Chapter 7
'lines in the sand'
"Isn't it a pretty view?" Yuki commented cheerfully. The ship, having cleared planetary entrance, now soared high over the dry scrubland. The earth was a baked biscuit brown under the intense blue sky, and it parched his throat just to look at it. "Such unusual rock formations."
"I hate this planet," Touya replied sourly. "It's bloody hot and full of backward rednecks. Forget about buying any water. And it figures Aroc is on the daylight side now. We'll fry just walking into town."
"Job's a job," Yuki chirped.
"Did I ever tell you how green Chapeyne is, in the summer? We lived near the ocean, and there was always a cool breeze no matter how hot it got. There were so many wildflowers from all the moisture."
"Yes, Toya, you did tell me." It was difficult to see, with the sunlight bouncing off the rocks, but Yukito was fairly certain he could see a settlement on the horizon. He checked the scope to be sure. "Here's Aroc now. We've got plenty of space to park; where do you want to go?" Touya's restless black eyes scanned the rocky landscape below them.
"Over there, in that ravine."
"Way over there?" Yukito winced. "That's some walk. Thought you said we'd fry."
"Yeah, but it's a secluded spot. Nobody'll see the ship unless they're really looking for it; safer that way."
"As you command." Carefully the pilot brought the ship to zero acceleration, and maneuvered her down into the wide crevasse. It was about as well-hidden as one could hope for, so near a town. As usual, Touya was only interested in Sakura's safety. "We could wait for twilight and go in then. There's still plenty of time."
"Nah, I want to get this over with. Besides, Tomoyo looked up a doctor in Clearwater that can probably see you when it's daylight on the other side of the planet tonight. So we have to do this first." He didn't look up once as he spoke, busy assembling his gun, and then loading it with the bullets that they hid in the cockpit. Keeping a loaded gun on the ship was out of the question, ever since Sakura arrived. Yukito shut down the engine with a little sigh.
"I really wish you wouldn't fuss about it."
"Don't start that again," Touya warned. He stood up and slipped the gun in his holster, then bent over to plant a light kiss on Yuki's temple. "You get the envelope. I'll go check on things down below."
"Mm." Yukito couldn't help smiling, as he keyed open the hatchway to the ship and listened to Touya scramble out of the cockpit. It felt silly, to have someone so concerned about him when he couldn't remember anyone treating him that way in his entire life. But it did feel awfully good.
Downstairs, Touya found the galley overtaken by dripping wet sheets, draped over lines that criscrossed the room and obsured his vision. He lifted one and pulled it aside so he could see the girls. Tomoyo was wringing something out over the sink and covered in soapy splotches, while Sakura splashed next to her.
"What are you doing?"
"Laundry." Tomoyo brushed a lock of black hair out of her face and gave him a mildly impatient look. "You know, that thing that the machine in the corner used to do until the central production unit fizzled out, or whatever you said."
"Central processing unit," he corrected, looking apologetic. Sakura scooped up a handful of bubbles and blew them in his direction, and he waved them out of his face. "I'm sorry, I meant to pick up a new one at Crossworlds, but I forgot. I'm sure we can find one at Clearwater. You didn't have to wash everyone's sheets by hand, though."
"They needed it. I thought maybe I could hang them outside while we're on Partine, since it's so sunny outside." Touya shrugged; keeping the ship clean and liveable was her job and not his. That didn't mean he was any less grateful for it, though.
"Whatever makes you happy. And I don't suppose you're helping her very much," he addressed his sister, who blew more bubbles at him. "You don't look it."
"She's no bother," Tomoyo said firmly. "I don't mind at all."
"Right, well. Yuki and I have to go make this drop off. Where's that hitcher?"
"He has a name, Touya."
"I don't care, he's getting off the ship as of now anyway. So where is he?"
"In his bunk. But, Touya…" Now it was her turn to look apologetic, and she held up what she'd been scrubbing in the sink. It was a pair of black pants, and Touya stared at them uncomprehendingly. "He's in his bunk because I'm washing his clothes. He can't leave."
"You're what?" Touya echoed, his voice rising in pitch. Tomoyo cringed. Sakura giggled. "You're washing his clothes? Why?"
"Gomen, Touya, I didn't know we would be landing this soon. It's just, he's been wearing them since he boarded and it was driving me crazy and since I was already washing the sheets it wasn't like it was a bother…" She stopped to take a breath, wishing she could hide from that baleful glare. "He paid us 500 siyong to come this far, I thought it was the least I could do. But you see, he can't leave the ship right now, he has to wait until these are dry."
Touya rolled his eyes and raked his fingers through his hair. Why did everything have to conspire against him?
"I don't want to wait, I'm supposed to make this delivery today. I want to get to Clearwater and find that doctor; we've got stuff to do."
"I know." Tomoyo mustered up her most innocent smile as she pinned the now-clean black pants to a clothesline. "That's why you and Yukito should just go on ahead, and he can leave when he's ready. Everything works out."
Touya stared at her, and her smile became a little fixed.
Yuki ducked his head in the doorway.
"Come on, Toya, are we going or not? It's only getting hotter out there, you know." Torn, the young captain looked from Yuki to his sister again before finally giving up.
"Fine, we're going. But we won't take long and he better be gone by the time we get back. Got it?"
"Got it," Tomoyo promised airily. "Have a good time." Touya muttered something under his breath and stomped out of the galley. She could hear them both go down into the cargo bay, and then out the ship hatchway. Only then did she lean back against the wet sink with a groan of relief.
"I'm sure your brother must hate me, Sakura. I hope you appreciate what I go through for you." Sakura smiled charmingly and kissed her lightly on her cheek. "You really are going to get me in so much trouble."
Li wandered into the galley, hands stuffed in the pockets of Yuki's pants.
"Is he gone?"
"Yes, they just left. But I only just hung your clothes up to dry, so it's going to be a while until they're ready."
"Oh." Unlike Touya, Li didn't seem very disturbed at the news. Tomoyo watched his gaze travel back to Sakura.
"I'm going to take all these outside to dry, but if you want, maybe you could… take Sakura on a walk?" She strived to keep her tone as light and casual as possible, but even so Li shot her a startled look.
"You want me to what?"
"You know, just to pass the time. It's been ages since she spent any time out in fresh air, and I just have to get this laundry done. It would be so good for her…" Sakura didn't seem to care as much as she did, swirling a finger through Tomoyo's laundry water and not paying her any attention. But when Li's eyes fell on her again, she peeked over her shoulder and flashed him a quick smile.
"Well, okay," he acceded. "A walk. Guess it couldn't hurt." Tomoyo clapped her hands together.
"Wonderful! But before you go, Sakura has something for you." She nudged Sakura, who blushed a pretty pink and scampered out of the galley. Li looked perplexed.
"What do you mean, something for me?"
"It's a surprise," Tomoyo said sweetly. She gathered a basketful of wet clothes and left the galley to go down into the cargo hold, Li trailing behind. "I didn't know it was for you at first, either. But I figured it out when she finished it earlier today."
"Finished what?" Sakura skipped down the stairs and took the last three at a jump, almost landing on top of Li. Skin even pinker from the exertion of running, she shyly offered him a folded square of cloth. "What is this?"
He accepted it delicately and let it dangle from his fingertips. It was a simply made, well sewn shirt with long sleeves and a flat collar, made from a dark hunter green cotton that was his favorite color.
"It's a shirt!" Tomoyo squealed, looking as pleased and as proud as if she'd made it herself. "She picked out the material at Crossworlds and sewed the whole thing herself. I guess she felt sorry for you since you only had one shirt to wear. Isn't it sweet?"
Sakura blushed even harder and ducked her head. Li looked from the shirt to her and back again, not sure what to say.
"You made this for me?" She clasped her hands and nodded. Li crushed the soft material in his hands, unable to speak for a few seconds. In the two years since the government seized his home and scattered his family to the winds, life had become an unending struggle. He was a warrior living a battle every day, fighting to stay alive, fighting to get what he wanted from a universe that didn't care. There was no kindness on that battlefield, no room for anything like a gesture of friendship. No one gave him anything.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"M-mm," Tomoyo corrected. "On our home planet, we say 'arigatou'."
"Ar-ee-ga-tow," Li repeated. Sakura lifted her eyes at that, and they were shining with happiness. He could see his reflection in them, they were so glassy, and dimly he heard his heart start beating faster.
Tomoyo waited a few moments before reluctantly clearing her throat, and the spell was broken. He tore his gaze away and pulled the shirt on over his bare chest, fumbling at it with uncharacteristic clumsiness.
"Well," Tomoyo said, just a little awkwardly, "now you can get going. I've got a lot to do, so please go on and have fun." Suddenly feeling very much the third wheel, she backed away from the pair and pretended to fuss with her laundry.
Sakura timidly held out her hand. Carefully, as if she might break, Li placed his in it and led her to the lowered gangplank. Together they left the ship and stepped out into the bright sunshine.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Eric leaned his head against the smooth glass of the train window and watched the sun disappear behind the city buildings, throwing one final gleam over the skyline before it vanished. He was dripping wet, cold, hungry, tired, and wanted nothing more than to go home and get drunk. Sitting next to him, Meilin seemed completely oblivious to his misery and was ticking things off her fingers.
"That base that my cousin went to check out, it must have been in Pindexter's district on Tyrinthia. I can't believe they're connected; I wish I could tell him. Clow must have something to do with his anti-magical campaign, but I can't imagine what. And what does a satellite have to do with anything?" She leaned forward over the seat divider and rested her chin on her arms, looking over the empty car thoughtfully. The flat television monitor next to the door flickered with images of the latest news, both interplanetary and local.
"Those files looked like he was involved in the construction, didn't he? I don't know why a politician would be mixed up in that; why would any senator need a satellite?"
"Don't ask me," Eric griped, trying to see if any of his cigarettes had survived the sprinkler flood intact. "I'm not D.C.'s politically 'it' man. Maybe it was a present from his golfing buddies."
Meilin sat up straight with a gasp. "That's it! A kickback, of course."
"Get real, Meilin," Eric snorted. "I know half the universe owes him a favor, but there's no way anyone gave him a satellite. We're talking millions of siyong here, and nobody's accountant is that good. Besides, no law is worth a payoff like that."
"You sure about that? What about ten percent of the Solarian population being legally required to wear your product on their wrists?"
Now it was Eric's turn to sit up straight. "Ceruleum."
The unique ore mined exclusively from asteroids, which had been a billion siyong industry ever since humanity recognized its magic-reflecting ability. It was beyond price for those that wished to protect their property from criminal sorcerers. Government buildings demanded it for magical detection, and now its price was ready to soar with the passage of XP-314. With his attention on the disenfranchised magic users, Eric hadn't stopped to consider what the industry giants stood to gain. "You're right, they'll all make a fortune. Pindexter must be their best friend right now… but I still don't see how he could get away with taking so much money on a personal fee. Somebody would have noticed."
"Maybe they didn't pay him."
"Say what?"
"What if they just donated some of the metal itself, under the table? No accounting would catch it. He sold it to fund his satellite, or, no…" Too complicated, and too easy for someone to notice. "He used it to make the satellite. The whole thing is made entirely of ceruleum."
Eric stared at her with glazed eyes. "This is getting out of hand," he muttered.
"No, that's it," she insisted. "It's the most logical explanation."
"No, I mean, I can't deal with this anymore. Assassination plots, secret projects, kickbacks… it's all too much, okay?"
"Senator, this is important -"
"I don't want to hear it. That's it, I'm sick of it. I just nearly got killed, again, today and I'm done. No more."
"Shh." Meilin held up a hand and cocked her head to side, in the middle of a completely empty train car.
"Yes, exactly, let's not talk anymore."
"No, I think I heard your name."
"Huh?" Meilin stood up and crossed the car swiftly, stopping just in front of the chattering television. Eric followed, and made a choking sound in his throat when he saw the headline on the screen.
"…came in just moments ago. The limousine registered to Senator Eric Masters, Independent-Hollyn, exploded in a collision with an overpass support pillar." Eric had a horrifyingly close-up view of his charred and mangled limo getting hooked up to a tow truck. "Although the bodies inside have not yet been identified, his office confirms that he never arrived at work today. The senator is at present feared dead."
The newscaster hardly batted an eye before going on to report the day's stock market activities and Eric took a step backward, wheezing.
"They wrecked my car," he said plaintively. "That's my limo, that's mine, and they wrecked it so they could say I'm dead. I'm not dead."
"I'm sorry," Meilin offered, but she didn't look very surprised. "They couldn't kill you right away, so now they want everyone else to think you're gone and won't be voting on the bill. It buys them time; it's the logical thing for them to do."
"I'm not dead," Eric repeated. "They just told everyone I'm dead and I'm not, they're lying."
"Yes, I know." His blue eyes didn't register that he'd heard her speak; he looked numb.
"I don't deserve this. I haven't done anything wrong. They're calling me dead and I don't want to be dead." The train glided to a stop at the station platform and like a zombie Eric walked to the doors.
"Where are you going?"
"I can't – I don't want to be around this anymore. I have to… go." His lungs constricted painfully and he wondered if he was about to experience a heart attack, a real one. Meilin tugged on his sleeve.
"Don't be ridiculous, Senator, you can't just walk away. You know you -"
"Leave me alone," he said roughly, and jerked out of her grasp. "I'm wet and tired and I'm sick of running around while you play at spy. I didn't ask to be a part of all this. So now I'm going." He never stopped walking as he spoke, his voice almost monotone as he started weaving through the crowds. Meilin kept pace with him but didn't try to touch him again.
"Senator Masters, I know this is upsetting, but please try to -"
"Know? What do you know about me? You just picked me up to help yourself with your little mission."
"I saved your life!"
"It was just so you could use me, and you know it. Just, please, leave me alone."
"That isn't why I saved you!" He slipped through a crowd of people at the door of a departing train, just before the doors slid shut. Through a window he caught a glimpse of her stricken face, and for a split second he thought he saw her eyes fill with tears. Then he turned away and stared determinedly at the floor for the rest of the train ride.
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"What's with her?" Li asked when they were a safe distance from the ship. "This morning she could barely look me in the eye. Now she can't wait for me to be alone with you. Isn't she scared anymore?"
Sakura squeezed his hand and shook her head, her short twin braids flapping with the movement. But it did look like she was trying to hide a smile. Unexpectedly she released his hand and took a few skipping steps forward, then broke into a cartwheel.
"Show off," he teased. She grinned and danced lightly across the sandy ravine floor, before she reached the slope that led to the cliffs above. "Somehow I doubt Tomoyo would be happy if I let you climb that."
"Are you afraid?" she mocked, jumping lightly onto a boulder.
"Of Tomoyo or the cliff?" She laughed, and Li started up after her. It was amazing how surefooted she was, she never looked down once.
"Blue skies, blue skies, I love the pretty blue skies," she sang happily, springing from rock to rock before him. "Climbing is fun! Climbing is fun!"
Li had to laugh. A desert raptor soared overhead and she waved boisterously.
"Your family doesn't let you do this sort of thing often," he guessed.
"No." She pursed her lips in a quick pout. "Always too dangerous. Never fun."
"That's too bad." Crouching easily on a narrow ledge of rock, she paused and looked down at him. "Because that means they've never seen you look so pretty as you are now." His face turned pink as soon as he uttered the words, but hers did too. She giggled a little nervously, and bounded up a scree of loose pebbles. He didn't know how she skimmed over the treacherous areas like that. He had to slow to a crawl and pick carefully over the shifting surface. Even with years of training and a magically enhanced sense of balance, he was having trouble keeping her pace. And he had the feeling she could have gone much faster if she'd cared to.
After several minutes spent climbing in companiable silence, Sakura reached the edge and pulled herself over. With a flourish she threw her arms out in imitation of the circling raptor, eyes closed and face turned up to the sun.
"It's all so beautiful," she murmured blissfully. She tilted slightly forward on her toes, and it seemed to Li that she might very well fly right off the cliff. He scrambled over the edge and placed his right hand on hers, pushing it gently down.
"What's so beautiful?"
"Freedom," she said wistfully. Longingly she reached toward the flying bird with her fingertips. The sunlight picked up the crimson streaks on the brown feathers, highlighting them as the raptor lazily flapped its wings. "Like her. I want to be free."
Li still lightly clasped her right hand, and he felt a little thrill of magic run through her fingers to his. The raptor banked its wings and changed direction, gliding towards them. Razor sharp claws extended, the bird alit on her outstretched arm.
It took every bit of Li's self control not to jump; the fierce predator was much larger up close than in the air, and its sharp hooked beak was not very far from Sakura's nose. Sakura, however, smiled fondly as if greeting an old friend. She pulled her hand away from Li's so she could reach up and bury her fingers in the crisp feathers, which provoked a throaty chuckle on the raptor's part. Sakura mimicked the sound perfectly and then looked expectantly at Li.
He opened his mouth to refuse, then shut it. Li had not survived in a harsh universe by doing anything this stupid, but the young sorcerer remembered the feel of her magic through his skin, had heard her beckoning in his mind. He trusted Sakura where before he trusted no one, and he raised his hand to stroke the raptor. It uttered another chuckle, but otherwise did not move.
Sakura sighed happily, and he felt the light tickle of her breath on his lips. She stood so close. He leaned in slightly, his bangs falling forward against her skin.
"But you are free."
"I am not."
She motioned with her arm and the bird took flight again, wings beating hard as it regained its former altitude. Sakura watched it enviously, and Li studied her face.
"Project Clow." Visibly she flinched, and crumpled to the ground at his feet. "What do you know about it?" She said nothing but stared fiercely at the sand in front of her, tracing a finger through it. Li was used to her evasive behavior by now, though, and would not be deterred. "I spent months searching for it," he continued. "Even though I didn't know what it was. Something about it called to me."
Still she would not look up.
"Are you it, Sakura?" She ducked her head with a whimper. "Are you what I've been looking for all this time?" He knelt beside her and saw her eyes start to moisten. "I know it hurts. Just tell me what you can. What is Project Clow, Sakura, what does it do?" She took another ragged breath and placed her hand over her chest.
"I… this." She gestured at the dusty ground, and Li realized she hadn't been drawing random lines in the sand after all. It was an intricate pattern, some kind of symbol that he'd never seen before. A sun, ringed by crisscrossing lines and a moon in the crescent stage overlapping in one corner. He was sure he'd never seen anything like it, but the picture tugged at his mind. There was a familiar feel about it.
"Put," Sakura managed to say with some difficulty, "together. Bring to life." She pointed at the sun in the middle.
"Sun?" Li finally said when she remained silent. She nodded emphatically. "Are you saying you brought the sun to life?"
"Yes!" She bounced a little and clapped her hands, overjoyed that he'd followed her correctly. Then her smile faded and her shoulders slumped. "I- I didn't know before. And then he was trapped, like me. But he did not hate me. He was my friend." A crafty gleam came into her eye, and she dropped her voice to a confidential whisper. Li had to lean in close to hear.
"But I was smarter the next time." She pointed to the crescent moon. "Helped him fly away, before he was trapped. They couldn't catch him, no. Too fast." She looked proud of herself, and so happy that Li understood her.
Li didn't understand any of it, though, and he blew his bangs out of his eyes in frustration. He had the feeling that it was very important, that it would answer a lot of questions if he could only make sense of her words.
"So, you brought someone to life. Two someones." She nodded again. Helplessly he looked from her back to the symbol again. What did a sun and moon have to do with it? "I don't see… how did it happen? What did you do?"
"Put together," Sakura repeated insistently, pointing at herself and then her drawing. "I was… right for it, he said."
"Who said?" Li demanded, but of course it was asking too much for a name. She bit her lip and shook her head.
"Had to… know. To solve it. I -" She swallowed another cry of pain; she was talking too much and Li opened his mouth to tell her to stop, that it wasn't worth it hurting her like this. But Sakura wasn't through yet. Feverishly she ripped the bows off the end of each braid and combed her fingers through her hair, shaking her head to loosen the plaits more quickly. "Fixed up."
Now he was totally lost. Sakura bowed her head underneath his chin and parted her hair a little above her ear, holding it taut with her fingers. Very, very faintly, Li could make out a thin scar on her scalp. For a second he thought his blood froze.
"No," he whispered. "No, they didn't." She cocked her head and parted her hair in a different spot, displaying a second scar. "They did surgery on your brain?"
She sat up straight again and nodded, then tapped her temple with her pointer finger.
"Helped me to see…" She pointed to her picture again. "To solve."
For a moment Li was sure he'd be sick. In the two years since his home was unjustly seized, he'd become a believer in all sorts of government atrocities. He was sure he'd seen it all, but he'd never in a lifetime dreamed that anyone could be so cruel. They kidnapped her, and they'd hacked into her very mind and done god knew what with it to suit their needs. For what purpose, he wondered, did they think it necessary to rearrange her brain tissue?
"What did they change?" he asked hoarsely. Her eyes were filled with apology as she took his hand and placed it lightly on the side of her head. She pressed his fingertips through her finely textured hair, and he felt his skin make contact with the near nonexistent scar. Immediately his mind exploded with sensation.
Li knew everything. Every creature, its past, its future, every memory, fear, desire, hope and despair that ever existed and ever would exist. Millions and millions of voices screamed in his head, all clamoring to be heard first. They crashed down over him, drowned him, consumed him, pounded him into nothing. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. Li knew more than any human was meant to know.
He went mad.
- - - - - - - -
Yukito wiped his brow with his sleeve and collapsed against the building wall under some shade, wallowing in the relief it brought.
"Whew, we made it. Don't think I've ever walked so far in the desert before."
"Are you all right?" Touya inquired worriedly. He held his sweat-soaked shirt away from his chest, feeling none too great himself. "Here, finish off my water."
"No, I'm fine."
"Take it."
"No."
"Yuki!" Yukito surrendered and accepted Touya's water bottle with a roll of the eyes, finishing it off in one swallow.
"There, happy?"
"I'll be happy when we're done with this and out of here." Touya swept the tiny dusty town with a scornful gaze. Nobody was in sight; the weathered buildings stood silent under the relentless sun. "Where are we going, again?"
"Tele Cal." Reluctantly Yuki pushed himself away from the shaded wall. "Now we just have to find it."
"Sooner the better." They continued down the rubbled and dirty street, away from the desert and toward what presumably passed for downtown. Yuki took Touya's hand and nudged him playfully.
"You really mean that?"
"Mean what?"
"It's just, it's hard to find time to spend alone with you. Between taking care of the ship, and Sakura, dealing with pirates and everything else…" He grinned shyly. "Seems like we never have a quiet moment together. So I'm kind of enjoying this." Touya shook his head.
"You never fail to amaze me. How do you stay in such a good mood all the time?"
"One of us has to." Now it was Touya's turn to roll his eyes skyward, but he also smiled briefly. "C'mon, admit it. It's nice, right? Having some time alone."
"Yes," Touya groaned. "Yes, I admit it. It's nice. You're nice." He pulled Yuki close and kissed him quickly on the lips, playfully echoing his words. "There, happy?"
"Very." They turned the corner and Yukito spotted an elderly woman making their way toward them, her face wrinkled with kindly lines. He raised a hand in greeting. "Excuse me. Can you tell us the way to -" Touya jerked sharply on Yukito's arm and dragged him to the other side of the street, throwing a hostile glare at the lady.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
"Didn't you see the pentagram on her sleeve?" Touya hissed. "She's a witch."
"Yeah, so?"
"So, I don't want to be talking to her. We can find the place on our own." He marched down the sidewalk dragging Yuki in his firm grip.
"Toya! That was terrible, how could you?" Yukito wrested his hand out of Touya's and shot him a disapproving glare. "Just because someone practices magic gives you no right to treat them so."
"I hate magic, you know that."
"Yeah, I do know that and I still don't get it. You have magic, Toya. You carry it in your own veins. How can you hate something that you are?"
"I am not magic," Touya gritted. "I rejected that a long time ago. Magic doesn't do anything but hurt people." They reached an intersection and Touya saw a grimy sign on the opposite corner, advertising the Tele Cal cantina. Yukito stopped walking.
"Toya, I know what happened to your sister was terrible, but you can't blame every sorcerer walking for it. You know it's not true that magic is only used to hurt."
"What I know about magic is that its very existence has brought nothing but misery on my family." Touya looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "Why do you care so much? You have magic and forget to tell me?"
"Of course not. I'm just disappointed that the man I love chooses to practice such a narrow-minded and unreasonable predjudice." Touya sucked in his breath and Yukito almost took a step backward, aghast at his own words. He hadn't meant to be so harsh. "Toya, I'm sorry, I -"
"Forget it," Touya snapped. "I'm sick of talking about it, let's go." He indicated the doors of the cantina with the envelope in his hand.
"But Toya -"
"I said I'm done talking about it." His voice was cold and even, but Yuki could see by the set of his shoulders that he was angry. So much for their nice, quiet time together.
Touya pushed open the doors, flooding the grubby little saloon with sunlight. The sparse crowd of patrons looked up and then quickly back down at their drinks, their faces closed and emotionless. Conversations died, and Touya's skin prickled at the ominous silence. He knew Yukito felt it too, even though he still refused to make eye contact. His partner's words had nettled him, made him uncomfortable and grouchy. Wishing this day could just be over with, he threaded his way through the saloon tables and seated himself at the bar. Yukito took the stool next to him.
"What'll it be, men?" the bartender asked gruffly. He peered at them distastefully through his one good eye, the other scarred and sealed up by some long ago incident. Touya slapped the envelope on the counter.
"We don't have time for a drink. This is a delivery for the Bullwhip, from Crossworlds. Can you tell us where he is?" The bartender's one eye shifted to the envelope and then skittered to the glasses he was washing.
"Oh aye, I can tell you where he is. But I don't believe you want to see him. I'll deliver it to him, I will." Methodically he dipped a rag into the same dirty water and wiped another glass. Touya wrinkled his nose.
"We've been promised payment on delivery. I need to give this to him directly."
"Oh, well then." His face split into a humorless grin, displaying teeth as cracked and dirty as his dishes. "S'pose you will want to see him. Oy, Mac!" A man Touya had first taken to be unconscious raised his head from the bar, blinking.
"What?"
"Go and fetch the boss. Pair's here who wants to give him this." He thumped the envelope with one knuckle, and the man called Mac nodded sleepily. Without a word he slid off his stool and shuffled through a back door. Touya was liking this less and less, and dropped his hand to rest on his gun, trying to look relaxed. He sensed Yuki was just as uneasy.
"You sure you don't just want to go?" the bartender asked mockingly. "Last chance."
Touya yanked his gun out of his holster, and in the next moment, every occupied chair in the room fell with a crash against the floor. Everyone stood ready, guns cocked and pointed at the two men. The bartender wheezed with laughter.
"You might want to put those down."
For half a second Touya came dangerously close to refusing, then he reluctantly placed his gun on the bar in front of him, next to Yuki's.
"Very wise, Captain Kin," spoke up a familiar voice. "I know you are a desperate man, but desperate men can act reasonably when they are forced to. As with everything, it is simply a matter of leverage."
Touya didn't turn to look. He already knew who the voice belonged to. So did Yuki, stiffening a little on the stool next to him. The bartender smirked at their expressions and slid the envelope down the bar, where crime lord Monsiur Venga picked it up and ripped it open.
"If you had looked inside, you would have seen my cousin included nothing but a friendly note to me. And a big 'you're welcome' for delivering you right to my Partine headquarters. But you wouldn't have looked, of course, you were too desperate for the money. I knew it from the moment we met."
A hand gripped Touya's chin and forced him to turn and look, right into Venga's gloating black eyes.
"You stink of desperation. Last time, it made you brave enough to point a gun at me. And this time, it's going to kill you."
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The sound of his own beating heart was what finally let Li know he was still alive. Uncertainly he opened his eyes to the neverending blue above him, panting, and uncurled his legs from his chest. His fists were so tightly clenched that it hurt, and he opened them to see several strands of his own hair.
Nothing moved; the only sound was his heavy breathing. After a few moment's quiet, he rolled over onto his side and saw Sakura, sitting cross legged and watching sympathetically.
"Sorry," she said softly. "You saw it better than I thought."
Li's throat was absolutely dry, and he attempted a swallow. His heart was still beating fast but his breathing began to slow, and his muscles relax. Judging from the position of the sun overhead and that his body didn't feel all that cramped, he surmised that he'd been out for only a few minutes. His brief glimpse into insanity had lasted no longer than a second, yet it had nearly killed him. He wondered how she coped with it, then remembered that she really didn't.
Stiffly he pushed himself to an upright sitting position.
"Hell," he wheezed. "It was hell."
"Yes."
"Is it always like that?"
"I listen, I push away." She gestured helplessly toward her picture in the sand. That feel of familiarity buzzed even harder in Li's still-recovering mind, and he shook his head to rid himself of it. "Lines are hardest."
"Lines?" She traced her finger through the grooves she'd already made, deepening them, following the connections from one piece to another.
"Always there, the lines. Connect to each other, make pictures, make patterns. Too hard to push away, everywhere. Hurts!"
"What hurts?" Angrily she swiped at the dust, destroying most of her picture. "See one and I want to stop it but it's too important can't touch it have to let the lines weave the picture." Unexpectedly a pair of tears dripped down her cheeks and splattered in the dust. Without thinking about it, Li wiped her face with the edge of his sleeve.
"Don't cry. It scares me when you cry. Just tell me what's wrong."
"He tries so hard," she sobbed. "He gave up everything to save me and I trouble him so much. Do I stop him from going? No, can't. Can't disturb the lines have to let them weave the picture."
"Let the lines weave the picture," Li repeated slowly. "You can see the future. Can't you?"
"See everything. Feel everything. He gave up everything and it all comes to pain for him, so much pain."
"Sakura, is your brother in trouble?" Li pressed, taking a stab as to who she was talking about. She didn't answer, but more tears welled up and spilled out. Carefully, Li rolled to his feet and stood up, alert for any remaining dizziness. But the worst of it seemed to have passed already, and after a couple of deep breaths he shaded his eyes and scanned the horizon. Some ways away, between his perch and the distant town, there was a flash of sunlight off of metal. Something was coming toward them.
"Sakura, get up. We have to get back to the ship." She only trembled, but he yanked her to her feet and gave her a stern look. "It'll be okay. I'm going to help him. I promise." The wisps of her unbraided hair fluttered around her face like feathers, a reminder of the raptor she'd so easily befriended. He reached to stroke one back from her face, then stopped. Now was not the time.
"Let's go."
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Disclaimer: I do not own these characters