"Looks like there's low turbulence today. That's a good thing. Right?"

Amata looks at me on the screen. "Yeah. It's easy flying."

Shrade appears on the screen, inhaling dramatically. "A fine allegretto day."

"What the hell's that mean?!" Kagura snorts. "What's with this guy and his musical terms?"

"Alright, heads up! We're nearing the teleport gate!" Commander Donar states. "Prepare yourselves!"

I can see the gate Izumo agreed to open for us. The rainbow colors shine down, almost beckoning for us to go through.

"Here we go!" Donar shouts as the nose of his vector just barely peeks in before the entire thing is swallowed up. The other Vectors follow suit, as well as I. The next thing I know, I'm zooming through a sort of tunnel. The speed makes it feel as if my body is plastered against the back of my seat.

Looking at the screen, I can see Amata's suddenly pale face. He looks sick to his stomach. But, he's not normally motion sick in a Vector, or at this speed.

He notices that I'm staring at him through the screen. "I-I'm fine. Just, not used to this since I've started combat again."

I give him a look, but decide to drop the subject. After a few more moments, the Vectors emerge and we're greeted with a desolate and depressing sight. A sense of red gloom hangs in the air. Some of the planet seems to be destroyed.

"Keep your guard up. We may have Izumo's permission to be here, but some people may not know that. We could still be attacked at any moment. We'll try to find a place to land safely and then make our way on foot to their Headquarters. We have limited time before the curse begins to affect Mikono. Our goal is to get in, talk, and get out. Every minute counts."

We all nod in agreement at Donar's words.

There's one part, possibly a city, that is covered from the sky with giant panels of some sort. An opening, just big enough, resides for us to fly through. It seems hidden enough.

"Let's hide there," Cayenne points it out.

We dive in and the hidden place comes into view. It appears to not have been inhabited for many years. Moss and grass grow everywhere.

I land my Vector and climb out. The air smells musty and rotten. It makes me grimace.

Amata leaps out of his Vector. "Is this, a graveyard?"

I look around. He's right. This isn't a city. It's an enormous graveyard, hidden from the world thanks to the panel ceiling over a hundred meters above us.

"The Vectors should be safe here," Kagura says. "No one usually comes down here anymore."

"How many people are buried here...?" I ask quietly.

"When the curse first affected the planet, millions of female lives were lost. They had to put them somewhere."

My chest tightens at Kagura's words. These are all victims of the curse.

"Alright. Enough jib-jab. We need to move out." With a wave of his hand, Donar starts walking and we all follow.

"We can head into the city and make our way from there. HQ is at the center," Kagura informs. "The main conference room is on the top floor."

The graveyard seems to continue for a while. "We're not gonna make it in time at this rate," I mumble.

But it's just my luck that I would find two strange vehicles parked nearby. They appear to be a mix between a motorcycle and a scooter, but they float and hover over the ground rather than move on wheels.

"There! We should use those to get there faster!" I point out.

"What if those belong to someone?" Cayenne questions.

"Who cares?" I run over and start one up. "We can fit at least two people on each!"

"There's six of us, idiot," Kagura says.

"You can run in your wolf form and Amata can fly."

Donar smiles. "Good thinking, Mikono!" He sits on the other one, starts it up, and Shrade sits behind him. Cayenne sits on the one I have and I wrap my arms around his waist from behind, holding onto him. I'm not experienced, so it might be better to let him drive. Amata's wings unfold and he soars into the air, flying freely like a bird who has been caged for too long. It makes me happy at the sight of him enjoying himself in the air. Kagura has already bolted ahead, his red mane blowing behind him.

My hair is falling out of my bun as we zoom towards the city. Shush is hanging on for dear life, so I grab him and allow him to snuggle up in the collar of my Element suit. Cayenne drives at an extremely fast rate, following Donar and Shrade on the vehicle in front of us.

"You're holding me a little too tight!" my brother shouts behind to me.

"Sorry!" I shout back and loosen my grip around his waist, only to feel like I'm going to fall off and squeeze my arms around him again.

Kagura leads the way, running on all fours. His paws tread hard against the ground and he leaves a trail of dust in his wake. Amata flies several meters above the ground on my right side. I look up at him. His wings flap every so often, but he's pretty much gliding effortlessly. Wolf and wings. Two halves of the same soul running and flying together.

The ground suddenly steepens and we're driving up a hill, leading up to an opening in the panel ceiling. On the other side lies a desolate city. It's as busy and urban as Neo-Kowloon, but far more depressing. Not a single woman walks the streets.

"We should stick to the alleyways, so we don't stand out and get noticed as much!" Cayenne shouts to Commander Donar ahead.

We swerve into a back alleyway and make our way through there, turning corners and heading to the center of the city while avoiding as many people as we can.

"How you doing back there?!" Cayenne calls over his shoulder to me. "Is the curse affecting you yet?!"

"I think I'm alright at the moment!" I reply, struggling to be heard over the engine and the wind.

Amata dips and swoops, evading buildings and obstacles.

"Don't wear yourself out, Amata!" I call to him. "You're still not recovered-"

"I'm fine!" He does a backflip in the air and speeds ahead.

"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Cayenne says to me.

"Yeah. I am."

I can feel Cayenne's muscles tighten. "I am, too. He's gonna hurt himself if he keeps this up."

We remain silent for the rest of the ride. Kagura finally comes to a halt in an alleyway, reverted back into his regular form. We all stop behind him. Amata lands with a flap of his wings. Feathers fly around his ankles before his wings completely disappear without a trace.

"Why did we stop?" Donar asks. "Did you lead us into a trap?!"

"No, dumbass!" Kagura growls. "I stopped because we're here."

"You do not refer to your Commander with that kind of language!"

Kagura rolls his eyes. "HQ is right there. We're just gonna go up to the front door and request to be escorted in. They know we're coming, so there's no point in sneaking in."

We all nod. I jump off the strange scooter vehicle and allow Cayenne to park it aside. Then daringly, we all step out into the open. Men are everywhere, roaming the bustling city. A gigantic building, probably five times the size of Aquarion, stands a few yards away with the main entrance guarded by security. The patrolling officers immediately point their weapons at us upon our approach.

"Is that-an Igura?!" one exclaims as he looks to me.

"Their suits are different from ours. What brings you strangers here?!"

Donar puts his hands up. "We're here to see your commander, Izumo Kamurogi. He is expecting us."

The guards put down their weapons and open the door. Two more guards appear.

"Please escort them to Izumo," one guard says to the new ones.

We are forced inside and the door closes behind us.

"Follow us," one says.

Each guard takes their position on each side of us, pointing their guns just in case we decide to make any sudden moves, as they lead us through hallways.

"This place is pretty big," I mutter to Amata. "Don't you think?"

I look over at him. His eyes are wide and he stares at the guard's gun next to him.

"Amata?"

Amata doesn't acknowledge me. He just continues to stare at the gun. Is that panic or fear I see on his face?

"Are you okay?"

His gaze finally turns to me and he swallows. "I-It's just...the last time I saw a gun...I..."

"Oh... Right." We hold hands, our fingers interlocking with each other. "Just don't look at it. Okay? Look at me, instead. I don't want you having a panic attack in the middle of this mission."

"What are you two whispering about?" Donar says over his shoulder to us.

"You dorks can flirt later," Kagura grumbles.

"Hey! Keep moving and stop talking!" the guard next to us nudges Amata with his gun to push us along. I can feel him squeeze my hand as he freezes.

Shit! I say to myself.

The guard nudges him again with the gun and says, "Keep walking!"

Amata doesn't move. He's frozen, petrified and eyes wide.

"What are you waiting for?!" He nudges him again. "I said to keep walking!"

"Stop! No!" I try to plead, but the gun is pointed at me now.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Donar jumps in, both guards ready shoot. "Everybody just calm down!"

"Then keep moving!" That same guard nudges the person nearest to him, Amata, yet again.

Amata's breathing quickens, clearly having a panic attack. "N-no!" he cries. "NO!" He puts a hand over the area where he was shot. "NO! NO! NO!"

I put my hands on Amata's shoulders and shake him. "Hey! Snap out of it! They're not gonna shoot you, okay?"

"We will if you pose any more of a threat!" the other guard yells.

"Stop!" I scream. "Amata, come on. It's okay."

"What the hell are you playing at?!"

I look to the guards. "He has PTSD! We need to calm him down! The guns are scaring him!" Turning back to Amata, I say, "Look at me. You're okay. You're fine."

His hands grip my arms to the point where it hurts. "No. No. No no no no." He gags. "No no no no NO NO NO!"

"Amata, look at me! Look at me! You're okay. You're okay."

His whole body is shaking and his breathing is alarmingly fast and heavy. He clutches his chest as he begins to fall to his knees, but I catch him and hold him up.

"Sssh. Hey. I need you to take deep breaths. Come on. You're fine. You're fine. In and out. Just like we always do." I try my best to calm him down.

"C-can I have a moment?" he utters. "I can't breathe."

The guards look at each other. "Fine. The rest of your group will go on ahead while I watch you-"

"No. I need a moment away from the guns," Amata gulps. "Now! Please."

"Absolutely not. We can't risk any 'visitors' turning into intruders and escaping or attacking our facility!"

"We promise we won't do any harm! Please! We aren't even armed!" I beg. "We'll be as quick as possible! Besides, he's your commander's son!"

That takes the guards off guard. After a few moments of talking amongst themselves, they march away with Donar and the others.

"I'm surprised they actually agreed to letting us be alone," I murmur. "Those shitheads."

I cover my mouth. What?! I didn't just say that, did I? What is going on? My throat feels scratchy on top of it. Shaking my head, I turn my attention toward Amata again.

"Are you okay?"

He nods. "Yeah. I'm-I'm alright."

"I told you it was a bad idea to come. But of course, you don't listen. You've changed, you know. The old you would've been fine with obeying orders and staying out of this."

He looks down. "I told you, I wanted to come. I can do this. I'm going to kill Mykage."

I sigh. "If you just let vengeance drive you, you're just gonna end up making things worse. Look at you! You weren't ready to go on a mission like this! You're lucky those guards didn't shoot us! Is there any way you can get those panic attacks under control?"

He wraps his arms around me, resting his head on my shoulder. "I don't know anymore!" he cries. "I'm such a failure. I'm sorry. I endangered you!"

"You're not a failure. It's okay. Come on. We should start heading back." Pulling out of his embrace, we hold hands again and walk down the hall. "You're not a failure, but you're high maintenance," I joke.

He hangs his head and blushes in shame. "S-sorry. I suck. I'm the worst boyfriend ever."

"No you're not! Don't say that! I love you. You're the best boyfriend I could ever hope for."

"I wish there was some way I could make it up to you..."

I think for a moment. "Well, there is one thing," I smirk.

He lifts his head. "Oh?"

"You could carry me."

"W-what?"

I chuckle mischievously. "Carry me."

"Y-you're serious?!" His cheeks have turned extremely red. "O-okay?"

I put my arm around his neck. "One, two, three!" I leap and he catches me, holding me bridal-carry style.

"It's been a little while since I've done this!" Amata laughs. "Is it just me, or are you heavier than last time?"

"I'm not heavier. You just lost weight and muscle mass. Am I too much to carry? It's alright if you're not up to it-"

"I'm fine! You're still really light! Nothing I can't handle!" He smiles down at me. It's a genuine, joyful smile, where his teeth are showing and his eyes are smiling along with his mouth. How I've longed to see that smile for so long. It almost makes me want to cry, seeing his handsome smile.

Amata notices. "Whoa! Are you okay? You look like you're gonna cry! Am I hurting you or something? I can put you down if you want!"

"No! No! It's fine! It's just that it's been a while since I've seen you smile like that. It's been a while since I've seen you so happy. I'm glad. I wanted to see you smile again."

His arms tighten around me and his eyes water. Blinking the forming tears away, he says, "Oh Mikono. I'm sorry." He smiles, revealing his teeth again. "You make me so happy."

"Now come on. We should catch up with the others."

He nods. "Right!"

Wrapping my arms around his neck, he takes off through the halls, carrying me in his arms. If any guards see us, it might cause a problem, but who cares? I've wanted this for far too long. Even in a messed up situation, we can still have fun and be happy about a simple little thing such as him carrying me. He's my protector, after all. I'm laughing the entire time, and so is he. No words are exchanged between us. Just laughs. He jogs at a fairly moderate pace, turning corners and following the hall until...

He stops.

"W-what's wrong? Why did we stop?"

I crane my head around and see a fork in corridors before us. There aren't any signs. Just two pathways leading to somewhere we don't know.

"Which way do you think they went?" Amata asks.

"I don't know." I look from one hall to the other. They look exactly the same. "Should we just take a guess?"

His eyes flicker from one to the other, before he starts moving towards the one on the right. "We have a fifty-fifty chance we're right. What's the worse that could happen?"

He makes his way down the hallway on the right. This time, he just walks, and we don't laugh like before. His demeanor is more on the serious and alert side.

"M-maybe we should go back," I say. "It might've been the left hall."

Suddenly, Amata comes to an abrupt halt and he stares at something on the side of the hall. Whatever it is, it's behind me, so I can't see.

"Hey, are you okay? What is it?"

He puts me down and starts walking.

"Where're you going?! Amata! Wait!"

I follow him through an opening in the hall, which leads to a giant room.

"Whoa..." I mutter in amazement. "This place is huge. Amata-"

He stares wide-eyed at something in the center of the room several feet above. There's a railing and a platform that seems to rise up to whatever it is that Amata is staring at.

"What are you-"

My eyes follow his gaze, and there before me is a shocking sight.

"Mom...?" he utters quietly. "Mom?!" His voice is louder the second time.

A giant pod is stationed there in the room, filled with some sort of blue liquid. Inside lies a prostrate Alicia Sora. Amata's mother.

"No way..." I exhale. "It's her. This is where Izumo kept her."

"MOM!" Amata screams. His wings sprout from his ankles and he takes off into the air towards the pod.

"Amata! Wait! Come back! We shouldn't be here!"

He doesn't listen. He reaches the pod and leans against it, looking up at his seemingly comatose mother. "MOM! IT'S ME! LOOK AT ME!" He bangs on the glass with his fists. "MOM, PLEASE! I'M HERE! WAKE UP!"

The lights in the room turn from a shade of blue to flashing red as an alarm sounds. "Amata, we need to get out of here!"

Still, he refuses to listen. "I'm gonna get you out of here!" He bangs on the glass again. "I swear I'll get you out of here!"

"AMATA! LET'S GO! NOW!"

Before we can do anything, dozens of guards swarm around us and block off the exits, their guns aimed at both of us and ready to fire. I put my hands up.

"We surrender! We mean no harm!" I say. "Don't shoot!"

I peer over my shoulder at Amata. His eyes are bulging out of his head. He glances from gun to gun as his breathing grows more and more rapid and panicked.

"AMATA!" I screech.

"No no no no no." He claws at his head and his wings grow to double their length. "NO! NO! NO!"

"Fire!" a guard shouts.

"NOOOOOOO!" My throat is really scratchy now, and the scream tears at the inside of it.

Several gunshots are heard echoing in the room and bullets fly towards Amata. I watch in horror as feathers fly and his limp form starts plummeting down.