Disclaimer: I don't own Shin Tenchi/Tenchi in Tokyo, but I do own a couple of
really cute Hotsuma cels. ;) This story does however contain my original work
and ideas, even if I'm not making money off them.
***********************************************************************
Ryoko woke the next morning and wondered if her head was about to explode. It
tasted like a family of dust bunnies had taken up residence in her mouth, and
the back of her throat felt like it had been paved in gravel. "Too much
yelling," she thought, "and too much sake." At least her bed felt warm and
comforting. Her bed. When had she gone to bed? She certainly had no memory of
it.
Ryoko sat bolt upright clutching her head. She was fully dressed. She never
went to bed fully dressed! If she had the power to crawl to the bed, she had
the power to get undressed. The irony of the situation washed over her. Most
women would be terrified of getting drunk and waking naked next to someone, but
Ryoko was upset from getting drunk and waking up fully clothed and alone. It
wasn't that she wanted to be in the other situation. Hell no! But if she'd
been put to bed, there was only one person here to have done it. One person
who'd been told not to do any heavy lifting. One person who was about to get an
earful, even if this hangover killed her as a result.
Ryoko stood too quickly, and had to take several steps to her left to gain some
sense of balance. She grimaced at the cold floor, but she REALLY didn't want to
bend down for her shoes in her current condition. "What the hell was in that
sake? It's almost as bad as Washu's!" she thought as her head reeled. When the
room finally stopped spinning she called out to the ship's computer, "Gaiyan,
where's Hotsuma?!" She winced at the sound of her own voice as she waited for
the reply.
"Hotsuma is in the galley," came the mechanical response. And Ryoko, still
ignoring her cold feet, set off towards the ship kitchen. It would be faster if
she teleported there, but she didn't want to think of what that effort would do
to her already fragile stomach. Instead she meandered in a zigzagging pattern
down the hallways. Once she had to stop to prop herself up against the wall,
after she'd nearly tripped over her own toe. "Damn him for making me get out of
bed in this state just to yell at him," came her muddled thought.
Ryoko stormed into the galley a little unsteadily, but looking plenty furious.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" she demanded angrily. Her fist
made contact with the steel counter, leaving a small dent to mark it's passing,
and causing everything on the counter to shoot several inches into the air.
The tall man looked up at her with confusion evident in his pale blue eyes.
"Well, I thought I was making you breakfast. I didn't think you'd be feeling
well enough to fend for yourself this morning." He gestured to a tray holding
toast, aspirin, orange juice, black tea, and water. He'd just been adding the
finishing touches of a small tub of marmalade and a few wrapped butter pats. "I
know it's not much, but I somehow doubted you'd be interested in anything
heavier after last night," he added with a shrug.
"That's not what I'm talking about," Ryoko growled. "Care to guess where I woke
up this morning?" she continued. She put her hands on her hips and waited.
"In bed?" he ventured sarcastically as he returned his attention to the
breakfast tray.
"That's right," she cooed feigning a Mihoshi-esque innocence. "And just how did
I end up there," she dropped the pretense, "since it definitely wasn't under my
own power, and I know damn well that my partner, who isn't supposed to be doing
any heavy lifting, would never go against my orders. Specifically, since they
were for his own well-being!"
Of all the things to be angry with him about, he hadn't expected this. He found
it rather cute, actually. "What makes you think that I carried you?" Hotsuma
replied coolly. "I just held you up with my good arm and teleported to your
room. You really shouldn't be so suspicious, Princess." It was a lie, but when
compared to the other things he'd lied to her about, it was a very minor one.
He dropped a little flower into a vase and carried the tray over to the table,
as she watched. "Thanks for your concern though, partner," he added playfully
as he turned back to her.
Ryoko's face burned red and she tried not to sound as flustered as she felt.
"I'm not concerned about you! I'm concerned about what happens when we get into
a pinch because you've aggravated that injury. When you can't keep up your end,
and we get busted by the GXP!" she bristled.
"Then you'll be happy to know that my arm is much better. I'd let you look at
it, but it's generally considered bad manners to undress in the kitchen," he
added silkily. "You'd probably be more comfortable sitting down and trying to
eat a little something at the table," he suggested. He stepped away from the
chair and let her come to the table on her own. He noticed that she was
barefooted, and wondered whether she'd forgotten or been unable to put on her
own shoes.
As Ryoko attempted her first bite of toast, Hotsuma seated himself beside her.
"And you assume I can't take care of myself," he chided, as he lifted her feet
and placed them beneath his legs to warm them. Ryoko looked like she was about
to choke, but he simply ignored it, and changed the subject.
"I found a great lead for our next heist, Ryoko. Looks like the Crown Jewels of
Polidis are going to be displayed. They're said to rival the jewels of Jurai.
And they are priceless," he whispered huskily.
The queasy space pirate stared at him incredulously. "When did you possibly
come across that lead? Don't tell me you stayed up all night looking for
treasures to rob," she said pointedly. She'd only managed the one bite of
toast, but it seemed that she'd just gotten the aspirins past that lump in her
throat successfully. "Don't you ever sleep?" she continued.
"I don't need much sleep," Hotsuma said. He crossed his arms over his chest and
leaned back into his chair, as he watched her struggle to get a little bit of
food down. "Would you like to hear the details?" he inquired.
Ryoko nodded wordlessly, as she tried to psyche herself into taking another bite
of toast. She was starving, but she just didn't feel like she could swallow.
All she really wanted was to lie back down and sleep this off, but she'd be
damned if she showed weakness in front of that jerk. That jerk who'd taken her
away from an empty, Tenchi-less life, who'd risked his own life to protect her
from a the GXP robots, who'd put her to bed when she'd passed out, who'd made
her this breakfast. Ryoko sighed and interrupted before he could explain his
plans, "Maybe we could continue this in my room. I think I've reached the limit
of how long I can sit up," she gulped.
Three days later, Ryoko was hiding behind a reddish marble wall in the high
tower of Somea Castle on Polidis. She was in a side access hall, which
intersected the main hall just outside the Crown Vault. She patted down the
pockets of her grey cargo pants to ensure that she still had all the devices
that Hotsuma had given her for the job. Content that she did have everything,
she looked up impatiently at her partner, who was floating upside down above
her. "Hey!" she hissed, "haven't you finished rewiring that force field yet?"
Hotsuma stopped working on the connection he'd been bypassing to shoot her a
look. He'd traded in his usually flowing clothes for a pair of black leather
pants and a high-necked, form fitting sapphire shirt. It was embellished with
cutouts on the arms, which showed off his muscles as he moved. "Are you telling
me that you've lost your confidence in my abilities already? This is a hell of
a lot easier than reversing a black hole, Princess. But it still takes a few
minutes," he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping at the tiny
welder he'd been using. With a quick raise of his eyebrows and a small smirk,
he turned back to the control conduit that ran behind the palace walls, and
resumed his fiddling with the chips and circuits.
As soon as he turned away, Ryoko stuck her tongue out at him and swatted his
ponytail away from her face. Then she jumped as she heard the sound of boots
approaching. Surely, no one had detected them! They'd been extra cautious to
keep Gaiyan cloaked from the planet's satellite network. They'd avoided all the
motion detectors, and Hotsuma had given them both insulated gear to fool the
heat sensors in the security access tunnel. And until Hotsuma got that panel
rewired they couldn't teleport back to the roof for a quick escape.
Ryoko shot the tall blonde pirate a glance to see if he'd noticed the sound. He
was already looking towards the direction of the footsteps, and his cold eyes
were narrowed. She'd learned that he usually wore that expression when he was
thinking something dark. She was often amazed that there could be someone out
there as ruthless as she knew how to be-if not more so.
The pair exchanged a look and a nod of understanding. Then Ryoko crept to the
edge of the hall, and waited to see if these footsteps were going to lead to
trouble. The anxious woman fished through her top left thigh pocket for the
sound dampener that Hotsuma had given her. Whatever else she had to do these
guys weren't going to be shouting out any warnings to their comrades.
They would be within visual range in five seconds. Ryoko located the oblong
metal device and activated it. The energy of the field thrummed through her
body as it spun outwards like a great clear bubble encasing an 18-foot circle of
the halls.
Moments later a guard and two robots appeared on what looked like a normal
patrol. The palace guard wore the type of royal finery that denoted a highly
visible position in the ranks. It was probably the result of nepotism for one
of the King's nephews, because the two robots looked like bodyguards. "No real
soldier would need bodyguards," Ryoko thought with a sneer of contempt. "Damn
royalty," she muttered under her breath. Rather than risk meeting up with them
later, Ryoko knew she had to put them out of commission now.
She waited for the patrol to enter the field, before stepping out behind them.
The feathery plumage on the man's hat waved in the air, as he suddenly stopped.
He was near the center of the field; it had certainly taken him long enough to
realize that he was no longer generating footfalls. Ryoko made no hesitation as
she lunged for him, and slammed the side of her hand into the back of his neck.
He crumpled like some boneless sea creature, and fell unconscious to the floor
with out so much as a hint that he'd known the attack was coming.
The first robot came at her from the right and fired a bright laser. She did a
flip towards the mindless, metal tub, and the shot harmlessly impacted the floor
behind her. Without even landing, she punched her fist into the robot's chest.
She missed that delicious crunch that the metal should have made under her
assault, but the view of sparks and exposed wires made her grin as she smashed
it's transmitter in her palm. The other robot was shooting at her, and she
quickly jumped to the side and planted a roundhouse kick to the side of its
head. The head flew off and landed 4 feet away on the highly polished floor.
That bastard had nearly hit her! She examined a singed spot on the right arm of
her heather colored top. The top was tight like most of Ryoko's clothing, which
meant she probably had a small burn on her arm. With a frown that would have
scared any sensible person into running screaming, she strode over to the robot
to exact her revenge for the near hit. She thoroughly dismantled its
transmitter, before crushing its CPU under the heel of her combat boots. She
ripped both machines to pieces and leered at her handiwork. Something about
venting her frustrations in fighting always made her feel better. It left her
feeling gleeful and giddy.
Ryoko looked up to see Hotsuma dragging the guard into the side corridor, and
she quickly she gathered up the machine parts and started to remove them from
the main passageway. Soon there was no trace of the man or his entourage
anywhere in the opulent main hall. With a thumbs-up, Ryoko deactivated the
dampener. She rested her weight on her back leg and waited expectantly for
Hotsuma to comment on her handiwork.
He didn't disappoint her. "Beautiful," he commended, as he grasped her tiny
waist and pulled her closer. "You're a study in predatory grace, Ryoko. No
other creature could move with such fearsome beauty," he whispered against her
ear. His breath made her shiver, but she no longer pulled away as quickly as
she used to. It was a heady thing to be complimented, to be appreciated, to be
so obviously desired. After floating in such emptiness since the night she'd
resolved to leave earth, Hotsuma's ardent pursuit of her had begun to draw her
out. It was a flame in the darkness. No matter how afraid she was of its
ability to scorch, she wanted the warmth that it promised. Why couldn't Tenchi
have wanted her this way?
She pulled away shaking and with her heart pounding in her ears. "Fun's only
starting, partner. Are we ready to head into the main vault?" She'd taken a
cautious couple of steps back, to give herself the distance to recoup.
"Then what are we waiting for?" he asked. Without a second glance he strode off
to the waiting depository. In his wake, Ryoko wondered if the double meaning
off that question was intentional. Probably. Hotsuma wasn't going to push her,
but he certainly found ways to let her know what was on his mind. She knew the
answer, but she'd have to ponder her situation further after they'd finished the
job at hand.
The door to the room was locked with titanium bolts, which were controlled by a
password. Hotsuma would only have one chance to hack it, because the first
wrong answer would set off a contained nuclear explosion that would annihilate
anything in the last twenty feet of the hall. Ryoko didn't like the odds, but
he seemed to be satisfied with nothing less than the most impossible and
dangerous challenges. The danger was a rush, and she knew that later they'd
both be enjoying an adrenaline high.
"All right, hotshot, what do you have planned to get past this little safety
measure?" she challenged quietly. He seemed to enjoy her challenges, and
secretly she felt something pleasurable stir within her chest every time she
heard his slippery voice challenge her. She could feel an undercurrent between
them during all that pushing, as though their immediacy fueled a hungry beast, a
force that wanted to only drive them closer. Yeah, he knew how to get under her
skin.
"If you want to see, you'll just have to risk nuclear detonation. You do trust
me not to get you blown up, don't you?" he dared her. He darted a glance back,
to see if she planned to come closer, and plugged a small keypad into the
computer by the door. Not all of his hacking in the side corridor had been to
allow teleport, he'd also managed to disable several safety systems. Although
the bomb would still explode with the first wrong answer, the system would no
longer detect the hacking program he'd plugged into it. He'd also managed to
loop the security cameras back to the last 5 minutes.
Ryoko marched up behind him defiantly. How dare he insinuate that she'd go
coward! She leaned against the wall and watched as he studied the small screen
attached to the keypad. Its read-out was in an unfamiliar language, and she
wondered if he understood it, or merely had to duplicate the symbols on the
keypad. She sighed. He probably did understand it. At least he wasn't as
gloating as Washu had been about her intelligence. Washu had been a mercenary,
but for the little scientist it had only been a means to an end-a way of
demanding too much money, so that she could buy some new gadget. Most of them
never worked right anyhow.
"That's it!" he declared, as the door swung open. "I knew you trusted me," he
chuckled as he entered the room.
"No. I just trusted you not to get yourself blown up. You'd have something to
protect yourself if the bomb went, and if I wasn't close enough I'd probably
have been toast," she replied aloofly. She caught up quickly, and had to catch
a breath at the sight of all those gems and gold. Now this was better than that
damned Galaxy Bank! She wondered just how much of it she could wear at once.
They pulled out their rucksacks and began piling in the best jewels, and as many
as they could carry. Ryoko was giggling as she covered her fingers in priceless
rings and picked up a huge ruby. She figured whatever she really wanted that
wouldn't fit in the sack, she could just wear out. From the corner of her eye
she could see Hotsuma loading up a necklace that practically dripped diamonds.
Hotsuma finished loading his pack quickly, and turned to be sure he'd gotten all
of the best pieces. On a satin bed he spied a gold locket. It was encrusted
with diamonds and rubies and it hung on a two short chains of diamonds and
rubies. As he touched a particularly large diamond on the top, it suddenly
projected a small hologram of the royal family above it. Successive presses
scrolled through a series of family shots and portraits. It was exquisite, and
with some reprogramming it would be perfect. It was a treasure fit for a
princess.
Quietly pocketing it, he turned to his delirious partner. "Come on, Princess!
I think it's time to go."
really cute Hotsuma cels. ;) This story does however contain my original work
and ideas, even if I'm not making money off them.
***********************************************************************
Ryoko woke the next morning and wondered if her head was about to explode. It
tasted like a family of dust bunnies had taken up residence in her mouth, and
the back of her throat felt like it had been paved in gravel. "Too much
yelling," she thought, "and too much sake." At least her bed felt warm and
comforting. Her bed. When had she gone to bed? She certainly had no memory of
it.
Ryoko sat bolt upright clutching her head. She was fully dressed. She never
went to bed fully dressed! If she had the power to crawl to the bed, she had
the power to get undressed. The irony of the situation washed over her. Most
women would be terrified of getting drunk and waking naked next to someone, but
Ryoko was upset from getting drunk and waking up fully clothed and alone. It
wasn't that she wanted to be in the other situation. Hell no! But if she'd
been put to bed, there was only one person here to have done it. One person
who'd been told not to do any heavy lifting. One person who was about to get an
earful, even if this hangover killed her as a result.
Ryoko stood too quickly, and had to take several steps to her left to gain some
sense of balance. She grimaced at the cold floor, but she REALLY didn't want to
bend down for her shoes in her current condition. "What the hell was in that
sake? It's almost as bad as Washu's!" she thought as her head reeled. When the
room finally stopped spinning she called out to the ship's computer, "Gaiyan,
where's Hotsuma?!" She winced at the sound of her own voice as she waited for
the reply.
"Hotsuma is in the galley," came the mechanical response. And Ryoko, still
ignoring her cold feet, set off towards the ship kitchen. It would be faster if
she teleported there, but she didn't want to think of what that effort would do
to her already fragile stomach. Instead she meandered in a zigzagging pattern
down the hallways. Once she had to stop to prop herself up against the wall,
after she'd nearly tripped over her own toe. "Damn him for making me get out of
bed in this state just to yell at him," came her muddled thought.
Ryoko stormed into the galley a little unsteadily, but looking plenty furious.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" she demanded angrily. Her fist
made contact with the steel counter, leaving a small dent to mark it's passing,
and causing everything on the counter to shoot several inches into the air.
The tall man looked up at her with confusion evident in his pale blue eyes.
"Well, I thought I was making you breakfast. I didn't think you'd be feeling
well enough to fend for yourself this morning." He gestured to a tray holding
toast, aspirin, orange juice, black tea, and water. He'd just been adding the
finishing touches of a small tub of marmalade and a few wrapped butter pats. "I
know it's not much, but I somehow doubted you'd be interested in anything
heavier after last night," he added with a shrug.
"That's not what I'm talking about," Ryoko growled. "Care to guess where I woke
up this morning?" she continued. She put her hands on her hips and waited.
"In bed?" he ventured sarcastically as he returned his attention to the
breakfast tray.
"That's right," she cooed feigning a Mihoshi-esque innocence. "And just how did
I end up there," she dropped the pretense, "since it definitely wasn't under my
own power, and I know damn well that my partner, who isn't supposed to be doing
any heavy lifting, would never go against my orders. Specifically, since they
were for his own well-being!"
Of all the things to be angry with him about, he hadn't expected this. He found
it rather cute, actually. "What makes you think that I carried you?" Hotsuma
replied coolly. "I just held you up with my good arm and teleported to your
room. You really shouldn't be so suspicious, Princess." It was a lie, but when
compared to the other things he'd lied to her about, it was a very minor one.
He dropped a little flower into a vase and carried the tray over to the table,
as she watched. "Thanks for your concern though, partner," he added playfully
as he turned back to her.
Ryoko's face burned red and she tried not to sound as flustered as she felt.
"I'm not concerned about you! I'm concerned about what happens when we get into
a pinch because you've aggravated that injury. When you can't keep up your end,
and we get busted by the GXP!" she bristled.
"Then you'll be happy to know that my arm is much better. I'd let you look at
it, but it's generally considered bad manners to undress in the kitchen," he
added silkily. "You'd probably be more comfortable sitting down and trying to
eat a little something at the table," he suggested. He stepped away from the
chair and let her come to the table on her own. He noticed that she was
barefooted, and wondered whether she'd forgotten or been unable to put on her
own shoes.
As Ryoko attempted her first bite of toast, Hotsuma seated himself beside her.
"And you assume I can't take care of myself," he chided, as he lifted her feet
and placed them beneath his legs to warm them. Ryoko looked like she was about
to choke, but he simply ignored it, and changed the subject.
"I found a great lead for our next heist, Ryoko. Looks like the Crown Jewels of
Polidis are going to be displayed. They're said to rival the jewels of Jurai.
And they are priceless," he whispered huskily.
The queasy space pirate stared at him incredulously. "When did you possibly
come across that lead? Don't tell me you stayed up all night looking for
treasures to rob," she said pointedly. She'd only managed the one bite of
toast, but it seemed that she'd just gotten the aspirins past that lump in her
throat successfully. "Don't you ever sleep?" she continued.
"I don't need much sleep," Hotsuma said. He crossed his arms over his chest and
leaned back into his chair, as he watched her struggle to get a little bit of
food down. "Would you like to hear the details?" he inquired.
Ryoko nodded wordlessly, as she tried to psyche herself into taking another bite
of toast. She was starving, but she just didn't feel like she could swallow.
All she really wanted was to lie back down and sleep this off, but she'd be
damned if she showed weakness in front of that jerk. That jerk who'd taken her
away from an empty, Tenchi-less life, who'd risked his own life to protect her
from a the GXP robots, who'd put her to bed when she'd passed out, who'd made
her this breakfast. Ryoko sighed and interrupted before he could explain his
plans, "Maybe we could continue this in my room. I think I've reached the limit
of how long I can sit up," she gulped.
Three days later, Ryoko was hiding behind a reddish marble wall in the high
tower of Somea Castle on Polidis. She was in a side access hall, which
intersected the main hall just outside the Crown Vault. She patted down the
pockets of her grey cargo pants to ensure that she still had all the devices
that Hotsuma had given her for the job. Content that she did have everything,
she looked up impatiently at her partner, who was floating upside down above
her. "Hey!" she hissed, "haven't you finished rewiring that force field yet?"
Hotsuma stopped working on the connection he'd been bypassing to shoot her a
look. He'd traded in his usually flowing clothes for a pair of black leather
pants and a high-necked, form fitting sapphire shirt. It was embellished with
cutouts on the arms, which showed off his muscles as he moved. "Are you telling
me that you've lost your confidence in my abilities already? This is a hell of
a lot easier than reversing a black hole, Princess. But it still takes a few
minutes," he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping at the tiny
welder he'd been using. With a quick raise of his eyebrows and a small smirk,
he turned back to the control conduit that ran behind the palace walls, and
resumed his fiddling with the chips and circuits.
As soon as he turned away, Ryoko stuck her tongue out at him and swatted his
ponytail away from her face. Then she jumped as she heard the sound of boots
approaching. Surely, no one had detected them! They'd been extra cautious to
keep Gaiyan cloaked from the planet's satellite network. They'd avoided all the
motion detectors, and Hotsuma had given them both insulated gear to fool the
heat sensors in the security access tunnel. And until Hotsuma got that panel
rewired they couldn't teleport back to the roof for a quick escape.
Ryoko shot the tall blonde pirate a glance to see if he'd noticed the sound. He
was already looking towards the direction of the footsteps, and his cold eyes
were narrowed. She'd learned that he usually wore that expression when he was
thinking something dark. She was often amazed that there could be someone out
there as ruthless as she knew how to be-if not more so.
The pair exchanged a look and a nod of understanding. Then Ryoko crept to the
edge of the hall, and waited to see if these footsteps were going to lead to
trouble. The anxious woman fished through her top left thigh pocket for the
sound dampener that Hotsuma had given her. Whatever else she had to do these
guys weren't going to be shouting out any warnings to their comrades.
They would be within visual range in five seconds. Ryoko located the oblong
metal device and activated it. The energy of the field thrummed through her
body as it spun outwards like a great clear bubble encasing an 18-foot circle of
the halls.
Moments later a guard and two robots appeared on what looked like a normal
patrol. The palace guard wore the type of royal finery that denoted a highly
visible position in the ranks. It was probably the result of nepotism for one
of the King's nephews, because the two robots looked like bodyguards. "No real
soldier would need bodyguards," Ryoko thought with a sneer of contempt. "Damn
royalty," she muttered under her breath. Rather than risk meeting up with them
later, Ryoko knew she had to put them out of commission now.
She waited for the patrol to enter the field, before stepping out behind them.
The feathery plumage on the man's hat waved in the air, as he suddenly stopped.
He was near the center of the field; it had certainly taken him long enough to
realize that he was no longer generating footfalls. Ryoko made no hesitation as
she lunged for him, and slammed the side of her hand into the back of his neck.
He crumpled like some boneless sea creature, and fell unconscious to the floor
with out so much as a hint that he'd known the attack was coming.
The first robot came at her from the right and fired a bright laser. She did a
flip towards the mindless, metal tub, and the shot harmlessly impacted the floor
behind her. Without even landing, she punched her fist into the robot's chest.
She missed that delicious crunch that the metal should have made under her
assault, but the view of sparks and exposed wires made her grin as she smashed
it's transmitter in her palm. The other robot was shooting at her, and she
quickly jumped to the side and planted a roundhouse kick to the side of its
head. The head flew off and landed 4 feet away on the highly polished floor.
That bastard had nearly hit her! She examined a singed spot on the right arm of
her heather colored top. The top was tight like most of Ryoko's clothing, which
meant she probably had a small burn on her arm. With a frown that would have
scared any sensible person into running screaming, she strode over to the robot
to exact her revenge for the near hit. She thoroughly dismantled its
transmitter, before crushing its CPU under the heel of her combat boots. She
ripped both machines to pieces and leered at her handiwork. Something about
venting her frustrations in fighting always made her feel better. It left her
feeling gleeful and giddy.
Ryoko looked up to see Hotsuma dragging the guard into the side corridor, and
she quickly she gathered up the machine parts and started to remove them from
the main passageway. Soon there was no trace of the man or his entourage
anywhere in the opulent main hall. With a thumbs-up, Ryoko deactivated the
dampener. She rested her weight on her back leg and waited expectantly for
Hotsuma to comment on her handiwork.
He didn't disappoint her. "Beautiful," he commended, as he grasped her tiny
waist and pulled her closer. "You're a study in predatory grace, Ryoko. No
other creature could move with such fearsome beauty," he whispered against her
ear. His breath made her shiver, but she no longer pulled away as quickly as
she used to. It was a heady thing to be complimented, to be appreciated, to be
so obviously desired. After floating in such emptiness since the night she'd
resolved to leave earth, Hotsuma's ardent pursuit of her had begun to draw her
out. It was a flame in the darkness. No matter how afraid she was of its
ability to scorch, she wanted the warmth that it promised. Why couldn't Tenchi
have wanted her this way?
She pulled away shaking and with her heart pounding in her ears. "Fun's only
starting, partner. Are we ready to head into the main vault?" She'd taken a
cautious couple of steps back, to give herself the distance to recoup.
"Then what are we waiting for?" he asked. Without a second glance he strode off
to the waiting depository. In his wake, Ryoko wondered if the double meaning
off that question was intentional. Probably. Hotsuma wasn't going to push her,
but he certainly found ways to let her know what was on his mind. She knew the
answer, but she'd have to ponder her situation further after they'd finished the
job at hand.
The door to the room was locked with titanium bolts, which were controlled by a
password. Hotsuma would only have one chance to hack it, because the first
wrong answer would set off a contained nuclear explosion that would annihilate
anything in the last twenty feet of the hall. Ryoko didn't like the odds, but
he seemed to be satisfied with nothing less than the most impossible and
dangerous challenges. The danger was a rush, and she knew that later they'd
both be enjoying an adrenaline high.
"All right, hotshot, what do you have planned to get past this little safety
measure?" she challenged quietly. He seemed to enjoy her challenges, and
secretly she felt something pleasurable stir within her chest every time she
heard his slippery voice challenge her. She could feel an undercurrent between
them during all that pushing, as though their immediacy fueled a hungry beast, a
force that wanted to only drive them closer. Yeah, he knew how to get under her
skin.
"If you want to see, you'll just have to risk nuclear detonation. You do trust
me not to get you blown up, don't you?" he dared her. He darted a glance back,
to see if she planned to come closer, and plugged a small keypad into the
computer by the door. Not all of his hacking in the side corridor had been to
allow teleport, he'd also managed to disable several safety systems. Although
the bomb would still explode with the first wrong answer, the system would no
longer detect the hacking program he'd plugged into it. He'd also managed to
loop the security cameras back to the last 5 minutes.
Ryoko marched up behind him defiantly. How dare he insinuate that she'd go
coward! She leaned against the wall and watched as he studied the small screen
attached to the keypad. Its read-out was in an unfamiliar language, and she
wondered if he understood it, or merely had to duplicate the symbols on the
keypad. She sighed. He probably did understand it. At least he wasn't as
gloating as Washu had been about her intelligence. Washu had been a mercenary,
but for the little scientist it had only been a means to an end-a way of
demanding too much money, so that she could buy some new gadget. Most of them
never worked right anyhow.
"That's it!" he declared, as the door swung open. "I knew you trusted me," he
chuckled as he entered the room.
"No. I just trusted you not to get yourself blown up. You'd have something to
protect yourself if the bomb went, and if I wasn't close enough I'd probably
have been toast," she replied aloofly. She caught up quickly, and had to catch
a breath at the sight of all those gems and gold. Now this was better than that
damned Galaxy Bank! She wondered just how much of it she could wear at once.
They pulled out their rucksacks and began piling in the best jewels, and as many
as they could carry. Ryoko was giggling as she covered her fingers in priceless
rings and picked up a huge ruby. She figured whatever she really wanted that
wouldn't fit in the sack, she could just wear out. From the corner of her eye
she could see Hotsuma loading up a necklace that practically dripped diamonds.
Hotsuma finished loading his pack quickly, and turned to be sure he'd gotten all
of the best pieces. On a satin bed he spied a gold locket. It was encrusted
with diamonds and rubies and it hung on a two short chains of diamonds and
rubies. As he touched a particularly large diamond on the top, it suddenly
projected a small hologram of the royal family above it. Successive presses
scrolled through a series of family shots and portraits. It was exquisite, and
with some reprogramming it would be perfect. It was a treasure fit for a
princess.
Quietly pocketing it, he turned to his delirious partner. "Come on, Princess!
I think it's time to go."