Hook it Up: Chapter 2 - I'm just wishin' I'd get through to you -- Chapter Two: I'm just wishin' I'd get through to you --

The comfort of the warm covers kept Kiyone asleep longer than normal. The sound of visitors echoed through the thin walls of the two bedroomed quarters. Kiyone turned over to view the clock. Her eyes had difficulty opening under the half-lit room lights. "Mid-day." She murmured, attempting to sit up in bed.

"You're up!" Mihoshi smiled, "You slept in later than you usually do."

"I noticed." She pulled the covers up over her arms, "... are there people here?"

"Well, there were... but I told them all to leave. It's just us again." Mihoshi smiled.

Kiyone reached up and touched the back of her neck. She blinked, remembering that the kink had been worked out. "So... anything to report?"

"Nothing to report on. The question is... are you okay?"

"I'm *fine*... I even feel pretty well rested." Kiyone stretched. "Whatever it was worked." She looked annoyed for a moment, 'Even though he took advantage of the situation.'

Mihoshi nodded, "Well, Ryuzo stopped by earlier to see how you were doing, but I told him that you were still sleeping! He's really cute."

"He's not cute AT ALL!" Kiyone growled, "He's an overconfident hot-shot soldier."

"Well, he seems to have a bit of a crush on you." Mihoshi nudged Kiyone, settling down on the bed beside her.

"Whoop dee do. Good for me. Hurrah. I can hardly contain my excitement." Kiyone spoke monotonously, in a rather sarcastic voice, "It's not really an option. After this it's back to HQ, then more missions around the universe. I don't need a boy with a crush who's in the equivalent of the Juraian military."

"Don't get mad at me, Kiyone. I'm just letting you know what *I* picked up on." Mihoshi leaned back, "There's no harm in a little flirtation. That must be a foreign subject for you."

"Hey! Cheap shot! I'm the one with a kid." She leaned over and noogied Mihoshi, messing up her hair.

Mihoshi laughed and attempted to retaliate with tickling her partner. "Hey hey!"

Kiyone grabbed a pillow and moved back to smack Mihoshi with it. Mihoshi came back up with another pillow. The girls laughed, enjoying a moment of pillow warfare.

"Ahem." A voice came from the door. They both paused, mid-attack. Ajimu stood at the doorway to the bedroom, "I heard that you took a break from the artifact viewings and I decided to come by to see what's going on. Is... this what they train the Galaxy Police to do?"

Kiyone smiled nervously, "I apologize we were... I have no good excuse as to what was just going on."

"I do!" Mihoshi piped up, "First I was teasing her about--" She was quickly quieted by Kiyone who covered her partners mouth. "Mrfhfgh!"

"It really doesn't need to be explained." Kiyone nervously laughed, "So uh... did you come to see us for anything, sir?"

Ajimu shrugged, "Actually, I was off my shift and wanted to check on you two. Has everything been good for you? No one has suspected anything, have they?"

"No sir. They've been rather kind to us." Kiyone let go of Mihoshi.

"Yes, they're all so very nice. It's really hard to tell who could possibly be the soldiers that are planning the heist." Mihoshi commented.

"It could be one, it could be several. I'll be the first one to admit that with this new group of soldiers, it's hard to tell. The newest class was exceptional on many levels. I'm glad you stopped the 'viewings' for today. It eliminates the group from getting inside information. The less access they have to the artifact, the better."

Kiyone nodded. "I agree with that. We should refuse any other inquiries toward it. Saves us trouble of upping security and paranoia."

Ajimu turned to look over at the artifact, "It's a beautiful item. However... Queen Aeka took a chance with allowing it to travel to other planets." He paused, lost in thought. "Does it really do what they say?"

"I don't know. The soldiers that have come to pay respect haven't had any of those 'visions' people speak of." Kiyone stated. "Have you had any today, Mihoshi?"

"None at all. Believe me, they've tried. That is, unless they haven't told me about it. You'd think since I'm the Priestess they would have said something to me."

"Don't get too into your role!" Kiyone snapped.

Mihoshi laughed. "I know, I know. You're too serious, Kiyone."

"We've got to keep up the 'Good Cop; Bad Cop' image, you know." Kiyone joked.

Ajimu laughed, "Well, I see everything is in order here. I'll send someone over with todays meal. It's probably safer to stay in the room for now. You can wander around early morning and evenings, but mid-day is so hectic - they prefer that visitors stay in their quarters."

"Understood." Kiyone nodded. "We'll be looking forward to what's on todays menu."

Ajimu left their quarters. The day moved quickly after that encounter. Mihoshi and Kiyone worked idly on Galaxy Police reports in between meals and visiting guards. Before too long, the day had mixed into night time (although, it was really hard to tell since they were in outer space) and the officers found themselves starved for entertainment once more.

Kiyone laid outstretched on the front couch, the television playing idly in the background as she worked on reports. Mihoshi, however, has resorted to wandering around the two bedrooms pacing. "Will you cut that out?" Kiyone raised her voice, "I'm trying to finish off these reports."

"I'm sick of doing reports." She slumped into a chair.

"Well, what do you want to do then? Think of this as kind of like a vacation - except we're not really anywhere exciting and it's technically considered work, but we're not really working." Kiyone sorted the papers and packed them away in her bag.

"Let's explore!" Mihoshi smiled.

"Uh... not a good idea. How about you explore and I stay here? Someone has to keep watch of the artifact."

"Oh... right." Mihoshi sighed.

"You can go explore. I'll stay here. There's a movie on later I've been wanting to watch."

"But... but... it's no FUN without you with me." Mihoshi whined.

"... are you going to complain or are you going to do something to cure your boredom?" Kiyone teased. "Go have fun. For my sake... PLEASE... GO have fun."

Mihoshi stood, "Well, if you insist then! I'll be back in a bit!" The door opened and closed to the quarters.

Kiyone sorted her papers and leaned back, staring at the television. She closed her eyes and thought about the night before. 'What an ass. I can't believe he did that.' Anger welled up in her once again. 'I have to calm down. This isn't helping me one bit.' She opened her eyes, looking over at her portable organizer and communicator. 'Maybe I should drop a line to Washuu...' She picked it up and opened the cover. Kiyone clicked through the list of contact numbers, moving down to Washuu's. 'This is crazy. I've already called twice. I'm such a worrisome parent - Well, he is ONLY five years old. He can't get into that much trouble. Washuu already yelled at me the second time I called in. Dammit. Dammit dammit dammit!' She slammed the lid closed to the communicator. She curled up on the couch and flipped through the different channels. 'I'll just try to relax. I wonder what Mihoshi is up to now?' Kiyone zoned out, lost in thought.

In another part of the ship Mihoshi was wandering around. She had already visited the kitchen and training rooms and now found herself checking out the social floor. A drink area with a few chairs and couches along with various game boards and entertainment outlets. Mihoshi has found herself playing a game or two with a few other crew members. Hours had gone by without even a thought.

Mihoshi turned away from her latest game to notice the changing of the guard. Late night people wandered into the bar like atmosphere while the swing shifters headed out to bed. Among that crowd was the young man she had met the night before, Ryuzo. Mihoshi smiled and approached him. "Hello Mr. Ryuzo!" She smiled, "I don't know if you remember me, but I remember you from last night."

"How could I forget that humiliating little experience? It's good to see you're enjoying the ship." Ryuzo commented, "Where is your servant? Isn't she supposed to be by your side at all times?" A faint form of bitterness oozed through his voice. He didn't seem angry, but had a hint of asking for more trouble.

"Kiyone? Well, I left her back at the room." She pointed to the seat near Ryuzo, "May I sit?"

"Oh! Forgive me... where are my manners!" He stood up and went to pull out the chair for Mihoshi.

Mihoshi laughed, "Oh, you're so cute. Please don't make a fuss over me." She settled into the chair. "Even with the title 'Priestess', I'm still just a plain person like you or anyone else! Please don't treat me any differently than you would, say... him." She pointed to a random person.

"Right... sorry." He bowed his head, a little embarrassed. "So uh.. checking out the ship? Glad you like it. This is a really great cruiser. It's only my second time on it. First time was for a training mission. I'm glad to be a full fledged member of the Juraian Royal Guard now. It's such an honor."

"As it should be! I heard that it even rivals some exams for the Galaxy Police. Though, there's a clear definition between Juraian Royal Guard and Galaxy Police cadet - you have to be Juraian to be part of the royal guard." She commented.

"So true, so true. I'm not sure if my parents would have appreciated me going into the Galaxy Police. Not as honorable as the Royal Guard."

"What?" She blinked, "Where did you get *that* impression? We- I mean ..The Galaxy Police have a lot of honor - and they deal with more situations than the Royal Guard would have to put up with. Why, even years ago some members of the Galaxy Police helped out Queen Aeka to help her regain her position back on the throne of Jurai. I'll have you know that the Galaxy Police take all their work VERY seriously!"

"Man, I barely remember when that stuff happened back home. I was pretty young back then." He shrugged, "You have your points. In recent years though, the GP have not impressed me in the honor department. Maybe it was because of that incident that my parents didn't like them as much. I really couldn't tell you." He took a sip of his drink. "I hope I didn't offend you. You seem like you owe a lot to the Galaxy Police. You spoke so highly of them."

Mihoshi rubbed the back of her head and laughed nervously, "Well... one or two times they've helped me out in my life. I can honestly say I wouldn't be where I am today without the Galaxy Police." She smiled.

"Did uh..." Ryuzo gulped, "Nevermind." He shook his head, "I've got to get going. I'm going through some training over in the training facility. It's almost my time to head in."

"Training facility? I saw it. What's it like?" Mihoshi inquired with an 'oooh' like look on her face, "Please tell me!"

"Well, it's pretty basic. Because of such varied levels of the different members... they've created like a 'virtual reality' like area for those who want to practice their training. The room houses several pods. Others can even go head to head, because all the pods are linked - or they can train on their own. It works the muscles and the mind. I'm very impressed with the technology they have aboard."

"Oh! I know exactly what you're talking about, TrainerMax5000s."

".... You've seen them?" He raised an eyebrow, a little shocked, "I thought a Priestess wouldn't get out to see something like that much, let alone know the machine by name." The disbelief in his voice was enough to concern even Mihoshi.

"Hmmm?" She blinked absentmindedly, "Silly me! I just read about them!" She laughed. "Well, you should get back to your training. I'm going to head back to the room to sleep. Nice to see you again!" She stood and bowed, quickly leaving the area.

Ryuzo sat at the table to watch her wander off. He finished his cup and headed out for the training center.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Mihoshi and Kiyone's sleeping quarters. A beeping noise erupted from Kiyone's personal communicator. She sat up, half awake, pulling open the notebook like object and clicking the receive button.

"Sergeant Dete--" She murmured off her title, looking at the screen, "... Ken, sweetie. What a surprise."

"Hi Mom." He sat in front of the monitor nervously. "Uh.. I think I did something bad."

"You didn't do anything bad!" Came a voice from the side which resembled Washuu's.

"This already doesn't sound good. Is everything fine over there? Ken? Washuu?"

Ken frowned. "You're gonna be angry. I jus' wanted to call you before I went to bed."

"... that's fine, Ken. I always love to hear your voice every day. You know that." She smiled, calming down a bit. "Anything that has to be said really can be said when I'm done here. Are you being a good boy for Washuu?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Then nothing should be wrong." She smiled again. "Go to bed. I'll talk to you later. I love you."

"Yes Mom." He moved out from the communications window and away.

Washuu moved to the front of the screen, "Kiyone." She sounded very serious.

"... what is it, Professor Washuu?" She straightened out her hair.

"After this mission of yours..." Washuu shook her head, "It's okay. Nothing bad. Just I'd like to talk to you about Ken."

"If this is about his education again, I swear..."

"No, Kiyone. I'll explain later. Talk to you when you get back." Washuu clicked the communicator off.

"Washuu-! Damn." She folded up the communicator. "Now I'm really worried."

The door to the main quarters opened with Mihoshi wandering in. "Uwah!" She expressed, stretching tiredly, "What a large ship. I'm wiped!" She sat down on the couch next to Kiyone. "Hey, Kiyone... is something wrong?"

"Well, Washuu and Ken just called. Something Washuu said is bothering me, but I know if I call back she'll get angry." Kiyone sighed, setting the communicator down.

"Cheer up, Kiyone. I'm sure it's nothing." She patted her partner on the shoulder. "Oh, I found out they have TrainMaster5000's here. Since I'm heading to bed, maybe you should go check them out? I know you like to use those back at HQ."

"Wow, they have something like that on this ship? How neat." She hummed to herself.

Mihoshi nodded, "I thought you'd like that. I'm off to bed. See you in the morning. Only one more day till we're done with this mission."

"The sooner, the better. I'll have to talk to Aeka about calling us in on these favors."

"Night Kiyone!" Mihoshi wandered off to the backroom.

Kiyone turned off the noise from the television. She sighed, 'I should be tired, but I slept in so late that it still feels like the middle of the day. Argh.'

She sat up from her position on the couch. 'Well, sitting around here won't make me sleepy. Maybe I should work some of this energy off. I'll just end up worrying myself to insanity. For once I may actually take Mihoshi's suggestion.'

Kiyone stayed dressed in her servants outfit. No need to rise any suspicion. She headed out of the main quarters down the hall to a directory. 'Training... training... ah, there we go. Not far from here.' She took a left turn at the end of the hall and headed over to a door with the "Training Hall" label above the door. She opened it up and stepped through.

The room was very spacious. On the left side there were four large pods. On the right was your basic stretch out space and exercise equipment. Kiyone stretched out on the mats. She noticed idly that one of the pods had an 'occupied' light while the other three were empty. 'Hrm, maybe I could join in on a mission. I might be able to help out.' Kiyone stood up and went to the pod next to the occupied one. She entered and suited up for the experience.

The pods are about ten feet by ten feet in diameter. Once a person enters, they are to put on gloves, a vest, two shin guards, and a pair of goggles that project the pre-set training environment to the wearer. The items tell the program exactly what the participant is doing to best help accurately portray their skill and position. Participants can do group sessions if the pods are linked together, or they can go on solitary missions. Virtual reality to the next level. It's not exactly real 'looking' still, quite yet. But enough to have your own mind and say in the situation. Usually the participants are viewed by the other pods as wearing a solid 'team' color, but no distinguishing features. The participants can communicate with each other with a communications system located in each pod.

Kiyone suited up. Her hair pulled back again. She slipped on her goggles and clicked a few buttons on the main screen. She idly chose her weapon, a rifle. She grabbed the 'rifle' and clicked on the communications unit. "Hello there. Would you mind if I joined in on your mission?" She asked.

"A woman?" The voice spoke back, "Sure, if you can handle the heat."

"What kind of question is that?! I can take on anything these things throw at me." Kiyone pushed the confirmation button. The environment swirled around to focus. These fake environments were always interesting. Her vision refocused to be in a small room. She powered up her rifle and asked, "So, where are you?"

"I'm at corner 5-A. Check the map. I just took down the first sub-boss."

"Ehh? That far, huh? I'll be there in a minute."

"I rushed through that area, so there may be a few straggling enemies."

"Roger." Kiyone confirmed. She had done this mission several times before. 'It has a trick ending.' She recalled. 'I'll worry about that when I get there.' Kiyone opened the door and rushed into the area. Most of the grounds were littered with 'dead' enemies. She let out a little hum, "Not bad." she commented.

"You like my work?"

"Very clean." She commented, "You use a sword or a hand blaster?"

"Sword. I'm terrible at weapons that fire, but I'm damn good at wielding a sword."

"Good to know." She took down an oncoming enemy, entering area 4-A. "Are you waiting for me or am I going to have to continue playing catch up?" She fired another shot at an enemy soldier.

The man laughed, "I'm waiting, I'm waiting. What's the point of playing with a partner if you don't work together?"

"Wise words. You'd be surprised on how many people go ahead of the team." She commented, moving into section 5-A and spotting the other team member.

"A rifle? Interesting gear." He turned away from Kiyone to focus on next section.

"It helps with the next section, I've learned." She followed him, "We should go in along the western wall, then head for the main base. You can lead and I'll cover your back."

The man nodded, "Let's roll."

They moved through the area swiftly. The enemies really didn't have a chance with the skill put forth by these two individuals together. Kiyone blasted through those on the rear while the man sliced through oncoming enemies. Finally they were at the door leading into the enemy base.

"I'll get us in." Kiyone commented, sliding over next to the door and clicking in a few codes. She slipped up a panel and re-wired the entrance. The door whined open, "We're in!"

Kiyone went in first, taking down a few targeting droids. The man came in from behind, "Our goal is ahead." He commented.

"Wait." She held an arm in front of him to stop, "I'll go."

"What are you talking about? I'm in the lead, you're backup." He changed the grip of his sword. The man pointed to the next room, "I'm going ahead, you back me up."

"You're the team leader, right?" She asked, "Well, newsflash. In that room is a no-win scenario. As the team leader, it's your duty to wait for the signal and capture the flag in *this* room, while you send the secondary part of the team - which would be me - into the room to trigger the option. There's no way around it."

"What? That's a lie." He sounded dissatisfied with that answer. "There has to be a better way."

"There isn't. That's the point. I'm going ahead." She grabbed her rifle and headed forward.

The man cried out, "Wait! That's an order...!"

Kiyone rushed into the secondary room, the door slamming closed behind her.

"Why'd you go and do that anyway?" He seemed annoyed.

"This puzzle is complicated. You do your part, I'll do mine."

"I'd rather not lose *anyone* on this mission. Fine. Waiting on your signal."

Kiyone idly played with the puzzle in closed room. 'One wrong move and I'm toast.' She thought to herself. The room brightened with a green glow. "The box is unlocked. You should be able to get the flag."

"What about you?" He asked.

"What about me? Deliver the flag. That's the mission." Kiyone leaned back against the wall.

"Screw that." Loud banging came from the other side of the door. "I'm going to get you out of there."

Kiyone sounded annoyed, "Cut that out! There's no way out of this. GO DELIVER the flag!"

"I don't believe that for a minute." He growled, snapping the mechanism on the door. It slid open partially with the man rushing in. The door quickly snapped shut behind him before he could react.

"What is WRONG with you! I told you to go ahead! Now we've lost the mission!" Kiyone yelled.

The room changed from that light green glow to a red. Alarms sounded out and a bright statement across the viewscreen announced, "You are dead. Game Over." The room went completely black and the simulator shut off.

Kiyone pulled the goggles off and quickly undressed from her gear. She exited her pod quickly to go over to the second occupied pod, knocking on the door. "Hey! Get out here."

The pod door opened up. "Get out here?! You're rather demanding!"

Kiyone stepped back and waited for him to come out, "I told you how to complete the mission and you still messed it up. You're skills are good, but you're not happy with no win scenarios, are you?"

"I don't believe it is a no-win scenario. I still say there was a way for both of us to get out of there." The man stepped out of the pod. He turned to face Kiyone - only for Kiyone to discover that the man behind the voice was Ryuzo.

"... oh of all the luck..." Kiyone growled, "I can't believe this." She turned to head out of the training area.

Ryuzo caught up with her, grabbing her arm, "Don't you run from me! I'm not done making my point!"

"Let go of me!" She snapped around, now facing him. His hand still secured around her wrist.

"No." He paused, looking at her. "... do you hate me that much? Look, I understand... about the other night... that was *my* fault."

Kiyone pulled her arm away from his grip, "I don't want to discuss that. I'd prefer to go back to my room and rest."

"Dammit..." He whined, "What is it? What can I do to have you understand that I didn't mean any disrespect."

"All you soldiers are the same. This *isn't* about the other night, it's about how you handled that mission. Disrespect is the least of your worries." She strutted down the hall back to her quarters.

Ryuzo followed behind. "Will you at least talk to me? Please... I've never been sorrier in my entire life."

"You should be. I thought we had an understanding." She stopped, turning to face Ryuzo. Kiyone poked him in the chest, "You are a soldier. I am a servant to a priestess. Self control. It's not hard."

"I got that... really." He looked at Kiyone, "Where did you learn to fight?"

"Don't change the subject. That's none of your business." She turned the corner and froze. Ryuzo ran into her.

"Why'd you stop?" He asked. Kiyone turned quickly and covered his mouth with her hand. She pointed around the corner at three soldiers outside of her and Mihoshi's quarters.

Kiyone watched the trio. She whispered to Ryuzo, "This doesn't look good. You're coming with me. Be quiet and play along. We have to get into that room and look unsuspicious."

Ryuzo blinked and nodded. Kiyone let go of him and grabbed his arm. They walked arm and arm quietly down the hall.

Ahead, the group noticed them turn the corner and moved away from the door quickly. Kiyone laughed light heartedly and nudged Ryuzo, "Oh, you're so nice escorting me back to my quarters. Please come inside for a minute for me to get my things."

Kiyone quickly opened the door and pushed Ryuzo in. She frantically locked the door and looked around. "Find something and prop the door locked." She commanded.

Ryuzo grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the door. "I... don't understand. What's going on?'

"Be quiet. I have to wake Mihoshi." She headed into the other room. She sat next to Mihoshi in the bed, shaking her a bit, "Mihoshi! Wake up! We've got trouble."

Mihoshi rubbed her eyes, "What do you mean? What's going on, Kiyone?"

"Them! They're outside the door. We've got to act fast, or this mission is a bust."

Mihoshi yawned and nodded, "Ooh, right."

"I've got an idea. I'll grab the artifact and smuggle it passed. They saw me come in with that Ryuzo guy. You distract them and make them think that it's in here until... I'll give you a signal - hopefully I'll be far enough away by then."

"Are you sure?" Mihoshi asked.

"We can't leave it here. We have to get it as far away from these people as possible. I already have a good excuse. You're supposed to be sleeping."

Mihoshi nodded, "Okay."

Ryuzo peaked into the room, "Can someone tell me what's going on here?"

Kiyone unlocked the case, taking the artifact out. She slipped it into a small bag, shouldering it. "No time to explain." She points at Ryuzo, "How well do you know this ship?"

"Well enough." He raised an eyebrow, "Are you stealing the artifact?"

"... NO! We're trying to make sure that someone DOESN'T steal it! Those guys outside of the room are planning on taking this."

"Are you sure about that? They're good guys... I don't think they'd--" Ryuzo was cut off by Kiyone grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the bedroom.

"Then we won't have to worry about them following us. This is just a precaution." Kiyone walked over to the door and took a deep breath.

Mihoshi headed out of the room and did a thumbs up. "Ready! Give me your signal when you're safe."

Kiyone nodded. She looked at Ryuzo with a sigh, "I swear, if you mess this up..." She shook her head, "Just play along." She opened the door to head out of the room.

Ryuzo blushed as Kiyone wrapped her arm around his once again. They continued to walk down the hall. She made idle chatter with the soldier, keeping the pace even until they turned the corner.

Kiyone let go of Ryuzo and pointed down the hall, "We need to go into hiding. Where should we go?" She whispered. She turned to look around the corner. Two of the soldiers were toying with the door mechanism while one soldier was walking toward the direction they went. "Damn! They've got one following us. Let's run!" She grabbed Ryuzo's hand and ran down the hall. They turned yet another corner. She looked around for any entrances. Nothing much.

"What is in this area anyway!?" Kiyone asked, exasperated. She kept an eye down the hall to see if the man followed behind them.

"Uh... there's a laundry chute over there. It leads to the laundry room, which takes us into the cargo bay. We can hide out there for a bit." Ryuzo opened the chute.

Kiyone nodded, "Perfect. Let's go." She grabbed the railing and lifted herself into the chute to slide downwards. Ryuzo climbed in afterwards, closing the hatch and locking it from the inside, sliding down to follow Kiyone.

The angle was sharp. Kiyone carefully held the bag that contained the artifact tightly in her arms. The end opened up as Kiyone landed on the floor at an awkward position. She tumbled forward in a crouch, left hand going down to brace her ankle that now throbbed in pain.

Ryuzo landed a few feet from Kiyone. He rushed over to her side, "What's wrong?"

"Of all the times for this to happen." She winced, "I think I landed on it funny. I don't think I can stand."

Ryuzo rolled his eyes and kneeled down in front of her, back to her. "Here. I'll carry you. The cargo bay is just around the corner. We can find a hiding place there."

Kiyone sighed, "Looks like I don't have much of a choice." She pulled the bag to hang behind her, wrapping her arms around his neck. He stood, picking up her legs to carry her piggyback. He heard shouts above him from the laundry chute. "Looks like the found us." She commented.

"It's okay. We'll be gone before they make it here." He ran down the hall to the cargo bay. The area was filled with with boxes and supply jugs. He made a turn to go down between the objects. He got to the end of the path and kneeled down to slide a panel open. "Get in." He pointed at the small space.

"What?! That's crazy..." She seemed annoyed.

"They won't find us in there. Now, get in." He urged.

Kiyone did as asked, letting go of Ryuzo and climbing into the wall area. The space was about five feet tall by five feet wide. "It's an extra compartment for when the floor space is full. Trust me, no one would think of this." He helped her settle in, then climbed in himself. He closed the metal panel and locking it from the inside.

"Great... my ideal situation. Stuck in a confined space with a hotshot kid." She played with her wrist communicator, pressing a button. "Now all we have to do is wait. Mihoshi, theoretically, should be able to do the rest."

"I'm not a kid. I'm twenty one years old." He looked annoyed, "What exactly IS going on here?!"

"I'm a Detective for the Galaxy Police. My partner and I are under-cover to make sure this doesn't fall into enemy hands." She set the artifact still wrapped in the bag beside her.

"Whoa... what? Run that by me again... enemy hands? Those guys are part of the Juraian Royal Guard. They're not the enemy."

"No, they shouldn't be. We were given a tip that a few guards in the newest training class actually planned on taking the artifact and selling it on the black market. I don't have the patience to explain it." Kiyone winced as she massaged her left ankle.

Ryuzo nodded. The sat in silence for a long moment, "... does it hurt much?"

"It hurts a lot, yes." Kiyone hissed. She turned away from Ryuzo to open the bag and make sure the artifact was fine. She set it upright and placed it in the corner. The mystical item glowed a faint yellow light. Kiyone closed her eyes and leaned against the metal wall.

"Here." His hands went to her ankle, "I'll help you."

Kiyone winced, "Ow! Watch what you're doing!"

"Shhh... don't yell. Metal echoes." He straightened out the ankle, "I never... I mean... I didn't apologize for my behavior. We didn't exactly get off on the best foot."

"That's putting it mildly." She looked at Ryuzo, "And you are a kid. You're ten years younger than me. My son is one-quarter your age."

"You.. your son?!" He stammered, "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were married."

"I'm not." She winced. "It's a complicated situation."

Ryuzo looked confused, "...oh." He touched the edge of the ankle, "I'll try to relieve the pressure. Please don't think of me as a kid."

"Yeah, sure." Kiyone watched Ryuzo work at her ankle. She whispers, "I hope Mihoshi gets back to us soon. I don't want to be stuck here for too long."

"Thanks. That makes me feel so much better." Ryuzo chuckled. He smiled slightly, "I think you're warming up to me."

"Oh, you wish." She laughed lightly, "But... thank you. You didn't have to help us."

Ryuzo moved away from the injured ankle to sit beside Kiyone. He picked up the artifact, leaning back against the wall and commenting, "What does this thing do?"

"I don't know. So far I've noticed it does a whole lot of nothing. Aeka is going to get a sharp talking to when I get to Jurai."

"You know Queen Aeka?" Ryuzo asked, somewhat surprised.

"The Galaxy Police doesn't normally deal with political situations like this. Queen Aeka knows us from years ago when we were stationed in a remote solar system." Kiyone shook her head, "I agreed to go on the mission because it seemed like a good idea. I'm regretting it."

"Oh? Why?" Ryuzo asked.

"Other than the obvious circumstance." She glared, "My son contacted me earlier. His sitter didn't seem too happy. I'm just... I'm concerned."

"Where's his father? I mean... if you don't mind me asking."

"That's a rather personal question!" Kiyone snapped, "He was an old friend. He doesn't know of my son's existence and I'm going to keep it that way."

"Well that's not very nice. A man has a right to know he has a son."

"I know how to raise my son. I don't need someone who hasn't been in the same position telling me otherwise." Kiyone turned to glare at Ryuzo.

Ryuzo looked back at her. "You're right. I don't have any right. But... I think if I had a son with a beautiful woman, such as yourself, I think I'd like to know."

"You're just full of come on lines, aren't you?" Kiyone teased.

"I just speak the truth. You're beautiful." He smiled back, feeling a bit more comfortable. "And you fire a mean gun."

"Well, you're not too bad yourself." She nudged with a slight laugh. "Too bad it would never work."

"Why not?" He asked, turning around to face Kiyone. "We're adults... we both have similar interests and uh... you travel around a lot being in the police force, right?"

Kiyone looked nervous, "I'm not one for relationships. Look, you're a nice guy. Just because you're a nice guy and there's a bit of attraction... it's not enough for a solid relationship."

A light hum started from the center of the room. "What's that noise?" Kiyone blinked. Both of them looked over at the artifact. The entire room lit up brightly as the hum mellowed out to a faint hiss. Ryuzo looked over to Kiyone as the light intensely washed over the room. Kiyone's eyes locked with his. The noise subsided and suddenly...

// Kiyone looked into the mirror. She was dressed in a white robe, pulled around her lightly. 'I can't believe I'm here.' Kiyone thought to herself. She stood in her bedroom of the Yagami, looking a little lost and anxious. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath.

A familiar feeling washed over her. "You seem nervous." spoke a male voice. Kiyone turned around to see Ryuzo there. He wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug. She returned the hug, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Shouldn't I be?" Kiyone asked, "This is, quite honestly, a first for me."

"Me too." He smiled. Ryuzo tilted her chin slightly to face him, kissing Kiyone on the lips warmly. "Our first night as husband and wife."

Kiyone blushed. Ryuzo smiled and picked up Kiyone in his arms. She let out an 'eep' sound, placing her arms around his neck as he carried her over to the bed and she was laid down. Ryuzo laid next to her, cupping her cheek lovingly before placing another kiss on her lips - lost in the moment. //

Back to the confined area. Ryuzo tilted his head looking Kiyone over. He reached over and touched her cheek, whispering softly, "... my wife?"

"..w-what?" Kiyone stuttered. "Ryu, I..."

Ryuzo looked confused. He shook his head, "Us?"

Kiyone murmured, "...hold on..." She grabbed onto the front of his shirt, pulling him closer to her. Kiyone closed her eyes and touched her lips to his. Her grip loosened, letting go as the kiss deepened. The two kept close, kissing warmly and affectionately for what felt like an eternity.

"Kiyone... come in... Kiyone!" A voice announced.

The kiss was broken. Kiyone's cheeks were bright red with embarrassment. She clicked the communicator on. "... Mihoshi, what's the status?"

Ryuzo leaned back against the wall across from Kiyone. He watched her silently with crossed arms - deep in thought.

"We've captured all three guards. Where are you?" Mihoshi's voice asked.

"We're.. uh... in the cargo bay. I'm injured. I don't think I could make it up on my own." Kiyone commented, looking back over at Ryuzo. "...if you can send some help, it'd be nice."

"Turn on your signal. I'll send a medical team down to you." Mihoshi suggested.

"It's on. I'll be here." Kiyone pushed a button on her communicator, letting out a sigh. She erm, "Can you unlock the door...? They'll be here soon."

Ryuzo nodded, "Sure." He unhooked the latch. He moved back over to sit near Kiyone. "... so this is it?"

".. looks like it." She looked him over. "What... just happened?"

"I don't know, but I think I love you."