Ms. Selly owns Fire Blossom, Frank, Annabellina, and Lynx. Nyneve owns Saxen Maverick and Moksha.

Chapter 21:

Peace. Memory. Falling.

The pen scratched against the surface of the little book's paper in a soft quick rhythm. Saxen paused every few seconds to look at the map on the wall of her cabin, then resumed writing. Moksha, who had moments before been guarding her from the corner, suddenly leapt up and bounded happily to the door where Effie stood smiling.

"Hey Saxie," she said, walking in.

Maverick closed the book and stowed it in her desk. "Was there something you needed?"

The girl shook her head. "Just your honorable presence. Will you oblige me?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What is this about?"

Effie grabbed her arm. "Come on. We decided the girl's are having a party in the women's bath. No boys allowed. You gotta come!"

"That's really quite all right—"

Frowning, Fire Blossom poked her in the chest. "No you don't. All you've been doing lately is locking yourself up in here with that book of yours. Time to be social now!" She smiled. "It'll do you some good, Sax."

Sighing, the bounty hunter nodded. "Perhaps…just for a while."

"There we go! Now we can talk Miyu into it too. She's almost as quiet as you are. No fun at all."

Saxen grinned slightly. "Well, you must admit. Being the same species as Dru…it's enough to make anyone a recluse."

"You're mean Saxie."
"Don't call me that."

The two made their way to Miyu's cabin. Pulling free of Effie's surprisingly strong grasp, Saxen knocked on the door. It opened, revealing a foreboding-looking Larva standing in the middle of the room, his mask back in place. The bounty hunter nodded respectfully to him. "Hello, Larva."

"Hello."

Effie looked quizzically at the two, then brushed past Saxen into the middle of the room. "Hey Larva, where's Miyu?"

"She is resting at the moment."

"Would it be all right if we were to wake her?" Maverick asked, looking back at the tall demon.

"No. She asked not to be distur—"

It was at that point that Effie reappeared with her arm around a rather dazed and confused Miyu. She appeared cheerful though, and paid no attention to the murderous glare the vampire's servant was giving her at the moment. Saxen shrugged apologetically.

"Okay, we got her. Now let's see…Tabby's down there already, and Dru said she was on her way…okay, that's everyone! See you later Larva!"

Gradually, Miyu seemed to wake up as they walked down the corridor to the women's bath. She didn't speak, and she didn't appear as upset at Effie as Larva had been. In fact, she even seemed to like the idea of the five women of the Tsunami taking a relaxing bath together.

They entered a dark, warm room lit by sconces in the wall. Wooden stalls lined the far wall near the door. Each girl entered one. When Effie emerged, she was wearing a sleek crimson one-piece that nicely complemented the highlights in her hair. Saxen and Miyu, on the other hand, were clothed in tightly wrapped towels. Brown for Saxen, white for Miyu.

When they entered the actual bath itself, they saw the blond head of Tabby far across the pool. It was easily twenty feet across, and steam rose steadily out of it. An artificial garden was off to one side, as was a pair of cushioned benches and a low coffee table.

"All right Eff! You got 'em to come! You go girl!" Tabby grinned. She wore a tight black string bikini that covered up the essentials, but not much else.

But as the girls sank into the water, Dru walked in. She had not bothered with either a towel or a swimsuit, and stood completely naked, with only her long dark hair hanging down over her.

Tabby and Fire Blossom gawked for the few moments until the vampire silently slid beneath the steam, but Saxen and Miyu seemed not to notice at all.

"Dru…um…don't you want a suit or anything?"

"What for, dear heart? You said there would be only girls. And only girls we are, with girls' bodies. Little sister and the she-wolf understand, yes?"

Saxen shrugged. "We all bathed in the river where I come from."

Miyu nodded in agreement. "When I was younger, my mother and I would go to the bath in our village together."

"Weird. But then again, I guess us good ole American girls are the weirdos, huh?" Tabby asked.

Effie looked at Saxen. "There are rivers on Gagan?"

She nodded. "Yes. Several. One of the largest ran outside the city where I lived as a child."

"Cool. All I ever did was take showers. Though I must admit," Tabby looked around. "Washu did a damn fine job on this place. I wonder if the guys have a hangout like this. You should ask Duo next time you guys decide to make out, Effie."

"Okay, I—WHAT?" Effie cried as she looked at the giggling blond. "HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

"We all know, vixen. You and the sweet dark knight, bound by love and soft lamb's wool," Dru replied.

She looked at Saxen. "Did you know?"

"Of course I knew. You two have been at it ever since you first saw each other. Even Miyu could tell."

"The way you look at each other is your main giveaway," the younger vampire explained.

Fire Blossom huffed. "Well…what about you and Van Helsing?"

"What about us?"

An evil glint flickered in Effie's eye. "You like him."

"He is a good ally."

"With deeeeeeee-licious pecs, might I add. And manly stubble," Tabby giggled.

Saxen raised an eyebrow. "And you think that's what I look for in a man."

"Well, what do you look for?"

She paused, then crossed her arms in front of her chest. "That's not really your business."

There was an awkward silence for a while before Dru spoke up. "You love him."

"I do not!" Saxen snapped, splashing warm water at the vampire.

Dru smiled and splashed back. Tabby laughed and splashed at Saxen too, and a few seconds later, Effie joined in. Even Miyu got in and came to Saxen rescue, sending little waves back at the other three. And that was how the rest of the time passed, with little accusations of love and little waves of water and little storms of feminine laughter.

Later on that night after most of the passengers had gone to bed, Effie wandered down to the galley in search of a midnight snack. What she found was Saxen and Moksha and the sweet scent of spices brewing in a pot on the stove.

The bounty hunter looked up. "Oh, you're still awake."

"Yeah. I'm hungry. Thought I'd come raid this place. What are you doing up?"

"We're always up this late. But after the chai is finished, I'm planning on going to bed."

"Ah, I see…can I sit up with you for a while?" Effie asked, pulling a box of cookies out of the cupboard and dumping them onto a large plate.

"Be my guest," Saxen answered, taking a cookie from the plate.

Effie sat, and there was another awkward silence, not unlike the one they had felt in the bath. Then Maverick looked up at her.

"I had fun today, Effie. I'd like to thank you," she said.

The hitchhiker smiled. "You're welcome. You should do it more often."

"I do. I just get my fulfillment other ways," she explained. "Training, praying, things like that."

"What about that book of yours? Is it your journal?" Effie asked.

"Something like that," Maverick smiled slightly. Taking another cookie and placing it before Moksha, she stood up and walked to the pot of chai.

"Hey, could I have some of that?"

Saxen looked back at Effie for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, of course." She poured two cups and walked back to the table.

Gripping the warm cup for a moment, letting it chase away the cold of the galley, Fire Blossom took a slow sip. It was spicy and hot, but after she swallowed it left a calm feeling inside her.

"It's very good," she commented.

"Yes. It's Sitari chai, made with spices grown on the plantations outside of the city where I grew up. It's the very best chai on Gagan," Saxen explained.

"I believe it. Not that I've had any other chai from Gagan, or anything," Effie took another sip. "So you're from a place called Sitari?"

Maverick nodded. "It's not the largest city on Gagan, but it is one of the oldest. It lies on the equator, so it's always very hot there. The plantations have special irrigation systems so that the spice plants can grow." She paused for a moment, then continued. "I worked on one from about the time I was eight or nine until I was fourteen."

"Really? What about school?"

"I never went to school. Everything I know now I learned from my Aditya, Algonkian. But this was before I met him," she explained.

Effie tilted her head curiously. "What was it like, working on the plantations?"

"Hot. It paid well enough so that I could afford to board at the Temple of Vyasa in Sitari. Usually it's free if you're going to school there, but my family was poor and we couldn't afford tuition I would need. So I decided to take a job in order to pay for the food and a bed. But the work was hard. At the beginning, I worked outside in the hot sun all day, picking the tea leaves from the plants." She smiled slightly. "The leaves secreted an oil that smelled like the chai. So much of it soaked into my hands that I've never been able to wash the scent off."

Saxen held out her hand to Effie, who cautiously sniffed the backs of her fingers. Sure enough, the spicy-sweet scent clung to her like some kind of strange perfume.

"When I was older, they put me in the boiling houses. That was even worse than the fields. It was dark, but it was even hotter. It was crowded too, and we couldn't breathe. If you were lucky, you'd get to work near the doorway so that every now and then you would get a breeze," she went on.

Fire Blossom looked at her quietly. "It sounds awful," she murmured.

Saxen nodded. "It was, I won't lie about that. Only a step above slavery. But," she stood up and stretched. "I eventually left, and I try not to think about it very often."

"That's a good idea. But now you've got me thinking about it. Great way to kill my mojo, Saxie," she smirked.

Maverick smiled back. "Sorry I mentioned anything. But I'm going to bed now. I think Moksha will keep you company for a while yet though." She looked at the wolf, who was sitting next to Effie with his ears perked up, as though he too had been listening to her story.

"It's okay. I'm pretty tired too. We'll have a slumber party some other time, okay Moksha?" Effie giggled, patting him on the head.

He tilted his head in response, then stood up and walked to Saxen.

The bounty hunter started out the door, then paused and turned back. "You're a good friend, you know that, Effie? I haven't had the opportunity to make many, but I'm glad you and I can be friends."

Fire Blossom grinned. "Me too, Sax. Me too."

The bounty hunter raised an eyebrow. "In the name of Mother Vyasa, Effie, don't call me that."

The passenger-crew of the Tsunami awoke in the early hours of the morning. The ship had suddenly jerked unsteadily and then lurched in a forward direction. Saxen, who'd had more experience piloting it than anyone else, recognized it as a dimension jump. But what didn't make sense was that no one had initialized it.

She dashed down the corridor to the staircase that led to the bridge, Moksha at her heels. A moment later, she noticed that both Van Helsing and Tabby had joined her.

"What's going on?" the blond asked, looking over at her.

"I think Washu sent us to another dimension, but I'm not sure," Saxen answered.

"Where are the others?" Van Helsing glanced back.

"Probably still sleeping."

But when they entered the bridge, the lone silhouette of Dru appeared in front of a swollen sapphire Earth.

"Whoa…" Tabby murmured, taking a step forward. Her bare foot suddenly nudged against something large and soft. Squealing in surprise, she looked down to see Jack sleeping on the floor of the bridge. Rolling her eyes, she kicked him out of the way.

"Drusilla? What's going on?" Van Helsing asked.

A slow smile spread across the vampire's face. "I'm watching the Earth rise. It's very beautiful, yes Jack?"

"Mmph? What's that m'dear?" Jack yawned and sat up.

"Why is Jack sleeping in the bridge? And what are you guys all doing here?" Effie asked, padding into the bridge in her fluffy purple slippers. She was dragging a sleepy Duo behind her, his braid messy and his eyes half-closed. Following the pair was a suspiciously alert-looking Lynx.

"We're in another dimension," Saxen explained. "You know what this means…"

Effie groaned. "But it's like…2:00 AM! Washu can't seriously expect us too—"

"Oh yes she can," Tabby said. She pointed out the window to several flashes of light a few miles ahead of them towards the Earth. "I heard the story about how you guys got Duo. Who's ready for the sequel?"

"You have got to be kidding me," Maverick groaned, sinking down into the pilot's seat. She rubbed her temples for a moment, then motioned for everyone to take a seat. As they did, she opened the thrusters and sent them into the battle.

It was another fight between mobile suits, but there were also one or two large battleships hidden back in the ranks. Luckily, no one seemed to notice them. Yet, anyways.

"So…where's the newest member of the club?" Lynx asked.

"There," Miyu answered. He jumped; no one had seen either the younger vampire or her shadowy partner enter. But now, she was pointing out the window at a bright white mobile suit.

"That one? You're sure?" Van Helsing asked.

She nodded. "I can see him; his aura. He's only a boy, younger than any of us. Driven by a need to defend people…the God of Protection."

"I see," Saxen said grimly, then looked at Duo. "Are you going to help me with this?"

"Wha?" he blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?":

"We saved Deathscythe. It's in the hangar with the Ravana," she explained. "Are you going to help me take him down?"
"I guess…"

"Okay," she looked at the others as she slipped into "command" mode. "Van Helsing, please take care of the evasion again. Effie and Miyu, I need both of you to work the communication lines for Duo and myself. Lynx, keep an eye on our power levels. Tabby, can you shoot anyone who tries to attack the Tsunami down?"

"Sure can. They trained me for this sort of thing at school," she grinned playfully. "But what about Dru and Jack?"

"Keep them out of the way," she said, then touched Moksha on the shoulder gently before motioning to Duo.

Moments later, the Tsunami's hangar opened and the Ravana and the Gundam shot out like a pair of bullets and mixed into the fray. They were fighting their way towards the while mobile suit, when suddenly a beam brushed past Deathscythe, missing by only a few feet.

"Duo, are you all right?" Saxen asked.

"Yeah…" the pilot turned to look at what it was that had shot at him and saw it was a large black battleship easily the size of the Tsunami (though he was sure it lacked the interdimensional space of Washu's creation).

"Shit…" he cursed. "Effie, tell Tabby to keep that thing off us! The white one too!"

"Got it," Effie answered from the bridge, then looked at Tabby worriedly. "Try not to kill anyone, okay? Just keep them off."

"Sure sweetheart. Whatever you say," Tabby answered, still grinning somewhat evilly.

Meanwhile, Saxen had reached the white mobile suit and was now locked in close combat with it. She grunted as the Ravana thrust sideways to avoid another high-intensity beam. Miyu had said the pilot was younger than any of them. But he was easily as talented as either Duo or herself.

However, this pilot clearly did not have the experience either of the other pilots had. She continued moving at an angle to the mobile suit and allowed Duo to come in and slice at it with his beam scythe. The white suit managed to raise its shield just in time.

It was at that moment that Saxen realized just how close to the Earth's gravitational field the battle actually was, and a shiver ran down her spine. It was like fighting on the edge of a cliff. If she went much farther, she would be pulled in. And the Ravana was not nearly powerful enough to get her out.

Setting her jaw, she jetted forward, pointed her gun, and managed to shoot the white mobile suit in the shoulder while it was still busy fighting off Duo. But then time seemed to stop for a moment as the white suit turned and focused on her. Even though she didn't see the pilot's face, she felt his eyes on her, and it froze her. In the blink of an eye, it charged her, and she just barely managed to move out of the way. Narrowing her eyes, she fired again, but missed severely, hitting the large white battleship instead.

Duo intervened then, delivering a blow to the white suit from the side. "Saxen, be careful with the guy…I think he's done screwing around."

"I think so too…" she answered. Her eyes widened then as the battleship, not the mobile suit, opened fire on her. She tried to move out of the way, but the mobile suit was now blocking her escape. With nowhere to go, she braced herself as the impact sent the Ravana flying backwards.

"Saxen!" Effie yelled over the communication link.

"I'm fine!" the bounty hunter answered. "Duo, shoot that guy down now! Then get the hell out of here! I…oh hell no…"

"Saxen!" Miyu yelled.

Lynx's sharp eyes widened as he looked up from the screen in front of him. "She's in the gravitational pull!"

"Shoot him down Duo! Tabby! SHOOT HIM DOWN!" Saxen screamed again.

The line went dead.

"Saxen!" Effie cried out again. "Duo, do something!"

The pilot could only grit his teeth as he jetted towards the white mobile suit. Tabby suddenly got the message and nodded to Van Helsing, who moved the ship closer in. They were doing the exact same thing to the white mobile suit that the other battleship had done to Saxen. Tabby fired, and Duo closed in. The white mobile suit was blasted into the gravitational pull, falling several thousand feet in the same path Saxen had taken only moments before.

"Got him," Tabby smiled weakly. But it wasn't over yet.

"Duo, come on! We've got to go before they come after us!" Miyu cried. Duo got the message and jetted back after them, fighting any mobile suit that came near and dodging the fire coming at him. And the entire time, he was following the little yellow dot on his screen that marked Saxen's fall to Earth.

It disappeared as soon as he made it back to the Tsunami.

The bridge was silent. Everyone was either staring out the window in the direction Saxen had fallen, or at the radar from which the Ravana's signal had disappeared.

"Where is she?" Effie whispered. She looked from Duo, to Lynx, then back out the windows. "She's okay, right?"

"Effie…"

But the wasn't listening. Grabbing for the microphone, she sent out another signal frantic signal to the Ravana.

"Sax? Saxie? Hey, can you hear me? Please answer. Saxen?"

"Effie, stop. It's too late. She's gone," Duo said, putting an arm around her.

"No!" she shoved him off. "No! She's fine! She said she was fine! She just got pulled in…"

"Effie, if she hasn't crashed already, she will soon. I don't think her machine is capable of making a landing after falling so fast," Lynx answered.

"No! We have to go find her! Come on you guys!" she looked pleadingly at Van Helsing. "Van! Come on, you can pilot this thing, right? Get us down there so we can find her!"

The hunter looked back at her helplessly. "I'm sorry, Effie. I don't think I can drive this thing long distances."

"Tabby then! Heck, even Jack or Dru! We can't just let her d—" she swallowed the word. "We can't just leave her!"

"Effie! Kid, listen to me!" Lynx said, grabbing her shoulders firmly. "We. Can't. Help. Her. She's gone."

"No! No she's not! I won't believe that!"

The tears Fire Blossom had been trying to hold back spilled forward as she turned to face Duo.

"Why didn't you help her? You could have pulled her out!"

"Effie…I'm sorry…" Duo murmured.

"Sorry isn't good enough! Sorry won't bring her back!" she yelled. She raised her hand as if to strike him, but before she could Lynx grabbed a hold of her.

"You need to rest, Effie. Come on," he said gently, lifting her up.

Unable to fight anymore, she collapsed against him in sobs.

Afterwards, Tabby stood slowly. "I didn't think…I didn't think she would really go. I thought…"

She turned away, but they had already seen the sparkle of water in her eyes.

"I'm going to bed," she whispered, then turned and walked out swiftly.

Even Dru and Jack seemed solemn. "Poor girl…she was so strong…" Jack murmured.

Dru said nothing, just took a hold of the pirate's arm and led him from the bridge. Duo stared after them, then looked down when he felt a hand on his arm.

"You did your best, Duo. It was all anyone could ask," Miyu said softly, then she and Larva followed the others.

Duo took one final look at Van Helsing. "I tried to protect her, big guy." He swallowed. "For your sake…I tried to protect her all I could."

Then he too left, and only Van Helsing and Moksha remained, staring out at the wide blue Earth with unshed tears in their wide eyes.