Parfet finally says, "Okay, done."

The pod vents the frozen air and opens. One of the girls says, "There is a girl inside!"

Dita asks, "Is it an alien?" Parfet answers, "Sorry, Dita. She's as human as we are."

Dita sounds disappointed and replies, "I see..."

Hibiki struggles to get a look at the new arrival saying, "Hey! let me see, let me see! Get out of the way, will ya?"

Duero uses a handheld sensor to check her vitals as Paiway asks, "Is she alive?" Duero responds, "The life support system is working perfectly.

Hibiki begins pushing through the crowd as the girl wakes up. Dita says, "Hey, she's awake!" as Hibiki finally gets to the front of the crowd.

He says, "Who's awake?" and pushes once more forward from between Dita and Jura. He suddenly loses his balance and plummets forward ending up landing face first in the pod. He pulls his head out of the pod and says, "Whew, I thought I was done for."

The girl just stares at him with her wide red eyes as a holographic construct appears above her shoulder.

Hibiki, startled by the sudden appearance of the construct draws back defensively and asks, "Huh? What's that?"

The girl speaks up and says, "It was saved my life! Oh thank you." She hugs him and says, "Oh thank you so much my lord prince!" The construct pops in and out around them in a heart shape.

Hibiki is shocked and tries to back away, to no avail. He asks, "What are you doing? Let go of me, will ya?"

Barnette looks disgusted and asks, "Lord?" Jura looks shocked and exclaims, "Prince?" Dita looks worried and says, "Hey!"

Paiway starts jotting in her notebook like mad and says, "Things just got interesting. A red circle check!" Pyoro pops up in front of her and sneezes loudly.

As the crowd clears out of the hangar bay, Meia finds herself next to the giant yellow crystal that contained a life signature. She thinks, 'When did I get over here?' and reaches to touch the crystal.

The crystal pulses beneath her touch and begins to glow slightly. She suddenly notices the pulse become regular, like a heartbeat.

Inside the crystal

Kagen is floating in the yellow abyss that is the crystal.

He wakes up thinking, 'What? Who's there? Wait... I recognize this energy signature. Meia?'

He rights himself in the abyss and looks around. He notices Neg and moves over to him.

'Woops, I almost forgot he was here. Can't have him grabbing control again now can I?'

He imagines a heavy safe and crams Neg into it, locking it tight. He thinks, 'It would be more convenient if he was an enemy I could destroy, but he is part of me and killing him would leave me incomplete. A person's heart is both positive and negative. Just as light cannot exist without the dark. Locking him away will just have to do.'

He looks around and thinks, 'Now, how do I get out of here? I guess I could reconstitute my body, but then I'd be solid within a solid object. That just won't do. I'd better make the crystal itself into a form I can get out of intact. But what to make? Suddenly the crystal flashes blue for a second as the Paksis give him an idea.

He thinks, 'Eh, why not remake the crystal as a Vanguard. Good idea Paksis.' He begins to concentrate on the form of a Vanguard, and then the systems that it would contain.

Outside the crystal

Meia steps back as the crystal changes shape. She levels her ring at the crystal, ready to shoot at the slightest sign of danger. As it starts to take the shape of a Vanguard, she realizes something.

She thinks, 'Wait, that energy felt familiar. Kagen? No, it couldn't be... he's dead.' The crystal finally forms completely into Kagen's Vanguard. (Dark green with black flame detailing)

As the hatch opens and the glow subsides, her hand drops in surprise as Kagen comes tumbling out of the cockpit wearing absolutely nothing. (His clothes were completely obliterated along with the Vanguard during his attack and he had no energy remaining to craft more)

She catches him as he is about to hit the ground and blushes slightly. She realizes that his breathing is very light and his heart is just barely beating so she immediately sets him down and calls for help.

In the sick bay

Duero is scanning Kagen and says, "It looks like he's been through quite a lot since I last gave him a checkup. Like these rings. I've never seen anything like them."

He points out the rings on Kagen's wrists and ankles. "They are clearly crystal in nature, but them seem bonded to his skin and muscles. They seem similar to the Paksis crystal in nature. I wonder if they can generate energy in the same way."

Meia gives him a weird look and he chuckles, "Don't worry, I don't experiment on my patients."

Meia changes her look to a stern one. "At least not without their approval. Of course. I've stabilized his condition as much as I can. Now all we can do is wait."

Duero turns to his other patient's data that he pulled up earlier. He says, "According to the pod's cyberlog her name is Misty Cornwell, and she's 14 years of age."

Paiway interjects saying, "14 years plus the 63 years she spent in cold sleep, which would make her 77, ribbit."

Duero says, "I stand corrected." Misty opens her eyes. "She's regained consciousness." continues Duero.

She looks around and sees everyone looking at her as her construct appears from her earing. She attempts to sit up as she says to the construct, "It's alright Q-chan, I'll be just fine."

As soon as she sits up she shivers and says, "Ohh, so cold..."

Duero covers her back up with the blanket and says, "It's a residual effect of the cryogenic stasis field. You should try to get some rest now."

She looks at Duero in surprise and says, "Wow, you're a handsome guy!" Duero just looks speechless by this sudden compliment.

Bart says, "Hi there, I hear where you come from its normal for men and women to live together. Is that true?"

Misty looks aggravated and says, "That's about the silliest question anybody has ever asked me. What are you a Moron?"

Bart is depressed and says, "But I, But I just..." Hibiki laughs as Bart sighs in defeat.

Misty perks up again and asks Duero, "Who is he, what's his name?"

Duero asks, "Which he? When you say he, you must mean one of those two. If it's not Bart then you must mean Hibiki." (Kagen is on the bed next to hers behind a curtain)

Misty says, "Hibiki, what an adorable name." Hibiki stops laughing at this and looks puzzled. Misty continues, "I always knew that one day I'd meet someone someday and it would be love at first sight. See? Its the red string of fate, you know?" Everyone in the room looks at Hibiki. He blushes slightly and exclaims, "No, I don't know. I have no idea what you are talking about."

Misty says, "You are so naive, but that just makes you even cuter. Well, don't just stand there Hibiki, come on over here next to me."

Hibiki just stands there looking even more confused as ever, as Dita says, "NO! He's not even going anywhere near you. In the first place, red is the color of bad aliens."

They begin a stare-down as Paiway jots in her notebook saying, "Prediction, battle. Definite Pai-check."

Kagen wakes up during this commotion and peeks out the curtain.

He thinks, ' I'd best not get involved. I've got enough to deal with already.' Meia catches that thought and looks sternly in the direction of the curtain. By the time she walks over to check on him, he's fast asleep again.

Outside the curtain the confrontation continues.

Misty turns yet again to Duero and asks, "Hey that girl over there, is she his girlfriend?" Duero looks stumped and asks, "Girlfriend? I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with that term, what do you mean?"

Misty looks doubtful and asks, "Are you serious? You really don't know?" To her construct she says, "Q-chan, these guys are definitely pretty weird."

Jura stands up and says, "Well, actually it works both ways, and from our point of view you're extremely strange yourself."

Misty looks to Duero and says, "Oh gee, what kinda place have I ended up in?"

Duero says, "Those of us about this ship grew up in an environment where men and women live apart from each other. I'm not saying that we are right and you are wrong, but you'd do well to remember that there are fundamental differences between us."

Pyoro speaks up while staring at her construct and says, "Yeah, and that is definitely strange." Misty looks at Pyoro with a shocked/puzzled look.

Later in sickbay

Magno walks in with BC and asks, "How are our guests doing?"

Duero says, "Still sleeping. She'll recover, but she isn't stabilized yet. Kagen on the other hand is stabilized but will need at least 5 weeks of bed rest. Knowing him though, he'll be up and about in two weeks tops. Either way, for both of them rest is the best medicine at the moment."

BC holds looks at the data capsule in her hand and says, "Then I guess we have no choice in the matter, we'll have to decode this ourselves."

Kagen wakes up and says, "Duero, I have an idea of how I can recover faster... link me into the Paksis."

Duero says, "I was thinking the same thing, but how? And what would happen exactly? I still haven't figured out how you reconstituted yourself back from energy in the first place. Wouldn't it be too risky at this point to throw you into the Paksis? What if you couldn't reconstitute after that?"

Kagen says, "Jumping into the Paksis was the only way I could connect directly with the Paksis before this all happened. I now have other ways." He holds up his right wrist.

Duero slaps his hand against his forehead and says, "Of course, we could use the crystals on your body as the medium. Are you sure you want to try this? We still have no way of knowing how this could affect you."

Kagen nods and holds out a wrist for him to clamp the wire to.

Duero hooks the cables to Kagen and waits for his nod.

Kagen nods and Duero hits the switch. Kagen's crystals glow yellow, then green, then blue and then back to green.

An hour later

Duero unhooks Kagen from the Paksis and checks him over for injuries. He shrugs and releases him with a clean bill of health. Kagen starts to leave when he realizes that he has no clothes.

Duero chuckles and says, "Wait here. I'll go and get you some clothes from your room."

Misty wakes up and sees Kagen. She immediately sits up and tilts her head a little as she stares at him.

(he is sitting on the bed with the sheet lying loosely around his hips) She smiles a bit as she notices he can't get away. Kagen chooses this moment to look at her and asks, "Yes, is there something I can help you with?"

She asks, "Who are you? I haven't seen you around the ship."

Kagen chuckles and says, "Well, I've been here next to you this whole time. I almost died, twice. The first time was on purpose, and the other time..." He laughs aloud briefly, and says, "Now that I think about it the second time was pretty much on purpose too."

Misty looks intrigued and asks, "What do you mean?"

Kagen laughs and says, "It would take too long to explain, since I barely understand it all myself."

Misty says, "You're funny, and quite handsome."

Kagen says, "I also have a habit of breaking girls hearts, so I'd suggest you stay away from me."

Misty gives him a strange look. Kagen laughs and says, "I meant my death wish. I'd do anything and have done anything to protect this ship. Hell, I even died once."

The strange look persists. Kagen sighs and explains.

5 hours later

Misty's smile is back as she sits on Kagen's bedside listening to his explanation that he had to start over twice due to various people walking in and not understanding a portion.

He finishes up the explaination and whispers to her, "You know, I can't put on my clothes that Duero brought me if you're sitting there." She whispers right back, "I know. I want to hear more stories."

Kagen sighs and says, "You know, it may sound ridiculous but I'm telling the truth here. If you want extravagant lies talk to Bart."

She continues smiling and says, "I believe you. I just want to hear more."

An hour later

She is asleep on his bed and he puts on his clothes. Duero says, "I think you have a talent for calming people." Kagen shrugs and moves her to her bed gently. He yawns and says, "I think I'll grab a bite to eat and then sleep for a bit.

A/N: I had to write this on the spot... I lost all my rough drafts I used to work with. I also had a different set of Vandread Episodes to base this off of. I kinda combined the end of the first episode with the beginning of the second because I kinda cut the previous chapter short. I also had quite a bit of content to add since Kagen is back. Sadly I had three different chapters already pre-written in rough draft form, but I seem to have lost them.

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