The sun slowly rose from eastern horizon, waking up the Earth for a brand new day. Light warmth of summer increased as the yellow rays touched the ground. It was a new day, but also the very same, neither changing, nor surprising. Like this, the day started for Rick Thunderbolt as well.

The black haired guy woke up in his warm bed at the house of countryside. He laid there for a while, thinking back on his dream.

"What a waste" Rick murmured under his breath and got up, ready to take a cold shower.

It was months since Rick came back to Earth and his return didn't go unnoticed: first people he met were reporters from news papers and TV shows. Attacking of journalists lasted for about two weeks and when Rick finally could walk down the streets safely, the ex-racer gone to Wei Enterprise to get some job. Since Rick was well-known there and in all world of racing, he easily got good place as a mentor. Rick's apprentices were only starting kids, definitely not miracles, but still a growing new generation. Soon, the ex-racer was able to afford a house and he moved out of noises of a city to the countryside. After the accident back on Alwas, Rick wasn't the same person as before: somehow, he now longed for solitude, rather than being at the centre of the crowd. Not even that, Rick's mind and heart were filled, for all this time he couldn't help but wonder how the race of Oban were going and how Eva and Jordan were doing. Rick couldn't sit in his skin once in a while, longing to go there and see everything for himself, but Oban was thousands light-years away and no possible quick way to get there. What a shame.

But still, another feeling grew in Rick's heart, enlarging and taking over: he missed something. One empty part inside let itself to be noticeable and Rick couldn't rip it out. That something definitely wasn't racing – he got over that long ago. Moreover, that even wasn't something – it was someone. And that someone was Eva. Rick couldn't shut his eyes to that he thought about her more than he wanted. He even caught her memory in his dreams, seeing Eva happy and smiling – the way Rick liked her the most. And the memory kept hunting and hurting him as Rick remembered Eva being Don's daughter – an unreachable star.

The black haired guy spent more time in the shower than usual, sunk in his last night's dreams, where Eva Wei appeared again.

"Stop hunting me, little mouse. It won't do any good for both of us" he said to his reflection in the mirror and by putting on his black shades he got out of the house to take his usual walk. What he didn't know was that this morning won't be as usual as before.

Rick Thunderbolt was walking down the path of forest, heading to the lake, where he'd usually spend his weekends, since it was Saturday. As he reached it, the guy raised his eyes to the clear blue sky and his sight was attracted by some shiny object, which was falling from the sky. Rick watched it, trying to realize what was it, but the object was still not close enough. After few minutes, Rick realized – it was a small stony ship, one with the mark of Oban. And surprisingly, it was obviously heading here, to these fields. As the ship was few hundred meters from the ground, it changed course and with the splash landed at the shore of the lake. It wasn't a big ship, probably capable to carry only one other. Rick walked slowly to it, but stopped in surprise, when it opened. The guy walked inside, seeing nothing but plain darkness at first. When his eyes got used to it, Rick saw a silhouette of so well-known Whizzing Arrow and someone lying motionless by its side. The ex-racer slowly and carefully walked towards the lying figure and knelled by its side. In a slight light, Rick recognized short black and red hair and three spiky earrings in one ear – Eva. The guy lifted her from the ground and carried outside to see if she's not hurt. As a sunlight enlightened her, Rick saw scratches on her face, arms and belly; also the marks of burnings. Eva's clothes were too scratched, here and there even ripped apart. Rick laid her on the warm grass and moved some strands of hair from her face.

"What happened to you, little mouse?" he murmured under his breath. Rick went to the lake to get some water. He spilled it on girl's face and her eyes under lids started to move, her mouth opened to take some more air. Rick gently turned her head so she would face him and by that moment, Eva opened her red eyes. She blinked twice so the mist, gathered on her sight, would disappear. She saw a person above her – a very familiar person…

"Rick? Is that you?" She asked weakly and even these words cost her lots of strength.

"You've guessed that right. You're back on Earth, Eva" Rick answered, helping her to sit up "what happened to you?" now he asked. Eva stayed silent for a while, leaned against Rick's strong arm. She tried to remember what happened after she won the race, but all she got was a sudden headache and darkness in eyes.

"I don't remember" she whispered, terrified by her own words "I don't know what happened. I don't remember anything! Not a single thing!" she was shouting now, her inside growing into panic of her sudden amnesia. Eva tried to stand up, but her head whirled around and she simply fell back on Rick's arms.

"Calm down, little mouse. You must've been through something big back there" Rick tried to calm her down.

"But, Rick, I can't remember anything! What happened to me?!" she felt so helpless now, even though someone now was there with her, but still…everything seemed tragic for now.

"Eva, you just need to rest. You're in shock and a big one as I see it. Now, I'll go to check the ship and maybe, we'll find some answers, ok?" he looked to her through his black shades, his eyebrows forming a questionable wrinkle. Eva nodded and Rick stood up, heading towards the ship.

"Hey, Rick?" Eva suddenly called. The ex-racer turned around.

"Yeah?"

"One thing I know for sure: I've won the race of Oban" she said, looking with the same old determined look Rick remembered her always having.

"I knew you would. You're not Maya's daughter for nothing" he smiled to her and headed for the ship. On his way, a smile didn't disappear from his lips and a thought crossed his mind: Surely, there was no other way the race could've ended.

The guy once again walked inside the ship and headed towards the Arrow 3. He overlooked the ship in slight light: it was scratched and burned as well as Eva was, but looked quite alright. Rick overlooked the cabin of a gunner – it was empty, just like the rest of a ship. The ex-race got into pilot's cabin and turned the engine on: the insides of Oban's ship got immediately lighter. Rick looked around and saw nothing, just plain stone walls – not a single thing or person. The guy sighed and shot the engine down – everything sunk into darkness again. Where are you, Don? Don't scare me like that, old man.

Eva was sitting in the same place where Rick left her. No matter how hard she tried, the girl couldn't remember anything – everything would just sink into nothing. What a stupidity. Mostly important, Eva couldn't remember what happened to the others and how she got into this ship. Anyway, that was something blocked from her by now. As Eva heard footsteps coming from the stone ship, she quickly got up, this time her brain staying in one place, and walked to meet Rick.

"Did you find anything?" she asked, but Rick's face told her the answer.

"Not a single thing. There's just Arrow 3 and no one else" Rick sighed "I just can't understand it" Eva nodded.

"Me neither. I can't remember anything after I left the Temple before ceremony of becoming the Avatar"

"Left it? Why? Didn't you want the Ultimate Prize?" Rick asked. Eva lowered her head, memories of Aikka falling down into abyss, going through her mind.

"Well…I… I wanted to find Aikka. His bug was shot down and he fell. He stopped me from following him" Eva couldn't bare looking to Rick. Somehow, she felt ashamed of herself and she felt that she turned down everyone. The only question was why.

"I see. It doesn't matter now. Prince Aikka knew you were the one who must win the race, I'm sure of that. Otherwise he wouldn't have stopped you, right?" Rick looked down to Eva, seeing how hard it was for her, how helpless she felt in this situation. Yet, another thing was for sure: she needed rest. "Come on, now. We need to get you back on feet and then we'll think about what to do for others, ok?" Eva nodded, feeling how strength less she was now.

"Where are we anyway?" the girl asked, finally paying attention to the surroundings.

"At the countryside of capital city. I live here" Rick explained and they walked back to his house. As they reached it, Eva gasped in amazement. In front of her stood a big wooden house, almost mansion, with balconies and bindweeds all around it.

"You live here?!" She showed to the house.

"Yeah, though it's a little to big for me alone" Rick said, still walking. He smiled, seeing that Eva actually liked it. And true enough; the girl was looking to the house with eyes full of happy amazement.

"Why don't you live in the city?" she asked all of sudden. Rick just shrugged shoulders.

"Figured I don't like the noise, so I moved here. And I surely don't regret it".

As they walked inside the wooden mansion, Eva once again was amazed: she found herself in great hall, with spiral staircase, big old clock, wooden walls and a carpet of a bear. She just stood there, looking around, not saying a word. Never had she seen such a beautiful and cozy living place: when she lived in boarding school, nothing like that was available. Now everything was just in the reach of a hand. Rick showed her to the free bedroom, which was too with wooden walls, fur carpet, beautiful brass fireplace and comfortable bed with canopy.

"You'll sleep here, little mouse. Nothing like your little lair, but still should do well" Rick smirked to her "now get some sleep. We'll talk later" Eva nodded and Rick left her. The girl jumped on bed and even without bothering to take her clothes off, she fell into deep sleep. The last thought that went through her mind was that she already owned Rick twice…and twice it will be…

A/N: Ok, this is an entirely new thing, first fic in OSR to be exact, so please don't flame too much. Please, tell me whether I should go on, or not. Thakies!