Chapter Twelve

"I really don't like this place."

Tenchi suppressed a shudder, pausing to glance up at the entrance lighting as they stood outside one of the seediest and most notorious pit stop bars in the whole of the universe. Ryoko cast him a look, then rolled her eyes skywards.

"Listen, I thought you said you wanted to be in on this little jaunt." She said quietly. "Tenchi, Haki is here. Ryo Ohki picked up his vapour trail and this was always one of his favourite haunts. Don't get cold feet now, will you? It's not like I'm going to let you get killed or anything, and besides, you're not exactly helpless yourself. You know how to hold your own in a fight, so don't lose your nerve now!"

"I know. I just don't like the look of this joint, that's all."

"That's the whole point in coming here, though, Tenchi." Ryoko pursed her lips. "Most people don't like the look of it...so police and other officials tend to stay away. If they knew that Yagami was docked here..."

She let her sentence hang, and her meaning was all too clear. Tenchi suppressed another shiver, shaking his head.

"Are you sure we should go all out looking for him?" He asked, as his companion pushed open the door, sauntering nonchalantly into the building. Reluctantly he followed suit, inwardly wishing he hadn't volunteered to come with her. But it had been a chance to speak to her alone, he had reasoned, and either way, it might give him some clue as to what was happening to Ayeka. A glance at the interior of the place soon told him his first hope would be fruitless, however - this was not the kind of place to encourage private conversations in corners.

"I don't know." Ryoko hesitated before she answered. "But it's the only shot we have, really. We can't get aboard Karasu, you know. If Washu is right about his ship - and everything I remember about it suggests she is - Haki would know we were there the second we touched the door. The only way to find out what's going on is to speak to him face to face. And I'm the only one who he might believe is on the level with him - since we've been cohorts before. Now pipe down, and act like a pirate apprentice or something, will you?"

"Apprentice?" Tenchi stared. Ryoko shrugged.

"Well, you can be my lover instead, if you like." She suggested, and there was an edge to her tone that he didn't like. Judging it wisest not to answer, he turned his attention to the surrounding bar area, taking in the gathered customers and the thick cloud of smoke laced with heavy alcohol that drifted lazily around the room. Nobody had taken much notice at their entrance, each bent on their own pursuits, but Ryoko scanned the crowd very cautiously before venturing up to the bar. After a moment of hesitation, Tenchi followed her.

"This is also a haunt for bounty hunters." The pirate explained, as she dropped herself down onto a bar stool, indicating for him to do so also. "And considering how complicated everything already is, I'd rather not have an encounter with Nagi."

"I can see your point." Tenchi's mind flitted back to his brief encounters with Ryoko's enigmatic arch rival and her unique code of honour. "But I don't see her."

"Me either, so that's a good start." Ryoko drummed her fingers on the bar top absently. "But I don't see Haki either, which is less good. Karasu is here...at least, I hope we didn't just miss him."

She banged a fist down on the bar, making Tenchi jump.

"Hey, do we get served in this joint or what?" She exclaimed, flickering lightning from her fingers as she glared at the bartender. "What's taking you so long? Don't you know it's not polite to keep a lady waiting?"

"Ryoko?" The bartender stared at her as if he could not believe his eyes for a moment, then he laughed, reaching across to grab her by the hand. He shook it firmly, not at all intimidated by her show of anger moments before.

"I knew you couldn't be locked up for long...they all said that you'd have dug your way out before the Galaxy Police fools drew breath and it's true, here you are." He said jovially. "Usual, is it? And your friend?"

"Usual." Ryoko nodded her head tersely. "And same for my apprentice. He's got to learn sometime."

She flexed her fingers thoughtfully.

"And I've been about. Don't believe everything you read." She added. "I'm not exactly the cell squatting type, if you follow my drift."

"Word was out that you'd gone soft and settled with some guy down on a remote planet in nowheresville or something." The bartender seemed to know Ryoko's order by heart, for despite the number of complicated steps that seemed to go into mixing the drink, he did not falter in his conversation. "Didn't believe a word of it. Not you, Ryoko."

"Glad you realise it." Ryoko scooped up the drink, dropping a handful of unfamiliar coins down onto the bar top and taking a sip. "And you still make it the exact same way. You're good, Jiro."

She banged her empty glass down on the bar with a thump, flicking her finger towards it, and the bartender nodded his head. Ryoko cast Tenchi a glance, then nudged him hard with her elbow.

"Drink." She told him.

"But..."

"Shut up and do as you're told." Ryoko held up her hand. "Go on. It won't kill you."

Tenchi eyed her doubtfully, but lifted the glass to his lips, taking a sip of the brew. It was strong and strangely sour, and the smell of alcohol almost choked him as he did his best not to spit it back out. Potent, he decided, and not something he should really consume too much of if he wanted a clear head to find Ayeka. Not that that seemed to be bothering his companion, he realised, as she tossed more coin onto the bar, sipping from her third drink already.

This one she seemed to be taking more slowly though, he decided to his relief, as she leant across the bar, resting her chin in her hands.

"I wanted to ask you something." She said slowly.

"Questions?" Jiro looked surprised. "You don't usually come in with those, Ryoko. What's doing?"

"Well, I heard a rumour that Haki was back among the living." Ryoko moulded her features into the most conniving smile Tenchi had ever seen. "And I was curious to know if the rumour is true."

"You know I wouldn't want to be getting involved in something, Ryoko-san."

"No, I know." Ryoko held her hands out to him, palms up in what was obviously a conciliatory gesture. "But you know me, Jiro. And you know that Haki and I flew together for a long time. I thought he died, and now I discover my old raiding partner is still going strong? Of course I want to track him down. Those were good times, you know. Good hauls. Why wouldn't I want to speak to him again?"

"You know Haki, Ryoko. He's not one who likes to be found. He prefers to do the finding, if you know what I mean."

Ryoko stirred a finger absently in her drink, lifting it to her lips and licking the strong amber liquid off the tip. There was something almost sensual in her action, Tenchi thought, and then he squashed the observation thoroughly, embarrassed that his thoughts should go so astray from the matter at hand. He glanced down at his own drink, noticing for the first time that it's vivid hue matched the liquid gold of Ryoko's eyes. Inwardly he cursed himself for having taken a sip of the potent brew. Obviously that was more than enough to send his brain slightly addled.

He sent his companion a sidelong glance at this point, realising with a jolt that she had been flirting with the bartender. It was not the obvious, blatant teasing that she often treated him to, but something else...a side of Ryoko he had not yet seen. Absently he wondered what kind of a life she had led with Haki, and how often her femeninity had got her out of scrapes in the past.

At length, Jiro seemed to weaken under the intense gaze in those amber-gold eyes. He sighed.

"He was here earlier, but I don't know if he still is." He said reluctantly. "But it wasn't me who told you, Ryoko-san. You know how that goes."

"I never even mentioned it to you." Ryoko rewarded the man with a dazzling smile. "And I owe you one. Thank you, Jiro. Maybe there's a bonus in it from the next raid, if you play your cards right."

She winked at him, then grabbed Tenchi by the arm, pulling him away from the bar and across to the other side of the room. A few other drinkers hailed Ryoko as she passed, some with pleasure and others with jibes, and she greeted each of them appropriately, using language at times that almost made Tenchi wince. As she caught his expression, a faint blush touched her cheeks and she looked embarrassed.

"Okay, so it's a rough crowd." She said sheepishly. "You know how it is."

"Sometimes you scare me." Tenchi admitted. "Is this how you are when you're being a pirate, Ryoko?"

"It depends on the mood I'm in." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. She glanced at him, then she shook her head. "Oh, what do you think, Tenchi? I hate these places. Only time I come here is if I'm meeting someone or wanting a drink in braindead company. Most of the time it's me, Ryo Ohki and the galaxy. That's it. I told you. I don't like being around swarms of people. But if you can manipulate those people to get what you want..."

She grinned.

"That can be fun."

"I see." Tenchi pursed his lips. "And when you're on Earth? Do you do that then, too?"

"Sometimes." Ryoko's expression closed up somewhat at this, and Tenchi regretted the question. For a moment, it had almost seemed like she had forgiven him for whatever it was that had made her act so strangely toward him since his arrival on Yagami. And then, with a few short words, he had re-opened the gulf as wide as it was before. He sighed, glancing at his feet. It was going to be a long evening.

"So we should probably scout around, see what we can see." Ryoko's voice broke through his thoughts, and he looked up, nodding his head.

"Yes, I guess so." He agreed. "Although I don't know the man we're looking for."

"I think you would if you saw him." Ryoko bit her lip. "Scary blue eyes, long hair. Cloth across his face from nose to chin. Yes, I don't think you'd miss him easily, even in this crowd."

"Well, if it isn't the little Ryoko."

A smooth voice interrupted their discussion and Tenchi turned, catching sight of the speaker and his heart caught in his throat as he took in the newcomer's appearance. From Ryoko's casual description, there was only one person that this could be. The man was tall - at least a head taller than he was, with a thick tail of dark hair tied loosely over his back. He was dressed casually, but in a style Tenchi had never seen before, and his face was shrouded by a black cloth, revealing only a pair of piercing ice blue eyes. He looked them both up and down slowly, then his gaze turned back to Ryoko.

"I have to say I'm surprised to see you." He said softly. "I thought we ended our acquaintance some galaxies ago, when you left me for dead in the Galaxy Police wreckage."

"I thought you were dead, and good riddance to you too." Ryoko spoke coldly. "I'm not little Ryoko any more, Haki. I'm powerful in my own right, you know. Very powerful, now. You don't want to upset me."

"Bravado was always your favourite trick, Ryoko-chan." There was an unpleasant leer in the man's eyes and despite himself, Tenchi had to fight back the urge to defend his companion. She had told him to keep a low profile, but it was easier said than done. Ryoko seemed unperturbed by his gaze though, merely laughing at his response.

"Bravado, is it?" She said thoughtfully. "Very well. Maybe I came here to fight you, Haki. To find out just who is the most powerful space pirate in the galaxy, after all. Your time is long over, old man. I'm the one they all tell stories about now. Notorious across the galaxy, that's Ryoko. Things have changed a whole lot since we last spoke."

"Ah, I'm sure they have." Haki's gaze drifted to Tenchi, a scrutinous look in his eyes. "I taught you well, after all. And this one? A friend for you, Ryoko?"

He reached out a sallow white finger to nudge Tenchi's shoulder, but Ryoko put her hand up between them.

"You don't touch my apprentice." She said warningly. "He doesn't need help from the likes of you."

Haki seemed amused by this, folding his arms across his chest as he let out a deep throated chuckle.

"You always amuse me, Ryoko." He said at length. "But why are you really here? Did you come to seek me out? I was under the impression you were entertaining the Galaxy Police these days. Am I mistaken?"

"Few cells can hold Ryoko." Tenchi swallowed hard as he heard the swagger enter his friend's tones, remembering the alcohol she had already consumed. Casting her a glance, he worried that she was taking things too far. "No, Haki. You heard wrong. And as for why I'm here? I heard that you were alive. I had to see it for myself...I saw Karasu engulfed in flame. I needed to know either way whether the rumours were true."

"Why?"

Haki's bony finger touched Ryoko's cheek, and despite her bravado, she flinched away from his touch. Tenchi reached out a hand to grab hers reassuringly, then stopped himself. Pirates, he was sure, did not hold hands in public places with their apprentices. Instead he turned his head, glancing around him. Where the bar had been busy, there was now a healthy space between them and the rest of the clientele. Nobody would meet his eye, and he realised that, should anything happen to them at Haki's hands, there would be few willing to come forward as witness.

For the first time he began to realise the true power of this man - the power of incredible fear over those around him.

"Are you afraid of a little competition?" Haki was speaking again, and this time it was Ryoko's laugh that brought Tenchi's attention back to the conversation at hand.

"You'd like that, I suppose." She said contemplatively. "No, not really. There's plenty of space for everyone, and all of that. No, something else caught my attention, Haki. Something interesting. They say you have the Princess of Jurai prisoner aboard Karasu. That you're holding her for ransom and that your asking price is the three Juraian gemstones you were so keen on tracking down all those years ago. Is the rumour true?"

"Why would that information matter to you?" Haki countered. "You've already made it clear that you're no longer my apprentice, Ryoko. What benefit could it be to either of us for me to divulge such information?"

"You could call it friendly interest."

"I don't believe there's any such thing among pirates." Haki shook his head. "No. You have another reason, Ryoko. You were always so bad at lying to me...enough games. I will have the truth from you, as I have done before."

He grabbed her around the wrists, holding her firmly. "Now tell me. What is your interest in the Dark Heart of Jurai and the Princess Ayeka?"

"Let me go!" Ryoko's fingertips crackled with electric energy, and Haki laughed, shaking his head.

"Your magic never really worked on me, did it?" He asked conversationally. "You were always such a runt, Ryoko. Is that the best you can do?"

"I'll show you what I can do." Ryoko snapped back, and a flare of energy shot from her hands, sending up a light wave between her and the pirate. Despite himself Haki stepped back. Tongues of reddish fire licked around the edges of the girl's familiar orange sabre, forcing him to loose his grip on her and fall backwards, only just managing to keep his balance. As quickly as the light had come, it was gone, and Ryoko folded her hands across her chest.

"I told you I wasn't little Ryoko now." She said, in tones like Tenchi had never heard before. "When will you believe me?"

"That wasn't your magic." Haki's eyes narrowed to near slits, and to Tenchi they almost seemed to leap with fire themselves. "What have you done to yourself, Ryoko? What have you turned yourself into, just to win a battle of words with an old space pirate?"

Ryoko did not speak. Instead she held out her wrists to him, her heavy sleeves falling back as she did so. Despite himself, Tenchi gasped as he saw the small pinkish red discs glinting in the bar's dim light.

Haki's expression became one of surprise, then comprehension.

"I see. And all this time I thought it was the Galaxy Police who raided Karasu and who took the gemstones from me. But it was you, Ryoko. You all the time."

"Well, you were stupid not to assume that." Ryoko said glibly, dropping her hands so the sleeves covered the gems once more. "After all, I am a pirate, Haki."

"You've made a dangerous mistake, Ryoko." Haki's voice took on an edge. "You're not powerful enough to control those gems, not in a proper fight. I have spent far too long looking for them and I won't give them up so easily. Give them to me and I will let you live...else I will kill you and your boy here both. You know I speak the truth...give them to me."

"I have a better idea." Ryoko shook her head. She shot Tenchi a look, then, "This sparring is fun, but I didn't really come here to fight with you at all."

"Then why did you? Answer me that."

"I have something you want." Ryoko said quietly. "We both know that you can't touch these gems. Without the Dark Heart of Jurai, you can't access their magic or use them. Maybe even then you won't be able to. But I can. Why is that, do you suppose?"

Haki's eyes became stony, and he did not reply. Ryoko pursed her lips.

"That's why you took me on in the first place, isn't it?" She said, her tones dangerously low. "You knew that I would be able to touch them and you always planned to use me to find the Dark Heart. I don't know how you knew it, but you did...didn't you?"

"Perhaps I did." Haki spread his hands. "Perhaps you would have been useful to me, once."

"What if I wanted to find the Dark Heart of Jurai myself?" Ryoko asked slowly. "What if I was to offer you a partnership - a share in the power these gemstones possess? I can touch them. I can access their power in limited bursts, but with our combined strength the location of the Dark Heart might be revealed to us. We were a team once. Why not again?"

"Ah." Haki was silent for a moment, and Tenchi shot Ryoko a look of surprise. Ryoko met it with a glare that meant, 'shut up', and he bit his lip, obediently remaining silent. Inwardly, though, his mind was whirling. What were the stakes now, he wondered? What was Ryoko trying to do...and how much of what she was saying was the truth?

"Well?" Ryoko pressed, after the silence threatened to go on too long. "Have you lost your taste for bargaining, Haki?"

"Tell me your terms, Space Pirate Ryoko." Haki replied quietly. "What do you really want, in exchange for your life aboard my ship?"

Ryoko was silent for a moment. Then,

"Ayeka."

"The Princess Ayeka?" Haki stared. "What is your interest in her?"

"No interest whatsoever." Ryoko's tones became hard and cold. "In fact, quite the opposite. She and I have crossed paths and swords on more than one occasion. If you want me and the gems aboard Karasu, then you must release Ayeka. I won't travel on a ship anywhere near that woman. It's her or me, Haki. I won't be a part of it."

"I see." Haki's eyes became thoughtful. "And if I killed her instead?"

"You could do that." Ryoko inclined her head in a slight nod. "But then the Galaxy Police and the authorities of Jurai would be after you till the end of time. It's a gamble I don't want a part of. Who knows? Maybe I could find the Dark Heart on my own. It might be safer than being perpetually hunted down for a Princess's murder."

She met his gaze, her golden eyes lacking in all of their usual vivacity.

"Forgive me for not wanting to attend a Juraian execution any time soon." She added.

Haki was silent for a moment, digesting this.

"Your boy?" He asked at length. Ryoko shrugged.

"What of him?" She asked flippantly. "Let him take the prissy Princess back to her planet. Let him tell them to beware what we can do. Ayeka is less useful to you now than I am. You're a smart man, Haki. I have what you want. The decision is yours."

"Very well." Haki nodded his head. "Stay here, Ryoko. I will return."

Once the pirate was out of earshot, Tenchi shot Ryoko an accusing glance.

"What was all that about?" He demanded. "You had those gems all along, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"And what would you have done, if you had known?" Ryoko demanded. "Made me give them up? Give them to you? No, Tenchi. You don't know what you're playing with."

"And you do?"

"As well as I need to."

"You told me that their power was addictive. That once you started meddling, you couldn't let them go." Tenchi hissed. "What have you done to yourself, Ryoko?"

"Nothing." Ryoko let out a hollow laugh. "I understand what's going on here far better than you do, so you'd be better off piping down. You got what you wanted after all, didn't you? Ayeka's freedom."

"If he keeps his word."

"He will." Ryoko nodded. "He wants the gems more than he wants her aboard his ship. I guarantee it, Tenchi. He will release Ayeka and you can take her away from here and back to Yagami."

She cocked her head on one side, eying him thoughtfully.

"That is why you came all the way across the galaxy, isn't it? To rescue Ayeka?"

"Well yes, but..."

"But what, Tenchi?" Ryoko interrupted. "I'm giving you what you wanted. Your princess, sealed and delivered, unharmed."

"But what about you?" Tenchi exclaimed. "He pretty much said that it would be your life, aboard Karasu. That the gems are too powerful - Ryoko, this could kill you!"

"Does it matter if it did?" Ryoko asked softly.

"What kind of a question is that?" Tenchi demanded. "Of course it matters!"

"Like it mattered when I was locked up and alone in a Galaxy Police cell?"

"Ryoko!"

"Same thing as far as I can see." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "Don't worry about me, Tenchi. I can take care of myself and I know Haki. I can handle him and he can't harm me so long as I have the gems. He might be strong, but their magic is stronger."

"And what if it does kill you? What then?"

"Then there'll be one empty cell back at Galaxy Police Headquarters." Ryoko smiled humourlessly. "Shut up already, will you? He'll be back soon and you're meant to be my apprentice. People are beginning to stare, and if he suspects anything, then he won't release Ayeka. Just keep your mouth shut and do as you're told, all right? We came here to find Ayeka and that's what we've done. Anything else, well, you don't need to worry about. I know what I'm up against and I know what I'm doing."

"That's a matter of opinion." Tenchi said darkly. "You hate him. You told me that."

"Yes, I do." Ryoko nodded. "But I also understand him. And who knows? Maybe it's a case of birds of a feather."

She shrugged. "You're a Juraian prince. Ayeka is a Juraian princess. Me, I'm a pirate and so is Haki. Maybe this is the way it's meant to be anyway."

"Ryoko..."

"Shut up. He's coming back."

Tenchi sighed, but fell silent, as the pirate approached them once more. Behind him he dragged Ayeka, bound and chained and struggling with every step. She was dirty and her thick silken hair was tangled and ungroomed, but Tenchi still felt a pang of relief at seeing her unharmed. Then his gaze flitted to Ryoko, taking in the determination on her face. The relief faded in an instant. What exactly had Ryoko bartered for Ayeka's life? And how much of a hold did the gems have on his wild and unpredictable friend?