Disclaimer - Blah Blah Blah... you know which ones aren't mine already.
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Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes
Chapter 13
Knowledge Hurts
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"In the news today, we follow up on yesterday's shocking revelation in the case against the class C criminal known as Mayhem." the newscaster's voice, dripping with practiced charm, started. "Sightings at the hospital where Mayhem was transferred after yesterdays near-execution further confirm that he and Princess Ayeka are in fact good friends." Behind him a picture came up showing Ayeka asleep in the hospital room with Keith.
"How did they?" Ayeka started to ask, blushing a bit, though she sounded more annoyed than embarrassed. Tenchi shushed her. They; Ayeka, Tenchi, Sari, Mihoshi, and Kiyone; were currently making use of Tenchi's assigned guest room to watch the news and figure out a course of action while Washu gave the party's injured and Keith's new-found daughter a check-up back at the hospital.
"As you all probably know by now," the reporter continued, "the most recent murder charges against Mayhem have been proved to be false by Princess Ayeka and Sasami's last second intervention at yesterday's near-execution, and according to the story that was released... he may have in fact saved their lives. What everyone wants to know now is will this be enough to offset the previous murder charges leveled against him? Today we have with us Mr....". Sari hit the mute button on the remote, cutting the reporter off as the screen shifted to show a short, round man sitting beside him.
"Blah, blah, blah." The diminutive blonde said with a disgusted snort. "Fucking vultures."
"Don't complain too hard," Tenchi commented, "those vultures are probably one of the reasons Keith-san is still alive after all."
"Well, he never actually saved any of our lives, not directly anyway," Kiyone mused, "but the rumor should at least make it a bit more difficult for the Royal house to make their case against him."
"Like they really need a legitimate reason to off someone they don't like." Sari groused, sinking further into the plush chair she occupied.
"That's a little harsh." Tenchi observed, wincing a bit at the vehemence in the tiny blonde's voice.
"My parents are not that bad!" Ayeka protested.
"Dammit..." Sari sighed, "sorry about that Ayeka. I'm just a bit pissed at the whole situation is all."
"I am as well." Ayeka agreed with a sigh. "I can however understand my parents position on the matter, no matter how much I may disagree with it. We are simply going to have to prove his innocence in the matter."
"Well we could look at the security tapes." Mihoshi suggested, yawning lazily.
"I almost hate to say it," Kiyone sighed, looking at her partner, who was stretched out on the guest room's plush bed, looking half awake at best, "but that's not a bad idea. I doubt they were checked for signs of tampering. Not given the circumstances behind them."
"I will ask my Mother if she can get those for us." Ayeka volunteered. "She is the head of palace security after all."
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"Well, you're in remarkably good shape everything considered." Washu reported as she looked over the results of the tests she had just run. "You're showing signs of malnourishment, some atrophying of muscle tissue, a minor fever... though that seems to just be a side-effect of your healing process... and the rest of it is withdrawal symptoms from that narcotic the doctors filtered out of your bloodstream when the first got a hold of you."
Keith just nodded, not really trusting himself to talk as another convulsion ran through him. He cursed under his breath as it forced him to curl up on the narrow hospital bed. From a seat to the side, Erin watched with concern.
"So he's gonna be alright?" the young girl asked, her long ears twitching a bit as she gave the diminutive scientist a questioning look. She had been all but frantic when her newfound parent had started convulsing violently shortly after he had given her her new name.
"He'll be fine." Washu confirmed. "And now that I know what to treat, I can help with some of symptoms too." Pulling a small device out of a dimensional pocket, she carefully attached it to the back of his neck, just below his shirts collar.
"What was that?" Keith asked in relief as the convulsions diminished and disappeared.
"A neural filter." Washu explained even as she made a few final adjustments. "It analyses the electric impulses being transmitted along your spinal chord and filters out the ones that are causing those convulsions. It won't help with the rest of the symptoms... you're going to have to deal with them on your own I'm afraid, but at least this way you won't accidentally bite your tongue off in the middle of the night."
"Thanks Doc." Keith said with a grin. "It's appreciated."
"It'd better be." Washu returned with a grin of her own. "Now it's your turn young lady." She added, turning to look at Erin.
"Me?" Erin gulped, "but I feel fine! I'm perfectly healthy!" she protested as Washu stepped closer.
"No one who's less than a year old and as physically mature as you are gets that way without some side effects young lady." Washu lectured. "I need to do a scan of that thick skull of yours and make sure there weren't any developmental issues at the very least."
"But..." she started, looking to Keith for support.
"Sorry kiddo," Keith apologized, getting to his feet, still a bit shaky but much improved, "she's right."
"Fine." She pouted, her ears visibly drooping in defeat.
"I'll be gentle about it." Washu assured the girl. "So if you'll just take off your shirt and lie down on the bed there." She instructed, closing the privacy curtain around the bed.
"Dad?" Erin called from the other side of the flimsy barrier, the word still unfamiliar, but comforting in it's own way.
"Yeah Erin?"
"You're gonna stay right?" she asked, the nervousness she was feeling obviously apparent.
"I'm not going anywhere." Keith assured.
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She floated down the hallway, the huge windows lining it looking out at the night sky, and found herself wishing that she was doing so under her own power. Hell, she'd rather walk the whole way than be stuck in the glorified wheelchair she was strapped into. But orders were orders, and she grudgingly admitted that she wouldn't have made it more than a hundred feet if she'd tried. She was still to damned weak.
Maneuvering the bulky down the cavernous hallway, she finally spotted the door she was looking for. Getting as close to it as she could Ryoko stabbed the doorbell. Doing so she noted with disgust that even her hands were too thin, the bones standing out sharply under the skin. She was eating as much as her stomach and Washu would allow, but she just wasn't putting on weight fast enough for her own tastes. Hell, she thought with a disgusted snort, her breasts were smaller than Ayeka's right now.
"Yes?" a familiar voice asked as the door swung open. "Oh! Ryoko. How're you feeling?" Sasami exclaimed happily.
"Hey Sammy." The former pirate greeted in return, giving the girl a lopsided smile. "I'm doing alright I guess. Is you're sister in?
"I'm afraid not." The young girl apologized. "She and the others are down in Tenchi's room I think."
"So why're you stuck up here all alone then?" Ryoko asked, as bit surprised. "Don't tell me they ditched yah."
"Of course they didn't" Sasami laughed. "I'm just visiting with my Mom is all. Do you want to come in for a while and join us for some after-dinner tea?
"Err..." Ryoko hesitated; wincing a bit in remembrance of the unintentional abuse the overly affectionate woman had visited upon her in the past.
"Don't worry," Sasami assured with a smile, "I'll make sure she behaves herself."
"Alright then." Ryoko allowed, "but I'm holding you to that promise kiddo."
"Ryoko-chan!" the blue haired queen exclaimed happily, getting out of her seat as the girl in question came into the room. "I'm so glad to see you up and about."
"It's good to seen up and about." Ryoko returned with a slightly nervous smile. "Though I wish it was under my own power instead of in this chair."
"I can sympathize." The queen returned with a sympathetic smile, moving one of the chairs around the able out of the way to make room for Ryoko's hover-chair. "I was stuck in one of those for nearly a month once after a training accident. Broke four vertebrae in my lower back."
"Ouch." The ex-pirate responded, wincing at the thought of being stuck in a chair like this for that long. "How'd you cope?"
"Not terribly well I'm afraid." The queen admitted sheepishly. "I was a holy terror for most of the month."
"You weren't that bad mom," Sasami protested, "you were just a bit... stressed."
"Thank you Sasami, but threatening to throw your father off the palace roof because he put the wrong kind of jam on my morning toast is a bit more than just stressed." The older woman responded with a chuckle.
"Well..." Sasami began to protest, but changed her mind, turning to Ryoko instead. "How do you want your tea Ryoko?"
"Err..." Ryoko's brow furrowed as she thought about that. She hadn't had any tea since Washu had restored her sense of taste, so she wasn't even sure what the stuff tasted like. Before she had just dumped as much sugar into it as the tea could dissolve because she like the sugar rush, but she wasn't sure how that'd actually taste. "I'll just have it the same way you are Sammy."
"Okay." the little girl nodded, pouring the ex-pirate a cup and adding a spoonful of sugar. "And do you want any cake? It's chocolate." She added with a grin.
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"Well the good news is that you're in pretty good shape for someone with your origins, no true mental controls to speak of, and they did a good job with the speed learning procedures." Washu announced, handing Erin back her shirt and retracting the last of the medical scanners that she had been using. "No major genetic defects, no special dietary requirements... overall you're an excellent blending of your parent's species."
"And the bad news?" Erin asked nervously as she sat up and pulled on her shirt. "No one ever says that unless there's bad news."
"The bad news is that your nervous system, particularly your brain, is noticeably farther behind in it's development than the rest of your body." Washu sighed.
"Which means what?" Keith interjected from the other side of the privacy screen.
"In a practical sense it means Erin here has the body of a 15 year old, and the mind and accompanying nervous system of someone 5 years younger than that." Washu elaborated, pulling back the privacy curtain so Keith could see, before switching her gaze to the girl in front of her. "It's putting a lot of stress on your body and mind Erin. If it weren't for some implants you have to help compensate for it, it probably would have killed you by now. If we don't do anything about it you've got maybe two years left."
"Is... is there any way to...?" Erin's voice trailed off, tears threatening to spill out of her silvery eyes. Keith stepped up beside the bed, wrapping his arms around the girl in a comforting hug, which she accepted after only a moment's hesitation.
"Of course." Washu grinned. "But it's not going to be easy on you... and it's going to take a day or two to implement."
"Hey, it's gotta be better than dying." Erin sniffed.
"So... what exactly are you going to do?" Keith asked, looking at the diminutive scientist curiously.
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"I think I'm going to be sick." Sari gasped, the blood rushing from her face and her eyes going wide. Behind her Ayeka turned away from the monitor, her hand over her mouth as she tried very hard not to throw up.
"Holy..." Kiyone gasped, but managed to resist the urge to look away. Beside her, Mihoshi let out a squeak of surprise and fell out of her chair with a thump.
Tenchi couldn't blame them. The images weren't pretty. Unlike the thankfully few other deaths he had witnessed or caused... this one involved no fancy effects, no fading away into nothingness like Kagato or anything like that. It was brutally simple and gory as all hell, and it had happened so fast he had barely seen how it had been done.
On the screen Keith and Duke Satoshima had been standing across a room from each other. Satoshima had raised his sword and Keith's form had... rippled. Barely a second later Keith's unarmed form was across the thirty feet that had separated him and the Duke, and the Duke's head had literally been ripped from his shoulders. Tenchi was only glad that there had been no audio.
"Is... is it over?" Ayeka asked, still turned towards the door.
"Yeah." Kiyone confirmed, staring at the paused image of Keith's feral form, the dark-furred figure a disturbing red-brown in many places from the Duke's blood. The teal haired detective was having a hard time wrapping her head around the idea that the savage creature she was looking at was the laid-back, kind, goofy, young man she'd dealt with over the past week.
"Fuck." Sari exclaimed softly, "I've heard the story like twenty times... I knew what was gonna fucking happen... but..." the tiny blonde trailed off, shivering a bit at the brutality of what she had just seen.
"Have you ever seen him like that before?" Mihoshi asked, her blue eyes huge and fixated on the screen.
"Just once, some thug was dumb enough to pull a gun on Talia. He took the dumbass's hand off." Sari answered. "He hates it when it happens, says it's like he's looking at the world through a red haze and something else is controlling his body."
"How dangerous is he like that?" Kiyone asked quietly, her police-trained mind trying to figure out how they would stop him if they had to.
"Depends on how much he likes you." Sari shrugged. "If you're close enough to him, like Talia was, he might as well be a big puppy. But even if you're a complete stranger, he's not dangerous unless he thinks you're a threat."
"And if he hates you to begin with?" Ayeka asked.
"All bets are off." The tiny blonde shrugged. "He might just growl at you, he might do what we just saw him do to Satoshima there. In all seriousness, just consider him a wild animal when he's like that."
"How does one go about calming him down, getting him back to normal?" Ayeka asked, leaning over to get a closer look at the bloody figure on the screen.
"Dunno. That was always Talia's area of expertise." Sari sighed. "But as fascinating a subject as this is, weren't we trying to see if the tapes was altered or not?"
"Right." Kiyone muttered and started typing.
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"So you like the cake then Ryoko-chan?" Misaki asked, resisting the urge to laugh as she watched the cyan-haired girl literally lick her plate clean of the chocolate frosting that represented the last remnants of the aforementioned cake. Ryoko immediately stopped, putting the plate down and turning an interesting shade of red as she realized exactly how silly she looked. Too embarrassed to think of something to say she settled for simply nodding.
"I don't think I've ever seen you that enthusiastic about chocolate cake before." Sasami noted, looking at the older girl curiously. "I make it all the time after all."
"Guess I was just hungry." Ryoko answered sheepishly. "My body wants food so bad right now that everything tastes better than it normally does." She lied, not wanting to hurt the little girls feelings by telling her that she had never really tasted any of her cooking other than that bento she'd brought her when they'd all met up again.
"It's alright Ryoko-chan." Misaki reassured, smiling hugely. "If I had your metabolism I'd probably eat one of those cakes on my own every day. Speaking of which... Sasami dear?"
"Yes mommy?"
"Would you run down to the kitchen and ask the cooks to make another one for Ryoko to take back with her for the rest of your friends?"
"Sure." Sasami replied cheerfully, but rolled her eyes when she walked past Ryoko, recognizing a polite attempt at getting her out of the room when she heard one.
The blue haired woman watched her younger daughter leave, then let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair, her face going serious.
"As much as I hate to disrupt this pleasant mood, there are a few things I'd like to ask you about Ryoko." She continued after a few seconds of silence.
"Shoot. But if it's about Keith I really don't know how much I'll be able to help you." The ex-pirate shrugged, glad for the change in subject.
"It is." Misaki sighed. "And the fact that you aren't as close to him as the other girls are is the reason I wanted to talk to you." Ryoko just nodded in understanding, gesturing for the older woman to continue.
"What kind of person would you say he is?"
"A crook." Ryoko answered with a crooked grin. "But a honest one." When the queen just gave her a confused look she continued. "Given any other choice in the matter I doubt he'd be what he is. He's got the talent and the right kind of mind to be a damn good pirate, but he's got the entirely wrong kind of personality."
"I don't understand." The queen admitted.
"He's a softy." Ryoko sighed. "He's just to nice a guy to be a real crook is all. I just don't believe that he's a murderer. And trust me... if anyone knows this crap, I do."
"Well I guess that makes it unanimous." Misaki sighed. "I guess I will just have to accept that I should give the boy a chance. Funaho should be easy enough to convince of the same, but my husband will undoubtedly require every bit of proof that all of you can provide."
"Undoubtedly." Ryoko smirked.
"Just one more question then."
"Go for it."
"Has Ayeka talked to you at all about her relationship with him?" The Cyan haired girl just blinked.
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"So how long is she going to be in there?" Keith asked, tapping on the glass tube encasing Erin.
"Twenty six hours thirty seven minutes." Washu answered in her best doctors voice as she adjusted a few controls on the readout beside the oversized tube. "After that she'll need to spend several days in a medical exoskeleton while she adjusts, and about two months taking the supplements I'll be giving you in just a few minutes."
"So she's going to come out of this thing with her body and nervous systems the same age then?" Keith asked, turning to look at the diminutive redhead beside him.
"That's the idea." Washu confirmed.
"So is she going to come out of there looking pretty much the same or...?"
"She'll look like a ten year old little girl." The redhead smiled. "Personally I think it 'll be good for her. Everyone needs to have a little bit of a childhood at least." Her smile grew a bit melancholy with that, and she shook her head violently to expel the guilty thoughts that tried to take hold as she pictured what Ryoko would have looked like if she'd ever had a chance to be a kid.
"You're probably right about that." Keith agreed. "But I doubt she's going to be all that happy about it at first."
"Probably." Washu laughed. "But that's what daddy's are for."
"Great." The shaggy young man muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Now I want you to get some sleep Keith." Washu ordered, pointing to a bed in the corner of the room. "You are not even remotely close to being finished healing and you've been on your feet all day."
"What time is it exactly?" Keith asked, glancing around for a clock.
"9:30 in the evening."
"Guess I'll take your advice then. Goodnight Washu-chan, and thanks."
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"Yo! Ayeka!" Ryoko called as the regal young woman rounded the corner of the hallway in front of her. "Do yah have a minute?"
"Of course Ryoko" Ayeka replied with a genuine, if slightly distracted smile. "What is it you want to talk about?"
"I was talking to your mom..." Ryoko began, but was interrupted almost immediately by Ayeka's groan of despair.
"Oh Tsunami, she just refuses to leave well enough alone." The purple haired young woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.
"I think that's kinda universal trait shared by all moms." Ryoko laughed.
"I suppose you are correct." Ayeka sighed. "But you were saying? Or perhaps I should ask what she was saying?"
"According to your dear sweet Mother, you and Keith have been getting kinda close this past week or so." Ryoko teased, a wicked grin making her look like the space pirate she still claimed to be. "And if what I smelled on you before was any indication... she was telling me the truth." The scarlet blush that immediately formed on the princess's cheeks was more than enough of an answer... not that that was going to stop the cyan haired girl from pressing for more details.
"Please tell me you did not tell her about that." Ayeka begged.
"Of course not!" Ryoko exclaimed, feigning shock... though poorly. "I wouldn't have any leverage for getting the juicy stuff outta yah if I did that."
"You... you... Monster woman!"
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"Hold that pose for just a second Keith." Washu instructed, turning around to pick another piece of equipment off the table behind her. Keith rolled his eyes, but did as instructed, holding the awkward position as best he could. His arms held straight out at his sides, his chin against his chest and bent halfway over so the diminutive redhead could properly position various sensor pads on his back, head, arms, and chest.
A good night's rest and a huge, protein-rich breakfast had done wonders, but he was still feeling much to weak for his own taste. That combined with the general restless, itchy, feeling that he was feeling as a result of the linger effects of the drugs were making the process of getting ready for the hearing later that day more of a torture session than it would have been otherwise. Not that there was any point in complaining about it.
"How much longer is this gonna take to set up?" He asked as she attached a pair of electrodes to his forehead with exacting care.
"Just another minute." Washu replied absently, wrapping a band of some type around his upper left arm. "Just be thankful I'm not doing another checkup, I might be tempted to put sensors in much more embarrassing places than I have already." She added teasingly, patting him on his bare chest.
"Hey, sounds like fun." Keith returned, giving the redhead a wink.
"That all depends on the patient." Washu laughed.
"Ahem." Ayeka coughed, glaring at them... well Keith anyway... as she entered the room. "If you two are done flirting, my mother and Lady Funaho would like to know when you will be ready to start?" On the table holding Washu's equipment a sensor began to beep.
"Hold on a second." Washu responded with a frown, holding a finger up to silence any further questions as she picked up the device. After playing with for a few seconds she added, "Could you step out of the room for about 30 seconds and then come back in Ayeka?"
"I suppose..." was the Princess's confused response, but she did as she was told, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her. Washu kept a careful eye on the device in her hand, tapping a few commands into its small control panel. After about ten seconds the device stopped beeping.
"What's up?" Keith asked, watching the small scientist intently.
"Just a minute." Was Washu's absentminded response. When Ayeka came back into the room a few seconds later the redhead grinned hugely, but the device didn't start beeping again.
"What in Tsunami's name was that all about Washu-sa... chan." Ayeka asked, correcting herself at the last second in response to Washu's glare.
"Pheromones." The small woman responded with a grin.
"Pheromones?" Ayeka and Keith chorused.
"Yep." Washu cackled. "Lover boy here started dumping them out at about 4 times his normal levels when you stepped into the room. Threw all my chemically based sensors completely off until I recalibrated them."
"I put out pheromones?" Keith asked, thoroughly confused. "Those little scent molecules used to attract members of the opposite sex? Those pheromones?"
"Of course you do... though it's just a tad more complex of an issue than that." Washu responded, still grinning. "Most humanoid's in the galaxy have them in one form or another. Yours are just a bit more potent than most."
"How potent?" the shaggy youth asked, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach as he watched Ayeka out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh relax." Washu laughed. "They're pretty potent by human or Jurian standards, but they're still barely noticeable. Any effect they have is going to be negligible, at worst they'd act as a mild aphrodisiac."
"So no unnatural powers of seduction then?" Keith asked jokingly, letting out a relieved sigh. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ayeka do the same.
"Well, if we locked you two in a closet or something for a few hours we might have a problem on our hands." Washu responded with a shrug. "But anything short of that and it's not going to do much."
Keith paled.
"I... I think I will wait outside with the others..." Ayeka announced, her face nearly as white as his. With that she turned and fled from the room.
"Was it something I said?" Washu asked as the door slammed shut behind the princesses fleeing form.
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It was all he could do not to resist the urge to turn his small craft back towards Jurai and attempt to kill the mongrel and all his little helpers. If it wasn't for his duty to both his old master and his current master he likely would have stayed behind with a rifle of his own to make sure the job had been finished. But duty and his own honor prevented him from taking the easy, likely suicidal way out. There were still jobs that had to be done, and preparations to be made, and his time as a simple hunter had come to an end.
"Heero?" a heavily scrambled voice chirped from the ships comm. system. "Are you there?"
"Yes, I am here My Lord." The cold blonde man responded formally. Nobody else but his master knew this ship's comm. code after all.
"I see you're attempt at revenge has fallen through." Even as distorted as it was, he could hear the disapproval towards his failure in the other's voice. "But it is a small matter."
"Yes Sire." He replied through gritted teeth.
"Fortunately for you, you have always worked better among the darker elements than you have through normal channels... so you remain useful." the voice mused. "Even more fortunately, your actions have provided us with at least one small opportunity. If it proves truly useful, it will go a ways towards your redemption."
"Thank you my Lord."
"Don't thank me to soon." The voice warned. "The others are still far from happy with your actions, and there is only so much I can do to protect you. I would suggest you do not make any more mistakes Heero... I do not think you would like the cost."
"I understand." Heero replied, thankful that the simple audio signal did not betray his expression.
"I hope that you do. Now report to your new post as soon as you are able and wait there for further orders." Without waiting for confirmation the signal cut out with a snap... after all, he had little choice but to obey. Confirmation was unneeded.
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Mayhem, Chaos, and General Messes
Chapter 13
Knowledge Hurts
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"In the news today, we follow up on yesterday's shocking revelation in the case against the class C criminal known as Mayhem." the newscaster's voice, dripping with practiced charm, started. "Sightings at the hospital where Mayhem was transferred after yesterdays near-execution further confirm that he and Princess Ayeka are in fact good friends." Behind him a picture came up showing Ayeka asleep in the hospital room with Keith.
"How did they?" Ayeka started to ask, blushing a bit, though she sounded more annoyed than embarrassed. Tenchi shushed her. They; Ayeka, Tenchi, Sari, Mihoshi, and Kiyone; were currently making use of Tenchi's assigned guest room to watch the news and figure out a course of action while Washu gave the party's injured and Keith's new-found daughter a check-up back at the hospital.
"As you all probably know by now," the reporter continued, "the most recent murder charges against Mayhem have been proved to be false by Princess Ayeka and Sasami's last second intervention at yesterday's near-execution, and according to the story that was released... he may have in fact saved their lives. What everyone wants to know now is will this be enough to offset the previous murder charges leveled against him? Today we have with us Mr....". Sari hit the mute button on the remote, cutting the reporter off as the screen shifted to show a short, round man sitting beside him.
"Blah, blah, blah." The diminutive blonde said with a disgusted snort. "Fucking vultures."
"Don't complain too hard," Tenchi commented, "those vultures are probably one of the reasons Keith-san is still alive after all."
"Well, he never actually saved any of our lives, not directly anyway," Kiyone mused, "but the rumor should at least make it a bit more difficult for the Royal house to make their case against him."
"Like they really need a legitimate reason to off someone they don't like." Sari groused, sinking further into the plush chair she occupied.
"That's a little harsh." Tenchi observed, wincing a bit at the vehemence in the tiny blonde's voice.
"My parents are not that bad!" Ayeka protested.
"Dammit..." Sari sighed, "sorry about that Ayeka. I'm just a bit pissed at the whole situation is all."
"I am as well." Ayeka agreed with a sigh. "I can however understand my parents position on the matter, no matter how much I may disagree with it. We are simply going to have to prove his innocence in the matter."
"Well we could look at the security tapes." Mihoshi suggested, yawning lazily.
"I almost hate to say it," Kiyone sighed, looking at her partner, who was stretched out on the guest room's plush bed, looking half awake at best, "but that's not a bad idea. I doubt they were checked for signs of tampering. Not given the circumstances behind them."
"I will ask my Mother if she can get those for us." Ayeka volunteered. "She is the head of palace security after all."
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"Well, you're in remarkably good shape everything considered." Washu reported as she looked over the results of the tests she had just run. "You're showing signs of malnourishment, some atrophying of muscle tissue, a minor fever... though that seems to just be a side-effect of your healing process... and the rest of it is withdrawal symptoms from that narcotic the doctors filtered out of your bloodstream when the first got a hold of you."
Keith just nodded, not really trusting himself to talk as another convulsion ran through him. He cursed under his breath as it forced him to curl up on the narrow hospital bed. From a seat to the side, Erin watched with concern.
"So he's gonna be alright?" the young girl asked, her long ears twitching a bit as she gave the diminutive scientist a questioning look. She had been all but frantic when her newfound parent had started convulsing violently shortly after he had given her her new name.
"He'll be fine." Washu confirmed. "And now that I know what to treat, I can help with some of symptoms too." Pulling a small device out of a dimensional pocket, she carefully attached it to the back of his neck, just below his shirts collar.
"What was that?" Keith asked in relief as the convulsions diminished and disappeared.
"A neural filter." Washu explained even as she made a few final adjustments. "It analyses the electric impulses being transmitted along your spinal chord and filters out the ones that are causing those convulsions. It won't help with the rest of the symptoms... you're going to have to deal with them on your own I'm afraid, but at least this way you won't accidentally bite your tongue off in the middle of the night."
"Thanks Doc." Keith said with a grin. "It's appreciated."
"It'd better be." Washu returned with a grin of her own. "Now it's your turn young lady." She added, turning to look at Erin.
"Me?" Erin gulped, "but I feel fine! I'm perfectly healthy!" she protested as Washu stepped closer.
"No one who's less than a year old and as physically mature as you are gets that way without some side effects young lady." Washu lectured. "I need to do a scan of that thick skull of yours and make sure there weren't any developmental issues at the very least."
"But..." she started, looking to Keith for support.
"Sorry kiddo," Keith apologized, getting to his feet, still a bit shaky but much improved, "she's right."
"Fine." She pouted, her ears visibly drooping in defeat.
"I'll be gentle about it." Washu assured the girl. "So if you'll just take off your shirt and lie down on the bed there." She instructed, closing the privacy curtain around the bed.
"Dad?" Erin called from the other side of the flimsy barrier, the word still unfamiliar, but comforting in it's own way.
"Yeah Erin?"
"You're gonna stay right?" she asked, the nervousness she was feeling obviously apparent.
"I'm not going anywhere." Keith assured.
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She floated down the hallway, the huge windows lining it looking out at the night sky, and found herself wishing that she was doing so under her own power. Hell, she'd rather walk the whole way than be stuck in the glorified wheelchair she was strapped into. But orders were orders, and she grudgingly admitted that she wouldn't have made it more than a hundred feet if she'd tried. She was still to damned weak.
Maneuvering the bulky down the cavernous hallway, she finally spotted the door she was looking for. Getting as close to it as she could Ryoko stabbed the doorbell. Doing so she noted with disgust that even her hands were too thin, the bones standing out sharply under the skin. She was eating as much as her stomach and Washu would allow, but she just wasn't putting on weight fast enough for her own tastes. Hell, she thought with a disgusted snort, her breasts were smaller than Ayeka's right now.
"Yes?" a familiar voice asked as the door swung open. "Oh! Ryoko. How're you feeling?" Sasami exclaimed happily.
"Hey Sammy." The former pirate greeted in return, giving the girl a lopsided smile. "I'm doing alright I guess. Is you're sister in?
"I'm afraid not." The young girl apologized. "She and the others are down in Tenchi's room I think."
"So why're you stuck up here all alone then?" Ryoko asked, as bit surprised. "Don't tell me they ditched yah."
"Of course they didn't" Sasami laughed. "I'm just visiting with my Mom is all. Do you want to come in for a while and join us for some after-dinner tea?
"Err..." Ryoko hesitated; wincing a bit in remembrance of the unintentional abuse the overly affectionate woman had visited upon her in the past.
"Don't worry," Sasami assured with a smile, "I'll make sure she behaves herself."
"Alright then." Ryoko allowed, "but I'm holding you to that promise kiddo."
"Ryoko-chan!" the blue haired queen exclaimed happily, getting out of her seat as the girl in question came into the room. "I'm so glad to see you up and about."
"It's good to seen up and about." Ryoko returned with a slightly nervous smile. "Though I wish it was under my own power instead of in this chair."
"I can sympathize." The queen returned with a sympathetic smile, moving one of the chairs around the able out of the way to make room for Ryoko's hover-chair. "I was stuck in one of those for nearly a month once after a training accident. Broke four vertebrae in my lower back."
"Ouch." The ex-pirate responded, wincing at the thought of being stuck in a chair like this for that long. "How'd you cope?"
"Not terribly well I'm afraid." The queen admitted sheepishly. "I was a holy terror for most of the month."
"You weren't that bad mom," Sasami protested, "you were just a bit... stressed."
"Thank you Sasami, but threatening to throw your father off the palace roof because he put the wrong kind of jam on my morning toast is a bit more than just stressed." The older woman responded with a chuckle.
"Well..." Sasami began to protest, but changed her mind, turning to Ryoko instead. "How do you want your tea Ryoko?"
"Err..." Ryoko's brow furrowed as she thought about that. She hadn't had any tea since Washu had restored her sense of taste, so she wasn't even sure what the stuff tasted like. Before she had just dumped as much sugar into it as the tea could dissolve because she like the sugar rush, but she wasn't sure how that'd actually taste. "I'll just have it the same way you are Sammy."
"Okay." the little girl nodded, pouring the ex-pirate a cup and adding a spoonful of sugar. "And do you want any cake? It's chocolate." She added with a grin.
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"Well the good news is that you're in pretty good shape for someone with your origins, no true mental controls to speak of, and they did a good job with the speed learning procedures." Washu announced, handing Erin back her shirt and retracting the last of the medical scanners that she had been using. "No major genetic defects, no special dietary requirements... overall you're an excellent blending of your parent's species."
"And the bad news?" Erin asked nervously as she sat up and pulled on her shirt. "No one ever says that unless there's bad news."
"The bad news is that your nervous system, particularly your brain, is noticeably farther behind in it's development than the rest of your body." Washu sighed.
"Which means what?" Keith interjected from the other side of the privacy screen.
"In a practical sense it means Erin here has the body of a 15 year old, and the mind and accompanying nervous system of someone 5 years younger than that." Washu elaborated, pulling back the privacy curtain so Keith could see, before switching her gaze to the girl in front of her. "It's putting a lot of stress on your body and mind Erin. If it weren't for some implants you have to help compensate for it, it probably would have killed you by now. If we don't do anything about it you've got maybe two years left."
"Is... is there any way to...?" Erin's voice trailed off, tears threatening to spill out of her silvery eyes. Keith stepped up beside the bed, wrapping his arms around the girl in a comforting hug, which she accepted after only a moment's hesitation.
"Of course." Washu grinned. "But it's not going to be easy on you... and it's going to take a day or two to implement."
"Hey, it's gotta be better than dying." Erin sniffed.
"So... what exactly are you going to do?" Keith asked, looking at the diminutive scientist curiously.
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"I think I'm going to be sick." Sari gasped, the blood rushing from her face and her eyes going wide. Behind her Ayeka turned away from the monitor, her hand over her mouth as she tried very hard not to throw up.
"Holy..." Kiyone gasped, but managed to resist the urge to look away. Beside her, Mihoshi let out a squeak of surprise and fell out of her chair with a thump.
Tenchi couldn't blame them. The images weren't pretty. Unlike the thankfully few other deaths he had witnessed or caused... this one involved no fancy effects, no fading away into nothingness like Kagato or anything like that. It was brutally simple and gory as all hell, and it had happened so fast he had barely seen how it had been done.
On the screen Keith and Duke Satoshima had been standing across a room from each other. Satoshima had raised his sword and Keith's form had... rippled. Barely a second later Keith's unarmed form was across the thirty feet that had separated him and the Duke, and the Duke's head had literally been ripped from his shoulders. Tenchi was only glad that there had been no audio.
"Is... is it over?" Ayeka asked, still turned towards the door.
"Yeah." Kiyone confirmed, staring at the paused image of Keith's feral form, the dark-furred figure a disturbing red-brown in many places from the Duke's blood. The teal haired detective was having a hard time wrapping her head around the idea that the savage creature she was looking at was the laid-back, kind, goofy, young man she'd dealt with over the past week.
"Fuck." Sari exclaimed softly, "I've heard the story like twenty times... I knew what was gonna fucking happen... but..." the tiny blonde trailed off, shivering a bit at the brutality of what she had just seen.
"Have you ever seen him like that before?" Mihoshi asked, her blue eyes huge and fixated on the screen.
"Just once, some thug was dumb enough to pull a gun on Talia. He took the dumbass's hand off." Sari answered. "He hates it when it happens, says it's like he's looking at the world through a red haze and something else is controlling his body."
"How dangerous is he like that?" Kiyone asked quietly, her police-trained mind trying to figure out how they would stop him if they had to.
"Depends on how much he likes you." Sari shrugged. "If you're close enough to him, like Talia was, he might as well be a big puppy. But even if you're a complete stranger, he's not dangerous unless he thinks you're a threat."
"And if he hates you to begin with?" Ayeka asked.
"All bets are off." The tiny blonde shrugged. "He might just growl at you, he might do what we just saw him do to Satoshima there. In all seriousness, just consider him a wild animal when he's like that."
"How does one go about calming him down, getting him back to normal?" Ayeka asked, leaning over to get a closer look at the bloody figure on the screen.
"Dunno. That was always Talia's area of expertise." Sari sighed. "But as fascinating a subject as this is, weren't we trying to see if the tapes was altered or not?"
"Right." Kiyone muttered and started typing.
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"So you like the cake then Ryoko-chan?" Misaki asked, resisting the urge to laugh as she watched the cyan-haired girl literally lick her plate clean of the chocolate frosting that represented the last remnants of the aforementioned cake. Ryoko immediately stopped, putting the plate down and turning an interesting shade of red as she realized exactly how silly she looked. Too embarrassed to think of something to say she settled for simply nodding.
"I don't think I've ever seen you that enthusiastic about chocolate cake before." Sasami noted, looking at the older girl curiously. "I make it all the time after all."
"Guess I was just hungry." Ryoko answered sheepishly. "My body wants food so bad right now that everything tastes better than it normally does." She lied, not wanting to hurt the little girls feelings by telling her that she had never really tasted any of her cooking other than that bento she'd brought her when they'd all met up again.
"It's alright Ryoko-chan." Misaki reassured, smiling hugely. "If I had your metabolism I'd probably eat one of those cakes on my own every day. Speaking of which... Sasami dear?"
"Yes mommy?"
"Would you run down to the kitchen and ask the cooks to make another one for Ryoko to take back with her for the rest of your friends?"
"Sure." Sasami replied cheerfully, but rolled her eyes when she walked past Ryoko, recognizing a polite attempt at getting her out of the room when she heard one.
The blue haired woman watched her younger daughter leave, then let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair, her face going serious.
"As much as I hate to disrupt this pleasant mood, there are a few things I'd like to ask you about Ryoko." She continued after a few seconds of silence.
"Shoot. But if it's about Keith I really don't know how much I'll be able to help you." The ex-pirate shrugged, glad for the change in subject.
"It is." Misaki sighed. "And the fact that you aren't as close to him as the other girls are is the reason I wanted to talk to you." Ryoko just nodded in understanding, gesturing for the older woman to continue.
"What kind of person would you say he is?"
"A crook." Ryoko answered with a crooked grin. "But a honest one." When the queen just gave her a confused look she continued. "Given any other choice in the matter I doubt he'd be what he is. He's got the talent and the right kind of mind to be a damn good pirate, but he's got the entirely wrong kind of personality."
"I don't understand." The queen admitted.
"He's a softy." Ryoko sighed. "He's just to nice a guy to be a real crook is all. I just don't believe that he's a murderer. And trust me... if anyone knows this crap, I do."
"Well I guess that makes it unanimous." Misaki sighed. "I guess I will just have to accept that I should give the boy a chance. Funaho should be easy enough to convince of the same, but my husband will undoubtedly require every bit of proof that all of you can provide."
"Undoubtedly." Ryoko smirked.
"Just one more question then."
"Go for it."
"Has Ayeka talked to you at all about her relationship with him?" The Cyan haired girl just blinked.
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"So how long is she going to be in there?" Keith asked, tapping on the glass tube encasing Erin.
"Twenty six hours thirty seven minutes." Washu answered in her best doctors voice as she adjusted a few controls on the readout beside the oversized tube. "After that she'll need to spend several days in a medical exoskeleton while she adjusts, and about two months taking the supplements I'll be giving you in just a few minutes."
"So she's going to come out of this thing with her body and nervous systems the same age then?" Keith asked, turning to look at the diminutive redhead beside him.
"That's the idea." Washu confirmed.
"So is she going to come out of there looking pretty much the same or...?"
"She'll look like a ten year old little girl." The redhead smiled. "Personally I think it 'll be good for her. Everyone needs to have a little bit of a childhood at least." Her smile grew a bit melancholy with that, and she shook her head violently to expel the guilty thoughts that tried to take hold as she pictured what Ryoko would have looked like if she'd ever had a chance to be a kid.
"You're probably right about that." Keith agreed. "But I doubt she's going to be all that happy about it at first."
"Probably." Washu laughed. "But that's what daddy's are for."
"Great." The shaggy young man muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Now I want you to get some sleep Keith." Washu ordered, pointing to a bed in the corner of the room. "You are not even remotely close to being finished healing and you've been on your feet all day."
"What time is it exactly?" Keith asked, glancing around for a clock.
"9:30 in the evening."
"Guess I'll take your advice then. Goodnight Washu-chan, and thanks."
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"Yo! Ayeka!" Ryoko called as the regal young woman rounded the corner of the hallway in front of her. "Do yah have a minute?"
"Of course Ryoko" Ayeka replied with a genuine, if slightly distracted smile. "What is it you want to talk about?"
"I was talking to your mom..." Ryoko began, but was interrupted almost immediately by Ayeka's groan of despair.
"Oh Tsunami, she just refuses to leave well enough alone." The purple haired young woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.
"I think that's kinda universal trait shared by all moms." Ryoko laughed.
"I suppose you are correct." Ayeka sighed. "But you were saying? Or perhaps I should ask what she was saying?"
"According to your dear sweet Mother, you and Keith have been getting kinda close this past week or so." Ryoko teased, a wicked grin making her look like the space pirate she still claimed to be. "And if what I smelled on you before was any indication... she was telling me the truth." The scarlet blush that immediately formed on the princess's cheeks was more than enough of an answer... not that that was going to stop the cyan haired girl from pressing for more details.
"Please tell me you did not tell her about that." Ayeka begged.
"Of course not!" Ryoko exclaimed, feigning shock... though poorly. "I wouldn't have any leverage for getting the juicy stuff outta yah if I did that."
"You... you... Monster woman!"
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"Hold that pose for just a second Keith." Washu instructed, turning around to pick another piece of equipment off the table behind her. Keith rolled his eyes, but did as instructed, holding the awkward position as best he could. His arms held straight out at his sides, his chin against his chest and bent halfway over so the diminutive redhead could properly position various sensor pads on his back, head, arms, and chest.
A good night's rest and a huge, protein-rich breakfast had done wonders, but he was still feeling much to weak for his own taste. That combined with the general restless, itchy, feeling that he was feeling as a result of the linger effects of the drugs were making the process of getting ready for the hearing later that day more of a torture session than it would have been otherwise. Not that there was any point in complaining about it.
"How much longer is this gonna take to set up?" He asked as she attached a pair of electrodes to his forehead with exacting care.
"Just another minute." Washu replied absently, wrapping a band of some type around his upper left arm. "Just be thankful I'm not doing another checkup, I might be tempted to put sensors in much more embarrassing places than I have already." She added teasingly, patting him on his bare chest.
"Hey, sounds like fun." Keith returned, giving the redhead a wink.
"That all depends on the patient." Washu laughed.
"Ahem." Ayeka coughed, glaring at them... well Keith anyway... as she entered the room. "If you two are done flirting, my mother and Lady Funaho would like to know when you will be ready to start?" On the table holding Washu's equipment a sensor began to beep.
"Hold on a second." Washu responded with a frown, holding a finger up to silence any further questions as she picked up the device. After playing with for a few seconds she added, "Could you step out of the room for about 30 seconds and then come back in Ayeka?"
"I suppose..." was the Princess's confused response, but she did as she was told, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind her. Washu kept a careful eye on the device in her hand, tapping a few commands into its small control panel. After about ten seconds the device stopped beeping.
"What's up?" Keith asked, watching the small scientist intently.
"Just a minute." Was Washu's absentminded response. When Ayeka came back into the room a few seconds later the redhead grinned hugely, but the device didn't start beeping again.
"What in Tsunami's name was that all about Washu-sa... chan." Ayeka asked, correcting herself at the last second in response to Washu's glare.
"Pheromones." The small woman responded with a grin.
"Pheromones?" Ayeka and Keith chorused.
"Yep." Washu cackled. "Lover boy here started dumping them out at about 4 times his normal levels when you stepped into the room. Threw all my chemically based sensors completely off until I recalibrated them."
"I put out pheromones?" Keith asked, thoroughly confused. "Those little scent molecules used to attract members of the opposite sex? Those pheromones?"
"Of course you do... though it's just a tad more complex of an issue than that." Washu responded, still grinning. "Most humanoid's in the galaxy have them in one form or another. Yours are just a bit more potent than most."
"How potent?" the shaggy youth asked, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach as he watched Ayeka out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh relax." Washu laughed. "They're pretty potent by human or Jurian standards, but they're still barely noticeable. Any effect they have is going to be negligible, at worst they'd act as a mild aphrodisiac."
"So no unnatural powers of seduction then?" Keith asked jokingly, letting out a relieved sigh. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ayeka do the same.
"Well, if we locked you two in a closet or something for a few hours we might have a problem on our hands." Washu responded with a shrug. "But anything short of that and it's not going to do much."
Keith paled.
"I... I think I will wait outside with the others..." Ayeka announced, her face nearly as white as his. With that she turned and fled from the room.
"Was it something I said?" Washu asked as the door slammed shut behind the princesses fleeing form.
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It was all he could do not to resist the urge to turn his small craft back towards Jurai and attempt to kill the mongrel and all his little helpers. If it wasn't for his duty to both his old master and his current master he likely would have stayed behind with a rifle of his own to make sure the job had been finished. But duty and his own honor prevented him from taking the easy, likely suicidal way out. There were still jobs that had to be done, and preparations to be made, and his time as a simple hunter had come to an end.
"Heero?" a heavily scrambled voice chirped from the ships comm. system. "Are you there?"
"Yes, I am here My Lord." The cold blonde man responded formally. Nobody else but his master knew this ship's comm. code after all.
"I see you're attempt at revenge has fallen through." Even as distorted as it was, he could hear the disapproval towards his failure in the other's voice. "But it is a small matter."
"Yes Sire." He replied through gritted teeth.
"Fortunately for you, you have always worked better among the darker elements than you have through normal channels... so you remain useful." the voice mused. "Even more fortunately, your actions have provided us with at least one small opportunity. If it proves truly useful, it will go a ways towards your redemption."
"Thank you my Lord."
"Don't thank me to soon." The voice warned. "The others are still far from happy with your actions, and there is only so much I can do to protect you. I would suggest you do not make any more mistakes Heero... I do not think you would like the cost."
"I understand." Heero replied, thankful that the simple audio signal did not betray his expression.
"I hope that you do. Now report to your new post as soon as you are able and wait there for further orders." Without waiting for confirmation the signal cut out with a snap... after all, he had little choice but to obey. Confirmation was unneeded.