The gentle whoosh of the cosmos and the hum of the warp drive were all that could be heard on the bridge of the Houkago Space Time. No one dared speak, lest the fragile peace be shattered by heated discussion. Every few moments a soft tap and a beep could be heard from Yui's post, as she attempted to track their trajectory. In what could be considered either good or bad news, they seemed to be heading to an area that was sparsely populated; few people could bother them, and few people could help them.

Despite her cool demeanor, Yui was deeply worried about whether she had done the right thing. Sure, she was willing to risk her life in the unknown to avoid arrest, but were the others? What right did she have to decide that for them?

Footsteps signaled to the captain that she would soon have her answer. As the sound of boots on metal grew closer, Yui looked up to see Ritsu rounding the corner and entering the bridge.

"What the hell was that?" Ritsu demanded. "Where the hell are we going?"

"Ricchan," Yui stammered. "I can explain."

"We had to act quickly," Mio said. "We had no choice."

"I could have blasted those jerks outta the sky!" Ritsu cried.

"Ritsu, we don't kill people," Mugi stated firmly. Yui looked anxiously between the three, searching for something to say.

"Why not?" Ritsu responded without hesitation. "They'd kill us in a heartbeat. I say they'd be getting what's comin' to 'em!"

Mugi, Ritsu, and Mio continued arguing as Azusa stood next to Yui.

"Azu-nyan," Yui whined, on the verge of tears. "I messed up."

"Hey, no you didn't," Azusa cooed, placing an arm on Yui's back. "We're all safe because of you."

"Thanks, Azu-nyan, but I still took a big risk without asking."

"I trust you," Azusa assured. "We all do."

Yui sighed with slight relief, looking at her pilot. Her stare lingered for a second too long and Azusa became nervous, eyeing Yui suspiciously. Sure enough, Yui gave a mischievous giggle and puckered her lips, beginning to lean in. Azusa, who at this point was used to Yui's intimate nature, swatted her away with ease.

"Don't get too comfy, captain," she chided, "We'll need to be on our toes as soon as this warp is finished."

"Good point!" Yui conceded. "The people this far out might never have heard of cake."

"That'd be tragic," Azusa said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Alright everyone!" Yui cried, snapping Mugi, Ritsu, and Mio out of their discussion, which had turned into normal discourse at this point. "We've got three hours until this warp is finished. I'm gonna take a nap. I think you guys should too."

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Ritsu joked with a salute. "I'll be in my bunk if you need me. Don't need me."

As Ritsu left, so too did Yui, leaving everyone behind on the bridge and heading for the captain's quarters. A short walk out the back of the bridge on her right, the door to Yui's quarters opened automatically. Yui, exhausted from the day's events, flopped down on her velvet bed, stretching her arms out wide.

With a sigh, she rolled onto her side, her gaze meeting a small picture frame on the bedside table. The face in the frame smiled at her.

"Ui…" Yui mumbled. It had been months since she had seen her younger sister and best friend. Yui had never wanted to be an outlaw; Ui had been injured. She was fine now, but an accident had left her with medical bills sky-high, and a mountain of debt. Yui, having heard of copious treasures throughout the galaxy, left their home planet with her group of friends from high school in search of this treasure. However, while on a distant planet, the crew had purchased and eaten no less than six cakes, which contained sugar. Sugar, of course, had been outlawed; it was often grown in horrible working conditions by slaves in certain parts of the galaxy. The cakes the crew of the Houkago Space Time had eaten were made with sugar grown by local farmers and their families. The law, however, made no distinction, and during a planetary raid, the crew had been caught red-handed. They were able to escape amid the chaos, but were now a group of runaway criminals.

Maybe one day, after Yui found enough treasure, she could take Ui and move somewhere far away, where they could live in peace - wealthy and anonymous. For the meantime, however, it was Yui and her crew, and as of a few minutes ago, they were stranded in no man's land.

There were only three "bedrooms" on the Houkago Space Time, if you could call them that: Yui's room, and two dorms. Mugi and Azusa shared one, and Mio and Ritsu the other. Ritsu had been truthful on the bridge; she had hit the hay as soon as she'd returned to her room. Mio had followed a few minutes later, sitting on her own twin bed mere feet away from Ritsu's.

She held in her lap a book. She wasn't reading it, however. It was merely a cover for her slightly embarrassing and certainly shameful hobby of watching Ritsu sleep.

She didn't well remember when she had started this behavior. The first few times had not been a conscious effort, she simply caught herself doing it. It was a strange fascination she had, and she had never figured it out. Perhaps it was because Ritsu was so fiery and energetic when she was awake that it was a rarity to see her so subdued and relaxed. Perhaps it was because she looked so different with her hair down; she slept without her headband. Perhaps it was because watching someone sleep was an incredibly intimate act and Mio craved that closeness. Whatever the case, Mio found herself in this position most nights before she went to sleep.

She let her mind wander. How would it feel to run her fingers through Ritsu's hair? How soft was her skin? How warm would it be to lie next to her?

Mio found herself on her knees next to Ritsu's bed, watching her more closely. She noticed the shallow rise and fall of Ritsu's chest as she slept. She smiled slightly at the sight of Ritsu's slightly-open mouth. She reached a hand out, slowly. As she noticed her own actions, she froze, reconsidering her position. After a moment, she bit her lip and continued, running her hand through a lock of Ritsu's hair. It was impossibly soft. As she did this, she caressed the side of Ritsu's face.

"Mio…?" Ritsu mumbled, half asleep. Mio froze instantly, her heart dropping in her chest. "Whaddya doing? Why're ya touchin' my face?"

"I, uh…" Mio stammered. "You were acting strange earlier on the bridge, so I wanted to make sure you didn't have a fever."

"Oh," Ritsu breathed, sniffling drowsily. "I feel okay." she paused.

"I don't think you have a fever," Mio confirmed, red-faced.

"Cool," Ritsu mumbled, rolling over and returning to her slumber. After a moment, Mio scurried away like a frightened kitten and sat on her bed.

What the hell am I doing?! Mio thought to herself. Why did I do that?

She had no idea in the slightest to either of those questions. She was just glad Ritsu hadn't woken up completely. Gazing at the clock, she saw it had been two and a half hours already since they had begun their warp. There was no time to sleep - not that she would be able to anyway, after what she just did. With a sigh, she resolved to go analyze the ship's internal systems, since she couldn't analyze her own.