Li: See bio for excuse.
Tory: See below for story.
Peacewish: And see below that for the button to leave a review. I hope you find it worth the wait.
Chapter 8
'close to truth'
"I'm flattered, Venga," Tory said when the three of them were seated at a table in the middle of the room. Most of the others stood or sat well back, hands on their guns relaxed now that he and Yuki were unarmed. Only the bartender hovered just behind them, tense and ready. "You came all the way to this dusty nowhere just to see me personally. I didn't know I was so important."
"You," Venga sneered, "are not important. Something you should have remembered before you got the gall to pull a gun on me in my headquarters, on my planet. A lowly cargo runner like you should have thought about who you were dealing with. I am not where I am because I let little insects like you get away with betrayal."
"I only took what I was owed, and not a siyong more." Venga slammed his fists down on the table, and it took every bit of Tory's self control not to jump.
"Don't you tell me what you were 'owed'. I run this business, and when I tell you to get lost, you go. You do not threaten me! Did you really think I would let such an action go unpunished?"
Trying to ignore his thumping heart, Tory leaned back in his chair without breaking Venga's furious stare.
"Must look pretty bad, huh? A lowly cargo runner like me getting away with that. Is this to undo the damage to your reputation?" Venga flicked out his favorite switchblade and pointed it right between Tory's eyes.
"You did not get away with it."
The room was absolutely quiet. Yuki didn't dare breathe, and could feel the pounding in his bloodstream start to get worse. The room swam in his vision and he blinked hard, trying to will away the dizziness. If only he'd had more time to rest after that hike.
Finally Tory broke the silence.
"The idea was mine. You can kill me, but my pilot was only following my orders. Just let him walk away."
"N -" Yukito started to protest, then cut himself short at the look Tory gave him. It was easy enough to know what he was thinking: Sakura and Tomoyo, waiting patiently on the Wildflower for their return. They would be helplessly marooned on this planet without Yukito to pilot the ship.
Get out, his eyes pleaded. Save my sister.
Venga just chuckled, and leaned back in his chair.
"How touching. A captain looking out for his crew; didn't know that kind of loyalty existed anymore. But I don't think I can allow the man who destroyed one of my ships on Tyrinthia to just 'walk away'." Yukito cringed inwardly when Venga's smoldering gaze lit on him. "I watched from my radar planetside. Impressive flying. Too bad you chose the wrong man to work for."
"From where I'm sitting it looks like I'm with the better man," Yuki replied in a low but clear voice. Venga's lip curled in an irritated scowl.
"Brave, isn't he?" he addressed Tory. "You think he'll still be so cool after I've sliced off his ears?"
"Leave him alone." Tory struggled to keep his voice steady, digging his fingers into the table surface so hard they turned white. "I'm the one you want to hurt, Venga, I pointed the gun at you."
"Oh, I know you're the one I want to hurt. I haven't thought about anything else since you left Tyrinthia. I want to see you beg. I want to make you crawl. I want you to watch when I take your ship and everything on it and destroy it, just because I can."
Tory stiffened, almost imperceptively.
"There's nothing of value on my ship."
"Really? Well, I'll be the judge of that. My men left to check it out as soon as you arrived in town, so I'm sure they should be there by now." He swept a leisurely gaze over Tory's rigid posture. "Does that worry you?"
Against his will Tory swallowed. There was a terrible knowing in Venga's eyes, and he smiled.
"You see now the price for defying me, Captain Kin. See how powerless you are? Everything you have, I take." Maliciously he licked his tongue over the gap in his teeth and Tory threw himself out of his chair, hands reaching for Venga's scrawny neck. Halfway there something cold and hard struck him across the temple, and his face hit the table with an unforgiving smack. A hand gripped his collar and yanked him back into his chair, then twisted and tightened the cloth around his neck until he had to fight for breath.
"One more outburst like that, Kin, and I will blow your pilot's head off." Venga laced his fingers together under his chin and smirked. Out of the corner of his eye Tory could see Yuki sitting back in his chair, a gun barrel pressed to the back of his head.
"Don't," he rasped. "Please."
Venga smiled again, in the same manner.
"Very well. We will play a game."
*****
Tomoyo was reclining in the shade under the ship, gently fanning herself and contemplating a quick nap, when she heard it: a distant and thin whine, like a faraway engine. The ravine was utterly silent under the intense blue sky, and her laundry hung still on the lines strung up under the ship, slightly damp and limp with no breeze to toy with it. Everything was quiet.
She lay back against the gangplank again but this time the whine sounded even louder, cutting through the peace with its irritating buzz. Uncertainly she stood and took a few steps away from the ship, into the hot sunshine. She could feel the faintest of tremors under her feet now, and that buzzing was getting louder by the second. It was a car, headed right toward them at top speed.
High overhead, that circling bird screeched again. Tomoyo followed its shadow a little farther away from the ship, trying to see around the curve of the canyon wall. Had Tory and Yuki returned already? It was possible that Tory had gotten a ride somehow, anxious to return and get Yuki to the doctor, not to mention check on his sister.
Oh no. Sakura. How was she ever going to explain to Tory where Sakura was, and whom she was with? Tomoyo whimpered a little and stopped walking, listening to the sound of the approaching vehicle with something now akin to dread. What was she going to say –
A heavy-terrain rover burst into view, with four strangers in it. When he saw her, one of them stood up in his passenger seat and pointed, a gun held casually in his hand.
Tomoyo's heart skipped a beat and suddenly that dread was a full-blown panic, rooting her feet to the earth and strangling her breath. They were bearing down on her fast, really fast, and she should move, she should run, she had to get back to safety.
Get in the ship.
The thought pounded into her consciousness and Tomoyo bolted. Get to the ship, she must get inside the ship. She didn't even know if she would be safe inside, didn't know if she could close the gangplank in time, but she could think of nothing else. The engine was a roar now that filled her world and in the perversely morbid way of hunted things she had to look, had to see how close they were. She tried to look over her shoulder and slipped, on a loose patch of gravel at the base of the canyon wall. She fell hard, hot tears spurting from her eyes at the painful impact. Helplessly she choked in a half sob and drew her knees up in a last-ditch defensive posture that wasn't going to protect her. They were too close, there was no time to get up again, no way she could make it to the ship. The one standing laughed and released his grip on the windshield to wag his finger, and that was when Li slammed into him.
It happened so fast that Tomoyo only had an after-image burned into her brain, an impression of Li springing from the canyon wall like a rapacious animal. In the next second he was crouched atop the inert body of his victim on the desert floor, dusty and panting hard but glaring at her attackers with fierce determination. The sudden attack and removal of his passenger had startled the driver into almost losing control of his vehicle, and the rover veered away from Tomoyo, swinging a wide arc around Li. The two men in the back seat gaped, but recovered and brought their guns up to fire.
Li snarled and leapt off his prey, soaring well above the bullets that riddled their companion's body. Tomoyo's throat closed in terror and she pressed herself into the canyon wall at her back, wishing she could melt into the rock. In front of her, Li effortlessly sprang off his hands and landed lightly before her, knees bent in preparation. She thought she saw him yank something off from around his neck, and then to her shock and those in the car, a long sharp sword materialized in his hand.
The driver had gained control of his rover and brought it to a halt, directly opposite Li, and revved the engine. Li raised his sword.
For an excruciatingly long moment, nothing happened. Then the rover accelerated toward them with a squeal and Li disappeared.
He didn't actually disappear, Tomoyo realized belatedly. He'd darted forward so swiftly that her eyes couldn't even follow the movement, and now he was streaking directly for the oncoming car. Sunlight flashed off his blade at the sound of each gunshot, and she could hear the sharp cracks all around her as he deflected each bullet away and to the side. Neither car nor warrior would swerve, and at the last possible moment Tomoyo flinched and closed her eyes. She heard several rapid slicing sounds, then a screech of tires skidding over rocks. The engine quieted to an expectant rumble, and tremulously the dark-haired girl opened her eyes.
The rover wasn't more than a few feet from her, having turned so violently that it rolled up the slope backward before succumbing to gravity and stalling. Li was perched on the hood with one hand gripping the windshield, his sword still outstretched in the final motion of his attack. Every man in the car was quite dead, faces frozen in surprise and horror.
Tomoyo felt rather the same way herself. A hand touched her shoulder and she jumped, but it was only Sakura kneeling by her side. Her eyes were full of compassion and concern as she combed back Tomoyo's tangled hair.
"Bleeding." She pointed to her scraped and bloody knee, which Tomoyo hadn't even felt yet. "Have to clean it, have to fix it up." Hers wasn't the only blood she could see, either. There was a lot more of it, running down the length of Li's sword and dripping onto the ground.
"Do you know how to lock the ship from inside?" He was standing in front of her now, breathing a little heavily but otherwise looking unruffled. Tomoyo stared at him uncomprehendingly.
"Do you or don't you?" he asked impatiently, and jabbed his swordpoint against the ground when he knelt to look her better in the face. She shrunk away from it and nodded rapidly, and he grunted. "Good. Get inside, lock it up tight, and don't let anyone in until I get back. Got it?"
"But what -" she finally managed.
"Do as I say! Now get moving." Without another glance in her direction he strode back to the rover and hauled out the driver by his shirt collar, dumping him unceremoniously on the ground before he took his place behind the wheel. The tires spun on a few pebbles, but the rover was designed for such a landscape and with more pressure on the fuel pump it shot away from the canyon wall and left them both in the dust.
*****
Venga was still playing with his switchblade in one hand. After letting the silence hang in the air for another moment, he jabbed it lightly in the wooden surface of the table and grinned.
"I've been practicing."
His cruel stare strayed from Tory to Yuki, and he raised his hand and beckoned.
"No!" Tory almost shot out of his chair again, and stopped only when he felt the cold barrel of the gun nudge his ear. Venga wagged his finger teasingly.
"Uh-uh-uh. What did I say about making trouble?" Again he motioned to Yuki, whose face was so white now it looked almost ghostlike in the dim tavern. Obediently he slid his right hand to the center of the table, unaccountably shivering in the hot and close room, and raised his eyes to meet Tory's. They were bursting with near-panic.
"Tory," he whispered, "I- I can't." He was barely holding himself together, Tory realized, probably on the verge of another collapse. On the table, his hand was shaking uncontrollably.
"Wait."
Venga had his knife raised and ready to stab, but when Tory spoke he paused, a touch of curiosity in his sadistic eyes. His was the generosity of a man with absolute power, ready to grant any small concession to his prisoners that he would kill as soon as it suited him to do so. Tory read all this and placed his hand over Yuki's, pressing it firmly against the wood to hold it steady, making sure that none of Yuki's pale flesh was exposed.
His eyes dared Venga to separate them.
"Do it." Venga looked surprised, then amused, and finally just a little calculating.
"I did wonder," he said snidely, and jabbed the knife into the table between their thumb and finger. Yuki twitched but Tory held him firm. Be calm, he desperately wanted to say but couldn't. Please. We'll get out of this somehow.
How, he didn't exactly know. Venga yanked the knife up and stabbed again, between the pointer and middle finger. But they hadn't escaped the satellite and fought off pirates in deep space to die under the knife of someone like Venga. Had they?
The knife was starting to move faster now, accelerating in its staccato beat, jabbing randomly between their splayed fingers. Yuki's eyes were closed, his breath escaping in quick and unsteady pants, skin practically translucent with its loss of color. He was fighting to stay conscious, and he probably wasn't going to make it. Perhaps because Tory was watching him and not under the spell of the knife that everyone else was, he heard it first: a low, drowsy hum coming from somewhere beyond the walls. Low but getting louder, and coming up fast.
Venga didn't hear it, absorbed in his game, a maniacal grin stretching his thin lips across his face. The knife kept moving faster and faster, and that hum was getting louder. Deep in Tory's mind a long forgotten ability stirred itself, and his heart started beating faster in anticipation. Venga's blade slipped and narrowly missed grazing his index finger. Something was coming.
No, it's already here.
Some frantic warning blared in Tory's mind and he yanked Yuki's hand back, throwing his weight against Yuki's slender form. He surprised even himself with the speed he moved at, an edge that would buy them one precious second from Venga's men and their guns. A second was all they needed; in the next Tory hit the floor under the table with Yuki in his arms, and a huge desert rover crashed through the window.
Chaos erupted.
**
The shadow of the raptor skimmed along the rocky path, guiding him, pleading to go his fastest. Li obeyed and pressed the accelerator pedal to the floor, spurred along by the echo of her fear in his mind. He wasn't just sensing it; her fear was his fear and it begged him to hurry.
Faster than he expected the dusty town rushed up to meet him and the shadow led him through the empty streets, around a corner and then disappeared over a grim-looking tavern. He was going way too fast to stop and Li didn't try, just steered the rover to the solitary window and ducked, covering his face with his arms.
The resounding crash and jolt in the rover nearly threw him out of the seat, and Li only managed to stay put by grabbing the shirt of the dead man next to him and hanging on for dear life. Shattered glass rained over him, mixed with the dry, splintered shards of wood from the wall. The rover made it most of the way into the building before its rear wheels caught on the ragged opening and it jerked to a halt, throwing him roughly against the wheel.
For a second there was only silence, beyond the still-rumbling engine. Then the room exploded in gunfire and Li hefted the corpse next to him up and into the air, hurling it well out of the rover. Taken by surprise and disorganized, Venga's men followed it with their bullets while Li shot out from behind his cover. The one closest to him never even saw him coming, the one after that only able to partially swing his gun around before Li kicked it out of his hand and smashed his throat in with his heel. He was moving faster than he'd ever moved before, his body reacting before his mind even perceived. She was with him even now, accelerating his senses and his combat reflexes into something more than just magical, almost superhuman. Two bullets exploded out a gun chamber and streaked toward him, maddeningly slow. It was easy to arch over backwards, evading them, and he flipped smoothly over the table and behind it before overturning it and kicking it right into the shooter. His fingers itched for his sword, but it was too dangerous to try and use it here, too easy for Tory to see. He couldn't see either of them anymore, but he knew they were still in the room. Sakura said so.
The explosive crash sounded just a split second after Tory and Yuki hit the floor, followed by a frantic crossfire of bullets overhead. He couldn't see what was going on, but he could see Yuki gasping for breath and how close he was to unconsciousness. Praying that everyone was too occupied to pay attention to them, he wrapped his arms tightly around his lover and rolled across the floor toward the bar, seeking better cover. An overturned table in the corner of the room offered some protection and he dragged Yuki behind it.
"Yuki! Sit tight, don't move. I'll be right back." He tried to move away but Yuki clutched at his arm with surprising strength.
"Tory," he wheezed. His warm brown eyes were clouding over with a peculiar silver sheen, sending wisps of dread through Tory's stomach. "Tory, don't- don't go. Can't- stay awake…"
"It's okay, Yuki." With some difficulty he pried his arm out of Yuki's grasp. "You'll be safe here. I have to go fight. Just stay out of sight!" He didn't give Yuki another chance to argue before he crawled away on his elbows, keeping low. One of Venga's men was directly in front of him, crouched behind a chair and trying to aim at something, and completely oblivious to Tory's presence. With only a second's hesitation Tory tackled him headlong, sprawling them both against the floor, and grappled for the gun in his hand. He snarled and fought back, but Tory wasn't in the mood to put up with any resistance, not with the way his day had been going. He slammed his elbow into the other's chin and knocked him right out.
Gun in hand, he peeked over the table and tried to see what everyone was shooting at. There was some kind of conflict going on, on the other side of the room, but he couldn't make anything out and there were other things that he needed to deal with. In quick succession, before they even realized there was a danger, he shot four men in the back. There was no time for mercy or pity here, not with Yukito struggling to hold on somewhere behind him. He had to duck when someone finally started firing back, and wriggled across the floor to find new cover. He hoped the owner of this gun had loaded it fully. He needed to keep count of the bullets.
With growing horror Yuki listened to the sounds of the fight around him, becoming distant and unreal in his ears. He'd been on the verge of a faint before. This didn't feel like a faint. This was something more… something that threatened to take him completely and kindled a panic in Yuki that had nothing to do with the whizzing bullets overhead. Where had Tory gone? He needed to find Tory.
Groggily he stumbled around his cover on his hands and knees, but he only saw a vague dark blur in the corner of his eye before something knocked him hard to the floor.
"There you are!" snarled a familiar sounding voice, and he was just able to recognize the burly bartender before a meaty hand clamped over his throat. "Thought you could run out and hide, did ya? I don't know what's going on, but I'll kill you now and then I'll take care of your boyfriend."
Yuki couldn't move, the man's massive weight had him pinned by the chest and he took a gasping breath, struggling for air. His vision was fogging over, that ugly scarred face faded away and he clutched at the man's shirt in desperation. The grip on his throat tightened, and Yuki's mind shut down.
He fell into darkness, thick and soothing as syrup. Here was a relief from the pain and other worldly matters. Deeper and deeper he sank into oblivion, letting peace steal into his soul. The end was near. Even now he could see the bright white light rushing toward him, ready to take him. But the light didn't consume him, instead it flowed into his arm and into his hand, so cold and sharp that he yelped in pain.
As if an electric shock had passed through his body Yukito's muscles went rigid, and his eyes flew open. The bartender was still kneeling on top of him, his one eye blank and staring, his mouth open in a frozen O of pain. He still gripped Yuki's neck and with difficulty the pilot pried him off. His body hit the floorboards with a solid thunk, quite dead, blood seeping through his shirt underneath Yuki's hand.
What the –
His fingers were stiff and clenched but he managed to uncurl them and he ripped open the buttons. It wasn't a pretty sight. Blood flowed out from multiple wounds in the center of his chest, but what kind of injuries they were he couldn't tell. It looked as though something had punctured the skin with near surgical precision, stabbing deep into muscle and maybe even the internal organs. And in the dim light, ever so faintly, he thought he saw something glittering in the wounds.
Yuki stared at the body blankly, then looked at his hand and clenched it experimentally. The trembling was gone again; it felt perfectly ordinary. The vague image of a bright light traveling through his fingers flickered into his mind, and his heart beat a little faster. Surely not…
A loud cry made him look up, and he just happened to glimpse Li on the far side of the room, neatly evading someone's wild swing. In one smooth motion he curved his arms around the extended punch and snapped the arm at an unnatural angle. His victim howled in pain, and someone else fired a shot at the invader.
Still tangled up with his latest target, Li sensed the oncoming bullet but knew he couldn't dodge it in time. He reacted automatically and tore his pendant off his neck, half turning and pushing his would-be attacker away. The bullet was almost on him when the sword materialized in his hand and struck the missile from its path. It spun wildly before it hit a dusty mirror on the wall, shattering it into a hundred fragments of glass. Before they even hit the floor he retracted the sword again and rolled across the floor to deal with the shooter. It was so quick, he'd had no time to do anything else. He could only hope that no one had seen.
Yuki sat back against the table with a thump, eyes a little glazed after what he'd just witnessed. That near-strangulation must have hurt him worse than he thought – he was hallucinatory. It was the only explanation and he clung to it, willing away any disturbing memories that made his skin prickle and his stomach clench with unease. He avoided looking at the bartender's dead body after that.
Crawling under the tables, Tory heard the last of the guns silenced and knew without looking that the fight was finally over. He still hadn't even seen the face of their mysterious rescuer, but he wasn't on his hands and knees to hide. He was searching the perimeter of the room and finally he spotted his quarry, squeezing in between the empty wine racks and the wall.
He jumped to his feet and pulled the racks over with a crash, gun pointed right at the cowering Venga.
"Don't!" the mob boss quavered, covering his face with his arms. "I can pay. I can pay you anything you want!"
"You really think you pay me off?" Tory knelt to have a more level aim between the eyes, and Venga pressed himself back against the wall with a whimper. The roles were reversed now, and it was Tory who could choose to be merciful, choose to be the better man. For a long second he stared at the other man's pallid features, and then he clocked him hard on the side of the head.
"That was for me." Venga cried out and rubbed his temple, and Tory stood up again. The click of the gun cocking sounded like a death knell in the quiet room.
"And this is for hurting Yuki." Without even blinking, he pulled the trigger. Screw being the better man. Nobody hurt the people he loved and got away with it.
Yukito jumped a little at the loud report in the still room, and then everything was quiet again. Tory spun around until their eyes met, and suddenly nothing else mattered. They couldn't fall into each other's arms quickly enough, and then Tory was running his hands over his face and his body, checking him, making sure he was all right.
"Tory -"
"Did they hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine -"
"I was so scared I thought he was going to kill you -" Unconsciously Yuki mimicked Tory's actions, running his fingertips lightly over his boyfriend's chest and his face, his beautiful dark face, searching for any injuries. And then they were kissing, tasting one another, both trying to get their fill of something they'd almost lost forever.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry about what I said before, I love you -"
"I love you too, it's okay -"
"I love you so much." Yuki crumpled against his chest with a shudder of relief, clinging tightly. Tory couldn't even remember what it was they were arguing about before they came in, all that mattered was that Yuki was safe and Sakura was safe and everyone was okay.
And then he saw the Li kid, panting heavily and looking discreetly away while they kissed, in the center of the wreckage.
Li was trying to see if the rover would still run when he felt the cold barrel of a gun press against his head. He swallowed an annoyed groan and didn't move.
"Was it something I said?"
"How about 'data collection?'" Tory answered sarcastically. Li didn't twitch, but Yukito gasped.
"Tory! What are you doing, he just saved us!"
"Yeah, and doesn't that strike you as a little strange, Yuki? Doesn't it make you want to ask some questions? Like, who are you?"
"I'm nobody."
"Sure."
"I'm not," Li said firmly, straightening slowly so he could look Tory in the eye and ignoring the gun. From where he stood he could knock it out of the other man's hand before he had a chance to blink, but Li remained still. "I'm just a guy that drifts from planet to planet and tries to stay alive. If strangers attack me, I fight back."
It was close to the truth, if not completely there. Tory didn't look convinced.
"How did you know where we were?"
Li hesitated just a little, trying to figure out how much to say. "They attacked us at the ship."
"Sakura, is she -"
"She's fine, they're both fine. They didn't see me and I shot them. The last one told me you were here. I figured I should come help."
"And why would you do that?"
"Because I was asked to," Li retorted before he could stop himself, instantly regretting the words. Tory's black eyes flashed and then narrowed suspiciously, but then Yukito interposed himself between them, pushing Tory's gun to point at the floor.
"Tory, stop it. We'd probably be dead right now if it weren't for him, and what about your sister? Think about what could have happened to her!"
It had been a long, hard day. Tory was emotionally and physically exhausted, and the appeal in those honey brown eyes was too much to resist. He felt the muscles in his shoulders go limp.
"You always say that," he muttered. Yuki smiled that gentle smile of his, tender and understanding.
"Only because it works," he murmured softly, and brought his hand up to briefly caress his lover's face. Tory had no more fight in him, all he wanted to do was get back to the ship and check on Sakura, then get the hell off this planet and never come back. He covered Yuki's hand with his own and squeezed it.
"Let's go."
**
To be in control. It was what he liked and how he ran things and he didn't care who knew it. Since before Sakura was born but especially afterwards, when he watched his mother suffer and decline every day, dwindling away while he sat helplessly by the bed with the baby on his lap. And even though there was nothing he could do for her, he made a promise to his mother that he would always take care of his little sister and protect her, no matter what.
It was a promise he failed to keep. And for seven years he lived in a personal hell, hating himself for that failure and agonizing about what could be happening to her. She'd been snatched away from his arms and taken somewhere beyond his control, somewhere that he couldn't protect her. Struggling to solve the mystery and get her back was the only thing that kept him sane. And when he did get her back, when he held her safe in his arms on this ragtag little ship, he was sure he'd never fail her again.
But control could never be absolute and even if he had her physical body locked up in the Wildflower, her mind roamed somewhere else that he didn't understand, subject to screaming horrors that he couldn't shield her from. It killed him but he still did the best he could, held her close when she was scared and smiled with her when she was happy. And made very, very sure that nothing that could harm Sakura ever got within breathing distance.
Which was why Tory Kinomoto churned with conflict on their return to the ship, every instinct he had at war with his mind. Because thanks to a little carelessness on his part Sakura had very nearly been taken from him again that day, and in a way he didn't like to contemplate. So he owed her life – not to mention his own – to this kid that he didn't even know, and by all other measures was a threat to his security. It went beyond personal dislike and ordinary distrust into something more; there was a flaw in his explanations, something important, and Tory knew if he could pinpoint it then he would understand just why Li was so dangerous. Because dangerous he was, that much Tory was sure of.
But then they returned to the ship and Sakura leapt joyfully into his arms, smothering him with her little butterfly kisses that could melt his heart instantly, making him ache inside with the knowledge of how close their call had been. How could anyone not be grateful? So when Yuki informed him that he would rev up the engines and prepare for take-off, Tory could only nod; even in this remote settlement a shoot-out like that was going to attract unwelcome attention. And even though that meant they were leaving with that Li kid still on board, again, he knew they had no other choice. Somehow, Tory was losing control of this situation.
And he didn't like it.
Feeling drained, Li collapsed on a crate and watched Sakura hug her brother and the pilot. The relief was obvious enough in her expression but he wasn't just seeing it; the sensation echoed in his mind like a fading heartbeat, gradually quieting as her presence withdrew. Watching her, he couldn't even be sure if it was something she did purposefully; she never even glanced at him. And when she was gone completely and he was alone in his body again, a peculiar pang seized him. He'd been in such close contact with her noisy and turbulent emotions that it now seemed oddly quiet.
Yukito left the cargo bay, presumably to start the ship, and Tory followed with Sakura still clinging to his arm. Wearily he pushed himself to a standing position and plodded up the staircase, muscles beginning to protest with the movement. The climb, his wrenching experience at the top of the cliff, and the fight had all taken their toll. Being interrogated afterwards instead of thanked didn't help much. At least Tory had been distracted enough not to notice that 'his' gun had actually come off of one of Venga's men.
Preoccupied with his thoughts, he nearly collided with Tomoyo at the corridor turn.
"Oh! Sorry." She backed away quickly and twisted her hands together. "You're all back safe, I'm so glad."
He brushed past her, still intent on showering and then bed. "Mm."
"Um, about today -" she began, and he slapped his hand against the corridor wall. She abruptly shut up.
"It's not a good idea to talk about it, Tomoyo. You'd be better off if you just forget it." There was only silence behind him and he thought she'd meekly run off again, but when he took another step she spoke.
"Thank you."
It was so unexpected that he actually turned around. The light in the passage was dim, but he could see her face well enough to see that that ill-concealed fear no longer lurked there. He saw nothing but sincere gratitude.
"You saved my life, probably both our lives. I know she thanks you too."
"You're welcome," he finally replied, when he realized she was waiting for him to respond. It was surprising, if pleasant, to be thanked instead of judged for his actions. And this when she'd been so frightened of him before. He was starting to think there was a lot more to this girl than even she suspected. "Are you all right now?"
"I guess so, but I was a mess after you left." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiled wanly. "I locked up the ship right away, like you said, but I kept hearing things outside and panicking. Sakura's fine though, nothing fazed her at all. She said it was just the sand, nothing to worry about." She shrugged in a philosophical manner, and her smile grew. "She's so much calmer whenever she's been with you."
Li didn't really know what to say to that, but the comment pleased him. He allowed himself a brief smile and nodded, then turned back toward his bunk. Tomoyo's light footsteps faded away behind him, presumably on her way to the galley. He was so tired, and wearily he pressed the panel that opened his bunk door. He put one foot over the doorframe, stopped, then pushed himself away and covered the distance to the galley in long quick strides.
Below his feet, the engines whined and sputtered, beginning the now-familiar sounds of the ship's launch. Tomoyo was gathering a few bottles of water in her arms when he found her, and she almost dropped them when Li burst in and closed in on her.
"What did you say?"
She gave him a baffled look and stammered a response. "I- I just said she's in a much better mood after she's been with you -"
"No, before that," he interrupted impatiently. "About the sand."
"Oh… it was nothing. I just heard some kind of scraping noise outside the ship and I got scared. Sakura said it was only the sand…"
"What did she say exactly, what words?" Tomoyo was genuinely perplexed now, and shrugged helplessly under his demanding stare.
"Well, I thought that was what she said – she was speaking very quietly, actually, I- I didn't hear every word. Something about sand… another?" She screwed up her face in concentration, trying to remember while the engines growled again in preparation. "Just another…"
"Just another line in the sand?" he prompted, his stomach sinking.
"Maybe," she said weakly. Below, the engines revved up to a steady hum and she gripped the edge of the table for take off. Li backed away, looking uncertainly from her to the doorway. "Why, what's wrong? Does it mean something?"
"Probably," he said slowly. But he didn't know what. And even if he could find Sakura, and get her away from her brother, she most likely wouldn't tell him. Whatever it was, it was too late to do anything about it now.
The ship kicked into gear and launched into the air, leaving Partine in its exhaust.
**
A vast and shifting universe, a spinning galaxy, a small and rather minor solar system rotating around and around, and six planets, eighteen moons, one hundred and sixty nine asteroids, four space stations, and fifteen satellites, fourteen of them known, circled about their little yellow sun. Through it all they drifted quietly, suspended like magic amongst the brilliant stars.
Everything was still now, and peaceful. Lights were dimmed and the engine hummed comfortingly under her feet as Sakura treaded softly down the corridor. The crisis had passed and now balance was restored, tranquility returned to the ship. That was how she liked it best, however temporary it may be. They needed this quiet.
Friend slept soundly, her long black hair spread like a tangled veil over her blanket. She was exhausted after her frightening ordeal, and who could blame her? Friend wasn't meant to suffer such things, but she did and would in her loyal devotion. She didn't belong in a place like this but she perservered anyway, all for her sake. There were nights that Sakura would run her fingers through that silky hair and play with it, attempting to repay all the attention Friend spent on her, but this wasn't one of those nights. Sakura closed the door and moved on.
Brother was even more tired, of course, and slept sprawled across his bed with one arm flung out, his bangs falling away from his closed eyes. This was the only time he ever looked truly relaxed, now; in the day he worried constantly. He tried too hard, put too much of a burden on himself, torturing himself with thoughts of failure and his paranoid fears. He'd sacrificed everything for her, and all he wanted was for her to be safe and happy. She wanted to pat his head, like he so often did for her, and tell him that it would all be okay and he had no need to worry like he did. But of course that would be a lie and Sakura didn't tell lies, couldn't tell lies.
His other arm was draped protectively over Angel, nestled up to Brother with his head resting on his chest. He too slept, but his dreams were growing more restless and difficult to ignore, troubling him frequently now. His disguise had begun to weaken and slip. So many nights Sakura would curl up next to them and watch him, remembering how beautiful he looked when she first saw him and wishing that he would remember her too. The secrets dividing Angel and Brother went deep though, in spite of how tightly they clung to one another in sleep and how passionately they had made love earlier. Secrets like everywhere else, just biding their time until they dissolved and showed the truth for what it really was.
Their time would come.
She turned away from their bunk and opened the one across from it. Hope was more tired than any of them and lay fast asleep on his side, the hard muscles in his arms more relaxed in his slumber. She had asked too much of him, today, begging him to rescue Brother after invading his mind like that. But then, she hadn't known he would see it so well, and she still didn't know why. The experience had truly terrified him, and Sakura felt badly about that.
She didn't know why he could feel her thoughts, either, or how his magic combined with hers. Hope's future, too, had gaps in it. Blanks that she couldn't see, particularly where it intertwined with hers. Strange, but interesting, to not know something. He was different somehow, and it sparked her curiosity. His touch and the way that he looked at her made her tingle inexplicably, and it felt good when he was close. This too she did not understand, but she wouldn't question it. He brought a promise of change with him, thus he was Hope, and Hope was beautiful.
**
Something penetrated Li's unconsciousness, a sense of being watched, and his eyes snapped open. Someone was sitting on his bed, and he sat up straight, reaching automatically for his pendant before he remembered the cord had broken and it was on the shelf. But it was only Sakura, her expression unreadable in the shadows as she gazed at him.
"Sakura," he exhaled, and adjusted his position a little to sit more comfortably, scooting a few inches back from her folded legs. He never wore a shirt when he slept, and even though it hadn't been an issue that morning when Tomoyo washed his clothes, here in the close confines of his bed it was a different story altogether. "You scared me."
She shrugged apologetically. "Thank you for today. Saved everyone."
"You're welcome," he said automatically. She didn't say anything else, and made no move to leave his bed. "It's late. You should go to sleep."
"Hate sleep," she snapped, with a fierceness that took him by surprise. Pain flashed through her eyes and she dropped her stare to the sheets. "In sleep the monster comes. Tells me to do things. Hurts me."
Li stiffened and leaned forward. "Who's the monster, Sakura? What does he make you do?"
Stark fear crossed her face and she huddled closer to the sheets with a whimper. She opened her mouth but the words caught in her throat, and her eyes pleaded in mute appeal. How she must want to tell him, but the pain wouldn't allow her. Quickly Li clutched at her hand and squeezed it, offering what comfort he could. How many nights, he wondered, did she have to endure torment in her dreams? How long did she try to stay awake into the night, dreading what sleep might hold for her?
Looking at her, so lonely and afraid under her burden, Li felt the urge to hold on to her forever.
"It's okay," he murmured, "I won't let him hurt you. I'll protect you from the monster."
And then he could hold back no longer but leaned in and kissed her, not forcefully, just pressing his lips gently against hers. It was something he did without thinking, not knowing if she wanted it or not, not knowing what would happen if she didn't want it, merely obeying that desire to claim her as his own.
Sakura pushed up to meet him, never opening her lips, not needing to, simply letting him taste her soft and sweet texture. It felt wonderful. And they did nothing but kiss, for a long, long time.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters