The Ramarian Crisis

By DarkHorse

Chapter 12: Sacrifices

Launch Control Tower, Autozam

Zazu Torque, the youngest battleship commander in the history of Autozam, watched as the huge transport vessel began its slow ascension, its multiple nacelles spewing out columns of fire and smoke, pushing against the planet's gravitational pull. He continued to watch as the ship began to hover, its nose slowly rising as it reoriented itself towards a point in the sky. It was a marvel to see something as bulky and heavy as this transport vessel gracefully maneuver in mid-air, taking to the sky as if it belonged there.

Another burst of energy from the ship's thrusters signalled the acquisition of its target. It began to gain momentum, speeding into the sky faster and faster until it was nothing more but a speck in the rapidly darkening sky. Zazu lowered his head and examined his control panel. As expected, it showed green across the board.

"Good launch, people," he pronounced as he raised his eyes catching the peripheral glances of his crew. As one, the crew's attention went back to their terminals as they began preparing for the next launch, which would happen the next day.

The young commander returned his focus to the now empty launch pad. In approximately three months, five days and seven hours, five thousand more of his people would have transferred to Cephiro to begin a new life. A new life in that green and lush paradise of a world. Each launch he coordinated tugged at his heartstrings. Ten more trips and Autozam would be devoid of a living civilization.

One by one, members of crew stood and prepare to leave. They said their goodbyes and goodnights as they passed the commander on their way out.

"Good night, guys. I'll see you tomorrow," Zazu said to the last of his crewmembers. He returned his attention to his bank of controls just to verify that everything was in order. Once satisfied, he started the process of shutting down his terminal.

For the umpteenth time, Zazu questioned why a battleship commander such as himself should be left stuck babysitting transport launches. The answer, for the umpteenth time also, came back to him in depressing clarity: every single battleship that was still viable, save for the NSX, was converted into transport vessels to speed up the relocation process. It will be a while before they will be converted back to battleships...if ever.

It was a common fear of the commanders whose battleships have been commandeered that it would take years before they regain their posts. They feared that the Autozam High Council would feel too secure in the magical protection from Cephiro's many mages that the need to rebuild the armed forces would be greatly diminished. It was a fear that Zazu did not truly share. As long as he still had access to the machines he so loved, he would be content.

With the help of the NSX's commander, Geo, Zazu had begun to rebuild the FTO. It was actually almost finished. Just a few more refinements, adjustments and tests. The new FTO was a great improvement over the one that Eagle once piloted. Stronger exoskeletal structure, more efficient energy displacement, better weapons and more powerful shields. He even retained the laser sword, even though he knew he would not be able to wield it until he got the necessary training. Well, he was counting on both LaFarga and Ferio to help him in that area.

Zazu secured the command center after giving it one final ocular inspection. Walking down the corridor towards his personal transport, he began to mull over the adjustments and tests he was planning to perform on the FTO. So deep was he in his thoughts that it took him awhile to realize that he was already standing in front of his hover speed bike.

He looked down at the contraption and smiled. He was proud of this machine. He built it with his own two hands at the tender age of twelve. It was the same bike he used to carry Hikaru that last time when Eagle captured her. His smile grew to a grin as the memory played in his mind.

Hikaru.

It had been a long time ago. That he missed the cute redhead came as a surprise to him. Zazu let out a sigh and shook his head as he mounted his bike. I can't believe I'm still pining for that girl. She's the Pillar, for crying out loud! Besides, he reminded himself, Hikaru belonged to Lantis. Zazu started the bike and sped homewards.

Hikaru belonged to Lantis. Damn.

* * * * *

"Yes!" Rear Admiral Joshua Parker of the Third Fleet said as he replaced the phone receiver. "We are going in." He turned to an aide. "How many gunships do we have?"

"We have three on standby, Sir."

"Just as I thought. Assemble three teams. Also, I want four planes in the air to intercept those helicopters we just saw. We are inbound for Tokyo," Parker ordered, turning to leave the control center.

Chuck Tyler hurried to follow. "The Pentagon approved?"

Parker spared his Science Officer a glance, his eyes twinkling. "Well, it just so happens that the Japanese Prime Minister himself has requested assistance."

Tyler smiled and rubbed his palms together. "This is going to be interesting."

* * * * *

The elevators were naturally turned off. Major Ronald Cummings took to the stairs, bounding two, sometimes three steps at a time. He rushed over from his stakeout as soon as he heard of the explosions from the Yoyogi Park Mansion. Since then, there had been no contact from his commanding officer. "You had better not be dead, Scott," Cummings said out loud.

For someone close to forty, the Major was glad he was in pretty good shape. After a few more minutes, Cummings arrived at the 22nd floor. He could see the door to the room that served as Raptor One's base. It was open. He rushed towards it and found--

"Sco--I mean, Colonel!"

Biggs turned towards the door and found his second-in-command standing there, his mouth agape. "What? You didn't expect me to be lying dead from a puny explosion like that, did you, Major?"

"Well, ah, no, of course not, Sir!"

Biggs gave a quirky smile and approached Cummings, his hand outstretched. Cummings eagerly grasped the hand and pumped it. "It's a relief to see you, well, alive, Scott."

"It's good to be alive, Ron. Do you have your men with you?"

"They're on their way up, Sir."

"Call them on the radio and tell them not to bother. We're going down as soon as I make sure that our injured are taken care of."

"Yes, Sir. Any idea what just happened?"

Biggs turned to face the open wall that used to be the window facing the building they were staking out. "I have a fairly good idea what just happened," he said. He turned towards his second-in-command, a grim expression on his face. "And I know where those alien fucks are going. So get on your radio and prepare to deploy."

"Roger that, Colonel!"

* * * * *

Subduing and securing the two paramedics and the driver proved to be an easy thing to do, just as Machiko expected. This was especially true for the two paramedics who had to carry the alien down from the building. They were grumbling incessantly about how heavy their patient was. By the time they reached the ambulance, they were almost already knocked out from the exhaustion. For a while, it worried the Marine officer a bit. The last thing she needed was for anyone to suspect that her "husband" was actually a hostile alien.

She brushed a stray lock of dark brown hair from her face as she took one more glance at the people she bound. Satisfied that they were not going anywhere anytime soon, she turned her attention to her other captive. "How are we doing there, Bono?"

"I've seen better days," Bono replied in that same bored tone he had been using ever since they encountered each other. Machiko, however, noted that the alien's voice was a bit strained, his breathing more labored. She frowned. It would not good for her to lose him now after she had gotten them this far.

"Well, just hang on tight. It could be a bumpy ride," Machiko said as she turned and headed towards the driver's seat. She started the engine and turned on the sirens. Okay, Raptor's Nest was just over on the next building but getting there using the direct route was out of the question. She would have to first drive away from the scene, pretending to head over to the nearest hospital, and then head back towards the base from another heading.

She eased the ambulance from its parked spot and carefully maneuvered the vehicle, avoiding the various obstacles composed of debris, body bags, paramedics and police. When she was a fair distance away, she turned off the sirens. I hope the base is still there, Machiko thought darkly.

* * * * *

Umi stepped out of the taxi cab followed by Malor. Malor looked up at the Ryuuzaki home with wide-eyed wonder. "This is where you live?"

The blue-haired teenager turned to face the old Knight and smiled. "Yes, it is. What do you think?"

"Well, I think you live very well, Umi."

"My dad does very well in his practice. He's a lawyer."

Malor merely nodded. He turned just as the cab driver deposited their bags beside them. He reached in his pocket and gave the fare. The elder Fire Knight turned back to the Water Knight. "Well? Aren't you going to ring the doorbell?"

Umi started to say something but decided not to. What she was feeling was rather hard to explain.

"Your parents love you, Umi. That's the reason why they were so upset the other day."

"I know that they love me. I also understand why they got upset," Umi said, her fists clenched at her sides. "It's just that, I would have expected that they would know why I had to do this. I've got responsibilities now. If I had a choice, I wouldn't want this burden on my shoulders at all!"

The Water Knight turned to face her companion. "I'm not naïve, you know. I know that at the end of the day, I won't receive any recognition for the sacrifices I'm about to make, the risks I'm about to take. My parents should understand that I'm not in this to be a hero."

Malor took a moment to reply. The last thing he needed, the last thing everybody needed, was for another emotional confrontation to happen. Too much was at stake. "Umi, listen to me. At some level, your parents realize this. But it does not lessen what they feel about it. It doesn't lessen their fear of losing you."

The statuesque teenager sighed. "You are right, of course, Malor. It doesn't make things easier, though."

"I know, Umi. I know."

Umi squared her shoulders. "Well, here goes nothing." She stepped forward and rang the doorbell.

* * * * *

Fuu and Kuu were still shaking their heads in amazement at the speed in which the Shidou brothers were able to dispatch the large meal their mother prepared.

"That was probably the best breakfast I've ever had, Mrs. Hououji!" Kakeru said enthusiastically as Mrs. Hououji finished clearing the remains of the meal from the table.

"Indeed it was, Mrs. Hououji," Masaru agreed, his tone more re strained. "We actually skipped breakfast at home in our haste to get here. Thank you for your hospitality."

"It was my pleasure, Kakeru, Masaru," Mrs. Hououji beamed, extremely pleased that the Shidou brothers truly enjoyed her cooking. "Now, I'm sure that you and my daughters have a lot to discuss. I'll be back with tea." She gracefully rose from the table and headed off towards the kitchen bearing the used eating implements.

It was only after the mother left did the two brothers turn their attention to Fuu and Kuu. Masaru realized that the two were staring at them. "What?"

Fuu suddenly blushed at having been caught. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was, um, just…"

"She was just amazed at how you boys eat," Kuu supplied coolly.

"Kuu!" Fuu protested, clearly flustered by her sister's candor.

"Is there something wrong with the way we eat?" Kakeru asked innocently, looking intently into Fuu's green eyes.

"No! Nothing really...both of you were just so...um...energetic," Fuu stammered, the color on her cheeks deepening even more from embarrassment.

"Nice choice of words, little sister," the elder Hououji said, clearly amused.

Masaru was equally amused but also slightly self-conscious for having been so "energetic". He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for that. We really just enjoyed the food. It's not everyday that we're treated to sumptuous home-cooked meal."

"That's okay," Kuu said, grinning, "we really enjoyed watching you."

"Kuu!" Fuu exclaimed, her eyes widening at her sister's uncharacteristic irreverence.

Masaru and Kakeru laughed more from Fuu's discomfiture than anything else.

"Well, I guess we can get down to business," Masaru said after the laughter died down, much to the visible relief of the younger Hououji. "Why don't we check out the grounds?"

"Good idea," Kuu said.

The four went down and into the paved driveway that led to the tall gate. Kakeru stepped forward, closely studying the entrance to the Hououji residence. "It's a good and sturdy gate. However, as we found out a few days ago, this isn't going to stop our intruders."

"What do you suggest we do then?" Fuu asked, trying to see the same things Hikaru's brother was seeing.

Kakeru all of a sudden felt totally inadequate. How were he and Masaru going to protect the Hououji's? All they had were their katanas. It didn't take knowledge in basic military tactics to know that unless they had more in terms of weaponry and more importantly, warriors, they wouldn't stand a chance against a full-scale assault.

"You look worried, Kakeru," Kuu said, stepping forward.

Kakeru lifted his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't realize his face was registering the sense of foreboding he was feeling. "Well, I am worried. I don't think we can adequately defend against another attack from the aliens."

"Fuu is here," Kuu said confidently, turning towards her younger sister. She was expecting Fuu to share in her optimism. Instead, her face was guarded, skeptical.

"During the night of the attack, both Hikaru and Umi were here with us, Kuu. Kakeru is right. We have every reason to expect the attackers to be back in full, if not greater, force. If and when that happens, I don't think I'll be able to fend them off by myself."

"So basically, it appears that splitting up like we've done wasn't such a good idea after all," Masaru said gloomily.

"But what could we do?" Kakeru asked.

"Maybe it's not too late to gather in one place instead of be split up like this," Fuu offered. "Umi's place seems large enough to accommodate all of us."

"I agree," Masaru declared. "We better call Hi--"

Masaru's voice was suddenly drowned out by the thumping sound of rotor blades slicing the air above. The four looked up noticing that a helicopter was flying unusually low. In a few moments it flew past.

"That helicopter was flying unusually low, wasn't it?" Kuu asked, her eyes still tracking the errant helicopter as it sped away, banking to the right as it went.

"Yeah, it was low," Kakeru said. "Hmmm, it seems to be turning right..."

* * * * *

Four US Navy fighter jets fast approached one of the air traffic control towers that lined the coast of Japan. The radar operator that was tracking them since they took off from the American aircraft carrier cast an inquisitive glance at his supervisor standing behind him to the right.

"It's all right. They have clearance," the supervisor said. The operator turned back to his console as the supervisor raised his binoculars towards the inbound jets. They were approaching at incredible speeds.

The supervisor tracked the inbound crafts as they sped past the tower and towards Tokyo. He gave an inaudible sigh. This was just the beginning. He was going to bet good money that it was going to get a hell of a lot busier in short order.

* * * * *

"We've got incoming!" A Marine yelled, his MP5 rifle coming to bear.

Ron Cummings whipped around in time to see an ambulance clearing a curb at breakneck speed towards them. He heard several guns cocked behind him.

"Major, get out of the way, for crying out loud!" Col. Biggs commanded.

Just as the Major was about to comply, the ambulance screeched to a stop several meters away. It was still too far away to clearly see who the driver was but whoever it was had his or her hands up as the door to the vehicle was kicked aside.

"Lieutenant Machiko Nomuri reporting for duty, Sir!"

"Nomuri!?" Cummings took a step forward. The Marines behind him all roared a "Huuyah!" greeting as they recognized one of their own. They ran toward their comrade, the feeling of relief shared by everybody.

"No time! No time!" Nomuri pushed everyone aside. She rushed to stand in front of Col. Biggs and Major Cummings, smartly saluting.

"Sir, I've got an alien in the back of the ambulance. Sir!"

"Say again, Lieutenant. Did you say alien?"

"That's a roger, Sir! He doesn't look too good. I think if we can get him to survive just a little longer, we'll be able to squeeze some very vital information from him."

Biggs and Cummings shared a look. They both turned back to the Marine in front of them, their faces straining to control their disbelief. Nomuri caught the signal though and led them to the ambulance. The Marines crowding her immediately parted to give way.

In no time, the doors to the ambulance were thrown open. Biggs, Cummings, Nomuri and as many of the Marines that could peek in, did so.

Bono raised his eyebrows in mild amusement at all the faces suddenly before him. He searched and found the face he knew. "Machiko, shouldn't we be charging admission for this?"

* * * * *

"Yes, Sir!" Jenkins said over the phone. He turned just as Hashimoto came running towards him.

"I just found Hirota. He's in the hospital," the junior investigator said, breathing heavily.

"In the hospital? What happened to him?"

"He sustained a concussion, broken ribs and a broken wrist. Some cuts and abrasions." Hashimoto gestured towards the area immediately surrounding the Yoyogi Park Mansion. There seems to be a ceasefire between the aliens and the Japanese police. "Hirota was caught deep in the fire zone. He was practically buried under debris. According to the doctor I spoke to it was a miracle he was able to survive it."

"Well, he's a tough nut. Anyway," the American FBI agent straightened, suddenly remembering the phone call he just had, "it appears that your government has given us the go ahead to assist you in this operation."

Hirota cast a skeptical glance towards him. "Don't you mean, 'take over' the operation?" Jenkins was about to object and be defensive but the Japanese investigator held up your hands. "It's okay, Agent Jenkins. I understand. Frankly, I'm a bit relieved. I think we're out of our depth here."

"That's good then. We don't have much time to waste. How much security do the girls have?"

Hirota knew straightaway who the American was referring to. "We've toned down the detail on those girls a couple of days ago. They each have only a couple of officers watching them."

The FBI agent nodded. "Well, we need to beef them up--and quickly. We think this," he looked back at the building, "this whole thing is just a diversion. You got that?"

The Hashimoto's eyes widened in realization. "The helicopters."

"That's right."

"My God. Okay, I'm on it." The Japanese investigator quickly spoke into his radio.

Jenkins didn't bother to wait and see if the instructions were going to be followed. He was on his way on another errand.

* * * * *

"Raptor's Nest, this is Eagle One, target acquired," the jet pilot reported back to the battle group. "It's a large civilian helicopter. It just completed a low pass over the house of Subject One. Repeat, it completed a low pass over the house of Subject One. Requesting instructions."

"Copy that, Eagle One. Do a flyby. Do not engage unless provoked. Repeat, do not engage unless provoked. Acknowledge."

"Copy 'do not engage' orders, Raptor's Nest." Eagle One looked out of his cockpit towards his wingman, flying just slightly behind him on the left side. He switched to a private channel. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could sometimes just shoot first and ask questions later?"

Eagle Two chuckled over the radio. "Roger that, Eagle One."

"Well, let's do what the Commander said. He wants a flyby, let's give them a flyby they won't forget."

Both jets went on thrusters, accelerating their flight speed.

* * * * *

Dasma looked out the window of the helicopter and spotted the two jets heading towards them at breakneck speeds. Her eyes widened a fraction as she realized that they were going to fly extremely close to them. True enough, as the jets streaked past, the female warrior had the impression she would have been able to touch the wingtip of one if she was able to stretch out her hand outside the window. The helicopter rocked from the wind turbulence caused by the jet wash.

"Whoa!" The pilot exclaimed as he struggled to right the craft. "What the hell!?"

Dasma cast a glance towards Lam. Seeing his calm demeanor reassured her. They both then turned to Tanaka who had gone pasty white.

"Are you okay, Mr. Tanaka?" asked Dasma politely, completely failing to mask her sadistic delight over the other's obvious discomfort.

"Th-those planes were from the United States." Tanaka stammered. Both his hands were extended outwards, holding onto the sides of the helicopter in a vain attempt to steady himself.

"Indeed, they were, Mr. Tanaka," Lam agreed, only slightly hiding his own amusement. "I believe those are the new F/A-18 Hornets. Especially built for aircraft carrier operations. Very impressive, as far as human technology goes, that is."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tanaka could only stare incredulously at Lam. "This isn't a classroom! They're gonna come back and finish us off!"

"Come now, Mr. Tanaka. Stay calm. I don't think they are going to fire on us. At least not yet."

The Yakuza's mouth hung open in disbelief. "Not yet? Gods, you people are unbelievable!"

"Shhh," Lam said, no longer focusing on the noisy Japanese. He glanced at the other warriors in the seats behind. He faced forward again and said to the pilot: "Head back to the Ryuuzaki property, quickly." The head of the Ramarian Force Team glanced back at the other warriors and gave a slight nod and then: "Get ready."

Tanaka saw the exchanges among the aliens. "What are we supposed to get ready for?"

The other warriors winced at the loudness of the Yakuza's voice. The pilot should not know what they were planning to do. "Don't worry about it, Tanaka. We will take care of everything."

"I don't under--"

"There is nothing to understand," Lam interjected with a firm voice, looking the Japanese straight in the eye and lifting his clearly alien looking rifle for emphasis.

Tanaka was effectively cowered by this sudden show of aggression. Nevertheless, it still wasn't able to remove his extreme apprehension about what he thought was going to happen. He looked out the window and could see that the jets were already on their way back to them. Looking down he saw that they were very close to the Ryuuzaki residence. He glanced surreptitiously at the other warriors and noted that they were all tensed, alert and poised to do something.

With a slight shake of his head, the Japanese braced himself. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen soon. Dammit! I didn't sign on for this!

* * * * *

"Uh oh," Joan said sarcastically, glancing at Bill as they walked into the lobby of their hotel, "looks like we've been caught."

"Where the hell have you two been!?" Jenkins said, glaring as he approached the two astrophysicists.

"I'll have you know that we--urk!" Joan squawked as the bulky FBI agent walked right between her and Bill and then dragged them back out of the lobby, his hands clamped on hers and Bill's elbows. "Let go!" Joan cried out as she tried to pry the agent's fingers from her arm.

"I have orders to take you somewhere," Jenkins said calmly without letting up on his grip. He glanced at the other astrophysicist, Bill Winters. The guy seemed resigned to his fate. Just as well. The woman was a handful as it was.

"How dare you treat as this way? We are American citizens!"

"Shut up, Rumsen. Believe me, you're gonna want to go where I'm taking you. So just come nice and quiet."

"I will if you just give me a chance to do so!" Joan gave one final tug at her arm but was dismayed to find that it was all for naught. "Oh, you brute!"

Jenkins cast an amused glance at the struggling woman on his left. She sure had a lot of energy for someone so diminutive.

* * * * *

It was Satoru's idea that Hikaru and Lantis have a match. The pressure and stress and all the worrying were clearly taking its toll on his little sister. It turned out to be a good idea. At least it allowed all of them to take their minds off the crisis at hand.

The elder Shidou focused on Hikaru and was once again awed by her. Ever since she was a little girl, he knew--no, believed-- there was something special about the youngest member of the family. She kept on surprising him at every turn. Even as a child, she exhibited advanced eye and hand coordination uncommon in others her age. The pattern continued as she grew, learning new skills quickly. So quickly, in fact, that her prowess in kendo exceeded his and that of his brothers when they were all her age.

When Satoru found out that Hikaru became the goddess of another world, he was truly shocked. But upon further reflection, he realized that it was just another affirmation of his beliefs about his little sister's capabilities. The elder Shidou cleared his mind of stray thoughts as he approached the site of the match.

It was decided that Lantis and Hikaru were going to spar on the lawn. It made sense. Out here, the combatants need not change into attires appropriate for the dojo. At this point, they had to be prepared. Who knew when the aliens would attack?

Lantis was already there when Satoru came out. The black armor-clad warrior from Cephiro nodded to Satoru when he saw him. The elder Shidou sat down cross-legged on the grass and wondered what they were going to use for weapons. He implied that the match would be a swordfight and that they were to use shinais. Perhaps Hikaru was going to bring one out for Lantis.

Satoru watched the Cephirean did some basic stretches, alternately rotating his shoulders and neck. He eyed Lantis as he reached back and retrieve a black object. Upon closer scrutiny, it appeared to be a hilt of a sword. Satoru's eyes widened when a bright light exploded out of the hilt. When he blinked, Lantis was already holding a sword, which was glowing intensely. He began to perform sword kata. Satoru watched intently, not recognizing the style at all.

"Pretty cool, eh, Elder Brother?"

Satoru jumped in surprise upon hearing Hikaru's voice so close to his ear. He didn't sense her approach at all. It was very disconcerting. "Hikaru, you scared me!" He fixed his little sister with a reprimanding glare.

"I'm sorry," was her reply but her mischievous grin belied her remorse. She was clearly excited. "I don't know if you know, Elder Brother, but this is going to be the first time Lantis and I are going to cross swords."

The elder Shidou gazed at his sibling. She was wearing jeans, white high cut rubber shoes and a red shirt. And no weapon. Satoru frowned. "Where's your shinai? And Lantis' for that matter?"

"We're going to fight with our real swords, Elder Brother."

"Absolutely not!"

"Elder Brother, if it ever comes to a fight with the aliens, we need to be prepared to fight a real battle."

The other scowled. He didn't like it one bit. He realized though that he was being protective. The idea of using real weapons made sense. Besides--

"Besides, Lantis and I are trained swordfighters."

"Very well, but remember to be careful. No stunts."

"I promise," Hikaru said but there was a twinkling in her eye and a ghost of a grin threatening to spill out. It was clear that the girl was fighting to keep her expression in control.

"I mean it, Hikaru," Satoru admonished sternly.

"Oh, don't be such a square, Elder Brother," the redheaded teenager said, already walking towards her opponent. "I promise to be careful. Besides, Lantis won't hurt me. Won't you, Lantis?" The last question was phrased in Cephirean. She turned her attention to the magic swordsman and smiled playfully at him.

Lantis had already stopped his kata, watching the Pillar with amusement. "I won't what, exactly?"

"Hurt me."

Lantis snorted. "I won't hurt you...much."

"I'm appalled! You swore to protect me," the Pillar said, holding a hand to her chest in mock dismay.

"If you get hurt, it will be your own fault. Now, come on. Let's do this," Lantis said, mirth still clearly visible in his eyes. He decided he really liked this playful side of Hikaru. Who knew that a Pillar could actually know how to have fun?

"Oh, very well." Hikaru stretched out her right hand and in burst of flame, her magnificent fire sword materialized. She glanced at Satoru and saw his amazement.

Satoru shook his head. He would probably never get used to seeing his sister do that no matter how many times he saw it. At any rate, it was his first real good look at the weapon she was wielding. It seemed very clumsy compared to the katana, and a bit longer. It looked to be a broadsword with a golden tip and very elaborate cross guard. Hikaru swung the sword a bit as she squared off with Lantis. For his part, the Cephirean was holding his sword with two hands in front of him, his eyes carefully watching the other combatant. It was one of the many basic ready stances.

Without warning, Hikaru charged. Again, Satoru was astonished at the speed in which she moved. The swords connected again and again, too numerous for the elder Shidou to count. All in less than two seconds. With one final block from Lantis' sword, Hikaru did a backwards somersault, landing nimbly on her feet.

Although neither combatants appeared short of breath, the tall swordsman seemed to be the more harried by the initial encounter. It appeared that Lantis had not expected the ferocity that Hikaru put into match. Hikaru seemed to have noticed this too; she was smiling confidently, obviously pleased with herself.

Once again, they squared off, both moving in a circle opposite each other, sizing each other's defenses. Hikaru attacked again. The swords crossed repeatedly, each connection giving off some sort of bright energy and a thunderous report. Hikaru was everywhere, twirling and swirling, swinging and striking, jumping and tumbling, here and there. It was clear that Lantis was an accomplished swordsman. Better than anyone I know, Satoru thought and yet he was having great difficulty blocking and parrying the other's sword. It became clear that Hikaru was backing him up against the high wall that fenced the Shidou property.

Lantis realized this too. In the split second where his sword was not in contact with Hikaru's, he leapt upwards onto the wall just in time to avoid the latter's double-edged blade, which was swinging laterally and would have cleaved him in two had he been where he was.

The redheaded teenager also leapt backwards when she realized that her target was no longer there. She readied herself anticipating an attack that she knew would come from above. When a whole second passed and no attack came, she frowned in disappointment at the swordsman who was standing at the top of the wall.

"Hey, no fair! Come down here, Lantis," Hikaru said in a manner akin to a child asking another to come down and play.

Lantis was clearly winded this time and took a moment before answering. "Just a moment," he paused, raising his hand and taking a deep breath. "Princess, you've got to take it easy. You're like a whirlwind. But I'm not through with you yet."

Hikaru lowered her sword and eyed her opponent skeptically. She knew all of Lantis' magic attacks. Predictably, Lantis raised his sword straight up into the air and cast his spell in a thunderous voice. "Lightning bolt, come forth!"

Satoru's eyes widened in alarm for the umpteenth time as the sky directly above Lantis instantly darkened and within a second, a bolt of lightning did streak downwards toward his sword. The moment it touched the tip of the blade, the swordsman lowered it, aiming it at Hikaru.

"Hika--" Satoru began but before he could complete it, he saw his sister raise her left hand as if the mere action would ward off such an awesome attack. To his eternal amazement once more, the streaks of burning light just splashed harmless at the area in front of Hikaru's hand. Only belatedly did Satoru notice the silhouette of a sphere that surrounded his sister. Hikaru had erected some sort of shield against the attack. He took a deep breath of relief. He realized that Lantis would never truly hurt his sister and that he knew that she was capable of protecting herself. He looked up at Lantis and saw a twinge of disappointment cross his features.

"My turn," Hikaru said.

"Uh oh," Lantis replied, his eyes widening.

The Pillar raised her sword and cast her spell but in a softer and gentler voice. "Lightning bolt, come forth." As before, several fingers of lightning raced down and touched the tip of Hikaru's sword, igniting it. She then aimed it at Lantis. For his part, the swordsman braced himself, putting his sword in front of him.

Satoru knew what to look for and was already aware of a similar shield now surrounding the swordsman. However, the lightning bolts that struck the shield did not splash harmless over it. Instead, the deadly fingers of electricity continued to streak out in all directions, seeming to embrace the magic shield. Lantis' knees began to buckle under the strain of keeping the integrity of his shield intact.

The elder Shidou swept his eyes back at his sister and realized that she was continuously feeding energy to the lightning that was relentlessly eating away at the other's defenses. Satoru was about to shout out a warning but it turned out to be unnecessary. Just as Lantis' shield was about to finally give way, Hikaru called off the attack, lowering her sword. The sky immediately brightened, the dark clouds vanishing, leaving absolutely no trace of its ever having existed at all.

Lantis dropped his arms wearily, his sword retracting into the hilt. He was sweating profusely and shaking his head. "You have truly become very powerful, Hikaru," he said as he hopped down from the wall.

"I'm sorry. I hope I didn't overdo it," Hikaru said, rushing to his side.

"No," Lantis waved away the apology. "I'll...recover. Tell me though; you weren't using the full extent of your powers in that attack, were you?"

Hikaru looked at him, hesitating to give her answer.

"Just tell me the truth. I promise I won't get upset."

She shook her head.

"Just as I thought. I'm just glad I'm on your side," the swordsman managed a weak smile.

"You better!" the redheaded teenager replied, grinning at the other's comment. "You kno--"

"What?" Lantis asked as he noticed the abrupt change in Hikaru's expression.

Satoru also saw his sister suddenly tense and rushed towards her. "What is it?"

The blood seemed to drain from Hikaru's face. She was silent for awhile, her eyes glazed. When she finally spoke, it was a deathly whisper. "Umi and Fuu are being attacked."

* * * * *

"Raptor's Nest, this is Eagle One. Target helicopter is on final approach to Subject Two. Requesting instr--wait a minute...there seems to be activity going on--holy shit!"

* * * * *

"Jesus Christ! Raptor's Nest, Eagle One and Two are down! Repeat, Eagle One and Two are down!" said the pilot of the helicopter carrying Bravo Team as he jerked upwards on his stick, attempting to put some vertical distance between him and the aliens.

"Copy that, Bear Two. Deploy Bravo Team immediately. Repeat, deploy Bravo Team immediately."

"Roger, Raptor's Nest," the pilot replied breathlessly. "Hold on, guys," he yelled back towards the Marines. He veered the chopper sharply.

The Marines looked at each other and drew grim expressions. "Lock and load, Marines!"

"Huuuyah!"

* * * * *

Mr. Ryuuzaki's eyes widened as he witnessed a total of seven people jump off a helicopter hovering twenty meters over his front yard, twist in midair and began firing their deadly weapons at two American jets.

"Daddy! Get down from there!" Umi cried as she launched herself into the air, tackling her father to the floor. Just then a beam of blue energy crashed through the window where he was standing just that second ago.

Mrs. Ryuuzaki chose that moment to enter the living room upon hearing the ruckus. "Gods! What happened?"

"Malor! Get my mother down!"

Malor grabbed Mrs. Ryuuzaki's shoulders and dragged her downwards after muttering a hasty apology. He looked up at Umi who was still holding her father down. "What now?"

"You stay here with my parents. I'll go down and--"

Mr. Ryuuzaki shrugged Umi's arms off his back, surprised at her strength and speed. "You will do no such thing, Umi Ryuuzaki!"

Umi whipped around and glared at her father. "I will do what it takes to make sure that those creatures out there will not harm the people that I love." With that she rose. With one last look down at her prone father and a flick of a wrist to remove errant blue hair from her shoulder, she walked out the room.

Mr. Ryuuzaki's growing terror became evident on his face. His only daughter was walking out to certain danger. He turned his head and fixed imploring eyes at Malor. "Malor, that's my only daughter. My wife and I will be safe in here. Please go and protect Umi."

Malor seemed to hesitate for a moment but resolve soon replaced his reluctance. "Very well, but you must protect yourselves. Is there a place in this house where you can hide in? It would be best if it is under ground."

Mr. Ryuuzaki turned his eyes towards his wife. She in turn replied, "Yes, there is--our basement." She faced her husband. "Let's go, my love."

With a nod, Ryuuzaki crawled towards his wife and together they walked out with their bodies bent over so as not present themselves as targets. Just as he passed Malor he layed a hand on his shoulder. "Malor, my daughter."

"I pledge you my life that she will not be harmed," Malor said and locked his eyes onto the other. "She is a warrior, your daughter. She will prevail."

This old man was asking him to trust a 14-year-old girl to prevail against an entire group of alien invaders who he had just witnessed easily dispatch two American fighter jets with awesome weapons of destruction! Mr. Ryuuzaki could only nod, a look of resignation in his eyes. There was nothing left to say. He had never felt so helpless in his life. He led his wife out of the room.

The wizened Magic Knight watched until they were safely outside the room. Malor closed his eyes and reached out to the Pillar, sending her a desperate message. It was a short message. There was no time to send a longer one. Umi now needed his help.

* * * * *

"I can't believe you did that!" Joan Rumsen nearly screamed. "Don't you dare walk away from me, Colonel Biggs," she hissed threateningly as the object of her rage walked past her.

Biggs whipped around and growled, "Or what?"

Joan was taken aback. She wasn't used to non-cowering males. She silently cursed Bill for her complacency. "What you did back there was a violation of human rights!"

"In case you didn't notice, that thing in there was not human. Second, it was already dying. You said so yourself." It was an effort to keep his voice calm, in spite of the impatience he was feeling. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to make a very important report." With that, he walked off rapidly before the other was able to get in another word.

"Aaaargh! That man makes my blood boil," Joan muttered.

"Calm down, Joan," Bill's familiar voice came from behind her.

"How can I calm down? Bono would still be alive were it not for his interference. The truth serum he injected could very well be lethal to his kind."

"You don't know that for sure," her partner said soothingly, placing his hands on her shoulders.

Joan shrugged the hands off, turned around and narrowed her eyes at Bill. "Whose side are you on anyway?"

"You're side, of course, I just--"

Joan held up a hand to silence him. She rolled her eyes and strode past him towards the makeshift clinic that held her erstwhile patient. "I'm going to do an autopsy. Man, if I find out that it was the truth serum that killed Bono, Biggs is really gonna to get it in my report."

"Here we go again," muttered Bill as he followed Joan inside.

* * * * *

Masaru and Kakeru stared aghast as Fuu whizzed past them like a hurricane to attack the aliens. They could not have stopped her even if they tried. In the space of a single second, she was already able to cut down two of the invaders.

However, the aliens appeared to be equally as fast. That one second was enough to galvanize them into action as they began to bring their weapons to bear on the Wind Knight. The Shidou brothers glanced at each other and, with a battle cry, burst out of their hiding place, their swords drawn. The weapons which were aimed at Fuu began to move in unison towards the brothers. Their eyes widened as they both realized at the same time that although they were successful in getting the attention of the aliens, it was not the kind of attention they wanted.

"Oh shit..." Kakeru muttered under his breath as he skidded to a stop a few meters away from the nearest alien whose trigger finger was already squeezing what could only be the firing button of his weapon.

"Winds of protection!"

Both brothers hunched with their eyes shut tightly and jaws clamped together in anticipation of great pain that would accompany their deaths. When after a second passed and they still felt nothing, they slowly opened to their eyes and saw that they were indeed still alive. They turned around just in time to see an alien fire quickly at them before dashing off somewhere. Before they could once again cringe, the beam they knew would fry them splashed brightly just in front of them.

"What's going on?" Masaru asked, tentatively extending a hand to the point in space where the beam hit.

"It's some kind of protective force field," Kakeru uttered in wonder. "But who--?"

Sudden movement registered on both brothers' periphery, drawing their attention. They gaped in wonder as Fuu deflected beam after beam from the aliens' weapons using just her sword, continually drawing nearer to them. She moved with such grace and fluidity to rival any ballerina.

"Go Fuu!" Masaru cheered. She was going to cut the two aliens down in a matter of seconds.

"Something's not right."

"What are you talking about? Fuu's gon--"

A third alien, the one that fired at them before running off, suddenly jumped in behind the two that were firing at Fuu. He was holding a small flashlight-like device and aimed it at her.

Kakeru's eyes widened in alarm. He knew intuitively that Fuu Hououji was in grave danger. He felt a jab of pain in his heart knowing that there was nothing he could do to help her.

* * * * *

Fuu focused on another beam of energy that streaked towards her. She deflected it as easily as the previous dozen or so, taking just one more step nearer the aliens. For a split second she wondered why they have not backed down. It was illogical to stand one's ground when the attacker is bearing down on them, impervious to their weapons. Unless...something nagged at the back of Fuu's mind...

Just as she was about to make that last step to close in on the invaders, a figure jumped in and fired a bright light straight into her face! It was a trap! She was taken by surprise but in the back of her mind, Fuu realized that the weapon did not fire something she would have been able to dodge or parry. Instinctively, she leaped out in a tangent in an effort to avoid weapon fire she was sure was going to follow.

When the Wind Knight tried to open her eyes she felt sharp, jabbing pain shoot out in all directions inside her head. It felt like her skull was going to explode and she almost dropped her sword with the need to wrap her hands around her head.

The pain, in addition to her inability to see, caused her to stumble, twisting her ankle in the process. She was going down but she instinctively tucked her body and rolled neatly on the ground.

"Winds of protection!" She cried out, willing a force field to form around her. It was only then that she dropped her sword and curled up in a fetal position, her head cradled in her hands.

"Listen to my voice," a low, guttural voice, like one would hear coming out of a voice recorder whose batteries were dying out, came through to her.

"Wh-who are you?" The sharp pain in her head began to subside, to be replaced by a dull throbbing ache.

"You will obey my command," the voice insisted.

"Get out of my head!" Fuu screeched out in rage. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she shut her eyes tightly, desperately trying to will away the pain and the voice. She realized that the bright light was from a mind control device. If the aliens think they can control her in any way, they've got a surprise coming. Caldina prepared the Magic Knights and made sure that they were no longer susceptible to any form of mind control.

Nevertheless, knowing that the aliens would not be able to control her held little comfort for the Wind Knight. She still felt helpless against the throbbing pain in her head. She felt them draw closer. It won't be long before they totally subdue her unless she got herself together.

There were too many depending on her. She could not...would not fail! "Hikaru!" She mentally called out to her dearest friend. She was the only one who could help her now.

* * * * *

"I'm not sure this is wise, Hikaru," Satoru said, his hands on his little sister's shoulder. She was agitated and he was trying to calm her but he'd probably be more successful trying to calm a raging storm. "You'd be playing into the hands of these aliens who want to capture you."

"What would you have me do, Elder Brother," Hikaru asked, staring unflinchingly into her brother's eyes, "just stay here while the invaders harm my best friends? Our brothers?"

A portal began to form a few steps on Hikaru's left, much to Satoru's surprise. "Wha--"

"Lantis, go to the portal," Hikaru said in Cephirean without taking his eyes off her elder brother's. "It leads to Fuu. Go first. I'll follow."

Lantis, who had been standing behind Hikaru, hesitated. "What about Umi?"

"We'll go to her after we help Fuu. Besides, Malor is with Umi."

The magic swordsman glanced at Satoru for a moment and then heaved a sigh of resignation. He walked the few steps towards the portal. He glanced back at Hikaru just before he entered.

Hikaru turned her face away from her brother and gazed at Lantis. "Please take care," she whispered to him, her eyes pleading. Lantis gave her a half smile and then disappeared into the portal. The Fire Knight turned back to her brother. "Lantis is on his way to Fuu's. I'm going too but I want you to come with me."

Satoru dropped his hands from Hikaru's shoulders and nodded his head sadly. "Very well," he said resignedly, "if you have to go into danger, I might as well be there to help you. I'll go get my sword." Satoru began walking briskly back into the house. "When did she become so stubborn?"

"I heard you, Elder Brother," Hikaru whispered to herself and smiled as she watched her big brother disappear into the house.

* * * * *

"It's not working," Rogo growled, giving Crata a passing glare.

Crata shrugged. "It worked on the one human we tested it on."

"Well, apparently it doesn't work on all humans. Or at least, not on this one," the team leader said, tossing the hypnotic device in disgust. "Quick! Stun her. We'll need to get her back. You!" he said, pointing to a member of his team, "signal the helicopter to pick us up."

"Yes, Sir!"

Crata fired several stun shots at the prone figure but the beams kept splashing harmlessly against a form of force field. "Dammit! She's got some sort of protective shield surrounding her."

"You leave her alone!"

"Yeah, you bitch! Fight someone your own size!"

Crata glanced at the two human males at the distance. She fired a shot at them causing them to jump back in surprise. Unfortunately, the beam did not penetrate their shield either. It did, however, stun them to silence. Crata smirked.

"Is that all you've got, bitch?" one of the males taunted.

The technology expert growled. The silence was too short-lived. "Don't mind them," Rogo said. "If we both fired on the shield, perhaps it will give way."

"But if it did give way, won't the double the beams injure the girl?"

"It's a chance we have to take. C'mon, let's do it!"

Both Rogo and Crata aimed at the girl and fired successive beams. In the beginning, the shots just splashed against the shield. But on sixth try, the protective shield visibly collapsed in sparks.

"Hey, you big bullies!"

"Don't you dare touch her, you bastards!"

Rogo spared a momentary glance at the two males. He cast his eyes downwards towards the girl and reached out his left hand to grab her arm. As both he and Crata lifted her, he stretched out his right arm, aiming his weapon at the noisy humans and fired without even looking.

"Looks like our two noisy friends have lost their shield," Crata observed, a menacing gleam appearing in her eye. "Alpa," she said turning to a fellow Ramarian warrior who was standing watch nearby. "Take them out," she ordered as she helped Rogo drag the girl towards a clearing.

"With pleasure," Alpa responded, a feral grin on her lips. She lifted her weapon and took aim. "Better run while you still can, boys." She fully expected them to run for cover. So when the two humans rushed towards her bellowing their battle cries, she was taken by surprise. She aimed at the one on her right and fired. At the last moment both humans leaped sideways but not before hurling their swords towards her.

"What the--" Rogo and Crata turned back after hearing the gurgling cries of their colleague. Alpa was already on the ground, two swords deeply embedded in her chest. "Damn those humans!"

"I'll take care of them," Crata said between gritted teeth as she unceremoniously dropped the girl's arm she was supporting and shifted her weapon to her right hand.

"Crata! The helicopter will be here any second," Rogo called out but the other continued walking away. "Crata! Come back here. That's an order!"

"Should I go after her, Sir?" asked the other warrior sent to signal the helicopter.

"No. Stay here with me and help me get this girl on the helicopter when it arrives. Crata can take care of herself," Rogo replied, the uncertainty in his voice belying the verbalized confidence.

* * * * *

"Kuu! Are you all right?" Masaru asked as he rushed to the girl's side. Fuu's sister had been hiding at the side of the house, under some shrubs.

"I-I'm okay. But Fuu! She's been captured," Kuu cried.

"Don't worry, we'll go get her," Kakeru declared confidently.

"You don't say," Masaru said, eyeing his younger brother dubiously. "They outnumber us and they have weapons while we don't. I suppose you have a plan."

"Um...no but I'm working on it."

As both brothers were talking, Kuu happened to look behind and saw one of the aliens slinking behind them. "Masaru! Kakeru!"

Both brothers whipped around in time to see the invader raise her weapon. "Move!" Both brothers jumped, half-carrying Kuu between the two of them. They hit the ground hard a couple of meters away from where the beam impacted.

"You can't escape me, humans," the alien sneered as she rushed towards them.

"Oh no," Kuu gasped as she looked up and found the barrel of a strange-looking weapon a few inches from her face.

"Uh uh uh," the alien sneered, shaking her head at the Shidou brothers who tried to get up. "It's over."

Lantis suddenly burst into the clearing and raised his sword into the air, his voice thundering out a phrase in an unrecognizable language.

"What the--" the alien barely moved her head towards the direction of the intruder when a bolt of lightning hit her squarely in the chest and quickly engulfed her entire body in electrical energy. She was thrown back, her mouth open in a bloodcurdling scream. Masaru, Kakeru and Kuu watched as she rolled three times on the ground before coming to a stop. Her body seemingly broken, continued to spasm as a few more fingers of electricity arched here and there.

They looked up as Lantis knelt before them. He placed a hand on Masaru's shoulder, his eyes querying.

"We're all right, Lantis," Masaru said, understanding the question in the other's eyes. Lantis nodded. The magic swordsman glanced at Kakeru and noted that his eyes were widening in alarm.

"The alien is getting up. How could she have survived a lightning bolt?" Kakeru asked in wonder.

Lantis stood and whipped around, his cape swirling behind him, to face the enemy he thought he had already dispatched.

* * * * *

Fuu began to stir. She didn't realize she had lost consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes and it dawned on her that she was being held up on either side by the aliens. She carefully remained still. She didn't want alert them. She still felt groggy though and her vision remained blurry.

The Wind Knight heard heavy, whirling sounds from behind and guessed it to be the helicopter the aliens were waiting for. Oh no! She had to do something. But she still felt weak. The aliens began moving to face the inbound craft.

Without warning, an explosion erupted in the far wall of the Hououji compound. Now what? One of the aliens barked an order to the other as they both whipped around, dropping her in the process. Fuu looked up to see a swarm of heavily-armed soldiers wearing mottled battle gear flow through the gaping hole on the wall.

Slowly, excruciatingly, the teenager began to crawl away. It would not do her good to be caught in the crossfire which immediately began in earnest. The aliens had crouched down and began firing their energy weapons, effectively silencing all return fire from the soldiers for the moment.

She kept one eye on the aliens and another on the terrain in front of her as she inched along. One of the aliens, the one who appeared to be the leader, barked another command at his companion. He then stopped firing his weapon and turned to face her.

Uh oh! Fuu's eyes widened in panic. The leader aimed his weapon on her. "No! Winds of--"

The Wind Knight screamed as she felt agonizing pain race through her limbs as she was fired upon. Must not lose consciousness...must...fight...must...

* * * * *

Crata stood on wobbly knees, her body still wracked in pain from the initial attack. She raised her weapon at the black armor-clad stranger. She saw him reach behind him and retrieve something that immediately flashed into a full-length sword. "What the hell are you?"

She aimed her rifle, switched to Explosive mode, and fired. She watched as the laser-guided explosive projectile raced towards the stranger. Her eyes widened as the stranger merely raised his left hand and her projectile merely exploded harmless against it. How are these humans able to raise shields like that? Her mind protested against the scientific impossibility she was witnessing.

She fired again and again but each time her projectile proved useless against the stranger's shields. So engrossed and enraged was she that she didn't realize the stranger had been taking a step closer each time she fired her rifle. She was about to let lose another projectile once more but a flash of light slashed downwards, effortlessly slicing the front barrel of her weapon causing sparks to shoot all over.

Crata dropped her now useless rifle and looked up into the eyes of the armor-clad human. She detected a bit of sadness there as she felt his bright sword barely touch the base of her neck. She forced herself to stand erect. She was determined to die with dignity.

The stranger uttered something that was neither Japanese nor English. It didn't matter. There was a flicker of movement and she felt no more...

* * * * *

Lantis watched the headless body crumple before him. It was then that he heard the rhythmic pounding of the air caused by an air craft of some sort. He turned towards the trio behind him and the stunned and horror-struck expression on their faces at what he did registered in his consciousness. Except he didn't have time to process it. He eyed Kuu and said one word: "Fuu."

Kuu's eyes widened and realized that they had left her sister at the hands of two other aliens. "She with aliens," she said frantically in broken Cephirean and began pointing towards the front lawn.

Lantis nodded and quickly rushed towards the direction indicated by Kuu. He heard them hasten to follow. Lantis skidded to a stop just as he reached the front lawn and saw an unconscious Fuu being held up on both sides by unknown men he took to be the aliens. The helicopter he heard was on its final approach. Something else was not right though. Lantis cast his eyes around looking for that elusive something that was nagging at the back of his mind.

Having found nothing and yet convinced that something was about to happen, he turned and saw Kuu still rushing forward without thought of the danger that would be befall her if she ran past him and into full view of the invaders.

He stretched out his arms effectively encasing Kuu in them. He then dropped her to the ground, using his body to shield her. Lantis looked up to see the look of surprise on the faces of Hikaru's brothers. But they seem to understand and they dove to the ground as well.

In that split second an explosion rocked the whole compound. The magic swordsman glanced up to see smoke billowing out of a gaping hole on a far wall. Streams of armed soldiers began pouring in and a firefight between them and the aliens ensued.

Lantis rose slightly from his position to locate Fuu. She was trying to crawl away. That's it, Fuu. Keep moving. Suddenly, one of the aliens turned his attention away from the soldiers and began stalking the Wind Knight. This is not good.

He prepared to make his move when the alien suddenly raised his weapon and shot Fuu! "No!" the magic swordsman cried as he leaped forward. No sooner did he cross the threshold from the side of the house to the front lawn in view of the soldiers did they began shooting at him too. Lantis quickly erected his shield. "I'm not the enemy, you imbeciles!"

Weapon fire began pouring in on his side and he realized that the alien who was closest to Fuu was now also firing at him. "Not good," he muttered as he began to run, closing the distance between him and Fuu. He didn't think his shield will hold for very much longer against the weapons fire from the soldiers and the alien but he had no choice.

A large projectile streaking towards him began to register on his peripheral vision. It came from the soldiers. He didn't know what it was but something told him that he needed to dodge it. And dodge it he did by leaping backwards in the nick of time as the projectile exploded upon impacting the ground where he was just a split second ago. While he was not hit directly, the shock wave from the blast threw him into the air in an arc and his back hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of him.

"Lantis!"

The magic swordsman's name called out by Kuu barely registered in his ear. Neither did the beating rotors of the helicopter, nor the additional explosions that blemished and pockmarked the once well-maintained lawn of the Hououjis. By the time he got hold of his senses, Fuu was already in the helicopter with her alien abductor.

"Fuu!" Lantis cried out, his hand reaching towards the sky. He forced down the bile that was threatening to rise. He had failed. And worse, he had failed Hikaru.

* * * * *

When Hikaru stepped out of the portal she immediately spotted Kuu and her two brothers hunched down among the shrubs.

It was Kuu who first noticed her arrival. "Thank goodness you're here, Hikaru!" the elder Hououji cried out in relief which was evident by the tears that started to spill.

"What happened?" Hikaru rushed towards her and got pulled into a tight, desperate hug. The Fire Knight pushed Kuu from her but held her by the shoulders. She looked straight into her eyes but the latter simply broke down into more tears. Hikaru turned to Masaru.

"Masaru, tell me what happened, quick!"

"Fuu's been captured--"

"What!?"

"That's not all, Lantis got hit--"

"Oh no, Lantis! Where is he?" Hikaru asked desperately.

"He's out there in the front being fired upon by soldiers and one long alien."

"Gods!" Hikaru quickly stood and was about to move forward but a hand held her wrist. She looked back to see that it was Satoru.

"Don't act so rashly. Think things through first," the eldest Shidou admonished.

"I don't have time to think, Elder Brother. Fuu's been captured and Lantis is trapped out there. I need to go help him." She yanked her hand forcefully from Satoru's grasp and ran towards the front of the Hououji residence.

As soon as she crossed to the front lawn, Hikaru erected a protective shield. She made a beeline to Lantis who managed to crawl his way behind a tree. "Lantis!"

"Hikaru! Get back! You're going to get hurt," Lantis called out, waving her back frantically.

"No, I won't," she insisted. She positioned herself between Lantis, the soldiers and the alien and began waving her arms towards the soldiers. "Don't shoot. He's not the enemy!"

The soldiers abruptly ceased firing as soon as they saw the redheaded teenager dressed in shirt and denims cross their line of fire. However, the alien took advantage of the cease fire and began to train his weapon on her. Hikaru saw this and was therefore not caught by surprise when an energy beam splashed against her shield.

The Fire Knight narrowed her eyes in anger. She raised her hands in front of her at chest level, curved inward as if holding a ball, and cast her spell: "Ruby lightning!" She then extended her hands outward, directed towards the alien as soon as she felt the unmistakable buildup of energy surge through her body. Red spikes of lightning exploded out of the teenager and began racing from her outstretched hand towards the invader.

The alien's eyes widened in fear but stood stock still in panic like a deer caught in the headlights of an onrushing car. He let out a horrific scream of pain as red hot electrical energy engulfed his entire body and lifted him, dragging him several meters through the air to crash against the far wall. By the time his body slid to the ground, it was a smoldering corpse.

For several moments, all who witnessed the spectacle remained immobile, wide-eyed and stunned. This was especially true of Hikaru's brothers and Kuu who had never seen this enraged side of the bubbly teenager. They were filled with both fear and gratitude. Fear because they never realized how much power the redhead had at her disposal; and gratitude that she was on their side.

For her part, Hikaru only spared a momentary glance at her handiwork. She quickly ran to Lantis and helped him up. "Lantis, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Princess, I'm fine," Lantis said, smiling down at the Pillar.

"I was so worried," Hikaru said, burying her face on his chest.

"It's all right, Princess. We need to rescue Fuu though," Lantis gently pushed the Pillar from him and gazed into her eyes. "Princess, I have failed you. I was not able to save Fuu."

"It's not your fault, Lantis. Please don't be sorry. There is still hope. First, we need to go to Umi. If we capture one of the aliens there, we might be able to get him to tell us where they are taking Fuu."

Lantis nodded somberly. He had great faith in the Pillar. "You're right, Princess."

Hikaru smiled affectionately up at her magic swordsman as she reached up and tenderly touched his face.

Someone off to her right cleared his throat noisily effectively ending the tender moment she and Lantis were having. The Fire Knight turned to find a soldier waiting expectantly at them. "Yes?"

"Um, excuse me, ma'am but are you Hikaru Shidou?" the American soldier asked in Japanese to Hikaru's mild surprise.

"Yes, that's me. And you are...?" She asked as she turned to face the soldier fully. She slid her hand down Lantis' arm and entwined her fingers in his hand, taking comfort in his nearness.

"I'm Lieutenant Gary Bryce of the United States Marine Corps. That was...um...an interesting display you showed earlier, ma'am," the soldier cleared his throat. "Um, I'm here to inform you that the United States government, in coordination with the government of Japan, is offering to put you, your friends and family in protective custody."

"Lt. Bryce, you don't have to address me so formally. And the answer is no, we do not wish to be placed under protective custody."

The soldier frowned, clearly not expecting the rejection of the offer. "But surely you can see that without our protection you risk making a repeat of what happened today with your friend."

Hikaru narrowed her eyes at the brash lieutenant. "Surely you can see that I can protect myself and my family without your help," she cocked her head sideways to indicate the burnt remains of the alien she dispatched.

The Marine glanced back at the dead alien before turning back to face her. "Yes, well--"

"Listen, Lt. Bryce, I don't have time to talk right now. I've got another friend to go see."

"Oh, well, please allow us to escort you th--"

"That won't be necessary," Hikaru said as without warning, she summoned a portal to appear close to where the Marine was standing.

"Jesus Christ!" the soldier exclaimed in English, jumping back in surprise.

The Fire Knight turned to look at her brothers. "Time to go."

All three nodded and began walking towards the portal. Hikaru approached Kuu. "Kuu, will you be all right?"

"Yes, I will be, Hikaru," Kuu sniffed. She was about to ask about Fuu but she saw the look of determination in the eyes of the petite redhead.

"Don't worry about Fuu," Hikaru said. "I'll get her back. Trust me, Kuu."

"I do trust you, Hikaru," Kuu said tearfully as she pulled her sister's best friend into a tight hug. After a moment, she pulled back. "Now go."

Hikaru glanced one more time into Kuu's eyes and smiled cheerfully. "You take care." She turned towards the portal to see Lantis waiting for her. Together they disappeared into the turbulent light at the center of the oval passageway.

Lt. Bryce, together with the rest of the Bravo team, watched in awe and remained stunned several seconds after the portal dissipated. Bryce's orders were in fact to more firmly "convince" the girl that protective custody was the only way to go. But after witnessing what that girl could do, he just didn't have the heart to fulfill them.

One thing was sure though: neither he nor any in his team would ever forget what they saw that day.

* * * * *

Lam shook his head slowly as he surveyed the enemy from the second floor of the Ryuuzaki residence. He had two warriors posted on the more visible windows continuously pouring weapons fire downwards. "We cannot continue this indefinitely," he muttered to no one in particular.

"I'm afraid I have more bad news, Sir," said one of the warriors returning from a section search of the house. "Trano isn't responding to our hail."

"Dammit! That makes two that we've lost contact with. Where's Dasma?"

"She rushed off to the Southeastern part of the house."

"Dasma is as foolish as she is reckless! C'mon let's go," said Lam as he hurriedly grabbed his plasma rifle on his way out of the room. The other warrior had to quicken his pace just to be able to keep up.

"What's the matter, Sir?"

"Dasma has been itching to battle that Ryuuzaki girl since the beginning."

"Right." But the warrior was smiling inwardly as he ran alongside his leader. He was now eager to find out how the esteemed Dasma would fare against the girl with the strange powers.

* * * * *

"Well, well, well," Dasma said as she aimed her rifle at the Ryuuzaki girl with one hand. "We meet at last, Umi Ryuuzaki." Her patience paid off. She was immediately able to detect a pattern based on the disappearance of the first and then the second warrior. They were now in some sort of indoor gymnasium.

If the girl was surprised by the ambush, she didn't show it. As a matter of fact, she was a picture of perfect poise, standing erect with a hand on her hip. Back on Ramar, Dasma was one of the fiercest fighters and therefore feared by both female and male warriors alike. It was therefore infuriating that a mere slip of a human female could be so unaffected by her. Especially since she had a rifle aimed at her at pointblank range and the girl was weaponless.

"I had no idea I had a fan," Ryuuzaki said, arching a perfectly formed eyebrow. "Did you want my autograph or something?"

"Why you insolent whelp! Do you think one such as yourself could defeat someone like me in combat?"

"It's easy to talk tough when you're holding a rifle."

"Oh you mean this?" Dasma tilted the rifle towards her and spared it a glance. She then tossed it aside. It clattered noisily as it hit the ground but neither of them paid it any attention. "I don't need it at all." The Ramarian sneered as she reached for the weapon she kept fastened to her back and brandished it. "See this? We call this a trama. As you can see it's a double-bladed sword." The weapon itself resembled a pitchfork except it had long "tines" and a short shaft, which was actually the handle.

"Very few in our home world could master it. However, in a master's hand, this can be the deadliest weapon ever," Dasma continued as she began to twirl the double blades like a fan, deftly switching from her left to her right hand and back again. "Now, I know you have your own weapon hidden somewhere. I suggest you take it out because I won't have any qualms in cutting you down where you stand, weapon or no weapon."

"Oh, very well. If you insist," the girl said as she casually lifted her gloved hand. To Dasma's amazement, the blue ornament on the glove began to glow. The girl tapped it lightly with her right hand and in a blinding flash, a long blade appeared. For the briefest moment, the sword floated in the air until the girl stretched out her right hand and took hold of it.

"Very impressive," Dasma said, meaning it. Here at last was a seemingly worthy adversary. While she enjoyed wining as much as the next Ramarian, she despised lopsided battles even more. Something told her deep inside this was not going to be one of those kinds. This girl has had her share of difficult battles too. She was sure of it.

They began to square off. Each one eyeing the other, testing each other's mettle. At last, with a battle cry, Dasma charged with her blades thrusting forward. The girl sidestepped easily, touching the onrushing weapon with her own in a token parry. The Ramarian knew that the girl would expect her to continue moving forward due to inertia but the moment their blades touched she pivoted sharply bringing her weapon about in a horizontal slash.

Dasma smiled as she saw the girl's eyes flash in alarm. It was a classic trick. Many a warrior died of disembowelment for underestimating the trama and its master wielder. At the last moment however, the girl managed to leap back, the double blades slicing nothing but air, missing the girl's flat belly by a mere hair's breadth.

"Hey!" Ryuuzaki protested. "That was a really cheap trick!"

"And yet you were able to survive it. Now I'm truly impressed." Dasma charged again, this time with her sword raised upwards, poised to slash downwards diagonally.

This time, the girl was prepared. She met the blades with her own just as it began its downward trajectory, with sufficient strength to stop it at its path and then spun swiftly on her heels, bringing her sword swinging in an arc laterally. Dasma suddenly found herself on the defensive. The obvious counter was to leap back just as the girl did against her own attack but she needed to gain the upper hand quickly. So, with all the strength and speed she could muster, she swung her sword down. The resulting collision of metals caused a shower of sparks.

Ryuuzaki used the energy of the impact to spin once more, again bringing her sword in a swift, deadly arc, this time targeting her upper torso. Dasma managed to block it but barely so. By everything that's holy, but this girl is fast!

Both combatants continued to exchange blows for several minutes. The speed at which they fought was beyond what would be considered normal. The colossal impact of the blades, oftentimes causing showers of sparks, would have broken even the strongest katanas. To the regular human eye, the battle seemed even. Dasma knew different and she was beginning to have difficulty hiding the strain. The warrior leaped back, putting some distance between them in the pretext of reassessing the situation.

It wasn't far from the truth. She was assessing the situation. Her previous battles did not last this long. The weight of the trama was having its toll on her. Keeping a facade of effortless combat was also causing additional strain. Her pride would not allow herself to show any weakness. Taking deep, gulping breaths while the other did not show any sign of exhaustion was unforgivable. And yet as she looked into the eyes of the girl, she saw something there, something akin to...pity? "What?" Dasma asked, trying but completely failing to hide her irritation.

"You seem to be growing tired," Ryuuzaki replied, lowering her sword.

Dasma smirked. "You wish."

"No, really. Why are we fighting? What is it that you want?"

"I didn't come here to talk, girl. Now, fight!" Dasma snarled. She had one last trick up her sleeve. She charged, thrusting her blades, aiming at the girl's face. As expected, Ryuuzaki swung her sword in a fan to block her thrust. At the last moment, the Ramarian angled the trama, catching the girl's sword between the twin blades. With one savage twist, Dasma managed to wrench the girl's sword from her hand. As she finished the upward swing of her sword, she saw the girl leap back, her left hand rubbing the palm of her right.

"Ha ha!" Dasma whooped in triumphant delight. She eyed the girl and then glanced at the sword still caught in the snare of her double blades. She angled her weapon, letting the sword fall loose. How ironic would it be to kill Umi Ryuuzaki with her own sword? She stretched out her left hand to catch the falling weapon. As soon as her hand touched the handle, the whole sword turned to water. The Ramarian's eyes flashed in surprise as the blade fell through her hand and arm, splashing on the ground by her feet. She became even more amazed when the puddle of water instantaneously coalesced back into the girl's sword. "What trickery is this?" Dasma demanded. She looked up at Ryuuzaki. The girl merely shrugged.

The Ramarian knelt on one knee and reached out to touch the sword. Her fingers felt cold, solid metal. She grasped the handle but the very moment the sword left the ground, it broke up much like a glass of water breaking. Once again, when the very last drop of water hit the ground, the whole puddle merged to turn into the sword.

Dasma rose in disgust, shaking her wet hands, belatedly realizing that her hands weren't wet at all. She glowered at her opponent who was just standing there, calmly regarding her. She began walking towards her using measured steps, her trama held at the ready position. "I was right from the beginning. I was there when you competed in your fencing tournament, you know. It was such a puny event. A total waste of time for someone of your caliber. Before you die, I think you'd want to know that you were my most worthy adversary."

"Don't come any closer. I don't want to hurt you," the girl said in that infuriatingly sincere tone of voice. Dasma had to laugh out loud.

"Hurt me? My dear child, can't you see that I'm the one holding a weapon?" She took one more step closer, bringing her just two meters away. It would take less than a second to lunge and put an end to this.

"I warned you," Umi Ryuuzaki said as she raised her right hand.

Dasma tensed, bending her knees slightly preparing to lurch forward. The girl spoke a phrase in a language she didn't understand and all of a sudden, a fierce wind and a multitude of white projectiles exploded from her hand, all streaking towards her. She frantically tried to block the projectiles with her trama. She realized that projectiles were actually shards of sharp ice. She failed to block several of them and those that penetrated her line of defense embedded themselves in her arms and legs.

The warrior screamed in agony as she dropped her weapon. The barrage of sharp icicles, carried by gale-strength winds, threw her several meters back, pinning her to the far wall. Several more of the ice blades stabbed her in her arms, legs, shoulders and chest, effectively crucifying her to the concrete wall, her feet dangling approximately one meter from the ground.

Dasma's face was scrunched up in pain. By sheer force of will, she slowly opened her eyes. Her plasma rifle lay just below her. Fate was not without its own sense of irony. Painfully, she raised her eyes and saw the girl approach cautiously. She bent down to pick up her sword, which did not turn to water this time, obviously.

A few more steps and Umi Ryuuzaki finally stood in front of her. A worthy adversary indeed. The Ramarian let out a sigh of defeat. There were worse ways to die.

* * * * *

Umi gazed into the beaten body of her enemy. Except for the bluish green ichor oozing out from her many wounds, the woman before her looked very human. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her and yet, because she somehow knew that to show pity would be insulting to this…this person's race, she tried to mask her feelings.

"I do not understand why it had to come to this," the Water Knight said sadly. "Why did we have to fight?"

The alien stared coldly back into her eyes. "It was a matter of honor."

Umi shook her head. "No, it wasn't."

"Enough talk! Finish it. Let me die a warrior's death."

"Dasma!"

Umi whirled seeing two men enter the room. She raised her sword just as one of them raised his weapon. The Water Knight didn't worry. Her sword would be able to deflect the energy be--

A bright light suddenly blinded her. She let out an anguished scream as she fell to her knees, dropping her sword and covering her face with her hands.

"Listen to my voice." She heard it in her head. It was low and unnatural.

"Wh-who are you?" Umi cried out. "Get out of my head!"

"You will obey my commands."

"No!"

"Umi!" Malor's voice.

"Malor!" Hurried steps. She tried to open her eyes but sharp pain began to shoot and bounce inside her brain. She kept her eyes shut, her hands pressed tightly against them.

"Get him!" Energy beams. Explosions. Running steps.

"Flame arrow!" The whooshing sound of fire. Screaming. The sounds of battle seemed extremely enhanced in Umi's ears.

More energy beams. More running.

"Ruby light--" A gurgling sound followed by a crash.

"Malor?"

Flames licking in the background. Steps drawing closer and then farther. An energy beam then a final gasp.

Umi bolted upright. "No," first a whisper. "No!" a scream. "Malor, no!" The Water Knight struggled on fours, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, and began to crawl towards where she thought Malor was. She felt a firm hand grasp her left arm just under the shoulder and painfully yanked her upwards. She bumped against the body of the man holding her.

"Let go of me!" She swung her right arm intending to punch the man but her wrist hit against something hard and metallic and she howled in pain. Her body sagged from the pain in her head and both arms.

"Do as I say and you won't get hurt."

"Malor," Umi sobbed.

"Your friend is dead."

"No! Please don't let it be true," tears of grief began to flow freely from Umi's blind eyes. "Please don't let it be true...this can't be happening..."

* * * * *

Lam looked down at the sobbing girl he held. He knew what grief was but he had never experienced it. He watched her wailing with detached amusement. He looked up and saw that Dasma was still alive. He moved towards her, literally dragging the girl with him.

"Dasma," Lam cast his eyes alternately on her and then on the girl. It was amazing. How was this puny-looking creature able to defeat one such as Dasma so decisively?

"I'm dying."

"Yes, you are."

Dasma moved her eyes to the girl. "You should have seen her fight. You should have seen our battle," she said with pride. She shook her head slowly in wonder. "She is a magnificent warrior."

"You will be remembered for your sacrifice," Lam said solemnly.

Dasma raised her head and looked straight into the other's eyes. "Yes, I know."

Lam nodded once and watched as Dasma closed her eyes. He waited. After a while, she stopped breathing. You will be remembered as a fool, Lam thought. It was a senseless death. He turned away and began walking towards the exit. The girl he held struggled to keep up by walking but Lam was walking briskly and she kept stumbling. He didn't care.

His comlink chimed. "This is Lam."

"This is Rogo. I've got the girl."

"Excellent. I've got the girl too. Any casualties?"

"I'm the only one left."

Lam let out an inaudible sigh. He didn't expect this much casualties. "I've got two others left. Proceed here."

"That's not the plan."

"I know. Our rendezvous point has just been compromised, or so Tanaka tells me."

"Very well. I'm on my way. Rogo out."

He had never stopped walking as he spoke to Rogo. He looked down and realized that the girl he held was no longer moving. He stopped and raised her slightly. She had fallen unconscious. It was just as well. He unceremoniously dropped her on the floor. Bending slightly, he gathered both her wrists into his one hand and began walking again, dragging her across the ground as he went.

* * * * *

Hikaru emerged from the portal to find Lantis and her brothers already surveying the room they were in.

"We seem to be in Mr. Ryuuzaki's study, in the second floor," Satoru said, approaching his sister.

"That means we're roughly in the middle of Umi's house. It's exactly where I wanted to be. Masaru, Kakeru and I will check out the front. Elder Brother, you and Lantis check out the back. I've been trying to contact Umi but I'm getting no response," the youngest Shidou said, her expression clearly conveying her worry.

"Right," Satoru said, nodding. Following orders from his baby sister was a bit strange and yet...reassuring. He turned to Lantis and cocked a head towards the back of the house. Both began to walk away but Hikaru called out to him.

"Oh, Elder Brother, I'll be communicating with you telepathically. So don't be surprised if you hear my voice inside your head," the Fire Knight smiled. "Kuu freaked out big time when I did it to her."

"Er...right," the eldest Shidou raised his eyebrows and continued walking away, shaking his head slowly. Could his life get any more bizarre?

Hikaru watched the two leave. She turned to her other brothers. "Let's go."

The three began to walk quickly towards the front of the house. It was truly a huge place. The youngest Shidou began to notice that the damage became more and more severe as they neared their destination. It was clear that a major battle had gone on in this area. Hikaru made a signal for her two brothers to slow down.

Just as they were going to cross the threshold, Lantis called out telepathically. Hikaru raised her hand up, signaling Masaru and Kakeru to stop.

"I found something," Lantis said, hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"You better see for yourself," the magic swordsman said, projecting the image he was seeing to Hikaru.

Masaru saw his sister's eyes widened, seeing something in the empty space beyond. "Hikaru, what is it?"

She shook her head as if only realizing she wasn't alone. She turned to look at her two brothers. "Looks like Umi has been busy. Lantis found one of the aliens pinned to the wall with dozens of ice spikes all over her body. It was...gruesome," the Fire Knight cast her eyes downwards, her brows furrowed. The sight truly disturbed her.

Masaru fell silent. Kakeru asked, "Was...she...it dead?"

Hikaru nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off the floor. "The alien looked female. I've seen her before...somewhere."

"Princess," Lantis spoke once more, "there's more."

The redhead raised her head, once more staring into the distance. "Yes?"

"Prepare yourself, Princess," the magic swordsman said slowly and projected another image.

Hikaru's eyes widened and she let out a cry of anguish; her hands came up to cover her mouth as she slowly sank to her knees.

"Hikaru!" Masaru and Kakeru rushed towards their sister. "What happened?" Masaru said, tilting his head downwards to try to look into her eyes.

The Fire Knight was shaking her head, tears flowing from her eyes. "It's...it's Malor. He's dead!"

* * * * *

"Princess..." Lantis whispered, attempting to suffuse the Pillar's mind with warm feelings, trying to soothe her. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at Satoru. He was saying something he couldn't understand. He directed his thoughts to him. "Talk to me here, Satoru. We can understand each other this way."

Satoru's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! Can you understand me now?"

"Yes."

"How did Hikaru react?"

"Not very well. She's very distraught--" Lantis suddenly tensed, his eyes turning towards Hikaru's direction.

"What?"

Lantis spared the other a glance. "C'mon, let's go!" The magic swordsman began to run at top speed.

Satoru hurried to catch up. "Tell me what it is!"

"No time to explain. We've got to get to Hikaru!"

* * * * *

"Drop your weapons now!" Lam said firmly towards the Marines at the far end of the Ryuuzaki compound. He held the unconscious blue-haired teenager in front of him as a shield with his left hand around her neck. He held his rifle with his right hand, aiming it at the general direction of the enemy. Two more warriors flanked him on both sides, their weapons also aimed at the Marine contingent.

He glanced back and saw Rogo approach after having leaped down from his helicopter. He was holding an equally unconscious girl he captured also by the neck, weapon likewise trained at the soldiers. Lam saw Rogo's helicopter fly off and his own, bearing the Yakuza, make its final approach.

He turned his eyes back to the Marines. They still have not dropped their weapons. "I said, drop your weapons!" Lam emphasized his demand by visibly tightening his grip on the girl's neck. He suddenly became aware of a sniper perched on the roof of the next house. He quickly aimed his rifle at him and fired. The sniper's death cries were audible in the distance.

He cast his eyes back at the Marines who all visibly cringed. Without looking back, they knew what happened and that they suddenly had no choice. However, instead of dropping their weapons, they began to walk backwards, out through the breach in the wall.

"Stop right there!"

Everyone stopped on their tracks and directed their attention on a petite redheaded girl walking purposely out in the open. The girl surveyed the scene before her, casting her eyes first at the Marines, then at the aliens and finally at the helicopter that had just landed.

"Well, well, well," Lam smiled. "Hikaru Shidou. You saved us the trouble of coming to get you, little girl."

"Let go of my friends," the redhead said. "You need me, not them."

"How so?"

"I'm the one who can open a wormhole."

Lam raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? Prove it." The girl's eyes never left his and to his surprise a bright light flashed and there before him was the elusive wormhole. His eyes took in the sight of the oval doorway, with its center filled with dancing, churning light. For a moment his mind rebelled against the impossibility of what he was seeing but he dismissed it just as quickly. Figuring out this phenomenon will have to be done later.

He turned his eyes back at the Shidou girl and cocked a head towards the wormhole. "Where does that lead to?"

The girl merely shrugged. "Nowhere." Lam turned in surprise as the bright gateway suddenly vanished.

"Now, let my friends go."

"Not yet. I want you to open a wormhole to the Ramarian fleet stationed just outside your solar system."

"First let my friends go."

"Listen, girl," Lam said between gritted teeth. "There will be no more bargaining. You will do as I say, or else..." He made a show of tightening his grip on Ryuuzaki's neck. A groan escaped from the girl's lips.

Suddenly, a new group of people rushed out of the house. Lam and his warriors tensed, training their weapons on the newcomers.

"Hikaru! What on earth are you doing?" one of them approached the Shidou girl.

The redhead whipped around angrily. "Stay out of this, Elder Brother!" The vehement outburst stopped the other on his tracks.

"Hikaru, don't do this."

The girl ignored him and turned back to Lam. "Very well, alien. I will open your wormhole but you had better let Umi and Fuu go or I swear, I'll destroy you," she said between gritted teeth.

Lam raised his eyebrows. Such strength in one so young. "If this wormhole really leads back to our fleet and you promise to come with us, I will let your friends go."

"I can't let you do this, Hikaru," the brother stepped forward, his hand outstretched to grab hold of the girl's arm.

Lam fired a shot at ground just in front of the girl's brother. The small explosion was sufficient to throw the man off his feet.

"No!" The redheaded teenager rushed to the side of her brother.

* * * * *

"Please, Elder Brother," Hikaru pleaded with Satoru, "this is out of your hands."

"But--"

"No buts. This is my decision."

"Listen, Hikaru, I don't care if you are the Pillar or a Knight or whatever. You are still my baby sister! I have to protect you."

The Fire Knight gazed sadly into her brother's eyes and slowly shook her head. "I have to do this."

Satoru locked eyes with his sister's, as if willing her to change her mind. Both turned their heads as Lantis knelt by their side.

"Princess, this is--" He fell silent as the Pillar shook her head slowly at him. The look in her eyes told him that there was nothing he could do or say that would change her mind. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"I think so," Hikaru nodded at her magic swordsman. She reached into the back of her neck with both her hands and took out the medallion she always wore. "I can't do this on my own though." She took Lantis' hand and placed the medallion over it, covering it with both her hands. "You know what to do."

Lantis looked down at his hands covered by Hikaru's small ones and then raised his head to gaze into the warm sienna-brown eyes of the Pillar. "No, I don't know."

The Fire Knight smiled tenderly at him. "You'll figure it out." She reached up and touched his face. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips softly against his.

"We don't have all day, Hikaru Shidou," said the alien, clearly getting impatient. It was more than enough to break the moment. Hikaru pulled back from Lantis and looked into his eyes.

Lantis saw her expression transform from its former softness to a hard steely one. "Take care of my brother."

Lantis nodded. Hikaru glanced fleetingly at her brother and then slowly, gracefully rose to her feet. Pivoting on her heel, she turned to face the alien. "You gave me your word, alien."

"Yes, I have. Now get on with it."

The Fire Knight gave the other a brief glare before closing her eyes. She took a deep breath and drew a picture of odd-looking ships in her mind. She also pictured interstellar space just beyond Pluto. A surge of energy filled her and when she opened her eyes, the portal was already there.

The alien looked first at her and then at the portal. "How do I know that this one really leads to our ships?"

"Send one of your people through and then have him come back. He will give you the confirmation you need."

The alien turned to nod at one of his companions. The other alien walked forward and faced the portal. He took a deep breath and entered. The leader fixed Hikaru with a warning glare, alternately moving his eyes towards the fingers he had around Umi's neck and then back at her. The insinuation was all too clear.

The leader turned back as he noticed the portal began to shimmer. The alien he assigned presently walked back out. He was smiling triumphantly. "It leads to the Weret."

"Excellent!" The leader turned towards the Fire Knight. "Come here."

Hikaru fearlessly approached until the barrel of the leader's rifle was mere centimeters from her chest. "We had a deal."

"And I fully intend to keep it," he nodded to the one carrying Fuu. Hikaru saw as Fuu was thrown forward. The leader did the same to Umi. Hikaru winced as she saw both hit the ground hard. "Rogo," he called out to the man who held Fuu. The Fire Knight recognized him as the one she met at Tokyo Tower. "Please inform our friend, Mr. Tanaka, that he is coming with us."

"Right."

The leader then turned to the warrior who came through the portal. "Go back in and tell them to prepare for our passage."

"Yes, Sir." The warrior nodded and then disappeared into the portal once again.

The leader turned back to Hikaru. "After you," he said cocking his head towards the portal.

Hikaru glanced back. She saw Umi and Fuu already being attended to by her brothers. She gave the alien a fleeting glance and then walked towards the portal. She felt the leader's rifle steadily track her every movement very closely.

She glanced at Lantis just as the portal began to pull her in. He was clasping the medallion tightly in his hand. For a brief moment, she wondered if she was truly doing the right thing.

* * * * *

Greg Caster, White House Chief of Staff, walked into the Situation Room, a grim expression on his face.

The President looked up and immediately tensed. "What is it?"

"Very bad news, Mr. President," Caster began. The President was joined by the Joint Chiefs, heads of Central Intelligence and the National Security Agency, and the Defense Minister. All their eyes were on him. "The aliens managed to capture one of the girls," he glanced down at the open report on his hand. "Hikaru Shidou."

"So they got one," the President said, his expression hopeful. "Don't they need all three?"

Caster took a deep breath. "I'm afraid not, Sir. Joan Rumsen sent her report in. It is confirmed by the Marines who witnessed the scene." He paused and scanned the expectant faces in the room. "Hikaru Shidou is the only one who has the power to open wormholes." He fixed his eyes on the President of the United States. "She's already transported herself and the surviving aliens to their fleet outside our solar system."

The President's jaw slowly dropped. "My God..."

NEXT: Chapter 13 - The Battle for Earth

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

To those who have been waiting patiently for this chapter, my apologies for the delay. The pressures of real life have a way of suffocating one's creativity. At any rate, I shall endeavor to come up with the next chapter much sooner. Do wait for it. Even more excitement to come!

C&C/reviews are very welcome. Please e-mail them to darkhrse0714@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: Magic Knight Rayearth and all the characters in that anime/manga are properties of CLAMP. These are used here without permission.