~*~CHAPTER ONE~*~

Viole sat up in his bed, caught in a reverie. It’s not fair, he thought, Van gets Merle, Lord Dilandau gets Jajuka, Lord Folken gets Naria and Eriya…and what do I get? I want a hybrid…I wonder how it would be like if I had one…

Viole often found himself thinking about things like that. He was friends with the other Dragonslayers, yes, but he never actually…socialized much with them. He was a loner in a way…. The boy let out a sigh and looked out the window. If only he had a friend…a true friend who would willingly give up their life for his…. It was not that he wanted a friend to actually DIE for him…he just wanted a close friend, that was all. "I wish…" he sighed.

"Viole, what’s wrong?" Chesta asked, coming into the barracks.

"Noting. Just thinking…" Viole said.

Chesta approached his bed (which was across from Viole’s) and sat on it. "About what?"

"Just…. Chesta…did you ever wish you had a hybrid?" Viole asked.

"A…hybrid? Well, hybrids are neat in a way, but I never considered having one for myself…" Chesta replied with a shrug.

"I want one…it must be nice to have one…. Sometimes I envy Lord Folken and Lord Dilandau…"Viole said, looking up at the ceiling. "…having a hybrid to serve them and all…"

Chesta looked at his long-haired companion then looked out the window. "Looks like it’s going to rain…" he remarked.

Viole glanced out the window and nodded. "You’re right…"

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"BROTHER!!!!! HOW many times did I tell you NOT to go through my tail ring collection?!?!??!?!?!?!!??" Mekhasa cried after she opened a little chest where she kept her tail rings in.

"Oh, come on, Mekhasa! Stop treating those accessories as if they were your children!" Rohga, Mekhasa’s twin brother, said. "It’s not like I broke anything. Huh, for a Neo-Leoparan (note: Neo-Leoparans are Leopard-Humans which are like Eriya and Nariya except they are bigger and their facial appearance resembles more of their leopard half), you seem to care more about your tail rings than your job."

Mekhasa stepped out of her room, the chest of tail rings in one paw. She glared at her brother who was whetting his saber. "Well YOU may not care about tail rings, but I worked hard to earn mine!!"

"As did I. But I don’t go fussing over them so much, do I?" Rohga said, raising his eyebrows at Mekhasa. "I know they are important and mark our rank in the Cataran army, but still…loosen up, Sister!"

Mekhasa sighed. She couldn’t stay mad at Rohga. She never was really able to. "Oh, fine, Brother! You win!" she sighed as she entered her room. She put the chest back down on her desk and changed out of her armor, into a yellow tank top with gray pants. She stood before a mirror and started combing her long hair (yes, hair. It’s like our hair, just to let you know), a paw following the comb at each stroke. After the combing, she placed the comb down and stared at herself. She was a Lunar Neo-Leoparan (a white Leopard-Human) who had a great responsibility; the responsibility of a commanding officer…yet somehow, it didn’t feel like she was doing a very good job…. Mekhasa absentmindedly put a paw on the spot behind her ear, where her hair started to grow from. Slowly, the paw ran down the hair which gradually turned from pure white to jet black. It was silky smooth and shiny. A long spotted tail swished behind her, the tail ring glistening as it caught the sunlight which shone through a window nearby.

"I am a General-of-the-Army," Mekhasa told herself, trying to make a dignified expression. She miserably failed. Irritated, Mekhasa slammed the wall next to her with a paw and cried out in frustration. "STUPID STUPID STUPID!!!"

Rohga came rushing in. "What is it?" he asked, worried.

"Brother, do I look like a military officer to you, or do I look like a little girl who wears armor sometimes just because she feels like it?" Mekhasa asked.

Rohga stared at his sister for a moment, then smiled. "You look like a military officer to me."

Mekhasa let out a heavy sigh. "Being a Cataran soldier is hard…especially when it comes to trying to keep the other soldiers in line when they get restless…having no war to fight…"

Rohga put a paw on his sister’s shoulder, let out a purr, then walked away.

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Viole ate his lunch slowly; he didn’t feel like eating. He looked over at Guimel, who was eating ravenously. Well, he’s hungry, he thought. He stared down at his bowl and stirred the contents around with his spoon.

"Viole, are you all right?" Gatti asked.

"Hmm? Oh, me? Yes, I’m fine," Viole said, looking up from his bowl.

Gatti raised his eyebrows skeptically. "You’ve been very pensive these days. What’s going on?"

"Nothing…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I’m sure," Viole said, looking back down at his bowl.

Gatti stared at Viole for a moment before getting back to eating.

Viole looked across the table, at Jajuka. The hybrid and Dilandau were conversing in friendly tones; Dilandau even made gave warm smiles every now and then. The long-haired Dragonslayer got out of his seat, taking his bowl with him, threw the contents away, put the bowl away then headed out of the cafeteria.

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"Finally! Something to do!" Rohga said.

"What?" Mekhasa asked.

"The Emperor has decided that we should expand our empire," Rohga said, excitedly.

"But…the Angelic Genesis…we can’t declare war against Zentor, Musaren and the Human Kingdoms as long as that’s around…" Mekhasa said.

"We’re not going to declare war against them. We’re heading for the stars, Mekhasa!" Rohga said, pointing up at the night sky.

Mekhasa’s mouth dropped open. "But our androids aren’t designed to…"

"Our androids are being upgraded right now," Rohga said. He held his sister’s hand, his eyes glistening. "We’re going to take over the stars, can you believe it?"

Mekhasa shook her head slowly. Take over the stars? But that was impossible!