'nova'
Touya selected a ration bar and shut the cupboard with a slam.
"No."
"Oh please?" Tomoyo's lavender eyes widened in appeal, pleadingly. "She hasn't been out in so long, and it's unhealthy to be cooped up like this. After what happened last night, especially, I think she needs fresh air."
Touya bit into the bar and swallowed, then picked out a piece of fresh fruit from the hanging mesh bag and rubbed it on his sleeve. "It's a spaceport, Tomoyo, the air comes out of a tank."
"She still needs to get out, see something different. She'd really love it." Yukito thought he saw Touya hesitate when he sat down at the table, but only a little.
"I know she would, but that's not the point. Crossworlds is huge, and busy, and there will be hundreds of -"
Touya broke off when Li entered the galley, and the room was suddenly quiet. Li took the hint, found some breakfast, and left again to eat in his bunk.
"It's just not a good idea," Touya stated firmly. Tomoyo shrugged to Sakura, who placed her hand on her brother's and entwined their fingers. "Stop that." He pulled his hand away but Sakura wouldn't let go, tugging gently and persistently. "That's not going to work, Sakura, let go of me. I mean it!"
She was practically crawling onto his lap now, squeezing his hand between her own, eyes glassy with hope. Tomoyo had to swallow a giggle when Touya groaned.
"Those fake tears are not going to change my mind."
Sakura said nothing, but brushed her lips over her brother's cheek and planted a light kiss there. Touya whimpered in defeat.
"Fine."
"Yes!" Tomoyo squealed. Yukito snorted, and Touya shot him a baleful glare.
"But you better not let go of her hand once. You know how she likes to run off."
"I know. I won't."
"And keep her quiet. Stay away from the busy areas."
"Yes, yes." Tomoyo pushed away from the table and held out her hand. "Come on, Sakura, let's go get dressed! I know just what you should wear."
"Nothing too crazy!" Touya called after them when Tomoyo pulled Sakura out of the galley. Then he slumped against his chair with a groan. "I'm an idiot."
"You don't want your sister to be miserable. There's nothing wrong with that."
"But it's so unsafe," he fretted.
"Would you have her locked up in a white room somewhere?" Yukito pointed out gently. "No entry, no exit, nothing harmful ever allowed near – or anything at all?" He held Touya's stare a long moment before the dark-haired man nodded reluctantly.
"Point taken. I just... don't want anything to happen."
"Nothing is going to happen," Yukito promised, leaning over to drop a quick kiss on Touya's lips. "Now let's go. I've got to steer her in."
- - - - - - -
Floating roughly equidistant from Tyrinthia, Hollyn, and Napir, the huge Crossworlds Spaceport attracted thousands of private and corporate ships in a standard year. With no planetary government to rule it, there was no tariff to dampen trade, and it was a popular place to conduct business – above or below the table. Naturally the federal government ruled directly, and maintained an outpost to keep an eye on things. But the law could not be everywhere.
"Spaceport Control, this is the Wildflower, ship class Freighter A-252. Requesting dock space with refueling facilities."
"Stand by, Wildflower, processing availability." Touya placed a hand over the microphone and lowered his voice.
"What about yesterday? That federal ship that saw the fight -"
"Don't worry about it, Toya, they never identified us. I got away fast enough, and they had to worry about that wreck we left behind."
"Let's hope."
"Attention Wildflower, you are cleared for Section C, Dock 674. Docking rate is 60 siyong per standard hour, one hour required in advance."
"Robbery," Touya muttered.
"Thank you, Spaceport Control," Yukito said quickly. "We're beginning our descent now." He flicked off the comm with a glare. "Keep your voice down when you say stuff like that!"
"What? It's not like they don't know."
"Yeah, but it's not a good idea to tick them off. They could tack on extra fees, and call the police when we don't pay."
"They only do that if you look like you're made of money. Speaking of which, what's our current status?"
Yukito steered gently to the left as they maneuvered past giant transports and floating buoys.
"We're almost bone dry in the tank. At current prices, we'll need 700 siyong just to fill up."
"Ouch." Touya closed his eyes, doing some quick calculations in his head. "That means we have just enough to fill up, and dock for three hours. Four if we don't need to buy more supplies."
"We do. We're running low on food."
"As usual." Yukito cringed guiltily, but Touya just shrugged. "We can get another crate of ration bars and instant grains cheaply enough. That'll last us for a while."
"And then what?" Yukito found Section C at last and threw power to the repulsorlifts, expertly guiding the ship down into the dock. Inside the transparent domes Touya could see the bustling crowds. Adrift in space with the stars always shining, Crossworlds held itself to no standard of night and day. The place never really slept; its workers simply took shifts to rest.
"We can go check things out while she's refueling. There's bound to be something." Yukito lowered the tripod legs, the engines groaned one last time, and finally the Wildflower was safely landed. Touya stretched and yawned.
"Guess we'll get to it."
"Tired?"
"Yeah. Sakura woke us up in the middle of the night with one of her nightmares." He frowned a little. "Didn't you hear her?"
"Ah, no." Yukito busied himself with the keychecks, shutting the engines down and unlocking the fuel cells. "Guess I was even more tired than I thought. Course, after our workout, who wouldn't be?" He flipped the switch that opened the airlock door and dared a quick wink in his partner's direction. Touya didn't smile, but before he could say anything the intercom crackled to life.
"Okay, we're going!"
"Wait!" Touya shot out of his chair and scrambled down the ladder, almost running down the corridor to intercept them at the lower door. "Stop right there. Let me see."
Tomoyo rolled her eyes a little, but paused obediently on the threshold of the air tunnel, Sakura's hand in hers. Touya really needn't have worried; Sakura was dressed becomingly in her new blouse and a short flowered skirt. Short but not too short. It was cute but not especially noticeable, and Tomoyo had tied a pink handkerchief edged with lace over her hair just in case.
Touya ran a critical eye over his sister and nodded reluctantly.
"It's all right, I guess."
"All right? She looks adorable!"
"Whatever." Someone else was watching too, and Touya scowled at Li on the steps before turning back to Tomoyo. "Just remember what we talked about."
"I won't forget," she promised. "Come on, Sakura."
"Be back in three hours!"
"We will!" The girls disappeared into the tunnel, and it was just Li and Touya again. He waited a few moments before sauntering up to the airlock, never breaking the other's stare.
"Guess I'll get going too."
"Guess you should."
Touya crossed his arms and Li stepped over the bottom of the doorframe. Then, of all things, he hesitated.
"Well?"
"Uh…" Li shook off the momentary misgiving, a little disoriented. "Good luck."
The captain looked as surprised as he felt, after those words, and Li escaped through the airlock tunnel as quickly as he could. Good luck? What in the 'verse had he meant by that, for crying out loud? The heavy doors slid open, allowing him access to the spaceport itself and its throngs of people. Ahead, Tomoyo and Sakura were wending their way into the crowd. Sakura hopped from one foot to another in excitement, while Tomoyo held on with a patient smile. He watched them, until too many people spilled in between and it was no longer possible to see. But the bothersome feeling remained. As if… as if he really didn't want to go after all.
No. Li shook his head determinedly, scattering the treacherous doubts. He couldn't afford distractions, not now, not when everything had gone so terribly wrong on Tyrinthia. The most important thing now was to find a flight to D.C., and to do it quickly. Li had been to Crossworlds many times, and knew where the shadier sections were. If he was going to hitch a ride, he needed to go where no one was fussy about identification. Pushing all thoughts of that strange girl out of his mind, he ducked around a shouting salesman and started walking.
- - - - - - - -
Sakura was beside herself with delight. Everyone and everything she saw excited comment, and those bright green eyes missed nothing.
"Wow! Oh, wow, lookit that pretty lady! It's such a pretty dress."
"Yes, it is."
"She has pretty hair. But her hair's not as pretty as yours. Oh, that man over there has nice hair too. So red. See all the red birds that man is selling! They have so many colors, I love the colors." Sakura dragged Tomoyo to the vendor, sparkling, and reached to touch.
"Oh Sakura, don't -" Too late, Tomoyo tried to grab Sakura's hand. But Sakura merely brushed her fingertips gently over the exotic feathered creature, and it closed its eyes with a coo of pleasure. Sakura mimicked the sound perfectly, and the salesman laughed.
"Buy a pretty tralakeet? They are wonderful friends on a long voyage, live well on a ship they do."
"Can we?" Sakura pleaded. Tomoyo shook her head regretfully.
"Sorry, Sakura, but we can't have a pet. I have enough to do just looking after you." Her face fell and Tomoyo squeezed her hand. "Don't be sad. We can buy other things, if you want. Would you like to go get some more cloth for a dress?"
After a moment, Sakura looked up and smiled again.
"That's more like it. Come on, we only have three hours to spend here. Let's have as much fun as we can."
"Yes," Sakura echoed. "As much fun as we can." Relieved, Tomoyo led her cousin away. She never saw how Sakura looked over her shoulder, for one last longing glance at the birds stretching their wings.
- - - - - - -
"Oh," Touya muttered under his breath. "Look at all the lovely people." Yukito laughed lightly.
"Surely by now you've gotten used to this crowd, even if you didn't grow up with it. Isn't it a great variety?"
The two men stood near the bar, in the middle of one of the grimier saloons at Crossworlds, surrounded by the usual grim crowd. As Yukito spoke, one of them slouched past and spit indolently near Touya's boot.
"You were saying?"
"Well, they're not the nicest lot in the 'verse. But we've gotten work here before. We can do it again." He grinned merrily at Touya's dark expression, then the bartender, and tapped on the sticky bar surface. "Two of your homemade, please."
- - - - - - - -
"This is what you want? Are you sure?" Tomoyo pinched the dark, hunter green cotton between her fingers, and Sakura chirped an affirmative. It wasn't exactly unattractive, but so much more rough and sturdy than their usual purchases. Sakura tugged imaptiently at the bolt of cloth, and Tomoyo hurried to find her cash. "All right, all right, we'll get it if you want it so much. Don't pull at it like that."
"Excuse me," the woman behind the counter interposed frostily. "But I'll have to ask you to keep her away from my material."
"I know, I'm sorry. Sakura, just hold on, I can't find my purse." With her free hand Tomoyo hunted unsuccessfully for her little cash purse, somewhere in the bottom of her large shopping bag.
"This one, this one, this one," Sakura chanted.
"She's getting her dirty hands all over my cloth!"
"Her hands are not dirty," Tomoyo snapped, getting irritated. "Please stop it, Sakura, this will only take a minute." Flustered, she dropped Sakura's hand to hold her bag open and paw through her purchases. Her wallet was hiding under the yarn and she flipped it open, counting out the cash quickly. "There. I'll take whatever she touched."
The woman sniffed and whipped out her scissors, expertly cutting a length from the bolt. Still a little cross, Tomoyo accepted it without a word and stuffed it in her bag.
"There, Sakura, all done. Where do you want to -" The words died on her lips when she realized Sakura was no longer standing next to her. "Sakura?" She was in a big crowd of people, and couldn't see her cousin anywhere. "Sakura!"
A surprised shout went up from her right, and Tomoyo almost had a heart attack when she looked. Sakura was standing easily on the railing that separated this level from the one below, looking down from her great height with the excited smile of a child. Around Tomoyo, people began to stop and stare.
"Sakura! Sakura, get down from there!" Sakura paid no attention. Instead she tipped forward and the crowd gasped. But her hands found the railing surface and she kicked her legs up and over in a perfect cartwheel. "No, Sakura!" Frantically Tomoyo tried to push her way past the ogling shoppers. "Please get down!"
Deaf to Tomoyo's cries, Sakura performed an expert back walkover, then another, much to the crowd's delight. Tomoyo reached the railing at last and Sakura tucked her knees to her chest, flipping through the air and landing on the ground as lightly as a feather. Everyone burst into applause, but Tomoyo just gripped Sakura in a grateful hug.
"Sakura, please please please don't ever do that again. You know I hate it when you do things like that, it scares me!"
"But it was fun!"
"I know – I know it was for you." Tomoyo pulled away and automatically started combing Sakura's hair back into place. "But you know that that was dangerous, right? What if you fell? What would I tell your brother?" Sakura only laughed, apparently unaffected by Tomoyo's white face and shaking hands. Before either could say anything more, a man with a basket of tropical flowers on his shoulder approached them.
"For the beautiful gymnast," he declared, offering Sakura a gorgeous pink blossom with white flecks on its petals. More than anything else, Sakura loved flowers. Her whole face shone with joy as she accepted the gift, and she curtsied in gratitude. Tomoyo exhaled shakily. The entire episode had left her feeling limp, but at least it was over and Sakura was fine. It was probably best to get back to the ship now; their time was almost up anyway. She was looking around the plaza for the quickest way back to the docks when she caught sight of a Crossworlds police officer, staring right at them. Staring right at Sakura, actually, still inhaling the scent of her new flower. Tomoyo watched frozenly as he frowned and raised his wrist, pressing a button on his tiny viewscreen.
"Sakura, we have to get out of here." Trying not to look worried, she grasped her friend's hand firmly and started walking at a clipped pace. Sakura skipped along merrily, not at all bothered, but Tomoyo couldn't shake the uneasy sensation that they were being followed. So what if an officer was looking at her, she tried to tell herself. She attracted a lot of attention. He was just watching. And he just happened to be checking his viewscreen when I saw him. It doesn't mean anything.
Slowly, very slowly, she tried to look back over her shoulder in an innocuous way. He was following them.
Tomoyo squeaked and started walking faster, gripping Sakura's hand so hard that she whimpered a little.
"I'm sorry, Sakura, I really am. But we have to go faster, we need to get back to the ship now." They reached an exit and she took it blindly, not at all sure where they were but desperate to lose their pursuer. The corridor wound its way around the perimeter of the plaza, large and still crowded with people. When Tomoyo spotted a smaller turnoff, she took it, and then the next turn and the next. It was quieter here, with no people and only the occasional service robot rolling past. Tomoyo relaxed.
"I think it's okay, Sakura, we lost him. Now we just have to figure out how to get back to the ship. I'm not even sure which section we're in now." In vain she searched for a sign, praying that they would turn the corner and see a map, or at least some arrows pointing them back to the central plaza. But every turn only revealed another empty hallway. She could hear no people, but there was a curious hum, growing louder with every step they took.
They reached an intersection, and at the far end of the hall another policeman looked up, hand on comlink.
"I see them. Stop right there!" Tomoyo panicked and screamed, sprinting in the opposite direction and dragging Sakura behind her. Distantly she heard him shout for them to halt but paid no attention, breaking her stride to yank Sakura around another corner. Now the hum was more like a dull roar and with no other rational thought in her head, Tomoyo followed the noise. She was astonished when the hallway ended in a vast shipping yard. They have must come completely around the spaceport to the huge cargo docks, where gigantic freighters that dwarfed the Wildflower came to collect and deposit goods. The plaza couldn't be far, but she could see no sign of an exit.
"Uh, this way." Uncertainly she picked a direction and pulled Sakura past a wall of stacked crates. She could hear the man shouting again, but not at them. Then, to her horror, she heard someone else reply and realized that they were surrounded.
Vision blurry with unshed tears of panic, she tripped heavily on a piece of debris and dragged Sakura down with her. The flower flew out of Sakura's grasp and dropped through the bars of a drainage grate, and she cried out in dismay.
"Sakura, shh!"
"This way!" she heard one of them shout, and she grabbed at Sakura's hand.
"Sakura, we have to go!"
"Flower, flower!" Sakura wrested her hand free and beat at the metal grate in frustration. It was still visible, resting on the bottom of the pipe, and Tomoyo's heart sank. "Flower," Sakura insisted. Tomoyo gripped the bars in her hands and tried to pull, but the grate wouldn't budge. Then she tried to slip her hand through the wide gap, but her arm wasn't thin enough. She could just barely brush the petals with her fingertips.
"Flower!"
"I'm sorry, Sakura, but we have to leave it behind. I'll get you another, I promise." Again she tried to pull Sakura to her feet, but still Sakura resisted, leaning over the grate and peering at her lost prize anxiously.
"Sakura, please!"
"Freeze! Get down on the ground!" Three policeman came tearing around the corner with their guns drawn, and Tomoyo shrieked. Sakura didn't even look up as her friend dropped to her knees by her side, covering her face with her hands and shaking. "Don't move," the tallest one instructed, checking his viewscreen again and nodding. "It's her all right."
"Flower," Sakura demanded again. Tomoyo felt the tears of defeat spill out and run down her cheeks. It was all over, and she crumpled against the ground in misery.
- - - - - - -
"Hopes you don't mind the surroundins," the captain apologized insincerely. "I likes a bit of privacy when I do business."
Surrounded by a maze of cargo shipping, he grinned wolfishly at Li. Li didn't blink, swallowing the last of a kraike fruit and rolling the pit in his mouth. Company like this could kill the appetite, but he didn't know when he'd get a chance to eat again.
"He wonts a ride to the capital," the shiphand who'd found him offered up.
"Capital? Well, I think we can do that all right. For the right price."
"I'm in something of a hurry," Li said coolly. "So I'd prefer not to land at one of the busier ports. Something more out of the way, if possible."
The captain's expression said that this was clearly not an unusual request, but he still made a pretense of thinking it over and clucking his tongue.
"Spose it could be done, for maybe just a little extra of course."
"Of course."
Ever aware of his environment, something out of place reached his ears and Li cocked his head. Did he hear someone running?
"Now then, we likes half the cash up front so we knows you ken pay."
"Huh?"
"Half," the captain repeated, "up front."
It was not his imagination, he most certainly could hear someone running. Several someones, in fact. An authoritative voice shouted at someone to stop, then there were commands to surround that someone.
"Cops!" wheezed both his companions, and took off at an impressive speed. More curious than afraid, Li didn't bother to run but leapt lightly atop a large stack of crates. Hardly had he done so when a familiar pair of girls dashed underneath him, Tomoyo's face white with panic. Intrigued, he watched her trip and then try to persuade Sakura to get up, unsuccessfully. The pursuing policemen finally came into view and raised their guns warily.
"Freeze! Get down on the ground!" Tomoyo shrieked and crumpled to her knees, looking pathetic. "Don't move," the tallest one instructed, checking his viewscreen again and nodding. "It's her all right."
This prompted Li to raise his eyebrows, and he looked again at the girl beating so determinedly on that grate.
"Flower!"
The lead man started towards Sakura, tugging cuffs out of his belt, and Li sighed. He would have preferred to mind his own business, but…
He spat.
Through glazed eyes Tomoyo watched the closest officer take a step toward Sakura. Then something hard and brown struck him on the forehead, and he actually yelped in surprise. The kraike pit skittered to the ground not far from Tomoyo, and everyone looked up. Tomoyo was almost startled out of crying when she recognized Li, poised casually on a stack of crates and looking down on the scene with an almost amused expression in his eyes. All three guns pointed in his direction.
"Three armed police officers, to take down two helpless girls," Li said thoughtfully. "Now I don't feel so bad about not paying my taxes."
"Sir, get your hands in the air and get down on the ground! Now!"
Li raised his hands obediently and dropped gracefully to the ground, still looking unconcerned.
"So much trouble, for one little girl," Li continued to muse, ignoring the police and looking right at Tomoyo's ashen face. "She didn't have an accident. Did she?"
Tomoyo was silent, trembling, another pair of tears sliding down her cheeks.
"No more talking!" barked the lead man, obviously disturbed by Li's lack of fear. "Put your hands on your head and get down on your knees!"
"You don't know who I am." A predatory smile tugged at Li's lips. "Do you?"
The officer hesitated, and in that brief second of inattention Li struck. It was so fast that Tomoyo only saw a blur, a black streak as his leg snapped out and kicked the gun from the man's hand. Without pausing Li jammed his heel into the chin of the man on his right, knocking him right off his feet, and darted toward the third man. His gun was up and he fired, but not before Li placed his right hand over his and spun to the inside, wrapping his left arm around the other's neck. The bullet punctured a crate on the other side of Sakura, and Tomoyo jumped, clapping her hands over her ears.
Li bent over and flipped the officer over his back, slamming him hard into the ground and extracting the heavy black club from his belt in one smooth motion. He didn't even look behind him as he jabbed backwards, catching the first man full in the ribs and eliciting a grunt of pain. That grunt turned into a scream when Li hooked the handle of the club around his neck and yanked downward, meeting his chin with a knee strike and then jerking his arm to the right. Tomoyo could hear the snap of the man's neck, and he fell to his knees with astonishment frozen on his face.
The one he'd slammed into the ground climbed unsteadily to his feet, and saw his fellow officer lying dead on the ground.
"I'll kill you," he snarled. From his pocket he produced a small but lethal switchblade, and Li cocked an eyebrow.
"I don't think that's on the approved list." With a cry of rage he leapt forward, knife raised to strike. Li sidestepped the attack easily and cracked his jaw with the club, then reversed the motion of his arm to jab his elbow into his ribs. The officer groaned and raised his arm in another attempt to stab, but Li caught his wrist and twisted hard, jamming his foot in the knee joint and forcing him down onto the ground. The knife slid into his own ribs, and while he writhed and gurgled his last few breaths on the ground, Li twisted his arm to see the viewscreen's image.
It was definitely her; those vivid green eyes were impossible to mistake. Sakura Kinomoto, the caption read, age 18. Code classification: Nova.
Li whistled, impressed, and pushed away from the dead officer to stand up. A groan and a soft scuffling noise behind him revealed the fight wasn't over yet; the man he'd kicked in the chin had come to and was struggling to his knees. They both saw his dropped gun at the same time, lying just a few steps to his right.
"Don't try it," Li warned. The officer hesitated, then pushed himself off the ground in a desperate lunge for it. He never even got close before Li slammed into him with a flying side kick, knocking him straight back against the towering crates. He hit the metal frames with a dull thud, before his lifeless body slumped to the ground.
Shivering on the floor next to Sakura, Tomoyo took in the ruthless and one-sided battle with a fascination borne of terror. She couldn't have moved if she'd wanted to, even if she could get Sakura to move. Without speaking, Li knelt and jammed the police club at Sakura's hand and Tomoyo flinched, certain that he'd gone crazy and he was going to kill them both. But Li had only driven the stick through the gaps in the grate. Still not even breathing hard, he shoved the end downward and levered the entire grate up and off its frame. Dazed, Tomoyo watched him reach in, pick up the flower, and offer it silently to Sakura.
Sakura's face split into a grateful smile, and she extended her hand to accept. Her fingertips brushed against his, but this time Li didn't pull away.
"These men will be missed," he said matter-of-factly. "We'd better go." He stood and started walking without even a backward glance at the bodies lying around them. Tomoyo still didn't think she could move, but then Sakura jumped to her feet and skipped lightly after Li. She could hardly stay here, and Tomoyo scrambled after them.
- - - - - - -
Touya looked at the sealed envelope lying on the table, then back at Yukito.
"That's it?" he asked carefully. "That's the cargo?"
"Don't be fooled," the man across from him said through a mouthful of food. "Size doesn't matter much in this case. It's the info inside that counts." He grinned, displaying bits of food stuck in his yellowed teeth. His own huge mass made it difficult for him to sit comfortably in the booth, with the table pressing into his gut, but still he shoveled food into his mouth. He ate even more than Yuki, Touya thought, fingering the envelope lightly without being obvious about it. It felt like ordinary paper, all right, but Touya still didn't feel easy about it.
"Can't you just send the information electronically?"
"Oh no, reproduction won't do in this case. My partner needs the originals. It's something of a discreet matter anyhow. We don't want too many copies." He winked slyly, and with an effort Touya refrained from wrinkling his nose in disgust. "All I need is for that envelope to be in the Tele Cal cantina at Aroc, Partine by the fifth. Can you help me out?"
"Would you excuse us?" Touya asked politely. He grabbed Yukito's wrist and yanked him out of the booth as quickly as possible, dragging him a safe distance away. Yukito recognized the look on his partner's face, and spoke before he could even open his mouth.
"Toya, no. Don't say it. I know you don't like him, but we can't pass this up."
"But just look at him!"
"So? We're not taking him to Partine. Just his papers, and how easy is that?"
"It's too easy," Touya answered sourly. "I don't like any of this, Yuki, it doesn't feel right. What's in that envelope, anyway?"
"Who cares? It's obviously nothing dangerous."
"Oh," the fat spoke up, "I don't think I mentioned the price. 500 siyong right now and another 1,500 upon safe – and intact – delivery."
"2,000 siyong," Yukito hissed, eyes pleading. "Toya, we cannot walk away from this just because you don't like it."
"Of course we can, it's not like I've never been right about these things. Huh? Name me a time when I wasn't right."
"I can name plenty of times," Yukito said dryly. "And the odds are only in your favor because you never like the deal."
"But -"
"The money is too good, Toya. We need this. Think about your sister, think about Sakura!"
"You always say that when you want me to agree to something," Touya huffed.
"Only because it works."
Touya glared, but only out of habit, and after a few seconds his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Fine."
"You've got a deal," Yukito said quickly, before Touya could change his mind. The fat man swallowed and licked his lips.
"Excellent! I'll give my boss a call as soon as you leave, tell him to expect you."
"What's his name?"
"Just ask for the Bullwhip." He snickered, and Touya felt that prickle of unease go down his spine again. "They'll get him for you."
"Right." With a scowl he swept the envelope off the table and into his hand. "The money?"
Their new client shoveled another forkful of food into his mouth and produced a money clip loaded with crisp bills, counting out five 100 siyong notes. They were greasy from his touch when Touya accepted them, and he had to resist wiping his hand on his shirt afterwards.
"We'll make sure your package gets delivered, mister…"
"Just call me Big Man. Everyone does." He laughed, but the laughter didn't quite reach his eyes. "Have a safe trip, now."
- - - - - - -
It was the longest walk of Tomoyo's life. Somehow, Li knew exactly where they were and led them straight back to the central plaza without any hesitation. Everything was the same: the shouting vendors, the milling crowds, the stars shining through the thick transparent domes. But it was a struggle to walk normally and keep her expression cool, and she flinched every time she caught sight of a policeman. Not like Li. He walked in front of them, crossing the plaza with long but unhurried strides, casually rapping the cop's club against his leg and not even looking around. Sakura kept trying to pull away and walk with him, but Tomoyo gripped her hand firmly and held her back, afraid to let go for even a second.
Li tossed the club into one of the sparkling fountains and turned into a corridor, led them past several other small ships, and arrived at the Wildflower's dock at the exact moment that Touya and Yukito did.
Touya made an odd choking, gasping noise that prompted Yukito to slap him on the back.
"You all right?"
"No! What the hell is he still doing here?"
Li watched Touya storm his way towards them and half-turned to Tomoyo.
"She wasn't in an accident. What really happened?"
"I can't," Tomoyo whispered. "I can't… Touya…"
"Or I could tell your captain all about what just happened in the shipping bay." Touya had almost reached them.
"No! No, please don't tell him, he'll never let her go out again -"
"Then do I get the story?"
Tomoyo didn't move, just stared glassily as Touya came to a stop beside them and crossed his arms.
"What are you doing here; Tomoyo, what is he doing here?" She couldn't bring herself to look Touya in the eyes.
"Uh, I- um…"
"I couldn't find a flight to D.C.," Li explained blandly.
"Couldn't get a ride to D.C.? Here?"
"Nope."
"And you think you want to stay on my ship?"
"I like the cooking."
"Forget it. We're closed; you'll just have to find another flight." He made as if to turn away, but stopped at Li's next words.
"A thousand."
"Excuse me?"
"I'll pay you a thousand siyong," Li elaborated, looking absolutely serious. Tomoyo gasped and Yukito whistled under his breath. Touya gritted his teeth, torn. He didn't like him, didn't trust him one bit, and so much money just made Touya more nervous. He couldn't put it into words, but the thought of this Li character staying on board made his stomach twist with dread.
But Yukito was begging him silently, those brown eyes asking him to accept. With so much cash flowing in, it would be a while before they had to take on any more strangers or cut any dangerous deals.
"Five hundred," Touya finally muttered. "We're only going as far as Partine; I'm not flying to D.C."
Li just nodded, counted out 500 siyong, and slapped it into Touya's hand a little harder than was necessary.
"Partine'll be fine. It's on the way."
He brushed past Touya without another word and entered the airlock.
"I cannot believe I just did that."
"You did the right thing, Toya, don't look so miserable." Yukito clapped him on the shoulder. "He's just one man, and he doesn't even carry a gun. How dangerous could he be?"
Tomoyo looked like she wanted to say something, then changed her mind and closed her mouth.
"Yes, Tomoyo?"
"Ah, it's nothing. Never mind."
"Are you all right? You look a little pale." Touya narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her afresh, but she avoided his gaze.
"Fine. Maybe I'm just tired. We did a lot of walking." Something did seem off, but she pulled Sakura into the airlock before he could ask anything else, and he shrugged. After all, Sakura seemed fine. In a good mood, even. Maybe he really should let her out of the ship more often.
"Are the fuel cells filled up?"
"All done."
"Good. Let's get the hell out of here."
- - - - - - -
The engines groaned, the ship jerked once or twice, and the Wildflower ascended into free space again. In an effort to avoid Li, Tomoyo spent the next few hours in the galley unpacking the supplies Yukito had purchased, scrubbing the floors, and then cooking up an extravagant (for them) meal. Yukito heaped a second helping onto his plate.
"Wow, Tomoyo, this tastes amazing. What did you do?"
"It's nothing, really. I just bought some spices and herbs at Crossworlds, they make anything taste better."
"It's great. You should do it more often." Tomoyo forced a smile and looked down at her plate again. She didn't seem much in the mood for conversation, and neither did Touya, busy glaring at Li who was calmly eating his dinner. In fact, Yukito thought, the galley would be awkwardly quiet if it weren't for Sakura's chatter. She had an amazingly refined memory when she chose, and regaled them with the details of every wonderful thing she'd seen at Crossworlds. Tomoyo spent the entire time fretting that she might mention the near-disaster with the police, but Sakura only seemed interested in describing the beautiful tralakeets and how much she would have liked to have one.
"Maybe someday you can," Yukito offered, and she glowed.
"The wings are so pretty!"
"Yes they are."
"And I got a flower too!"
"So we noticed." It was sitting in a glass of water in the center of the table, impossible to miss. "It's almost as pretty as you, Sakura." He winked and she blushed, and for a heartstopping moment she seemed so normal and so like her old self that Touya had to catch his breath. Then Tomoyo broke open her sleeping pill and the moment was gone.
It was enough to leave him feeling vaguely depressed, and once Sakura took her medicine he excused himself, and left the galley. Yukito couldn't help it, he followed him with anxious eyes all the way out of the room.
"You can go on to bed, if you like," Tomoyo suggested. "I'll clean up."
"Oh no, I couldn't do that. You spent all day in here and it's my turn for the dishes."
"I'll do them." They both turned their heads at the unexpected sound of Li's voice.
"You what?"
"I'll do the dishes." The idea of a passenger on their ship volunteering to help clean was so startling that Yukito forgot his manners, and stared at Li with an open mouth. "I don't mind."
"Oh. Well, if you're sure -"
"I am."
"Um, thank you. Good night." He bowed his head and retreated from the galley, and Tomoyo felt another rush of queasiness. But Li said nothing, only picked up the serving platter and started rinsing it in the sink. Whatever his motives, he didn't seem interested in conversation at the moment. She took Sakura's hand and fled.
When Yukito found Touya in their bunk, he was lying flat on his back on the bed and staring mournfully at the ceiling.
"It was so real," he said before Yukito could open his mouth. "So… Sakura. The littlest things bring back the real her, just when I think I've forgotten all about that. A compliment, a smile, some random word – I never know what's going to trigger it."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It just makes me miss her. I'm with her every day, but I miss her." He chuckled in a humorless way, and Yukito crawled over the blanket to curl up at his side.
"I can't even imagine how hard it is for you."
"Maybe not." Touya lifted a hand and stroked his fingers through Yukito's hair. Yuki had the softest, finest hair of anyone he'd ever known. "But at least you're here. I couldn't do this without you."
Yukito leaned in and brushed his lips over Touya's, then tickled them with his tongue.
"Then I'm glad that I'm here."
"Not nearly as glad as I am," came the murmured response before Touya pulled him closer and consumed him in the kiss.
- - - - - - - -
Changed for sleep and ready to end this day, Tomoyo turned down Sakura's bed for their nighttime ritual. Soon Sakura returned from her brother's goodnight kiss, wearing a sly grin that suggested she'd probably interrupted the two of them in the middle of something amorous.
"All right, you, time for bed. You must be exhausted after everything that happened today. I know I am." Sakura slipped obediently between her sheets and lay down, resting her head on the pillow. Her expression was absolutely untroubled and peaceful, but Tomoyo still felt a wrench just looking at her, and she bent over to smooth back her hair. "I'm sorry, Sakura, I really am. Gomen nesai."
She stood and turned around, then shrieked. Li was standing almost directly behind her, just under the hatch and leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. Tomoyo tried to take a step backward but the bed was there, and she sat down heavily upon it. Sakura stirred but didn't sit up, smiling drowsily at Li.
"When did- how…" Tomoyo wheezed, trying to get her breath back. She hadn't even heard him enter the bunk. Sakura must have seen him, but she'd given no indication of it at all.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Li informed her dispassionately. "Or her. You don't have to be afraid."
"You killed those men…"
"I saved you," he corrected. "I don't do that too often. So I'm going to ask again: what really happened to her?"
"I'm not supposed to tell anyone, if Touya knew -"
"He won't know. Don't make me drag it out of you, Tomoyo."
"I can't -"
"You owe me. She owes me."
"I don't know!" Tomoyo burst out in frustration. She slapped her hands against the blanket on each side of her legs, her face crumpling. Sensing victory, Li found a seat on Sakura's clothing locker and reclined against the wall, draping an arm over one drawn-up knee. After a moment of struggle, Tomoyo managed to repress the tears and take a deep breath.
"I don't know," she repeated. "Touya doesn't know. Nobody knows, except for her. And she isn't telling."
"What do you know?" Tomoyo shrugged helplessly and brushed away a tear.
"I told you that we're cousins; we all grew up together on Chapeyne. Our family was always very well off, but other than that there was nothing very special about us. Their mother died when we were only three, but we had a happy childhood anyway. Sakura and I were inseparable, we did everything together. We were practically sisters."
She managed a watery smile at the memory of it, then looked down when she realized Sakura was covering her hand with hers. She gave a little squeeze of encouragement, and Tomoyo felt better.
"Sakura was pure sunshine, all the time. Never less than cheerful, always smiling. Everybody loved her. She was special, but not in any tangible way. If anyone was the exceptional one, it was Touya. He was so smart, every science academy on the planet wanted him when he was just fifteen. Sakura was never much of a student. The only thing that was really different about her was that she had some magic."
Li just nodded, looking unsurprised.
"Just her?"
"I didn't have any, no. We're related through her mother, and it came from her father. But Touya had it too."
"Thought he hated magic."
"Oh, he does. I don't really blame him, after what happened." She paused for a few seconds, gathering herself for the next part. "It was so… quick. So sudden. One day she was there, and the next she was gone." A tear trickled down her cheek, but this time she didn't bother to dab at it.
"I had singing practice at school, so she went home alone that day. And when Touya got home – she wasn't there. Her books were, but she wasn't. The door was locked, there weren't any prints in the house, but she just wasn't there." Li could see that she'd forgotten about him now, staring wretchedly at the blank wall of the bunk. "The only thing missing besides her was the doll I had made for her tenth birthday, just a few weeks before. We were all frantic of course, and we looked everywhere. Called the police, did everything. But there were no clues and no suspects. Our Sakura was gone forever.
"Touya went crazy, he really did. We were all affected pretty horribly, but he became violent and aggressive. Couldn't concentrate on anything, dropped out of school, started disappearing for long periods at a time. His behavior broke his father's heart, but none of us could really stop him. He promised their mother when she died that he would always look after Sakura."
The tears were flowing faster now, running down her face and dripping into her lap, but she didn't seem to notice.
"I really don't know a lot about that time, where he went or who he was hanging out with. It was hard enough just trying to get on with my own life, when I couldn't bring myself to care about anything. But it turned out Touya wasn't drifting. I should have known better, but I was so shocked when he came home one day and told me that he might have found her. Years had gone by and pretty much everyone we knew had come to accept that she was dead, but not him. He'd fallen in with some hardcore conspiracy theorists, a strange crowd. Exchanging information on and offline, he'd finally caught wind of a rumor that the government was conducting experiments on children with magic. It wasn't much, but he grabbed at it and held on, following the trail from one piece of info to another. He didn't tell anyone but me what he was doing, and warned me not to whisper a word about it. For two years it went on like that, and I entered medical school to study psychology. He'd been gone for several months without more than the occasional phone call, when I got the letter."
"Letter?"
"Yes, a handwritten one. Delivered in a sealed envelope by a woman I'd never seen before, at my favorite tea shop. I was just sitting there at a table, with no idea how important it was, and started reading. I'm so glad I was sitting; I was never closer to fainting in my life. It was from Touya, and all it said was that he'd found her. That he had her with him, but that he couldn't come back home because it was too dangerous. And then he said something about her being 'different'. He didn't go into any details, but he said that he needed my help. If I was willing to walk away from my home and my family, with absolutely no contact in the forseeable future, I should pack a bag and take a ship to Napir."
She sniffled and half-smiled.
"I already knew my decision before I was done reading. I went home, and burned the note like he said to. There was another envelope addressed to his father, which I placed on his bed. I didn't even get to say good-bye to my mother; I couldn't even explain it to her. All I could do was leave a note that said I was sorry and that I loved her. I left Chapeyne and haven't been back since.
"I met him in a remote town on Napir, like he said to. He looked so relieved to see me, but there was a haunted look in his eyes that shouldn't have been there if Sakura was found. I didn't understand it, but then he brought me inside the ship to see her. And she… she…"
She waved a hand helplessly at Sakura. At some point in the story she'd drifted off to sleep, a peaceful contrast to the emotional Tomoyo.
"They changed her, stole some vital part of her. I've read up on anything I can, tried all kinds of medicines, but nothing works. And I think she's getting worse. Touya doesn't like to acknowledge it, but I know he knows it and it's tearing at him from the inside. That's why he hates magic so much, he blames it for what happened to Sakura. He threw away his own gift years before he even found her."
"He what?"
"Touya, he… threw it away. I don't really understand it myself, but he always was so determined. When we were young he could sense things, and even see spirits. But after her disappearance he started despising the whole notion of it, and simply 'forced' himself to stop."
Well-trained sorcerer that he was, Li had never heard of such a thing. But remembering that fierce glower in the captain's eyes, it really didn't seem so impossible.
"And so here we are," she concluded wearily. "Stuck here on this ship, always roving from one planet to another. We're safer on the move, we can't ever stay in one place for too long. Can't go home, can't even call home, it's far too dangerous. We don't know what the government did to her, but we do know they want her back very badly. Today was the closest call, but there have been others. They know it was Touya, and they're looking for us. But they don't know about the Wildflower, at least I don't think they do. As long as we're in space, we're safe."
The ragged tone in her voice indicated that it really wasn't much of a comfort for her, and Li studied the worn look around her eyes. She looked tired, not the tired that is cured with a night's sleep, but well and truly exhausted with life.
"How long have you been like this?"
"A standard year, I think, but it's so hard to keep track. Constantly moving from one planet to another, living on an ship's artificial daylight schedule… it's very hard. We have to scrape for money just to feed ourselves and the ship, and since we can't really work in legitimate circles Touya and Yukito are always mixed up in something dangerous. It's all so different than what we were accustomed to growing up." She considered what she'd just said, and shrugged. "Well, what I was accustomed to, anyway. Touya was raised in the same luxury, but he spent a lot of his father's money on leads and tips, and got used to living like a nomad. He resents this life they forced on him, I'm sure, but he acclimated. He always was good at handling himself, not like me."
Another pair of tears squeezed their way out and ran down her red cheeks.
"You saw me today. How pitiful I was, I couldn't do anything. They were going to take her away again, back to whatever horrible people did this to her, and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it. I'm not like Touya and Yukito, I wasn't ready for a life of this. I came so I could help Sakura, but I'm not really helping her at all – you saw her after her nightmare last night. I'm not strong at all; I'm nothing on this ship."
She buried her face in her hands for a moment, shoulders shaking, then she remembered her audience and tried to wipe her face with her sleeves.
"I'm sorry. I- I didn't mean to let it all out like that. It's just, this is the first time I've ever told anyone what happened. You're the first to really ask."
Li raised his eyebrows a little, but said nothing.
"It wouldn't be so terrible if I felt like we were working for something, had some kind of goal. I want to figure out what really happened, to see if we could ever fix her. But Touya won't tolerate the idea, since going back to all that is such a risk. He spent so many years finding her, he's not about to lose her again. Even if we spend the rest of our lives on this ship and forcing sleeping pills down her throat."
It seemed she was finally done, and for a long moment nobody spoke. The only sound was Sakura's light breathing and the occasional hiccup on Tomoyo's part.
"Do you know what 'nova' means?" Her head jerked up, startled, and she looked at him blankly. "It's with her picture in the police files. It's the highest classification, indicating the top levels of government and extreme secrecy regarding all related information. It's very rare. In fact, I've only heard of one other project meriting the name. Something to think about."
He stood and rested his hand on the ladder, in readiness to climb up. Tomoyo was taken aback, but his cryptic statement suddenly reminded her of his terrifying fight in the spaceport, and what he'd said just before it.
"Wait. What about you, who are you?"
"Who, me?" he murmured absently. "I'm a criminal. And a killer. But I'm not going to hurt anyone on this ship."
He left the bunk as silently and quickly as he had arrived, and Tomoyo felt too drained to consider following. She was so tired, and scared, and the thought of a night alone was unbearable. So she lay down next to her sleeping cousin, closed her eyes, and slept.
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Disclaimer: I do not own these characters