Chapter 5
'rescue'
1 year earlier…
It was the same as last night, which was the same as the night before that. With a sinking heart Touya slumped onto the dusty piano bench and surveyed the crowd in the bar. Grim, dour, and surly, the pilots hunched over their drinks and sipped them between occasional furtive glances. Not many were smoking, but the stale odor of cigarettes clung to the very furniture, like the smell of apathetic torpor itself. No one would even look him in the eye tonight.
These were the freelancers, the grittiest and toughest in the Solarian system. Supposedly they would fly any job for a price, but these past couple nights Touya had come to realize how overblown that myth really was. After so many years he should have known better, but to be stymied like this when he'd come so close… The frustration welled up in his throat and he looked away from the crowd, eyes falling on the stained and dirty keys. Almost of their own accord, his fingers brushed over their surface and pressed down. The chime seemed oddly loud, incongruous in a setting like this, and a few patrons looked up, annoyed. Touya paid no attention, the fading sound calling back more pleasant memories in his mind: an easier time, and civilized surroundings. Home and family.
Hesitatingly, stiff with disuse, his fingers played out a simple melody on the keys. He repeated the notes, expanding to chords, filling out the sound before he added harmony with his left hand. It was just a short little tune, one of his favorites because it was so much more complicated than it sounded. Now thoroughly lost in his own world, he tapered off the volume gradually, winding down the song, until he ended on a barely audible note.
Someone clapped, jerking him sharply back to the present, and he dropped his hands. A thin and lanky man about his own age was leaning comfortably against the back of the piano, grinning appreciatively. As Touya watched he folded his arms and rested his chin on them, never breaking eye contact.
"That was great."
"Piano's out of tune," Touya said automatically, and rubbed his fingers. "And I'm out of practice."
"I think it sounded terrific." He beamed, the smile lighting up his fair complexion and golden brown eyes. His uninhibited compliment was as out of place as he was, in this gloomy saloon. Touya didn't return the smile, but he didn't scowl either.
"Thanks."
"Can I get you a drink?"
"Sure." The new arrival signaled to a waitress, then dropped his chin on his arms again. Touya got the impression he was being appraised.
"You're the one the pilots are talking about, aren't you?"
"Maybe."
"They say you're trying to hit a government satellite," he continued blithely, ignoring Touya's guarded tone. "A suicide job; no one will touch it."
"I guess they're smarter than they look." He chuckled slightly at Touya's cynical expression.
"So are you still looking to hire someone?"
"Why, you know a pilot?"
"Sure I do. He's the best in the system. Looking for a real thrill, and going cheap too."
Definitely too good to be true. Touya made a face as the waitress plonked two bottles atop the piano.
"And where is this mystery pilot?"
"Standing right in front of you, of course." Touya snorted mid-sip, sending his ale down the wrong passage, and coughed violently until he could inhale oxygen again. The stranger watched him patiently, not touching his own drink.
"How old are you?" he finally managed to wheeze.
"No younger than you."
"Look, um…"
"Yukito," he chirped.
"Yukito," he repeated firmly. "I'm sure you're a decent pilot… but this is a very risky job. I'm looking for someone with some more experience." A lot more experience, if he had anything to say about it. Yukito's bright smile and fresh-scrubbed features made him look even younger than he claimed he was. It seemed unlikely he'd ever flown at all, let alone piloted a ship.
"You won't find anyone better than me," Yukito insisted, not put off. "I've been flying most of my life. I was a cabin boy on a luxury cruise line, I grew up in a cockpit." He slid onto the bench with a thump and leaned forward. Taken aback, Touya pulled away. "You should give me a chance; no one else here is going to take you up."
"Why so eager?"
"Told you, I'm looking for a thrill. Life was getting boring on the cruise lines, I want some excitement. You seem promising."
There was an oddly determined look behind those glasses, one that completely belied the merry smile still fixed on his face. Touya felt transfixed.
"You won't take no for an answer, will you?"
"Nope."
But he was right. He was getting nowhere with this crowd, and to hang around in one place for very long wasn't a good idea. He could do worse than giving this one – Yukito – a chance.
"All right," he finally conceded. "Let's see what you can do."
"Great!" Yukito grasped his bottle and clinked it with Touya's, then proceeded to down the entire thing in one gulp. The spicy ale disappeared at an astonishing rate, and Touya's eyebrows inched up until Yukito plunked the empty bottle down with a satisfied sigh. He wiped his lips and looked at Touya expectantly, paying no attention to the surprise etched all over his face. "Show me the ship."
- - - - - - -
The sun had set, and already most of the docks had been plunged into shadows. Yukito watched Touya glance over his shoulder several times before finally turning off the main thoroughfare and leading him past a couple cargo ships.
"I didn't have a lot of money to put in her, and she doesn't look like much, but -" They rounded the hull of a hulking great ship, and Yukito yelped at the sight before him.
"Oh wow, a Class A-252 freighter! They don't even make those anymore, it's a classic." He rushed forward and laid a reverent hand on her stern. "Did you install the ZZ-645 engine thrusters yourself?"
"Uh, yeah," Touya finally replied after a moment of stunned silence. "How did you -"
"Told you, I grew up on ships. Bet those give her a real kick, huh?"
"That's the plan." Touya pushed up a sleeve to reveal the remote strapped on his wrist, and pressed a button. The hatchway lowered and Yukito scampered into the ship ahead of him, already halfway up the cargo bay stairs by the time he was in the ship. "Hold on, already. The ship's not going anywhere."
"Sorry." Abashed, Yukito slowed down and inspected the bunks along the lower corridor. Three were standard single size, untouched and bare. The captain's bunk had a double mattress squeezed in between the walls, littered with complicated diagrams and calculations. A small and well-worn looking bag slouched on the floor with crumpled clothing spilling out.
Touya slapped his hand on the panel and the door slid shut, cutting off Yukito's view. He blushed a little when he realized he'd been staring, and tried to cover up the quiet.
"So, what's the job?" Touya didn't speak for a few moments, looking thoughtful as they continued on to the end of the passage.
"There is a government research satellite," he said slowly, "circling D.C. It doesn't show up on radar, so no one knows exactly where it is. Inside it is something extremely valuable."
"And you're just going to go and get it," Yukito laughed, but his laughter died when he saw the serious look in Touya's eyes.
"I absolutely am."
He said nothing more but clambered up the short ladder into the cockpit, and after a second the nonplussed Yukito followed. There was something in that dark and fierce stare that had made him quail, just a little, but he forgot the momentary feeling as soon as he saw the console.
"Oh, gorgeous!" The layout was not a common one in modern ships, but Yukito flicked the correct switches with practiced ease. Below them the newly installed engines rumbled uncertainly, and he pressed the primer pump just slightly. The hum grew louder and evened out, and he traced the padded steering handles lovingly. "This is so quality… listen to them purr. What's her name?"
Touya had watched this unassuming performance with something akin to awe, unable to believe how easily Yukito had tamed the ship. Not even the man who'd sold him this supposed heap had been able to start the engines on the first try, and that was without his complicated modifications. But that last part pulled him back to reality, and he shook his head.
"Don't get too attached, I'm just going to unload it after the heist." Yukito looked crestfallen.
"So you're not even going to name it? That's bad luck."
"I don't believe in luck," Touya said curtly, and dropped into the navigator's seat with crossed arms. "Just hard work. The fuel cells are full, by the way, so whenever you're ready."
His tone was so casual that it was a second before Yukito caught his meaning.
"You mean I'm hired?"
"That's what I mean."
"And you want to go now?"
"Why not?"
It was implacably logical as it was baffling, but there was no doubt he was serious. He was already latching his seat harness, watching Yukito expectantly. It wouldn't be until much later that Yukito, obediently keying up the engines for takeoff, would understand how the dark-haired man beside him must have been internally quivering with impatience. After so many years of searching, Touya had finally set in motion the last step.
The ship roared into space.
- - - - - - - -
After taking a little time to familiarize himself with the console, Yukito locked in the course to D.C. and stood.
"We've got several hours before we're even close," he informed his captain, who was leaning back in his chair, feet on the console and gazing out at the stars. "D'you think it'd be all right if I went back to look at the engines?"
Touya frowned distractedly; his thoughts had clearly been elsewhere.
"What?"
"Uh, the thrusters," Yukito elaborated. "They're not operating at full capacity, we're leaking power somewhere. I thought I could check it out, and I like to poke around the engine room of any ship I'm flying anyway. Helps me to know it better." Touya stared at him as he spoke, unresponsive, but after a few seconds he nodded and stood up.
"You don't have to get up, I can find my way all right."
"No, it's fine." His eyes left no more room for argument, and Yukito realized that Touya didn't intend to leave him alone on this ship for any length of time.
"You don't trust people very easily, do you?"
"Never had much reason to."
"Oh." There didn't seem to be anything else he could say, and Yukito settled for following Touya out of the cockpit in silence. Again they traversed the ship but this time Touya led him to the left and away from the cargo bay, down another passage. The barely-comfortable quiet was interrupted when they passed the galley, and Yukito's stomach growled. "Um, I don't suppose there's any food in there. Is there?"
An amused look flickered through Touya's eyes, most of his face remaining expressionless.
"There's some. Help yourself."
"Thanks." There wasn't very much, but there was a handful of ration bars thrown into a cupboard, bottled water and some kind of brewed tea in the icebox, and several partially-eaten wrapped meals. Yukito noted those absentmindendly as he tore into a ration bar. Touya had probably been living on this ship for some time while he worked on the modifications. The galley and that one bunk had a 'lived-in' feel to them, unlike the rest of the cold and empty ship. For how long had he been camped out, there in the middle of the cargo docks, sleeping and working in solitude?
The question fled his mind when he caught up with Touya at the end of the passage, in the noisily humming engine room. Unable to help himself he gave a short whistle, which provoked a startled glance on Touya's part.
"This is just sheen. Look at this layout; you never see anything like this anymore! A little old-fashioned, sure, but don't you just love the craftsmanship?" Yukito dropped to his knees to examine the rotating turbines more closely, wolfing down the last of his ration bar. "See the way the power flows from one turbine to another, accelerating with the momentum? They never build a ship like that anymore, since it's so much more efficient to generate the power within each turbine individually. But I still like this way better. If you want to upgrade, adding on to the setup means you stand to increase your ship's speed almost exponentially." As he spoke he crawled further into the room, eyes steadfastly on the moving machinery. "Which is what you did, didn't you? This one, and this one here, they're not part of the original design."
"Nope."
"Did you actually install them yourself? Alone?"
"Yep." Touya reclined against a generator frame, flipping open a toolbox and rummaging inside. His laconic replies failed to deter Yukito's relentless press for conversation.
"That's amazing… you must have worked as a mechanic, right?"
"No. Just did it."
"You're kidding. How?" Touya shrugged nonchalantly, scraping the rust off a set of pliers with one of his spare motor pins.
"Don't know. That stuff is easy for me; always used to build models when I was a kid." He clammed up again right away, as if afraid he'd revealed too much of himself. Yukito was impressed, however, and laced his fingers through the grating below him. A relatively small section of the floor lifted up and he slithered down into the cramped space of the lower engine room.
"Well, you did a great job. This is where you're feeding in power from the ZZ thrusters, right?"
"Yeah." Yukito traced a finger along the wires, trying to understand Touya's system.
"Got a torch up there?"
"Here." Touya passed him a small hand-light from up above, interested in spite of himself. "I integrated the new power sources as smoothly as I could, but I never could get more than a 90% efficiency rating. I was afraid the ship might not be able to take it if I pushed it anymore."
"Oh, she can take it," Yukito assured him, voice slightly muffled as he bent over to examine the couplings. "And you did a really good integration, considering."
"Considering what?"
"That you used a tyrene alloy wire as the splicing conductor. It's efficient, but I think you'd be better off with some pure renzene. It's supposed to be particularly good for linking foreign power sources." It was hot below and he stood up to catch a breath of fresh air, folding his arms on the edge of the opening with a grin. "Don't suppose you've got any?"
Touya regarded him silently for a minute, eyes impossible to read.
"I might. You sure know your stuff."
"Have to. Can I borrow those pliers to peel off the casing? I'll be careful, promise." After a second of hesitation Touya handed them over, and Yukito went back to work. He managed to endure about three seconds of silence before speaking again.
"So how'd you ever find this gem?"
"You sure like to talk, don't you?"
"Well, not with just anyone. But I think you haven't really talked with someone in a long time."
"That's right." Touya closed his eyes and leaned his head back, relishing the comforting vibration of the engines below him. For almost two standard months he'd been living alone on the ship, working day and night on the modifications. He'd exchanged hardly more than three sentences with anyone in that time. After all that silence, having a conversation here in the engine room felt strange. "A woman."
"What?"
"A woman I knew found this ship for me. She said it would help me."
Below, Yukito chuckled. "A woman you knew, huh? Was she pretty?"
"Beautiful."
"You two were close?"
"Not really." Touya pushed his bangs off his forehead, grimacing at the memories. Her exotic flame-red hair, and those knowing brown eyes… "She kept her distance, mostly. I'm not even sure how she found me; she just seemed to come out of nowhere. She would feed me a tip or some random piece of advice and then she would disappear again. She knew I never really trusted her."
"But you did buy the ship."
"It was cheap."
"Can't beat that," Yukito laughed. "I'm done stripping the casing. Got that renzene?"
"There's a small coil. Will it be enough?" Yukito stood up to inspect the spool in Touya's hand and nodded.
"It should work." He hit the manual kill switch on the thrusters, leaving them to drift through space for a few minutes. He would need to work quickly, and expertly sliced through the thin tyrene conductors. "You're really good at playing the piano, you know. I liked that song. Who taught you?"
"My mom." There was a lengthy pause, and then, "We used to play together."
"That's so cute," Yukito teased. "A thief that plays the piano with his mother. What would she say if she saw you now?"
"She hasn't said anything in a long time. She's dead."
"Oh." In the darkness below, Yukito blushed. "I'm sorry."
"It was a long time ago." His voice was matter-of-fact and emotionless. "It's just me and Dad, now."
"I really am sorry. I never knew my family."
"Never?"
"Yeah. I don't really know much about it, but I was found abandoned on the cruise ship I grew up on. No one wanted to stop and try to find an orphanage, so I just stayed on as their cabin boy. It was fun, but kind of lonely… too…" Yukito's words trailed off as he began wrapping the renzene wire around an engine node, trying to concentrate. It should be a simple matter to make the connection, but it would be difficult to keep the wire taut with only his two hands to wrap at the other end.
"Something wrong?" Touya asked, after a few minutes of uncharacteristic silence.
"Ah, no. I've almost got it, it's just a little tricky -" The light filtering in from above was blocked completely, and before Yukito realized what he was doing, Touya slid down into the tight space beside him.
"I'll hold it while you wrap," he offered. "We can't just sit here in space until some pirate comes along."
"Right. Thank you." Touya held the torch at a favorable angle for Yukito to wrap the wire, while he grasped the other end firmly. This was much easier and it wasn't long before Yukito finished. "Okay! Let's see if it worked."
Eagerly he pressed the manual override switch again, and they could feel the shudder run around and below them. A few seconds later the power coupling had booted up again, and the turbines above began to rotate.
"Well, the engines accepted it, anyway," Touya grunted. "We'll have to wait and see what kind of efficiency reading we get, though." He wasn't really worried, however, the renzene was probably doing its job. That was a good idea, to use it. "Thanks."
"No problem." Yukito flashed him a satisfied grin. "So you can smile. I was worried."
Touya hadn't even realized that he was smiling, until then, and he felt his skin flush inexplicably.
It's too hot down here, he thought, and reached to pull himself up at the same time that Yukito did. They very nearly bumped into one another, and Touya flinched backward.
"Go ahead."
"Mm." Touya waited several seconds after Yukito had hauled himself upward before following. This pilot seemed like a good pick after all: smart, useful, if a little talkative. But after so long in isolation Touya felt crowded, and in need of personal space. He plucked at the buttons on his shirt.
"We've still got plenty of time. I think I'll rinse off in the shower."
"Okay," Yukito said placidly, throwing the pliers back in the toolbox. He shut it with a snap. "But are you sure? You'll have to leave me alone." That last part was delivered almost teasingly, the amused gleam in his eyes visible from across the room. Touya's fingers stopped moving as they stared at one another for several heartbeats, then he wrenched his gaze away.
"Um," he stammered. "Um, you'll be fine. It'll be fine. Won't be long." And even though he was back in the cool corridor, as he strode back to his bunk, he could still feel his face burning up.
- - - - - - - -
The rest of the trip passed quietly enough, although Touya's anxiety was growing visibly as the hours ticked on. He didn't show it in any obvious way, but he frequently left Yukito alone in the cockpit, where he could hear him pacing up and down the lower corridor. Eventually he returned with a small and worn-looking notebook, and leaned back in his chair to flip through it. Yukito thought he glimpsed some scribbled calculations, and what looked like weather satellite photos.
"Won't be long before we're coming up on D.C.," he announced after a while. "I need to know what course to set. You said we're looking for a satellite?"
"That's right."
"That won't show up on radar."
"Yes."
"So are we just supposed to look for it, or what?"
"No." Touya brushed his thumb lightly over something in his notebook that had been circled in red. "It's not visible to us, either."
"What?"
"But it is opaque. I analyzed weather photos of the planet's sun side and found a shadow that followed a regular path over the continents. I calculated the time it took for a rotation around the planet and managed to estimate its probable speed and orbital track. Turn ten degrees port and fifteen degrees downward, and fly slow."
Yukito's mouth was hanging slightly open after all that, but he did as he was told and they began a leisurely circuit past the southern half of the planet. For several long minutes nothing happened, and he was about to suggest that maybe Touya had been wrong, but then the dark-haired man raised a hand to point.
"There."
Yukito couldn't see anything, at first. But there was something about the empty space before them that didn't seem quite right to his trained eye. He squinted carefully as they drifted forward, trying to understand what it was.
"The stars are moving," he finally said, confused. Stars thousands of light-years away shouldn't be moving, flying as slowly as this. Touya nodded.
"You're not looking at the stars. It's a covert design, done completely in a black mirrored patina. It's reflecting the space around it."
Yukito had never heard of such a thing, and gaped in astonishment. But there could be no doubt Touya was speaking the truth; now that he looked, he could see the angular lines and edges of the small station. But it was such an effective disguise he probably could have flown right past it hundreds of times and never noticed, had he not known to look.
"It's incredible." Touya snorted quietly, whether in contempt or disgust he didn't know. "Um, where do you want me to go? If we fly in any closer than this they're sure to spot us."
"I know. Fly up and then straight down on top of them. The engines and the ventilation shafts are up top, and with all the heat expelled into space we won't show up on their scanning equipment."
It seemed a reasonable plan, except –
"The satellite rotors are on top, too."
"I know." Touya gave Yukito a measuring look. "That's why I wanted the best. You up for it?"
Yukito met the look and straightened his shoulders, nodding.
"Hang on." He brought the ship to the apex of their curve and angled straight down, steering directly for the near-invisible target beneath them. Touya gripped his chair but said nothing, and both men held their breath.
The satellite rotors were designed not only for the minimalistic steering, but to whisk away the extreme heat generated by the engines and prevent the satellite from overheating. Yukito could see them more clearly as they flew closer, spinning around and around, occasionally the huge structures overlapping one another as they rotated. Once he was through, there wouldn't be any time for hesitation.
They were there. He swooped under the first blade and dove to avoid the second, then reared up again before a lower blade could crash into them. A relatively clear space opened and he shot straight down and then pulled up just in time to evade the next rotor. An angled shot downward, then up, then down and down some more. One more small uward turn and he soared right over a spinning blade, and they were clear.
Yukito set them gently down on the satellite's surface.
"Whoa," Touya exhaled, subconsciously placing a hand over his heart and feeling its rapid thumping. "You really are good."
"Told you," Yukito mocked, but his own heartrate was going pretty fast too and he took a couple deep breaths. "I was born to fly."
Something about the way he said it made Touya frown, and he glanced sharply at the fair-haired pilot to his right. But Yukito was leaning back against his chair with his eyes closed, color returning to his too-pale cheeks. Just a normal, incredibly precocious pilot.
Nothing more.
He unstrapped his seat harness and stood up.
"Right. I'll be back in a little while." Once again, his tone was so matter-of-fact and casual that Yukito almost missed the meaning entirely.
"Wait." He unbuckled and scrambled down from the cockpit. "Wait, you mean you're just breaking in?"
"That's why you flew me here." He was climbing out of his bunk as he spoke, checking the chambers of his gun before slipping it into a holster. He'd changed into a short-sleeved black shirt after his shower, and Yukito watched him pull on a pair of black leather gloves.
"I don't understand. How do you think you're going to get in?"
"Mechanics' panels, next to every ventilation shaft. Designed for planetside work, but they're sealed off from the space vacuum."
"They'll be locked."
"I know." He flipped open a narrow black case as he strode briskly down the corridor, checked something inside, and closed it with a snap. Nonplussed, Yukito trailed him down the stairs and into the cargo bay. Touya opened a panel next to the airlock door and punched a few buttons; immediately they could hear the clicking and whirring of the short connection tunnel outside. While he was waiting for it to extend completely, Touya opened a box and took out something that looked like a grappling hook.
"How long have you been planning this?"
"Long time." The panel blipped and the light turned green, indicating a successful seal. Touya opened the door and dropped to the surface of the satellite. His black case was out again, and he selected a thin metal needle to flip up the plate over the wiring.
"You… have done this before, right?" Touya picked out a different tool, studied the wires a moment, then snipped one. The service panel slid obediently open, allowing Touya access to the interior of the satellite.
"Never." He gripped the edge, ready to drop through.
"Wait!"
"What?" he asked irritably, and Yukito faltered a little.
"Let me come with you."
"Excuse me?"
"This is suicide, Toya, and you know it. I don't care how smart you are, you can't just break into a high-level government satellite when you've never done anything like this before." Touya's scowl only got deeper as Yukito spoke, and he hurried to finish. "There's nothing I can do here sitting on the ship, at least with you I can be an extra pair of eyes."
"Why do you care so much?" Touya spat, his voice harsher than he intended. Yukito cringed a little, but didn't back down.
"I just want to see you come back, that's all." Surprise swept away all of Touya's irritation, and he stared blankly at Yukito. The sincerity in his face and his tone was obvious, but it had been too long. Too many years since Touya knew a genuine helping hand and how to react to it. After a few seconds with no response, Yukito ventured a small smile.
"After all, if you don't come back I don't get paid."
That seemed to shake Touya out of his stunned silence, and he looked away with a shrug.
"Do as you like. There's another cable-hook in that box." And then he was gone, through the entranceway and hidden from Yukito's view. He had to hurry to grab another grappling hook, and then he too dropped down into the satellite.
In almost complete darkness the two of them clambered over bulky piping, Yukito following Touya faithfully. It wasn't until they reached a grated opening and Touya levered it off that he spoke.
"Are you sure?" The sides were absolutely smooth, with no purchase, and all he could see below was a yawning blackness.
"It's the quickest way down into the working levels." Touya wedged the hook of his cable firmly in between some machinery, and Yukito copied him.
"Those prints in your bunk, were those the schematics of this station?"
"No. I never could find out what model it is, so I just memorized all of them."
"You what?" Touya released the catch on his cable-hook and disappeared down into the darkness, leaving him alone. Yukito closed his eyes briefly, and with no other option, jumped into the shaft. They repeled downward for what felt like about three stories, and much to Yukito's relief it grew cooler as they went lower. He'd never liked the heat very much.
Cooler and louder. What was at first a hum became a dull roar, but it wasn't until his hair lifted off his face and started blowing straight upward that he realized they were in an air ventilation circuit. A huge fan at the bottom was blowing the air up to the top of the ship for recycling, in order to keep the living spaces of the satellite cool and fresh.
"Slow down!" Touya shouted over the noise, and with one hand began to painstakingly unscrew the bolted grate in front of them. After a second of observation, Yukito started on the other side. Working in tandem, they finished quickly and pushed the grate in, Touya lowering it quietly to the floor.
They waited another minute to make sure no one had heard, and propped their feet against the edge. Yukito hooked his cable to the top lip of the grate opening and swung gracefully in. Something in Touya's latch had caught, however, and for just a second his attention was off his balance as he tried to force it. The latch snapped unexpectedly and he slipped.
For one horrifying second Touya could feel the rush of a free-fall, and the terrible certainty that he would hurtle down through the darkness and into the blades of the fan. Then someone caught his wrist and cut his fall short. Breathing hard, he looked up to Yukito's cheerful grin.
"Thanks," he rasped.
"No problem," the other assured him, keeping a firm grip on Touya's right arm while he reached up with his left. Touya was not exactly light but Yukito didn't even seem to be straining very hard. He was obviously stronger than he looked.
Once Touya was safely through the opening they moved forward into the corridor, muted lights having replaced the absolute darkness. They found a door and Touya pushed it open a crack, unnecessarily putting a finger to his lips for silence.
This hallway was cleaner, with smooth white walls and brighter lighting. He waited cautiously for several seconds, then pushed the door open wider and slipped out.
"Ventilation shaft runs down the middle," he said quietly. "We're in the center, could be right or left." After a moment of indecision, he took a step to the left.
"Wait."
"Now what?" Yukito had a funny look on his face, and he took a step back from Touya.
"I think… I think we should go right."
"Any reason?" Yukito opened his mouth and closed it again, shrugging helplessly. Impatience flashed across Touya's face, but before he could say anything they heard the echo of footsteps and conversation coming from the left. They both bolted, running as quickly and as quietly as they could down the passage, and dove around the corner just before a pair of men turned in to the hall. Edging one eye around the corner, Touya watched them come closer and motioned to keep going.
Neither hardly daring to breathe, the two men crept down the corridor and then another. The whole place was eerily quiet and empty, which was good in itself, but the silence was so absolute that it felt oppressive. It was so still that when they heard voices again, Yukito almost leapt out of his skin. This time the steps were purposeful and coordinated, the steps of a security force. The two of them were right in the middle of a long hallway, with no cover except for a slight recess that led to a closed off lab.
They both ducked into it, but now Yukito could hear them turn into the hallway itself, coming right for them. They'd see them in a moment, and heaven knew what they were armed with. Touya was already at work, levering off the front plate of the panel by the door. Inside was a complicated maze of wires, and he took a second to study the configuration.
Hurry, Yukito pleaded mentally. The steps were much closer. Finally Touya made a decision and sliced at the wire. Nothing happened, and Yukito almost panicked, but then Touya crossed it with another one and the door slid open. They threw themselves inside just before it shut again, and the soldiers strode right past. Both exhaled in relief, and then Touya uttered a strangled gasp.
"What, what?" Yukito jumped and whirled around with his fists raised, then froze in shock. They weren't in any lab after all. It was a small, bare room, also white with a black panel on one side, the lights in here softer than out. There was nothing in it whatsoever, except for the stuffed pad in the corner and the teenage girl sitting on it, watching them.
Teenage girl? The sheer unexpectedness of it rendered Yukito speechless and immobile, and he could only stare. She stared right back, the bright emerald of her eyes visible from across the room. Her light brown hair fell in a tangled mess to her shoulders, swishing a little as she cocked her head to one side and smiled at him.
"You came back."
Bewildered, Yukito could only stare. But the sound of her voice broke Touya out of his stunned silence and somehow he managed to speak.
"Yes," he choked, the word hardly audible over his pounding heart. His hacking case clattered to the floor and he took a hesitant step forward. "Yes, I came back to find you. I promised you every night that I would."
She didn't move from her position, sitting cross-legged in a nest of thick blankets, but watched him placidly as he took another wary step, as if she would disappear if he moved too fast. It was too easy, too good to be true, this might all be another one of his dreams. Surely she couldn't be sitting right there a few feet away, not after all this time. Too desperate to hold back any longer he crossed the remainder of the distance in a rush and fell to his knees, tugging off the gloves. Only when he placed his hands on her face and felt her warmth did he let himself believe that she was real. She didn't look anything like the girl he'd lost, but it was her.
"Sakura," he whispered, and enveloped her in a crushing embrace. "It's been such a long time."
Feeling a little awed, Yukito approached the pair and dropped to his knees by Touya's side, unwilling to break the moment just yet. But they were in a dangerous place, still. Finally he cleared his throat.
Touya pulled away with a startled jerk, having completely forgotten that Yukito was even there. Struggling to subdue the chaos of emotions inside him, he wiped at the tears on his face and tried a smile.
"Sorry… I'm sorry. This is," he hesitated and then spoke the word lovingly, "Sakura. She's my sister. My little sister."
Sister. Yukito felt a second shock ripple through him at the introduction, looking from one face to the other. How could Touya's sister be in a place like this? What in the 'verse had happened to them?
"Sakura, this is Yukito. He flew me here to get you, I've come to get you out of here!" Touya's happy and excited smile died a little as she continued to gaze unblinkingly. He hadn't even noticed before with his own tumult of emotions, but now he was seized with a sudden misgiving. She wasn't talking, and she hadn't even hugged him back.
"Sakura? Say something." She remained silent, but the tiny smile on her lips didn't fade as she reached up to feel her brother's face like he had for her. "Sakura, please. Are you all right? Did they… do something to you?"
Still no answer. Her hand traced over his skin, lightly, her expression vaguely pleased but unemotional. Dread welled up in Touya and he could feel his body begin to shake.
"Sakura?" Pushed to the limit, Touya's eyes burned with tears and he struggled to hold them back. He covered her hand with his and held it close, could feel the trembling against his skin. "S-she's not like this. This isn't her. Th-they did something t-to her." All of his guarded expressions had long since been stripped away, and Yukito saw the blanche that crossed his face.
"Toya, no!" Quickly he clapped a hand over the other's mouth, and tilted his chin up. "Take a deep breath. Get a hold of yourself. We still have to get out of here; you've got to keep it together. Can you do that?"
After several long moments Touya nodded fractionally, and Yukito withdrew his hand. He was still breathing raggedly, but the color was returning to his face now, as well as that determined look to his eyes.
"Good. Let's move." They both stood and Touya pulled gently on Sakura's arm.
"Come on, Sakura. Time for us to go." She bit her lip anxiously and resisted, and when Touya hauled her to her feet she actually struggled to pull free.
"No!" she shouted, catching them both by surprise. "No, we can't! We'll leave him -"
"Shh!" Frightened of the noise she was making, Touya pulled her close to his chest and wrapped an arm around her, pinning her tightly. He clapped his other hand over her mouth, stifling her cries. "Sakura, please be quiet. They'll hear us!"
She didn't seem to understand his warning, or even hear it, and frantically wriggled in her brother's grasp. Finally she bit him on the hand and he gritted his teeth with pain.
"Can't go," she gasped, looking right at Yukito. "Can't go, can't leave him behind, he's my friend and your -"
"Sakura, please!" Again Touya gagged her, this time stuffing one of his gloves partway into her mouth. He hated himself for it, but there was no other way. "What is she talking about?"
Yukito's eyes fell upon her bed, and he saw the doll lying half-hidden by the blankets. It didn't belong here anymore than she did; it was obviously homemade, with a fringe of brown yarn for its hair and circles of green cloth for the eyes.
"Maybe she wants this," he suggested and held it up to her in a timid offering. Angrily she struck it away, looking more and more hysterical with every second. "I'm sorry, Toya, I don't know."
"Can't be helped. Maybe she'll calm down once we're out of here." Determined to not think about anything else until he'd gotten his sister to safety, Touya half dragged, half carried Sakura back to the door. Yukito took an uncertain step toward them and then stopped, for the first time noticing that the black panel was not like the wall at all but opaque glass, a window.
Could someone see them? No, if they'd been spotted there would have been soldiers in here long ago. But he still had the nagging feeling that someone was on the other side of that glass, watching him. He could see his troubled expression in the reflection, and tremulously he reached to touch.
"Yukito! You coming or what?"
"Sorry." He pushed the window out of his mind and ran to join Touya.
Once outside the room they waited for an agonizing minute, trying to listen for footsteps. It was difficult now, with Sakura, still whimpering and fighting her brother. It was all he could do to hold onto her, and Yukito worried the noise would carry too easily.
Touya was edgy about it too, and clamped Sakura in a tighter grip before hoisting her right off the floor and moving forward.
"Let's go." Together they made their way back down the passage, more slowly than before, their nerves jangling every time Sakura uttered a sound. But nothing happened. They reached the end of the corridor without incident and Yukito started to feel a little better as he peeked around the corner. All was clear, and he motioned for Touya to follow. But hardly had they come around the bend when another man stepped into the corridor up ahead, wearing a white coat and reading over some file in his hand. They all froze and traded shocked stares for a moment, and then the man dropped his papers and yelled, bolting back down the way he had come.
Touya gave an anguished groan but couldn't even reach for his gun, fully occupied with holding onto his sister. Yukito broke into a run, closing the distance between him and the stranger at almost inhuman speed, and threw himself forward to tackle him to the floor. He managed to cry out one more time for help before Yukito clamped a hand over his mouth and snaked his arm around his throat.
"Finish him off," Touya hissed. "Take my gun."
"No, they'll hear it. This'll only take a second." Touya fretted, but Yukito just tightened his hold and waited patiently until his victim passed out and fell limply to the floor. "But now we have to hide him."
The staccato beat of running foosteps echoed behind them; someone had heard him cry out after all.
"No time! Run!" Yukito scrambled to his feet and started to run, but faltered when he realized Touya couldn't keep up. "Don't wait for me, keep running!"
"No way." Yukito screeched to a halt, but he'd hardly turned around when an authoritative voice called out for them to stop. Touya dove behind a corner, relinquishing part of his hold on Sakura to yank out his gun and fire a few blind shots. It was enough to keep them back, but then a loud and abrasive siren started to wail. Sakura shrieked and dropped to her knees, trying to cover her ears. Touya had his hands full trying to soothe her, and Yukito started forward to help when a thick transparent security barrier slid down from the ceiling, cutting them off from one another.
Helplessly Yukito beat his fists against it, but it was no use. Touya was scowling on the other side, motioning with his gun for him to go on. Yukito shook his head, and Touya jabbed the air with an emphatic gesture.
"Start the ship," he mouthed, then looked over his shoulder at the sound of more approaching soldiers. There was no more time to argue, and Touya dragged Sakura away and down another corridor, out of Yukito's sight.
Now he could hear more people running from the other end of the passage, toward him, and he backed away from the barrier. Much as he didn't like it, there wasn't anything he could do for Touya now. He had no choice but to escape back the way they came.
Sakura couldn't stop crying as Touya yanked her down a corridor and around another corner. He paused to peek around the edge first and she crumpled to the ground.
"It hurts, it hurts," she sobbed. "Make it go away."
"Sakura, shh." He knelt beside her, all too aware of the precious seconds ticking by but unable to help himself. He pulled the wispy strands of her hair back and out of her face, and wiped her tears. "I promise I'll make it go away. Just hang on for a little longer, okay? It will all be over soon."
"Hold it right there!" someone shouted, and Touya snarled. He fired off two shots as a deterrent and pulled Sakura in the opposite direction and around another bend. If he reckoned right, he should be circling around the central ventilation shafts and near the other side. There had to be another door somewhere, he just prayed it wasn't on the wrong side of a security barrier.
Special Agent Jay Rino had ducked in time but his underling had not, and caught the bullet right in his lower chest. He gave a wheezing cough and sank to the ground, blood trickling from his mouth. Rino ground his teeth and waited, then checked cautiously around the corner again. The intruder was gone, as well as the subject. Holding his gun at the ready he ran ahead lightly, taking care to check before rounding any corners. Information was unclear right now as to just how many of them there were, or exactly how they'd managed to break in in the first place. Rino felt disgusted by the pitiful performance put up so far by his men, but after so many uneventful years of guarding a boring research satellite, they'd grown sloppy.
Rino slowed, a little confused when he turned into another passage that was blocked by an emergency barrier. It was empty, and he thought he must have missed the intruder doubling back and taking another turn. Then he saw the service door set into the paneling and kicked it open, sweeping both directions with his gun barrel as a precaution. There was no way of knowing which way he'd gone, but then Rino thought he could hear the sound of a girl crying to his left. He ran in that direction, quietly, but not quietly enough. A bullet plunked off the machinery next to his head and he jerked back behind some cover.
"Stay back!" Touya warned, backing down the narrow passage as quickly as he could with his writhing sister in one arm. "Don't come any closer!"
"The entire satellite has been alerted to your presence, all exits are sealed. You have no chance, give it up now."
There was no response and Rino edged a little further along the passage, trying to at least keep the intruder in his vision.
"I told you to stay back!" Touya fired again, and again. The second time the hammer fell with a horrifyingly empy sound, and he checked the chamber. No more bullets. He swallowed another groan and kept moving backward. It seemed to him that he must have come all the way around, surely he was close –
There! Almost directly behind him was the opened grate, and the blackness of the shaft behind it.
"Almost there," he whispered, not sure if he was comforting Sakura or himself. "Just hang on."
"Freeze!" Rino heard the unmistakable sound of an emptied gun's trigger, and strode forward without bothering about cover. For the first time he saw the intruder clearly; he was surprisingly young and clean-cut, and whispering something in the subject's ear. At Rino's shout he raised his gun again, but the agent was not fooled. "You're trapped, and you have no way out of this. Step away from the girl and get down on the floor."
"Never," Touya barked. It was obvious the soldier knew he was out of ammo, so he holstered his gun and used both arms to pick up Sakura. He took another step back, and Rino took another step forward.
The girl was wriggling all over the place, struggling against the man's grip. Hitting her was more than a possibility if Rino fired, but he kept his gun raised anyway, waiting for a clear shot.
"I will not give you another warning. Release her and get down!"
"What did you people do to her?" Touya raged. "Why did it have to be her?"
That threw Rino a little, and he hesitated. The intruder had backed all the way up to an opening in the wall and reached up inside it. Too late Rino sprinted forward.
"Don't move!"
Touya pressed the trigger button on his taut and waiting cable-hook, and just in time he pushed away with his feet. The soldier came close, almost managed to catch hold of Sakura's feet, but he failed. Touya and Sakura shot upwards into the darkness, at an exhilirating speed. His hand hurt from clutching the handle, and his arm ached with the strain of holding onto Sakura. To drop her now would be to kill her.
Rino watched them wink out in the darkness, uselessly pointing his gun upward into the black void. Damn, damn, damn it! He ripped his com-link off his vest and shouted into it.
"All units, the intruder is headed for the top level of the satellite, believe that to be his entry point. Get into any ship you can and take off, you must intercept his escape vehicle."
"But sir, all exits have been sealed! The loading dock is locked down."
"Well unseal them, damn it! He broke in via the mechanic's panels on top, he didn't use any goddamn exits!" He terminated the conversation with a huff and ran back out into the proper hallways, only to discover that the internal security barriers were still down.
"And get these barriers up!"
Sakura had fallen silent and still as they soared upwards, entranced or stupefied Touya didn't know. But he was thankful for her weakened resistance as they reached the top level and he collapsed onto the metal floor for a deep breath, hugging her tightly.
"Good girl, Sakura, good girl. Hardest part's over now, I swear it, we're almost out of here." He was so tired, but he had to keep going; they were so close. Wearily he climbed to his feet in a half crouch – there wasn't enough room for him to stand – and prodded Sakura to start moving. She fussed and protested and even tried to turn back, but the stress of impending pursuit had worn Touya's patience right through.
Finally he gripped her by her hair and herded her straight for the ship.
"I'm sorry, Sakura, I'm so sorry, I don't mean to hurt you I promise but we have to keep moving there's no time…" His voice faded to a hoarse whisper and he took a deep breath. "You just have to trust me."
"I trust you," she whispered, so softly that he almost didn't hear her. His breath caught in his throat and he looked at her again with a sudden fierce hope. For just one brief moment she sounded so normal, and the love shone out of her eyes. Then the look faded away to bland indifference, and his shoulders slumped. Again the fear and bewilderment threatened to overwhelm him, but he shook his head and forced it back. Now was not the time, it had to wait until later.
Deftly he lifted her up and pushed her right through the short connection tunnel, dumping her on the floor of his ship. He hauled himself up after her and slammed the airlock shut, punching the buttons to disconnect the tunnel. Then he slapped the intercom button.
"We're in, Yuki, go, go, go!"
He had no way of even knowing that Yukito had made it back safely, but then the engines rumbled and the ship jerked under his feet. Sakura squeaked and started to crawl away and Touya had to throw himself on top of her.
"Don't move! We have to hold onto something." The words were barely out of his mouth when the ship shot straight up and then forward. The memory of their trip in was still fresh, and Touya dragged Sakura across the floor to the walls of the cargo bay. There were wide straps fixed there, intended to hold crates in place during turbulence, and he wrapped his arm in one while holding Sakura firmly around the waist. The ship bucked and dipped and then soared up again, twisted sharply to the left and nearly dislodging Touya's grip, and then Yukito gunned it straight out into open space.
Touya could feel the ship's acceleration level out and relaxed, slumping against the cold metal wall behind him.
"It's over," he murmured. "I know it; we made it. You're safe now, Sakura, I won't ever let anything happen to you again."
She said nothing. He looked down to discover that the events had finally taken their toll; Sakura was fast asleep against his chest.
Yukito felt fairly pleased with himself as the old cargo ship streaked out into space, leaving the satellite and then D.C. behind in its exhaust. Against all odds they'd made it, but now he had no directions on where to go or what the next step was. When he was certain that there was no danger of pursuit, he set a course for the nearest spaceport and left the cockpit. Down below, he found Touya sitting cross-legged on his bed. All of his papers and diagrams had been swept to the floor to make room for his sister, who was stretched out and sleeping peacefully in front of him. Yukito hovered awkwardly in the doorway.
"Is she all right?" he finally asked, not sure what else to say. He knew it was a stupid question but he cringed when Touya shook his head frantically.
"No… no she's not all right. They did something to her, they changed her, made her different. How could they?" His tone wasn't self-righteous or angry, but plaintive. Touya looked so broken, sitting there on the bed, and Yukito ached for him. It was a terrible ending for a brave rescue. "I d-don't know what they did, Yuki. I found her and I sa-saved her, but I don't know what they did and now I can't help her and I don't know what to do…" A shuddering sob arrested his words and he squeezed his eyes shut, ready to give in to the panic at last.
Without realizing it, Yukito had been climbing down into the bunk as Touya spoke, and now he put an anxious hand on the other's shoulder.
"No, Toya, don't. It won't help her and it won't solve anything, you can't give up now. Not after everything you did for her!"
"I'm all alone!"
"No, you're not. I'm right here." Yukito sat near the edge of the bed, half-turned in to face Touya, and was almost knocked right off when the taller man crashed against his shoulder in tears. It was a shock, but Yukito sensed the stoic man's desperation for some release, and tenderly wrapped his arms around the other's shoulders.
"It's going to be okay," he said softly, doing his best to comfort the other through his racking cries. "You're very strong, I know it. You're going to make it." Touya didn't respond verbally but clutched at Yukito harder, which prompted Yukito to give him another gentle squeeze. "I promise that everything will be absolutely all right."
And without consciously deciding to do so, he dropped a light kiss on Touya's brow.
Abruptly Touya's sobs died, and he stiffened, pulling away. His tear-streaked face was etched in shock. Aghast at what he'd done, Yukito groped for an apology.
"I'm sorry! I don't know why I did that, I -" Touya's mouth closed over his, cutting him off, and his eyes flew open in surprise. Touya's fingers were sliding through his silver hair now, holding his head still as he pushed in further, exploring Yukito's mouth with his tongue. It was so sudden and invasive, and at first Yukito went absolutely rigid. But the warmth of Touya's body pressed up against his felt good, and he felt the heady rush of Touya's desire. He was seeking release, and would not be denied.
Gradually Yukito mellowed into the kiss, responding in kind with his own tongue, giving encouragement. It seemed Touya couldn't stop now that he'd started, and he pushed forward more and more, until the two of them slid right off the edge of the bed and onto the hard floor. Still embraced they rolled over once until Touya was on top again, and feverishly he pulled apart the buttons on Yukito's shirt, ripping it in his excitement. Yukito didn't even notice the twinges of pain from the fall but arched his back under Touya's insistent kisses.
His chest was as pale as his face, creamy and smooth. Touya ran his tongue over the flesh and eagerly pulled at the buttons on his pants. Panting hard, Yukito raised a half-hearted hand to deflect him.
"No, Toya. You- you don't have to -"
"Quiet," Touya ordered, and knocked his hand away. "I want to. Please let me."
The temptation was too much for Yukito and he managed a shaky nod. And, for a short but blissful time after that, the two forgot about everything else in the universe.
- - - - - - -
Agent Rino finished his report, in the dark and empty office, and waited. Several long, deathly silent seconds ticked by before the desk phone spoke again.
"And you were the only one to see the intruders clearly?"
"Yes sir, just one. He gave the impression that he knew the subject personally."
"I see." The images of two males popped up on his screen. "Was it either of these men?"
"Yes sir, the one without glasses."
"You're sure?"
"I am, sir. I saw his face very clearly before he escaped up the ventilation shaft. I did not fire, per strict orders to maintain the safety of the girl."
"Orders that remain in place," the disembodied voice instructed briskly. "The girl Kinomoto Sakura is a product of several years' worth of scientific achievement, and her value is beyond price. Her exposure to the environment outside the laboratory could have catastrophic consequences, and threatens the success of the experiment. At all costs she must be returned to the satellite."
"Yes sir. And what division shall I contact to head the search and recover mission?"
"No division, Agent Rino. I am appointing you to head the recovery." Rino stiffened and sat up straight, dismayed. At the very most, he'd been expecting a curt dismissal with a reduction in his benefits.
"Ah, sir. May I remind you that I transferred to lead the security here on the understanding that it would be my last job. I am due for retirement at the end of the year."
"You saw his face," his superior said coldly. "You spoke with him. Despite this serious breach, your record as one of the top-class federal agents still stands. There is no one else that I want to head this mission. Conduct it as you see fit, only remember that the subject must be returned alive and with no injuries whatsoever. When successfully completed, you may then consider yourself honorably discharged."
Rino's mouth opened and closed once before his shoulders sagged in defeat.
"Yes sir, Mr. Smith."
"One other thing. The male you identified is Kinomoto Touya, her older brother. His theft and interference in this classified operation marks him as a grand felon; his crimes are punishable by death. I would appreciate it if you bring him back to the satellite alive as well, but if not… I'll understand."
- - - - - - -
He was stiff, and cold. Gradually these unpleasantries worked their way into his consciousness, until Yukito admitted defeat and opened his eyes. The world was fuzzy, and by habit he patted around his head looking for his glasses. He found them after a few seconds, not folded, as if they'd been tossed idly to the floor. He put them on to discover that he was on the floor too, surrounded by a mess of crumpled papers and clothing.
He closed his eyes again as the memories washed over him. He must have fallen asleep right here next to the bed after making love with Touya, exhausted after everything that had happened. He was still tired and would have liked to go back to sleep again, but he really was uncomfortable. He dimly remembered falling asleep curled up to Touya's warm body, but now he was alone, and with a grimace he sat up. Touya was sitting exactly where he'd been last time, next to his sister, watching her sleep. There was a somber expression on his face but the earlier panic seemed to be gone.
Wearily he climbed back onto the bed and rested his chin on Touya's shoulder, not saying anything for a few moments as they watched her breathe in and out. Asleep, her face was relaxed and peaceful, her expression innocent.
"She's very pretty," he finally murmured. Touya managed a wry grunt.
"Yeah, I guess she is. Looks just like our mom now. I didn't know that 'til today." His hand found Yukito's and squeezed it, seeking comfort. "I was so stupid. I knew better, but I had this fantasy that I would find her exactly how she was when she disappeared. She was ten, just a little girl. I didn't think how much seven years would have changed her, even without the things they did to her. I didn't get to see her grow up."
He swallowed and leaned his head to the side, resting it against Yukito's.
"Kaho once said that finding my sister would be the easy part; the difficulty would come afterwards. I didn't understand then and I brushed it off, but now I do. For seven years all I could think about was tracking her down, and never once thought about what to do with her. We can't go home, you saw how important she was to them. They've probably got my father's house staked out already. There's nowhere we can go that's safe, even if I was sure that I could take care of her."
Which he wasn't. It killed him to think it, but he couldn't stop looking at her clothing. She was dressed in some shapeless white pajama-like set, and it reminded him of prison garb. He wanted to take it off, but Sakura wasn't a skinny little kid anymore and he felt uncomfortable at the idea of undressing her. What was she capable of? Could she bathe on her own? Or even eat?
Yukito heard the low whimper in Touya's throat and spoke without thinking.
"You have to stay on the move."
"What?" Finally Touya broke away from Yukito's touch and turned so he could face him directly. "On the move?"
"It's the safest place," Yukito pressed, an idea starting to form in his mind. "Never in one place too long, never where a lot of people can see her. You've already got a good ship, just keep her here. Small cargo ships can get some good work."
The logic of his words filtered through, but Touya had been raised on a planet and was accustomed to a sky over his head. Live on a ship?
He shook his head slowly.
"No… no, I can't do that. I'm not keeping this ship, I can't. I was going to sell it to pay you, and besides, I'd need a pilot like you if I ever wanted to stay…" He trailed off when he saw the look in Yukito's eyes.
"Oh. Oh. No, you can't just stay on like that. I don't even want to know what sort of crimes I'm wanted for right now, but they don't know anything about you. You can walk away from all of this, Yuki."
"No." Yukito looked back down at the sleeping girl again and shook his head. "I can't." He couldn't explain it even to himself, but the idea of staying with these two felt very right. He entwined his fingers with Touya's again and smiled.
"That's the third time you've called me Yuki."
"Huh?" Touya looked blank for a second. "Is it? Don't a lot of people call you that?"
"Not to my memory, no. But it's nice. I like it." They were both looking at their linked hands now, Yukito patient and hopeful while Touya struggled with a decision.
The pilot was right. They were safer on the move, and here on this ship they had absolute privacy. Already he trusted Yuki like he'd never trusted anyone before. Sakura would be safe, this could be her sanctuary. He would do it; he would keep the ship for her.
With his other hand he brushed the hair back from her face again.
"I've thought of a name."
- - - - - - -
Yukito stirred and his eyes fluttered open, feeling disoriented. He was in bed, Touya next to him, but his lover was fully dressed and propped up on one elbow as he watched him. Black eyes full of concern, he regarded Yukito silently and waited for him to speak first.
"Mm… what happened?"
"You collapsed after the fight with the pirates. Don't remember?"
"Ah, no. Is everything all right, how's the ship?"
"Ship's fine, everything's fine. Except you." Touya clutched Yukito's hand in his bandaged one, feeling how thin and frail it was. He'd been losing weight steadily these past few months, despite a ravenous appetite, and had a few more dizzy spells than even Yukito himself would admit to. A long time ago, he'd watched his mother suffer the same symptoms before succumbing to death.
"Yuki, you can't keep doing this to me. I can't be worrying about the Wildflower, and Sakura, and you. Please tell me you'll get help."
The automatic denials started to form in his mind, but Yukito couldn't speak looking into those eyes. They were so full of love and devotion that the very sight took his breath away, and made his body tremble with longing. If Touya cared that much, how could he say no?
"I'll go to a doctor," he promised. "After we drop off that envelope on Partine, we'll find one and I will go."
The relief in Touya's face was obvious, and with a sigh he settled back down on the pillows, turned on his side with his arm across Yuki's chest.
"Were you dreaming about something? You were smiling there, for a while."
"Mm. I dreamed about how we met."
"Really?" Touya's lips curved up in his own small smile, and he closed his eyes. "You ever regret it?"
"Never. I love you and I love your sister. A drifter pilot couldn't ask for a better home."
"Kind words from a man who probably wants me to bring him breakfast in bed." Yukito snorted with laughter and pushed Touya away, who rolled right back and engaged him in a quick wrestling contest in the sheets before climbing victoriously on top of him. Happy to be the loser, Yukito turned his face up for a gentle kiss.
But an uncomfortable thought still nagged at him. After so many months he'd forgotten, pushed it away, but the vivid replay in his mind would not let him ignore it. That moment, when he and Touya had burst into Sakura's stark white prison, and he had seen her for the first time. How she had looked up and spoken, and Touya had answered, not even noticing that the structure of the question made little sense.
You came back.
He could swear she'd been looking right at him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters