60 Home Sweet Home

The following morning came, as Issac and the others were preparing to leave camp Elysium. They gathered in the middle of the location, Besides Issac, there was Barret and Myde.

"Seems Cravic took off ahead of us." Myde mentioned.

Barret rubs the back of his head nodding, "Yeah, would seem so..."

Some soldiers from the camp, walk over to them, handing them some materials and food, "We thank you for your service yesterday. Please, take these as thanks."

Issac looked to the supplies in his hands, he sighed slightly. "Really could go for some cheeseburgers, but thanks."

The soldiers bow in response, they then turn, walking away from Issac and the others. A loud shrill of joy is heard, coming from the camp. Sheka is seen walking with Lilly, towards Issac,Barret and Myde. "Lilly..." Sheka says, forming a sweat drop.

"Mommy! You forgot us!" Lilly screamed happily. She then stops, a confused look forming on her face, "Where's daddy?"

"Daddy?" Barret asked, quirking a brow.

Myde's ears go back, as she crouches down to Lilly, patting her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't take you with me..." Her eyes trail off slightly, at the thought of Cravic. "(Cravic...)"

Lilly starts to tear up, "Huh, why? Mommy, why can't you take us?"

Sheka sighs, "Lilly, it's not that she doesn't want to...."

"NO! SHUT UP! We're going with Mommy, and that's that!" Lilly exclaims emotionally, hugging to Myde with snot coming out her nose.

Myde hugs Lilly, "I wish I could take both of you, but... you have to stay here. I'm sorry." She said, tearing up slightly.

Lilly buries her head into Myde, crying. "But Mommy..."

Barret crosses his arms, "(Wow, Myde really did get attached to them.)" He thought to himself.

"(This is such a different side of Myde.)" Issac pocketed his hands, as he watched Myde saying her goodbyes to the girls.

"I'm sorry Lilly. Sheka." Myde spoke softly.

Sheka hugs Myde. "It's okay...I know.." Sheka was also holding back tears. Lilly finally lets go of Myde, crying, a bit of snot hanging from her face. Sheka picks Lilly up into her arms. "Mom has to go now, Lilly."

Myde stands up, trying her best to keep her composure. "When everything clears up, I'll come see you both again. I promise." She said, her eyes glazed over.

"Mommy... I'm going to miss you." Lilly was still whimpering, as Sheka pats her back.

"I'm going to miss both of you, too." Myde hugs them one last time.

Sheka looks to Myde, "You stay safe...We'll always be here, waiting until you come back."

Lilly though sad, starts to smile, "Yeah, we...We love you Mommy..."

Issac and Barret watched, both also feeling sad on the parting of them. They could sense Myde's emotions, and felt sympathetic to the situation, but they knew she couldn't stay. They had to take down Espionage and Kaos, before there would be peace once again.

"I love you too." She lets go of the girls, some tears escaping her eyes, as she tried her hardest to retain herself.

"Well, we should be getting back now. You both take care... Oh, and give Malichai our regards." Barret says, as he waves to them.

Issac held up a hand, to wave as well, "Keep out of trouble now." He added.

"Farewell." Myde tried to smile to them.

Sheka nods, with Lilly beside her, "Be careful, always."

The time had come for them to part ways, and leave Hope Isle. Issac and company proceeded back to the woods, in the direction of their cruiser. Vash and Todd were walking by, looking to Issac and the others heading off.

"Oh? Seem they're leaving already?" Todd asked to Vash.

"Seems so, those damn cats though. I'm surprised they were able to escape from me like that." Vash says, folding his arms.

"You weren't the only one fighting them." Todd says, becoming snooty.

"You're just dead weight." Vash says, sarcastically.

"HEY!" Todd retorted.

Vash then spots Sheka and Lilly, "Oh just who I was looking for."

Sheka turns to Vash, wiping tears from her face. "Hm? What is it Mr. Peace Maker?"

"You're a princess, right? I have a son, who is about your age." Vash says, placing a hand in his pocket.

Sheka's eyes got wide, "Uh huh? I'm listening."

"I was hoping, you would be interested in an arranged marriage with him. He is a prince." Vash says, smirking.

Sheka's heart stops briefly, "Wait, a-a-are you serious? I... You're Vash so..It's true.... Oh my..."

Lilly looks to Sheka, "What about me!?"

Vash looks to Lilly, "You can take Imogen, you know him. Todd's kid."

"OHH!!! Okay, maybe I can show him to Mommy, when she comes back." Lilly says, still wiping her face of tears.

Todd sweat drops, "Umm Vash? You do realize you're setting MY son up with a five year old, right?"

"You turn out young kids all the time." Vash scoffed.

"VASH! I DO NOT!! HOW DARE YOU!" Todd yelled.

Sheka was still fanning over the information, "I can't believe it, I'm engaged!!! I HAVE A FIANCE!"

Malichai was looming in the distance, with a very displeased gaze. He walks over to them, "I see they have left, yet you're still here, making Sheka quite happy at that..."

Vash looks to Malichai, "Oh that, well you know, I can at least try to make someone happy again... Not much else left out here anymore."

Malichai sighs, "Well, keep your business away from them. You know what happened in the past. I also know how reckless you are."

Vash shrugs, "Okay, don't forget though. Even you slipped, you got that arm to think about."

Malichai gawked. "Be thankful I saved you from Pandora..."

Vash spits to the side, "You're only keeping them here, because you... Meh... You're just like that organization... We know what the girls are capable of, if they're too far away from things... But Mal... I swear, if you even think of using those Orbs.."

Malichai looks to Sheka, who was still celebrating. "If it comes to that... It shall... They're under my care now, Peace Maker... You can go destroy your own future... As will those AM idiots... Fighting a loosing war... Heh, who do they think they are? Me?"

"How proud, at least they're trying... I remember my days like them... I hope they don't loose sight... I hope you keep your word, too." Vash says, looking to Malichai seriously.

"Hmph, if it comes to things, it just will...What did you tell Sheka anyway?" Malichai inquired.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out... All I know is, she's happy. I haven't made anyone smile in a while, almost miss it... Come on Todd." Vash says, walking away from Malichai.

"R-Right... Good day Malichai." Todd says, rushing away.

Malichai looks to them, then back to the girls.

Meanwhile, Issac's party was proceeding back to the cruiser. As they reached the location, Cravic seemed to be waiting there for them. He turned around, peering their way.

"Took your time." He muttered.

"Huh? Oh, are you coming to base with us?" Barret inquired.

Cravic's eyes panned to Barret. "No." He stated, approaching them. "I wanted to speak to Myde, before you head back to AM."

Myde looked off, uneasily. "..."

Issac put his arms behind his head, "If you want. You can't do this on the cruiser?"

Cravic peered over, boredly. "Personal conversation. You can go wait in the ship."

"A-Alright, after you Issac." Barret says, nervously.

"Right... Don't take too long. I'm starving here." Issac shrugged, climbing on board the cruiser. Barret follows after Issac quietly.

Cravic watched them head into the cruiser, before his gaze turned to Myde. She peered up to him. "You wanted to speak to me....?" She inquired, her voice still unsteady from earlier.

She was still a bit teary, which caught his attention. He stepped closer, reaching to her face, to wipe away an escaping tear. She flinched in response, staring to him, with a rosy colored face. "..."

"Sorry..." Cravic retreated his hand, looking off briefly. "Why are you sad?..."

Myde glanced off slightly as well. "Don't worry, I'll be alright... You had something you wanted to speak of..." Her eyes peered back to him.

Cravic glanced her way, "There's been something on my mind..."

Her eyes faced him, meeting his. "..." She was uneasy, as her was heart racing.

He stepped closer again, letting his fingers touch her hair slightly. "... I'm just not sure... how to say it."

"You... You don't need to say anything..." Myde was blushing, nervously reaching for his hand.

Cravic seemed a bit surprised by her reaction, but eased up. "..."

"I... I like you too, Cravic." Myde spoke timidly.

She looked so cute saying it, that Cravic blushed softly in embarrassment. He smiled faintly though, as he stepped towards to her. Slowly he leaned closer to her, as he gently pulled Myde into a soft kiss.

Just above them, in the Cruiser, Issac and Barret were spying out the window. "Dude, he went for it!" Issac chuckled.

"Never thought he had it in him." Barret added, laughing as well.

On the ground, Cravic broke the kiss, leaning back. They stared at each other briefly, before Cravic glanced off. "I shouldn't hold you up, I'll see you later. Alright?"

Myde smiled to him, still blushing. "You be safe out there, Cravic."

"You too." He replied, kissing her forehead, before heading off.

Myde soon boarded the ship, spotting the guys at the window.

She went from blissful, to displeased in a mere second. "Just what do you think you two are doing?"

"Oh crud... It was his idea!" Issac pointed to Barret, in near panic.

"You're the one with the skill with girls! Don't put the blame on me!" Barret says nervously.

"Oh yeah, well you're the one always talking about relationships!" Issac retorted.

"I only learned it from the master of them!" Barret yells back.

Myde drew closer, grabbing their ears, as she narrowed her eyes. "Spying on people is very immature. We're heading back to base, so don't force me to bring this to Medatros' attention now."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Issac gawked.

"R-Right! As you wish." Barret states, bowing frantically.

Soon enough enough, the cruiser was embarking it's way back to the AM base. As the vessel arrived, Issac and company proceeded to Medatros' office. Issac had his arms behind his head, as he waked ahead of the others. "Soon as we report this in, I'm grabbing lunch... I'm seriously starving here." He sighed.

Barret looks to Issac, quirking a brow. "Is there anything you think about, that's not food?" He mocked.

Issac glanced over his shoulder, boredly. "Lots of stuff, dude. Such as Witchhazel, Shakespeare, death..." He glanced off.

Myde's ears went back slightly, as she gawked briefly.

"Jeez Issac, I was joking, I'm sorry..." Barret says, turning his face from Issac, his expression becoming fearful.

"This conversation has taken a rather disturbing turn." Myde mentioned, as they reached the office's doors.

Issac groaned a bit, pushing the doors open. Medatros sat in his chair, with papers and documents scattered on his table. Lucina was beside him, yelling in her strange French tongue. "I believe we have wasted enough time. You shall take moi home now, oui?"

Medatros groans, "In time, at the moment we can only wait. Now please, see yourself out of the office."

"Non,non,non. You shall escort moi now, mon chérie!" Lucina demands, pulling out her parasol.

"Put that away." Medatros states sternly.

"Non, you listen to moi."Lucina says, preparing to strike.

"Whoa now! What's going on!?" Issac held his hands up, cautiously, as he entered the room.

Medatros and Lucina turn their attention to Issac. Medatros opens his mouth to speak, but Luciana steps in front of him. "This brute refuses to listen to moi! It is time for moi to return to Raviana!" Lucina commanded, crossing her arms.

"I know you've been wanting to get back home, but right now, we have more pressing matters." Barret spoke up.

Lucina growls, "sacré bleu! How dare you! When we leave, I will see to it that you are imprisoned for this coup d'état!"

Barret rubs the back of his head, "What?" He asked, a confused look crossing his face.

Issac glances to Barret, "She's basically saying that you're seizing her power of government... actually, dictatorship might be more accurate."

"Whoa...That's pretty heavy." Barret says, as he became fearful.

Medatros clears his throat, "Lucina, you have overstayed your time here..." He says, walking from around his desk. He grabs her by the arm, and tugs her over to the door.

She begins to hit him with her parasol, Medatros however, was as stoic as ever. He pushes through Issac and the group, and shoves Lucina out the door. He then shuts it.

"Good riddance..." Medatros says, walking back to his desk.

The screaming rage of Lucina could be heard from behind the closed door. "Zut alors!! Vous fils de pute! Je demande que vous prenez moi à la maison à la fois! Je ne peux pas rester ici! Vous Filthy brute! Comment osez-vous me refusez cette façon !! Je vous hais créatures dégoûtantes!!"

"So, please tell me how things went on the mission to Hope Isle." Medatros states. taking his seat.

Myde shifted her tails, wrapping them gently to one leg, as she averted her eyes. "..."

Issac shrugged, "Honestly man, there was a lot that went down. Besides encountering another dama unit... Demi, or well, Glacetra... We had another encounter with Vash, and his friend. That's before we even got to the camp."

Barret nods, "Yes, we rescued the sisters, from the Dama unit, as well as another bystander. From there, we went to camp, and talked over the situation with Malichai. He didn't seem too pleased, on any services we had to offer."

Issac crossed his arms, "Big jerk. Anyways, from there we split off. I was left at camp, as Barret went to keep an eye on the other kid. On my side of it, there was suspicious activity that got me to investigating. Cynder and the other cats were there, as a distraction from what they said. I left them in Vash's hands, and rushed back to Camp, where Myde was watching the girls."

"On my end of things, we scaled the mountain there, and came across a huge wolf-like ice titan. It was later taken by the Dama unit from earlier." Barret explained.

"What?" Issac looked to Barret, with a gasp.

"Yeah, it still gets me until now. There was a lot going on, so I didn't have too much time to tell you." Barret says, turning back to Medatros, "That's for later though, once I got back down from the mountain, I noticed Issac and the others under attack."

"...Zodiac. Gemini twins, to be exact. Really annoying speech patterns, if you ask me. Anyways, the chick of them broke my power glove's crystal. I was literally unable to fight back, so I was left to keep the sisters safe, while Barret, Myde, as well as Cravic and Hazel's friend SJ, handled the situation. More or less, successful mission." Issac shrugged.

Medatros nods, taking in all the information. "Quite an eventful venture you had there. It is good the sisters stayed safe, given what the Ele-orbs are capable of, if they are removed from their location." He looks to a picture of Xiao on his desk. "I'm happy to hear that Cravic is safe, as for this SJ...Who is that?"

Issac turned to Medatros, "I did say he was friends with my girlfriend, didn't I?"

"That you did, but I'm sensing he might be more than just a average friend. Perhaps even that of Dread alliance." Medatros says, turning his attention back to them.

"Wow, yeah forgot you can read minds at times." Barret states, forming a sweat drop.

"..." Medatros kept his stoic expression, looking at Barret, who got quiet, quickly.

"Don't worry about him, he's on our side. Besides, he fixed my glove." Issac placed his hands behind his head, looking off.

"Hmm, that so? I suppose then my suspicions were correct... I am happy you've all come back safely, however, that Ice Titan has me worried. Just what in Joan's name, might K.A.O.S be planning with that? At least the Zodiac situation was taken care of." Medatros states, shutting his eyes.

"Yeah, it has me thinking as well." Barret says, putting a hand to his chin.

Witchhazel appeared behind them, peering in with her arms behind her back. "Not to interrupt, but there should still be two more Zodiac left." She giggled.

"Hazel!" Issac turned, excited to see her.

"But of course, while the island was taken care of, we know they work on names and numbers. So for now, get some rest, and we shall go over this information later." Medatros states, grabbing to his cup of coffee. "You're dismissed."

Issac and the others proceeded out of the office. Issac was in the lead, taking Witchhazel's hand. He glanced back to Barret and Myde. "I'm gonna grab a burger, so guess I'll catch you in a bit, chief." He then glanced to Witchhazel. "That okay with you, Hazel?"

"Of course. You can't pass up a good meal, if the price is right." She giggled.

"Sweet!" Issac laughed, as the two of them were grinning.

"Alright, see you later Issac." Barret says, smiling, "Enjoy your meal."

Issac waved to them, as he and his girl headed off from Barret and Myde.

"You should get some rest Myde, we had a pretty long trip. Are you going to be alright?" Barret inquired.

Myde turned off from him, "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine. " She replied, softly.

Barret nods, "Alright, I'm going to go check on Katinka. If you need me, you know where to find me. We'll see them again, okay?"

"I know. Don't keep Katinka waiting now." Myde tried to smile to him, before heading off to her room.

"(Oh man... I hope Tink's feeling better. It's bad enough I got messed up in that fight.)" Barret thinks to himself, rushing to Katinka's room.

He arrives to Katinka's room, knocking on the door. "Katinka? It's Barret, may I come in?"

Katinka was sitting on her bed, with her legs crossed. She was tampering with her limiter. A bunch of odd scrap parts scattered on her bed. She glanced up, smiling. "Barret?"

Barret opens the door walking in. "Katinka, you-"

Before he could finish his statement, he found himself tackled to the ground. Katinka was hugging to him, tightly. "You're back! I can't believe they locked me in here for the last couple days! I missed you so much, Barry."

Barret laughs, his hand to the side of her face. "I missed you too. I'm happy to see you're better, it really scared me..." He then looks to her bed, "That's quite a lot of junk sitting there, isn't...That your...Limiter?" He says, his face now turning blue in fear.

Katinka sighed, leaning her face to his chest. "I think I busted it... I'm so screwed... I don't know diddly squat about tech..." She groaned.

Barret sighs in relief, "I wonder, did you over charge it in that last battle?"

Katinka glanced back to the bed. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what did it. Denki is going to be so pissed I broke it."

"Well no worries, I'll help you fix it up. This is my kind of thing." Barret smiled.

"Really!? You're the best!" She grinned, squeezing him.

"Yeah, anything for you Katinka." Barret laughs.

Katinka released Barret, noticing the holes in his pants, and the dried blood. Her eyes narrowed, as she glanced back to grab his shirt collar, tightly. She was giving him an accusing look. "Hey doofus, what is that about? Didn't I tell you to be careful out there!?" She seemed pretty steamed.

Barret laughs nervously, "I-It happened out of nowhere, during the fight..."

"Come on genius. I know you're not that retarded." She scolded, growing red in her face.

"I'm okay Katinka. See?" Barret says, kissing her cheek. "I didn't mean to worry you."

Katinka groaned, crossing her arms. "What am I going to do with you?"