Disclaimer: I do not own Treasure Planet or any material relating to Walt Disney in any way or form.
Sarah sat quietly, still somewhat dazed, in a huge comfy armchair in front of a crackling fire. The doctor walked sedately over to the woman, who was rapidly falling into a sort of depression as she stared at the elegant china tea set before her on a stool. Dr. Doppler took her hand, and poured her some tea with the other.
"I just spoke with the constabulary. Those pirates have fled without a trace." The dog-like creature hesitated, glancing up at Jim, who threw a thick blanket over his mother's shoulders. He sighed.
"I'm afraid the old Benbow Inn has burned to the ground," he announced quietly. Jim opened his mouth to say something, anything to try and comfort his mother, but forced himself to keep his mouth shut. Morosely, the brunette walked over to one of the many various tables around the library, snatching up the small bronze sphere that had been in the turtle-creature's wrapped bundle. Lai watched him out of the corner of her eye, her thumb idly sweeping over Pyre's hilt, along with the other, longer cylinder at her waist. She never thought she'd come across that damned piece of fable again, the very thing that would drive many a respectable sailor insane because of the information it contained. Her frown deepened as she saw Jim begin to inspect the object, randomly flipping the ball over in his hands, pressing buttons here and there. When the bronze sphere's plates separated a bit, Lai's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Jim." The brunette looked up at the sound of his name. Lai had her fingertips on Pyre's hilt, but there was no mistaking the warning gesture in her stance.
"What? Are you going to stop me?" He was a bit perturbed by the unexpected onset of a wry smirk on Lai's lips.
"If I had my way, I'd destroy that thing myself. I'm merely trying to save your life." The two teens glared at each other, unaware of the stares Dr. Doppler and Sarah were giving them. At last, Jim twisted the ball in a few random ways, causing the ball to burst open, revealing sparkling green information-Etherium. Defiance turned to surprise for both Jim and Lai as they stared up at the rapidly forming map above them. Dr. Doppler and Sarah got up from where they were to move to the center of the room.
"It's… a map!" The astrophysicist murmured, mouth wide open. Lai gritted her teeth in carefully controlled rage, forcing herself to release Pyre's now violently-rattling hilt. She watched the trio as they inspected various hologram balls that represented planets and galaxies in the universe, clenching her fists as the doctor hit upon Montressor's.
"Wait wait wait! This is us!" He tapped the small, pale blue ball and Lai closed her eyes in defeat, feeling the information-Etherium swirl around her as the sphere showed the way to its special destination.
"Treasure Planet," Jim said in glorified amazement.
"No…"
"That's Treasure Planet!" the brunette reiterated, an incredulous smile breaking over his face.
"Yes it is Jim, and that damn thing has already caused many to die trying to chase a dream…" Lai murmured too softly for anyone to hear. She gradually began to tune out the excited exclamations Jim and Doppler were making, as well as Sarah's flabbergasted protests. Reality slipped away as she closed her eyes, allowing memories of an eerily glowing planet with gravity-balanced rings crossed in the X of a pirate's symbol, of dense jungle terrain, and a humidity that toed the line between comfortable and irritating. Lai's intuition and Lifeblader connection had not been as carefully attuned then, but swords had still vibrated in discomfort at the mere sight of the fabled planet…
"Lai?" The girl's eyes snapped open, stance immediately relaxed. Sarah was staring at her as though pleading for an opinion.
"I didn't hear the question, Mrs. Hawkins." Lai murmured truthfully. Sarah ran a hand through her hair, exasperated.
"Lai, you can call me Sarah," the woman said gently. "Now, please help me tell these boys that what they're thinking is insane." Lai glanced from the hostile, glaring Jim to the doe-eyed, pleading Dr. Doppler. She could feel Pyre rattling in protest at her mental processes, but she kept a firm grasp on its hilt with her right hand. There was no need to restrain the sword at her left, Lai remembered grimly; it had slept since her last encounter with Treasure Planet, and she fully intended to wake her other half after twelve long years. She looked straight at Jim when she replied.
"I'm sorry, Sarah. I'm going to stand by the doctor's and Jim's decision." Sarah stared at her, though not in complete shock, Lai noted, cringing inwardly at her reaction. Jim, on the other hand, was thoroughly incredulous, but ecstatic with her decision. Dr. Doppler coughed.
"Um, Sarah? If I may-?" Lai watched the pair exchange a few hushed words, before Sarah, seemingly resigned, turned to Jim, pushing a lock of his hair aside affectionately.
"Jim, I just don't want to lose you." The brunette took her hand, squeezing it gently, a truly sincere expression on his face.
"Mom, you won't. I'll make you proud." The doctor could barely contain his excitement
"Well then, I suppose that settles it. Jim, my boy, soon, we'll be off to the spaceport-"
"Lai, could I have a few words with you?" Lai strode over, arms slowly uncrossing, toward Sarah, who walked away from the two plotting males. Sarah glanced to each of the sheaths at Lai's waist, her lips pressed together.
"I want you to go with them. Keep both Jim and Doppler safe. Whatever you do, bring them back." She did not say alive, Lai noted, for a woman's intuition, particularly those with Lifeblader blood or connections, always has an ever-present sense of doubt, and they will never fail to plan for the worst case scenario.
"I will do as you ask, Yhlan," Lai replied. "She's just another of the lucky ones who managed to escape." The woman could feel Lai's thoughts, and nodded, touching the locket at her neck in the women's salute.
"I knew since we met," she murmured, before turning back to Jim and Doppler. "Lai will be going with you at my request." Jim's first instinct was to start spewing out angry protests, but the doctor stopped him.
"All right Sarah. If that's the ultimate compromise, then I'm sure Jim and I would be able to handle it." The boy calmed down slightly, still fuming at the prospect of a girl coming along to babysit him. It was to this effect that Lai found herself half smirking, half grinning like an idiot. She immediately composed herself, remembering where the bronze sphere would be leading the party to.
"I suppose that preparations will begin shortly, doctor?" she whispered softly, glancing at Sarah as she inched back toward the comfortable chair in front of the fire place. Doppler apparently had not heard the softest acidic note to her inquiry, for he merely responded to the question absentmindedly.
"Yes, yes, I must advertise to hire a captain and crew for this expedition. Then there must be someone to take care of Sarah, arrangements for a three-man exploration group…" The dog creature trailed off, lost in his own little world of calculations and mental preparation as he sidled over to a desk and began to write swiftly in a small ledger. Jim continued to glare at Lai, lips pursed in a childish pout. Deciding to get some rest, Lai turned and headed out the enormous double doors of the library. In the entrance hall, she heard Jim's footsteps behind her, surprisingly graceful for a master solar-surfer. Lai paused, quieting her breathing as she listed to the uncomfortable shift in Jim's stance. Even without looking at him, she could tell that his hands were shoved roughly into his pockets, chin tucked sheepishly into his jacket collar, a grudging expression causing his brows to knit together.
"Thank you." Lai frowned, nearly startled by the unexpected words coming from the teen. She turned around, a slightly puzzled expression on her face.
"Thank you. For agreeing with me. And the doc." His sentences were very staccato, as though he had trouble voicing them. Lai did not answer. She merely crossed the five feet between them to stand two feet from Jim. The brunette wanted to step back, but when he saw her jaw clench and loosen, as though she were at war with herself, he remained where he was against his will. Abruptly, Lai reached out and gently stroked his cheek, across the length of his scar. Jim leapt back, hands in a defensive position and eyes wide. Lai herself was still reaching out to him, confusion and momentary vulnerability evident in her unbalanced stance. It lasted only a second, though, before her arm dropped to her side, and her cool, calm disposition returned to her.
"I'd rather be even an acquaintance than your enemy, Jim. Especially if I'm going to become your bodyguard for the trip," she called over her shoulder as she began to walk away. That hit Jim hard.
"You become my bodyguard? Please," he fumed, quickly walking back toward the library.
Lai smirked at his retreating back, and yet, her eyes held the slightest glimmer of pain. Shaking it from her mind, she turned away, wrapping herself in her own thoughts. So focused was she on her thoughts, that she didn't hear Jim stop at the library door. He turned around, watching her walk away as though she were in a daze. Slowly, he reached up and traced the scar on his face, just like she had done. Frowning, he wrenched his gaze away from her and retreated into the library. The sight of his mother and Dr. Doppler did nothing to soothe the cool tingling where Lai had touched him. He frowned deeply.
"What the hell did she do?"
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"What am I doing? Weakness is never shown, affection forbidden, involvement… never." Lai bit her lip as she walked swiftly down a hallway to one of the guest bedrooms the doctor had generously allotted the now-homeless group. Unlocking the door with the key she'd been given earlier, she swiftly entered the room, standing perfectly still. None of her Lifeblader senses found any threat, so Lai set to unbuckling Pyre and its companion sword and tossing them onto the huge bed before throwing herself after them exhaustedly.
"So Sarah knew. I wonder how long she's been hiding out here, and without any swords… Why the hell did Jim have to find that damned map?" Lai leaned back on her arms, staring up at the ceiling as she pondered. It was the first time she'd actually considered the fast-paced day she'd been through, and she fully intended to dissect it until every detail had been examined. Unfortunately, calling Pyre from its dormant state had used up much of the last reserves of her energy, and she wouldn't be able to fully function until the next morning. Still, Lai concentrated hard on her memories of Treasure Planet, pushing aside her exhaustion.
Each of the fables surrounding it was a little bit different, yet unnervingly close to the truth. She cringed at the fact that she would have to set foot on its soil again, feel the crushing sense of Corrosion that was the ultimate poison to the Lifeblader race, relive the horrific moments that destroyed half of her soul and left her crippled. She did not want revenge, not yet. All she had wanted was to recover some semblance of her whole self, and yet she'd been conscripted into what could possibly be the last journey of her life.
"Hah. Sometimes I wish that damned bastard had actually killed my sense of valor when he'd sealed Selene." She sighed, stroking the ebony sheath at her side. Lai stared at it, trying to remember what it was like to feel remorse and grief. She squinted, concentrating hard on the sheath, as she had done countless nights before she had found Sarah, trying to break the seal that kept the dark half of her soul asleep. And like all those other nights, nothing happened. After a full thirty minutes, she gave up, deciding to review more of her most recent memories. It was while Lai was examining mental images of Jim's face that she finally fell asleep.
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A/N: Many thanks to those who have read and reviewed my story. I appreciate your sticking with it despite the long update intervals. Anything wrong with the chapter, kindly send me a PM and I shall fix it to the best of my ability, provided I, myself, am not nodding off into the blessed oblivion of much-needed sleep.