Chapter Nine
It was cold in Karasu's storage hold.
Ayeka shivered, pulling her thin cloak more tightly around her slim body as she huddled against the wall of her makeshift cell, anger and fear alternating in her heart as the ship lurched through deep space. Since the exchange of fire with the ship carrying Sasami, Ayeka had been aware of several other barrages of flame coming from Karasu's cannons, and she feared for the damage the dark ship's forebidding arsenal had already caused.
That her captor was a vile and greedy man, she had already determined. But his obsession with the Juraian gems stuck in her mind for some reason. She frowned, drawing her knees up to her chest as best she could for her bonds.
"Three gems." She muttered. "The Dark Heart of Jurai...but it's just a legend! A legend of Tsunami-sama...the goddess in the Tree of Life. Just a volcanic eruption turned into a fairy story...there are no magic jewels and no goddesses on Jurai. Trees power Jurai's power, not some all powerful woman figure. And even if there were such a thing, how would someone like Haki get to hear about them? Those stories do not leave Jurai...no, he's mad. Driven quite mad! And in his insanity, he's drawn all of us into his delusions!"
Somehow, however, her own words rang false inside her head and she sighed.
"Maybe the gems do exist." She acknowledged to herself. "It's true that I've heard more than one story in the Jurai annals when I was a girl. Jewels from a volcano...is that even possible? Oh, I don't understand this. Ayeka, get a grip. Stop mixing fact with legend and start focusing in on what really matters here - this man is after the Jurai power and he's definitely someone who should not have any part of it!"
She shivered again, closing her eyes as cold air whipped through her thick hair.
"I should never have left Jurai." She muttered. "Sasami was right. I should have stayed. What was I trying to do, anyway? Travel half way across the universe to see a man I can't have? A man who's in love with another woman anyway? I must have been out of my mind. And now I might have gotten my sister hurt as well...not to mention the whole of Jurai in uproar over my whereabouts. Stupid, Ayeka! What kind of Empress will you be if you can't even conduct yourself properly now?"
The evening was drawing in.
Ryoko cast a glance at the luminous dial on the ship's dashboard, frowning as she realised how late it was. Having evaded the Galaxy Police patrols by the skin of their teeth, Kiyone had retired to bed and Mihoshi, who's shift it was to watch the ship's progress, had fallen asleep in her driver's seat half an hour earlier, snoring gently as if she hadn't a care in the world. Ryo Ohki was curled up against the glass, seemingly sleeping as well, but Ryoko was aware of the buzzing activity of the cabbit's brain and she knew that Ryo Ohki was only drowsing, aware in a moment should she pick up the faintest hint of Karasu's vapour trail. She sighed, crossing her legs and hovering a foot or so above the dashboard, running her fingers through her hair.
So she was on the run again. Nothing new about that. Why, then, did this seem so different from the other times?
"Is it because of Haki?" She wondered. "Is it because this time he's involved in what we're doing? Or am I just getting soft for this kind of adventure? Surely not!"
Ryo Ohki seemed to sense her uncertainty, for she raised a head, letting out a soft mew as she cast her mistress a look. Ryoko read the expression in the amber eyes and she sighed, nodding her head.
"You know my line of thought too well for someone who's been parted from me for so long as you have." She said out loud. "Can you detect any trace of Haki's ship, Ryo Ohki?"
The cabbit shook her head, uttering a mournful mew. Ryoko grimaced.
"Believe me, I'm in no hurry to find him either." She admitted. "And you know how I feel about Ayeka. But in the circumstances, my hands were rather tied. It did get us out of there, didn't it? I mean, even if we are running again, we are at least free and flying through space. Right?"
Ryo Ohki did not answer, turning her gaze back to the stars. Ryoko sighed again.
"Are you mad at me for bringing you into this?" She whispered. Ryo Ohki turned back, flicking her ears and leaping from the dashboard onto Ryoko's shoulder. She nuzzled against her mistress's ear, and Ryoko felt comforted by this tiny vote of confidence.
"Well, I'm glad you think so." She muttered. "I wish I did. You know exactly what I'm contemplating, Ryo Ohki...do you think it's a good idea? Or am I playing with things I don't understand myself? Is it too big a gamble? Or are the stakes already high enough that another one won't matter too much?"
Ryo Ohki pawed at Ryoko's ear, licking at her red gem earring, and Ryoko nodded.
"I understand, and I think I agree." She said quietly. "All right. Mihoshi is asleep, but she might wake up and I'd rather nobody else knew about this unless they really had to...it might make things awkward if they knew what was going on. Into the other room, Ryo Ohki. Kiyone is in her quarters and if we shut the door, noone will hear us out there."
Ryo Ohki leapt down off her shoulder, bounding through the hatch into the main bridge of the ship and Ryoko followed at a slower pace, sliding the door shut behind her and sitting herself down on the floor. She held out a hand to the cabbit, then paused, uncertainty in her eyes.
"It was easier when you were spaceship size." She said softly. "I don't want to hurt you, Ryo Ohki. You're pretty much the only friend I have left and I don't want you mad at me too!"
Ryo Ohki's expression became stubborn and she stalked determinedly across the deck, flicking her ears and standing erect in front of her mistress. Ryoko sighed.
"All right, if you say so." she conceded finally. "Hold still, then. This might tickle just a little bit."
She faltered, then gently slid her fingers through Ryo Ohki's throat, into the depths of the small creature's body. Ryo Ohki held herself perfectly still as, slowly and gingerly Ryoko extracted a small, slim black capsule from deep beneath Ryo Ohki's skin, setting it down on the deck. Ryo Ohki let out a hoarse mew, then began to lick herself thoroughly. Ryoko nodded.
"I know. It's creepy for me too." She agreed, turning the capsule over in her hands. "Do you think that Haki has any idea we have these, Ryo Ohki? That two of his precious gemstones aren't even on Jurai at all? Probably not, else he'd have come looking for us instead of Ayeka. Oh well. I guess what's done is done, isn't it?"
She flipped back the catch on the capsule, opening it and glancing at the contents. Two shimmering round red jewels glittered back at her, mesmerising her with their soft red light.
"All this fuss over some lousy gems." She muttered. "Haki couldn't even touch them, Ryo Ohki. Do you think they're as powerful as the stories say?"
Ryo Ohki whimpered, flattening her ears and Ryoko set the capsule down on the floor.
"Part of me should own up to having them, I guess." She acknowledged. "But I'd really rather not have another charge added to the already lengthening list if you know what I mean."
Ryo Ohki let out another whimper, and Ryoko's gaze was drawn to the object the cabbit was staring at, muttering a curse of her own as she watched the two glinting gems lift themselves out of their tiny plastic home, glowing and glittering as they hovered bare inches from her face. Despite herself, Ryoko reached out a curious finger, half expecting to be repulsed back across the bridge as she did so. But as she held out her hand, the nearest gem made a beeline for her, clamping itself to her wrist and glowing with a new blood-red energy. Ryoko stifled the cry of surprise and sudden pain that almost escaped her lips, closing her eyes as the second gemstone followed it's sister's example, fastening itself securely to the pirate's other wrist.
Both gems glowed vibrantly for a moment, then went dark, and Ryoko felt the world swaying around her. She put out a hand to steady herself, blinking as she slowly brought the world back into focus.
Dazedly she glanced down at her wrists.
"What the...?" She muttered. "What was that, Ryo Ohki? Did you know they were going to do that? What do they want with me of all people? These are Juraian gems...aren't they? Or are they something else entirely?"
She tried to slide a nail beneath one of the gems, but it would not budge,and a second wave of dizziness swept through her. She gasped, clinging on to the wall of the bridge as the world righted itself.
"Okay. This is too weird." She muttered. "That's it. If I couldn't tell anyone before, I certainly can't now!"
She glanced down at them one last time, and a glimmer of an idea came into her brain.
"Haki can't touch these." She whispered. "But for some reason, I can. Maybe this isn't such a bad thing after all. Haki's story says the gems are dangerous...but maybe it's not so bad as all that. Maybe they can even help me. If they are strong, well, we need all the help we can get. And if Haki can't touch them, well, it means I have something that he might prove weak against. Perhaps you were right, Ryo Ohki. Perhaps it was time we brought the gemstones out of hiding, after all!"
"You know, Sasami-chan, one thing is definitely for sure."
Tenchi leant up against the trunk of Tsunami's tree, gazing out at the stars as they sped through deep space. "There sure is a lot of the Universe, don't you think?"
"Really?" Sasami's eyes became thoughtful. "I don't think there's enough of it, Tenchi. I'd love to turn a corner round a planet one day and find an area of space that Jurai cartographers haven't mapped out yet. It's so boring, knowing where we are all the time. All these quadrants and sectors and stuff. I want to find something new."
"I see." Tenchi looked amused. "Well, there's more than enough of it for me...more than I'll ever know how to navigate my way around, too. You get to thinking that your world is the planet you live on and the moon, the sun and the stars you can see from it. Now I know that the Earth is just a tiny ball and there are thousands of others just like it...it blows the mind sometimes, just to think of it."
"I suppose it must be like that for you." Sasami nodded her head. "In a way that makes you lucky, Tenchi. It's always an adventure when you travel in space."
"Well, I hated it to begin with." Tenchi admitted, glancing down at the sword that hung loosely from his belt. "It seems that a lot of fighting goes on between spaceships up here and well, it's a long way from home, too. But I'm getting more and more used to it, I think. I actually felt a little trapped, down on the Earth with no spaceship to ride in. I think you girls all corrupted me a whole lot!"
"No, it's just your Jurai blood coming out." Sasami teased. "Next thing we know, Tsunami will be giving you a branch of her tree and you'll have a tree-ship all of your own!"
"My own ship? I don't think so." Tenchi shook his head. "I'm not that Juraian...I haven't a clue how to fly one of these things."
"Oh Tenchi, it's easy." Sasami's eyes twinkled. "Really, it is. And it's not like it's a machine. They're alive too, you know. You can talk to them and explain to them what you want them to do."
"Maybe you can. I'm not really looking to get my learner's permit just yet." Tenchi laughed. "I'll play the passenger a little longer, if you don't mind."
"All right, if you like." Sasami relented, then, "Hey! What's that?"
"What?" Tenchi turned, almost overbalancing. "What do you see, Sasami?"
"I see Yagami! At least, I think it's Yagami. It's a red ship...Tenchi, what do you think? Has Tsunami found Kiyone?"
"It looks like Yagami to me." Tenchi began, then, "And it looks like they're getting ready to fire on us, Sasami! If it is Yagami, they can't know who we are! This is a Jurai ship - they must think we're part of the group hunting them down!"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Yagami's cannon released a warning blast of fire, missing the bow of the ship by a narrow margin. Sasami frowned.
"Well, that's not very friendly." She said with a pout. "Tsunami, can you establish a connection with Yagami for me please? I'm going to tell them that it's rude to fire on your friends, especially when we're coming to help!"
"At least, we hope we are." Tenchi muttered. "If this is as simple as you think it is."
"The Jurai ship is trying to make contact with us." In the Yagami drive room, Kiyone frowned at the flashing button on her control panel, pausing to cast Ryoko a glance. "You really shouldn't have hit the cannon, you know. If they're just passing through space, you could create a situation. And if they're not, well, they're going to get suspicious that a Galaxy Police ship is suddenly taking aim."
"Shoot or be shot." Ryoko shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. "Besides, it was only a warning blast. And I didn't mean to actually do it...I tripped over Ryo Ohki and I hit it a li-i-ttle bit harder than I intended to. I only meant to flare it up. Not actually shoot."
She eyed the flashing contact button suspiciously.
"Are you going to speak to them?"
"I have to, or they'll be doubly suspicious." Kiyone nodded. "You might want to get out of the control room, Ryoko. If it isn't someone looking for us, I don't want to raise any suspicions and your face has been on more space billboards than anyone I know."
"Fine. I'll be in the back." Ryoko rolled her eyes, flickering out of the drive room and leaving Kiyone alone. The detective let out her breath in a rush, then hit the button, waiting as Yagami's communication screen dropped down in front of her.
"This is Yagami." She said slowly. "Galaxy Police Fleet number 89-7345. This is a restricted space zone...please state your identity."
"Kiyone, what are you talking about?" Sasami's face flashed up on the screen. "And why are you firing at us now? Kamadake said you were in trouble with the Galaxy Police again...is Ryoko really with you?"
"Sasami?" Kiyone's eyes almost fell out of her head. "That's your ship we almost managed to blow up?"
"I'm getting good at evading cannon fire." Sasami giggled. "Yep. Is it true, Kiyone? Are you trying to find Ayeka too? They said you busted Ryoko out of prison...is she helping also?"
"You seem to be pretty up to date on things...that can't be good." Kiyone bit her lip. "If it's already beyond the Galaxy Police that Ryoko has escaped and that we've turned traitor again...well, there goes our hopes of passing as a legitimate patrol vessel."
"Is this really a restricted area?"
"Honestly, I haven't had time to check." Kiyone ran her fingers through her thick dark hair. "And I wish I could tell you something about your sister. But right now, we don't know much at all either."
"Tenchi's with me. I thought he could help too...he has Yosho-dono's sword." Sasami said with a grin. "But Azaka and Kamadake want to take my ship back to Jurai. She got hit by that nasty kidnapper's cannons and she took some damage...chasing her through deep space isn't giving her much chance to repair herself and they're worried it will put me in danger. Can Tenchi and I come aboard Yagami with you, Kiyone? I want to help and so does he."
"Tenchi, certainly." Kiyone looked doubtful. "I'm not sure if it would be wise for you to come too, Sasami-chan. Your father must already be out of his mind with worry...when we left Headquarters, noone knew where you were either."
"I'm not a little girl." Sasami pulled a face. "And Father knows I'm safe now. Kamadake spoke to him. So it's all right. Ayeka's my sister, Kiyone. I have more right than anyone to help find her, you know."
Kiyone sighed.
"All right." She said at length. "I'll bring Yagami alongside and establish the connecting walkway. Be careful how you come across...we've had one encounter with angry patrol ships already in the last few hours and I'd rather not have to evade another one."
"Yay!" Sasami's eyes twinkled. "Okay! I'll tell Azaka and Kamadake and then Tenchi and I will be coming to join you, Kiyone!"
"Okay. Just be careful!" Kiyone repeated herself. "Yagami, over and out."
She flicked the screen off, and for a moment she paused, biting on her lip as she considered the situation. Then, slowly, she pulled Yagami into gear, drawing her as close as she dared to the Juraian ship and launching the long, flexible walkway. It latched on to the side of Tsunami with an echoing clang, and Kiyone released the doors, flipping on the auto-pilot and getting to her feet. She sauntered into the body of the ship, pausing as she met the enquiring gazes of her partner and the runaway space pirate. She eyed Ryoko for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders.
"Panic over." She said simply. "The ship is friend, not foe."
"You released the walkway?" Mihoshi ran to the window of the ship. "I thought I heard something go clang! Didn't I say I heard something, Ryoko?"
"Only about five times...I did get the message already." Ryoko said frankly. "Friend? In what sense, friend?"
"That's Sasami's ship." Kiyone responded. "She's coming to join us on board Yagami...her guardians think that she'll be too exposed if she remains on her own vessel, although I really don't think she'll be much safer here. She's hard to argue with though, Sasami."
"True. I guess she's worried about Ayeka." Ryoko rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "So she's coming to join the pack, is she? She's got guts at least, that kid."
"She's not alone, Ryoko." Kiyone said quietly, moving across to the other side of the bridge and pressing the door to open the hatch, admitting the young princess and her companion. "She has someone with her."
"Tenchi?"
Colour drained from Ryoko's face as she took in the man at Sasami's side, and she took a step or two backwards, almost treading on Ryo Ohki in her surprise and sending the cabbit darting for cover beneath a solid steel bench. Tenchi offered her a smile.
"Someone told me that there was an escaped prisoner on board this ship." He said playfully. "Hi, Ryoko. It's been a while since I saw you, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has." Ryoko seemed at a loss for a moment. Then, "You're the last person I expected to see in Deep Space."
"He's come to help Ayeka." Sasami explained, running to hug first the space pirate, then Kiyone and Mihoshi in turn. "And so have I. Hey, where's Ryo Ohki? I have to say hi to her too!"
At the sound of her name, Ryo Ohki let out a mew, poking her head out cautiously from the bench, and Sasami laughed, hurrying to scoop the small creature up.
"Hey there, Ryo Ohki!" She exclaimed. "Did you miss me?"
Ryo Ohki miaowed her affirmation, licking the princess's ear.
Kiyone cast a glance between Ryoko and Tenchi, then raised an eyebrow.
"Mihoshi, we have a ship to pilot." She said decidedly. "Come on. I'll unhook the passageway and we can be on our way. And Ryo Ohki, you'd better come too. We need your nose again, if it's not too tired."
"Can't we run on autopilot for a while, Kiyone?" Mihoshi asked. "I'm a little tired myself."
"Then go take a nap, by all means." Kiyone nodded. "I'll be in the drive room if you need me. Sasami, are you coming to keep Ryo Ohki company?"
"Sure, that'd be fun." Sasami nodded her head. "I've missed her a whole lot, you know."
"I'm sure you have." Kiyone ushered the younger girl into the drive room, pausing to glance back over her shoulder as she moved to shut the door. The awkward silence still hung in the air, and she rolled her eyes, sliding the door closed with a click.
"One place I wouldn't like to be right now. It's colder than the Deep Freeze containment unit in there at the moment and I'm not kidding." She muttered. "Okay, Sasami. Let me fill you in on what I know and what we're trying to do. Then you can tell me what you've discovered and we can resume our search for this black ship Karasu."
"Are you all right, Ryoko?" Tenchi's voice broke the uncomfortable quiet, and Ryoko started, then shrugged her shoulders.
"You know me, Tenchi." She said simply. "I'm always all right. Escaping from the Galaxy Police is something of a trademark of mine. I'm just great."
Tenchi narrowed his gaze.
"I don't understand." He said slowly. "You're mad at me? Why? What did I do to make you mad at me, Ryoko?"
"I'm not mad at you." Ryoko turned away from him, glancing out at the stars. Her heart pounded in her chest and she cursed her lack of composure, wishing that she felt more able to respond in her usual carefree manner. But she didn't feel carefree tonight. In fact, she hadn't felt carefree in a long time. She rubbed her arm absently against her other one, pausing as she felt the hard gem beneath her sleeve. A frown touched her lips, and she dropped her hands to her side. And there was another thing between them. Another secret. Another barrier.
"Well, you don't seem to be speaking to me." Tenchi sounded confused. "So if you're not mad at me, what's the matter with you?"
"I guess I'm tired. It's been a long few days." Ryoko sighed. "I think I'm going to follow Mihoshi's example and take a nap."
"A nap?" Tenchi stared. Ryoko nodded her head.
"Yeah - you know. Sleep. You do still do that on Earth, right?" She asked. This time there was no keeping the edge from her tone and Tenchi's brows knitted together. He crossed the room, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her round to face him. She wrenched her arms away, holding them behind her back.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to get sense out of you...something which is never easy to do!"
"I told you. I'm just tired. Nothing else." Ryoko crossed and uncrossed her fingers. "And what about you? You came to help Ayeka too, huh? It's a long way to come to rescue someone you haven't seen in three years or more...isn't it?"
"Sasami asked me to come and I couldn't exactly say no, not when I realised she was in danger." Tenchi shrugged his shoulders. "And I guess I should have known that somewhere you'd be involved. I'm glad you're not a prisoner any more, Ryoko. I don't like you being locked up."
"It wouldn't have lasted." Ryoko dismissed it with a flick of her fingers, injecting as much nonchalance into her tone as she could muster. "Three of your years is a drop in the ocean for me, Tenchi - I was just biding my time. If Kiyone hadn't dragged me out to help her track down Haki then I would have found my own way out. You can count on that."
"Haki? Who's that?"
"You come to rescue Ayeka and you don't even know the name of the man holding her?" Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "That's smooth."
"The fact she's been kidnapped should be enough to be going along with." Tenchi pursed his lips. "Do you know this guy? Is that why Kiyone brought you into this?"
"We've met." Ryoko nodded. "But I don't really want to discuss that right now, you know. We'll deal with him when we meet him...there's plenty of time enough for that when Ryo Ohki gets a fix on Karasu's vapour trail. And I'll know when they're around too, Tenchi. I guess I have a sixth sense where he's concerned...we'll find Ayeka okay."
"I'm glad you're so sure."
"Of course I'm sure." Ryoko shrugged. "Haki's not so smart as he thinks he is and we'll track him down. That's all you need to know."
"A sixth sense, huh?" Mihoshi's voice from the doorway made both turn and Ryoko glared at her, putting her hands on her hips.
"What are you doing here? Didn't you go to bed already?"
"Yes, but I forgot my tea." Mihoshi grinned, scooping up her mug of green tea. "That's all. I didn't know you had such a connection with this pirate, Ryoko. Were you in love with him? Was that it? Was that how you know him so well?"
Rage flared through Ryoko at this innocent suggestion and she flew across the room, knocking Mihoshi's mug from her hands and sending it careening across the floor. She grabbed the astonished Police Officer by the throat of her uniform, lifting her up into the air.
"What in hell are you talking about, Mihoshi?" She demanded. "Do you always have to be so dumb about everything?"
"Ryoko!" Tenchi protested. Ryoko sent him a look, then tightened her grip on Mihoshi, giving her a short, sharp shake.
"Hey, put me down!" Mihoshi protested. "I'm sorry...it was just an idea. I mean, I have heard that people have a certain psychic sense when they're in love and you know, they can tell when the other person is nearby or in trouble or something like that...so I just wondered if you and Haki were..."
"One more word and I'll throw you the length of this room." Ryoko said darkly. "Do you understand?"
"Ryoko!" Tenchi exclaimed. "Stop this! Mihoshi only asked a question! She didn't know you'd get upset!"
Ryoko pursed her lips. Then she hovered over the seat, dropping Mihoshi down on top of the cushions they had been sitting on earlier that evening. She grimaced at the dazed Police Officer.
"Haki and I were never any kind of item." She said softly, a warning in her golden eyes. "Never. And if you knew him, you'd understand why I didn't like that particular question, Detective Mihoshi."
She turned to Tenchi.
"I'm going to bed." She said briefly. "Guess we'll talk more tomorrow."
And before the bemused young man could respond, she teleported herself out of the bay and into the sleeping quarters, settling down on the uppermost bunk and rolling onto her back. Now she was alone, she couldn't keep up the cold facade and the tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Damn you, Tenchi! Why here and now, when I'm already in enough trouble!" She muttered, clenching her fists and thumping the hard bed below her in her anguish. "How can you chase all the way across the galaxy like that on a whim to rescue Ayeka...without knowing any of the facts? And yet me...I left Earth to protect you and it's fine for you to forget me and leave me in the Galaxy Police's holding pen for all eternity? What's that about? And dammit, why aren't I over this after three years apart? I need to get a grip. If he's here for Ayeka, well, so what. Figures anyway. I knew it was that way and I've kidded myself for long enough. Time to get a grip, and get tough on yourself, Ryoko. Deal with Haki and then disappear back into space legend for a while. Find some old haunts. Get back on track. Tenchi only makes things confused and I know it only too well. Hell, I didn't cry before he started interfering in my life!"
She closed her eyes, the tears still running silently down her cheeks, soaking into the smooth fabric of the pillow. Try as she might, however, she could not get his face out of her head. It burned itself into her mind - he was still the same Tenchi she had met when Ryo Ohki had first tumbled to Earth. He was a little older, his features more defined and more handsome than she remembered, but he was still Tenchi. The same soft brown eyes, the same gentle smile, the same...she pushed the thoughts away with some difficulty, struggling to find her composure.
"I still love you." She whispered. "And you love Ayeka. I must be the biggest fool in the Galaxy, Tenchi, but I'm still going to help you save her. I have to. I just...I wish that just for once things would go my way for a change, that's all! Can't there be at least one story where the Prince doesn't end up with the Princess?"