Chapter Eleven
It was almost midnight.
The moon was high on the horizon when Ryoko pushed back her bedcovers, slipping silently out of bed and padding thoughtfully to the window, gazing up at the stars above her. The sky had an oddly goldish tinge to it, she realised, absently trying to remember what kind of planetary atmosphere gave that kind of illusion. She sighed, shaking her head.
"So I still don't know where I am." She said frankly. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is leaving here. If I can get Ryo Ohki up in orbit, I can find out what quadrant we're in and then go from there. I'm good at navigating and there aren't many sectors of space I'm not familiar with. It shouldn't be so very hard to find my way back to..."
She faltered, then allowed herself a rueful smile.
"To the Earth." She said slowly. "God, I am blatant. I don't even know if that's where he's gone - all I do know is that I overheard enough of the broadcast last night to know that Nagi wasn't lying to me. He really has left Jurai. Mind you, Nagi will come find me in seconds, and she'll know where I've gone. I may have to be more creative with my navigation than I thought."
She stifled a yawn.
"But I can't stay here. I can't sleep...I haven't been able to relax since Nagi dropped the news about Tenchi on my head." She admitted to herself, pulling open the battered door of the room's cupboard and rummaging through the contents as quietly as she could as she hunted for something that more resembled outdoor wear. Her injury twinged and stung at the unwelcome movement, but she ignored it, focused wholeheartedly on the task in front of her. She flickered faint tongues of electricity from her fingertips, holding her left hand away from anything that might catch fire as she cast light on the inside of the cupboard.
At first glance it seemed empty, but then, as her gaze drifted to the bottom, she caught sight of reddish fabric and she got carefully down on her knees, reaching in and pulling it out. Sure enough, it was her own battle garment, cleaned of blood and roughly pressed before being dumped out of sight in this dusty hidey-hole. She pursed her lips at the strange contradiction, then shrugged her shoulders.
"It's here. That's what matters." She murmured, changing out of the white gown as quickly and quietly as she could and slipping into the tight fitting costume, wincing as it pulled against her healing skin. For a moment she closed her eyes, gathering her composure together as she fought against the jolts of pain. Then, at length, she stood erect, glancing down at her gloves as she adjusted them more comfortably over her fingers.
"Well, that's a start, I suppose." She muttered. "At least I've something less tight fitting aboard Ryo Ohki. Thank goodness I always keep spares of all my travel outfits...but it's kinda hard to get to them when she's not a spaceship. This one feels like it's been starched in something radioactive. I'll be glad to change."
As she stood there, debating her next move, she felt a burrowing sensation at the back of her mind and she turned in time to see a brownish blur come flying at her, clinging hold of her shoulder with tight, sharp claws and uttering a reproachful, sleepy mew. Ryoko frowned, reaching up to pry the small animal's grip free.
"Ryo Ohki, you need a manicure." She scolded softly. "I don't need more scars to go with the one Kagato gave me."
Ryo Ohki rubbed her nose against Ryoko's gloved hands, letting out a low hiss as she did so. Ryoko frowned.
"What?" She demanded. "I know it smells funny. It feels funny. But I guess it's better than blood and gore, which was how it was the last time I remember seeing it. You shouldn't be so sensitive, Ryo Ohki. We're pirates, remember? Open space and that's about it - or had you forgotten?"
Ryo Ohki wriggled out of her grasp, jumping down onto her pillow and curling herself up. She sent her companion a pointed look, golden eyes glinting in the moonlight. Ryoko shook her head.
"No, I'm not going back to bed." She muttered. "I've had enough of this room and this house. It's giving me claustrophobia and I want out. Don't you want to leave here, Ryo Ohki? After all of our adventures, you can't tell me you like this place? Sure, we may have stayed in worse, but this is associated with Nagi. And that being so, we can't stay here any longer. I won't stay here any longer. I've had enough. It's time to go."
Ryo Ohki shook her head, flicking her ears defiantly, and Ryoko frowned.
"Well, you have two choices." She murmured. "Come with me, or stay here while I go alone. Because I'm deadly serious, Ryo Ohki. I'm leaving here and I'm leaving tonight. Are you going to let me go out there on my own?"
Ryo Ohki sent her a mournful look, uttering a quiet mew. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she leapt reluctantly back up onto her mistress's shoulder, refusing to meet her gaze as she settled herself more comfortably against the pirate's neck. Ryoko was aware of the deep sense of disapproval that echoed around her brain, and despite herself she frowned.
"Stop it. You're not my mother, you're my spaceship." She hissed. "Now come on. Or is it Ken Ohki that you don't want to leave behind, huh? Because don't think I haven't noticed you sneak off from time to time since we've been here. I've seen it, you know. When Nagi was here the other morning - you weren't here, were you? You have to get over him, Ryo Ohki. You know it's just too complicated for you to keep up your interest in a cabbit bonded to a bounty hunter!"
Ryo Ohki flattened her ears, and a mixture of hurt and indignation battered themselves against Ryoko's senses. She sighed.
"All right. I'm sorry." She said reluctantly. "I guess that was a low blow, considering I drag you off after Tenchi all the time, and so far he's scarcely proven a better match for me than Ken Ohki is for you. And I'm sorry this means you'll be parted from him again, Ryo Ohki. But...you don't want to leave me, do you? I mean...you don't want me to leave you here?"
There was a note of uncertainty in her tone as she voiced her last remark, but any doubts she had about her companion's loyalties were soon quelled by the fierce stab of denial that shot through her brain. Ryoko nodded.
"All right." She whispered. "Then I guess we're going for a little walk. At least, we're going to find out where we are and how to leave. And then we'll see where we are at the end of that. Okay?"
From Ryo Ohki's silence, Ryoko realised only too well that it was not at all okay, but she took no notice of the apprehension that radiated from the small cabbit, merely making her way to the door of the bedroom and swinging it open as silently as she could. For the time being, she chose to conserve her energy, aware that even now she only had a limited amount of strength and that force of will alone would not pilot Ryo Ohki out of the space sector.
The house was quiet, and Ryoko presumed that her impromptu host was probably fast asleep. There was no sign of Nagi or Ken Ohki, and Ryoko quickly drew the conclusion that the bounty hunter was probably working - or resting in whichever area of space she called her home. The thought prompted the question of whether Nagi did have a home of her own, or whether she was as aimless in her space venturing as Ryoko was herself, but she dismissed it. Nagi's habits were none of her business or her concern, after all. What mattered to her was leaving this place, and doing so as soon and as quietly as possible.
After a moment getting her bearings, Ryoko finally managed to find a door which led out onto the street, and, after manipulating the lock in her strong grip, she pushed it open, stepping out into the cool night air. Ryo Ohki shivered, curling herself up more tightly, and Ryoko pulled a face.
"It's not that cold." She teased. "Come on, Ryo Ohki! You spend so much time in sub temperatures out in space and you can't take a little bit of a breeze?"
She shut the door firmly behind her, testing it to make sure the lock had snapped back down into place, and then smiled, pleased with her handiwork.
"If Nagi does come back here tonight, she won't suspect anything is amiss." She murmured. "And Kazuki is likely off with the fairies and won't know we're gone until it's too late to catch up with us."
She glanced both ways down the street, weighing up her options, then shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't know which is the best way to go." She admitted. "Ryo Ohki, do you have any ideas? You probably saw more of this than I did when we landed - I don't remember getting here, but if you brought Nagi into this, you must've been a part of the whole deal."
Ryo Ohki let out a sheepish mew of acknowledgement.
"I suppose we should head for the centre of the town, if you know where that is." Ryoko continued. "Find out where we are and if there's anywhere around here we could launch a spaceship from without generating too much suspicion. You'd think they'd see Ken Ohki coming in and out a lot, but noone seems to mind...so there must be somewhere that things like that go on. Strikes me that if Kazuki is a struck off doctor and Nagi spends most of her time putting criminals to death, this probably isn't the most high brow planet in the universe. Hopefully noone will even give us a second glance."
Ryo Ohki shivered again, tightening her grip, and Ryoko frowned.
"Are you afraid?" She whispered. Ryo Ohki rubbed her cheek up against her companion's ear, and a single word echoed through Ryoko's thoughts.
"Danger."
"Danger?" Ryoko frowned. "What kind of danger? Do you see someone coming?"
Ryo Ohki shook her head, and Ryoko's confusion increased.
"Ryo Ohki, if you can't tell me what you mean..."
Ryo Ohki mewed in frustration, batting her paw against Ryoko's ear. A sense of fear and apprehension washed over the pirate, and she knew that her young companion was more than a little unsettled.
"Ryo Ohki, we're pirates. We're not mice." She murmured gently, reaching up to stroke the agitated animal. "I promise I'll look after you. It's what I do, you know that. And I'm not as weak as that Kazuki would have you believe. I can use my powers and if need be, well, I will use them. All right? You needn't worry about anything. It will be just fine. I'll protect the both of us."
Doubt echoed through her thoughts, and Ryoko shook her head.
"Stop worrying." She ordered. "We'll be fine. I promise."
She took one last glance to either side, then made up her mind, turning to the left and making her way slowly along the footpath towards the dim glow in the distance. For a while they walked in silence, Ryoko relishing the freedom and the night air and trying to ignore Ryo Ohki's growing sense of unease as they approached the outskirts of the ramshackle settlement. There were few people out and about on the streets leading into what Ryoko presumed was some kind of a city, but once inside the town walls it was a quite different story, as the sound of voices and vehicles punctuated the quiet night.
Ryoko made her way down the main high street, glancing about her curiously at the well lit venues and shops that flanked the way on each side. Some were shut and bolted, thick bars at the window discouraging anyone from making a quick midnight haul, but many were still open, doing fierce business even though the hour was so late.
"I guess this planet is a nocturnal one, huh Ryo Ohki?" Ryoko mused, pausing to examine her surroundings as she looked for any kind of significant landmark or sign. "I have heard of those before...and if I stop and think about it properly, maybe I can figure out exactly which planet we are on."
She pursed her lips.
"Mind you, you already know which planet we're on, don't you?" She realised. "You must do, because you remember the journey. Really, Ryo Ohki, it would save us both a lot of time if you just told me what you knew."
There was no reply, and Ryoko sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
"All right, then." She said simply. "I guess we keep walking."
As they reached the town square, the density of property grew ever greater, with signs and bright flashing logos in several languages and colours. The general air of the place was run-down and somewhat neglected, and yet it was thriving with life and with people who did not seem to either notice or mind the squalor in which they lived. Ryoko wrinkled up her nose.
"You know, they could at least make an effort to decorate." She muttered. "Do you think everywhere on this planet is as ugly and soul destroying as Kazuki's house, Ryo Ohki? If it is, I feel sorry for the people. What kind of race would choose to live in an area like this?"
Ryo Ohki uttered a soft mew, resting her head on her paws, and Ryo Ohki frowned.
"What did you say?" She asked, stopping as she registered her companion's comments. "A hideout for whom? For people like us? Are we on that remote a planet, that even the Galaxy Police has no jurisdiction here?"
Ryo Ohki made a strange sound, almost like a sigh, and Ryoko sensed agreement flitting across their bond. She frowned.
"Well, that's a good thing. No wonder Nagi chose to bring me here. It makes sense." She acknowledged. "If the Galaxy Police don't come this far out from Headquarters and don't really know what's going on on this planet, then I suppose it's bound to be a haven for all kinds of criminals. But it does mean the Police won't be descending on us any time soon. And that's a good thing, Ryo Ohki. We've been hunted down enough over the past few years."
"Hey, you there!"
A gruff voice made the pirate start and she swung around, frowning as she took in the features of the man who had spoken. He was about ten physical years her senior, hardbitten and brawny, with multiple tattoos spread across his arm in languages Ryoko did not understand. One of his eyes was bloodshot and seemed to stray away from the other as he looked at her, and a shock of dark brown hair fell in a greasy tail down his back. Light stubble covered the lower portion of his face, barely concealing from view two or three nasty looking scars, and gold rings punctured his ear from top to bottom. Ryoko's eyes narrowed, as she instinctively tensed, recognising the visage of a pirate in an instant. She pursed her lips.
"Are you talking to me?"
"That's why I'm moving my mouth, sister." The man approached her slowly, his walk ambling yet somehow full of menace. As he did so, two or three others emerged from sideroads, each one almost as worn and hardened as their companion, and Ryo Ohki let out a mew, pulling herself into a smaller ball as she did so. Ryoko raised her hands.
"That's close enough. Who are you and what do you want?"
"You're a traveller to these parts. Am I right?" The first man spoke again, glancing her over from head to toe as she nodded her head. "I thought so. This isn't a friendly place to be at night, you know. Not the kind of place a woman should be travelling alone, if you catch my drift."
His companions snickered at this, and the first man hawked and spat, folding his hands across his front as he did so. Ryoko's amber eyes became stony and cold.
"I go wherever I please, and I'm not going to let a bunch of thugs like you stop me." She said darkly, light flickering contemplatively across her palms as she stood her ground. Inside her head she was aware of Ryo Ohki's pulsing fear, but she fought to block it off, determined not to back down. "Go handle someone your own speed and leave me alone. You have no idea what you're dealing with."
"Maybe you don't neither, lady." The man sneered, taking another few steps forward and leering at her so closely Ryoko could smell the cheap alcohol on his breath. She grimaced, pulling her head back.
"Ew. Someone needs to floss more often." She muttered. "Get out of my face, will you? Go bother some other girl. I'm too busy to waste time on the likes of you."
"If you're travelling, you must have a spaceship." The man did not seem to be listening to her, as he tilted his head, his glance falling on the scared creature on her shoulder. "If you've got sense, you'll hand over your pass key and tell me where it's docked. Do that and nothing will happen to you. Keep your mouth shut, and well, my friends and I aren't always so gentle. Not even with little ladies like you."
Ryo Ohki seemed to rally herself at this, flicking back her ears and letting out a low, warning hiss. One of the other men laughed.
"Look, the pretty kitty's all upset." He said mockingly, leaning forward and grabbing Ryo Ohki from Ryoko's shoulder, glancing at her then tossing her to the ground. Rage flared up in Ryoko at this and energy blazed from her hands as she took a step or two backwards, sending a barrage of blasts in the man's direction. One of them singed the edge of his jacket and he sprang back, surprise flooding his features.
"I told you, I don't waste my time on idiots like you." Ryoko spat out, trying to ignore the waves of exhaustion and dizziness that threatened to claim her as Ryo Ohki scrambled to her feet, darting back to her mistress's side. "Get out of my way or I'll do you all some real damage. You have no idea who you're talking to."
"So, she thinks she's a tough one, does she?" The first man raised an eyebrow. "Let's show her how tough we can be, shall we, lads?"
"Hold it right there, you fools!"
As Ryoko raised her hands ready to defend herself, a fresh voice joined the altercation and she hesitated, turning in surprise at the sound of familiar tones.
"Kazuki?" She murmured, then, "Am I hallucinating now?"
"What do you want, Doctor?" The first man glared at the newcomer darkly, sarcasm edging his tone. "Afraid we're going to create more under the radar work for you by seeing off one young girl?"
"More likely I'll be re-setting your bones for you, if you carry on this way." Kazuki's gaze flitted to Ryoko, then he frowned, shaking his head. "If I were you, I'd get out of here and do it quickly, before she decides to take offence at your manner and blast you to the edges of the universe. That's the Space Pirate Ryoko you've chosen to attack tonight. I know her face better than I know my own - my sister has been hunting her down forever and you know my sister. Very few people have the guile to beat Nagi in battle...do you really want to take your chances against one as notorious as that?"
Ryoko stared at him in shock for a moment, then gathered herself, raising the last of her strength as she launched herself a few feet in the air, fingers glittering with energy as she glared down at them.
"Finally someone who has some sense." She said menacingly. "Well, boys? Do you still want to fight? Because I'm not sure it's a fair fight. There aren't enough of you. You don't even stand a chance."
Flares of orange energy flew from her hands at this juncture, as if to illustrate her point, and despite himself the lead man stepped back, staring at her as if seeing her for the first time.
"Space Pirate...Ryoko?" He echoed. "We...we didn't mean any disrespect, Ma'am. We...we didn't know you'd be in this sector...I didn't...we didn't..."
Ryoko narrowed her gaze, putting her hands together once more as if to launch a fresh attack, and the man faltered, trailing off and swallowing hard. With a gulp, he grabbed his nearest colleague, turning tail and fleeing in the opposite direction, almost tripping over his feet in his urgency to escape. His companions quickly followed suit, none of them wanting to face Ryoko alone, and as they disappeared down the dark alleys of the square, Ryoko lowered herself to the ground, dropping her hands to her sides as the adrenalin rushed out of her. She stumbled, closing her eyes as waves of dizziness crashed over her, but somewhere in her disorientated state she felt someone grab her by the arms, supporting her as she fought to get a grip on her surroundings.
At length she opened her eyes, meeting Kazuki's dark red gaze with a confused golden one. Carefully she disentangled herself from his grip and he made no attempt to stop her, merely standing back as she regained her composure and poise. Then, once sure she was all right, he shook his head slowly.
"You know, you really shouldn't be out here." He said softly. "In a place you don't know when you're not even half fit...Ryoko, it's a silly risk. Those men would have killed you if they had had any idea how weak you were. Thankfully your reputation is pretty great in these parts - but even so, you were taking a gamble. What if I hadn't seen what was going on? What if they hadn't recognised you? Both you and Ryo Ohki would have been in a lot of trouble."
Ryoko didn't answer at first, glancing at her hands as Ryo Ohki resumed her perch atop her mistress's shoulder, beginning to clean herself now the imminent danger had subsided. Then, at length, the pirate raised her gaze once more to Kazuki's.
"I wanted to leave." She said quietly. "I don't like being your prisoner here. And I don't like being dependant on anyone else for my life. I make my own choices and I could have handled them. Don't think I needed your intervention."
"Since we both know you did, I'll ignore the bravado." Kazuki said levelly. Ryoko frowned.
"What are you doing out here, anyway? Spying on me?"
"No, not at all." Kazuki shook his head. "If you must know, I was conducting some private business of my own."
He held up the package in his hand.
"It isn't easy to get any kind of medical supplies when you're struck off the Galactic register." He added. "So I have to go through other channels."
"You seem to have more patients than just me, judging by what that man said to you." Ryoko said thoughtfully. "He knew you were a doctor. It seems to me you do quite a bit of illegal dabbling."
"People here don't have any other option. I help them or they die." Kazuki said simply. "Like you, they have nowhere else to go for help. And I do my best. I can't stand to see people in pain, Ryoko. I have the training to help them...so of course, I do. As much as I can, anyway. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But it's better than doing nothing."
"You and Nagi both think you can change or control the world." Ryoko murmured. "Guess what, Kazuki. You can't."
"No, but medicine is the only thing I ever wanted to do. I'm loath to give it up so easily, even if it means practicing it in a place like this." Kazuki shrugged his shoulders. He paused, then,
"Are you still planning to leave tonight?"
"What business is it of yours if I am?" Ryoko asked sharply. Kazuki smiled.
"None at all, I imagine." He remarked. "You know, I told Nagi that she shouldn't tell you about the news report until you were stronger, but she insisted on doing it anyway. I thought you might do something impulsive and rash like this."
"I don't know what you mean."
"I think you do." Kazuki said softly. "This man called Tenchi. The one who has left Jurai. You plan to go searching for him, don't you?"
"That is none of your concern." Ryoko bristled, and Kazuki shrugged.
"Perhaps not." He acknowledged. "But on this subject, Ryoko, you make a terrible liar. And besides..."
He paused, his expression softening.
"Besides, I know what it's like to lose someone that you care about." He added quietly. "So I can understand your actions. I probably would have done the same thing, in your place. Maybe I still would, if I thought there was any chance that Naoko was still alive."
"You...would?" Despite herself, Ryoko stared at her companion, her defensive posture relaxing as she took in the expression on his face. Kazuki nodded.
"Of course." He agreed. "Nagi doesn't believe in love, or that it has any kind of influence over human behaviour in the long term. She thinks this is a temporary delusion that you're under - but I don't think so. I think that a woman willing to risk her life and her health to charge across the galaxy - even though she doesn't know where she is to begin with - is obviously one whose feelings run deep. And I know, that's none of my business," as Ryoko opened her mouth to speak. "And I won't ask you what those feelings are. But the truth is that you're not fully healed yet. And even if you did leave, I can't guarantee that you would survive the trip. Do you want to arrive at your destination only to keel over dead at his feet?"
"I...I guess not." Ryoko sighed, rubbing her temples. "Using my magic makes me feel so weak at the moment, and I really wasn't going to use it at all. I was going to focus all my energy on flying Ryo Ohki, but I didn't expect trouble. Ryo Ohki did warn me that there might be danger, but even so, I didn't think anyone would pay us any attention."
She glanced at her hands.
"I suppose I just wanted to...to go."
"Well, will you trust my judgement and come back with me to my home?" Kazuki asked her gently. "I know you're impatient to leave this planet and I promise, I won't keep you there a moment longer than I need to. But it's for your own sake, not for mine. You were a dead woman when I first saw you and every little step forward you make is progress. If you continue that way, you will make a full recovery. But you can't keep testing yourself like this. However tiresome it might be to be around my sister and I, you have to stop and think of what's best for you now. If he's any kind of man at all, he'll still be there for you when you are well."
Ryoko flushed red to the roots of her hair at this.
"I guess I have no choice." She muttered, falling into step with him as they headed back in the direction of Kazuki's property. "But I don't like it. It's not as clear cut as you think, Kazuki. I mean, well, there's another woman involved, and..."
She trailed off.
"And I guess I thought he'd made his choice already." She added. Kazuki's brows drew together.
"Why waste your time on him if he plays you for a fool?" He asked softly. Ryoko started, and then shook her head.
"He doesn't. It's not like that." She said with a sigh. "I just don't know where I stand with him. He has more in common with her than with me in some respects. I suppose I'm just...not sure about it. That's all. That's why I need to see him. I didn't expect him to leave Jurai. Now he has...I need to know more."
She bit her lip.
"I shouldn't be telling you any of this."
"It's all right. I'm a doctor. Confidentiality is something we all take very seriously." Kazuki shrugged. "And it makes sense, your urgency to leave. But your health is more important at the moment. So do as I say a few days more."
"I suppose so." Ryoko grimaced. "Ryo Ohki's happy, anyway. She didn't want to leave tonight - she only came with me because otherwise I threatened to go on my own and she's too loyal to let me do that."
"She has a lot of sense, your cabbit." Kazuki cast Ryo Ohki a grin. "You should listen to her more often."
"Probably I should." Ryoko agreed. "But I've never been much good at listening to anyone."
"Yes, I'm starting to notice that." Kazuki agreed ruefully. Ryoko pursed her lips.
"Nagi doesn't have to know about tonight, does she?" She asked. Kazuki shook his head.
"No. Believe me, I think it might be better she doesn't hear about it from either of us." He admitted. "I went out and left you the opportunity to do something silly, after all. And you took matters into your own hands and wound up almost getting hurt again. She wouldn't be impressed by either account...I think we'll just keep it between us. She isn't coming back here tonight, anyhow. She has other things to take care of."
Ryoko fought down the urge to ask what kind of other things. She glanced up at the sky as they turned onto the now-familiar street, Kazuki rummaging in his pocket for his house key. He slid it into the lock, holding the door ajar for Ryoko to enter, then fastening it firmly behind her, setting the bolt and flicking on the light. He sighed, setting his package down on the table by the stairs.
"Well, I don't have much in the house, but if you want a hot drink I probably have tea." He suggested. "Are you thirsty? Or do you just want to go to bed? You look a little pale in this light...I hope you haven't upset yourself."
"I'm all right." Ryoko assured him. "A little tired, but I don't want to sleep yet. Hot tea sounds good. I mean..."
She faltered, eying him cautiously.
"So long as there's not going to be any of your latest purchase floating around in it."
"I promise." Kazuki said solemnly. "I don't believe in medicating a patient when it's just not necessary. As I said, you are healing. You only need time and rest, not much more."
"Then I'll accept your offer." Ryoko decided. "Sure beats sitting around in that room and not sleeping, anyway."
"What about you, Ryo Ohki? Are you thirsty?" Kazuki asked. Ryo Ohki shook her head, flicking her ears as she did so. Ryoko grinned.
"She's hungry. She's hoping you have some carrots." She said with a smile. "Apparently being threatened gives her an appetite."
"I'll see what I can do." Kazuki promised. "Go through and take a seat, both of you. I won't be long."
Ryoko nodded, pushing open the door she knew led to the small, sparse lounge and flicking on the overhead light, hesitating and then taking an empty seat. Ryo Ohki leapt down onto the armrest, raising her gaze to her mistress's with a look that said 'I told you so', and Ryoko frowned.
"Oh, leave it out, will you?" She retorted. "You got your way...now shut up."
Ryo Ohki seemed amused, but she made no further remark, examining instead each of her paws for any signs of wear or dirt. Ryoko sat back in her seat with a sigh, inwardly glad to be off her feet.
"I wish I knew if we could trust this guy as much as you think we can." she murmured. "He is Nagi's brother, even if he did save my life. He's still working for her, after all. This whole thing is her game and I don't know all of the rules. I still want to leave, Ryo Ohki. But I guess that he has a point...if I turn up dead on Tenchi's doorstep that doesn't help either of us. I guess I'll just have to try and be patient a while longer. I don't like it, though. Knowing he's out there somewhere and that he's not on Jurai with Ayeka...maybe I am a lovesick fool, but I really don't care. I just want to see him again. It seems such a long time since I did."
"Here you go."
Kazuki re-entered the lounge at that point, setting a chipped mug down in front of her and taking the room's other vacant seat. He reached into his pocket, producing a carrot for the cabbit, who took it with a mew of pleasure, causing her to abandon her preening and focus her attention on her prize.
"It's way too easy to buy her loyalty." Ryoko observed, amused. Kazuki smiled.
"Ken Ohki is much the same way. I'm well used to stocking up on carrots of late." He responded. "But you know, he wouldn't think of abandoning Nagi. I thought their bond was unique, until I met you and Ryo Ohki. It's just the same way."
"I guess they're a pretty loyal species, all in all." Ryoko reflected. "But we've been together a long time. That helps."
She sighed, stretching out more comfortably across her seat.
"This is almost surreal, sitting here drinking tea in the middle of the night with Nagi's brother." She added. "I've done weirder things, but not many."
"Likewise." Kazuki raised his mug as if in a mock toast, taking a sip. "But then things have been a little bit that way since Nagi brought you here in the first place. I knew she'd been hunting you down forever, Ryoko, but I didn't really stop to think about you as a person. You don't really seem like the pirate I thought you were, you know. You have a fearsome reputation - I almost think I should be scared of you. But I'm not."
"After so many years with Nagi, I'd be surprised if anything scared you." Ryoko muttered. Kazuki laughed.
"Maybe." He acknowledged. "But I love my sister more than anything, Ryoko. She may be one of a kind, but I wouldn't change her, even so. I owe her a lot of things, after all. And she's right when she says I wouldn't let her down. Even with a mission impossible like this one."
"I suppose so." Ryoko looked uncharacteristically pensive. "I never imagined Nagi had family."
"What about you?"
"Me?" Ryoko looked startled.
"Do you have family?"
"Not as far as I know." Ryoko shook her head. "But I never knew my parents, not really. In fact, a lot of my childhood is a bit blurry. One too many sakes or space crashes, I suppose."
She shrugged.
"Ryo Ohki is my family." She added. "That's just how it's always been."
"Well, you could do worse." Kazuki's gaze flitted to the cabbit, and Ryoko nodded.
"I know." She agreed. "She and I, we do okay."
They lapsed into silence, and for a moment both just sat there, drinking their tea and thinking over the evening's events. At length, however, Ryoko set her cup down, casting her companion a curious look.
"Tell me something, Kazuki-san." She began slowly. "Why exactly were you struck off the medical register? I mean, you seem to be a pretty good doctor to me. And if I'm anything to go by, you certainly know how to effect a cure. What did you do that was so terrible they barred you? I would have thought they'd love to have a doctor like you on board."
"Well, I doubt that they'd agree with you." Kazuki pursed his lips. "It began, really, when Naoko died. We were students together, you see - we trained to be doctors side by side - it was how we met in the first place. She was truly brilliant, and we'd compete for the highest marks all of the time. But not long after we graduated, she took sick with a serious illness. It progressed and became terminal, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. I stuck by her, of course, but I couldn't help her."
He glanced at his hands.
"Well, I could have, but I didn't." He amended. "More than once she asked me to end things for her, but I couldn't do it. It's the one thing I regret more than anything, Ryoko. I could have prevented so much of her pain, but I was too selfish to let her go."
"That's kinda sad." Ryoko mused. "But what has it to do with anything? I don't understand."
"The hospital I was working at gave me leave, when she died, but it's not something that goes away even with time." Kazuki shrugged. "Some months later, we had a patient come in who was in the latter stages of a similar disease. She was suffering a lot, Ryoko. And one night, she asked me to do something about it."
He faltered, and comprehension flickered in Ryoko's eyes.
"So you did." She murmured. "You killed her, and they threw a fit when they found out."
"A doctor is meant to heal, not harm." Kazuki nodded his head. "I don't know if I regret it or if I don't...or if it was even the right thing to do. But there's no going back. As you said, they didn't really understand when they found out. If not for Nagi's intimidation, they probably would have pushed for a jail sentence. As it was I was stripped of my licence to practice and exiled from my hospital. Rules are rules, after all."
"I see." Ryoko reached for her mug, draining the last of the tea before setting it back down. "But you make good tea. And hey, I'm still here. So you cured me."
"I did." Kazuki nodded. "In a sense, this is my role now. As I said before, people who stay here have no recourse for medical aid. Some are like the characters you saw earlier - but others are political refugees, forced to flee from their home planets and seek asylum here when noone else will grant them entry. There are a lot of poor, helpless people on this planet, Ryoko. And I can help them, so I do. The Galaxy Police don't venture this far, so they never know what goes on here. All in all, it works out fairly well. For me and for them...even if this isn't the nicest house in the world, it's still become my home and I don't need much to live on."
"That makes sense." Ryoko acknowledged. "I suppose I fit under the same umbrella. I mean, the Galaxy Police would have loved to have taken me into one of their hospitals, cuff me and heal me and shove me into the dock to stand trial. But noone else in the universe would provide health care for an injured space pirate."
"I leave the judge and jury bit to Nagi. I try not to get involved in that side of things." Kazuki grinned.
Ryoko sighed.
"Well, she has more than enough of it for everyone." She muttered. "She will insist on hunting me down and interfering in my life. So I did a few bad things in the past. Maybe a lot of bad things. But it's past. Over with. I haven't been a pirate properly since I fell on the Earth the first time around. I wish people would learn to move on. It's such a hassle. And from the way she talked the other day...it sounded like she wanted me to go back to looting and raiding, just so she had an excuse to fight me over again. I swear, sometimes her logic is completely skewed."
"As I said, I leave that side of it to her." Kazuki looked amused. "To me, you're a patient. That's all that I see. Pirate or no pirate, I'll do my best."
"Even if she decides to try and kill me at a later date?"
"Well, that's between the two of you. It's not my business." Kazuki shrugged. Ryoko pursed her lips.
"Guess so." She agreed. "All right."
She stifled a yawn.
"And I suppose, given that I'm staying here for now, I'm going to go to bed." She admitted. "I am tired, I have to admit. And this suit is tight...I think it's chafing."
"That's why I hid it away in the first place, but I guess you can't keep much a secret from an experienced thief." Kazuki observed. Ryoko shook her head.
"Not generally." She said. "But I wouldn't worry too much. I was only looking for my own clothes. I've no interest in taking anything of yours when I finally do leave this planet."
She got to her feet, casting a glance at Ryo Ohki who stopped worrying at the remains of her carrot, mewing as she leapt up onto her companion's shoulder.
"I guess I'll see you in the morning...although it's almost that already. Good night, Kazuki."
"Good night, Ryoko-san."
"Oh, and Kazuki?"
"Mm?"
"Thank you."
Awkwardness filled Ryoko's expression and she shrugged.her shoulders sheepishly.
"You know. For tonight."
Then, before he could respond, she made her escape, heading slowly up the stairs to the thin narrow room and pushing open the door with a sigh.
"So we're not travelling tonight." She acknowledged out loud as she changed out of her suit and back into the discarded white gown. "I suppose I am still the patient - for now, at least. But maybe he understands better than I thought he did. Who knows? Maybe he's right. And maybe Tenchi will be waiting for me...when we finally do get to go back to the Earth."
