SURROUNDED BY FAMILY

Riosae tilted her head at the peculiar site before her: Milo had mounted her former student, Rivra, and was damn near lip-to-lip with the Scrapster princess. She stroked her a chin, a lecherous look crossing her face. "So, is this the reason you and Lucianna don't work? You actually have the hots for Rivra?"

"W-what?! That is…Can we put a pin in that for now? Rivra got shot and is bleeding pretty badly. I wrapped the wounds, but she needs to see Faith or someone who can remove the bullets!"

Riosae nodded, wrapping Milo up in her tail and pulling him down from atop Rivra. "I'll look after her. I…don't know where your friends are currently."

Milo's brow pushed together. "You don't mean…did Des…?"

Riosae's eyes flashed. "Wait, do you know Des? She's my former student."

The revelation struck Milo like a blow to the head. Suddenly, paranoid thoughts crawled into his mind. Riosae's armor and claws seemed much sharper than before. Her eyes held an icy indifference that reminded him of a child about to crush an ant. He stepped back from her, training his eyes on hers. She tilted her head, a strand of her cherry blossom hair curtaining across her face. Milo gritted his teeth. "Y-you…you didn't sell us out to Des, did you?"

No emotion stirred in her face as she quietly observed him. Her eyes flicked from one part of his body to another, as if she were looking for the weakest part of him. (There would be no way for me to fight her off. Maybe if Rivra were awake, but she's in no condition to fight right now, even if she was.) He shook his head. "I-I couldn't forgive you if you did."

She craned her neck back, looking down her nose at him, making him feel even smaller, even weaker than he already was. "What do I care for your forgiveness? Don't you remember what I said before?" She brought one of her hands up, and blue flames enveloped her claws. "You're merely a speck." She raised the flaming hand high above her, those cold, unyielding eyes never leaving his face. Milo's whole body stiffened, and even though his mind screamed to run, he stood his ground.

Riosae's lips curled up. "Heh. Most people cower at my flames. Especially when I'm holding them above their head."

She turned from him and brought her flaming hands toward Rivra's wounds. His eyes widened, and he moved to lunge at her, but without looking away from Rivra, Riosae said, "I'll remove her bullets and cauterize her wounds. Maybe that'll give your friends time to draw close enough to hear your radio signals."

Milo grabbed at the button for his two-way radio, and his body eased a bit. "How do you know about that?"

"Hmph. How do you think Rivra became so good with her remaining senses? I can hear the slightest shift in frequencies in the air if I focus. I can't decipher what they mean or what's being communicated, but I can definitely tell radio frequencies apart from the wind and birdsong."

"W-wow. No wonder this place seems like a paradise, with someone like you here protecting it."

"Yes, well, I'd like to keep it that way. Which is why I refuse to involve myself in any outside conflicts. Including ones between former students." She pulled her hand away from Rivra, two black and green bullets resting in her palm. "Hold these while I seal the wounds."

Milo took the bullets in his hands. They were heavy, the metal feeling quite unlike anything from Earth. Rivra grunted and moaned while Riosae worked, but the fever possessing her kept under despite the painful burning from her mistress. After a few more moments, Riosae turned away from Rivra, engulfing her hands in flames until all the excess blood burned off.

"We'll let her rest until your friends find us. From what I can sense, they shouldn't be too far out. I suggest standing under that hole in the ceiling and speaking into the radio until you get a hit."

"Okay. But…something's still bugging me. What happened to Des? Why was she here?"

Riosae tossed her hair. "That's simple. She was after the bounty in Lucianna, Rivra, and Krol." She stepped away from Milo and sat on the stone table. "And now, thanks to that other space pirate, both she and Krol are on a ship heading for Scrapstar."

His heart skipped a beat. "W-wait. What do you mean? I thought you said my friends escaped!"

"The chef and the maid both escaped. The one you call Faith, the one who shuts herself away in the ship? She also escaped. But Krol and Lucianna were taken."

A lump formed in his throat, and no matter how much he begged for these words to be false, he couldn't swallow anything. He shook his head. "Okay. Okay. But all we have to do is follow them, right? Once I get to Lucianna…"

Riosae shot him a look. "You'll what? Last I checked, you two weren't doing so well in the fusion department." She leaned in toward him, forming a fist with her right hand and resting her chin on it. "After what happened…I wonder if you two will fuse at all. There's a part of you that wants it, I can tell. But there's another part of you…something holding you back. Fix it or cast it out. Otherwise…you could lose Lucianna."

The fists he had been clenching at his sides uncurled slowly and helplessly. His head drooped down, and his mouth pinched into a thin line. The room spun around him, and he stumbled backward against Rivra's side, sliding down until he curled against her. "I know."

"Hmmm? What was that?"

"I know…I'm holding us back. I just…Lucianna seems to think the world of me. Since we've met, she's treated me so much better than any other girl I've met. I even think she might…love me. But…" He buried his head between his knees, gripping the sides of his head until his knuckles whitened. "I…Don't think I can ever truly love anyone. Not the way Lucianna loves me. She…doesn't deserve someone like me. She deserves better. Much better."

Riosae cocked a brow. "But what if she wants you? Ignoring the gem of power in your wrist, what if Lucianna simply enjoys your existence? Your relationship is still young. Maybe it's just puppy love, but one thing I know about her people, the Chueleans, is that they mate for life once they've chosen their partner. They will do anything for them. Protect them fiercely. And I can tell she sees you in that way."

Milo shook his head. "I'm not worth it. I'm useless. A loser."

"Is that what you believe? Or is that something you've been told to believe?"

He looked up at her, hot tears rolling down his face. "After you've been told something so many times by so many people, you can't help but believe it."

Riosae nodded, a soft smile blooming on her lips. "Are any of the people who've said those things here now? Among the crew? Or are they light-years away, like dying stars? From what I could tell, everyone on that ship adores you. Especially Lucianna. Would someone who cherishes you like that think you're worthless? Weak?"

Milo had no response. Between the chilly cave and the storm of emotions tearing through him, tremors wracked his body. He sobbed, snot now mixing with the tears on his face. Riosae sighed, rose from her spot, and strode over to him. She sat next to him, patting his shoulder. "If you want to save her, then she needs the person she thinks you are, not the person you think you are."

He wiped his arm across his face, smearing snot on his sleeve. With a hiccup, he looked up at Riosae. "Do…you think I can save her?"

Riosae grinned, flashing him a thumbs-up. "I told you before, didn't I? You have a universe of potential inside of you. It's up to you to seize it." She tilted her head to the sky for a moment and then looked back at him, pointing to his suit. "I can hear your friend's ship nearby. If you use your radio now, they should be able to hear you."

He touched the button but didn't press it. He sighed as he looked up at Riosae. "I…I hope you're right. I want to save Lucianna and return her feelings. "

"You don't have to do it alone, either." She nodded her head at the slumbering Rivra behind him. "It's what I've been trying to teach you this whole time. Being united is stronger than being an individual. Take it from someone who has buried many lovers…you should only die for someone if there's no other option. Otherwise, you've done more harm than good." She held out her pinky with a grin. "So, promise me you'll come out of this alive. All right?"

He regarded her hand a moment before reaching out with his own pinky and wrapping it around hers. "It's a promise."

***

It took no time for Riosae to melt the boulders blocking the tunnel with her scorching dragon's breath. After giving the tunnel a chance to cool, Riosae grew into a slightly larger form to carry Rivra out of the cave. And as Faith had promised over the radio, she had parked the Herald just outside of the entrance. The ramp lowered with a hydraulic hiss, and Tereine and Albany came rushing out, flinging themselves at Milo and wrapping their arms around him.

"Milo! Thank god that awful lizard woman didn't get you! Are you hurt? Why are you bandaged up so much?"

Milo rubbed the back of his neck. "Rivra insisted on treating my wounds."

"Aye," Tereine said, "that tracks. She goes overboard on the doting and caring stuff." She looked over at Rivra, who was being carried into the ship by Riosae. "She looks rough, too."

Milo explained what had happened. In exchange, Albany explained what had happened with Krol and Lucianna, and Milo added on what he had heard from Riosae.

"I don't understand," Albany said. "She and Krol seemed like they could handle it."

Tereine gripped Albany by the shoulders. "Aye, it's hard to imagine."

Milo's gaze flicked back and forth between the two of them. "Do you…know what happened?"

"I'm not sure. But…when they started fighting, I could feel the Captain's power growing and growing. Like it did when she…nearly hurt you."

He crossed his arms, swallowing hard. Could it be that Lucianna knew she couldn't keep going? That she would repeat what happened in their training? But for her to surrender…it didn't seem like her. Unless she had worried about wiping out the entire planet with him and her crew on it. He kicked at a patch of grass. "She sacrificed herself so we could all escape. Krol, too."

Albany nodded. "Riosae said they're heading for Scrapstar. From what she could overhear between that other pirate woman and Des, it seems like the King issued a bounty for Krol."

Milo's hands fell to his side, the color draining from his face. "He won't kill Krol, will he? His own son?"

Tereine waved a hand. "If that was the case, they would've killed both the Captain and Krol. They were trying to capture them alive. Krol I can understand, but I'm not sure why they didn't kill Lucianna. Her bounty's good, dead or alive."

Riosae emerged from the ship, returning to her smaller human form. "My guess would be they plan to seek the Scrapster King's help in extracting Lucianna's immense power."

Milo's eyes narrowed. "They…they can do that?"

She nodded, her tail swishing behind her. "Normally, only members of the Chuelean royal family can extract the Power of the Pirates. But, from what I understand, that other pirate woman is a Chuelean royal. Between her and the Scrapster royal family, they might pull it off."

He gritted his teeth. "Then we have no time to lose. We should head for Scrapstar as soon as possible."

Tereine cocked an eyebrow at him. "Aye, look at Mr. Leader over here! Don't you think we should ask Rivra what she wants to do? I know she's talked a big game of returning home, but…we all know she can bury her feelings pretty deep."

Of course, Milo had experienced Rivra's smothering stubbornness firsthand. But he had also glimpsed a softer, more innocent side to her that gave him a powerful urge to protect. And while he didn't want to rush off without asking Rivra about her feelings, he had others to protect as well. He wouldn't lose his new family. He shook his head, chuckling. (Great. I'm sounding like Lucianna, now.)

They all looked at him quizzically, and he waved a hand. "Sorry. Just thought of something. L-let's get going."

Riosae nodded. "Make sure you come back after you save her. I have a lot of things to teach you, still. And…you never properly saw my collection room! We'll fix that when you come back."

Milo grinned, waving at her. "I…look forward to it?"

Milo, Tereine, and Albany walked up the ramp, which hissed and closed behind them. The Herald's thrusters roared to life, and the ship lifted off. In a few seconds, it was soaring through the air. After a few minutes, Riosae could still hear the engine, but to her eyes, the ship was little more than a speck in the sky, quickly ascending into space. The pink-haired dragon clasped her hands behind her back and turned on a heel, walking back toward her castle.

She paused. Gave the sky one last glance.

"Well, I always promised not to get involved with others. But…they were students, so it doesn't count, right?"

Smiling to herself, she jumped into the air and transformed, soaring on her wings back toward the Temple of Agony.