Life After Damn

[White-Jet]

Knowledge to Expand

"Life support activated. Vital organs now stable." chirps a computerized voice. For what seemed like a minute since being buried under a pile of asteroid particles and metal, darkness blankets his eyes; the sound of screams and cries of the crewmates his father commanded, and the sound explosions raking through the travelling ship, built for expantion of the Holy Lunarian Empire, faded into nothing. Signs of death, no doubt; by now he should have lost his memory; forgotten what pain felt like; what agony felt like; and if Lunara has answered their prayer for help. And yet, even after his body grew numb, he hasn't lost anything.

Confused at this sudden turn of events, he opens eyes, a challenge for such a simple, common task. First thing that greeted them is a brightness, mildly burning his retinas until they adjusted, fading away the white blanket and creating a clearer picture of his surroundings. Rows of capsules line the walls, each containing members of his father's crew, their bodies a groteque mix of flesh and machine; yet all appear to be in deep slumber, calm and peaceful as if the events in the asteroid belt never happened.

He breathes hoarsly, terrified at what he's seeing, which only increases as robots enter his view. Each bare a different appearance, many are sleek and well designed, with heads ranging from human to other creatures, hideous and cute, while others are quaking heaps of metal and wire the width of stick figures, their heads looking like it was mashed on with different parts. No human full of flesh can be seen wandering these parts, begging the question of whether these robots had intentions of saving those who survived the futile trek through the asteroid belt.

One of the robots sticks its head into his view. There is little that associates it to a humanoid aside from its brown hair, which barely sticks out of its yellow hard hat. Everything else is alien, car lights serving as eyes, shotgun mics for ears, a rebreather for the mouth, bulletproof vests covering a body of wires that extends from the head, making up the arms and legs, all of which are covered in bulletproof bands and boots. The sudden sight of this robot scares Hayato more than gain interest.

"The human is awake," it states in a monotone, almsot masculine voice, "That is good. It means that his vital signs are 50% from full normality."

It is then whacked upside the head by another robot, no different from the first. Instead of bulletproof wear, it is covered in wool cloaks and capes, and has microphones for ears.

"Don't scare him like that, you moron!" it exclaims a clearer, feminine voice, "This human has been through a lot, being caught in an asteroid belt and nearly torn to shreds! Show some personality!"

His breathing increases in hysteria as the two continue to examine him, seemingly oblivious to his confusion and fright.

"Now that he is awake, we can start checking his implants to make sure they're working properly," the second robot said, focusing its attention on him.

"I...impl...plant...?" he wheezed. He lifts his arm into view, seeing titanium bars serving as bones, a third of the fingers and thumbs wider and almost human-like, with wires and blood veins connecting to the platinum spheres serving as the wrist, elbow shoulders, thighs, knees, and ankles. By now, his breathing had reached a point where he started to feel dizzy and nausiated. The robots continue to remain oblivious as the second robot nods.

"Ah, good, good," it said, "Everything seems to be in place. Now, how about the other parts of your body? Are you getting any feelings from them?"

"W-wha...what is...is this...?" he gasps feeling his throat chest start to tighten up from panic. He tries to sit up only to bang his head against the glass surrounding him. Panicked more, he slaps his alien hands against the lid, trying in vain to push it open, but could do nothing more than strain his joints.

The second robot straightens as it places a hand over its mouth the same way a typical woman would, "Oh, dear me. This is peculiar. I expected this human to react normally to this."

"He will tear out his implants if he keeps up this panic behavior," the first robot said, reaching over to the left side of the capsule and pressing some buttons, "Sedation gas is being released."

The entire area suddenly floods with white clouds, blocking out his sight as a numbing feeling overtakes his body. He tries to avoid the rest of the gas, but there was barely any airholes for him to escape too, forcing him to accept the embrace of paralysis and watch as his eyeslis grow heavy and slide shut.

At this point, the last thing on his mind is the thought of having his vital organs harvested for some kind of black market trade off. Mysterioulsy enough, however, as quickly as he loses all his senses, they just as quickly return, stronger and faster than before. He opens his eyes to find himself still sitting inside the capsule, but this time there were no robots, and none of the crewmates that were in the other capsules, mangled with wires, metal and flesh.

"Those who want to be saved have been fitted with cybernetic implants and released back to the empire." said a voice. He snaps his head to the left to see an adolecent, with hair shaven to gray bristles and black rimmed glasses, sitting on some strange looking stool, resting against the capsule while staring at a book with the teachings of Lunara written on its pages.

The boy appears to be wearing some kind of robe, white and long, spilling out a few inches around his feet, with sleeves half a foot longer than his arms, each full of three inches of wool packed into platinum silk, and bronze cuffs. A cape draps a foot above his ankles, indigo with dark blue borders, and bearing the symbol of the Federated Star Alliance, the nation of earth. And a scarf wraps around his neck, the tail hanging just above the waist; white like his robe, but with gold trimmings.

"Ironic, isn't it?" the boy asked, not bothering to look at his weary expression, "You were the first to wake up, and the last to leave." he then reaches up with his free hand and presses some buttons, causing the lid to hiss, releasing steam, and fly open. He wastes no time getting out and away from the boy, who meagerly turns to look at him while closing the book.

"You really are tough to figure out, aren't you?" he gets up and reaches down to the corners of the stool, pulling out a pair of straps while lifting it onto his back, causing the pole to retract back into it, "You freak out and nearly tear off the implants the Cygaxians worked hard to install," he connects the straps to the bottom corner of the stool, tightening around his shoulders and representing some kind of mechanical backpack, "So they called me here to try and calm you down, and instead you back away from me like I'm some kind of monster."

He continues to stand his distance away from the boy, at first assuming he was just another robot, but then notices he was breathing, and could faintly hear his heart beating.

"You're...human...?" he mutters nervously. The boy pulls his right sleeve back and readjusts a pair of gloves extending to his elbows.

"Took you long enough to figure it out," the boy said as he drops his right sleeve and pulls the left one up to readjust the glove underneath, "I don't blame you for causing a small ruckus within the recovery chamber. This is the first time Cygaxia ever made conatct with the Holy Lunarian Empire."

He walks over to the boy and grabs his shoulders, squeezing them slightly before stretching his left arm out and pressing against it, feeling a hard, metal surface surround the supposed vessels and wire inside.

"Your body thick like metal...." he mutters, "There's barely any organic muscle left."

The boy jerks his arm free, rubbing his wrists, "Well, you're not exactly full fleshed yourself."

He was about to ask when he looks down to find himself in a black unitard, covering him from the chin down.

"One of the worst, I might add," the boy continues, "The Cyber Clerics found you cut clean in half by a fallen roof. It was a hassle trying to find any organs to replace the ones you lost."

"Cyber Clerics?"

"A council of repairmen who helps those in need by repairing any machine they need fixing. We're also created to serve our nation, using our knowledge and special abilities to build machines for use in farming, colonization, and preservation."

"A council dedicated to construction and repair...." he mutters before grabbing the boy's shoulders and shaking them, "Can you make me a Cyber Cleric as well!?"

"It's not going to be that easy," the boy yelps from the shake, "This council is a minority of different races and nations. In order to be part of it, you need to learn to respect and understand everyone and not have too much of a grudge when going to war against their respected nations."

"If it means doing what I love, then I'll understand and respect everything there is to know about any other nation worthy of being included in this council."

The boy remains unsure a bit before a voice grabs their attention.

"We would be happy to add Holy Lunaria to the council." the two turn to see another robot walk into the room. His body is somewhat bulky, but sleek. He had a bluish hue, his upper arms and torso lighter than his lower arms and legs, wore dark blue pants, and had a red plate surrounding the lower part of his chest. His head appears to be human, with chocolate, slightly raven hair tied back in a tight ponytail by a green pocket square, and wore a long, white cape clipped around his neck by a gold belt.

The robot walks towards him and places his hand on his chest, "I am R-X, the current chairman of Cygaxia. I oversee decisions and choose what is best for our galaxy." he then presents his hand to the boy standing beside him, "And this is Hajime Nagano, one of the remaining ten Gen. I Cyber Clerics representing the Federation Star Alliance." he looks back over to him with a good-natured smile, "We have heard of your culture and religion from your father, and we will be pleased to have the Holy Lunarian Empire included in the Cyber Cleric council."

He looks on in surprise as R-X holds his hand out in offering. He looks at it, hesitant at first, but soon overtaken by the thrill of being able further dabble in the art of repair and construction, he eagerly grasps the hand.

"I, Hayato Saijuki, swear that I will use your technology to do good for the empire and other nations who need my help," he said.

"And let me be the first to welcome you to Cygaxia and the Cyber Cleric council," R-X says with a welcoming smile.

[White-Jet]

Remembering the Past

Living the life of the Cyber Cleric is often hard, as Hayato had learned four years since his inclusion into the council.

Just prior to then, gaining the ability to build and repair things at a much faster rate than a normal human made him as much a hero as Sierra Iltheria, not only gaining her blessings, but also his own engineering devision. With his help building tools and machines for use in growing and harvesting crops, and expanding habitate for many cities, it took no more than a year for the empire to cover half the planet of Lunaria.

But, like many wonders and excitement that comes with immortality, there is always a nasty side effect that could drive a nail straight into the path of pure happiness. The first to pass is empress Sierra Iltheria, proud and couragous as she was in the eyes of her family, subjects and populous, not even she can overcome the natural illness that is old age. Mournful and heatbreaking as it is, Hayato takes the blow calmly, promising he will continue to serve the Iltheria family for future generations to come.

The biggest blow, however, came at the passing of his father. Only a month after the Holy Day of Reckoning, Makoto Saijuki, whom many call the "Cheater of Death" for his narrow escapes in the lines of danger, especially after his crew encounters an asteroid belt and suffering only a left arm missing, eventually found his end at the hands of heart failure. Though Cygaxia had become aware of his condition and offered to have it healed, Makoto stubbornly refuses, stating he would rather deal with the problem naturally than have some alien treatment further ruin his life.

Disoriented with devistation, Hayato retreats to the blue moon to isolate himself from the rest of the universe as he tries to come to grips with spending the rest of eternity alone with only the promise of looking after the next line of empresses keeping him from resigning from the council of Cyber Clerics. He spends half the time sitting against the outer walls of a crater, staring at the seemingly small planet that is his homeland, Lunaria, and how different it looked from the horizon of the lunar surface. Then gets up, his cape covered in blue dust, and walks a few feet from the crater, crouching down and sweeping some sand into a pile, manipulating it until it resembled the face of an elderly man with a fine-combed mustache and bushy eyebrows.

Hayato stands back up, his arms covered in blue moon dust from the tips of his white gloves to the elbows of his sleeves, as he stares down at the near perfect sculpture of his father's face, seeming to stare out at Lunaria as if he missed being there.

"Office of the Blue Moon," says a voice that snaps Hayato out of his thoughts, "Those born under this moon is destined for military service on a starship. Not surprising you'd craft some kind of memorial on this moon." Hayato looks behind him to see Hajime, once again, sitting on the flat end of his backpack hovering half a meter off the ground, and staring at a holographic screen displaying the six moons and their use in social structure.

Hayato growled in annoyance over Hajime's unwelcomed appearance, "Is it any of your business what I do with my family life?" he turns his attention back to his father's face sculpted on the surface, throttling his fist to the point of shaking the moon dust off his arms, "He knew the Cygaxians wanted to help him recover from his dying heart. He knew their treatment won't mutilate him in any way, shape or form. And yet he still thinks they're a bunch of stereotypical aliens who enjoy causing hell to any human they can get their hands on!" he kicks the sculpted face, sending clouds of moon dust flying through the near weightless air, "I don't mind if he doesn't want to share a limitless lifespan with me and some of the other members of his crew! But the least he could've done is live his life to the fullest rather than act like prolonging it would be the worst nightmare for his future."

"Maybe he foresaw something that made him think an early death will save him the heartbreak of being involved in it." Hajime clenches his fist around the holographic screen, crushing it into digitized particles, "Or it could just be that he doesn't like having his innards messed around by other species. Bottom line is, we should be respecting his wishes rather than act brashly on them."

Hayato turns sharply to Hajime, "How can you go on with your life, acting like nothing fazes you!? Don't you even miss your own parents after they've been gone for so many years!?"

"All the time," Hajime opens his hand again, causing a holographic screen to appear a few inches from his palm, displaying an pic of his family, most likely taken before he became a Cyber Cleric. Aside from the younger appearance of his brother, Jago, and sister, Aimay, the mother and father are completely different from the amount of Cyber Clerics running the council, "I was one of a handful of passangers travelling to Mars when we crashed into the artifical galaxy and met the Cygaxians up close. Not only did we exchange helping hands, but most of us stayed behind to help keep Cygaxia alive and prospering over the coming years. I eventually introduced the rest of my family to R-X and he offered to transform them into Cyber Clerics."

Hajime closes his hands slowly, causing the picture to shrink away, "Out of all of us in the family, my mom and dad were the only ones who didn't want to become immortal based on the fact that they experienced too much hardship and warfare. After watching them grow old and die, my brother and sister seemed to have completely forgot we even had parents. It's like they were afraid if they looked back, they would be in too much turmoil to push on. I don't know why I continue to remember them. Maybe it's because I knew them too well to believe they might be watching over us from heaven."

Hayato continues to stare at Hajime before looking back down at what was left of the face sculpture he kicked. He never saw any facial expression that suggests his father predicted something that would prove abysmal to the future of the Holy Lunarian Empire. He would like to think that his father didn't want to prolong his life simply because he hated having alien hands manipulating his organs, but for some reason, he can't seem to shake the fact that he's trying to escape something predicted to land a huge blow on the old Lunarian generation. With no other way of figuring out what his father was thinking, Hayato felt it best to just leave it alone and get on with his life as best he can.

[White-Jet]

Early Warning

Year 2891; FSA and Dark Elves sign an agreement to prohibit colonization for 200 years. Cygaxia isn't quick to join in as the galaxy is always on the move and harvesting information is vital to keep them and other species from coming to harm.

A day before the agreement is signed, Hayato gets a preminition in the form of a terrifying nightmare. The FSA, stubbornly glued to their rules and regulations, will eventually catch onto the Cyber Cleric council's inability to follow orders, and issue a large army to capture and drag every last one of them back home in a brash effort to keep the agreement in tact.

When relayed to R-X, both he and the council reluctently agree to cut their signal from all FSA-allied nations for the duration of the agreement and keep any information on new species to themselves. This put recruiting future generations of Cyber Clerics on hold as any hint of Cygaxia's involvement with undiscovered life will jeopardize the agreement. But the decision to keep as low a profile as possible is about to hit a roadblock halfway through the two centuries.

-------------------------

Destroy them...!

Kill them all...!

The virus must be contained...!

Hayato grits his teeth as he was haunted by nightmarish visions of zombie-like beings chased and destroyed by armies representing the FSA.

Cities destroyed; innocent lives shot and burned to ashes; screams; pleas.

...Complete genocide....

Hayato shoots up in shock, his face covered in sweat as he breathes heavily from the fright of what he saw. He throws the cover off and jumps out of bed, teleporting straight to the observation room where Cygaxian researchers have been monitoring a series of planets they had encountered halfway through the No Colonization agreement. Monitors displayed the species that inhabit the planets; seeming zombie-like with glowing eyes and blue skins.

FSA Cyber Clerics recognized them as Undeath, former human beings who were infected by a virus living on the planet. When marines saw the dangers of the planet, they ordered it destroyed. The infected scrambled away from FSA territory and took refuge in a baren wasteland, which eventually grew into a colony of their own.

One of the Cygaxian researchers turns his chair over to Hajime, who stayed behind to help them uncover more about the Undeath and whether they should preserve the species or not.

"Nagano-hakase," he began, "Advance technology indicates that the remains of the virus mutated within the Undeath, rendering them non-contagious. I believe it is safe for the council to observe the race up close."

"You might want to add caution to the list," Hayato said, walking towards the center of the research room, "Those Undeath are about to have a rude reunion with a familiar empire."

Hajime looks over to Hayato, "Whad'jya mean? Did you have another premonition?"

"Worse than the agreement signed by FSA and Dark Elves. In less than half a century of the agreement's nullification, both sides will branch out to find other planets to colonize. The second FSA finds the Undeath, they'll eradicate the entire species. Given their experience with the viral planet, and the lack of technology and common sense, the only thing that'll pop into their minds is a species of contaminants that will infect the rest of the universe if it isn't washed out in a sea of flames."

The Cygaxian researchers look to each other, muttering in concern of what Hayato revealed.

"What do you think we should do then, Saijuki-hakase?" another researcher asked.

"We inform them of the situation, warn them of a possible act of hostility by the FSA," said a voice. Hayato turns to the source to see three Cyber Clerics walk in, one with a Holy Lunarian cape and two with FSA capes.

The Holy Lunarian is female with white, wavy hair that reached her back, and jade eyes. The first FSA is male with dark blue hair, very short with only a lock long enough to cover the right side of his face, and brown eyes. The second has orange, minorly spiky hair, red rimmed glasses, and green eyes.

"Irene," Hayato mutters, turning to face her, "You saw it too?"

"It's hard for nobles like us to not have the same premonition when we sleep," Irene said, "The screams...their eyes...helpless.... Even eldest of society ask why they deserve to be brashly destroyed without further observation."

"And with the agreement still in effect, we can't send information to the FSA," the first Cyber Cleric said, "Any notion that we've continued exploring behind their backs will put more than Cygaxia in danger."

"There's also those blasted Dark Elves," the second Cyber Cleric growls, "Even though they agreed to the pact, it doesn't mean they won't find a way to throw other nations at each others throat."

"But what makes you think they'll listen to us if we go down there and warn them?" Hajime asked.

"If a few of the Cyber Clerics are representatives of the FSA, the Undeath may be a little more willing to listen," Irene said, "That's why Mose and Kayman have volunteered to accompany us in alerting the Undeath to a possible conflict."

Hayato and Hajime look to each other before turning their attention back to the three Cyber Clerics standing near the door.

"Then we'd better hurry and get down there before the Dark Elves find their oppertunity to cause trouble." Hayato said as he and the other Cyber Clerics teleport down to one of the colony planets in the area.

[White-Jet]

Unintentional Backstab

The small group of messangers appear on one of the three planets in H-8. They appear to be in one of the loading docks of a space station, the hallways leading to the station square eerily vacent. Kayman tsks as he crosses his arms and looks the place over again.

"The most powerful teleporters in the universe and this' how far we can get into the nation?" he snorts.

"It's not like the Undeath in charge is naively going to invite us after what we did to them," Hajime said, "We'll just have to speak to whoever serves the empire and convince them to let us speak with their ruler."

"And who doesn't serve this part of the universe?" Kaymen plants his fists on his side, "We may as well be looking for a needle in a haystack if we don't know how this social structure works."

"Each of the planets governed by the Principality has a lord who invests most of their time and money creating and inventing new machines for use in expanding their colony," Irene explained, "The empress supplies the lords with money to use in keeping their family and inventions well cared for."

"If we can find the lord in charge of this planet, we might convince him to make contact with the empress," Hayato continues, "Hopefully she won't brashly see us as a threat and have us thrown out."

Just as the group was about to head deeper into the station, Irene stops, gasping in shock. The others stop and look over to her.

"What's wrong?" Mose asked.

"We're not the only ones who know about the Principality," Irene mutters, "Someone else has gotten here at exactly the same time we did."

"What? Who!?" Kayman exclaims. Before Irene could speak, several flashes appear around them, followed by the group being jerked away from each other. Panicked, they try to break free only to have more hands grab them, keeping them restrained as voices flooded their ears.

"Valbyl mina!"

"Xuat ori'gato natha mildrin uss ssuth!"

"Plynn mina rath ulu l'ozam!"

"Dark Elves!" Kayman growls, "How did they find out!?"

"Oh! You're all here!" squeals a voice that sounded annoyingly familiar to Kayman and Hajime. They dart their glares to the outskirts of the flooding marines to see another Dark Elf, roughly 16-years-old with long, white hair tied in high, unbraided pigtails, dressed in the robes of a Cyber Cleric with the cape of the Ilythiiri Confederation drapped down her back.

"Dammit, Kal'ra!" Kayman exclaims, "What the hell did you tell them!?"

"Oh, I didn't say much," Kal'ra giggles, "I was feeling a little homesick and decided to head back home to check up on my family. I then saw the House make contact with the Undeath and told them you were going to do the exact thing! The head of the House told me to take some of his army with me!"

She places her hands behind her back and folds them, "I figured he wanted to help you warn the Undeath about the FSA's advancement onto their lands once the agreement is up, but I still don't understand why I have to take this many marines with me!"

"How old is she again!?" Hayato exclaims in annoyance.

"Physically or mentally?" Kayman growls in frustration.

"Bakyaro...." Hajime grumbles in equal annoyance.

The group are hit with cattle prods, gritting their teeth as the eletricity coursed through their bodies.

"Venorsh, waela rivvin!" one of the marines shout, "Udos d'l'Ilytiiri Confederation orn kyorl ulu ol nindel l'Undeath zhah belbaunin proper sarn bauth l'FSA's arrival ulan nind thac'zil! Udos orn naut inbal dos preachers elg'cahl mina xuil ssiggrins nindel nind orn al'doer mina xuil pahntar da'rex!"

He looks to the marines straining the five Cyber Clerics, "Plynn weth d'mina ulu natha Beast World. Nind orn morfeth ula meals whol l'fuer'yonii orofarne gaer." The marines salute before teleporting off the space station, taking the five Cyber Clerics with them.

-------------------------

The ten marines binding Hajime arrived at a Kalahari-like desert, where the sun forever stays situated along the horizon, giving off a fiery glow.

They threw him against a nearby wall and tower over him, staring him as though deciding what else to do with him. One of them takes out a rifle and fires off a shot at Hajime's left pelvic joint, seeing him wince as he grabs where he was hit.

"Vel'bol xun dos talinth dos phuul xundus?" one of the Dark Elves exclaim, "L'Sut'rinos della udossa ulu vasta ukta ghil lu'sevir!"

"Uk zhah ves'aph ulu ssuth nindol tresk'ri." the marine cocks his rifle and points it at Hajime's other pelvic joint, "Ka Usstan refria ril joint wun ukt khel, uk orn naut inbal nindel mayar."

The first marine yanks the rifle out of his hand, "Dos wael! Xun dos ssinssrin ulu Dra'suli ptau'al ulu udossa!? Gaer's nau ikkask vel'bol valyrin d'aterruce wayc'er wun nindolen thac'zilen!"

"Nindol uoi'nota d'natha takrin!?" the gun-totting marine scoffs, completely unaware of the grass rustling around them, "Naut tangis'natha Draken shlu'ta dro'xun ghil!"

They suddenly hear a scream as one of the marines is dragged into the brush and torn out of his armor, the disgusting sound of flesh tearing reaching their ears. The other marines panic and grab their rifles, firing into the brushes in a vain attempt to defend themselves.

Only a few pained yelps escaped while the brush rustles madly with the unknown creatures dashing around to confuse their prey. The marines continued firing as hyena-like shadows appeared at the top of the rocks, leering down at them with hungry eyes before raining down on them with their drooling fangs and blood-drenched claws.

Hajime watches in mental hysteria as the marines are torn apart by the savage, hyena-like creatures. He cups his hands over the wound on his left pelvic joint and uses his Plasma Force Energy to seal it up, then struggles to his feet and hobbles away from the bloody scene.

He only manages to cover half a mile before he's suddenly jumped by another group of hyena creatures, one pinning his back while the others tore his robe to ribbons trying to tear his flesh, arms and legs apart, only succeeding in increasing his pain than their appitite.

"What is with this Baboolon!?" one of the hyena's whoop in frustration, "The others tear easily! This one is as hard as stone!"

Hajime shoots a pained eye at the hyena creature, too deep in agony to express any shock at her mysterious understanding of the human tongue. Another hyena slammed her foot onto his shoulder and jerks at his left arm into the air.

"This will not work at all!" she whines, "We should take it back to our tribe and cook it! The meat is bound to soften with the right heat!"

Suddenly, a lion roar grabs the hyenas' attention as they turn to see a large group of humanoid lionesses charge towards them with claws and hatchets in their hands. Outnumbered, the hyenas scramble off Hajime, disappearing into the brush while the lionesses grab and stuff him onto a stretcher made of bison hide and giraffe bones.

Nervous of what they were going to do to him, Hajime, tries to get off the stretcher only to have the lionesses grab the bones and haul them onto their shoulders, causing him to sink far enough into the hide to restrict his movements. Overcome by the pain he recieved from being stretched out by the hyena creatures, he makes little effort to pull himself out of the hide and reluctently lets the lionesses carry him back to wherever they came from.

[White-Jet]

Reversed Perspectives

Hajime is carried through a native-looking tribe full of lion creatures, some were washing clothes using middle age buckets of soap and water, others educated their children to speak and understand human language and other lessons taught in school; but all activity stops whenever the lionesses carrying him passed by, giving him astonished looks as if they've never seen a human in a long time.

The lionesses eventually reach a cave at the far end of the tribe where a large lion, sporting gray stripes on his mane and a light scar on his right eye, sits at the entrance, his arms and legs crossed as he watches their approach, spreading out and placing the stretcher on the parched dirt below them. He wore a black vest and indian-like pants, made of an unknown animal hide.

"This is all you bring?" the lion asked, sounding agitated.

"Forgive us, Chief Brave-Soul," one of the lionesses speaks as she and the others kneel before their lion chief, "It seems we were not the only ones who sensed the presence of unfamliar beings. The Hyenides have already devnoured the troop when we arrived."

Brave-Soul gets up and moves towards Hajime, towering nearly 6 1/2 ft tall on his high legs. He stares at him with glaring eyes before reaching his almost humanly paws down and grabbing the back of his neck, hauling him towards his face as his legs dangle a foot off the ground.

The hard grip squeezed hard against the back of Hajime's neck, causing him to wince as Brave-Soul examines and sniffs him out. What remained of his Cyber Cleric robe is ribbons covering his shoulders, his cape and scarf barely escaping with just a few tears and holes. The rest is his unbreakable unitard; his arms, from finger to elbow, white with a red, blue bordered cross on the back of his hands, and blue wrist bands; and his black boots extending to his calf with a red band surrounding his ankle area.

"We found him being torn apart by the Hyenides," another lioness speaks up, "Shall we take him to our-"

"The Baboolon stays with me," Brave-Soul blurts out, causing the lionesses to cringe slightly, "The children have not seen one before, and I do not wish them to tear him apart in their rough housing." he turns and heads into the cave, hauling Hajime in with him.

---------------------

Hajime grunts as he awakens to a near blinding light flashing on, opening his eyes to find himself in some kind of guest room, the shelves and archway made of stone, with deer hide acting as a door. He rests on a futon with a blue diamond, black striped afgan covering him from the neck down.

He only had a few seconds to observe his surroundings when nearly 500lbs land on his back, barely heavy enough to pin him to the futon, but not enough to increase the pain he was already in.

"It is true! My dad did bring in a live Baboolon!" shouts a voice. Hajime attempts to turn his head to see where it came from only to find three lion cubs stare at him with astonished and excited eyes.

"This cannot be a Baboolon!" another cub exclaims, "Its face is all wrong!"

"Yeah, and it only has fur on its head!" complains a third, "How can they protect themselves from sharp claws if it only cover their head!?"

One of the cubs bites Hajime's left shoulder and tugs on it, barely causing him to wince from the sensation.

"This Baboolon is too wierd!" he growls, "It is no wonder they do not exist in this era!"

The commotion comes to a screeching halt when an angered roar scares the cubs towards a nearby wall away from Hajime. Brave-Soul storms into the room, glaring at them in sheer annoyance.

"Good for nothing Lionel cubs!" he roars, thrusting his finger towards the door, "Leave this room and pester the Baboolon no more!" the cubs scramble out the room, terrified of what would happen if they disobeyed him.

Once alone, Brave-Soul storms over to Hajime and drops a 4ft bunch of bananas, and a sack of water beside him, surprisingly ripe given the near scorching condition of the land.

"Do you not know food?" he asked, aware of Hajime's confusion towards the bananas beside him, "Eat!"

Hajime remains intimidated by Brave-Soul's harsh attitude, but he eventually reaches over to the bunch and pulls out a banana, taking it and the water sack over to his area.

"It is amazing that these children watch a lot of shared dreams," Brave-Soul begins as Hajime pulls the peeling off the banana and chews on it, "Yet they insist on knocking around anything that does not live in these lands."

"How'd you know I didn't come here on hostile terms," Hajime asked as he tossed the peel near the bunch and pulls another banana out, "The Dark Elves treat all Beast Worlds as a prime hunting ground for slaves. I know they had to have come here on several occasions and destroyed a lot of homes in order to force slavery into the creatures."

"These long-earred Baboolon you call 'Dark Elves' are seldom successful," Brave-Soul said, lighting an ivory pipe and taking several puffs from it, "The land, as you can tell, is parched and wide; few tribes choose to sleep outside, bringing on the impression that no creature dwells here."

He takes the pipe away and blows a small trail of smoke from his lion mug, "The Baboolons who descend the skies in Shiny Thunderclouds do not last long here. Many fall victim to the harsh environment, emptying their water supply before they reach the only water hole that graces the land. Those who prepare for such environments will just as quickly become easy meals for the Hyenides." he looks at Hajime, "You are the only Baboolon that is different from the Long-Earred troops that invade our lands. You do not come here in metal armor, and your soul is gentle, indicating you did not intent to cause us harm."

"My soul?"

"A creature who possess a natural heart or mind also possess a soul," Brave-Soul takes another drag from his pipe and blows another trail fo smoke, "We are a land that believe all life was created from spirits of our ancestors, who watch over us long after the war between land and water. It is through them that we have developed a special ability to identify a creature's reliability through the flow of their soul. Each creature possess four primary emotions; chivalry, the white flame, saddness, the blue flame, anger, the red flame, and deception, the black flame. These flames provide us a headstart to uncovering the mystery of creatures that do not settle into our lands."

"This soul reading ability.... Is it strictly bound to the creatures in this land, or can it be taught to others?"

"We have never shared our abilities to a Baboolon from space before," Brave-Soul states, "The ancestors often embrace our kind with the fire of their strongest emotions. It is likely you will be cooked alive more than you will be driven insane by the emotions you will endure."

"I'm a lot different from the typical human and elves that land here," Hajime said, "My body can withstand all kinds of heat. The only thing I would feel aside from the emotions is the discomfort of the fire surrounding me."

Brave-Soul places his paw over his mouth, sticking his pipe in his mouth as he takes a contemplating drag, "You seem confident that you can survive our ancestors embrace. I suppose it would not hurt to share the ability with you if you feel that you are ready for it." he gets up and taps the pole of his pipe against his other paw, knocking out the burnt weed inside, "Very well. I will take you to the place where the ancestors dwell, and pray you survive their emotions." he heads out of the room as Hajime tosse the second banana peel to the side and follows after him.

[White-Jet]

The Cave of Emotions

After a few hours of trudging through the near lifelessness of the desert, Brave-Soul and a few Lionals appear at a very large cave a mile from the watering hole. Brave-Soul looks down to Hajime, who managed to reform his Cyber Cleric robes and points to the cave.

"There, young Baboolon, is the cave where the ancestors dwell," he said, "The Cave of Emotions. A cave so long and dark, not even artifical lights can reveal its true appearance. There is where the ancestors who have not found their place in the stars remain."

"Not found their place among the stars?" Hajime asked. Brave-Soul escorts him to the entrance of the cave where he can barely see another Lionel, identical to him, but younger in face and mane, which is only as bright as his fur, and his indian outfit has fire patterns on the legs and bottom vest.

The Lionel doesn't take notice of the newcomers standing outside, only focusing on the darkness around him.

At first, nothing happens. But slowly, they begin to see faintly glowing silhouettes emerge from the shadows, all glowing different colors.

Voices began echoing throughout the cave; pleading, sad, angry, happy, welcoming, the list is as large as the different colored flames emerging from the darkness. Every flame that emerged had a different anthromorphic creature encased within, moving to the sensation of their perminent feelings.

Hajime watches, nervously, as the only living person inside does nothing but stand there with his arms crossed, almost seeming to welcome the oncoming army of emotions. The pure white flames, walking as normal as a human being, approached hiim first. They appear content and happy with their fate, raising their arms and walking right into the Lionel, causing him to combust into white flames. His face winces, but keeps his prideful posture, none the less.

Gangs of speeding flames pushed through the other emotions and lunging at the Lionel, some in a fit of anger, wanting to tear him to shreads, others in dire hunger, as though they hadn't eatten in centuries. When these flames dove into the him, his face starts to show more discomfort, but still he keeps strong, almost as if these flames were nothing to him.

Then came the stalkers, the sorrowful and devious came from the front while the fearful and backstabbers came from behind. Those in back attacked first driving their entire bodies into him while those in front simply threw their arms around him, absorbing themselves into his body. Again, the Lionel's face tightens in discomfort, but remains calm and collected.

After what looked like a long minute, the multi-colored flames vanish, leaving nothing but the Lionel, fit and sane. Just when everything seemed to return to normal, a monsterous bonfire of emotions lumbers out of the shadow, pitch black like the darkness of the cave. The only things exposing it is a flashing glow of different colors outlining the outer flames, and purple shines exposing the appearance of a bull Paledon with torn ears, split tusks, and scars riddling his body, several on his trunk and a huge "X" on his chest.

The Paledon glares at the Lionel, his bloodshot eyes widening as the flames explode two three times his size, sparks of many different colors of emotions flying through the body of the fire.

MIGHTY-HEART!!! I'LL KILL YOU FOR COMDEMNING ME TO HELL!!!

He charges at the accused Lionel, Mighty-Heart, who only stares at him boldly. The moment the savage elephant creature dives into him, the color in his body burns away, leaving a gray shadow in the midst of a pitch black, multi-colored blaze of fire as big as the Paledon that came at him.

This time, instead of the usual "take-what-comes" attitude, Mighty-Heart is screaming in pain, agony and fright. His arms uncross and stuck to his sides, clenching his paws so hard, his white knuckles pratically protrude through his thick fur. His eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets, pupils shrunk to the size of a grain of sand, while his carnivorous fangs clench shut in a vain attempt to keep him from roaring in agony.

Just when it looked like his heart was about to burst from the horrendous flow of emotions, Mighty-Heart crosses his wrists and thrust them down, causing the flames to spread out and vanish. His body and clothes survive the intensity of the burns while he breathed heavily as a result of his near fatal anxiety attack.

He stands in the pitch darkness of the cave a while before turning around to face Brave-Soul and Hajime standing at the entrance. Upon seeing the shorter, unfamiliar figure, Mighty-Heart marches over to them, pointing his finger at him.

"Why is this Baboolon here?" He asked firmly.

"He wishes to accept the embrace of the fallen ancestors to obtain our ability to seek and understand inner emotion," Brave-Soul said in equal firmness. Mighty-Heart darts his look down to Hajime. Now that they are face to face, his size is only half that of Brave-Soul, but still forces him to tilt his head back just to meet his face.

Showing no shift in facial expression, the adolecent of the tribe grabs Hajime by the back of his neck and pulls him up to his level of sight, using the same pressure as Brave-Soul during their first encounter.

Hajime grabs the hand and tries to break it off him as Mighty-Heart examines him before dropping him to the ground.

"Is this a joke!?" he exclaims, "This Baboolon only has fur on the back of his head! The ancestors will burn him alive if they try to embrace him!"

"You have much to experience with our ability, my son," Brave-Soul said, "If the Baboolon is confident he will survive what the ancestors give him, then it will not hurt to allow him to share what we see."

Might-Heart chuffs before moving to the entrance of the cave. Hajime looks over to Brave-Soul, who nods as if to say it was okay for him to enter. Feeling slightly nervous, he makes his way towards the darkness of the cave.

Five feet from the entrance, he starts to hear voices calling towards him; the usual sounds he heard when he witnessed Mighty-Heart undergo the treatment. Slowly the flame engulfed silhouettes emerge from the shadows, some lumbering while others walked normally, all appear to be stretching their arms out to try and touch him.

But just as the kind and gentle spirits were within a few feet of him, angered and hungry spirits leapt from the crowd, diving into his chest and engulfing him in red and violet. This is clearly what Brave-Soul hadn't expected as his previous experience has shown them to be far from the kinder spirits. Nevertheless, Hajime struggles to keep from bending to their will, gritting his teeth and his fists hard as he can feel the anger and despiration flow through his bloodstream like a shot of adrenaline.

The onslaught doesn't stop there. Other, more dangerous spirits push past the kinder spirits lunging at Hajime with the intent on increasing the strain of his organic heart. Mighty-Heart whips his gaze between the fiasco in the cave and Brave-Soul.

"What is going on!?" he exclaims, "Why are the more darker spirits going after him!?"

"The darker the spirit, the desprerate they are," Brave-Soul said, "And because he is a lot different from the species who come here to recieve their spirit seeking abilities, it is more likely they will try to overwhelm him on a blind belief that his small, frail body will crumble to their whim."

Mighty-Heart darts his glance back down to Hajime, seeing his body slowly tremble from the strain of the emotional flames engulfing him.

"We must stop the treatment," he exclaims, "This is not the order in which he is to recieve the ability!"

"The fallen ancestors will do as they please," Brave-Soul said, "It is not our place to decide what order they should go in." Mighty-Heart continues to glare at him before turning his attention back to Hajime.

Once the all the horrendous sensations fade, the neurturing spirits finally get their turn at sharing their feelings with him. They wrap their arms around him and hug tightly before turning into clouds of fire and flying into his chest, giving him a sense of security and comfort. After a long, breath-taking minute, the flames fade away, leaving the lone Cyber Cleric bent over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily as he tries to calm down from the harrowing ordeal.

Just when it seems that the nightmare is over....

HAJIME!!!

Hajime snaps his head towards the source of the echo as another shadow lumbers towards him, riddled in the exact mess of emotions as the Paledon that challenged Might-Heart earlier, only the size is small enough to encase a human being. Hidden within the flames is a hideously old man with a derranged glare in his eyes, wearing the uniform of the FSA.

HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US!? I ONLY WANTED WHAT WAS BEST FOR THE FSA!!! WHY WOULD YOU STEAL AWAY SUCH TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD MAKE US GREATER IN THE EYES OF THOSE WHO CAN'T UNDERSTAND US!?

Hajime greets his teeth as he keeps his ground, knowing this would be the last hurdle in gaining the ability to sense spirits from anywhere on the planet.

The soldier lunges for him attempting to throttle his neck only to burst into a stream of flames and dive into his heart, causing him to combust in a blaze of out of control emotions. He tries his best to contain them, but the ordeal of the other emotions he endured had taken a toll on his mental stability. It is most likely that, even with his ability to revive after being scared to death, the trauma will most likely leave him a perminent heap of terrified flesh and metal.

Mighty-Heart growls in frustration, "This has gone far enough! I cannot stand here and let him destroy himself!" he starts to walk towards Hajime, "I will bring him outside! The light will drive all the spirits away and-!" he's immediately stopped by Brave-Soul, who throws his human-like paw in front of him.

"No!" he proclaims, pushing the brash, young Lionel back and pointing to the Hajime, "Take a look down there." Mighty-Heart glares at him before turning his attention back to the dark cave to see what he was trying to show him.

Hajime had dropped to his hands and knees, trembling as he struggles to fight back the emotions flowing through his body. Then suddenly, a warm, familiar light appears before him. Turning his nearly terrified head up, he sees the glowing shadows of his mother and father, engulfed in the same, white flame as the pure hearted ancestors.

Hajime.... they whisper as his mother reaches down and carresses his cheek. Both place their hands on his chest, causing a bright light that filled the entire cave. Mighty-Heart shuts his eyes to protect them from its blinding pain, while Brave-Soul just looks on, sensing an air of complete calmness from Hajime as all the emotions he absorbed seemed to have simmered down and accepted him as their new vessel.

Once the light vanishes, Mighty-Heart looks towards the center of the cave to find Hajime laying on his side, unconscious. He immediately rushes down and picks him up by the back of his neck, getting no reaction of resistance.

But he saw something that appeared out of the ordinary in his time of watching his older sisters endure the embrace of the fallen ancestors; a smile. It was as if none of the other emotions mattered to him as long as he felt the warmth and love of his own family.

"Bring the Baboolon back to the tribe," Brave-Soul barks, turning around, "He will recover there while I explain this puzzling discovery you have seen and felt." Mighty-Heart remained concerned, but complies and carries Hajime out of the cave to follow his aging father.

[White-Jet]

The Planet of Three

Hajime is awakened by a small pound of pressure squeezing his right shoulder. He grunts as he opens his eyes to see another Lionel cub, appearing to be no more than four months old, chewing at his shoulder as small fangs began growing out of its gums.

He lifts his head to find himself back in the same room that he rested in during his first encounter with the Lionel. Thankfully, none of Brave-Soul's children have come in to bombard him with questions or complaints.

"Why was I not aware of this!?" Mighty-Heart's faint voice complains from outside the room, "Why were there two more Baboolons comforting him when he was on the verge of collapsing from the embrace of our ancestors!?"

"Those Baboolons who appeared before him are his late parents," Brave-Soul said calmly, "Untainted by wires and metal, and left out of war, their lifespan will exceed as far as a century before their cycle is complete."

Hajime gets up and heads out of the room, leaving the cub dangling on his right shoulder. Upon entering the next room, he sees Mighty-Heart and Brave-Soul sitting at a large, red blanket while two more unfamiliar beings sat in front of them.

One is a cow Paledon, wearing a long, green skirt, and sleeveless top. The other is a female Mir-Kat, wearing a red cowboy hat, leather jacket with strings along the sleeves, and surprisingly comfortable spirs on her feet. Her fur is also unconditioned, but surprisingly clean, and her long tail lays flat on the floor, a seemingly visible indication of her coming of age.

Might-Heart slams his fists onto his knees as his youthful frown grows tighter, "How could you know all this? Of all my times watching my brothers and sisters endure the same embrace over and over again, not once have any of them recieved the same comforting spirits as that Baboolon just now!"

"I know this because I witnessed the same heartbreak a year before I mated with your mother," Brave-Soul said as he takes a drag from his pipe, "Her parents had died in a war with the Hyenides shortly before she has been deemed worthy of accepting the ancestor's embrace. She was fearful of how she will cope not having them by her side as she deals with the round of emotions coming at her. And when her day finally came, she did her best to take what came to her. But her unease eventually overcame her and she nearly collapsed from the force of her most hated adversaries."

Brave-Soul blows a trail of smoke into the air, "Just when it seemed she would not maintain her sanity, I saw a great white light much like what you saw, with her parents standing within. They spoke comforting words before embracing her within their protecting arms. That is how I knew that not all species can simply shrug off emotions without the aide of someone who cares deeply about them."

Mighty-Heart looks down at his crossed arms before looking over to the elderly Paledon and Mir-Kat in front of him.

"What about you?" he asked, "I sensed you also had encounters with two more Baboolons."

"Two more...?" Hajime mutters.

"It'd be mighty strange for you, young man," the Mir-Kat cackles as she presses the sole of her feet together.

"They had no one who deeply hated them, but they had one person, their mother, who helped them overcome the rush of emotions burning within their heart." the cow Paledon said as she uses her long trunk to sip her tea.

Mighty-Heart continues to look on in unexpressed confusion before sensing Hajime's presence and turning his eyes towards him and the cub still hanging off his shoulder. His lips curl downward as he gets up and walks over to the young-looking Cyber Cleric, reaches out and grabs the cub by the scruff of his neck, jerking it upwards with enough force to tear it off his shoulders.

"How much longer must he keep chewing on everything?" Mighty-Heart growls as he drops the cub at his feet.

"Until his fangs grow out," Brave-Soul said, taking another drag from his pipe, "You know how tenacious your brother is when it comes to getting what he wants." He then eyes Hajime, "How are you feeling, little Baboolon?"

"My heart's still racing," Hajime mutters slightly exhausted, "But I'll be okay." He looks over to the two unfamiliar visitors, "About those two you found, do you know where they are?"

"Are they friends of yours?" the Paledon asked. Hajime didn't hesitate to nod.

"Curious creatures, they are," the Mir-Kat laughed, "Shortly after they recovered from their emotional ordeal, they wanted to explore the rest of the planet and see how much they can learn AS they're looking for the rest of their missing friends. I told them they should check out the forest lands and learn some of the magic that Kumitsunes uses."

"Forest lands? This planet isn't just a desert?"

"There are two other lands that occupy this world," Brave-Soul said, "The forest land bridges the gap between our land, and the ice lands. The forest has many shades, lakes and meadows, and the people there are quite friendly. I am sure you will have no problem getting to know them, and perhaps gaining some of their abilities."

Hajime appears relieved as he thanks them for their help and fazes out in a silhouette of light.

-------------------------

Deep in the misty forest is a village that almost looks like a forested version of early London. At the end of the village stood a large tree with doors and a window, showing a faintly white glow.

A fox-like creature, wearing white robes and pearl necklaces stood behind a crystal ball, her eyes shut as her hands glide over its smooth, shining surface.

"He is coming," she said, "He has been told of your whereabouts. You will be reunited soon."

"He...? You mean Hajime?" Kayman asked as he and Mose sat on the other side of the table. The Kumitsune nods slowly.

"Now that he has been given the ability of spiritual awareness, he knows where you are and is coming to take you and your other missing friends home."

"It will be good to go back home; not that I don't mind being here," Mose said.

"But we still haven't been able to warn the Undeath about the FSA," Kayman growls.

"These beings you call, Undeath, will not be at war for long," the Kumitsune said, "Your nation will battle them, but eventually realize that they are no longer dangerous and leave them be. You have no more reason to worry about them."

"Then I guess we have no choice but to let the events play out and hope for the best," Mose said, "It will at least save us the trouble of having our status within the FSA shattered if they found out we had some involvement in defying their No Colonization law." Kayman sighs in frustration as he looks away from everyone else.

The Kumitsune hides a grim expression. She seems to know something that she doesn't want the two to find out. Looking down to her cyrstal ball, she sees pitch black shadows surround Hajime and attack him, tearing away his robe and cape while trying to get inside his body. He is next seen within the company of an unknown group of explorers, his outfit changed to match their recommended dresscode. He still cares about his family and friends, who are now worlds away from him, but a deep trauma experienced by a similar incident has prevented him from returning there.

It is likely he may not be able to return home for some time....

[White-Jet]

The Era of Turmoil

With the end of the No Colonization Agreement finally over, all nations rushed to explore other parts of the galaxy. As predicted by Leknaat, the Kumitsune from the planet of animals, the scuffle that occurred shortly after FSA's confrontation with the Undeath ended without serious casualties to both sides.

Relieved that things were back to normal, Mose, Kayman, and Hajime rushed back to the forest lands of the animal planet to learn some magic spells from the Kumitsune race. While Mose and Kayman dabbled in the art of black and white magic, Mose focusing more on white than his younger brother, who fathoms black, Hajime chooses to strictly be a white mage, deciding to use his knowledge to heal both metal and flesh wounds while recharging the energy of the wounded.

Irene wasn't a huge fan of using magic, but was fascinated by how the occupants of the ice lands were able to use technology to gain energy from the moon. She spends most of her time in a technician institute, learning how they were able to create such devices in hopes of creating duplicates for the Holy Lunarian Empire.

Hayato, regretfully, was stuck on Cygaxia, training a newcomer who had the Holy Lunarian council on edge by his brash attitude.

While FSA and the newly factioned Black Wind Principality use the Generation rankings of the Cyber Cleric council like a family tree, the parent, or eldest child, deemed Gen.I, Holy Lunaria treated the generation like a common military ranking. The nobles are deemed Gen.I while the commoners fall in line behind them. Training of the later generation merely falls upon which Gen.I Holy Lunarian is willing to sacrifice his or her time to deal with the monitoring and education of their 'apprentice'.

"But I don't understand why commoners are only limited to following the nobles," Aimay said as she and Jago sat in the lounge of the Cleric Mansion.

The lounge of the mansion resembled the lobby of a 5-star hotel, only the desks are mainly used for check in, out and customer information rather than paying for a room. Four corners of the room had three couches positioned in front of a large, HD TV hanging off the walls, each showing the news and weather of the four empires making up most of their universe. Jago and Aimay sat with Hayato in the Holy Lunarian section of the lounge, where the area is a silverish hue and the TV showed news of current Holy Lunarian activity.

"Because commoners lack the psychic abilities of the noble," Hayato said, not sounding too thrilled about taking on the task of being this newcomer's trainer, "A commoner who starts his own generation is more likely to act on his own thoughts rather than stop to think things through."

"That's completely unfair!" Jago complains, "How can they treat people without psychic powers like a pack of monkeys who can't even recognize their own reflection in a mirror!?"

"The decision to restrict commoners to falling in line behind the nobles wasn't our decision to make," Irene said as she walked into the lounge from the hallway leading to the Holy Lunarian corridors, "The Iltheria family made the suggestion, and the public agreed to it without second thought. We seldom question the words of the empress, so that's how we handle our ranking."

"Seldom being the keyword in the council nowadays," Hayato mutters, eyeing through the glass coffee table at the square carpet bearing the emblem of Holy Lunaria.

"Are you still upset about Empress Samantha's decision to declare hostility on the other empires?" Irene asked before eyeing the floor, "I admit we aren't well known to the other nations, but to call them athiests before giving them a chance to aquaint with us seems a bit hasty on her behalf. Even the wisest members of our council is on edge, worried about how her ascent to the throne will affect our future."

"Couldn't you use your psychic powers?" Aimay asked.

"The Holy Lunarian future is messed up and inconclusive," Hayato said, "Tapping into our own future is like typing a keyword on an internet browser. Even Holy Lunaria dabbles in desception, abusing their psychic powers to throw off others' predictions and keep their innocence intact. Therefore, we either end up using primitive technology, or find other means to crack their secrets."

Suddenly, the TV switches to a picture of one area of Cygaxia's city block where a riot had broken out. Cygaxians are being torn left and right by visiting members of the Holy Lunarian Empire, their limbs becoming deadly weapons to beat visitors from other nation.

"This just in!" shouts a Cygaxian reporter, "Cygaxia Sector 5 has broken out into a city-wide riot. Witness states a Holy Lunarian priest arrived with demands that the entire city aide him in enforcing the teachings of Lunara to the other nations. Those who refused were beaten to submission by those visiting from the empire."

Irene covers her mouth in shock while Hayato grits his teeth in frustration. Jago and Aimay hugged each other, the youngest shaking in fright while the older tries his best to comfort her. Cygaxian's built as, or dressed in police uniforms rushed out to control the riot.

"Officials have just entered the scene," the reporter states, "They conclude the only way to put an end to this nightmare is to bludgen the rioters into escape pods and send them back to Holy Lunaria. They had better hurry before the entire galaxy becomes their personal junkyard for weaponry!"

"Dammit," Hayato growled, "As if the empire has caused enough trouble forcing the other nations to convert to Lunara!"

Irene suddenly screams in fright as the others turn to see her drop to her knees, grabbing her head, "Wh-Why...!? Lunara should only be taught when others feel like it...not when we want them to...!"

Hayato was about to say something when a preminition suddenly hits him. A man with long, black, slick hair, wearing the robes of a Cyber Cleric, threw mountains of the most powerful weaponry into a cargo ship. He had a devious, yet determined sneer on his face.

The teachings of Lunara must be enforced into the minds of the hostile! Take these and show them the might of the empire! Make them realize the good of Lunara!

Hayato's eyes widen in rage as he grips the armrest to the point of tearing a chunk off, "Kisama!"

Jago and Aimay jerk their heads over to him in time to see him turn white and faze out.

"Wh-what's going on!?" Aimay squeaks in fright.

"It seems not even the Clerics are completely devoted to spreading the teachings to other nations anyway they can...." Irene mutters frightfully, "The commoner Hayato was forced to take under his wing has defied one of the Cleric rules and is trying to construct weaponry to send to the empire for use in their crusade...."

The two stare at her in shock and fright before turning their attention back to the TV monitoring the situation in the streets.

--------------------------

The Cyber Cleric slams the hatch of the carrier, snickering in anticipation.

"Lunara...." he mutters, "I swear by the name of the empress, your teachings will be enforced into the minds of those who refuse to think of you as a goddess that will bring peace to this universe."

He reaches over to a control panel on the wall and hits the red button, causing the carrier's engines to burst to life and skid down the runway.

"Empress Samantha!" he seethes, "Accept this as a gift from the Cyber Cleric council! Engrave a deep scar into the backs of those who continue turn away from our teachings!"

Just as the carrier had reached lift off a flash appeared a foot in front of it, followed seconds later by the sound of slicing metal.

Hayato lands in front of his apprentice, holding his katana at his side. The moment he stands straight, the carrier, along with everything inside, split in half and explode in a cloud of fireballs. The apprentice yells in hysteria and stumbles back.

"M-Master!?" he shrieks, "What're you-!?" he was interrupted by Hayato zooming past him while raking his katana across his side. Blood and fluid sprayed out of the open gash, causing him to go numb and lose consciousness.

By the time most of his senses had returned, he finds himself in the rejuvination capsule, surrounded by members of the Holy Lunarian council; Hayato and Irene standing at the front. His nose and mouth were covered by a resperator as he breathes laboringly.

"W...why master...!?" he wheezed, "Why are you preventing the empire from spreading the teachings of Lunara?"

"You know very well that you aren't allowed to make weapons for anyone other than yourself," Hayato growled.

"D...Did you all f...forget what the...the other empires did to us...!? They...they refused to convert...they...refused to accept...the good of our goddess...! They must...they must all convert...to her teachings...if they are to survive...in the future...!"

"The only thing they will learn is that we are nothing but a hostile nation that will destroy the entire universe if they don't do as we say!" one of the other Lunarian Clerics exclaims, "By enticing our empress to add violence to her crusade using our wearponry, you have nearly put us all in danger of being banished from Cygaxia!"

Hayato holds up the implants that restrict his lifepsan, allow him teleportation, and offer him extra repair abilities, "I've taken the liberty of removing your implants, hereby banning you from the council!" he throws them to the floor away from the capsule, "You will be shot back to the empire where you will live the rest of your life as a lowlife commoner, condemned to be forgotten in the sea of society!" With that, he snaps his fingers, causing his ex-apprentice to turn white and faze out of the capsule.

The room remained silent a minute before Hayato turns and marches towards the door. Irene blinks and looks over to him.

"Hayato...?" she mutters in worry.

"I'm going to put a stop to this...!" he growled, "Lunara's teashing shouldn't be spread through force and hostility!" he exits out the door before anyone else objected to his idea.

[White-Jet]

Who to Believe

Hayato is thrown against the wall of the throne room, his robe torn to shreds and his face battered, bloodied and bruised. The royal guards surround him as he slumps to the floor, staring up at them in fright and confusion.

What was supposed to be a simple act of suggesting non-violent alternatives had turned into a traumatizing disaster when the underling he and the other Holy Lunarian council kicked out fled to Samantha and claimed they were damning the teachings of Lunara out of respect for the rest of the council. By the time he had arrived to speak to her, the claim had been soaked into their brains, leading to an onslaught of fists and knives in the second he came through the door.

"Do you fools ever bother investgating situations further when it comes to religion!?" he exclaims.

"Silence, traitor!" one of the guards snap, backhanding Hayato to his side, "This is the wrath of our goddess upon your head for preventing her teachings from being spread to the minds of the atheists who think she is a mere legend created to seperate us from the rest of the human race!"

Hayato growls pained in anger as he tries to sit up, "The wrath of the goddess, or the wrath of your 'high and mighty' empress!?"

"How dare you!" another guard shouts as he grabs Hayato's hair and yanks him to a sitting position below him, hearing him cry out in pain while struggling to pull free, "Empress Samantha is only doing what Lunara asks of her! Do not think we are just following her orders because she wants us to!"

"And...and what if...the other nations...continue to refuse...!?" Hayato seethed through his grit teeth, "Are you...going to destroy them...and claim you were carrying out...Her wishes...!?" the second guard growls in rage as he flings Hayato towards the throne, watching him land at Samantha's feet.

"This traitor has been poisoned by the atheists of the other nations!" one of the subjects exclaims, "He is to be reawakened to the goodness of Lunara and reminded of why she has allowed him to live this long!"

Hayato stares at Samanatha in shock as she waves her hand, seeming to allow the onslaught to continue. Horrified, he turns to the guards as they pulled out their weapons and advanced towards him with the intent to stab and beat him to death. But just as they had surrounded the terrified Cyber Cleric, a blood-curddling scream snaps them out of their violent trance and towards the throne room.

Wires bind Samantha to her throne as two kunai stand dangerously close to her throat. Hajime stands behind her with an angered look on his face. It was apparent he had seen from the council what was happening to Hayato and warped down to Lunaria to stop them from further beating him to a traumatized heep.

"Lunara has done enough damage to him," he growled, "Now take your bloody hands off him, or I'll slit her throat!"

The guards just stare at Hajime, trying to predict his intentions, but all they got were a jumble of results that confused and bewildered them.

Unable to believe their own predictions, they back away from Hayato, allowing Hajime to release Samantha, rush over to him and warp out of the room with him in tow.

-------------------------

The aftermath of Hayato's trek to stop Holy Lunaria's cruisade not only shocked the council representing it, but the entire, one-planet galaxy. Not once, in over a millennia, as a nation ever gone so far as the banish a Cyber Cleric, especially in a violent way as what befell Hayato. R-X immediately broke contact with the nation to avoid them sending more cruisades to beat the other Clerics into breaking the four rules for the sake of spreading Lunara's teachings.

Some of the Holy Lunarian Clerics feared for their loyalty and quit the council, not wanting to suffer the same fate as Hayato. Other councils began questioning how long they can continue to serve their nations before their superiors deem them too traitorous to rely on, and banish them in the same hostile manner.

Hayato appears to be the worst case of the other Clerics. Since his recovery, he had shut out the rest of the world. No one had seen or heard from him in over a year, and it was unsure whether he'll ever recover from his trauma.

-------------------------

Irene wanders down the hallway of the Holy Lunarian corridor, staring down at her feet as they kick out the front of her robe. Being highly devoted to the teachings of Lunara, she would have been expected to tear off her cape and run back home with the other loyal members of the council. But she had become fond of Hayato's antics and will to help others in need ever since he encountered her as a child born five years after the Day of Reckoning.

Of the long-lasting friends within the council, Irene is the most concerned. And when Hayato hadn't left his quarters in over a year, she became just as listless, spending every waking day wondering when he will pull himself together and continue on with his life as close to normal as possible.

She soon came to Hayato's quarters, finding Mose, Kayman, and Hajime surrounding a dismantled keypad that was used to control the security settings of the room.

Kayman had his hands in the socket where the pad used stick out of, digging and pushing wires out of the way. Hajime stooped behind him with his hands on his knees while Mose leaned against the wall beside them, seeming disinterested by his younger brother's antics.

"What're you doing?" she asked worriedly.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" Kayman complains, "I'm sick being greeted every morning with waves of anxiety and fear over how much they should please their respected nations! If Mr. Seclusion would get his ass out of his quarters and tell us what's going through his mind, this fiasco wouldn't have happened!"

"How can you be sure what he says won't make everyone's anxiety worse?"

"It won't," Mose said, not bothering to react to Irene's increased shock at his remark, "In fact, he could drive the dagger further into our back with what he has to say. But if gets the rest of the council to think more for themselves than the nation they serve, then it'll make them to stop moping around and get on with their lives."

A burst of sparks flew out of the socket, causing the door to slide up, revealing a dark room. The hallway is the only source of light exposing the stuff inside. The quad look to each other before cautiously heading inside and looking around.

Aside from the common twin-size bed and shower room that dot every quarter of Cleric Mansions, Hayato also had a computer desk that doubles as a mini construction table and different kinds of animal robots, some finished while others were missing key components.

Just as they had turned their focus to find Hayato, they hear footsteps coming towards them, and turn to see him emerge from the darkness of the corner of his bed. He appeared to be a mess, his long, straight hair shaggy and unconditioned, and his eyes lifeless, void of everything that reminded everyone the kind of personality he had.

Irene furrows her eyebrows in worry while the boys just stare at Hayato in unspoken shock. He doesn't even acknowledge their presence as he skulks through them and heads towards the shower room, stopping in the short hallway and turns towards a wide mirror standing over a marble sink.

It was hard to tell what he could be thinking as he stares at his lifeless expression in the mirror. They figured he was questioning what he could have done to make the empire think he didn't want the other nations to convert to the teachings of Lunara.

After staring at his reflection for ten minutes, Hayato turns his gaze to the full length behind him. He had managed to regain enough sense to reform his robe, but something appears to be missing. The cape that represented the Holy Lunarian Empire was nothing more than a foot of torn cloth hanging off his shoulders.

He stares at his back reflection, seeming shocked; as if he had never noticed his cape was no longer on his back. He suddenly huffs a laugh...then two. Soon, he laughed so hard, no one could tell if he was coming back to life, or drowning deeper in insanity.

"I can't believe I was so stupid!" he exclaims, his face twisted in anger, as he slams his fists against the mirror in front of him, shattering it and raining shards into the sink, "All this time I thought Lunara was angry because of what I did to save the empire from spiralling into its own hell!"

He pulled his fists off and stares at his white gloves, the area around the pinky torn from the impact against the mirror, revealing the black unitard covering his hands, "No...it's not Lunara's fault I suffered this nightmare.... It's the damn empire! They're so obsessed with their empress they'll even go so far as to think she knows exactly what She's thinking and how She wants others to convert to Her teachings!" he clenches his fists in determination, "Then screw them! Screw all this loyalty crap! I'll use the powers Lunara and Cygaxia gave me in the way I think it should be used!"

Irene's eyes widen in shock as she and the boys watch Hayato flash white and fazes out of the room. She drops to her knees, afraid of how the rest of the council will react when they find out what happened to him after they broke into his quarters.

[White-Jet]

Emotional Rollercoaster

It didn't take long for Hayato's sudden disappearance to reach the ears of the rest of the council. And, as Mose had presumed, no one was any happier than when the ex-Lunarian spent most of the year locked up in his quarters. Thankfully though, with the death of Samantha Iltheria in 3729, as well as the lack of response from the other nations shortly thereafter, the situation concerning the future of the council eventually dried up, allowing everyone to continue on with their lives as normal.

Irene, unfortunately, was not on the same track as everyone else. Still overwhelmed by what Hayato said shortly before his sudden disappearance, she spends the next eight years trying to rekindle Holy Lunaria's trust in Cygaxia by helping their new empress chart locations to set up missionaries to the nations factioned by the three empires.

Eventually, the empire began to lighten up on the thought that Lunarian Clerics no longer believed in the teachings of Lunara, allowing Cygaxia to continue monitoring and aiding their progress.

But Irene doesn't stop there. Worried that the other nations might start questioning Cygaxia's trust in them, she began burying herself in work, taking everything from mundane repair and construction jobs to monitoring the progress of the entire galaxy, in a tireless attempt to keep their reliability in tact.

For the next twelve years, she all but isolates herself away from her friends, making more excuses to continue working than promises to take a break and hang out with them.

For her three best friends, twelve years of neverending work, piled on by excuses and broken promises is anything but healthy.

---------------

Irene heads into the planetarium early one day and heads to a pillar in the center of the holgraphic dome. She presses some buttons, causing the graph-like squares to transform into the vastness of space. Planets explored by Cygaxia and other nations thus far shoot out of the pillar, taking place in the exact locations in which explorers had come across.

She wanders around each planet, tapping their surface and checking on their status. She writes the results down on her digital notepad as she continues on with her daily routine.

Suddenly, six hands jump out and wrap around her, two around her neck and left arm, another two around her waist and right arm, and the last two locking her knees.

"Target as been captured!" shouts a familiar voice, "Prepare to ship out!"

"Yokai!" shouts two other familiar voices.

Irene screams in shock as she's pulled off her feet and repositioned on the arms catching sight of Mose, Kayman and Hajime almost towering over her.

The three looked different than they were when she last saw them. Both Mose and Kayman wore strange looking outfits that looked like it came out of a 19th century clothes line, but with a bit of modern, Japanese modification. Their black boots both have purple lines along the ankle, toes and calves, and their silver crosses are exposed; Mose's 2ft large, hanging off the left side of his belt by a platinum keychain, while Kayman's is worn around his neck, barely hidden under his black, loosely buttoned shirt.

Hajime's outfit is entirely different from the other two men. He wears a white, long sleeve, business-like shirt with the FSA crest on his left breast pockets, his elbow-long gloves covering the sleeves, and black, wool, baggy pants held up by a brown, leather belt with the same crest acting as its buckle.

"Wh-what're you doing!?" Irene yelps as she tries to break free of their grip.

"Saving you from the jaws of depression!" Kayman pipes up.

"We're not going to stand around here and listen to you tell us your work is more important than your life," Mose said.

"People want a Cleric that's lively and more intune with their surroundings, not one who just does something, then leaves!" Hajime preaches, "So we're going to make you even out your schedule whether you like it or not!"

"But-!" Irene protests. But before she could continue, the three teleport out, taking her with them.

---------------

The light fades as the sight of a peaceful forest comes into view, with dirt paths trail to the cottages scattered throughout the area.

"Where are we?" Irene mutters as she observes her new surrounding.

"The Gifu Prefecture in Japan," Hajime said, "We come here to play with the children whenever we have nothing better to do. We told them we'd bring a Cyber Cleric with us on our next visit."

Irene jerks free from their grip and turns to the trio in anger, "You're all Cyber Clerics! Why waste my time doing something you could do just as easily!?" the three stare at her like she was stupid.

"They didn't tell you!?" Kayman exclaims, "The council is still on edge because of what happened 20 years ago. They recommend we all adopt a secret identity to keep commoners from coming after us with pitchforks and torches!"

Before Irene could protest, several voices shout from behind her. She turns around to see a small crowd of children, of different races and gender, rush over to her.

"Oh my god! They did bring a Cyber Cleric!"

"This is so cool!"

"Can I touch your robe!?"

Irene tried to escape the swarm of children, but they were too quick and eventually surround her, bombarding her with questions she didn't want to answer. The clambering came to a screeching halt when Hajime stepped in front of the overwhelmed Lunarian Cleric and planting his fists on his sides.

"What have I told you about crowding around complete strangers?" he asked sternly. The children stare at him nervously before scrambling in a square formation in front of them.

Within a minute, one of the kids pipes up, "Say! Can she go swimming with us at the large lake in the forest!?" the other kids shout and nod in agreement. Irene furrows her eyebrows more as she backs away from them.

"I really don't...." she mutters. The children stare at her in confusion.

"What's wrong? Don't you swim?" a young Tort asked. Mose, Kayman and Hajime stare at each other before turning their focus onto Irene, increasing her uneasiness.

"Now that I think about it, I've never seen her stand in more than 2ft of water," Kayman said.

"Hayato mentioned something about her parents being too busy with other things to do more than feed and educate her," Hajime said, "They left her locked up in their mansion most of her life and wouldn't let her go anywhere beyond the neighborhood."

"Wow! That's sad!" mutters a human child before perking up, "So let's take her to the swimming hole and teach her how to swim!" the children shout and agree with her. Irene tries to protest, but they grabbed her arms and began pulling her down the dirt path towards the shadows of the forest. The trio look to each other before shrugging and heading off after them.

---------------

The swimming hole is nearly 9ft wide with a depth of between 3ft and 10ft.

Most of the children used water wings and life rings to stay afloat, while others can swim with little to no problem. The same, however, couldn't be said for Irene, who had her arms tightly wrapped around Kayman's shoulders in the split second she lost her footing on the rocky decline.

"You know, you do have a rebreather," Kayman said as he tries to move through the water with Irene halfway from pulling him down, "You could start by staying underwater for a while instead of sitting on my back and expecting to float."

"You're so mean!" Irene cries hysterically, "It's bad enough you got me into this mess, let alone let these kids do what they want with me!"

"I didn't think she would be this terrified," Hajime muttered as he and Mose tread water within the crowd of kids staring at the fiasco before them more than playing in the water.

"Maybe we should've brought a life jacket instead of just pulling her in with us," Mose sighs as he runs a wet hand over long locks covering his right eye.

"At least she's not like that one Kitiana who suddenly crashed here last year," said one of the Kitiana kids. Irene stops complaining and turns her head over to the conversation.

"Oh, yeah! I remember that one!" pipes another Kitiana child, "The adults took her to the hospital because she had burns all over her body. The next day, she terrorized the hospital, claiming she was being tortured by 'evil aliens'. Half the equipment used to save patients were destroyed, most of the doctors were killed, as well as the Kitiana patients she thinks were being 'experimented' on."

"Mr. Dragoon and Mr. Monotoki volunteered to help her like other races. We haven't heard from them since."

Irene furrows her eyebrows as she stares down at the water. Mose, Kayman and Hajime could sense a flicker of worry burning off her shoulders as if she knew more than the children could explain.

[White-Jet]

Unexpected Recruit

Hajime runs through the forest in the dead of night. His Cleric robes were torn and burned with plasma to the point where only his sleeves and chest area remain intact, exposing his black, baggy pants.

Yells and shouts echo behind him as soldiers from FSA's Defense Force flood the forest, firing their large plasma rifles at the fleeing Cleric.

"Don't let him get away!"

"Halt!"

"Stop the traitor!"

Hajime could only think of why he was being chased by the FSA; one of their Generals, Ito Monotoki, has been after Cygaxia's immortality implants since he first made the rank. When they refused due to Holy Lunaria's prediction that he would abuse them to take over the entire universe, he declared he would get the implants by any means necessary. He didn't expect the general to target him just because he was equipped with more than immortality implants.

His thoughts came to a screeching halt when the light of the moon suddenly appears in front of him. He looks towards it in time to realize he was about to go careening over a cliff leading to another dark forest.

Panicked, Hajime screeches to a halt dangerously close to the cliff and whips around to face the army who stop a few feet away from him, rifles raised and waiting to fire.

A gap opens up in the center of the army as a man of 6'4", wearing heavy, titanium armor and a large, bazooka-like gun strapped to the belt, walks towards him with a mean-looking face. His mustache and eyebrows are 1ft long and are crooked, the mustache in the shape of lightning bolts while the eyebrows appear to look like bull horns.

"It seems you have been cornered, traitor," Ito growls as he advances towards him, "Admiral Allyah has put too much faith in you, allowing you to go so far as to cooperate with the enemy."

Hajime growls as he glares at Ito in aggravation, "I thought the lack of response made it clear to you no one cares about that Holy Lunarian incident 20 years ago!"

"Once I prove to them of your treachery, they will reflect on that case and send a fleet out to put an end to their tyranny!" Ito stretches his hand towards Hajime as his curled fingers wiggle in anticipation, "Then, I will be able to take your implants and use them for my own purposes."

Hajime's growl increase as Ito continues, "You Clerics are so naive. They won't take away your implants unless you were caught building weapons for anyone other than yourself. I think a Cleric who has been banished from their nation should have their implants removed and given to someone with more responsibility." he stops in front of Hajime, leering down at him in anticipation, "When the Admiral disbands you from the FSA, I can freely tear your implants and use them for my own, then I will show everyone how the FSA really fights!"

"Even if you do take my implants, you won't be able to just stick them in your body," Hajime growled, "Only Cygaxia knows which parts go where, and how to insert them without causing complications to the body."

"Your naivety is so great, it's not even funny! My doctors and scientists have been studying the art of cybernetic technology and will have no problems inserting your implants into my body!"

Hajime grits his teeth in frustration before tipping backwards and falling down the cliff. Ito's eyes widen in horror as he turns to his soldiers and thrusts his fingers towards the fallen Cleric.

"After him!" he shouts, "Drag him back up here and take him to the lab to be striped of his parts!"

The soldiers yelp in fright as they scramble off towards inclines leading down to the forest below.

Meanwhile, half a mile away, a shadow stands above the trees of the forest on the back of a black, dragon-like carrier, watching the scenario unfold and frowning in suspicion.

-----------------------

After what seemed like a few minutes, Hajime finally hits ground. Just as he was about to stand up and observe his surroundings, however, his feet suddenly fall through the surface; a realization he has landed in soft, quicksand-like mud. And with his bioroid parts being heavier than his organs, he begins to sink faster than a normal human.

Thinking this would help him lose Ito and his soldiers, Hajime begins scissor kicking to agitate the mud further and hasten his descent. When the mud reached his shoulders, he began using his arms to push more out of the way to further quicken his descent, shutting his eyes just before it passed over his forehead.

Not a moment after disappearing from the surface, he senses someone approach the bank and stick his hand into the mud, digging around for whatever was closer to his reach. Whoever this person is has some kind of connection with Ito, but not in the same manner as the humans who follow him like lapdogs.

Unsure of what to make of this new arrival, he feels reluctant to reach for the arm, but before he could sink any further in the mud, the hand grabs his wrist and pull him towards the surface, feeling the mud leave his body as he's dragged halfway onto the grassy bank.

Hajime pulls his glasses off with his other hand and shakes the mud off as he stares up at his unexpected rescuer, seeing a person roughly his age stand over him with his hand still on his wrist.

He stands 5'7" has reddish brown hair, spiked and pulled into a complicated topknot, wears a red bandana around his forehead, a black, gakuran trench coat with ribbons around his shoulders over a white, long sleeve shirt, white gloves, black, baggy pants, and black boots. His eyebrows are crooked in the same fashion as Ito's, but are shorter and thinner. He right eye appears to have recently been stabbed shut, dry blood tearing down his cheek.

Nervous of the sight of the dried blood, Hajime tries to back away from him, almost falling back into the mud when he grabbed his other wrist and drags him into the darkness of the forest. He tries to break free, but was too exhausted from his running and flailing to put up nothing more than weak struggles.

-----------------------

Itett walks into sick bay, finding Ryuta push Hajime onto an observation table at the far end of the room. He is a 6'1" Dragonair who wears an identical outfit, minus the gloves, has a blond mohawk on his head and beard along his Chinese Dragon-like snout.

"What were you doing out there, Ryuta?" he asked, "I was so eager to get out in space, and I turn around to find you had disappeared!"

"Quit your whining, you big baby," Ryuta snorts, hitting a button beside the bed as an arch closed around Hajime, "I was just distracted by...something...."

"This doesn't have anything to do with your father standing a few feet from us," Ittet said, crossing his arms. Ryuta snorts again as he turns his back to him and crosses his arms as well.

"Old man hasn't changed one bit," he growled, "Doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself and disposes his men like trash." Ittet turns his focus towards Hajime, who's looking between the two while still breathing heavily to regain his energy.

"What's with the child then?" he asked. Ryuta turns his head towards Hajime.

"I saw his army of lapdogs chase him down a cliff," he said, turning to face the person in question, "There must be something about this kid that's gotten the old man's attention, otherwise he wouldn't be wasting his 'precious men' to an all night fox hunt."

"Maybe he has something your father doesn't."

"Only one way to find out."

Ryuta presses another button on the keypad, causing a flash of light to erupt from inside the capsule. Hajime shuts his eyes from the blinding light as an x-ray image of his body appears on the surface.

Upon seeing what was inside his body, both human and Dragonair's eyes widen a second before Ittet grits his teeth and looks away while Ryuta regains his stern composure, still staring at the mess of organs and wires making up Hajime's body.

Hajime blinks in confusion as he looks between the two, seeing their spiritual flames a mixture of disgust and disbelief. He lifts his head to look at his x-rayed body, but his neck wasn't long enough to get a good look.

"Those can't be normal cybernetic implants," Ryuta mutters in unexpressed shock, "They don't even look like they should be in his body."

"It's a miracle this child is still breathing!" Ittet spat in disgust, "Whoever did this to him must be beyond sick and demented to even think of such torture!"

"Torture!?" Hajime exclaims, propping himself on his elbows as he shoots a glare at Ittet, "What gave you the idea I was being tortured!?"

"You don't remember!?" Ittet exclaims back, pointing at the lower half of Hajime's body which is still stuck inside the capsule, "No one in their right mind would ask for this kind of stuff!"

"If you'd been there as long as I have, you wouldn't be standing by that load of crap!" Ittet just clapped his hands on Hajime's shoulders.

"Don't worry, young boy," he said sounding reassuring, "If and when we find the gang responsible for tormenting you, we're going to make sure they don't ever pull the same stunt on the next innocent bystander." Hajime was starting to get overwhelmingly annoyed.

"Respo...! Now wait a--uh...is she going to be okay?" Hajime suddenly asks, his expression changing from agitated to concern as he looks towards the entrance of sick bay. Ittet and Ryuta blinked before following his glance to find a female Kitiana standing between the doorframes with a traumatized look on her face.

Her red hair and tail are messy and unconditioned, and her clothes appear to be torn and burned to a raggedy tank top and shorts.

She continues to stare at the x-rayed half of Hajime's body, trembling in increased trauma as images flashed through her head of her waking up in a strange, scary room full of capsules with aliens of different types covered in grotesque flesh and wires. One of them is a mother-figure who stares at her, smiling warmly, albeit painfully, while calling out her name.

Darian....

"Oh no...." Ryuta mutters nervously, "Grab her, quick!"

He and Ittet abandoned Hajime and rushed over to the Kitana, grabbing her arms before she could make a move. The newcomer watched in shock as she screams in agony and struggles to break free five painful minutes before her eyes roll back and drops to the floor in a faint.

Ryuta sighs in frustration as he pulls the Kitana to her feet, "I thought I told you to lock her quarters until we went to space."

"We would've already been in space, if you hadn't gone outside and dragged in a tormented child!" Ittet argues before snorting a few bursts of flames from his nostrils in frustration, "Come on. Let's take her back to her room...."

They began to drag the Kitana out of sick bay, leaving Hajime alone to watch in utter shock and concern, wondering what kind of mess he had just walked into this time.

[White-Jet]

Life of a Rogue Traveler

Hajime lays in the x-ray capsule, staring at the ceiling. Ryuta and Ittet are taking longer than expected to drag their screaming recruit back to her quarters. By now it was unknown whether they still remember the other stray they pulled in, or if they'll stop bickering long enough to get the dragon carrier off the ground.

Bored of counting the squares on the overhead lights for the twelfth time, he decided to slip out of Sick Bay and explore the carrier for a while...even if they weren't planning to keep someone who, as far as their concern, is too traumatized by whoever tortured him to even admit he's suffering in pain; they already have enough on their hands dealing with someone who's obviously too terrified to think she's being helped.

-------------------------

Itett pulls the blanket towards Darien's chin as he sighs and heads out of the quarters in the left liver area of the dragon carrier, seeing Ryuta leaning against the wall near the frame with his arms crossed and one leg pressed against the bottom corner.

"This hasn't been getting off to a good start...." Itett grumbles as he rubs the back of his neck, "First we find her trying to destroy the Gifu hospital in a terrified rage, and now you bring in a child who is too terrified of what those creatures did to him to even believe he's in severe pain?"

"What if he isn't?" Ryuta mutters, causing Ittet's large, elf-like ears to twitch.

"What was that?"

"What if he really did ask for those parts?" Ryuta pushes off the wall, his arms still crossed, "I mean, good natured as he is, even he would go the extra mile if it meant living a full, eternal life."

"Are you crazy!?" Ittet exclaims, turning to face his human friend, "Didn't you see the amount of stuff that was in his body!? No being in their right mind would want that kind of contraption weighing them down and making them suffer the way he is!"

"You don't know the mind of a human," Ryuta said, eyeing Ittet, "We're the second short-lived species next to the animals living on our planet. We'd be lucky to be a century old before natural causes put us out of our misery! Therefore, most of us strive to live just as long as most of the other beings in other parts of the universe, perhaps even eternity."

"You're starting to sound like your father," Ittet grumbles.

"Maybe so," Ryuta snorts, turning around, "But if I wanted that kind of immortality, I'd use it to continue travelling, seeing all cultures and lifestyles I want; not use it to dominate the entire universe and make everyone bow to me like some demented god." He then walks away, leaving Ittet to ponder his change in attitude.

Neither is unaware that Darien had been overhearing the conversation, her eyes wide and her cheeks drenched in the tears of dread while her body trembles in fright over what she thinks might happen next.

-------------------------

After wandering the carrier for an hour, and taking in everything except the quarters on the left liver of the dragon, Hajime eventually finds himself in the chest area, which appears to be a lounge of some kind.

The lounge had a 2ft hole in the center with red, leather cushioned chairs surrounding a crystal coffee table; an entertainment area 2ft from the door, complete with a 44" wide screen TV glued to the wall, and nearly 20 different consoles and games, most of them antique from the mid-80s, and surprisingly playable; a window on the adjacent wall exposing, for now, the dark forests in which the carrier rests in; and three doors on the wall opposite the entrance: the bathroom, the washroom, and what appears to be a swimming pool spanning 25squft wide, and just as deep.

Hajime saunters over to the swimming pool, looking down at the 1ft catwalk surrounding the edges before looking behind him to make sure no one was around. Despite only being at half strength from the marathon run and the trek to drown himself in mud, a good swim might help him get his mind off the whole situation; it always does when he’s got too much stress on his mind.

The remains of his robe vanishes as he reaches down to pull his boots off, revealing the sock-like appearance of his black unitard, before walking towards the edge of the catwalk and jumping in, finding himself already 25ft deep in the second he hits the rough surface of the floor.

There was no incline to help level out the shallow from the deep, which may indicate the owners are decent swimmers, or are too lazy to slant their pool, preferring to use the bathroom as a kiddy pool for those who can't even float. This didn't bother him though, as his implants were light enough to keep him afloat despite their appearance.

Hajime heads to the surface, swinging his arms in wide, circular motions until his head breaks through. He then shortens the height towards his chest while letting his legs dangle from his bobbing motion. The lights at the bottom of the pool reflect the ripples along the walls and ceiling, with his head the only shadow stamped on the ceiling.

He bends forward and stretches his arm out, swinging it down as he repeats the motion with the other, pulling him through the pool as the trail of ripples he created reflects off the ceiling.

-------------------------

Ryuta walks into the lounge, noticing a slight change in its appearance since he last came here; a pair of weird looking, calf-high boots thrown towards the entrance of the swimming room. Curious he walks over to them and picks one up.

The near high-heel look of the boot almost gave off an uncomfortable feeling to the naked eye. He turns the boot around and sticks one of his bare feet into it, feeling it readjust to his size. To his surprise, it felt like he was wearing his steel-toed shoes, an indication that their unintentional pick-up may be shorter than he first appeared.

Ryuta's thoughts are cut off by the sound of splashing as he looks towards the swimming room to find Hajime paddling along the surface of the pool. As he takes the boot off and stands up, he finds the adolescent's lower body is doing nothing but trail behind him as if they were too heavy to move. Frowning, he heads inside.

Hajime flips over and begins backstroking halfway through the pool, watching as the ripples continue to expand as they trail behind him, when a life ring suddenly drops over his head, nearly causing him to sink before pushing himself in an upright position and treading with his hands.

"You have a much better chance of cooling off if you sat in the kiddy pool," said a voice from the entrance. Hajime grabs the corners of the life ring and pulls himself high enough to see Ryuta standing in the middle of the catwalk with his arms crossed. He frowns in annoyance.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I wasn’t tortured!?" Hajime complains before pushing the life ring towards the edge of the pool while kicking with his feet.

"I don't mind the idea of having implants that immortalize my life, and maybe save me from death," Ryuta began, "But I find it hard to believe you'd actually want those contraptions shoved inside your body."

Hajime walks over to Ryuta and shoves the life ring in his arms, forcing him to uncross them in order to grab it, "These 'contraptions' have more uses than your immature mind can comprehend! Or are you so dead set on believing the words of a terrified Kitiana that you refused to even think these parts are in my body for a reason?" he then marches out of the room.

Ryuta tosses the life ring to one side and walks back into the lounge, finding Hajime pulling a towel out of one of the shelves in the bathroom. From an up close perspective, he appears to be no higher than 5'6", where as he would be at least two inches higher with the strange boots he wore.

"Darien was scared out of her mind when we found her," he retorts as he crosses his arms again, "She nearly destroyed a hospital, claiming the Kitianas resting there were being tortured by the doctors tending to their care. For all we know, she could've been tortured by a gang of sick creatures who enjoy sticking grotesque contraptions in the bodies of any traveler they see."

"Is that why you’re so eager to blast off into space," Hajime asked as he rubbed the towel on his gray, buzz cut head, "Because you want to find these 'sick creatures' and make them pay for leaving her in this state?"

"I call it a side-quest; letting them come to us rather than hunting them down and making sure they don’t bother anymore innocent travelers," Ryuta snorts, turning his back towards Hajime, "The real reason we want to blast off is to explore uncharted territories and see cultures as they are before one of the four empires show up to share their lifestyle; or destroy it to make room for their expanding colonies."

"Is that so...." Hajime throws the towel back into the bathroom, "Judging by what I'm seeing, you won't even make friends with the first unfamiliar species you meet before it gets torched to molten rock."

"What was that!?" Ryuta exclaims, turning to face Hajime while jerking his arms to the side, "What gave you that ridiculous presumption!?"

"Let's see, where do I start?" Hajime asked rhetorically while planting one fist on his side and sarcastically rubbing his chin with his other hand, "You're taking a terrified Kitiana with you in hopes that she'll eventually get used to the sights of other planets and creatures. You only know half the story of her reason for avoiding everyone but Kitianas, and think it's because some 'sick creatures' backed her into a corner and made her suffer for their pure enjoyment."

He throws his arm down and glares at Ryuta, "You take her to an untouched planet outside the four borders, and you'll be lucky if she doesn’t kill the first inhabitant that greets you! Then what happens? Do you just ignore her because she's acting out in the name of her trauma? Or do you assume these supposedly nice beings are the monsters that tormented her, and bomb the entire planet to put an end to their existence? You better figure out how you're going to handle this situation before the entire galaxy reveres you as alien slayers just because your frightened little passenger doesn't know the difference between friend and foe."

Ryuta's frown tightens as Hajime threw his boots on and walks out of the lounge. He then snorts and walks out a minute later, heading towards the kitchen at the far end of the left liver area.

The kitchen looked almost like a typical military mess hall meets standard, 20th century kitchen; with cupboards, a sink, cutting board, and microwave at the far end, and two doors beside it, one made of stainless steel large enough to walk into, while the other is made of oak.

To his bewildering shock, he finds Darien rooting through the knife drawer of the moderate-looking kitchen, whimpering as her body shook in fright. Compressing his lips, he walks over to talk to her when she suddenly turns around and thrusts a kitchen knife into his right shoulder blade.

Screaming in pain and surprise, Ryuta stumbles away from her, grabbing the wound as blood spilled out and soaked the white fabric of his glove. Darien didn't let up. She charges at him, thrusting the knife repeatedly into other parts of his body, increasing his pain and the flow of blood spilling out of him.

"MONSTER!" she shrieks as she pins Ryuta to the floor and continues thrusting the knife into his chest, "I'LL KILL YOU BEFORE YOU RETURN ME TO THOSE MONSTERS WHO TORTURED MY MOMMY! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Ryuta tries desperately to get away from Darien, but her adrenaline overpowers him, stabbing him back onto the floor in the split second he tries to get up.

After what seemed like hours of pain and screaming, she is suddenly torn off Ryuta and slammed against the counter of the sink. He agonizingly turns his head to find Hajime pinning Darien's hands on the granite counter while she screams and kicks at him. The restrainer is now wearing his white, business-like shirt with his elbow long gloves sticking out of the sleeves.

Darien screams for another agonizing hour before hyperventilating and going limp in the counter. At first, Hajime thought her heart exploded, but sensed a small flicker of jumbled emotions, indicating she had passed out from a typical panic attack.

Before he could sigh with relief, his attention is grabbed by another terrified sense of emotions. He whips around to see Ryuta laying on his back, wide-eyed, gasping and gargling as blood began spilling out of his body and forming a puddle around him.

The sight of the blood terrified Hajime as he stumbles away from the increasing puddle, but quickly recovers when he notices the flame surrounding the fatally wounded slowly start to extinguish as his skin starts to pale from anemia. Gritting his teeth in worry, he rushes over to Ryuta and drops to his knees, holding his hands over the stab wounds.

Just before he was about to succumb to the pain, a warm, calming sensation surrounds his body, melting it and terror he suffered earlier away. He looks towards Hajime to see him deep in concentration, as a bright glow resonates from the palms of his hands. In an instant, the wounds riddling his chest began to seal up, leaving nothing but holes in his coat and shirt, as the blood trapped in his throat begins to dry up, allowing him to breathe normally.

Ittet suddenly runs into the kitchen, catching sight of Ryuta lying in his blood and Darien slumped against the kitchen counter. His horrified eyes then zoom to Hajime, practically sitting in the puddle with his hands hovering an inch over Ryuta's chest, and the bloodied kitchen knife dropped behind him.

Hajime senses increased anger, and before he could stumble to his feet, the Dragonair is already in his face, backing him into a wall while smoke and flickers of fire burst out of his mouth.

"Kisama!" Ittet growls, "He saved you from his father and this is how you repay him!?" Hajime's nervousness increases, trying to explain what was going on, but is interrupted when his back hits the wall, causing the jolt to clamp his mouth shut.

Before Ittet could do anything to him, however, he feels a hand grab his shoulder and pull him away.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Ryuta snaps, trying to get between Ittet and Hajime while his numbed body begins to recover. He looks over to the shorter of the two before turning his focus back to his friend, "Get a spare bed ready. He's coming with us."

Ittet was almost livid, "What!? But he tried to-!"

"He tried to save me from your overly terrified victim!" Ryuta stares at Darien sliding on to the floor in a limp, unconscious heap, "I don't know how she got out, but she kept stabbing me and calling me a monster until he showed up and pushed her off, then used some kind of magic to heal my wounds." Ittet stammers in disbelief.

"You can't take him with us just because you thought you saw him perform something no human on earth could perform!"

"And you know I can't just throw him out for my old man to come along and do as he pleases!" Ryuta argues, "I may not have known him since the day he dumped me into that orphanage in Tokyo. But the one thing that burns into my mind is his tenacity. We could dump the kid on any uncharted planet that has plenty of edible resources and places to hide! But it won't stop the old man from snatching him off that planet in the time it takes for us to forget about him and focus on our own needs!"

"Darien is scared enough as it is!" Ittet points out, "If we keep him here any longer, she's never going to regain her normality!"

"If that's the case, then maybe she'll feel a lot better of we just drop her off in the Kitiana nation and let them take her home! Because the way this is turning out, I'm starting to actually believe what that kid said about us not being able to explore the first uncharted planet we see before Darien becomes too overwhelmed to just sit back and let us do the talking!"

"That's just nonsense, and you know it!" Ittet complains, pointing at Hajime, "The only reason he said that is because Darien fainted at the sight of his internal structure! She might not be that way once we find a planet unexplored by the other nations!"

"Whether he's right or wrong doesn't matter at this point! As long as you're insistent on bringing her with us, I want to be sure we're all in one piece by the time we leave our first unexplored planet! So you either lay off and let him stay or we're dumping her back in her nation and letting them figure out how to calm her down!"

The two glare at each other before Ittet turns sharply and storms out of the kitchen. Hajime looks between them before sighing in frustration and slumping to a sitting position against the wall, slightly overwhelmed by the amount of mayhem he just walked into.