The Pirate's Soldier

by operation meteor

Heero's career as a Preventers operative takes a strange turn when he gets caught up in a fight between a Juraian royal and a notorious space pirate. As the two alien beauties settle in with him on Earth and more soon follow, the former Gundam pilot soon finds himself to be the target of their affections, with a certain lovely outlaw at the front of the pack! M for some language.

5. Chapter 5

Author's notes: Well… this one kind of got out of hand. Seriously, I don't know how this chapter wound up being so big! So… sorry? I'll try not to do the same thing with the next one, but… well, no promises!

Enjoy!

Chapter Five: No Need For Princesses And Pets!

"Well," said Heero as he unlocked the door to his apartment, "here we are."

It was late evening, and the Gundam pilot was quite worn out by the day's events, but as eager as he was to just crawl in bed and call it a night he was still determined to perform his duties as a host. He let Mihoshi walk in ahead of him, Ryoko and Ayeka, and he saw the Galaxy Police officer's eyes widen as she looked at the interior of the apartment.

"Wow!" she said, "This is nice!"

"Thanks," said Heero as he and the others filed in behind her.

She turned around and smiled at him. "So, where do I sleep?"

"I'll get the spare bedroll set up in the storage room later," Heero replied, "You'll be sharing that with Ayeka."

That bedroll was supposed to have been Ryoko's, but the space pirate had been quite content to sleep on the couch so it had gone unused. Heero was grateful for that now; it was one less thing that he had to worry about.

He heard Mihoshi's stomach rumbling, and the space cop giggled as she looked at him. "Uhm… could I get some dinner?"

There was more rumbling behind him, and when he turned around he saw Ryoko and Ayeka rubbing their stomachs as well.

"Some food does sound good right about now," said Ryoko.

Ayeka nodded. "Yes, indeed. Sir Heero, would you please be so kind as to make a meal for the four of us?"

Heero nodded. "All right. You three wait in the living room… and try not to start another fight."

He headed to the kitchen and started digging through the fridge for something easy to make. After a minute he settled on burritos; there was a bowl of leftover ground beef that he had cooked earlier in the week from when he had made tacos for his guest, so it would be a simple matter to put that on soft-shells along with cheese and then heat it up in the microwave.

As he busied himself prepping dinner he would occasionally steal glances over at his three houseguests. It hadn't taken Mihoshi long to find Ayeka's guardians; with their prominent place in the living room the two of them weren't exactly hidden.

"Oh, wow!" she said as she poked Azaka, "What's this?"

"Hello, miss," the sentient blue cylinder replied, "I am Azaka, guardian to her highness, Princess Ayeka."

Mihoshi was so startled that she fell down on her rear. "Whoa, it talks!"

"I apologize," said Azaka, "I did not mean to frighten you."

The red cylinder floated forward. "I'm Kamidake. It's nice to meet you!"

Mihoshi stood up and smiled at the two of them. "Hello! I'm Mihoshi. I guess I'll be staying here for awhile."

"Another guest," said Azaka, "I wonder how this came about?"

"I think we missed out on a big adventure today," said Kamidake, "Princess Ayeka, are you doing all right?"

"I'm quite well, thank you," said Ayeka as she sat down on the couch, "Just a little worn out from today's events."

"No kidding," said Ryoko as she settled down on the opposite end, "Still, it was kind of fun."

Mihoshi smiled. "Yes, it was!"

Ayeka shook her head.

"Mental…" she muttered, "Both of you, just… mental."

I'm with you there, Ayeka, thought Heero as he made dinner, Today was certainly interesting, but it wasn't my idea of fun.

He would be quite happy not getting into another fight with an extraterrestrial visitor. However, given that he now had a notorious space pirate, an imperial princess, and a Galaxy Police officer under his roof, Heero had a sinking feeling that today's clash would hardly be the last such tussle he'd find himself in before this strange chapter of his life was through.

As he finished making dinner Heero thought about the fight earlier today. Between Ryoko, Ayeka, and himself they may have managed to subdue Mihoshi, but Heero was well aware of the fact that he had been the weakest combatant. His pistol had been useless, and the only reason his knife had been effective was because of the ambush he and Ayeka had set for Mihoshi. It was a sobering reminder of the kind of power and technology that Heero now found himself dealing with. Cunning and experience had been the key to ending today's fight, and the Gundam pilot knew that he would have to rely on them over his weapons in any future battles with extraterrestrial visitors.

I could always hope that our next visitors don't recognize Ryoko as a pirate and start a fight, Heero thought, but I need to be prepared for the worst.

"Hey, Heero!" said Ryoko, "Is dinner almost ready?"

Heero nodded. "Just about."

"Do you require assistance, sir Heero?" asked Ayeka.

"If you could come in here and help me finish this up, I'd appreciate it," Heero replied.

Within seconds Ayeka was beside him with an eager smile on her face. "What can I do for you, sir Heero?"

He didn't know why she kept referring to him with that honorific, but he appreciated her sincere desire to help him. Despite being of royal birth Ayeka did not seem to be quite as spoiled as Ryoko always said she was. She may have been his guest but she was always willing to offer aid, and Heero was quite grateful for it.

"I keep the cups in that cupboard up there," he said, pointing at the one in question, "and there's milk in the fridge. Do you mind pouring drinks for everyone?"

Ayeka shook her head. "Not at all, sir Heero. Anything else?"

"That should be enough for now," said Heero, "Thanks."

As Ayeka busied herself with her task Heero finished up making the burritos. When he had four plates out on the counter he saw that Ayeka had put four glasses of milk right next to them.

"All right," he called to his guests, "Everything's ready."

The three women came into the kitchen. They all smiled when they saw the food. Even though Ryoko and Ayeka had had this meal before they still looked at their dishes appreciatively, while Mihoshi looked positively delighted.

"Oh, wow!" she said, "This looks good!"

"It most certainly is," said Ayeka as she looked at Heero, "Sir Heero's cooking is second to none. You simply must try it."

Heero nodded at her. "Thank you, Ayeka."

"All right," said Ryoko as she grabbed her plate, "Time to dig in!"

The four of them settled in at the coffee table in the living room, with Heero careful to place himself between Ayeka and Ryoko; he'd already learned that letting them sit next to each other was not a good idea. As they started to eat Heero grabbed a nearby remote and turned on the flat screen TV. He flipped it over to a news channel, curious to see how Director Une's media smokescreen was playing out.

A woman with blonde hair wearing a white pantsuit was sitting behind the anchor's desk. "For those of you who are just turning in, the peacekeeping organization Preventers released a statement earlier today in a press conference regarding the crash in Lake Genval earlier today."

"Oh?" said Ayeka, leaning in with interest, "I wonder how they're playing this…"

"Does it really matter?" said Ryoko in between bites.

"What's going on?" asked Mihoshi.

Heero held up his hand to hush them as he focused intently on the anchorwoman.

"According to Preventers Director Lady Une," she said, "the craft that crashed in Lake Genval today was a government prototype that had suffered a severe engine malfunction. Director Une refused to provide further detail, save that Preventers is handling salvage of the vessel and will conduct a thorough investigation regarding the exact nature of the malfunction. Reporters at the conference, including our own, attempted to inquire as to whether this crash was related to the other one that took place earlier this week, but Director Une refused to provide any commentary."

Heero turned off the TV. "Looks like things are going reasonably well on the media front."

Ayeka nodded. "I must say, I'm impressed. Your government works fast, sir Heero."

"Why are they so concerned about covering this up?" asked Ryoko.

"Because you, Ayeka, and Mihoshi are our first confirmed contact with life that is not from Earth," said Heero, "If we don't handle things carefully the people could panic."

"But they're lying to people," said Mihoshi, "That's not good."

Heero shook his head. Mihoshi seemed like a nice woman, but she was quite naïve. Heero was still finding it hard to believe that she was a cop.

"If lies preserve the peace," Heero replied, "then they're lies worth making. Besides, those lies are what're keeping a horde of reporters and conspiracy freaks from harassing you three every waking moment of your lives here."

"Don't you mean 'you five'?" asked Azaka.

"Oh, dear," said Kamidake, "Are we so easily forgotten?"

"You two have been sticking around the apartment," said Ryoko as she chomped down her food, "You might as well be furniture."

Ayeka scowled at her. "My guardians are not furniture, Ryoko!"

"They're very decorative, though," said Mihoshi with a smile, "They really brighten up the place, don't they?"

"Agh!" said Ayeka in exasperation, "They're not pieces of ornamentation either!"

"It's not like we can bring them out in public with us," said Heero, "They're too big for the car and they would draw far too much attention. I'm sorry, Azaka and Kamidake, but I'm afraid that keeping you two here is really our only option right now."

Ayeka sighed. "I'm afraid sir Heero is correct. Azaka, Kamidake, I'm truly sorry, but for the time being the two of you must remain in this apartment."

"Very well, Princess Ayeka," said Azaka.

"We understand," said Kamidake.

The four of them focused on their food for a little bit before Mihoshi spoke again.

"So, Heero," she said with a smile, "Are you a police officer like me?"

Heero shook his head. "Not quite. The group that I work for, Preventers, is a peacekeeping organization."

"So is the Galaxy Police," said Mihoshi, "So that would make you a police officer."

"Not really," Heero replied, "Preventers focuses on threats to the peace in the Earth Sphere. We don't target average criminals; we go after people whose actions threaten to spark a large conflict."

"What sorts of people fit that description?" asked Ayeka with great interest.

"Arms dealers, political and religious extremists, radical environmental groups, and regional figures that are trying to destabilize an area or upend the status quo for their own gain," said Heero, "Sometimes our work does overlap with other law enforcement agencies though, especially when it comes to the drug trade; the actions of a lot of cartels and syndicates can be classified as narco-terrorism, which is definitely a major threat to the peace as far as Preventers is concerned."

Ryoko whistled. "Sounds like you've got your hands full."

Heero nodded. "It has kept me busy. Looking back on things, I guess Sally was really onto something when she said it was time for me to take a vacation… although playing host to you and Ayeka wasn't exactly what I had in mind for time off. And now Mihoshi's here too… as far as vacations go, I'm pretty sure this one's unique."

While Heero was speaking he was almost unaware of a very small smile working its way onto his face. The fact was that, despite the circumstances under which he was taking it, he actually was enjoying his 'vacation'. Even with Mihoshi added to the mix, the Gundam pilot had a strange feeling that he would continue to find this very new and unusual pleasure in his time away from Preventers field operations. It was such a fresh and unpredictable experience for him, and the fact that he couldn't really anticipate what would happen next was actually something that Heero liked about it.

His eyelids fluttered, and he found himself lowering his head ever so slightly. He was trying to hide it from his three guests, but the day's events were starting to catch up with Heero. It was late, and although he wouldn't admit it he was fairly tired.

He felt a light hand on his left shoulder. "Sir Heero? Are you all right?"

His eyes widened ever so slightly as he turned to Ayeka. She was looking at him with concern, having clearly picked up on what he had been trying to conceal.

She's sharper than I thought, he mused, Although given that she's a princess she must've learned how to read people in the Empire.

Another hand settled on his right shoulder. "You look a bit out of it, Heero. What's up?"

Turning to his right he saw Ryoko, and like Ayeka she appeared genuinely concerned about him.

Heero shook his head. "I'm all right. After dinner I'll have to set up the extra bedroll for Mihoshi."

"Sir Heero," said Ayeka, "If I may, please let me take care of that."

Heero was a bit taken aback by that. "Ayeka?"

The princess smiled at him. "Miss Mihoshi and I will be sharing the same room in any case, so it's no imposition to me. After we finish eating here I can help her get settled in for the night. You should get some rest."

"She's right, Heero," said Ryoko, smiling at him, "I know I'm beat from today, and I had my powers to help me out. You managed to stop Mihoshi without any special abilities like mine or Ayeka's, so I wouldn't be surprised if you're worn out from it."

The fact that Ryoko was actually agreeing with Ayeka was a sign to Heero that he wasn't hiding his weariness as well as he'd thought he was. Either that or the space pirate was far more perceptive than he'd given her credit for.

Mihoshi yawned. "I'm tired too. Today really wiped me out!"

Ryoko folded her arms. "How are you wiped out? You had were in that power armor the whole fight!

"Hey!" said Mihoshi, "That thing's not easy to control, you know!"

"It still has to be easier than fighting without it!" said Ayeka.

"Enough," said Heero calmly, "I think we've all had enough fighting for today, don't you?"

The three women looked at him for a moment before leaning back in their seats, clearly wiped out.

"Heero's right," said Ryoko, "I really don't have the energy for this right now."

Ayeka yawned. "Yes… it's been a long day."

Mihoshi nodded. "I'm still hungry."

"Then finish your meal," said Heero, "Ayeka, are you sure about getting Mihoshi set up in your room after dinner?"

Ayeka nodded and smiled. "Quite so, sir Heero. You just get some rest. I think you've more than earned it today."

Heero gave her a small smile in response. "Thank you."

He could've sworn he saw Ayeka blush. "Oh… think nothing of it, sir Heero!"

Completing his meal, Heero stood up and took his plate and cup to the kitchen. After putting them in the dishwasher he returned to his guests.

"I'm going to bed," he said, "I expect my apartment to still be standing in the morning. You three are forbidden to fight each other, is that clear?"

Ayeka nodded. "Quite so, sir Heero."

"All right," said Ryoko, "They're not really worth my time anyway."

Mihoshi smiled at him. "Don't worry. I won't cause any trouble."

Heero could only hope that they would all be true to their word. "Okay. Goodnight."

….

September 9th, A.C. 198

Heero had barely stepped out of the shower and put on his bathrobe when the ear-piercing shriek of the apartment's smoke detector alarm hit him like a drill to the back of the head. He immediately rushed out of the bathroom and ran towards the main living area. When he got their he saw a cloud of smoke billowing from the stove, while Mihoshi, Ayeka, and Ryoko were all looking around frantically until they saw Heero.

"Heero!" cried Mihoshi, running up to him with tears in her eyes, "I'm so sorry, Heero! I didn't mean to do it!"

"I don't know how it happened!" yelled Ayeka.

"Turn that damn thing off before my head explodes!" shouted Ryoko, her hands clamped down hard over her ears.

"Such a noisy device!" said Azaka from his perch in the living room.

"I hope it doesn't blow out my auditory sensors!" Kamidake chimed in.

Rushing past the three of them, Heero opened one of the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a red fire extinguisher. A few seconds and a big white cloud later and the small blaze that had erupted on the stove was put out. The Gundam pilot rushed to open up as many windows as he could to ventilate the smoke and was finally able to shut off the screeching alarm.

He then turned to the three women standing in front of him, his eyes narrowing. "No games. What happened?"

Mihoshi nervously stepped forward, stammering as she spoke to him. "I-I was t-trying to c-cook that food t-that you made us f-for breakfast y-yesterday, and…"

Walking over to the oven and looking at the pan on the stove, Heero saw some very burnt strips of bacon sitting there.

"I sincerely apologize, sir Heero," said Ayeka timidly, "When Mihoshi said she wanted to make you a meal to thank you for yesterday and the day before, I helped her find what she would need. She said she didn't need any help, so I paid her no mind after that. By the time I realized something was amiss…"

"The kitchen was on fire," Ryoko finished for her, "and that freaking alarm damn near gave me a heart attack."

Heero sighed. All things considered, it could've been much worse. Frankly, he was surprised his three guests had managed to go as long as they had before something like this had happened.

Mihoshi's first full day on Earth had gone fairly smoothly, all things considered. Much like what had happened with Ayeka and Ryoko, Heero had started out by going shopping to top off his food supplies and to get Mihoshi some basic hygiene necessities. All three women had gone along with him; Ryoko and Ayeka never missed a chance to go out with him, and they were loath to leave him alone with the cute if scatterbrained space cop.

The next stop had been the mall to get Mihoshi some clothes that would let her better fit in with the people of Earth. Ayeka and Ryoko had tried their best to get Heero to widen his shopping list to include them, but he was able to keep them at bay. For her part, Mihoshi had seemed to enjoy herself as she tried on her clothes, and despite her apparently innocent nature Heero had gotten the feeling that she had also been trying to put on a show for him. Heero would privately admit that she did have quite a body, and whether it was by accident or otherwise she had definitely flaunted it.

They'd ended the day with some sightseeing before returning to his apartment for dinner. Despite Heero's initial fears the impromptu tour of Brussels had been a surprisingly relaxing experience. He'd made sure to include places that he hadn't taken Ryoko and Ayeka to previously, and all three women seemed to have fun on the outing. Dinner had been a simple affair, but fortunately for Heero Mihoshi did not appear to be a picky eater.

Something had to go wrong eventually, he thought as he surveyed the mess in the kitchen, At least I managed to contain it.

He turned to Mihoshi, who was fidgeting nervously. Her bright blue eyes looked like they were about to burst into tears at any moment, and the last thing Heero wanted right now was to see her cry.

"Are… are you going to kick me out?" she asked softly.

Heero shook his head. "No, I'm not. I know a mistake when I see one, Mihoshi. It's a mess, but I can clean it up."

She smiled and ran forward to hug him. "Thank you, Heero!"

Heero was caught off guard by this, and all he could do was awkwardly pat her on the back. "You're welcome, Mihoshi."

She held him tightly, and Heero couldn't help but notice her amble chest pressed against him. "I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

Heero carefully extricated himself from her embrace, and noticed Ryoko and Ayeka glaring at her. "Don't concern yourself with that. Why don't you just wait in the living room while I fix this and make you and the others breakfast?"

"Sir Heero," said Ayeka, stepping forward, "I can start cleaning in the kitchen for you. You should get some clothes on first."

Heero looked down, realizing that he was still in his bathrobe. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

"You sure?" said Ryoko, smirking at him, "I don't mind seeing you like this, Heero."

"You tramp!" scowled Ayeka, although Heero couldn't help but notice that she was blushing slightly as she looked at him.

He sighed. "I'll go get cleaned up. Try not to destroy my apartment in the meantime."

….

Wolfing down her bacon, Mihoshi smiled at Heero as the four of them ate breakfast. With the help of Ayeka the handsome young man had gotten the kitchen relatively clean in hardly any time at all, and after that he had quickly prepared breakfast. It had turned out much better than her disastrous attempt had. The waffles, bacon, sausage, and eggs were all so good.

I wish I could cook like him, she thought, All I wanted to do was make him a meal to show him how grateful I am for him taking me in! Why do I always seem to screw things up?

Her utter failure at preparing the morning meal was discouraging, but much to her relief Heero had been quite understanding with her. He had been so calm after he'd listened to her explanation, and so forgiving. He might've seemed a little cold on the outside, but after just a little more than a day with him Mihoshi could already tell that Heero was a good person. He was so patient and smart, and it was thanks to his intelligence and kindness that she had a place to stay on this unfamiliar planet. Mihoshi was now more determined than ever to find some way to repay him for being so nice to her.

As breakfast wrapped up Mihoshi was the first to stand up, and she immediately set to work clearing the table.

"Mihoshi," said Heero, "I can take care of this."

Mihoshi shook her head as she stacked up the plates. "No, I want to do this! I want to help clean up!"

Heero nodded. "Okay, but be careful. Watch your step."

It was good advice, but unfortunately it came too late. As Mihoshi turned to take the plates to the kitchen her foot got caught on the leg of the coffee table. The hapless space cop tripped and went crashing to the floor, along with the plates.

"Ow!" said Mihoshi, rubbing her side.

Heero came over and helped her to her feet. "Are you all right?"

She nodded as she leaned on him, impressed by how strong his arms were. "I think so… oh, no!"

On the wooden floor in front of them was a pile of broken plates. To make matters worse, they'd all been covered in syrup earlier from the waffles Heero had made, and now that sticky yet delicious fluid formed a puddle on the floor.

She looked at Heero in fearful anticipation. However, the angry reaction she'd been expecting did not come. Instead he simply sighed.

"I'll clean this up," he said as he went over to the kitchen.

"I'm so sorry!" said Mihoshi.

"It's all right," Heero replied as he returned with paper towels and a spray bottle, "Would you mind bringing the kitchen garbage can in here?"

Mihoshi nodded, determined to at least not screw this small thing up. "Right away!"

"Man," she heard Ryoko say, "what a klutz."

"Oh, dear," said Ayeka, "I do hope that this isn't a sign of things to come."

Mihoshi did her best to ignore them, although their words did sting. Mihoshi knew that they were right; she was clumsy, and no matter how hard she had tried over the years she'd been unable to change that about herself. Still, she was determined to do her best to help out however she could, and much to her relief she was able to bring Heero the garbage can he'd requested without incident.

"Here you go!" she said as she set it down beside him.

Heero nodded. "Thank you."

She watched as he worked on cleaning up the mess. "Uhm… is there anything else that I can do to help?"

Heero shook his head. "Not right now, but I appreciate the offer."

He's so polite, she thought as she watched him, I got really lucky, getting to stay with him like this! Plus…

…he's pretty cute.

She'd met her share of handsome guys before, but even though she'd only known him for a couple of days Mihoshi could already tell that Heero was something special. He was definitely good looking, but there was also his position as a special kind of law enforcement officer that she found attractive. It was something that she could relate to, although his work was apparently considerably different from hers in several key areas. He was definitely skilled, as evidenced by how he had disabled her power armor. Even if he had done so with the help of Ryoko and Ayeka it remained an impressive feat, and Mihoshi had a feeling that Heero would make a very good officer if he was part of the Galaxy Police.

I should try to recruit him!, she thought, Oh, wait… wasn't there a regulation against recruiting people from worlds the Galaxy Police hadn't sent an official contact mission to yet? Was it 952.67, or 952.57… I can't remember. Or do we even have that kind of regulation?

She really wished that Ryoko hadn't destroyed her identification cylinder. In addition to being her official documentation it also functioned as a portable data terminal of sorts. It allowed her to pull up information on famous criminals, like she had done with Ryoko, and it also provided her with instant access to all the Galaxy Police's regulations and statutes, of which there were many. Mihoshi knew that most officers made an effort to memorize at least the most commonly cited ones, but unfortunately her ability to hold and recall information like that was less than stellar. If she were allowed to return to her ship later on she might be able to pull up that information on the vessel's console; even with the damage her craft had taken, many of the core systems had still been functioning immediately after the crash.

Of course, that was a pretty big 'if'. From what Heero had told her, the Preventers organization was combing over her ship with a fine-tooth comb as they tried to learn everything they could about it. They weren't letting anyone near the ship that wasn't authorized, and while she was sure that Heero could get the necessary clearance Mihoshi also knew that her host had his hands full just watching over her, Ryoko, and Ayeka. Now was hardly the time to burden him with more trouble courtesy of her.

"So, Heero," said Ryoko, "What's the big plan for today?"

Heero shook his head as he finished cleaning up. "Not sure, really. I hadn't thought that far ahead."

"Surely we don't need to go out every day," said Ayeka, "I see nothing wrong with spending a day inside. The weather would certainly seem to be encouraging it."

That was true. Looking out the window, Mihoshi saw nothing but grey clouds in the sky. It looked like it might start to rain at any moment, and while she would like to see more of Heero's city she would prefer to not get soaked in the process.

"Staying here doesn't sound so bad," said Heero, "I've actually got some chores that I need to catch up on anyway."

Mihoshi smiled. "Oh, I can help! Please, Heero?"

The young man looked puzzled. "You don't have to, Mihoshi."

Mihoshi nodded. "I know, but I want to. I want to make up for the mess I made this morning."

Heero looked at her for a moment before nodding. "All right. I'm sure I can find something for you to help out with."

Mihoshi grinned. "Yay!"

….

Folding his arms, Heero looked on as Mihoshi intently studied the vacuum cleaner. She was incredibly curious about the common household appliance, and Heero found himself in a very strange place somewhere between concern and amusement.

I hope I'm not just digging myself into a deeper hole here…

"So," said Mihoshi, "this thing helps clean the floor?"

Heero nodded. "It's battery operated, and it's fully charged. That red switch on the top turns it on and off, and all you have to do is just push it along the floor. It'll pick up dirt, dust, and any crumbs that we might've dropped on the floor during our meals. If there's a spot that you can't get to with it, that tube and hose on the right side can detach so you can clean there. Once you're done you can just plug that cord on the back into an outlet and the battery will recharge."

"Oh," said Mihoshi, "Okay. I've never seen something like this before."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "So how does the Galaxy Police keep dirt and dust from piling up on their floors, then?"

"We have robots for that," Mihoshi replied, "They hover along the floor and use special energy fields and suction devices to pick up dirt."

"That sounds handy," said Heero, "Unfortunately, I don't have anything like that. This is what I've got."

Mihoshi nodded and smiled. "Oh, it's okay! I should be able to use this. So, where do you want me to start?"

Heero gestured around the living room. "Anywhere in here's fine. Make your way to the kitchen after that, and then down the hall. If you need me I'll be back in the laundry room; there's a bunch of clothes that need to be washed."

"Got it," said Mihoshi as she grabbed the handle of the vacuum, "I won't let you down!"

….

Five minutes later…

Heero had just finished putting the first load of clothes into the laundry machine when he heard a shriek coming from the living room.

Oh, boy, he thought as he rushed towards the source, What went wrong?

When he came into the living room he wasn't sure if he was supposed to face palm or laugh. Ryoko had clearly decided on the former; she was absolutely cracking up, laughing so hard that she was clutching herself as she sat on the couch, trying very hard not to fall off.

There was Mihoshi with the vacuum hose in hand…

…and Ayeka's long purple twin tails getting sucked up into it.

"Curse you, Mihoshi!" the Juraian princess shouted, "Turn this damned contraption off at once!"

Mihoshi was frantically looking around the vacuum in panic. "Uhm… where's the switch? I can't find it!"

Heero sighed as he walked forward and hit the highly visible red switch at the top of the device. Mihoshi slumped over with relief as Ayeka's hair came out of the hose, while the princess glared at her.

"What the devil was that about, Mihoshi?" Ayeka hissed as she glared at her.

"I'm sorry," said Mihoshi, "I saw some crumbs on the couch by where you were sitting and I wanted to clean them up."

"Could you at least have asked me to move first?" asked Ayeka in exasperation.

"I'm glad she didn't," gasped Ryoko as she tried her best to rein in her laughter, "Oh, man, that was priceless! You should've seen the look on your face, Ayeka!"

Ayeka scowled at her. "I'd like to see you laughing when your hair is getting sucked up by that infernal device!"

"Princess Ayeka!" said Azaka, "Are you all right?"

"She looks really angry," said Kamidake nervously.

"I'm really sorry!" whimpered Mihoshi.

"That's enough," said Heero firmly, "It was an accident. Ayeka, are you okay?"

The princess turned to him and nodded. "I believe so, sir Heero. Perhaps it would be best if you handled this particular household chore, though?"

"No!" cried Mihoshi, "I want to do it! I want to help out somehow!"

Heero looked at Mihoshi in thought for a moment before nodding. "If you feel that strongly about it, Mihoshi, then I'll let you continue. Just watch out for the others, all right?"

Mihoshi nodded. "Okay."

I really hope I made the right call here, thought Heero.

….

Closing the door of his bedroom for the night, Heero leaned against it and sighed. Today had been much more exhausting than he'd anticipated, especially considering that they'd spent the entirety of it in the apartment.

Through a very lengthy process of trial and error, Heero had discovered what household chores he could entrust Mihoshi with and be reasonably certain that his apartment would still be left standing earlier. Vacuuming had been one of them, and after much effort Heero could tentatively add dusting and cleaning the bathroom to the list. He'd tried to show her how to run her own clothes through the laundry, but after she'd literally flooded the machine with detergent Heero decided to list that particular chore as a 'work in progress' for her. Emptying the dishwasher was out of the question; after she had already dropped and broken four of his plates Heero did not want to give her the chance to repeat the experience. The same went with cooking of any kind; the last thing he needed was for her to accidently start another fire.

Despite the stress involved with the day's events, in a way Heero had also found them to be somewhat amusing and refreshing. It was yet another change of pace from his normal life as a Preventers operative. Mihoshi's sincerity in her desire to help out around his place was surprisingly touching, although Heero was quite committed to limiting what she could take responsibility for. Part of that was simply due to practicality, but Heero also did not want his guest to take on too much housework; it just didn't feel right.

There was a knock on the door, and none other than Mihoshi's voice quickly followed. "Uhm, Heero?"

Heero turned around and opened the door. Mihoshi was standing in the hallway with a nervous smile on her face.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she replied, "You were really patient with me today. I know I can be a lot to deal with, and… well, I appreciate it."

Heero nodded. "It's all right, Mihoshi. You're my guest, and I'm not going to get mad at you over a few mistakes. Besides, I appreciate the fact that you're willing to help out around here."

"Oh, you're welcome!" said Mihoshi.

"Is there anything else?" asked Heero.

Mihoshi shook her head. "Nope, that was it. I'll see you in the morning… and I'll let you cook breakfast!"

Heero nodded, and he couldn't help but give her a small smirk. "I think that's for the best. Goodnight, Mihoshi."

"Goodnight!" she replied cheerfully.

Closing the door again, Heero leaned against it for a moment and looked down at the floor in thought. A space pirate, a princess, and a space cop all under his roof, and all three were lovely women to boot. They all had their ups and downs, but if nothing else they each seemed like they were decent people. The fact that they all seemed to like him was definitely a bonus, and Mihoshi seemed far less likely to get in a fight than Ryoko and Ayeka were.

Maybe this won't be too bad, he mused, As long as I keep an eye on her… then again, I've already got to do that with Ryoko and Ayeka.

As long as I don't get any more guests from the stars, I should be okay….

….

September 16th, A.C. 198

The private Royal Treeship of Sasami Jurai bore some similarities to her older sister's Ryu-Oh. It was an elegant and graceful vessel, with a light blue sphere with a blue circular band around it serving as the core while the rest of the frame flowed out around it. However, Sasami's ship was smaller than Ayeka's, and the frame was a light blue color much like the sphere as opposed to the light brown from Ryu-Oh. A long central fin trailed downwards, while four more slender fins were swooped back and two more were pointing upward in a U-shape.

The control room where Sasami guided her craft from was much like that found on the Ryu-Oh. There was a central platform with a circle of water running around it, with small bridges going over the water on the right and left sides of the platform. Behind Sasami was the Jurai tree that served as the centerpiece of the vessel, providing power and guidance. There were no traditional controls like those found on conventional craft; the vessel was mentally linked with Sasami, and it would do what she desired whether she vocalize the command or give the order only in her mind.

The cute girl did not seem at first glance like someone who could fly any kind of ship. For starters, she looked far too young; she would not look out of place in a middle school if she were on Earth. Her teal hair was tied into two very long pigtails, and her red eyes were wide and innocent. She was slender and on the short side, and one would be hard pressed to find someone who could not describe her as absolutely adorable. The only signs of her connection to the Jurai Royal Family were the upside down green triangle birthmark on her forehead and the very fine green, yellow, and black kimono she wore.

I know Ayeka said she was going on a holiday for a while, she thought as she looked at the stars on the screen, but she's been gone for quite a while now, and now I hear that she got into a fight with a space pirate! I hope she's okay.

It was the simple and pure concern for her sister that had prompted Sasami to leave the comfort and safety of Jurai. Her father and mother hadn't thought enough time had gone by to send out search patrols for the crown princess, but Sasami was much more worried and could not content herself with sitting and waiting in the royal palace. She had retraced Ayeka's trail as best as she had been able to, but she'd run out of real hints after stopping at the planet where the infamous space pirate Ryoko had robbed a local branch of the Bank of Jurai while Ayeka just so happened to be at that very branch making a withdrawal. The resident Galaxy Police officers had been able to give Sasami the flight trajectory Ryoko had fled on and Ayeka had pursued her along, but beyond that the princess did not have any information as to where her sister might be.

I won't give up, she thought, I'll find Ayeka no matter where she is!

Still, after a few days of searching along Ayeka's last known route, Sasami was getting discouraged. She had no idea if her sister had changed course sense Sasami had started down this trail. For all the poor girl knew she could be flying the wrong way now. Space was vast, and trying to find just one person in the galaxy was the equivalent of looking for a needle in a mountain of haystacks.

I wish father or mother had come along, she thought, Traveling by myself is lonely, and I haven't made any new friends who can help me out.

She looked out at the stars, praying for a sign of some kind. Sasami was determined to find her sister, but if she didn't find a clue soon she didn't know what she was going to do.

Suddenly she heard a chiming, and a flashing green light appeared on the screen. "What's this?"

The screen zoomed in on a single nearby star system, and then went in even closer, towards the third planet from the sun. The green light was flashing on that planet, and Sasami smiled as she realized what that meant.

"That's Ryu-Oh!" she cried, "That's where Ayeka is! Let's go!"

Her ship quickly picked up the pace, and before Sasami knew it she was rushing towards the targeted system at incredible speed. Her heartbeat quickened with excitement as they rapidly approached their destination.

I finally found you, sister! I'll be there soon, and then we can go home together!

….

A cool breeze blew through her long hair as Ryoko stood on the upper surface of the hull of Mihoshi's crashed ship. She sighed and smiled; it felt good to feel fresh air on her skin again. The white t-shirt and jeans shorts she was wearing meant that she was getting some good exposure to the wind, and Ryoko was glad she'd dressed lightly today.

She looked to her right and saw Heero sitting on the hull about a meter away, his hand typing on the small tablet he'd brought with him. His green tank top and blue jeans were a bit scuffed from all the crawling around inside Mihoshi's ship that he'd done earlier, but to Ryoko seeing him like that made him more ruggedly handsome.

Just behind Heero was Ayeka, who, in her light blue blouse and grey skirt, was dressed far too nicely for wandering around a crashed ship. Ryoko would've found it satisfying to see some dirt on Ayeka if it actually bothered her, but the princess had been surprisingly fine with it, leading Ryoko to suspect that she was acting that way in order to score points with Heero. Right now Ayeka was trying very hard not to appear as though she was looking over his shoulder as he worked.

You're not exactly subtle, princess, Ryoko thought, Then again, I guess I'm not either.

She turned to her left and looked down the open hatch next to her. "Come on, Mihoshi, hurry it up. It's late and I'm starving!"

"I'm coming!"came Mihoshi's voice from the bottom of the shaft, "Just a minute!"

It was dusk out on Lake Genval, with the first stars of the evening just making their appearance. The four of them had been out there for hours now, and Ryoko was very much looking forward to getting back to the apartment and having another taste of Heero's home cooking.

It had been just a little over a week since Mihoshi had crash landed on Earth. In that time Heero's Preventers organization had cordoned off the crash site at the lake so they could study her ship, but due to just how much more advanced the vessel was when compared to their own technology they'd had trouble making headway. That was why Sally Po had come to Heero earlier that day to request that he bring Mihoshi out to the crash site to help them catalogue the various components of the ship in order to give them a better understanding of what they were looking at.

Heero had tried to leave Ryoko and Ayeka at home, but neither woman was having any of that. Outwardly they both acted as though they were determined to help Heero, and while that was partially true the real reason they were so set on coming along was because they were determined not to leave Heero alone with Mihoshi.

That girl's only been here for a week and she's already trying to make moves on him, thought Ryoko, No way in hell she's getting any alone time with Heero!

Mihoshi could act all innocent, but Ryoko had definitely caught the way she looked at Heero whenever the space cop thought no one was watching. She could play the simple girl who just wanted to help, but it was clear to the space pirate that the blonde officer was definitely trying to score points with their host. Ryoko wasn't about to let a member of the Galaxy Police one-up her in the eyes of their handsome guardian, and she was pretty sure that Ayeka felt the same way.

It had been an interesting experience, wandering around Mihoshi's ship. It wasn't the first time Ryoko had been inside a Galaxy Police patrol craft; she'd been captured by them before, although due to the combination of her powers and her deviousness they hadn't been able to hold her for long. Still, it was a new thing for Ryoko to have the freedom to explore such a craft while not in handcuffs, and she was impressed by how well the thing had held up when one considered just how hard it had impacted the lake. The hull was intact, and surprisingly there were no leaks. The engines were a complete bust, but the ship still had auxiliary power and plenty of the other hardware was still working as a result.

Ryoko had also found it interesting to watch Heero work. She assumed that this sort of thing wasn't normally what he did for a living, but it was still fun to observe him wandering around Mihoshi's craft, taking pictures with his tablet and typing notes on it while talking to the blonde Galaxy Police officer. He was sharp and thorough as Mihoshi gave him and the others a tour of her ship, and it seemed like no detail, no matter how small, could get past him.

He's like a detective, she thought as she looked at him with a smile on her face, Law enforcement agents aren't usually my type, but I'd make an exception for you, Heero!

It wasn't because of his looks, although the fact that he was quite handsome certainly didn't hurt. It was because he was so unlike any other member of a law enforcement group that she had ever encountered before. Just the fact that he was willing to give her a chance despite knowing full well that she was an infamous galactic criminal set him apart from everyone else she'd met. He wasn't one of those 'by-the-book' cops who couldn't deviate from the rulebook to save their lives, nor was he a corrupt officer who would stoop to just about any low if it meant his own enrichment. He was intelligent and flexible while at the same time disciplined and noble. Heero struck her as someone who was far more concerned with doing the right thing as opposed to simply following the letter of the law.

I wonder what his story is?, she thought, He did say that everybody has one, and I bet that his is a good one.

It was something she was curious about, but now didn't seem like the right time to ask him about it. He was wrapping up his work for the day, and Ryoko didn't want to interrupt him lest she delayed their return to his apartment and another one of his home-cooked meals. He'd already mentioned that something called 'chicken fettuccine' was on the menu for tonight, and while Ryoko had no idea what that was she was sure that it would be good.

Ryoko folded her arms and tapped her foot on the hull. "Any day now, Mihoshi."

"All right!" she heard Mihoshi cry from below, "I'm coming up now!"

"Finally," said Ayeka, "I daresay it's time to head back."

Heero nodded. "I agree. We've done everything that we can here today. I'll compile my report and send it to Sally after dinner tonight."

A few seconds later Mihoshi's head popped out of the hatch, a big smile on the blonde cop's face. "All right, I got everything I need. Let's go home!"

Before she climbed out of the ship she heaved up a green duffle bag and set it on the hull. The bag was full of items that Mihoshi hadn't been able to grab from the ship until now; her spare clothes, some extra equipment, emergency rations, and other miscellaneous objects.

Mihoshi then climbed up onto the hull. She was wearing a pink tank-top and a pair of very tight blue jeans, and as she hauled herself up out of the shaft Ryoko could not help but notice how she had positioned herself so that her ample rear was facing Heero, and that she was taking just a bit too long to full stand up. Ryoko's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Mihoshi might be a ditz, but there was no denying that she was a ditz with a hot body, and if that brief display was deliberate then she definitely knew how to use it.

Ryoko looked over at Heero. If the Preventers agent had taken notice of the space cop's display he gave no sign of it. Instead he simply tapped the screen of the tablet he was holding, causing it to go black before he stood up.

"Are you sure there's nothing else here you need?" Heero asked Mihoshi.

Mihoshi shook her head. "No, I think I got everything."

Heero nodded. "Good. Let's get going."

With that the four of them climbed down the rope ladder that had been set up on the side of the ship and into the small boat that they had taken to get out here. Ryoko could've flown to and from the shore but had found the idea of riding in a boat like this to be kind of fun. Getting the chance to splash Ayeka had been a bonus, although the princess had been quick to return the favor.

Heero was the first down the ladder. After he was securely in the boat he helped the three women get inside. Ryoko was the last one, and with a sly smile she all but threw herself off the ladder, forcing Heero to hold her tight to keep the two of them from going overboard.

"Oh, Heero!" she said as she looped her arms over his shoulders, making sure to press her bountiful bosom up against his chest, "You're such a gentleman! Thank you!"

Ryoko looked back at Ayeka with a smirk and was not disappointed by what she saw. The princess had her fist clenched and eyebrows bunched together in what could only be barely controlled rage.

"Just what the devil do you think you're doing?" Ayeka growled, "Unhand sir Heero at once, you cur!"

"Aw, you are so mean, Ayeka!" Ryoko replied with faux-hurt before turning back to her host, "Heero, did you hear that? You go through all the trouble to keep me from falling in the lake and all she can do is yell at us! What do you think of that, Heero?"

Outwardly he appeared calm, but Ryoko could tell by the way his body had stiffened slightly that she was definitely making him uncomfortable by rubbing up against him like this. She wanted to push things further but was prevented from doing so as Heero extricated himself from her grip, mindful of their balance so as to keep from sending them tumbling into the lake.

"I think we should get back to the apartment," he said, avoiding looking at Ryoko, "We've been out here long enough today."

Ryoko folded her arms. "Oh, all right, be that way."

She sat down next to him as he activated the small craft's battery powered motor. He didn't seem particularly mad at her or anything like that, but at the same time there was a certain subtle awkwardness about him, like he didn't know what to do about her flirtations.

This guy must not have a lot of experience with women, she thought, He's probably been so focused on his work that he hasn't gotten to have any fun with them. Well, I'll just have to change that, won't I?

She definitely felt like she'd made progress with him ever since they'd first met, especially after they're private talk once the chaos from Mihoshi's arrival had settled down a bit. However, it was clear that she still had a long way to go with him. Ryoko felt that she had an edge over Ayeka and Mihoshi when it came to getting close to Heero, but there was no denying that there was so much that she did not know about him, and based on his personality it was clear that he would not divulge that information easily. The lovely space pirate wasn't sure what it would take to get him to really open up about it. She was used to using her feminine wiles to get guys wrapped around her finger, but Heero was incredibly resistant to that sort of thing. It would require a much more long-term approach to really unravel the mystery behind him, and given her impulsive nature Ryoko knew that it would be quite a struggle for her to do that. Still, it was a challenge that she wanted to take a shot at. After all, if the prize was Heero Yuy, then it would be well worth the effort.

As the motor started up, Ryoko saw Heero looking at Mihoshi. Following his gaze, he saw the dark-skinned blonde woman fiddling with a pink cube that she had pulled out of her duffle bag.

"What is that?" asked Heero.

"It's a distress beacon," the space cop replied, "If I activate it the Galaxy Police will come out here to help me."

"Hate to break it to you, Mihoshi," said Ryoko, "but it might be a while before the Galaxy Police come out this way. This is kind of the sticks, you know?"

"Perhaps," Ayeka chimed in, "but the odds of someone finding her may be greater than you think, Ryoko. After all, Miss Mihoshi was the one that picked up my distress signal, if you may recall."

"Because she was assigned to patrol out this way," said Heero as he untied the boat from the side of the ship, "We don't know if the Galaxy Police have assigned another officer to pick up Mihoshi's route yet."

"They should have by now," said Mihoshi, although she didn't sound so sure, "I mean, I've already been gone over a week! They have to have someone assigned to look for me!"

Ryoko was tempted to tell Mihoshi that she doubted it thanks to how scatterbrained she was, but the space pirate found that she didn't have the heart to do it. Mihoshi might've been a cop, and her innocent nature made her an easy target to pick on, but for some reason Ryoko found that dashing her hopes like that was a line that she wasn't willing to cross right now.

I'm going soft, she thought as she looked back at their host, Damn it, Heero, I'm blaming that one on you! You just had to go and be nice to me, and some of that might've actually rubbed off on me.

"I'm sure an officer of the Galaxy Police is looking for you right now as we speak," said Ayeka, although she didn't sound very convincing to Ryoko.

"There's no point in worrying about that right now," said Heero as he pushed the boat out from the ship before hitting the motor, "Let's just get back to the apartment and get something to eat."

Ryoko smiled. "Sounds good to me."

Ayeka nodded. "Quite so. I must say I'm looking forward to it. Whenever you cook a new meal for us, sir Heero, it is simply exquisite!"

"Yeah," said Mihoshi, "How did you get so good at cooking?"

"Practice," Heero replied, "I got tired of rations and microwave meals all the time, so I branched out and taught myself how to cook. That's all there is to it."

"I wish I could do it," said Mihoshi, "but I never get it right no matter how many times I try."

"You just have to keep working at it," Heero encouraged her, "You'll get it eventually… although you should stick with foods that you have a minimal chance of setting ablaze."

"Yes, that would be best," said Ayeka.

"No kidding," muttered Ryoko.

Mihoshi smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Do you think you can teach me, Heero?"

Heero was quiet for a moment, and Ryoko watched as he looked out across the lake. "Perhaps."

The rest of the short trip back to shore passed without much incident, although both Ryoko and Ayeka had given Mihoshi suspicious glares.

Getting Heero to teach her to cook?, Ryoko thought, The bimbo's more cunning than I thought…

The boat pulled up to the dock, and while Ayeka steadied the craft Heero got out and tied the boat to the moorings. He then helped the three women out of the craft before getting back in to remove Mihoshi's bag and the one he'd brought for this assignment that contained his gear.

"That's everything," said Heero as he climbed back out of the boat, "Let's get to the car and go home."

Before they could leave Ryoko heard a small buzzing noise coming from Heero's pocket. Setting the bags down, Heero took out his cell phone.

"Hello," he said, "What is it, Sally?"

Ryoko couldn't hear what Heero's superior officer was saying, but the way Heero suddenly looked up at the darkening sky with his eyes narrowing did not bode well.

"Please tell me you're joking," he said.

About a minute went by as he quietly listened to Sally while Ryoko, Ayeka, and Mihoshi gathered around and watched curiously.

"Can you confirm that?" he asked.

"I wonder what's going on?" said Ayeka softly.

Ryoko shrugged. "Beats me."

"Aw, why did they have to call him now?" Mihoshi whimpered, "I'm so hungry, and he was about to take us home and make us dinner!"

"Join the club," Ryoko grumbled.

She saw Heero sigh, his gaze still on the evening stars. "How long do we have?"

A few seconds went by before he spoke again. "All right, then. We'll stick around here. Hopefully things will be more peaceful than last time."

Uh oh, thought Ryoko, I don't like the sound of that…

Sally must've said something else, because Heero looked over at Ryoko and the others before speaking again. "I'll try to keep things under control. Just don't take too long in getting here. Zero, out."

"What's up, Heero?" asked Ryoko as he put his cell phone away.

"Is something the matter, sir Heero?" asked Ayeka.

"Anything we can do to help?" Mihoshi chimed in.

Heero looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "We've got a ship coming in. From what Sally told me it's coming straight for us."

Ryoko's eyes widened. "Are you serious? This planet's out in the middle of nowhere!"

"That didn't stop us from landing on it," Ayeka pointed out.

"Yeah, but that was a fluke," Ryoko shot back, "I came out here to lay low, and you were chasing me. Mihoshi found this place because she just so happened to be patrolling out here when she caught your distress signal."

Mihoshi smiled. "Oh, I bet someone caught the one I just activated!"

Ryoko shook her head. "Oh, come on, there's no way it's because of that. You turned that thing on, what, five minutes ago?"

"That does seem to be far too fortuitous," Ayeka commented, "Sir Heero, did Lady Sally happen to send you any pictures of the craft we are expecting to see soon?

Heero shook his head. "Not yet, though she said she'd try to get us something. For right now she just wants us to wait here until she gives us an update."

"Great," Ryoko grumbled, "So much for that home cooked meal. Whoever's coming here better be bringing some food or I'm going to kick their ass!"

"I'd rather avoid a fight, if possible," said Heero, "It would be nice to have an encounter with an extraterrestrial visitor that didn't involve a shootout for a change."

"Oh, no!" cried Mihoshi, "What if they're a criminal? My documents are destroyed, so I can't legally arrest them!"

"No need to worry, Miss Mihoshi," said Ayeka, "As crown princess of Jurai I can act with my own authority to seize our visitors if they prove to be troublemakers!"

"If it comes to that, I'd appreciate it if you'd remand them into Preventers custody," said Heero.

Ayeka nodded and smiled. "Of course, sir Heero."

The four of them stood on the dock and looked up at the sky. After a few minutes they saw a small prick of red light amongst the stars; the sign of a ship in the middle of atmospheric entry.

"You think that's it?" said Ryoko.

Heero nodded. "I'm sure of it."

"I do hope they take more care with their landing than Miss Mihoshi did," said Ayeka.

"Hey!" Mihoshi cried, "That wasn't my fault! It was the autopilot!"

"Keep telling yourself that, kid," Ryoko muttered.

"Perhaps we should get back a bit?" said Ayeka nervously, "If they come down hard we'll get caught in the water they kick up if we're standing here."

Heero nodded. "Let's go to the car."

The parking lot wasn't too far from the docks. After they got there Ryoko, Mihoshi, and Ayeka continued to watch the sky while Heero loaded the bags into the car. The ship was definitely getting closer, but it was still too far out to really tell what kind of vessel it was.

"They're definitely going slower than Miss Mihoshi was," said Ayeka, "I'll take that as a good sign."

"It's a good thing it's getting dark," said Heero, "Most people should be inside by now, and Preventers has had this area cordoned off for quite some time now thanks to the prior landings."

"I just hope nobody gets hurt," said Mihoshi.

"Including us," Ryoko deadpanned.

"As long as you can rein in your barbaric tendencies that shouldn't be a problem," Ayeka said with a smirk, "I wonder how long you'll be able to go before you pick a fight?"

Ryoko glared at her. "You're one to talk, princess! You start plenty of fights too, in case you haven't forgotten!"

"Enough, both of you," said Heero firmly, "We need to stay focused here."

Ayeka bowed her head. "Of course, sir Heero. Forgive me."

Ryoko nodded and gave him an apologetic smile. "All right. Sorry about that. You know that we've got your back when the chips are down, right Heero?"

Heero nodded, and Ryoko was pleased to see him give her a very small smile in return. "I know."

After a few minutes the ship had gotten much closer, and now Ryoko was able to make out a few details. What she saw didn't exactly please her.

Ah, crap, she thought, Those lines… that looks like a Juraian ship.

Glancing over at Ayeka, Ryoko saw the princess smile as she came to the same conclusion. "Oh, goodness! That looks like it might be a royal vessel!"

"Are you sure?" asked Heero.

"Well," said Ayeka, her tone one of cautious optimism, "I'll need it to get closer so I can be sure, but… from this distance, that frame does look promising."

"Yay!" cheered Mihoshi, "You get to go home, Ayeka, and you can drop me off at Galaxy Police headquarters on the way back!"

"Yes," said Ayeka, although Ryoko noticed that she suddenly didn't look so enthusiastic about the new visitor, "I suppose so…"

Ryoko's eyes narrowed. The princess had better not be having second thoughts. Sure, Ryoko originally hadn't been thrilled at the idea that the ship coming towards them was from Jurai, but if it got Ayeka and Mihoshi off Earth and let her have Heero all to herself then she was all for the craft being from the Empire.

The ship was rapidly growing larger, and Ryoko could make out a lot more detail now. Sure enough, the vessel was definitely a Jurai Treeship. It was smaller than Ryu-Oh, but it still looked very similar to Ayeka's vessel. Unlike Mihoshi's ship it appeared to be coming down in a very controlled descent, and it looked like the craft would soon be settling in directly over the lake.

Ryoko saw Ayeka's eyes widened as the craft got closer. "Oh, my… that ship… it can't be!"

"What is it, Ayeka?" asked Heero.

Ayeka shook her head. "I don't believe it… she couldn't be out here…"

"Hey," Ryoko snapped, "spill the beans, princess!"

"Do you know that ship, Ayeka?" asked Mihoshi.

"I… I think so," Ayeka replied hesitantly.

Great, Ryoko thought dryly, Someone she knows? This isn't going to go well…

The ship was very close now, and Ryoko could see it decrease in speed as it made its final approach to the lake. The elegant craft slowly descended until it was hovering no more than a meter or so above the water.

"Director Une's going to have a fit about this," she heard Heero mutter.

Ryoko shrugged. "At least they didn't crash."

Heero nodded. "True."

The ship was no longer moving, and Ryoko wasn't sure what they should do. Heero seemed content to wait for the new arrival to make the first move, while Ayeka was fidgeting nervously and Mihoshi was all but jumping for joy.

Suddenly a flash of green light came from the ship. For a split second Ryoko feared it was an attack and braced herself to counter, but then she realized that the light wasn't aimed directly at them, but at a spot on the ground several meters away. Squinting through the light, Ryoko thought she saw the outline of a person.

Well, she thought, here we go…

As the light slowly faded Ryoko got a better look at the newcomer. They were rather short in stature, and her eyes widened as Ryoko realized that she wasn't looking at an adult, but a girl who looked like she should still be in middle school. Her fine kimono and red eyes gave her away as a member of the Jurai Royal Family, but the way she had her teal hair tied in two long tails gave her even more of a youthful air, like she should be on her way to class rather than flying across the galaxy.

I did not see this one coming, she mused, This should be interesting…

"Aw, look at her!" said Mihoshi, "She's adorable!"

Ryoko folded her arms and shook her head in disbelief. This was a Juraian royal and Mihoshi's ticket off Earth, but the ditzy space cop had just taken one look at her and was acting like the girl was a friend's daughter or younger sister that she had just met for the first time. Although Ryoko would grudgingly admit that the girl was definitely cute.

Ayeka was apparently stunned, but her shock did not seem to be directed at Mihoshi's behavior. Rather, her focus was squarely on the newcomer.

"Sasami?" she said, looking like she had seen a ghost.

The girl smiled and ran forward. "Ayeka! I've found you, Ayeka!"

Ryoko saw what might very well have been the most genuinely happy smile she'd ever witnessed the royal give appear on Ayeka's face. The princess rushed forward, all sense of decorum forgotten.

"Sasami!" cried Ayeka as she embraced the girl, "Oh, my dear sister… I've missed you so much!"

Ryoko's eyes widened. "Sister?"

"So it would seem," said Heero.

"Aw, look at them!" said Mihoshi with an adoring smile, "They're so cute together!"

Ryoko was having a hard time believing that such an adorable girl was really the sister of someone as stubborn and stuck-up as Ayeka. She was completely blindsided by this, and all the more so by seeing Ayeka drop her high-and-mighty-princess attitude and acting as simply a loving older sister.

After about half a minute the two sisters broke their embrace, although Ayeka still held Sasami by the shoulders. "Sasami, what are you doing out here? You know you're not supposed to leave the capital!"

"But I came to look for you, Ayeka!" Sasami cried, "You were gone on your holiday for so long that I was worried!"

"Holiday?" said Ryoko, raising an eyebrow, "She was on vacation when she chased me from that planet?"

"You two must have quite the rivalry if she's willing to put her holiday on hold to do battle with you," said Heero dryly.

Ryoko shook her head. "Sheesh, she's so uptight that she can't even kick back and enjoy a vacation like normal people."

"I appreciate your concern, Sasami," she heard Ayeka say, "but you know how dangerous it is outside Jurai! Father and mother must be worried sick about you! How did you ever convince them to let you leave the capital?"

Sasami smiled. "I ran away, Ayeka! I had my own ship, and I wanted to find you, so I left!"

She makes it sound so simple, thought Ryoko, almost amused by the spectacle, Wouldn't a kid like this have guards around her all the time? Someone fell asleep on the job…

Ayeka shook her head. "Oh, Sasami… I know you meant well, but you acted so recklessly! You're a princess of Jurai! You can't just take off across the galaxy at will, even if it's to help me!"

Sasami's eyes narrowed, but the girl's raw cuteness robbed the gesture of any bite. "Yes I can, Ayeka, and I did!"

Ryoko shrugged. "She's got spirit, I'll give her that."

Heero nodded, and Ryoko thought she saw a hint of approval on his face. "Those two share the same strength. It must run in the family."

"I'm just glad she's safe," said Mihoshi, "She could've gotten attacked by pirates!"

No kidding, thought Ryoko, A princess travelling by herself would make a tempting target, even if she had a Jurai Treeship. This Sasami caught a lucky break.

"Where's Azaka and Kamidake?" asked Sasami, "I thought that they went with you on your trip."

"They're quite all right," said Ayeka, "We left them at the apartment."

"Whose apartment?" asked Sasami.

"Oh, goodness!" said Ayeka as she released her sister, "I completely forgot about that! Where are my manners? Sasami, there's someone special that I'd like you to meet?"

"Special?" said Sasami with a smile, "Who is it?"

Watch it, Ayeka, Ryoko thought as her eyes narrowed, If you try to claim that Heero's your boyfriend just because your sister doesn't know what's been going on here since we landed then I will make you regret it!

Ayeka smiled as she gestured towards Heero. "This is Sir Heero Yuy. He's a protector of this planet, and has provided me with shelter since I arrived here. He is a kind and honorable young man."

"Sir Heero?" said Sasami as she looked at Heero, "You're a knight?"

Heero shook his head. "No, although your sister was right about me being a guardian of this world. You can just call me Heero; there's no need for a title with me."

Sasami nodded and walked forward, offering her hand. "Nice to meet you, Heero! I'm Sasami Masaki Jurai. You can call me Sasami!"

Heero nodded as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you as well, Sasami. Ayeka never told us that she had a sister."

Sasami's eyes widened, and she turned to her sister. "What? Why not, Ayeka? You better not have forgotten about me!"

"Oh, come now, Sasami," said Ayeka, "I could never forget about you! It's just that I didn't feel the need to Sir Heero with our family story."

"I wouldn't have minded a little bit of it," said Heero, folding his arms, "At least the part about you having a younger sister with access to a starship."

"Yeah," said Ryoko, "How did that slip your mind, Ayeka?"

Ayeka bowed her head. "I apologize, Sir Heero. I honestly did not think that it was something you would wish to know. Forgive me."

Heero nodded. "It's all right, Ayeka. Don't worry about it."

Ayeka smiled. "Thank you, Sir Heero!"

"So," said Sasami as she turned to Ryoko and Mihoshi, "who are you two?"

Mihoshi smiled. "My name's Mihoshi. I'm with the Galaxy Police!"

Sasami's eyes widened. "Oh, wow, a police officer! It's nice to meet you, Miss Mihoshi!"

"Aw, you're sweet!" said Mihoshi, "You can just call me Mihoshi, Sasami!"

Sasami nodded. "Okay!

The girl then turned to Ryoko, and the space pirate gave her a smirk. "Name's Ryoko, kid. I bet your sister's told you all about me, hasn't she?"

Sasami nodded, and much to Ryoko's surprise the girl was still smiling. "Uh huh! You're the space pirate she keeps fighting! Ayeka tries to hide it, but I think she has fun getting into fights with you!"

Ryoko raised an eyebrow as she looked at Ayeka. "Really?"

Ayeka frantically shook her head. "No, no, no, no, no! Sasami, how could you say that to a woman like her? She's a menace! I fight her only because I have to!"

Sasami shook her head. "You can't fool me, sister! You've been fighting her for so long now that you've started to enjoy it!"

Ayeka looked quite flustered. "That's utter nonsense!"

Ryoko couldn't help but chuckle. This kid sister of Ayeka's was just full of surprises. Maybe having her around for a while wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Sasami then turned back to her sister. "Have you been staying here with all of them, Ayeka?"

Ayeka nodded. "Indeed. Sir Heero has been most generous in allowing the three of us to take up temporary residence in his apartment."

"Wow!" she said as she turned to Heero again, "That was really nice of you! Thank you for giving my sister a place to stay, Heero!"

Heero nodded. "You're welcome."

Sasami looked at her sister and smiled. "You found a nice guy here, Ayeka. I like him!"

Ayeka smiled, and Ryoko could've sworn the princess blushed. "Oh… I'm glad to hear you say that, Sasami."

Then the pirate thought she saw a mischievous glimmer in the girl's eyes. "So, are you going to take him back to Jurai and present him to mother and father?"

If Ayeka's blush had been faint before, now it was bright and clear. "Sasami!"

"What?" the girl asked, and while her expression appeared innocent Ryoko wasn't so sure, "You like him, don't you? You've been staying with him all this time after all, and…"

"That's quite enough of that!" said Ayeka in a panic, quickly putting her hand over Sasami's mouth, "Sir Heero, I beg your pardon! She's young and can still be quite immature at times!"

Heero shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

Ryoko studied him carefully, but his expression remained as calm as ever. If there was any consideration to what Sasami had said before Ayeka had hushed her going on in that carefully guarded mind of his he gave no sign of it.

She watched as Ayeka leaned in to whisper something to Sasami. What it was, Ryoko had no idea, but when the two of them looked at Heero and the others she saw that innocent smile on the girl's face again.

"Well, Sir Heero," said Ayeka, "As I am still under your observational custody I do not wish to cause any trouble for you. So… what happens now?"

"That," said a familiar female voice, "is a very good question."

Ryoko and the others turned to see Sally walking towards them. She had a handful of Preventers agents with her, and she seemed quite amused by the sight of Sasami and her ship in the background.

"Sally," said Heero with a nod, "I'm glad you made it."

"And I'm glad that you managed to avoid getting into another fight," Sally replied with a smile, "Although you're hardly the type to pick a fight with a girl like this."

Sasami waved at Sally, that innocent smile still on her face. "Hello there! I'm Sasami. What's your name?"

Sally smiled. "I'm Sally Po, young lady. I'm Heero's direct superior."

Sasami nodded. "Nice to meet you!"

"Likewise," Sally replied, "Aren't you a well mannered young lady! Your parents must be proud of you."

"Aw, thanks!" said Sasami, "So you're Heero's boss?"

"One of them," said Sally with a smirk, "You'll meet the other one soon enough."

"Director Une's coming here?" asked Heero.

The Director?, thought Ryoko, None of us have met her yet. I wonder what she's like…

Sally shook her head. "No, we're going to her… and the meeting will not be at Preventers headquarters. Our destination's more clandestine… and it will serve as a good place to keep this ship out of sight for the time being."

"Begging your pardon, Lady Sally," said Ayeka, "but if you seek to move Sasami's ship I'm afraid that you will need her help to do so. A Jurai Treeship can only be commanded by its master."

Sally nodded. "That's quite all right. After all, Sasami seems like such a nice girl. She'd be willing to let us ride in her ship, wouldn't she?"

Sasami nodded. "Sure! Where are we going?"

"There's only one place close enough that allows us to meet Director Une and hide this ship," said Heero, and Ryoko saw his eyes narrow, "Sally, you want her to fly us to Base Green."

Sally nodded. "The hidden hangar should be large enough for this craft, and the region it's in is pretty remote. Surely you can't think of a better place, can you?"

"Not on such short notice," Heero replied, "but Base Green is a classified facility. Is it really acceptable to bring our guests there?"

"Considering our 'guests' qualify as classified material in their own right, I don't really see that as being an issue at this point," said Sally, "Director Une sees things the same way; she suggested we use it if this new contact proved to be friendly, and I think Sasami's about as friendly as they come."

Heero nodded. "At least nightfall will make our chances of being seen en route much less likely."

"Exactly," said Sally, "So, Sasami, is it okay if we take a ride in your ship to a very special place?"

Sasami nodded and smiled. "Sure! That sounds like fun!"

That was easy, thought Ryoko, This kid's way easier going than Ayeka is.

Sally turned to the agents that had accompanied her. "You all can return to headquarters. I'll continue on to Base Green with Heero and the others."

Ryoko turned to Heero. "So, what exactly is Base Green?"

"You'll see soon enough," Heero replied.

….

It was a very strange experience for Heero, being brought aboard an alien starship. The boarding process alone had been a bit unnerving; a bright green light had shot out of the ship, and the next thing Heero knew he and the others were inside the vessel. The bridge layout wasn't at all what he'd been expecting. It looked more like a carefully arranged garden than a ship's control center, with the tree behind the main platform being the most prominent feature.

Looking at Sally, he saw her studying the interior with great interest. "Fascinating… our scientists are going to have a field day looking at this thing."

Heero nodded. "Agreed."

To his right he saw Ryoko looking around the ship suspiciously. Heero supposed that he couldn't blame her for that, given her history of conflict with a certain member of Jurai's Royal Family. Said member of that Royal Family appeared to be very much at home on the ship, a stark contrast indeed to the space pirate. Ayeka had a smile on her face as she stood behind Sasami, and Heero guessed that being back in a familiar environment was really helping her mood. Mihoshi was looking around the ship in wonder, and Heero surmised that this was the first time she'd been aboard such a vessel.

"I'm impressed, Sasami," said Ayeka, "You've taken good care of your ship."

Sasami smiled. "Well of course, silly! We've been on a long journey to find you, Ayeka!"

"Sasami," said Sally, "are you ready?"

Sasami nodded, and with a gesture a map of the immediate area showed up on the main monitor. "Sure! Where do you want to go?"

"Can you zoom out a bit?" she said, "Base Green's not too far away, but it is outside the area you're showing right now."

"Okay!" said Sasami.

She waved her hand and the map zoomed out quite a bit. "Is it on there now, or do you need me to go out further?"

Sally nodded and smiled. "That's perfect. I can see exactly where we need to go."

"All right," said Sasami, "Just point and I'll take the ship there!"

Sally nodded and pointed with her right hand to a heavily forested area to the south. "Go there, Sasami."

Sasami nodded. "Got it."

Heero did his best to brace himself as the ship lifted off, but was surprised to find that his efforts really weren't needed. The vessel gained altitude very smoothly, and to Heero it barely felt like they were moving at all.

"Hey, Heero," said Ryoko, "So what was that area that Sally was pointing to earlier?"

"The Ardennes forest and uplands," he replied, "It's a very extensive woodland area. There are sections that are inhabited, but much of it isn't, in large part because the majority of it has been designated a nature preserve. Base Green's in one of the most remote sections."

Ryoko nodded. "You ever been there before?"

"Once," said Heero, "For a concealed base it's surprisingly spacious. We should have no problem hiding Sasami's ship there for a while."

"Why do we need to hide it?" asked Mihoshi.

Heero had to fight very hard to resist the urge to face palm. Hadn't he just explained to her after she'd arrived on Earth the importance of keeping things like this from the general public?

"Because we need to make sure the technology of a ship like this does not fall into the wrong hands," he said patiently, "Also, there's the small detail of the broader public possibly going into a panic at the mention of extraterrestrial contact. Trust me, keeping Sasami's ship hidden for now is the safest thing we can do."

Mihoshi nodded. "Okay."

The ship climbed quickly, and Heero was grateful that night was falling. With luck anyone who looked up at the sky tonight would only see the faint outline of the ship in the distance and wouldn't think twice about it.

Heero tracked their progress on the map Sasami had up on the display. The ship was moving forward quite quickly, yet Heero hardly felt any sign of the vessel's acceleration from the bridge. It was very impressive how the ship was somehow able to dampen the acceleration force, and Heero was very curious as to whether whatever technology responsible for it could also be applied to a mobile suit, particularly the beast that was the Tallgeese III.

"Very nice," said Sally, "At this rate we'll be there in no time."

"Just let me know when you want to talk to the people in the base so they can let us in," said Sasami, "I'll help you contact them."

Sally shook her head. "There's no need, Sasami. I can contact them on my radio."

Sasami nodded. "All right, then."

Even with nightfall, Heero had to admit that the view of the countryside passing beneath them on the monitor was still an impressive sight. Towns and villages passed by all too quickly, along with rolling hills, winding rivers and streams, and thick forests. The last one soon became dominant as the ship came over the Ardennes region, and Heero knew that it would be just a matter of seconds now before they were over their destination.

"How beautiful," said Ayeka as she watched the land below on the screen, "This truly is a lovely world."

Sasami smiled. "Yeah… it's a lot like Jurai, right Ayeka?"

Ayeka nodded. "Some parts, yes… although I would say that this world has a charm all of its own."

"It's a hell of a lot more welcoming than the Empire," Ryoko muttered.

Ayeka folded her arms. "You've only yourself to blame for that, you scoundrel."

Heero held up his hand to forestall their argument. "Save it for later. We've got bigger things to worry about right now."

"Agreed," said Sally, "Slow up, Sasami. We're just about there."

Sasami nodded. "Got it!"

The vessel began to decelerate, and Sally's eyes narrowed as she studied the screen. "All right… stop it in five seconds!"

"Ok!" Sasami replied.

She halted her ship right on the mark, and Sally smiled. "Very nice. You're quite the pilot, young lady."

Sasami smiled. "Aw, thanks! It's not really that hard, though. The ship does most of the work."

Sally nodded. "I see. Keep it hovering here for a moment. I need to speak to the people below us."

"I don't see anyone down there," said Sasami.

It was true; all that was visible on the screen was a solid wall of trees. However, appearances could be very deceiving, and Heero was well aware of what was truly beneath them.

Sally smirked. "Well, it wouldn't be much of a secret base if it was visible, would it? Just you wait and see, Sasami. I think you're going to like this."

She's having way too much fun with this, thought Heero.

Sasami was practically beaming now. "Really? Come on, Sally, show me!"

"Sasami!" said Ayeka sternly, "Have some manners when addressing Lady Sally! She's Sir Heero's commanding officer!"

Sally laughed. "It's quite all right, Ayeka. Really, I don't mind at all. Her enthusiasm's a breath of fresh air, truly."

"Oh," said Ayeka, sufficiently mollified, "Very well, then."

Sally then clicked a button on the side of her small radio. "This is Water to Base Green Control. We're right above you. Go ahead and open her up."

There was just a bit of static in the reply, but Heero could still hear it quite clearly. "Roger that, Water. Retracting hatch doors now."

"Here we go," said Heero.

On the screen he saw the thick curtain of trees below slowly begin to part. Two massive and thick doors gradually began to recede, revealing a cavernous hangar.

"Holy crap!" said Ryoko, "That's huge!"

"Impressive!" said Ayeka, her eyes widening, "I had no idea your organization had built a facility like this, Sir Heero!"

"Preventers didn't build it," Heero replied, "This base was originally constructed by the United Earth Sphere Alliance, the government that ruled this world before the formation of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. Most of their old military facilities were decommissioned, but some of them we held onto and upgraded for our own use. Base Green is one of them."

"Will it really fit Sasami's ship?" asked Mihoshi.

"It'll be close," said Sally, "but it'll fit."

"I can't wait to go inside!" said Sasami, "It's so big!"

It was nice to know that, despite the much more advanced technology of the society that his guests were from, Heero and his colleagues could still impress their extraterrestrial visitors. There was a certain pride to be taken in what humanity's ingenuity could achieve, although Heero had never thought that he'd be taking pride in a base that was constructed by one of his old enemies.

My life just seems to get stranger by the day, he thought, I wonder what's up next…

Eventually the giant tree-covered doors ceased moving, and Sally turned to Sasami. "All right, Sasami. Take her down."

Sasami nodded and grinned. "Got it! Here we go!"

The ship slowly began to descend. As it did so the features of the subterranean hangar became more distinct. The massive metal doors had been laid over with soil to allow trees to grow over them, the better to camouflage the facility. At the very edge of each door was a thin white line, and while Heero couldn't name the exact substance he knew from briefings that it was designed to keep tree roots from overlapping and preventing the doors from opening. When the metal and the dirt were added together it made the doors an astounding fifteen meters thick, and that wasn't counting the trees themselves. The old Alliance had spared no expense in building this fortress, originally designed as both a redoubt and a center of top secret military research.

As the vessel descended more of the hangar's interior came into view. Its size truly was impressive for a facility of its nature, but even so Heero knew that fitting Sasami's ship inside would be a close thing. Her ship might be smaller than Ayeka's Ryu-Oh, but it was still nothing to sneeze at.

A few seconds later the ship came to a halt, hovering what Heero guessed to be less than a meter from the surface of the floor. He was impressed with how smoothly and effortlessly Sasami had brought the ship down.

That was really precise, he thought, I guess her bond with the ship really helps her fine-tune her control. I wonder how it works…

Sally looked pleased with Sasami's piloting as well. "Very well done, Sasami!"

"Thank you!" Sasami replied.

Ryoko smirked. "Not bad, kid, I'll give you that. Better than your sister, anyway. At least you didn't crash."

"Excuse me, Ryoko!" Ayeka growled, shooting the space pirate a death glare.

Ryoko shrugged. "What? It's true."

"I only crashed my ship because I was trying to defeat you!" Ayeka yelled.

"How'd that turn out for you?" Ryoko quipped, "I believe you wound up trashing your ship."

Heero stepped between them. "Calm down, both of you. Now's not the time for another one of your arguments."

"Come on, stop it, Ayeka!" said Sasami as she tugged on her sister's arm, "You shouldn't be fighting like this!"

"Ryoko, please don't fight with all of us in here!" cried Mihoshi as she grabbed the pirate, "I don't want to get caught in the middle of it!"

Ryoko batted her away. "All right, all right! Sheesh, lighten up."

Ayeka sighed. "You're right, Sasami. I'm sorry."

Seeing that calm was restored for the moment, Sally stepped forward. "Well, now that that's sorted out, perhaps we can disembark?"

"How exactly do we do that?" asked Heero as he looked around the ship.

"Oh, that's easy!" said Sasami, "Everyone, please stand close together in the middle of the platform!"

Looking over at Sally, the two Preventers operatives shrugged before doing as Sasami commanded. Heero couldn't help but notice that Ryoko and Ayeka seemed to be using Sasami's instructions as an excuse to sidle up to him, with each of them grabbing one of his arms.

"Ryoko," growled Ayeka, "just what do you think you're doing?"

Ryoko gave her a faux-innocent smile. "Well, your little sister did say we need to be close together. You heard her too, didn't you, Heero?"

"I don't think this is quite what Sasami had in mind," Heero muttered.

"What's the matter, Heero?" said Sally, who looked quite pleased at his predicament, "Girl troubles? You know, you could always call Duo for advice…"

"That's not going to happen," said Heero with a glare.

Sally sighed. "And here I thought you'd loosened up a bit. You've still got a long ways to go."

"Okay," said Sasami, "here we go!"

Just like before, there was a blinding flash of green light, forcing Heero to shield his eyes. When he finally felt comfortable opening them he found himself on the floor of Base Green's cavernous hangar along with the others.

That method of transportation's going to take some getting used to, he thought, feeling a little bit disoriented.

"Well done, Sasami," said Sally, "Welcome to Base Green, everyone."

While Heero had been here once before, that didn't detract much from the impression the massive hangar made. It was one thing to see it while inside Sasami's ship, but it was quite another to be standing on the floor and looking up as the huge, thick doors above slowly began to close. It was a very large rectangular area, with catwalks running all along the sides. Groups of technicians and mechanics were milling about, all looking awestruck at Sasami's vessel. Heero certainly couldn't blame them for that; even after his close encounter with the Ryu-Oh, seeing another Jurai Royal Treeship up close really was quite an experience.

Ryoko whistled. "Wow… this place is really something. I could probably fit Ryo-Ohki's ship-form in here."

"This must've been exorbitantly expensive to build," said Ayeka thoughtfully, "How in the world did the government finance a base like this?"

"The old Alliance prioritized military expenditure over everything else in the budget," said Sally, "Funding the construction of a base like this was nothing to the top brass. They didn't care that it came at the expense of programs designed to actually help the people, and they had their heads so far up their asses that they didn't see that it was exactly that kind of callous disregard for those they ruled that was playing into the growth of a rebellion."

Heero nodded. "Particularly with the colonies; they were bleeding us dry in their efforts to fund their military machine."

"The colonies?" asked Ryoko, "You mean those big habitats I saw up in orbit? You're from one of those, Heero?"

"Yes," said Heero grimly, "and I was part of their rebellion."

He saw Ryoko's eyes widen, and she wasn't the only one who looked surprised. Ayeka and Mihoshi appeared just as shocked, while Sasami looked on in puzzlement and Sally simply nodded in recognition.

"Hang on," said Ryoko, "You're supposed to be a government agent, right?"

"Forgive me, Sir Heero, but I'm quite confused," said Ayeka, "You're a peacekeeper, not a rebel, am I not correct?"

"I am now," said Heero carefully, "but that wasn't always the case."

"The Preventers peacekeeping organization was founded under the Earth Sphere Unified Nation," said Sally, "That is the group that Heero and I work for, and we do indeed serve the current government. However, this government was preceded by two others; the United Earth Sphere Alliance and OZ. It was those two entities that the colonies rebelled against, and if you knew the history of their rule you certainly wouldn't blame them."

"That's a long story," said Heero, "and one that we don't have time for right now."

Sally nodded. "True. Please, follow me."

Sally took the lead as she showed them out of the hangar, but as they left the vast chamber Heero could feel the eyes of Ryoko, Ayeka, and Mihoshi studying him intently. That wasn't too surprising; he'd just dropped a bombshell on them, and that was without going into detail on his time with the colonial resistance movements or his active role in the bloody Eve Wars.

Since Ryoko's a pirate I suspect that she'd have an easier time accepting some aspects of my past, he mused, Rebellion against the government probably strikes a chord with her. Ayeka and Mihoshi, though… as a princess and a cop they're about as representative of established order as one can be. I'm not sure what they'd think of my past actions…

He found himself looking at Ryoko for a moment. Even if she might be able to sympathize with his former position as a rebel, he wondered if she'd really be able to accept some of the things he'd done in his time in the rebellion. Gundam pilots had built a reputation on leaving legions of corpses in their wake during the last war, but Heero had already stacked up a body count well before the launching of Operation Meteor.

Her eyes met his, and he knew that he'd been caught. "Hey, what's up, Heero?"

Heero shook his head. "It's nothing."

They continued to follow Sally in silence through the winding halls of Base Green until they wound up in the mess hall. It was quite spacious, but it was sparsely populated at the moment; they'd arrived well after the scheduled dinner times for the soldiers assigned to the base.

"Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi," said Sally, "I would appreciate it if the three of you would remain here for a while. Heero's going to need some one-on-one time with Sasami."

"Why is that?" asked Ayeka nervously.

"I need to interview her," said Heero, "Just like I did with you, Ryoko, and Mihoshi when you first arrived."

Ayeka nodded. "I understand. Sir Heero, I trust that you will be patient and fair with my younger sister?"

"Of course," Heero replied, "I promise that she'll be in good hands, Ayeka."

Ayeka smiled. "I believe you, Sir Heero. Sasami, please go with Sir Heero. I will wait here with the others until you two are done."

Sasami smiled and nodded. "Okay!"

"What about you?" asked Heero as he turned to Sally, "Will you be taking part in the questioning at some point?"

"Perhaps," said Sally, "For now, though, I was simply planning on observing you and Sasami, nothing more."

Heero nodded before turning to Sasami. "Please, follow me."

"All right," said Sasami before waving to her sister and the others, "I'll see you all later. Ayeka, don't fight with Ryoko, okay?"

Ayeka nodded. "I will be a model of restraint and patience, Sasami."

"Sure," said Ryoko dryly.

"Don't worry, Sasami," said Mihoshi with a smile, "I'll make sure they get along!"

Somehow I very much doubt that, thought Heero, I'd better make this interview a quick one and wrap it up before they tear the base apart…

….

Her arms folded and a small smile on her face, Sally watched from the other side of the two way mirror as Heero interviewed Sasami. True to his word to Ayeka, Heero was taking things slowly and gently, asking Sasami very simple questions and patiently listening as she replied. The approach was surprisingly friendly for him; although he still had that same calm and cool expression on his face, Sally could tell from his body language that he was trying to be more relaxed than he normally was in interrogations. Sasami seemed to reciprocate; the princess continued to smile, and her overall demeanor remained very warm as she responded to Heero's queries.

Such an interesting young girl, thought Sally, She seems innocent enough, and yet there's something about her that I can't quite describe. A certain wisdom hidden just beneath the surface… it's as though she catches on to far more than she lets others be aware of.

The girl would bear further watching, and Sally was confident that Heero was just the young man to do it. Sally already planned to have Sasami stay with Heero and the others, but just for a little while. Preventers would study the girl's ship for a brief period, but if Sasami intended to retrieve her older sister and take her back to Jurai Sally did not plan on indefinitely impeding her. She was sure that Lady Une would see the wisdom here as well; if both Ayeka and Sasami left Earth with a positive impression that would be a great boon for the United Earth Sphere Alliance when the Empire of Jurai decided to make official first contact.

Any civilization that can travel between star systems as casually as we fly between Earth and the colonies is far more powerful than us by default, she mused, In a case such as this it is diplomacy that serves as our best chance to ensure our survival and prosperity.

"So," she heard Heero say, "let me recap to make sure I didn't miss anything. Ayeka took a roaming holiday because she's being sought after by suitors in the imperial capital and she wanted to get away for a while. She's fully aware that she must eventually return to Jurai to enter into a marriage with one of these suitors for the good of the Empire and her family. You left Jurai to search for her because you were worried about her due to her prolonged absence, and you intend to take her back to the capital. That's your story in a nutshell, correct?"

Sasami nodded. "I hadn't seen or heard from her in so long, I was afraid something had happened to her. Thank you for keeping her safe!"

Heero nodded. "You're welcome."

"I hope she wasn't too much of a burden," said Sasami.

Heero shook his head. "Not at all. It's been a privilege to look after her and get to know her."

Sasami smiled. "That's nice of you to say. I'm sure you've had your hands full. You're not just watching over Ayeka, but Mihoshi and Ryoko too!"

"I'm managing," Heero replied, "It's been an… interesting experience, having them all stay under my roof."

Sally had to laugh at that. 'Interesting experience' was a mild way of putting things if what Heero had reported to her was any indication of the antics he had to put up with on a daily basis thanks to his three guests.

"So, Heero," said Sasami, "what's going to happen next? How long am I going to stay in this base?"

"Not long," Heero replied, "Sasami, you have to understand that we want to learn as much about you and your ship as possible. An encounter with someone like you is not something we're used to on this planet."

"What makes me so special?" asked Sasami, "Is it because I'm a princess."

"It has more to do with the fact that you, Ayeka, Ryoko, and Mihoshi are all from worlds that are not our own," said Heero, "We've always wondered if there was life out in the galaxy beyond our star system. Now we have proof, but that's not enough for us. We're not as technologically advanced as you; I'm sure you could tell that when you got close to Earth."

Sasami nodded. "Yeah… but those big colonies up in orbit were so cool! Aren't you proud of those?"

"We are," Heero replied, "but you know that those are nothing compared to the ability to travel between stars. We need to learn as much as possible about both you and your ship so we have a chance to gain abilities like that for ourselves. It's also why we were at the lake when you approached; Mihoshi's ship had crashed there, and we were studying it."

"What about Ryu-Oh?" asked Sasami, "My ship detected her beacon coming from that lake; that's how I was able to find your planet and why I chose that spot to land. Ryu-Oh's in that lake, so you've been able to study it too, haven't you?"

Heero shook his head. "We haven't been able to get to it, actually. Ayeka said it's in the middle of its healing process at the bottom of the lake, which is why it's disrupting the water around it; it doesn't want anyone coming close to it."

Sasami nodded. "Oh, that makes sense. Is it the same for Ryoko's ship?"

"I think so," Heero replied, "Either way, we've been unable to approach Ryo-Ohki or Ryu-Oh, so your vessel's the only chance we have to study a living starship."

Sasami smiled. "I see. In that case, I'm fine with you taking a look at it. However… how long is that going to take?"

That's the million credit question, mused Sally, I know Lady Une would like to hold onto that ship for as long as possible, but I don't think that's really practical for us. We already have one Juraian princess staying on Earth, and now a second one's shown up here too. We can't hold them indefinitely, even in Heero's observational custody. Someone in their Empire's bound to take notice and make serious search efforts at some point, and if we're not careful it could look like we've captured Ayeka and Sasami and are refusing to release them. The last thing we need is to spark a war with a galactic monarchy.

"It depends," said Heero, "Obviously, we want to learn as much about it as we can. However, we're also aware that you and Ayeka will eventually need to return to Jurai. I'm sure we'll be able to come to some kind of an arrangement."

Sasami nodded. "Okay. I really just wanted to make sure that Ayeka was safe. Now that I've found her we don't need to hurry to get back to Jurai. We can stay for a little while, can't we?"

Sally had to smirk at Heero's cautious answer. "I'm… sure we can make an arrangement regarding that as well."

He's just praying that doesn't involve her moving in with him, she thought, Too bad, Heero. Just put up with it for a while. Once Sasami leaves she'll be able to take Ayeka with her, and probably Mihoshi too. Not so sure about Ryoko, though. There's a lot of friction there. You might just have to get used to having her in your apartment long term…

Heero might not have mentioned any specifics regarding what he knew about Ryoko's past activities, but Sally was no fool. There was a difference between simple ignorance and omissions, and Heero was clearly giving her and Lady Une the latter when it came to information about Ryoko. Sally would let him keep up the deception; if Ryoko was a genuine threat Sally was sure Heero would inform them and take the appropriate measures to contain or neutralize her.

If Sasami was concerned at all she gave no sign of it. The girl was remarkably well composed given her situation, something that Sally chalked up to her royal upbringing.

Sally pressed a key on the wall triggering the intercom built into the room. "Heero, that's enough for now. Why don't you take her back to her sister and the others? I'm sure she could use a bite to eat."

Sasami nodded and smiled. "Some food does sound good right about now. I'm hungry!"

"Very well," said Heero.

Sally met the two of them by the door to the interrogation room.

"Are you coming with us?" asked Heero.

Sally shook her head. "No. I'm meeting Director Une in the main control room. Go on ahead to the mess hall. Director Une and I will meet you there later."

"Understood," Heero replied.

….

Ayeka eyed the closest door anxiously. "I hope she's all right."

It had been quite some time since Heero had left with her sister and Sally, and the Juraian princess was getting worried. Now that she was over the shock of seeing Sasami on Earth, Ayeka was now dealing with fresh concerns. Chief among them was how Sasami would adjust to this new planet… and how she would react to Heero.

She wasn't concerned about Heero treating Sasami poorly; far from it. He'd been nothing but polite and kind to Ayeka ever since she'd first arrived on Earth, and she fully expected him to show Sasami the same courtesy. However, there was no denying that Heero's guarded nature could make him rather intimidating at times, and she hoped that Sasami would not take it the wrong way.

Lady Sally is with them, thought Ayeka, and if Sasami draws a false impression of Sir Heero then I'm sure she'll be able to counteract it.

Granted, it was hard to know what Sasami would make of her handsome guardian when she was having trouble discerning just who he really was behind his walls of stoicism. She truly believed him to be an honorable and compassionate young man despite his sometimes cold demeanor, but Ayeka had been startled to realize just how little she really knew about him. His revelation about having been some sort of rebel in the past had completely blown her away. She was so used to seeing him as an upstanding citizen and protector of the peace that it was hard to imagine him being involved in any sort of insurrection.

Her father was for the most part a kind and honorable ruler, but if there was on lesson he had made damn sure to impart upon Ayeka it was that those who engaged in open rebellion against their leader had to be dealt with swiftly and ruthlessly. The Emperor of Jurai had no objections to civil dissent; indeed, open dialogue and debate over imperial policies was encouraged as a means to ensure that the best possible solution could be reached for all parties involved. However, her father had always believed that armed revolt was never an option. Reform had to come from within the system, and it had to be peaceful; change that came about through bloodshed was not a transformation that could ever be considered just or fair.

These were beliefs that Ayeka had long adhered to, but the young man who had looked after her ever since she had arrived on Earth did not seem anything like the violent insurrectionists and terrorists that she had been taught to fear in the past. It was true that he was a capable soldier, and with that of course came a talent for violence, but Heero was so calm and disciplined that Ayeka found it impossible to see him as anything other than what she had met him as; an operative charged with protecting the peace of his world.

Sir Heero, she thought, There is so much about you that I do not understand, and yet… even with this revelation, I find that I still trust you. It is true that I wish to learn more about you so that I may better comprehend just who you truly are, but I still have faith in you. You are an honorable and intelligent soldier, one who has shown me nothing but courtesy and kindness despite the fact that I literally shot you down on our first meeting. How could you have ever been a rebel?

The very idea of him having once been part of an insurrection was worrying to her, yet at the same time Ayeka could not deny an intense curiosity regarding it. She really wanted to ask Heero about it, but she had a hard time figuring out how she might do that. He may have been polite and kind with her, but he was also guarded, and even though he had only briefly mentioned his past she could tell that it was not a subject he treated lightly. His voice had been grim at the time even though it had really been just a passing reference to his history.

She heard the mess hall door open and saw Heero and Sasami enter. Sally was absent, but the two of them did not seem concerned by it. Ayeka forced a smile as her sister and her host approached. Now was hardly an appropriate time to be asking Heero about something as personal as his past, especially with her sister and the others around. She would find another opportunity to inquire about it, and hoped that he would be willing to entrust her with the details.

"Ayeka!" said Sasami.

"Is everything all right, Sasami?" asked Ayeka.

Her little sister nodded. "Uh-huh. Miss Sally told us to come back here and grab something to eat while she talked to the Director."

"I suspect the two of them will be coming down here in a little while," said Heero, "In the meanwhile, we might as well relax."

"Not that we haven't been doing that already," said Ryoko dryly, "Come on, Heero, I'm bored! Isn't there anything fun we can do around here?"

"Ryoko's right!" said Mihoshi, "We can't just sit around here all night!"

"My orders are to stay with all of you in this room until Sally and the Director come here," said Heero firmly, "Until I hear otherwise, that's what I'll be doing. Come on, Sasami, let's get you something to eat."

"Okay!" said Sasami, still as bright as ever.

Ayeka sighed as she watched Heero lead Sasami over to a nearby counter where they could dish up. If those were Heero's orders then there was nothing that could be done about it for now.

After the two of them got their food they joined Ayeka and the others at the table they'd been sharing. They ate in relative silence for a while until Ayeka decided to break it.

"So, Sasami," she said, "how was the interview?"

"It was fine," her sister replied, "Heero had a lot of questions. I got to tell him all about my ship and Jurai!"

"Your sister is quite knowledgeable," said Heero, "and she was very cooperative."

Ayeka smiled. "I'm just glad that everything went well."

"Are any more royals gonna be dropping by here?" asked Ryoko, her eyes narrowing.

Sasami shook her head. "Not for right now. I don't think anyone else knows where I went."

"Then how are we going to get home?" asked Mihoshi.

"There's no need to worry about that," said Ayeka, somewhat exasperated, "Sasami's ship is in one piece, remember? Once we're through here we can take that back to the Empire."

Mihoshi smiled. "Oh, I didn't think about that!"

Do you ever think about anything?, Ayeka mentally fumed, My goodness, how in the name of Jurai did you ever become a member of the Galaxy Police?

"Heero did say that his group wanted to study my ship for a while," said Sasami, "but once that's done we'll be able to go home."

That provision was one Ayeka had some concerns about. Jurai Treeships were iconic vessels of the Empire, and specifics behind how they worked were closely guarded secrets. There were people back in Jurai who would raise objections to outsiders, particularly from a less technologically advanced society, having access to such a vessel. However, Ayeka's hands were tied in the matter. This was not the Empire; she would have to work with Heero and this Preventers organization for the time being.

Sir Heero and Lady Sally do not seem like the types that would abuse the power of a Jurai Treeship, she thought, I have not yet met this 'Director' that oversees their operations, but I do not believe that people as upstanding as Sir Heero and Lady Sally would work under her if she was not worthy of their respect and trust.

"Well," said Ayeka, "as long as the vessel is treated with care and respect, I suppose that's all right. Sir Heero, do you happen to know how long this study period will last?"

Heero shook his head. "That's not up to me. However, I'll argue on your behalf to keep it a reasonable length. We won't hold the ship indefinitely, but we do want to learn as much about it as we can."

Ayeka smiled. "Of course. I appreciate your efforts on behalf of my sister and I, Sir Heero."

Heero nodded. "Don't mention it."

"What about my ship?" asked Mihoshi, "You guys will release that at some point, right?"

"What would you do with it?" asked Heero, "You yourself said that the vessel was a total loss during our examination, remember?"

Mihoshi hung her head. "Oh, right. I forgot about that. Never mind."

"What about your ship, Ryoko?" asked Sasami, "Heero said that his people hadn't been able to get close to it. Is it stuck here forever?"

Ryoko shook her head and smiled. "Nope, not even close. Ryo-Ohki just needs a little bit more time to heal. She'll be good to go soon enough."

"The sooner the better," Ayeka mumbled, "You've been on this planet for far too long, and it will be better off the moment you leave it."

Ryoko smirked. "Who said I was planning on leaving anytime soon, Ayeka? I happen to like this planet. It's grown on me… especially its handsome protector."

Ayeka scowled as she saw Ryoko giving Heero a lascivious look. The space pirate's crude nature truly tried her patience, and it was all the worse that the criminal had set her sights on her noble host.

Ryoko's attentions towards Heero brought to the forefront a dilemma that Ayeka had always known that she would have to confront. As the crown princess of Jurai it was her duty to eventually return to the Empire and marry a suitor. However, in the time that she had spent with Heero her resolve to go through with her duty to the Empire had been noticeably shaken… thanks in no small part to her handsome host.

Why do I feel this way?, she thought, considerably flustered, I've always known that I would eventually marry a man from one of the Juraian noble houses. I accepted that long ago, and I'm sure that one of the potential suitors waiting for me back home would be a good match. Sir Heero is a common soldier, so why am I so hung up on him?

The simple truth was that the only think common about Heero was the fact that, as far as Ayeka was aware of, he was not of noble blood. In every other regard there was nothing common whatsoever about her young host. He was a highly skilled and disciplined soldier, a cunning and insightful operative, a courteous and professional gentleman…

…and he was very easy on the eyes.

"Ayeka," said Heero, "Are you all right?"

Ayeka blushed furiously, so embarrassed that she hadn't realized that she'd been staring at him until he caught her. She looked away hurriedly, doing her best to regain her composure.

"Oh, uhm, yes, Sir Heero!" she said frantically, "I'm quite all right."

"Sure you are," Ryoko muttered, her eyes narrowing.

Ayeka shot her a furtive glare. This rogue was absolutely insufferable! Her parents would've admonished her for allowing a common criminal like Ryoko to get under her skin like this, but it was something that Ayeka just could not help. However, she had told Heero that she would exercise patience during her stay at the base, so she did her best to contain her simmering anger.

Sasami laughed, and as Ayeka turned to her she saw her sister give her a knowing look. Sometimes it amazed Ayeka just how insightful Sasami was, although the crown princess would grudgingly admit that she wasn't exactly doing a good job of hiding how she felt about Heero.

It was at that moment that the doors to the mess hall opened. Through them walked two women. One Ayeka recognized as Sally Poe, while the other was a woman with long dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. She had a very mature bearing about her despite appearing to be only in her early twenties, and Ayeka realized that this must be Heero and Sally's commander.

"Hello, everyone," said Sally, "Sorry for the wait. I hope you're all doing okay."

"We're fine," Ryoko deadpanned, "apart from being bored out of our minds."

Ayeka was determined to present a better image than the foul pirate, so she gave the two women a smile and a bow. "Please, disregard her. We're quite all right, thank you for asking."

"Hey, Heero?" said Mihoshi as she pointed at the woman standing next to Sally, "Who's she?"

"You shouldn't point at people, Mihoshi," said Sasami with a pout.

The new woman chuckled. "It's quite all right, Sasami, although I do appreciate your concern. Sally was right; you're quite a proper young lady."

Ayeka felt a swell of pride in her sister at that moment. If she'd already made such a good impression with Heero and Sally's boss then that was a very good omen.

Heero stood up and stepped forward before turning back to Ayeka and the others. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce Preventers Director Lady Une. Director, this is Ayeka Jurai, her sister Sasami, Galaxy Police Detective First Class Mihoshi Kuramitsu, and Ryoko."

Lady Une smiled and nodded. "It's very nice to meet you all. I apologize for bringing you all out here, but I'm sure you understand that we have to take measures to keep something like Sasami's ship as under-the-radar as possible."

Ayeka nodded. "Of course, madam Director. I can certainly appreciate your need for discretion."

"How long are you going to keep us here?" asked Ryoko bluntly.

Lady Une smirked. "No need to worry, Ryoko. You'll all be released from here within the hour; we're already making arrangements to have the five of you transported back to Brussels."

"Oh," said Ryoko, surprised at the Director's easy response to her query, "Okay, then."

"Hold on a moment," said Mihoshi, her eyes narrowing, "You said the five of us, right? So Sasami's coming too?"

Ayeka was surprised at Mihoshi's unusual insightfulness. Perhaps there was a part of her that was suited to the role of Galaxy Police officer after all.

"Of course," Lady Une replied, "We have no desire to separate Ayeka and Sasami after they've just reunited. I see no reason why she shouldn't temporarily join the rest of you at Heero's apartment."

Ayeka looked over at Heero, who already seemed resigned to this proposal. "I'll find some room for her, but you're pushing my apartment to its limits, Director."

Lady Une nodded. "I'm aware of that, Heero. There's no need to worry; the situation will only last for two weeks. After that Sasami will be able to travel home, and take whomever she wishes along with her."

Ayeka was surprised by this. "Pardon me, madam Director, but did I just hear you right? You only plan to hold Sasami's ship for two weeks?"

"Yes," Lady Une replied, "I've talked the matter over with Sally, and I believe that this is a good compromise. While I would certainly like to hold the ship longer for study, I'm quite aware that Jurai will want both it and you back eventually. This gives us a chance to examine the vessel while also allowing you a path back to your Empire in a reasonable frame of time. I trust you have no objections with this arrangement?"

Ayeka shook her head and smiled, hardly able to believe her good fortune. "None at all! Sasami, I think this is quite a decent solution, don't you?"

Sasami smiled. "Sure do!"

"Yay!" cried Mihoshi, "Two weeks and then we get to go home!"

Ryoko smiled too, but Ayeka didn't like it. "Well, I guess I can get behind that if it gets you out of my hair."

"You don't wish to go with them, Ryoko?" asked Lady Une with a knowing look in her eyes.

Ryoko shook her head. "I kinda like it here. I certainly can't complain about my host!"

Sally smiled. "Well, we're both glad you're getting along with Heero. Still, are you sure about this?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely," she replied, "Besides, Ryo-Ohki will heal on her own time, and eventually I'll fly out with her. No need for me to hitch a ride with Ayeka and the others."

Ryoko was far too pleased about this turn of events for Ayeka's liking. While Ayeka was no expert on Ryo-Ohki, she did know that it was a very unique living starship, and if Ryoko was that confident about its healing capabilities then there was no reason to doubt that she would eventually have the means to leave Earth. However, the way she kept looking at Heero when she had been talking about their host did not sit well with Ayeka, and it prompted second thoughts about her now two-week-away departure.

Damn that woman!, she mentally fumed, I cannot just leave her with Sir Heero, but… I'm supposed to return home sooner or later! What am I supposed to do?

It was fortunate that she had some time to work out that dilemma, but two weeks was not nearly long enough in her mind. How strange that she had longed to go home all this time, and yet now that the means to accomplish that was almost within reach she was having serious doubts.

Sasami grabbed her hand. "What's the matter, Ayeka?"

Ayeka shook her head and smiled for her sister. "It's nothing, Sasami."

"I'm a little pressed for space right now," said Heero, "I think I've still got room on the couch for one more though."

"Hey!" said Ryoko, folding her arms, "That's my spot!"

"Two people can sleep there in reasonable comfort," said Heero firmly, "You're sharing it with Sasami, Ryoko. This isn't up for debate."

Ryoko sighed. "Oh, all right. At least she's not Ayeka."

"Couldn't Sasami share my room?" asked Ayeka, "Surely Miss Mihoshi can take the couch instead, right?"

Mihoshi nodded. "I'm fine with that, Heero! Sasami can use my bedroll."

Heero nodded. "All right, that works too."

"Great," muttered Ryoko, "I get to share with the walking fire hazard."

"Aw, come on, Ryoko!" said Mihoshi with an innocent smile, "It'll be fun! We can stay up late and talk about stuff together! Like food, or Ayeka's sister, or Heero!"

"Sounds like a blast," Ryoko deadpanned, "Although that last one might not be too bad…"

"Perfect," said Sally, "It sounds like you've got an arrangement that will last you for the next two weeks."

"Will you need anything to handle the additional guest, Heero?" asked Lady Une.

Heero shook his head. "If it's only for two weeks I should be fine."

Lady Une smiled. "Excellent. I'll have a helicopter prepped for departure. You'll be back home in no time."

….

"Here we are," said Heero as he opened the door for his guests.

Sasami was the first through the door, her eyes wide with excitement as she looked at Heero's apartment. "Wow! This is a nice place, Heero!"

Heero nodded. "Thanks."

I'm impressed with her energy, he thought as he looked back and forth between her and the others, Everyone else looks wiped out.

Not that he could blame Ryoko, Ayeka, and Mihoshi for their weariness. It had been a very long day, and it was nearly midnight as they all filed into the apartment. Heero would need to get the spare blankets out for Mihoshi since she'd be sleeping on the couch now, and after that it would be lights out for everyone.

As he closed the door he could see the others yawning. At least this meant that Ryoko and Ayeka would be too tired to engage in their usual bickering; that was the last thing that Heero wanted to deal with right now.

"Can we get something to eat, Heero?" asked Sasami, "Please?"

"You gotta be kidding me," Ryoko mumbled, "Kid, didn't you have dinner at the base?"

"Surely you cannot still be hungry," said Ayeka, "Are you, Sasami?"

"Well, a little bit," Sasami replied, giving her sister a sheepish smile.

"Why don't we all have some dessert?" asked Mihoshi brightly.

Ryoko shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"I suppose that would be nice," said Ayeka, "Sir Heero, would that be all right?"

Heero nodded, a little taken aback by the request but willing to play along. "If it's dessert you want, I should have some ice cream in the fridge."

Ryoko perked up at that. "Oh, nice! I want a cherry on top of mine, Heero!"

"What's a cherry?" asked Sasami.

"Yay!" said Mihoshi, "We can make chocolate sundaes!"

Even Ayeka couldn't help but get in on the excitement. "Oh, that sounds delicious! Sir Heero, extra chocolate syrup for mine, please!"

"I want extra whip cream!" said Mihoshi.

Heero couldn't help but smirk at their enthusiasm. "I'll see what I can find in the fridge. Good thing I went shopping again a few days ago."

As the others went to the living room Heero headed for the kitchen. Digging through the fridge and the freezer he found what he needed, and after getting out the dessert, the bowls, and the silverware he turned back to his guests. Ryoko, Ayeka, and Mihoshi had already settled in on the couch, while Sasami had gone over to Ayeka's two cylindrical guardians.

"Azaka, Kamidake!" said Sasami, "You're here too!"

"Hello, Princess Sasami!" said Azaka, "It is good to see you again."

"What a pleasant surprise!" said Kamidake, "We did not expect to see you on this planet."

"All right," said Heero, "Everything's ready. Come in here and I'll dish you up."

The four girls eagerly crammed into the kitchen as Heero made their sundaes. After everyone else had been served Heero made a small bowl for himself before joining his female companions on the couch in the living room, taking a seat between Ryoko and Ayeka.

"Mmm," said Sasami as she eagerly dug into her sundae, "This is really good!"

"Sasami," said Ayeka, "please, you need to slow down. Otherwise you'll… oh dear."

Ayeka's warning had come too late; Sasami was clutching her forehead. "Ow… why does it hurt?"

"It's called a brain freeze," said Heero, "It happens when you eat ice cream too fast. Listen to your sister and take it slow. That way you'll actually enjoy it."

Sasami nodded. "Got it."

The five of them continued to eat in relative silence. Heero was surprised by how relaxing he found the experience to be. Here he was with four women from way beyond the Sol system, just sitting back on the couch after a long day enjoying ice cream. He chalked it up to just another one of the unique experiences these exotic women had brought into his life.

Eventually the five of them finished up. As Heero collected the bowls and silverware he saw Sasami yawn. Her weariness was infections; soon the other three women were making their exhaustion from the day's events quite clear.

"Where am I sleeping?" asked Sasami, repeatedly blinking her eyes as she struggled to stay awake.

Heero nodded at her sister. "Ayeka, take Sasami back to your room. I'll get things set up out here for Mihoshi."

Ayeka nodded and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Come along, Sasami. I think you've had enough excitement for one day."

Sasami nodded and yawned again. "Okay. Goodnight, Heero."

"Goodnight, Sasami," said Heero, "Ayeka."

Ayeka smiled at him. "Goodnight, Sir Heero."

"Goodnight, Princess," said Azaka and Kamidake in unison.

As Ayeka took her sister to bed Heero got Mihoshi set up on the opposite end of the couch from Ryoko. He was concerned that Ryoko would fight the arrangement again, but luckily the space pirate seemed too tired to argue against it at this point.

"Thank you, Heero," said Mihoshi once he finished up.

Heero nodded. "Anytime. Do either of you need anything else?"

Mihoshi tried and failed to stifle a yawn as she lay down. "I'm good."

Ryoko nodded and gave him a tired smile. "Same here. Hell of a day, huh, Heero?"

"Yeah," said Heero, "It really was."

Ryoko lay back on the couch and yawned. "Don't worry about us. I won't cause any trouble. I'm down for the night. You should get some sleep too; you look like you could use it."

Heero nodded. "I'll see you both tomorrow morning. Goodnight Ryoko, Mihoshi."

"Mmm," Mihoshi mumbled, already halfway off to dreamland, "Goodnight…"

"Goodnight, Heero," said Ryoko.

….

September 19th, A.C. 198

It was very late evening and everyone else had gone to bed as Ryoko sat up on the couch, dressed in her familiar tunic and leggings. Poking Mihoshi in the head, Ryoko smirked when the sleeping Galaxy Police officer didn't so much as flinch.

Heh, she thought, Out like a light.

Looking over at Azaka and Kamidake, she saw that each machine's lights were dim. Neither seemed to be paying any attention to her, which meant that she had her opening. Taking one last look around the room, Ryoko headed for the sliding door that led to the apartment's balcony. Rather than open it, though, she simply phased right through it and took off into the sky.

Enough time's passed by now, she thought, She's got to be ready to come out of hibernation.

Gaining altitude, she took off in the direction of Lake Genval. It was quite dark out, so she wasn't worried about anyone spotting her. Normally she wouldn't care if someone did, but she was conscious of the fact that such a sighting could potentially cause trouble for Heero, and she wanted to avoid that for now.

I've got plenty of trouble in store for him anyway, she mused with a grin, If I give him too much it won't be nearly as fun!

She could hardly contain her excitement as she flew towards the lake. Already plans were buzzing through her mind. Oh, the fun she could have… her smile became devious as she thought of a trick that she could play on the others when she got back.

"A nice little shock for Ayeka," she said, "and it might just shake up Heero a bit too!"

A few minutes later and she was over the surface of the lake. Ryoko made a gradual descent, her eyes narrowing in concentration as she looked down at the water. About a minute later she smiled again as she saw an orb of red light glow beneath the surface.

"All right!" she said, "About time, Ryo-Ohki!"

With that, she disappeared into thin air.

….

September 20th, A.C. 198

"How am I doing, Heero?" asked Sasami.

Heero looked over at Sasami and nodded in approval at the scrambled eggs in her pan. "Very good. You're picking this up pretty quickly."

Sasami smiled. "Thanks."

It had been a pleasant surprise for Sasami to volunteer to help Heero with his cooking duties. After the incident with Mihoshi Heero had been rather hesitant to allow another one of his guests free reign in the kitchen, but Sasami had proven to be the polar opposite of the hapless space cop when it came to culinary arts.

She's a natural, thought Heero, sparing her another glance while he checked on the sausages, Rather unusual for a princess to know her way around a kitchen. Not that I'm complaining. It's nice to have a little bit of help in here. Cooking large meals isn't easy.

He moved on to the pancakes and saw that they were coming along just fine too. Everything would be ready in just a few more minutes.

"I'll get the plates and silverware," said Heero, "Do you mind keeping an eye on things over here?"

Sasami nodded and smiled. "Sure."

As he turned to his new task Heero found himself musing on the past few days. The day after he'd brought Sasami to his apartment he'd gone through what had sort of become his standard operating procedure for getting alien houseguests settled in; he'd take her out to the mall to get her some normal clothes to help her blend in. The others had come along with them, and after the initial batch of shopping they'd spent some time showing Sasami around the capital. They'd done more sightseeing the following days, and while most of the places they'd gone were ones that Heero had already taken the others to it had still been an entertaining experience.

She was very similar to her sister as far as her manners went, although she was much less formal than Ayeka was. Sasami seemed to be much more relaxed than Ayeka, something that Heero was partially willing to chalk up to her being they younger sibling. Still, every now and then he would catch this strange look in her eyes, like she understood more about a particular situation than she was willing to let on. While displaying a great deal of youthful innocence, Heero was surprised to find that she could sometimes have a much cooler head than Ayeka. She could be quite calm when she wanted to be, and seemed to possess some odd sort of wisdom that Heero couldn't pin down.

"Heero!" called Sasami, "I think everything's ready!"

Looking over at the food on the stove, Heero saw that his newest houseguest was quite correct. "Okay, then. Sasami, turn off the stove and round up the others. I'll start dishing everyone up."

"Got it!" she replied.

As she did so Heero took a brief glance out the nearby window. It was raining today, which the Perfect Soldier was actually kind of grateful for; it would be an excuse to stay indoors. As much as he enjoyed going out with everyone, he found that he was actually looking forward to having a day in at the apartment to kick back and relax. Lady Une and Sally still hadn't seen fit to send him any reports to review as a stay-at-home analyst, so he planned on catching up on some light reading… provided his guests let him.

Maybe I'll get lucky and things will stay calm today, he thought as he put food on everyone's plates, Calm, with this bunch… who am I trying to kid here?

He had just finished dishing everyone up when his four female houseguests came into the kitchen, with Sasami at the front of the pack. "I brought everyone, Heero!"

Heero nodded at her and gestured to the plates and cups on the counter. "I gave you all equal amounts, so grab whatever plate you want."

"It looks delicious," said Ayeka as she grabbed her plate of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage, "Thank you very much, Sir Heero! You too, Sasami!"

"Damn," said Ryoko with a grin, "You two are really something. This smells great!"

"Thanks a lot, Heero and Sasami!" said Mihoshi.

Sasami grinned. "You're welcome. Let's eat! Come on, Heero!"

"All right," said Heero as he grabbed a plate and a glass of orange juice before joining his companions in the living room.

The five of them sat down on the couch around the coffee table and began to dig in. Heero savored his first taste of the scrambled eggs and gave Sasami an approving nod.

"These taste excellent, Sasami," he said, "Good work."

Sasami beamed at him. "Thank you, Heero!"

"Mmm," said Ryoko as she wolfed down her sausage, "Good as always, Heero!"

"Yummy!" said Mihoshi between mouthfuls of pancakes.

"I couldn't agree more," said Ayeka heartily, "Superb work, both of you!"

"Aw, shucks," said Sasami, "Thanks, Ayeka!"

Meals like this had really become the norm around Heero's apartment ever since the place had become an impromptu boarding house for alien women, but it was good to see that his cooking hadn't gotten old for his companions. It was really a shame that Sasami would be leaving in about a week and a half; it was nice having her help out with the food, and her skills continued to improve with every meal.

"So," said Ryoko, "what's the plan for today?"

"I was thinking we'd stay home this time," said Heero, nodding towards the window, "The weather's not lending itself to any outdoor activities today."

Ayeka followed his gaze and looked out at the rain. "Quite so. Very well, then. I suppose a day in will be a nice change of pace."

"Whatever shall you do to keep yourselves entertained?" asked Azaka in the background.

"I just hope it doesn't involve the Princess and Ryoko fighting again," said Kamidake.

"We can watch TV!" said Mihoshi, "Oh, I wonder what's on today?"

"That sounds fun!" said Sasami.

Ayeka shook her head. "Really, you cannot watch that thing all day. Surely it cannot be healthy for you."

"Lighten up, Ayeka," said Ryoko, "Just kicking back on the couch watching shows for a day won't hurt anyone."

As long as it keeps you all out of trouble, thought Heero as he chewed on his pancakes.

They cleared their plates a few minutes later, and Heero went around collecting the dishes for washing. As he did so he saw Ryoko rub her stomach, a nauseous look appearing on her face.

"Oh," she said as she hastily stood up, "I'll be right back!"

She rushed towards the bathroom, and a few seconds later Heero heard retching sounds. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at the plates he was carrying. The food had tasted fine; he and Sasami hadn't messed anything up, had they?

A few seconds later Ryoko came back into the living room. "Man… I don't know what came over me there."

"Are you okay?" asked Heero.

Ryoko nodded. "I think so. Maybe it was something in those eggs…"

"That's odd," said Ayeka, "I ate them and I feel just fine."

"Me too," said Mihoshi.

"Oh, no," said Sasami, looking down in shame, "I messed up the eggs, didn't I?"

Heero shook his head. "I don't think so. I ate those eggs and I feel all right."

"Something's not right," said Ayeka, her eyes narrowing, "Ryoko, you've eaten this exact same kind of eggs before without ill effect. What are you up to?"

"Why do you have to be so paranoid?" Ryoko pouted, "I get sick from one batch of eggs and you have to go all attack-dog on me! You're so cruel, Ayeka!"

Ayeka folded her arms and scowled. "Hardly. Don't play the victim with me, Ryoko! You've hatched some dastardly scheme, now out with it!"

"Ayeka, stop it!" said Sasami, "She wasn't feeling well!"

"Please don't fight, you two!" Mihoshi pleaded.

"That's enough," said Heero, "Ryoko, you said you're feeling okay now, right?"

Ryoko nodded. "I think so, yeah."

"Then there's nothing that we need to worry about here," said Heero, "If it happens again then we'll know something's up. Since we're not going out anywhere today, just relax and try not to exert yourself. That goes for the rest of you, too."

Ryoko smiled. "Sounds good, Heero."

Ayeka sighed. "Very well, Sir Heero."

As he took the dishes back into the kitchen Heero shot a quick glance at Ryoko. He wasn't going to full-on accuse her like Ayeka did, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about this.

And the wink Ryoko threw his way certainly didn't help matters.

Just keep an eye on her, he silently told himself, Observe, just like you've been doing. There's no need to do anything more… for now.

….

September 23rd, A.C. 198

What's going on with her?, thought Heero as Ryoko quickly excused herself to rush off to the bathroom again.

They'd just finished lunch, a rather simple affair with sandwiches, chips and fruit, and already Ryoko seemed to be ill. It had been happening after every meal now since that breakfast three days ago, and however Ryoko might deny it Heero knew something was up. She was getting sick when no one else was, and that wasn't the only thing that was up with her.

In the time she'd spent with Heero, Ryoko had generally preferred clothing that exposed some skin, particularly her cleavage, in a constant effort to show off her body and flirt with him. However, since that first episode with the eggs three days ago she'd started wearing more conservative attire, usually consisting of something that fit loosely and did not emphasize her frame. Today was no different, and in fact the long-sleeved blue and yellow striped dress-robe with the orange sash had become her default ensemble.

Ryoko returned a few minutes later and smiled as she rubbed her belly. "Whew, I don't know what came over me there. Hey, could I get some pickles and ice cream?"

"Another craving?" asked Mihoshi, "Shouldn't you hold off on any more food for a while?"

Ryoko shook her head. "I don't know why, but right now I want that more than anything else!"

Those cravings had raised another red flag as far as Heero was concerned. They'd started up the day after the episode with the eggs, and had gone through a bizarre combination of food; pickles and ice cream seemed positively plain when compared to some of the stranger things Ryoko had requested.

"I'll go get you some," said Sasami.

However, she was stopped in her tracks by her older sister. "Sasami, there's no need to do that."

"But Ayeka…" said Sasami.

Ayeka shook her head and glared at Ryoko. "This little game of yours has gone on long enough, Ryoko. Now out with it! What are you scheming at?"

"Ayeka, stop it!" Mihoshi pleaded, "You're being mean!"

"She's right, Ayeka," said Ryoko, "Really, just what's gotten into you?"

"Don't play ignorant with me!" Ayeka snapped, "Your behavior over the last three days has been nothing but suspicious! I demand that you cease this charade at once and come clean!"

"Ayeka, cut it out!" said Sasami, "You shouldn't be fighting!"

Heero's eyes narrowed as he studied Ryoko carefully. Her sudden bouts of illness, her more conservative attire, the strange cravings… the pieces slowly began to fall into place, and Heero felt like an idiot for not recognizing them sooner.

No, he thought, No, no, no, no, no. That is not what's happening here. It's just not possible.

Then Ryoko looked at Heero and sighed before giving what the Gundam pilot thought was supposed to be an apologetic smile, save for a mischievous look in her eyes. "Well, I guess there's no sense in hiding it any more. Heero, did you want to tell them or should I?"

"Tell us what?" Ayeka growled.

"What is it, Ryoko?" asked Sasami.

"Tell us the secret!" chirped Mihoshi.

"Ryoko," said Heero, "perhaps we should talk in private."

Ryoko smiled as she leaned into him and put her arm around him. "Oh, come on, Heero! There's no need to be embarrassed. I know I'm not."

Ayeka stood up and stamped her foot, absolutely seething with fury. "I have had enough of this! Out with it now, Ryoko!"

"Calm down, Ayeka," said Heero firmly before turning back to Ryoko, "Okay, Ryoko; spit it out."

Ryoko smiled at him and the others. "Well, the truth is… I'm pregnant."

There was a stunned silence, and Heero braced himself for the inevitable storm. Predictably, it came from Ayeka, who was already shaking her head vigorously.

"No," she said, her voice soft for now but quickly rising, "That cannot be… that just cannot be! That is not possible!"

"Wow!" cried Mihoshi, her reaction a complete one eighty of Ayeka's, "That's amazing, Ryoko!"

"It most certainly is not!" shrieked Ayeka.

"Oh, dear," said Azaka, "Princess Ayeka, please calm down."

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Kamidake.

"Congratulations, Ryoko!" said Sasami, beaming, "Who's the father?"

Don't you dare say it, Heero thought as he looked at Ryoko, already knowing that his wish was in vain.

"Well," said Ryoko, her smile growing, "that would be… Heero."

If Ayeka looked pissed before, now she was an absolutely quivering tower of pure rage. "No! You lie! There is no way that that can be true!"

"Ayeka, stop it!" said Sasami, grabbing the sleeve of her sister's kimono.

"Oh, it's no lie," said Ryoko as she pulled Heero close to him, rubbing her considerable bust against him, "Heero and I are madly in love! We meant to take things slow, but we just couldn't help ourselves! We made love, and now I'm pregnant with his child!"

Ayeka's face was as pale as a sheet of ice. "Sir Heero… surely she cannot be telling the truth! You… you are so far above this common lowlife! Please, tell me that this is just another one of her lies!"

"Ryoko…" Heero said, only for the space pirate to put her hands over his mouth.

"Oh, it's okay, Heero!" she said, giving him a devious smile, "You don't have to hide it now. Everything's out in the open!"

"We need to have a baby shower!" said Mihoshi.

Sasami nodded with enthusiasm. "Oh, that'd be fun! I can make the food!"

"We're not having a baby shower!" Ayeka yelled, "This entire affair is a travesty!"

"Aw, why do you have to be such a party pooper, Ayeka?" Ryoko pouted, still fighting to keep her hands over Heero's mouth, "Can't you just set aside your petty feelings for once and be happy for me?"

"Not in a thousand years!" she snarled.

How did I get into this mess?, Heero thought as he struggled to extricate himself from Ryoko's surprisingly powerful grip, And how the hell am I going to get out of it?

"Now," said Ryoko as she looked at Mihoshi and Sasami, "why don't we throw a party?"

"Yay!" said Mihoshi, "We can have cake and ice cream!"

"I want to bake the cake!" said Sasami.

"Absolutely not!" cried Ayeka, "Sasami, Mihoshi, you two will do no such thing! There will be no party!"

Suddenly Ryoko released Heero and stood up, her hands going to her belly. "Uh oh… it might be time!"

Sasami's eyes widened in shock. "What? You mean the baby's coming now!"

"Oh no!" cried Mihoshi, "What are we suppose to do?"

Give me a break, thought Heero, How far is she going to take this prank?

"I'll be right back!" Ryoko cried before running towards the bathroom.

The door slammed shut behind her, and a few seconds later Heero heard a series of exaggerated moans and groans. The Perfect Soldier shook his head; could this charade get any more ridiculous?

"Oh no!" said Sasami, "I hope she's okay!"

Mihoshi nodded. "Yeah. I hear childbirth's really painful!"

"Ryoko is not giving birth in there!" shouted Ayeka, stomping her foot in frustration, "This is all just some elaborate and fiendish ruse!"

Agreed on the first part, Heero mused, but I wouldn't call it fiendish. More like annoying and troublesome. I wonder when we'll hit the punch line with this joke of hers…

After a few more minutes the bathroom door opened up and Ryoko walked out. She had something clutched close to her chest, but due to the long, loose fitting sleeves of her dress-robe Heero couldn't make out what it was.

Mihoshi and Sasami rushed forward excitedly.

"Is it a girl?" asked Sasami.

"I bet it's a boy!" said Mihoshi.

Ryoko smiled and held her arms out, and everyone's eyes widened at what they saw.

You've got to be kidding me, thought Heero, at a complete loss for words.

Ryoko was holding what appeared to be an egg. It was black and about the size of a large watermelon, with a glossy sheen.

"Well," said Ryoko, "here it is!"

"Wow!" said Sasami as she peered closely at the egg, "Can I touch it?"

Ryoko nodded. "Go right ahead, Sasami."

The princess reached out and rubbed the surface of the egg. "It's so smooth and warm!"

"Oh, me next, me next!" said Mihoshi.

Ryoko held the egg close to her chest. "Not a chance, Mihoshi. I don't want you to make me drop it, you klutz."

Mihoshi looked down in disappointment. "Aw, but I really want to touch it…"

"Out of my way!" said Ayeka as she stomped forward, "Let me see that thing! That cannot be the offspring of you and Sir Heero!"

Ryoko smirked. "What's the matter, Ayeka? Jealous? That's not really becoming of a princess, you know?"

"You dare to lecture me?" said Ayeka, "You're a damn pirate! You have no right!"

Heero watched the whole display with a very strange combination of curiosity and frustration. The fighting itself was not out of the ordinary, and while Heero had gotten used to playing the role of arbiter and peacemaker between the two it didn't mean that he enjoyed the role. On the other hand, he was genuinely interested in the egg that Ryoko was holding.

Where did she get something like that?, he thought, What's really in there? It definitely isn't what she's claiming it to be, but I've got no idea what to expect here.

Ayeka made a grab for the egg. "Give me that!"

Ryoko fought back, and the two of them quickly began a tug-of-war over the egg. "No, it's mine! Get your hands off it, Ayeka!"

"Stop this!" said Mihoshi as she grabbed Ryoko from behind.

"Ayeka!" cried Sasami as she tried to pull her sister away, "You can't do this! That's Heero and Ryoko's baby!"

"It most certainly is not!" Ayeka shouted, "I will expose this rotten charade for what it is no matter what I have to do!"

"Let go of my egg!" growled Ryoko.

The two of them tugged back and forth, and all the while Heero continued to watch them, wondering if she should step in yet. The situation had become rather volatile thanks to Ryoko's mischievous nature and Ayeka's temper, and if it wasn't deescalated soon there was the risk that they'd start calling on their powers. Heero's apartment was well built, but he didn't think it could survive the kind of energy that Ryoko and Ayeka could throw around.

He was about to stand up when Ayeka suddenly managed to slip free of Sasami's restraint and lunged violently at Ryoko. The pirate lost her grip on the black egg as Ayeka collided with her, and the whole room went silent as it hit the floor.

Sasami gasped. "Oh no! Ayeka, look what you've done!"

The egg hadn't shattered, but the bottom was definitely cracked and fractured.

"Ayeka, how could you do that?" cried Mihoshi.

Despite her earlier anger, Ayeka seemed shocked by what had just happened. "I didn't… I didn't mean to…"

Sasami looked like she was about to cry. "It's broken…"

Suddenly the egg started to twitch back and forth, taking everyone by surprise. Heero's eyes narrowed as cracks continued to grow in the egg until suddenly what looked like a pair of white rabbit feet shot out of the bottom.

What the hell?, he thought.

Fissures spread out across the egg as it continued to shake, until finally the entire shell crumbled to pieces. What was standing in the middle of the fragments was definitely not what Heero had expected.

The best way to really put it, from where the Gundam pilot was sitting, was that the creature that had hatched appeared to be a combination of a cat and a rabbit. It had dark grey fur, with the exception of its feet; both front and back were white. The way it stood, with most of its weight on its hind legs, was definitely akin to that of a rabbit. However, its wide yellow eyes and much of its upper body looked distinctly feline. The whiskers looked more like those of a cat than a rabbit as well. On its forehead was a feature found on neither cat nor rabbit; a red ovoid gem nestled in the fur above the eyes. The rabbit features took over again with a bushy tail in the rear and incredibly wide ears on its head, and while they were initially drooping down they immediately perked up when the creature saw that it was surrounded by people.

"Meow!" it cried, looking quite pleased with itself.

"Aw," said Mihoshi, "How cute!"

"She sure is," said Ryoko with a smile as she picked the creature up, "I think I'll call her Ryo-Ohki. What do you think, Heero? Do you like that name for your daughter?"

"That thing is not Sir Heero's progeny!" Ayeka growled.

"That's a pretty name," said Sasami, "I like it."

The pieces finally clicked in Heero's head, and he knew what he was looking at. "Ryo-Ohki was the name of your ship. You told me that she had a form other than that of the ship; this is it, isn't it?"

Ayeka's eyes widened. "This is the Ryo-Ohki?"

Ryoko burst out laughing. "Oh man, that was fun! Ayeka, you should've seen the look on your face when I said Heero was the father! That was priceless! And boy, Heero, I think I finally rattled you a little with that. Come on, admit it, you know I did!"

Heero ignored the jab, still concentrating on the creature in Ryoko's arms. "So she's completed her healing process, I take it?"

Ryoko nodded and sat down next to Heero on the couch, holding out the cat-rabbit creature. "Ryo-Ohki, I want you to meet someone very special. This is Heero. You remember him from when he helped us out up in orbit, right?"

The strange creature looked at him and took a quick sniff before giving what seemed like a happy cry. "Meow!"

Ryoko smiled. "Aw, she does remember you! Here, why don't you hold her, Heero?"

Heero was quite taken aback by this, but before he could protest Ryoko had dumped the creature right in his lap. Looking down at the cat-rabbit, he saw Ryo-Ohki looking up at him with those wide amber eyes. Not knowing what else to do, he found himself slowly reaching out to pet her on the head.

Ryo-Ohki seemed to enjoy it. Deciding to experiment a little, Heero began scratching behind her ears. That definitely got a reaction; the cat-rabbit started purring like a kitten.

"That's the sweet spot," said Ryoko with a grin, "You'd better be careful, Heero. Keep that up and she'll never leave you alone! That'll be two of us if you give me some of that action!"

"I want to pet her!" said Sasami as she leaned in.

"Me too! Me too!" chirped Mihoshi.

Ayeka wasn't rushing to join them. Studying her, Heero saw that her earlier anger seemed to have largely faded. In fact, she looked quite relieved now that Ryoko's joke was over.

"I should've known better," he heard her mutter, "Just another one of her pranks. Silly me, getting so worked up like that…"

Ryo-Ohki seemed quite pleased with all the attention she was getting, but then a soft rumbling came from her stomach and she let out a whimper.

"Uh oh!" said Sasami, "I think she's hungry!"

"What does she eat?" asked Mihoshi.

"Hmm," Ryoko mused, "I usually just give her a piece of whatever I'm able to get for a meal. She does really like her veggies, though."

Heero picked up Ryo-Ohki and passed her to Ryoko. "I'll see what I've got in the fridge. There should be something that she likes."

Heading to the kitchen and opening up the fridge, Heero found that it was rather slim pickings when it came to greens; clearly another shopping trip would be in order soon. He found a bag of cucumber slices an another of small carrots, so he grabbed those and put some of each into separate bowls before bringing them out and setting them on the coffee table.

"This is all we've got for vegetables right now," he said as he sat back down, "Let's see if she likes them."

Ryoko nodded and put Ryo-Ohki on the table next to the bowls. "Go ahead, girl. Dig in!"

Ryo-Ohki started with the bowl of cucumber slices, carefully taking one out and munching on it. She didn't seem to react positively or negatively and simply moved on to the carrot bowl. The strange creature grabbed a carrot and took a small bite. There was a brief pause before Ryo-Ohki gave a cry of joy and wolfed down the rest of the carrot before throwing her head into the bowl and going to town on the rest.

"Looks like we have a winner," said Ryoko.

Heero nodded. "I'll buy some extra carrots next time I go shopping. Is there anything else I should get for her?"

Ryoko shook her head. "She's pretty low maintenance, really. As long as we keep her fed and give her some attention she'll be fine."

Heero couldn't help but smirk as he watched Sasami and Mihoshi absolutely fawning over Ryo-Ohki as she finished off the carrots. Even Ayeka couldn't seem to resist getting in on the action; the creature's sheer cuteness factor was quite powerful.

"I think she's all set as far as attention goes," said Heero, "We'll just have to make sure to monitor how much she eats."

Ryoko smiled and surprised Heero by gently putting her hand on his arm. "You're really okay with this? Having her with us, I mean?"

Heero nodded. "I am… although I could've done without that elaborate pregnancy prank of yours."

Ryoko smirked. "Oh, come on, there was no way I could pass up a chance to pull that one off. You saw Ayeka freak out; don't tell me part of you didn't enjoy that!"

Heero chuckled. "No comment."

Ryoko sighed. "Fine, be that way."

As the two of them watched the others play with Ryo-Ohki Heero felt Ryoko briefly grab his hand. "Thanks, Heero. Really, I mean that."

Heero nodded. "Anytime."

….

September 25th, A.C. 198

"Are you sure about this?" asked Ryoko as they all piled out of the car, "Aren't you worried about people seeing Ryo-Ohki?"

Heero shook his head. "She's unusual, but she won't cause too much of a stir. People will assume she's just some new animal breed. We'll be fine...although I'm surprised that you're actually taking the time to be worried about something like that."

Ryoko smiled. "I think I caused enough trouble for you with the whole pregnancy prank. Figured I'd take it easy on you for a little while."

Heero nodded. "I appreciate that."

"Come on, everyone!" said Sasami, "Let's go!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki from her perch atop Sasami's head.

"It's so pretty out today!" said Mihoshi.

The weather had cleared up from the downpour that had been hanging over Brussels the past few days, and when Heero had told Ryoko and the others that this would probably be their last chance to go outside and have some fun for a while the four women had immediately began planning an outing. Now here they were, at the capital city's largest park, all set for a picnic.

Normally this sort of thing isn't really up my alley, thought Ryoko, but, what the hell. It's nice to get out for a little bit, and I'm sure Ryo-Ohki will like it out here.

It was partly cloudy overhead but still relatively warm, and the women had dressed to take advantage of it. For her part Ryoko had on a black skirt and a dark red blouse with a rather low neckline so she could give a certain young man a good teasing glimpse at what she had to offer. The others had decided on a typically less risqué approach; white blouse and blue jeans for Ayeka, pink t-shirt and jean shorts for Mihoshi, and a school-girl outfit for Sasami. For his part, Heero had simply gone with his usual, and Ryoko had to wonder if his wardrobe consisted of nothing other than green tank-tops and blue jeans. Then again, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing; a tank-top gave her a hell of a view at his well toned figure, and Ryoko was more than happy to eat up the eye candy.

"Hey!" said Mihoshi, "Hurry up! We need to find a good spot!"

"Just a minute," said Heero as he popped open the car's trunk to get the picnic supplies.

"Sir Heero!" said Ayeka, quickly rushing up, "Please, allow me to assist you!"

Heero looked at her and nodded. "All right. Thanks."

Ayeka looked over at Ryoko and smirked. Ryoko knew what was going on; she was doing every little thing she could to win points with him.

Go right ahead, Ayeka, she thought, I don't need to be a baggage girl to get Heero's attention.

After the basket, cooler, and blanket had been removed and the car securely locked, everyone headed out onto the grass. Despite the beautiful weather the park wasn't all that crowded. Heero had told them earlier that it would be like this due to today still being part of the workweek, but Ryoko was still taken aback by how few people were there.

Sasami and Mihoshi ran ahead of the group and to the top of a small hill, with Ryo-Ohki hanging on for dear life to the top of Sasami's head. "Up here!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"Sasami!" cried Ayeka, "Don't run too far ahead!"

"This is a good spot, Ayeka!" her sister replied, "We have to claim it!"

"Hurry up!" yelled Mihoshi.

Ayeka shook her head. "Oh, those two… I do believe that Mihoshi is rubbing off on her."

"Lighten up, Ayeka," said Ryoko, "Your sister's still a kid, and Mihoshi's… well, she's Mihoshi. Let em have some fun!"

"There's no harm in their enthusiasm," said Heero.

Ayeka looked at their host and smiled. "Well, if you're not worried, then I suppose it's all right."

As they joined Mihoshi and Sasami at the top of the hill Ryoko had to agree with the two of them; it was a pretty good spot. The little perch offered a nice view of most of the park and the city beyond.

"Stand back," said Heero as he unfurled the large blanket.

Once it was all spread out on the grass everyone began to claim spots, with Ryoko and Ayeka naturally jostling to get as close as they could to Heero. In the end the two rivals settled in on either side of Heero, although since Ryoko was close to both her host and the drink cooler she felt that she had the advantage.

She popped open the cooler. Heero hadn't packed any booze for this outing, but there were plenty of other drinks to go around. She pulled out a cola and turned to Heero.

"Something to drink?" she said with a smile.

Heero nodded, seeming just a tad surprised by her sudden generosity. "Thank you."

"Open up the basket!" cried Mihoshi, "I'm hungry!"

"Me too!" chimed Sasami.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

Ayeka smiled. "Some food does sound delightful right now. Sir Heero, do you mind if we begin?"

"Sure," said Heero as he opened up the basket and took out some paper plates before moving on to the food, "Let me just sort these out."

Ryoko watched as Heero rifled through the basket and began pulling out some of the sandwiches he and Sasami had made and bagged before leaving. There was a good mix including salami, turkey, ham, and even a peanut butter and jelly one which Sasami had insisted on making for herself. Also stuffed in the basket were several small bags of chips, along with apples and a bag of small carrots for Ryo-Ohki.

"Two salamis," he said, "One for Ryoko, and the other one's mine."

"Thanks!" said Ryoko as she eagerly grabbed her sandwich.

"Sasami," said Heero as he passed her the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, "that one's yours."

"Thank you!" she said.

"Ayeka," said Heero, "Yours was the turkey, right?"

Ayeka nodded enthusiastically as she accepted her sandwich. "Yes, indeed! Thank you, Sir Heero!"

"So the ham's Mihoshi's," said Heero as he passed the space cop her sandwich.

Mihoshi looked like she was about to start drooling. "Thanks, Heero!"

"Meow!" Ryo-Ohki whined.

Ryoko patted her furry friend's head. "Relax, Ryo-Ohki. Heero wouldn't forget about you!"

Heero chuckled as he pulled out the bag of carrots and poured some on a paper plate before setting it in front of Ryo-Ohki. "There you go."

"Meow!" she cried joyfully before immediately diving into her food.

Heero then passed out the chip bags and the fruit. Once that was done everyone started digging into their food.

Ryoko savored her first bite into her sandwich. "Man, this is good! You really know how I like this, Heero!"

Heero nodded. "You've been here long enough that I'd like to think I've learned at least a little about your tastes."

Ryoko gave a sly smile as she put her arm around him. "Keep this up and you'll have me eating out of the palm of your hand. What do you say to that, handsome?"

"Cut it out, Ryoko!" scowled Ayeka, "Can't you see Sir Heero is trying to eat? My word, it's unbelievable how rude you can be!"

Ryoko smirked. "You're just jealous because Heero knows what I like more than you do!"

"That's absurd!" said Ayeka, taking an exaggerated bite of her sandwich, "Sir Heero, I'll have you know that you made this perfectly! It's exactly the way I like it!"

"Actually, Sasami made that one," said Heero as he slipped out from Ryoko's arm, "I just told her how you'd prefer it be done."

"Oh," said Ayeka, looking like a bit of her thunder had been stolen, "Well, regardless, I appreciate the hand you had to play in it."

Hah!, thought Ryoko, Score one for me!

"Heero," said Sasami, "how come there aren't more people here? It's such a nice day!"

"Well, most adults would be working right now," said Heero, "and kids would be in school. That's where you would be right now if you were from Earth."

Sasami nodded. "I see."

"That's too bad," said Ayeka, "From what you told me before I understand that this is one of the last such days we'll have for the year. I'm certainly glad that we have this chance to enjoy it."

"This park is so big!" said Mihoshi.

Heero nodded. "It's the biggest one in Brussels. Once the rains start the crowds usually die off until the winter snowfall begins."

Ryoko smiled. "Now that would be fun, coming back here and having a snowball fight. Too bad Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Sasami won't be here for it!"

She shot a smirk her rival's way. The knowledge that eventually Sasami would be taking her older sister and the ditzy Galaxy Police officer away from Earth had helped Ryoko endure having another royal in Heero's apartment. It was definitely something to look forward to, and she delighted in rubbing Ayeka's face in the fact that she would soon have Heero all too herself.

Sasami looked down, seeming a bit let down. "Oh, that's right. That's too bad. I like snow."

"I can come back and visit!" said Mihoshi, "Earth's in the sector that I'm assigned to patrol, so I can always swing by here once in a while!"

"Yippee," Ryoko deadpanned.

Ayeka was clearly trying to keep up appearances, but Ryoko could tell that her words had struck a chord. The princess could act as proper and dutiful as she wanted, but while it might be her responsibility to return to Jurai Ryoko knew that Ayeka was having serious second thoughts about it, all thanks to their handsome host. This was why Ryoko was glad to be an outlaw; the only obligations she had were to herself and Ryo-Ohki.

"If you do visit," said Heero, clearly doing his best not sound too resigned, "at least try to call ahead first. Having some advance notice will make it easier to prepare for your arrival."

Mihoshi nodded. "Okay!"

The conversation died off for a little bit after that as they all focused on their food. As the meal started to wind down Ryoko began wondering what was next on the agenda; Heero hadn't really mentioned anything beyond the picnic.

Eventually they all finished up their food and Heero began gathering the trash. "Well, that was nice. I can get things cleaned up here if you all want to head back to the car."

"Already?" pouted Mihoshi, "But it's still so nice out!"

"It does seem like a shame to leave here when the weather's still so pleasant," said Ayeka.

Ryoko shrugged. "I'm fine either way."

"Oh, I know!" cried Sasami, "Let's play a game!"

"A game?" asked Heero as he threw the garbage in a nearby can, "What did you have in mind?"

Sasami smiled. "Hide and seek!"

"I don't know," said Ayeka, looking around the park, "This place is awfully big. If we do that here it might take a while."

Ryoko smiled. "Hey, why not? Sounds fun!"

"Meow!" cheered Ryo-Ohki.

"Yay!" said Mihoshi, "Wait, who's going to be the one that looks for people?"

Everyone looked at each other for a moment, and then by some strange unspoken agreement all the women pointed right at Heero.

Clearly the young man could tell that there was no use fighting them on this. "All right. Just let me put all this back in the car and we can get started."

"Hurry up, Heero!" said Mihoshi.

Mmmm, thought Ryoko with a smirk, Hide and seek with Heero? This should be entertaining…

….

"Okay," said Heero, his arms folded, "before we get started, we need to lay out some ground rules."

The four women were gathered around him at the top of the hill where they'd had their lunch, with Ryo-Ohki once again perched atop Sasami's head. There was still plenty of daylight left, but Heero wanted to set some limitations now to at least try to contain what he suspected would become a rather chaotic affair.

"First," he said, "You stay within the boundaries of the park. No going past that, all right?"

There was no argument with that rule, which was encouraging. However, Heero suspected that it was his following rules that might cause protest.

"Next," he said, "under no circumstances are you to use your powers. It's not too crowded today, but someone could still see you. I'd rather avoid the problems that could cause."

He was looking at Ryoko as he laid out that rule. She didn't say anything, but the smirk and the mischievous look in her eyes was enough to tell him exactly what she thought of that rule.

"Fear not, Sir Heero!" said Ayeka, "I promise that I shall not cause you any trouble!"

I trust you with that as long as you don't run into Ryoko and argue over a hiding place, he thought dryly, If that happens, though, I would imagine that all bets are off.

"Also," he said, "no hiding in public restrooms. I know it's not too crowded today, but people do still need to use those."

"Who would hide in there anyway?" asked Ryoko, "They stink!"

"Sasami," said Heero, "This one's for you; keep Ryo-Ohki with you, okay? We don't need her to be wandering around."

Sasami nodded. "Okay."

"One more thing," said Heero, "No changing spots once the game's started. Otherwise we'll be here forever."

Ryoko pouted. "Oh, fine, ruin the fun, why don't you?"

Looking around, Heero spotted a nearby clock tower. It was ten minutes until the start of the next hour, which suited Heero's purpose nicely.

"All right," he said, "I'll sit down here and close my eyes. You all have until that clock tower strikes the next hour to find a hiding place. Once that happens I'll start my hunt. When I find you, come back to this hill. The game's over after I find everyone or if you hide so well that I give up… but don't count on that second part. I never give up the hunt."

"So do we go now?" asked Mihoshi.

Heero took a seat and closed his eyes. "What do you think?"

"Time to go!" said Ryoko.

He heard the others rapidly disperse. Even without his sight Heero was still quite perceptive, and he could hear the four women move for quite some time before they finally passed beyond his range. Heero had a pretty good idea as to the park's layout, so he used the downtime to mentally map out the most likely spots his companions would pick to hide at.

It might be an unfair advantage, he mused, but given the size of this place it's one that I have no problem using.

Heero still wasn't entirely sure why he had agreed to this game in the first place. They'd finished the picnic; there was no real reason why they couldn't just head back to the apartment for the rest of the day. Still, that didn't change the fact that he'd gone along with the whims of his guests. If nothing else, the Preventers operative reflected that at least they were keeping life interesting for him.

In the distance he heard the chime of the clock tower and he opened his eyes. Standing up, he took a moment to survey the park before him. Deciding that right now there was no rush to find his guests, he headed towards one of the many walking paths that wound their way around the park. Ever since his four female companions had come into his life he'd had precious little time to himself; there was no reason why he couldn't enjoy a leisurely stroll while playing their game of hide-and-seek. Besides, the walkways would take him past most of the hiding spots he'd mentally mapped out earlier; with just a little bit of luck he'd likely find most of his guests before he really had to get serious in his hunt.

He debated asking some of the people on the trail if they had seen any of his companions; he hadn't specified a rule against intelligence gathering, after all. Ultimately he decided against it; he didn't want to make things too easy.

Mihoshi strikes me as the least suited to stealth of any kind, he mused, I suppose I'll start with her.

He was approaching a sand pit with a playground and figured he'd stop there and have a look around. The plastic and steel structure was actually quite large, consisting of a maze of monkey bars, tunnels, ladders, sliding poles, and slides. Heero idly wandered around the structure, checking in various nooks and crannies for his prey. The fact that most kids who would normally be using this were in school right now made it significantly easier for him to conduct his search.

It didn't take Heero long to find foot prints in the sand that were not his. He could tell right away that they were from female footwear and figured he had a descent shot of finding at least one of his guests here. Moving carefully to avoid making any sounds, he almost reflexively put his infiltration skills into practice, keeping in cover and searching every nook and cranny to ferret out his prey. A few seconds later he found a strand of long blonde hair that had gotten snagged on a screw holding a metal bar to a plastic platform.

Definitely Mihoshi, he thought, She's either in here or passed through here on her way to another spot. Let's narrow that down.

Exiting the structure and moving to the edge of the sand pit, he walked around the perimeter until he had his confirmation. The footprints he'd seen earlier were only leading into the structure; there were none aside from his own that were leading out. Mihoshi was definitely in there.

Heading back into the playground, Heero retraced his earlier steps until he came to the spot where he'd spotted the strand of blonde hair. A plastic tube was nearby, and he crawled inside. After about a minute of crawling around through the network he rounded a corner and felt his head hit something supple yet firm. An accompanying cry of surprise told Heero what he already knew; he'd bumped headfirst into Mihoshi's rear.

"Eeep!" squeaked Mihoshi as she jolted, which resulted in her head hitting the tube's ceiling, "Ow!"

"Sorry," said Heero, trying to look anywhere but her ass, "Are you okay, Mihoshi?"

Mihoshi turned around and smiled. "Oh, Heero! I'm fine, you just startled me. I can't believe you found me so quickly! Was I the first one?"

Heero nodded. "Yes, although I'm impressed that you worked your way so far back in here."

"Oh, I crawl around tight spaces all the time," she said, "It comes with being a Detective First Class!"

"I see," said Heero, "I'm sure that's a skill that comes in handy."

Mihoshi nodded. "Yup! So do I get to help you find the others now?"

Heero shook his head. 'That's not how this game works, remember? When I find you you're supposed to go wait on that hill we had our picnic at."

"Aw, but that's boring!" she pouted, "I want to look for the others with you! Come on, Heero, please?"

Heero had to steel himself as he met her puppy-dog gaze. He didn't know the look on her face was intentional or simply reflex at this point, but he could certainly see how it might sway a lesser man.

"No," he said firmly, "That's against what I said before we started the game. Go back to the hill, Mihoshi."

Mihoshi sighed. "Oh, all right."

The two of the climbed out of the network of tubes. When they got to the edge of the playground they dusted themselves off before Mihoshi gave Heero one last pleading look.

"Are you sure I can't help?" she asked.

Heero sighed. "I'm sure, Mihoshi. Sorry. If we play this game again I'll let you start as the one that looks for people. How's that sound?"

Mihoshi smiled. "I like that! Good luck, Heero!"

As Mihoshi ran off Heero returned to the trail and continued on his way. Just as he'd anticipated, he'd gotten the easiest target out of the way. Now things would likely get a bit trickier.

After a few minutes of walking he found himself approaching a collection of picnic tables. There was a crowd of about thirty or so adults gathered around, and based on the food they had out on the tables along with the suits they were wearing it appeared to be an employee party of some kind. A small sign set up on one of the tables confirmed it; apparently they were celebrating the five year anniversary of their company's startup.

Looks like an investment group, he mused, Makes sense; Brussels is a global financial hub, after all.

Among the various foods on the table was a cake, and although it had decorative writing on it the small orange frosting decorations in the corners gave it away as carrot cake. Heero immediately started looking around the surrounding area. It might not have been regular carrots, but he had a feeling that if Ryo-Ohki caught a glimpse of those small orange frosting carrots she'd come running, and wherever she was Sasami would not be far off.

Heero moved off to the side and sat on a nearby bench to observe the area around the party. It was in an open field, but off to both sides were bushes and trees; excellent hiding places. The Preventers operative studied them carefully, his eyes narrowed as he scanned for any sign of movement.

Five minutes went by, then ten. Heero was about to get up and move on when out of the corner of his eye he saw a bush shake. It only lasted for a second, and Heero was about to shrug it off and continue on his way when he saw it shake again… and again. At first it was just in a few second-bursts, but then it became more sustained, like there was some sort of tussle going on just behind the leaves.

Is that them?, he thought, Or just a few squirrels fighting over a nut?

He was about to get up and walk over there when his question was answered in spectacular fashion; Ryo-Ohki shot through the leaves like a bat out of hell and made a beeline straight for the tables, yowling for joy the whole way. The cat-rabbit moved so fast she looked like little more than a dark grey blur as she bolted across the grass like a cannon ball.

A second later Sasami came stumbling out of the bushes. "Oh no! Ryo-Ohki, stop right now!"

Too late for that, Heero thought, slightly amused by the spectacle.

A few members of the crowd spotted the approaching furball and gave appropriate cries of surprise, but it was far too late for them to do anything about. In the blink of an eye Ryo-Ohki had crossed the field, hopped up onto the table, and plowed headfirst into the carrot cake.

"I'm so sorry!" cried Sasami as she ran up to the table.

The group of employees quickly gathered around the table, obscuring Heero's view. Standing up and heading over, the Gundam pilot carefully worked his way through the crowd until he reached the center. There was Ryo-Ohki, covered in frosting, cake crumbs stuck in her fur and whiskers, looking quite pleased with herself.

"Meow!" she cried happily as she swallowed piece of cake.

"Ryo-Ohki!" Sasami scolded, pointing at the cat-rabbit, "Bad girl! You ruined their cake!"

Heero looked around the crowd, expecting trouble, but much to his surprise there wasn't a trace of hostility towards Ryo-Ohki or Sasami. In fact, everyone had gotten their smart phones out and were busy taking pictures.

"Aw, look at her!" said a woman in a high class pants-suit, "She's so cute!"

"What kind of creature is that?" asked a gentleman.

"Where can I get an adorable little furball like that?" asked another woman, "My daughter would absolutely love her!"

Sasami grabbed a napkin and picked up Ryo-Ohki to start wiping her off. "I'm sorry about this. I tried to hold her back, but she really likes carrots."

"It's okay," said one of the men present, "What is she?"

"Well…" said Sasami, clearly at a loss as to what she should do next.

Heero decided it was time to step in. "There you are, Sasami. I've been looking for you."

Sasami jumped as she saw him before blushing in embarrassment. "Heero! I… I'm sorry! I know you told me to keep an eye on Ryo-Ohki, but when she saw that cake I couldn't control her!"

Heero shook his head and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's all right, Sasami. Don't worry about it."

Sasami smiled. "Aw, thanks, Heero."

"Come on," he said, giving her a gentle nudge, "We need to get going."

Sasami nodded. "Okay. Sorry for the mess, everyone!"

"You can't stay?" asked one of the women present, "That precious little furball has to leave so soon?"

"I'm afraid so," said Heero, "I'm sorry for the trouble, and I appreciate you all being so understanding with my little sister."

"She's your sister?" asked one of the men, "You two look nothing alike."

"She takes after our mother," Heero replied hastily as he guided Sasami out of the crowd, "Enjoy the rest of your party."

Eventually they got clear and Sasami turned to Heero and smiled. "So I'm your little sister now, huh?"

Heero sighed. "You know that I couldn't tell them the truth. I had to deceive them and get you and Ryo-Ohki out of there."

"I know," said Sasami, "So… does this count as you finding me, then?"

Heero nodded. "Yeah."

"That's not fair!" Sasami pouted, "You know I could've stayed hidden if it weren't for Ryo-Ohki."

Heero shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You still broke cover, and I found you. Better luck next time, Sasami."

Sasami nodded and looked down at Ryo-Ohki, rubbing the cat-rabbit's head with her fist. "You made us lose, Ryo-Ohki! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Shame was clearly the last thing Ryo-Ohki was feeling right now. The furball appeared to be quite content with herself.

"Meow," she said slowly in what Heero assumed to be a signal of satisfaction.

Sasami shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You can ask Ryoko after I find her," said Heero, "Although I doubt she'll be much help. She doesn't strike me as the type to really discipline her pet… or to have much discipline at all for that matter."

Sasami nodded. "I guess you're right. So, what now?"

"You know the rules," said Heero, "Mihoshi's already at the hill, so go join her there. Once I've found Ayeka and Ryoko we'll head back to the apartment."

Sasami smiled. "Okay. I hope you find them soon!"

So do I, thought Heero as he watched the princess run off with Ryo-Ohki in her arms, That incident with the cake is the only one I'd like to deal with today.

Getting back to the game, Heero really wasn't sure what to do next. He'd eliminated the easiest targets pretty quickly. Ayeka struck him as smart enough to make a good effort at concealment, and with Ryoko's criminal background there wasn't a doubt in his mind that the space pirate would be the hardest one to track down.

I'm sure Ryoko can be quite stealthy when she wants to be, he mused, Plus her powers of flight and phasing through solid objects. I know one of the rules I laid out forbid the use of powers, but I doubt she's adhering to that one. This could get tricky.

Ultimately he decided that the best move was to continue on with his current strategy, so he returned to the pathway he'd been on before the cake incident and started walking again. He guessed that Ayeka would be a bit easier to find than Ryoko simply due to the former being much more rule bound than the latter, so he tried to think of places that she might be found in. He could rule out anything too dirty or smelly just by virtue of her personality, but that still left quite a few possibilities open.

The path led towards a wooded area, and Heero decided that was as good a place as any to really delve into his search. He slowed his pace as he walked among the trees and bushes, carefully looking around for any sign that Ayeka or Ryoko might've passed through this area.

This might take a while, he thought, This isn't the only wooded area in this park, and there are plenty of other places a smart woman could hide.

He was getting close to the end of this current patch of trees when he heard a rustling come from to the right. It also sounded like it was slightly above ground level. Investigating, Heero quickly discovered Ayeka clinging desperately to a tree branch that was quite clearly straining under her weight.

"Oh dear," she said to herself, "Please don't break, please don't break…"

"Need a little help?" asked Heero.

Ayeka jolted at the sound of his voice and quickly turned to face him, her face flushing with embarrassment at her predicament. "Oh, Sir Heero! I… I suppose I could… oh, how could I let this happen?"

"Just hang on," said Heero as he worked his way through the underbrush to get to her, "I'm coming."

Suddenly there was a very distinctive crack, and the branch lurched violently. "Oh no! Sir Heero, help!"

Heero rushed over, but the branch broke just as he was arriving, meaning that he certainly was not ready to catch Ayeka. She fell right on top of them, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Knocked onto his stomach, Heero turned to see Ayeka lying on his back, dusting herself off. "Well, that wasn't so bad… oh, goodness! Sir Heero!"

She blushed furiously as she saw exactly where she had landed, and she got off him before kneeling beside him to help him to his feet. "Sir Heero, I am so sorry about that!"

Heero shook his head as he accepted her aid and regained his feet. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Are you okay?"

Ayeka nodded. "Oh, yes! Thank you very much for your timely assistance, Sir Heero!"

"I don't think I really did much," Heero replied, "Other than break your fall, anyway."

Ayeka smiled. "Regardless, I still appreciate it. Are you sure you're all right?"

Heero nodded. "I am, but thank you for your concern."

Ayeka sighed with relief. "That's good to hear. I would hate for you to be injured on my account! So, I suppose this means I've been eliminated from the game now, correct? Please tell me that I was the last one you found!"

Heero shook his head. "Sorry, but I've still got to track down Ryoko."

"Oh," said Ayeka, looking disappointed, "I see. I know you told us to return to the hill when you found us, but are you sure I cannot offer assistance?"

"Maybe I'll change the rules next time," said Heero, "but for now we're still playing the way I laid out earlier."

Ayeka nodded. "Very well, Sir Heero. In that case, good hunting!"

"Thanks," said Heero, "Hopefully it won't take too long."

He watched the princess trot off, nodding as she gave him a wave and a smile. She could be a bit stiff and quick tempered at times, but Heero also recognized her as a genuinely good woman. He was very appreciative of her courtesy and concern, even if it could get a tad overbearing at times. Ayeka's willingness to cooperate with him and go along with his orders without much fuss was also something Heero was grateful for… and she was pretty easy on the eyes, too.

Focus, he thought as he turned back to his hunt, You've still got one more woman to find, and she's by far the cagiest and most devious of the lot.

Exiting the trees and underbrush, Heero continued along the path. The walkway lead through another clearing, but up ahead Heero could see another wooded area and figured that would be as good a place as any to start looking for Ryoko. He would have to be much more thorough than he had been for the others, and sneaky; for all he knew Ryoko would switch spots the moment she spotted him despite his rule to stay in one location once he started his search.

Before entering the wooded area ahead he took a moment to survey what he could of the open part of the park. In the distance he could see the others on top of the little hill, and much to his relief it didn't seem like they were going anywhere anytime soon. He couldn't see any sign of Ryoko amid the open fields, but he'd expected that.

Okay, he thought as he looked at the wooded area in front of him, Here we go.

As soon as he passed into the shadows beneath the tree canopy he immediately went off the trail to the right and crouched behind some bushes. Heero took a moment to scan the area around him, both ground level and the tree branches above him, but with so many trees and bushes around his field of vision was limited. It would be slow going here, especially since he lacked the gear he would normally use in a hunt like this on a mission.

Consider it off the clock training, he thought, There are worse ways to pass the time.

Staying low and keeping in cover, he started to methodically work his way through the underbrush, looking high and low for Ryoko. With her powers the places she could've chosen to hide were nearly limitless, and that was if he was lucky and she'd at least decided to stick to one spot once the game began. If she'd taken the nomadic approach then this could end up being a very long search.

Normally in a situation like this he would focus on looking for signs such as footprints or brush that looked freshly bent or had a few twigs broken off; conventional indicators of prey that had passed through in a hurry. However, with Ryoko's abilities to fly and phase through matter Heero knew that conventional methods for tracking would likely not be as effective here, so he would have to figure out another approach.

Broken tree branches, maybe?, he thought, his mind flashing back to how he'd found Ayeka, She could've experimented with a few perches only to find that the branches wouldn't support her weight.

He scanned the ground as he moved along, and while he did notice some broken branches they appeared to have fallen some time ago. After a few minutes of searching like this Heero shook his head; this wasn't the method that would help him catch the space pirate. Still, he felt that the trees themselves were the best places for someone like her to hide out.

"No choice," he muttered.

Finding a particularly sturdy-looking tree, Heero found a handhold and started to climb. It was slow going as he tested the individual branches to see which ones would support his weight, but he'd had to climb trees a few times on missions in the past so it was something he had experience in. A few minutes he latter he got about as high as he could get; the branches past where he was at now were simply too small to support him.

Unfortunately he didn't have as great a vantage point as he had hoped for. He was at a decent height, but the tree cover was pretty thick apart from the gap created by the path, and he couldn't see as far as he would've liked.

No good, he thought as he looked around, She's not in range. I could head a ways up the path and try another one, but I doubt I'll get better results there. It'd be impractical to keep climbing up trees until I find her anyway. Looks like this is going to be a ground game.

He cautiously climbed back down. Once he reached the ground he started to make his way through the underbrush again, pausing every so often to look up into the tree branches above. He briefly considered doubling back to the section of trees that he'd found Ayeka in before tossing the idea aside; if those two had been in the same area he doubted that they would've been able to refrain from fighting, and that would've given them both away quite some time ago. No, it was best to keep moving forward.

A soft rippling noise coming from behind him caused Heero to quickly turn around. There was no one there, but that sound was unmistakable.

"Somehow I knew you wouldn't play by the rules," he said.

There was no answer, but the silence meant nothing to Heero. Ryoko was somewhere nearby, and apparently she had decided to have some fun with him.

Fine by me, he thought as he crouched behind a bush, Two can play the stealth game.

Moving carefully to avoid making any unnecessary noise, the Preventers agent crept through the underbrush, his eyes and ears open for the faintest hint of Ryoko's presence. Occasionally he would here the rippling noise again, but Heero refrained from running over to the source; that would only play into Ryoko's hand.

He heard that rippling sound again, this time much closer. Heero felt a breeze at his back, and he immediately ducked. It wasn't a moment too soon; he saw Ryoko fly right over him, giving him a mischievous smirk before phasing right through a nearby tree.

"Well," he said, "I found you, although something tells me you're not going to let that be the end of it."

He heard Ryoko laugh, but as he looked around he couldn't find her. "Where's the fun in that? I think it'd be more interesting to make you work for it!"

"This is hide-and-seek," said Heero as he tried to locate her, "not tag."

"Maybe the others saw it that way," said Ryoko, "but I'm not like them. You should really know that by now, Heero!"

"Fine," said Heero as he ducked behind a tree, "I'll just have to improvise."

"Now that's more like it!" said Ryoko, "Come on, hotshot! Show me what you've got!"

How to do that was much easier said than done. Ryoko had the edge in maneuverability by far, and the fact that she could phase through solid objects meant that Heero was at a severe handicap when it came to catching her. He couldn't think of a way to take the initiative here; Heero was on defense now.

Why does it feel like I've gone from hunter to hunted?, he thought, Well, looks like I've got no choice but to find a way to deal with it.

If there was a bright side to this new development it was that he didn't have to worry about scouring the whole park for Ryoko now. She seemed like she wanted to play in this wooded area, and since that would help conceal her powers from any witnesses Heero was willing to indulge her.

Stealth was still important here, but since Ryoko was now on the move Heero knew that he would have to be more flexible going forward. If she decided to ambush him he'd have a split-second to react; he'd have to be ready for anything.

He moved cautiously from tree to tree, doing everything he could to minimize his exposure. Every few seconds or so he heard the soft rippling sound of Ryoko phasing through something, and it seemed to be growing gradually closer. Heero braced himself as he pulled away from the tree, deliberately putting himself in the open; he'd only get one shot at this.

After a few tense moments he heard the sound of Ryoko phasing again, and he saw the tree bark ripple in front of him. As soon as Ryoko's head popped out of it Heero lunged forward to grab her, but she was too quick for him; she backed right up and vanished into the tree bark while Heero ran straight into the tree.

"Damn it!" he hissed, rubbing his head.

Checking himself, he realized that he had a small cut on his forehead and a few more scrapes on his arms. It wasn't anything serious, fortunately, but it still took Heero by surprise; he hadn't expected to end up bleeding today, regardless if it was just a trickle and not a major wound.

"Wow!" he heard Ryoko say, "I'm impressed, Heero! You almost had me there!"

Heero didn't respond, instead ducking behind another tree. He doubted the same trick would work again; he'd have to think of something else. Unfortunately he wasn't sure where to start; Ryoko's powers made her hard to anticipate.

Stay flexible, he thought, and remain light on your feet. She'll slip up and give you an opening eventually. Just be patient and wear her out.

Could that even work, though? Heero didn't really know the limits to Ryoko's strength and endurance. For all he knew she could quite easily outlast him. Still, she had an impatient nature, which Heero thought he might be able to use against her.

There was some rustling in the branches above. Looking up, Heero saw Ryoko zip by overhead, smiling all the while. She darted through the canopy as agile as a bird, completely in her element and enjoying every second of it.

She paused and gave him a smirk. "Come on, Heero! You going to chase me or not?"

"I don't seem to have much of a choice in the matter," Heero mumbled as he tried to close the gap.

"You can always give up," she teased as she floated along, staying just out of reach.

Heero's eyes narrowed as he ran after her. "That's not going to happen."

"Good!" said Ryoko, "I knew you weren't the quitting type! You'd be no fun otherwise."

Heero wasn't about to surrender, but he knew chasing her like this was pointless. He could keep up his pace for quite awhile, but even someone as fit and trained as him had their limits. His best shot would be to find a way to get ahead of her and ambush her, but given her advantage in speed and maneuverability Heero just could not find a way to make that happen.

Heero ran after her for a few minutes, zigzagging through the trees, before Ryoko suddenly veered to the right and vanished into a tree. The Gundam pilot ran around it, but to his surprise he could not find her on the other side.

"Damn it," he hissed as he looked around, "Where did she go now?"

Backing up against the tree, he carefully scanned the area. It was really a reflexive stance; Ryoko's phasing abilities meant that putting his back to a solid object really wasn't an effective means of eliminating a blind spot.

Suddenly Ryoko dropped down from above and pinned Heero against the tree trunk. "Hah! Gotcha!"

Before Heero could react she pulled him into a hug and shoved his head right into her cleavage. "See, now wasn't that fun, Heero? Much better than just plain old hide and seek, right?"

I'll be the judge of that, he thought as he freed himself from her grip, rather flustered at finding his face pushed right into her bosom.

"Are you done?" he asked as he tried to regain a bit of personal space, only for her to press up against him and keep him pinned to the tree.

"Why would I be?" she said with a teasing wink, "We're all alone now, Heero. We should take advantage of this!"

As lovely as she was, the Preventers operative knew that taking her up on that offer was just asking for trouble. "I think I'll pass."

Ryoko was not a woman that was easily dissuaded though, and before Heero could stop her she'd grabbed him beneath his arms and started to float upward. "Oh, no! You're not getting away from me that easily, Heero!"

"Ryoko, that's enough," he said firmly as they slowly gained altitude, "Put us both back down on the ground."

Ryoko shook her head and smiled. "Not yet. There's something I want to show you first!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Heero.

"Oh, you'll see!" she replied cheerfully.

Fighting her now might risk a serious injury for him if Ryoko lost her grip, so Heero really had no choice but to hang tight and hope for the best. Heero could take some consolation in the fact that they were still in the wooded area and the trees were rather thick here, limiting the risk for exposure.

Eventually Ryoko set down on a branch. Still holding into him, she nodded at the horizon.

"What do you think?" she said, "I found this spot while I was waiting for you to start looking for us. Quite the view, huh?"

Following her gaze, Heero found himself very much in agreement with Ryoko. From this perch he had an excellent view of the Brussels skyline. It was getting late in the afternoon but the sun was still high in the sky, and the windows of the skyscrapers gleamed in the light. Preventers HQ was visible in the distance, but it seemed so small when compared to the towers of the Brussels downtown and financial districts. It was the capital city in a way that Heero had never seen it before, given new glory from his unlikely perch.

Raising one hand but keeping the other firmly on him, Ryoko brought her fingers to the small cut on Heero's forehead. "Oh, damn, did I do that?"

"Indirectly," said Heero, "The tree did most of it."

"Shit," she said, looking surprisingly distressed, "I'm sorry, Heero."

Heero shook his head. "I've had worse. Don't worry about it. Besides, a view like this is worth a scrape or two."

Ryoko smiled. "Glad you think so."

"If you wanted to bring me up here that badly," said Heero, "You could've just told me."

"Maybe," said Ryoko, "but I'm a rough-and-tumble kind of girl. You should know that by now."

Heero nodded. "True enough."

Ryoko looked down for a moment before meeting his gaze again. "Still… I'm really sorry about that, Heero. Look, I know I can cause trouble sometimes. I promise I'm not doing it to be cruel or to make your life hell. I want to have fun… but I don't want to make you miserable in the process. I really am grateful for all that you've done for me. You know that, right?"

"I do," Heero replied, "and it's all right. It's true that you can be a handful at times. However… you've also made life pretty interesting since you started living with me. I wasn't sure what to think when all this started, but… I'm actually glad that you and the others are staying with me."

Ryoko smiled. "You really mean that? You're not just trying to be nice to me?"

"I say what I mean, Ryoko," said Heero, "Having you and the others around… it's been entertaining."

Ryoko smirked. "Well, I'd like to think so. By the way, just because Sasami's taking Ayeka and Mihoshi home soon doesn't mean that you're getting rid of me quite so easily. I like it here, so I'm planning on sticking around for a while, and I'd really like for it to be with you. What do you say?"

Heero actually found himself giving her a small smile. "Well, I could definitely do worse for roommates. As long as you don't cause too much trouble…"

Ryoko laughed. "Well, no promises."

"I suppose I'll have to take what I can get," Heero replied, "Now, how about getting us down from here? The others are waiting for us."

"Can't they wait just a little longer?" said Ryoko, leaning in closer, "Come on, Heero, check out this view! How often do you get to enjoy something like this?"

He had to admit that Ryoko had a point. This view of Brussels really was something else. All things considered, he supposed that their game had wrapped up pretty fast. What was the harm in sticking around just a little while longer to take in a vista like this?

Heero nodded. "All right. Just for a little while."

Before he could react Ryoko gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're the best, you know that?"

Heero shook his head, wondering why he suddenly felt a bit warmer than usual. "Hardly."

Not by a long shot, he thought, You told me about your past, but I've only given you a glimpse of mine. If you knew what I've really done you wouldn't be so eager to get close to me.

Now wasn't the time for that, though. Heero wasn't about to dampen the mood. Ryoko wanted to spend a few minutes up here with him enjoying the sights, and he was just fine with that.

….

"Oh, man," said Ryoko as she and Heero headed along the walkway back towards the hill, "That was fun!"

They'd stayed up in the tree for what was probably just about ten minutes, and it had gone by all too quickly as far as Ryoko was concerned. Getting some quality alone time with Heero was pretty hard to do considering all the competition she had. She'd wanted to take things further, but she'd refrained out of respect for Heero; she didn't want to push him too far out of his comfort zone.

She smiled as she saw Heero nod. "It was interesting. I'm sure you'll understand though if I hold off on a second round for a while."

"Aw, come on, Heero!" said Ryoko, giving him a light punch on the shoulder, "I know you enjoyed it! Besides, it's not like you have to be 'it' the next time we play. I wouldn't mind a chance at hunting you down!"

"I'm sure," said Heero dryly, "but you shouldn't be so confident. I can hide pretty well when I put my mind to it."

Ryoko grinned. "That sounds like a challenge! Well, I'm game. Just name the time and place, Heero!"

Her handsome host shook his head. "Not right now. I'm ready to head back for the evening, and I'm sure the others are too."

"I know," said Ryoko, "We'll play it by ear."

Heero nodded. "Sounds good."

Looking ahead, she saw the hill where Ayeka and the others were at steadily growing closer. All too soon she and Heero would be back with the group, but Ryoko could deal with it. She'd made the most of her little bit of alone time with Heero, and she was fine with that.

I just wish he hadn't gotten hurt, she thought as she looked at the scrapes on his arm and the small cut on his forehead, I know they're minor injuries and all, but still… I want to have fun with him, not make him bleed.

The fact that he had forgiven her for it relatively easily simply reinforced what Ryoko already knew about Heero; he was a pretty cool guy. Sure, he could be quiet and stiff, and there was a ton about him that Ryoko didn't know, but she was okay with that. Heero could loosen up on occasion, and Ryoko was willing to take her time in learning more about him. It wasn't like her to embrace a more thorough and prolonged approach, but for a guy like Heero she could definitely make an exception.

"Hey, you found her, Heero!" said Mihoshi as they approached.

"Good job, Heero!" said Sasami.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

Ayeka nodded. "Well done, Sir Heero. I knew that she could not elude someone as astute as you. Victory is yours!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Ryoko with a smirk as she and Heero joined the others, "I didn't see you doing any better, Ayeka."

Ayeka folded her arms. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Well," said Ryoko, "correct me if I'm wrong, but he did find you before me, right?"

Ayeka huffed. "So what if he did? The conditions were that he would find all of us, or that he would give up and those who remained hidden would win. I knew Sir Heero would never concede defeat; his victory was assured! Even someone like myself would have a hard time hiding from someone as observant as him."

"Keep flattering yourself, Ayeka," said Ryoko, "You're not nearly as sneaky as I am. I think today's game proved that."

"That's because I have no need to skulk about in the shadows," said Ayeka with a proud smirk, "As a Juraian princess I move about in the open. I have no need to hide from my enemies! The power of the royal bloodline and that of the Empire assure my victory over any foe that challenges me in the open!"

"Then how come we fought to a draw up in orbit?" said Ryoko, "You crashed down here with me, so I wouldn't exactly call that a win for you."

Ayeka folded her arms. "Well, a short-sighted pirate like you would see it that way. Fortunately my patience was rewarded by Sasami's arrival. Soon I will be off this planet while you remain here."

"By choice," Ryoko reminded her, "Ryo-Ohki's fully healed and can fly whenever she wants. I just happen to want to stay here a while longer. So go ahead and head back to the Empire, princess; I've got what I want right here."

She put her arm around Heero to emphasize her point. The growing red in Ayeka's face was totally worth it even as Heero quickly shrugged her off.

"That's enough, you two," he said, "Come on, let's head home. I think we've all had enough excitement for one day."

Ayeka eagerly nodded, although not before giving Ryoko a fierce glare. "Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. Let us return to your residence, Sir Heero!"

"Yay!" said Mihoshi, "By the time we get back it will be time for dinner!"

"Oh!" said Sasami, her eyes bright with delight, "Heero, do you mind if I cook dinner?"

Heero nodded. "Sure, go for it. If you want me to help, just ask."

"Okay!" the younger princess replied.

As they all headed towards the car Ryoko found herself smiling at her handsome host again. A game of hide-and-seek in a city park wasn't what she normally went for, but he'd definitely made it worthwhile. It was a nice change of pace for a career outlaw, and just one of many new experiences she'd had since Heero had entered her life.

Oh, yeah, she thought, There's no way in hell that I'm leaving this planet anytime soon. You'd better brace yourself, Heero. Once Ayeka and the others have left I'll have you all to myself, and I'm definitely going to make the most of that!

….

September 29th, A.C. 198

Wiping a bit of sauce from her lips, Ayeka looked over at Heero and smiled. "That was a lovely dinner, Sir Heero. Thank you very much!"

Heero nodded as he stood up and began collecting plates. "You're welcome."

"Hey!" Sasami pouted, "I helped too, Ayeka!"

Ayeka nodded and patted her little sister on the head. "Oh, you certainly did, Sasami! You did a splendid job, and you have my gratitude as well!"

Sasami beamed at Ayeka. "Aw, thanks, big sister!"

Her skills certainly have grown since her arrival here, she thought as she watched Sasami assist Heero with the cleanup, Sir Heero may be a soldier, but he's done a marvelous job in improving Sasami's culinary techniques.

Heero and Sasami had really gone all out for the occasion. After all, it was the night before the scheduled departure of Ayeka, Sasami, and Mihoshi, so a farewell party had been in order. Her host and her younger sister had cooked up a wonderful spread of chicken, garlic bread, salad, and a bunch of strange cheesy noodles that Heero had called 'macaroni'. It was the first time he'd presented her with that last kind of food, and while at first it had seemed quite alien to the crown princess of Jurai it had quickly grown on her as she took a few bites. As vast as the Empire of Jurai was, and with the finest chefs in the galaxy at her beck and call back at the palace, Ayeka had to admit that she would greatly miss the meals that Heero had prepared for her over the course of her stay. Sasami had learned much from him, and knowing her Ayeka was sure that her younger sister would try to replicate some of the dishes they'd had here, but despite her newfound skills the crown princess felt that it just would not be the same without Heero's touch.

Heero's meals would be just one of many things about this distant world called Earth that Ayeka would miss upon her return to the Empire. This impromptu extended vacation of hers had been a very liberating experience. It was actually rather amusing for her to realize that it had taken getting into a crash on a backwater planet and being taken into custody by a local peacekeeper to get her to truly relax for once in her life. The responsibilities and worries that came with being heir to the throne of Jurai had seemed so very far away, and while she would never admit it to the likes of Ryoko Ayeka knew that she certainly wouldn't mind this little holiday of hers lasting a while longer.

If only I could've been born a commoner, she thought wistfully, Sure, it might take some getting used to, but I'm sure I'd find some way to manage. I could enjoy the same freedom that those not born of noble blood have. Ceremony and duty, pomp and circumstance… I'd have none of that in my life, and I think I'd be quite happy with that. I could live my own life…

…and follow my heart.

It was with that last sentiment that her gaze once again fell on Heero. Ayeka's return to the Empire would also mean a return to the obligation that had prompted her original vacation in the first place; the inevitable meetings with suitors until a proper match was made and the ceremony took place. While she believed that some young men among the imperial nobility might make a suitable fiancé, the notion of marrying one of out of formality and duty hadn't exerted the strongest pull on Ayeka. She could never publicly admit it, but the crown princess was actually something of a closet romantic. She loved the ballads and tales of star crossed lovers and romances that transcended the bounds of class and wealth and overcame the mighty hurdles of politics and war. Ayeka could never have something like that if she went through with an arranged marriage…

…but she could with someone like Heero.

No, she thought, shaking her head and praying that no one was paying attention to her, What the devil has gotten into me? I couldn't possibly feel that way towards Sir Heero…

…could I?

It was hard to say. Ayeka was certainly grateful towards her host, and would not deny a certain fondness for him, along with an intense curiosity. Perhaps Heero was a bit rough around the edges, but he was far more of a gentleman than many of the nobles Ayeka had met in the imperial court. His current role as a combination of a soldier and a peacekeeper was both impressive and intriguing, especially since it was actually something very different than what was found in the Empire. Ayeka still didn't have a very good idea of what Heero's typical missions were like, but from what little she knew she believed he was a mix of warrior, intelligence agent, and law enforcement officer. The closest equivalent she could find in her own culture were the powerful Knights of Jurai, and that was part of why Ayeka insisted on referring to Heero with the honorific of Sir, but even then there was something about him that set him apart from those familiar figures in the Empire, even if she could not quite figure out what that was.

She believed that Heero was a noble individual, but there was a certain grittiness about him that was impossible to deny. He was a man who had principles, but Ayeka had a feeling that when the situation called for it he could be grimly pragmatic. Like the agents of the Jurai Imperial Intelligence Bureau, Ayeka surmised that much of Heero's real work was done in the shadows. It would certainly help explain why at times there seemed to be a hint of darkness to his aura, as though he had knowledge of and performed deeds that the public had no inkling of. That was more than a little unsettling to Ayeka, much like the revelation of his past as an insurrectionist had been, but it did not take away from the faith she had in him.

Regardless of what I do not know about him, she thought, I cannot deny that I trust Sir Heero with my life. He's such a mystery, and yet I can say with complete certainty that he would never pose a threat to me or allow any harm to come to me. Outside of my immediate family, how many people can I say have those qualities in the imperial court? Alas, it's not a very high number…

Looking around, she saw that while Heero and Sasami were cleaning up Ryoko and Mihoshi appeared to be fighting over the television remote. While entertainment programming certainly wasn't alien to the Empire of Jurai, Ayeka liked the local flavor of the shows she'd seen during her time on Earth. Ryoko and Mihoshi shared her sentiments, albeit for different aspects of it; while Ayeka was drawn both to drama and to the main news network as a means to learn more about Earth culture, Ryoko and Mihoshi were suckers for action and comedy programming. They each had developed their own favorite shows in their short time here, and when the schedules of said shows conflicted it was best to stay out of the way while the two of them wrestled for control of the remote. It was tempting to get in on the fight, but Ayeka resisted the urge. She had much better things to do tonight than get into a scuffle with those two.

Glancing back towards the kitchen, she watched Heero and Sasami continue to clean the dishes. What Ayeka wanted more than anything else at that moment was to have some alone time with him, but in an apartment that was so crowded that seemed practically impossible.

No, she thought with determination, I cannot give up so easily! There is a chance!

Usually while the others were distracted by the television Heero would quietly slip out the sliding door onto the apartment's balcony. Ayeka knew it was so he could have just a few quiet moments to himself, and most of the time she was more than willing to give him his space. After all he had done for her Ayeka knew that it was the very least she could do to return the favor.

However, if that opening presented itself tonight Ayeka knew that she would have no choice but to take it. All she could do from there was hope that Heero would forgive her intrusion upon his desire for solitude. The young man had proven himself willing to be lenient with how she'd quite literally shot him down back when they'd first met, so Ayeka was relatively confident that he would not hold her planned transgression against her.

Patience, she silently told herself, Your time will come. Keep your eyes open, and seize the moment when it presents itself.

Meanwhile, Ryoko appeared to have won the duel for the remote. She immediately flipped it over to a channel she clearly liked before kicking back and relaxing as an action-drama spy show took over the television. It was one that Ayeka actually found to be mildly interesting, although she would never say as much to her bitter rival.

Sasami came into the room, prompting some concern from Ayeka. Her sister was a bright girl, but Ayeka was unsure if she was mature enough to properly handle the material Ryoko consumed for entertainment. Ayeka held her tongue as Sasami sat down on the couch and Ryo-Ohki settled into her lap. She would talk to her sister later if need be; right now her focus was on Heero, and if her sister was here that meant her host was alone in the kitchen. It was a little earlier than she'd planned, but Ayeka didn't know if she'd get a better shot.

Quietly standing up, she headed towards the kitchen. Glancing back at the others, she was relieved to see that they were quite absorbed in the show on the screen. Ayeka couldn't ask for a better diversion.

Entering cautiously, she found him over by the sink. He appeared to be just about done with cleaning things up for the night, so Ayeka felt confident in approaching him.

"Sir Heero?" she said, "Do you require any assistance?"

The young man looked over at her and shook his head. "It's okay. I'll be finished in a minute."

Ayeka nodded. "I see. I hope Sasami wasn't too much trouble earlier."

"Not at all," he replied, "She's quite helpful. She does very well in the kitchen. I have to admit I'm still a bit surprised by it. I would've thought she'd rely on cooks, given the background the two of you share. No offense."

Ayeka quickly shook her head and smiled to reassure him. "Oh, none taken! I must admit I don't quite understand her culinary leanings myself, but seeing as she enjoys them I don't see the harm in indulging her. Thank you very much for being so patient with her."

Heero nodded as he finished wiping a plate off. "You're welcome. You've got a very bright young sister, Ayeka. You must be proud of her."

"Oh, quite so!" said Ayeka, blushing slightly, "I couldn't ask for a better sister."

"It must be nice," said Heero, "Having a younger sibling, I mean."

Ayeka nodded, a little curious as to where this was going. "It is, yes."

Heero was quiet for a moment as he wrapped up the cleaning. When he finished he looked out at the living room.

"Looks like they're enjoying themselves," he said, "I guess they won't mind if I get a little air."

This was what she'd been waiting for, and Ayeka seized her chance. "Sir Heero, would it be all right if I joined you? I must profess that a nice evening breeze does sound good right about now."

He looked at her for a moment before nodding. "All right."

Ayeka had to fight to keep herself from thrusting her fist into the air in a gesture of triumph. She had her opening, and she would not let it go to waste.

She quietly followed him through the living room and out the sliding door, once again grateful that the television had the full attention of the others. There was a slight drizzle, but the balcony was fully covered, and despite the precipitation it wasn't cold at all.

"It's too bad you and the others didn't arrive here earlier in the year," said Heero as he leaned on the railing, "Brussels is a great city to be in during late spring and early summer."

Ayeka smiled. "I'm sure it is. Your world's capital truly is an impressive city, Sir Heero."

Heero nodded. "It caught a lucky break, really. There was a big battle in the middle of it about two years ago."

Ayeka's eyes widened. "Really? Was this… during your rebellion?"

Heero shook his head. "No. The war I fought in was over at the time… officially, anyway. The people who took over this city were the ghosts of that rebellion, you might say. Fortunately we were able to take them down without doing too much damage to the city."

Ayeka nodded. "So you were fighting for the government then."

"Not officially," Heero replied, "I actually didn't join Preventers until after that rebellion was put down. I was more of an independent peacekeeper during that time. Working for a large organization wasn't really my thing. To tell you the truth, I'm actually still getting used to it."

There are so many layers to him, she thought, I seem to learn just a little more about Sir Heero every time I talk to him… but there's still so much that I do not know.

Ayeka smiled. "Well, I for one am glad that you're working for this Preventers organization. If you were not we very well may never have met."

Heero nodded, and Ayeka had to fight to contain herself as she saw a very small smile appear on his face. "You're right. I'm glad things turned out this way… although I'm sure Director Une could've done without a crash landing so close to the capital."

Ayeka flushed with embarrassment, acutely aware of the role that she had played in that. "Oh, uhm, yes… I'm sorry about that."

Heero shook his head. "Don't worry about it. All things considered it could've been much worse. We all survived and we were able to manage the situation. Besides, I've already forgiven you for shooting me down, remember?"

Ayeka nodded. "I do, but I still regret it. I should've taken more time to analyze the situation, but… oh, whenever I get into a clash with that pirate my blood truly boils! I just lose all composure! It's not befitting the crown princess of Jurai, I'm well aware of that, but I just can't help myself!"

"It's all right," said Heero, "You and Ryoko clearly have a powerful rivalry. It's natural that things get heated whenever the two of you fight. Still, I do appreciate the two of you restraining yourselves during your stay here."

Ayeka smiled again. "Oh, it's no trouble at all, Sir Heero! It's the very least I could do for you after all the trouble you've gone through in hosting us!"

Heero nodded. "I have to admit, it is impressive that you're willing to fight her yourself. As a princess of the Empire I would've assumed you'd leave the combat to guards and soldiers."

Ayeka shook her head. "Other nobles and members of the royal family might, but my powers have developed to where I can more than hold my own against the likes of Ryoko."

"That's actually something I've been meaning to ask you about," said Heero, "Do all members of the Jurai Royal Family have powers like yours?"

Ayeka nodded. "Yes, although it would be wrong to say that they are exactly like mine, or with the same level of development. I'm afraid it's rather complicated. The power is so old that the history of it has become rather hazy. It's rather difficult to separate fact from myth nowadays, actually."

"That's all right," said Heero, "I've got time if you're willing to explain it to me."

Ayeka smiled. Although Heero had asked her about her homeworld and the Empire before, it had usually related to topics such as politics and defense. The subject they were about to dive into was deeply intertwined with the culture, history, and mythology of Jurai. To share the roots of her power with Heero was something she saw as a means to grow closer to him, and she intended to make the most of it.

"Well," she began, "first it would be best to put things into proper context. Jurai is currently the most powerful interstellar nation in the galaxy, but it was not always this way. As you might imagine, it started out as a single world. The roots of the Empire stretch back to this ancient period. An exact date has long been debated by the reigning scholars on the matter, but no one has ever come up with a definitive answer. The most commonly accepted figure is roughly 150,000 years ago."

Heero was not a very expressive man, which was why Ayeka was greatly satisfied to see his eyes widen ever so slightly. It was good to know that even an individual as collected as him could be taken aback by something like the great age of her culture.

"That long ago…" he said softly, "Humans were still in the Stone Age at that time…"

"I must admit," said Ayeka, "it is rather daunting to put that span of time into perspective. Even though stars have life spans measured by billions of years, and the age of the galaxy itself even larger, from our point of view a span of 150,000 years is like peering into a bottomless abyss."

Heero nodded. "That's a good way to put it. I would assume that this point in time is where more of the myths come from than facts. Does that sound about right?"

"Yes," said Ayeka, "So much so that study of that cultural area is still a major focus of the Imperial Archeological Institution. There is so much knowledge from that era that has been lost to the flow of time, and as a culture we seem desperate to regain it. Perhaps it stems from our desire to reinforce our founding legends and myths with concrete evidence. Does that sound vain to you?"

Heero shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to discover or rediscover the past. You just have to make sure that you aren't letting your own cultural pride blind you to evidence that doesn't suit whatever preexisting notions you might have."

Ayeka smiled. "Wise words, Sir Heero."

"So," said Heero, "since myths seem to dominate this particular point in your nation's history, what can you tell me about them?"

"Well," said Ayeka, "there's so many of them that it's really hard to single out one or two for conversation. I suppose the best place for me to start would really be at the origin of both them and the power that's been passed down to me. The root of it all is a guardian entity called Tsunami."

"Tsunami?" said Heero, "We've got giant waves on Earth that we give that name to. I hope your Tsunami's not as violent as ours."

Ayeka shook her head. "No, not at all, or at least not according to the stories. Tsunami is quite peaceful… although she is also very powerful."

"So Tsunami's a goddess, then?" asked Heero.

Ayeka sighed. "To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how to describe her, especially since the only depictions I've seen are from artists' renditions and ancient artifacts. The legends do agree on the entity known as Tsunami definitely being female, but classification of her has always been somewhat tricky. We do know, or at least strongly believe, that she is the source of not just the power of the Jurai Royal Family, but also Jurai as a whole. It is from her might that the sacred trees which make up the core of our vessels sprout, and the wisdom found in ancient texts that are said to have been either written or inspired by her has guided our rulers for millennia."

"Quite an influential figure," said Heero.

Ayeka nodded. "Indeed. Whatever variances individual legends regarding her may have, they all have a common origin. It is believed that 150,000 years ago the man who would eventually become the first Emperor of Jurai stumbled upon the giant, sleeping form of Tsunami. Once she awoke and got the chance to study this individual, Tsunami is said to have made a pledge to him. She vowed to guide and protect him and his descendants while blessing them with great power. The most obvious manifestations of that power are, as I mentioned before, the Royal Trees, which are commonly thought to be somehow descended from Tsunami herself. Frankly I find myself at a loss for how a being whose physical form is described as quite similar to yours or mine could be the ancestor for trees, but I will not deny the incredible strength that they provide. I can certainly see Tsunami being involved with them, although in what manner is more difficult to pin down."

"I see," said Heero, "I'm assuming another manifestation of her power is the special abilities that you have."

Ayeka smiled. "Quite so! It is true that I was born with these talents, although it does take considerable training to bring out their full potential. To be honest I actually still have a considerable way to go before I can consider myself to have achieved mastery over my gifts."

"What you can do right now is already quite impressive," said Heero, "I can only imagine what you'll be capable of when you fully master your powers."

Ayeka practically beamed at his praise. "Oh, thank you, Sir Heero!"

"So," said Heero, "you have your abilities. What about Sasami? Does she have powers like yours, or do they only manifest in a few members of the Jurai Royal Family?"

"Well," said Ayeka, "the power of Jurai runs through the blood of all members of the Royal Family. However, my abilities are not the sole manner in how they may manifest. Many different powers have been catalogued throughout the millennia, although they do fall into certain patterns. For example, I am not the only member of my line that can generate barriers. Also, the powers don't always manifest at the same time in people. The point in which a member of the Jurai Royal Family truly awakens their powers tends to vary. Sasami hasn't hit that point yet. Although…"

"What is it?" asked Heero.

Ayeka's eyes narrowed. "I couldn't say for sure. It was quite a long time ago, and events were so chaotic that I could be misremembering them. However… it is possible that she's drawn upon them at least once in her life, although I couldn't say with any real certainty."

"What happened?" asked Heero.

"There was an attack on the palace," said Ayeka grimly, "They never found out who the culprit was. There was no declaration; no one ever claimed responsibility. Multiple explosions tore through the grounds and the halls. Scores died, although no members of the Royal Family were among the dead. It was a close thing, though; Sasami was gravely wounded in the blast. By the time we found her she was lying in a pool of her own blood… everyone was sure she was already dead, or on death's door."

"How did she survive?" asked Heero, and Ayeka could feel him studying her intensely.

Ayeka shook her head. "I… I honestly do not know, Sir Heero. One moment she appeared to be mortally wounded, and the next… there was this flash of green and white light. That's all I can remember. When we actually removed her clothing to examine the wound… there wasn't a mark on her!"

Heero appeared considerably taken aback. "You can't be serious."

Ayeka nodded emphatically. "I assure you that I am, Sir Heero. With all the blood she'd lost she should've had a monstrous wound, but there was nothing! What's more, when she awoke she didn't remember anything about what had happened! Aside from that small gap in her memory she was completely healthy."

"And there hasn't been any sign of this phenomenon since then?" asked Heero.

"No," said Ayeka, "Whenever Sasami's injured herself we've always watched carefully to see if that same feat would repeat itself even as we've treated her, but it never has. Granted, this was a grievous wound, and any injuries she's suffered since then have been very minor."

Heero nodded. "I see. I suppose that's a good thing, though. A girl like her shouldn't have to face life-threatening danger at her age."

Ayeka smiled. "I completely agree, Sir Heero."

"So," said Heero, "is it just the main branch of the Jurai Royal Family that gets these powers, or do other branches get them too? You said that the history of your family stretches back 150 millennia. Given that timeframe your ancestors must've spread the family considerably."

Ayeka nodded. "Yes, you are quite right. The Jurai Royal Family has several distinct branches at this point, and the power that is inherent in the royal bloodline does indeed flow through them all to one degree or another. Sasami and I are part of the main branch, meaning we are first and second in line to the throne, respectively. The Emperor may be a male figure, but Empresses also hold considerable sway over our nation's politics, and in fact many have led the Empire themselves in times when a male heir from the main branch was not born. Even with their eventual marriages they were by no means diminished in stature and power."

Heero's eyes narrowed, and Ayeka was caught a bit off guard by the intensity of his gaze. "The other branches of your family couldn't have just sat idle over the millennia. To watch as the throne was kept in the grasp of the main branch… some of them had to have made a grab for power eventually."

Ayeka shuddered, but she would not deny the truth of Heero's words. "You are most astute, Sir Heero. There have been several points in the history of the Empire where a member of a branch family, or in rare cases an entire branch, have tried to usurp the throne. Succession may be codified by Imperial law, but even so times of approaching transition have always been tense within Jurai. Attempted coups are the most common manifestations of the other branches' ambitions, although most are quelled before they become truly threatening. That being said, blood has been spilt for the throne in the past. Even failed palace revolutions can be brutal affairs."

"What about civil war?" asked Heero, "That has to have cropped up at some point in the Empire's history."

Ayeka closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the lessons of her tutors. "Only once… but it was a conflict that raged across the entire galaxy, and lasted for nearly two millennia. The bloodshed was staggering. Entire worlds were consumed… all because of the lust for power. Eventually my branch emerged victorious, but… oh, I could never say this at home…"

"Then it's a good thing you're not home right now," said Heero, his eyes meeting hers, "If it's something you want to drop then I'll let it go, but I won't share your secret with anyone else, Ayeka. You can speak freely here."

Ayeka's heart fluttered at his words. "Thank you, Sir Heero. That… that means a great deal to me."

I don't know why I trust him so, she thought, but there is no denying it at this point. I believe in him. Sir Heero will never let me down!

She took a deep breath to center herself, and all the while she saw Heero patiently waiting for her. Oh, why did she have to return to Jurai tomorrow? It was so hard to find someone in the Empire outside of her sister and possibly her mother that she could really talk to, but she had found the perfect confidant on a planet so far from home in the form of her wonderful host.

"The truth is," she said carefully, "I've sometimes wondered… if it was really worth it. I will not deny my branch of the family's right to the throne, but… is power bought at the price of so much innocent blood really power we should desire? For as long as I can remember I've been told that the Empire of Jurai is both the center of the galaxy and the wellspring of prosperity across the stars. I've never questioned it publicly, and I do believe that my father and mother truly do want what is best for all who are under our aegis of protection and responsibility. However, if a power struggle within the Empire has the potential to cause death and suffering on a galactic scale… do we truly deserve the power that we hold?"

Were she at the palace and had voiced those words the rebuke would've been unanimous and harsh. What she had just spoken was political heresy against the Empire. Even her parents, who were relatively understanding with her, would be shocked by what she'd just said to Heero.

She watched Heero carefully as he shook his head. "I'm not a politician, Ayeka. I'm a soldier. Power and authority aren't things that have held much draw for me in the past, so it's hard for me to relate to those who would seek them out. I do know that people like me are the ones drawn into the fighting when politicians start wars, though, and I don't like fighting for the ambitions of a few power-hungry individuals. My desire is to use my skills to preserve peace and protect both those close to me and the people of the Earth Sphere. If any ruler threatened to plunge the world into a bloodbath then I would do everything in my power to stop them."

"Would that include your own ruler?" asked Ayeka.

Heero nodded. "Yes. If the government that I serve becomes a threat to the peace that I've fought for then I won't hesitate to act against them. This world's had enough war, and I won't let anyone start another one."

So principled, she thought, and so noble. He puts the people first, even if it means fighting against a superior force. Sir Heero… you truly are a knight.

"To answer your question about deserving the power that you currently have," said Heero, "I don't think those that were willing to engage in such a destructive war deserve the right to rule. Perhaps your branch of the family may have been in the right at the start of the conflict, but from the way it escalated I can't hold any party blameless, especially with that level of bloodshed."

Ayeka looked down. "I… I see."

"However," he said, causing her to look back up at him, "I do think that you're being a little too hard on yourself. You didn't have anything to do with the war, correct?"

Ayeka shook her head nervously. "Well… no."

Heero nodded. "Then the sins of those who fought it are not yours. If you bear any responsibility it is only the duty to do your part to ensure that the galaxy doesn't suffer from another bloody conflict brought about by the internal power struggles of the Royal Family. The fact that you're willing to question your family's power tells me all I need to know; you really do care about your people, and I think you'd be well suited to lead them someday."

Ayeka smiled, her heart soaring at his words. "Thank you, Sir Heero! I promise that when the time comes I will do everything in my power to live up to your beliefs!"

Heero shook his head. "Live up to your own beliefs, Ayeka, and those of your people. Do that and you will protect them from the politics of both your family and the imperial court."

Ayeka bowed. "I shall, Sir Heero."

She watched as he looked out over the railing at the city. "Are you really ready to return home? I'm no royal, but I understand a few things about the lives of the nobility. You have some heavy responsibilities waiting for you back in Jurai."

How perceptive, Sir Heero, she thought, and how unfortunately true your words are.

"I… I do not know," she said quietly, "I know that I must be prepared; it is expected of me, after all. As crown princess of the Empire I have my duties to both my family and the people. However… is it wrong that I wish I could stay here with you longer, Sir Heero?"

She smiled as she saw the young man shake his head. "Not at all. I'm sure being out here is liberating when compared to the responsibilities you have back home."

Ayeka could not help but laugh. "Oh, you have no idea, Sir Heero. While life out here has certainly been a bit more… exciting than I am accustomed to, I must admit that not having to deal with the obligations of my position for once in my life is most relaxing. I can say, without a hint of exaggeration, that the time I've spent on this planet with you has been the most fun that I've had in a long, long time."

Those words were true, but she wanted to say so much more. Despite her earlier laugh Ayeka was actually feeling quite tense. Her heart was hammering as she realized that Heero's hand on the railing was mere centimeters from hers. It would be such a small move to take a hold of it, but for Ayeka it would require incredible nerve.

Do it!, her mind screamed at her, You will not get another chance!

Taking a deep breath, she gently put her hand atop his as she met his gaze. "Sir Heero… there is something that I must tell you."

He looked back at her, and Ayeka wanted to kick herself for not noticing sooner just how beautiful his piercing blue eyes were. "What is it?"

He hadn't made any more to shake her hand off of his. That was a small sign of encouragement, and one that Ayeka desperately needed right now.

"Sir Heero," she said slowly, "I want… I want you to know that I think you are an incredible young man. Even after I shot at you during our first encounter you have treated me with nothing but courtesy and understanding. I… I feel most fortunate that I was able to spend my time on this world with you. You are unlike anyone I've ever met in Jurai, and… and I will miss you dearly when I return home."

There was so much more that she wanted to say, but with the way her heart was hammering it was all Ayeka could do to spit that much out. Oh, why did she have to become so fond of a man that she'd known she would have to leave behind forever eventually? Why, when there were suitors waiting for her back home, had her heart decided to set its sights on a man that she could never be with?

Heero nodded. "I'll miss you too, Ayeka. I'd never planned on taking in roommates, but I'm glad that you came to stay under my roof. I actually wish that you could stay longer. Having you and the others here has… well, it's brightened up my life in a way I never imagined."

Ayeka smiled. "I'm glad that I could do that for you, Sir Heero. I know that you have done the same for me. I… I will never forget you, Sir Heero."

She found herself slowly leaning closer to him, and she felt an incredible surge of heat rush to her face when she realized just what she was trying to do. There was his face, lean and clean-shaven, smooth and handsome…

…and his lips a mere hand's breadth from hers.

"I…" she said, so softly it was almost a whisper.

"Ayeka!" said a familiar female voice.

Ayeka nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Sasami calling her name. Spinning around faster than she'd ever moved in her life, she saw her little sister standing in the open sliding door frame, an innocent smile on her face.

Oh, no!, she thought as her face flushed an incredibly deep shade of red, How long was she there?

"Sa… Sasami!" she stammered, "What are you doing out here?"

"There's this really cool show on the TV!" said her sister as she grabbed her hand, "Come on, you have to watch it with us!"

"Oh…" she said, looking back and forth between Sasami and Heero, "I… well, I don't know…"

She saw Heero give her a small nod and a smile. "It's all right. I think I'll join you, if you don't mind."

"Not at all!" she said quickly, "This is your home, after all!"

"Let's go!" cried Sasami as she tugged on Ayeka's hand.

Letting Sasami lead, Ayeka and Heero followed her back into the house and into the living room. The three of them sat down on the couch, and while Mihoshi was quite absorbed in the screen Ryoko shot them a suspicious glare.

"Just what were you two up to out there?" asked the pirate.

Ayeka could not help but smirk at her rival. "Oh, nothing a petty skank like you would find interesting!"

"What was that?" Ryoko growled, "You trying to start something, princess?"

"Come on, don't fight you two!" said Sasami, "It's our last night here! Besides, the show's back on!"

"I'm with Sasami," said Heero as he looked at Ayeka and Ryoko, "Stand down, both of you. Let's try to enjoy this evening while it lasts."

Ayeka nodded and smiled. "As you wish, Sir Heero."

Ryoko folded her arms and huffed. "Fine. Consider yourself lucky, Ayeka."

She did, but not for the reason Ryoko would've preferred. Ayeka was glad that Heero and Sasami had broken up the fight because that would've been a horrible note to let her last night at his residence end on. With some reflection, Ayeka supposed that she was also fortunate that Sasami's interruption earlier with her and Heero had occurred when it did. If she had actually managed to kiss him, she likely would've turned the good friendship they had built up over her stay here into a very awkward one on the eve of her departure. No, it was better this way. Better that she and him part as good friends without something like that hanging over them.

That was the sentiment in her head…

…although her heart was not entirely in agreement.

….

September 30th, A.C. 198

This is it, thought Heero as he stood on the floor of Base Green's hangar looking up at Sasami's ship, For better or worse, it's finally here.

With him were Ryoko with Ryo-Ohki in her arms, Ayeka, Mihoshi, Sasami, Azaka and Kamidake. Sally and Lady Une were nearby as well talking with one of the lead researchers that had been studying Sasami's ship while it had sat in the hangar during Sasami's stay. Heero was sure that they were reluctant to let the ship go, but he also knew from what Sally had told him that they'd learned a great deal from the two weeks that they'd been able to examine the vessel. They'd had it long enough; it was time for its rightful owner to take possession of it again.

"Well," said Ayeka, "it looks like they treated your ship very well, Sasami. Not that I expected anything less from the organization that Sir Heero works for."

Sasami nodded and smiled. "Yup. It looks all ready to go!"

"Yay!" cried Mihoshi, "I can finally go home!"

"At long last," said Azaka, "It will be wonderful to return to Jurai!"

"Indeed," said Kamidake, "I'm sure Princess Ayeka's parents have been worried sick about her!"

"Yeah, whatever," Ryoko mumbled, "Can we just get this thing on the road already?"

"Just wait, Ryoko," Heero admonished her, "When everyone's ready, they'll depart."

Ryoko sighed before smiling at him. "Oh, alright. Just as long as you don't try to ship me off with them. I can guarantee you that wouldn't go well."

"That I don't doubt a bit," Heero deadpanned.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

Glancing over at Ayeka, Heero saw her looking back and forth rather anxiously between him and Sasami's ship. When she saw him she smiled, but she still looked nervous to him. Heero couldn't blame her; what she was returning to was not something to be taken lightly. Their talk the night before had illustrated that quite clearly.

She's got a heavy burden on her shoulders, he thought, but she'll be all right. Ayeka's a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for.

His thoughts lingered for just a moment on the latter part of their conversation last night. Heero was struck by just how sincere Ayeka had been when she'd told him how she felt about her stay with him. He'd expected a polite display of gratitude from her, and while she'd certainly not disappointed in that regard she had also gone well beyond that. Ayeka seemed genuinely distressed at her imminent departure and had apparently become fonder of Heero than he had realized.

For Heero, he was rather surprised to realize that the same could be said of him. Much like how he felt about Ryoko, Heero could see that he genuinely cared about Ayeka as well, and her absence would definitely be felt once she left the Sol system. The same went for Mihoshi and Sasami too. None of them were just guests that his superiors had thrust upon him anymore; they were all friends, and Heero was about to lose most of them.

He sighed. There was nothing that could be done about that now except that make sure that their departure went smoothly and that they knew how he felt about the time they'd spent with him and the impact that they'd had on him. Heero wasn't the most expressive young man, but he was determined to try to relay his genuine feelings this time.

All too soon he saw Lady Une and Sally walk over towards them. Both women had relieved smiles on their faces, and Heero couldn't blame him. Having to play host to several alien women and keeping the matter concealed from the public was no small task. Once Sasami's ship was safely out of the Sol system it would make their lives much easier.

"Well," said Sally, "I think we're all ready on our end. The sun set quite a while ago, and there's some rainfall right now. The risk of exposure is pretty minimal, so now's the bet time for takeoff."

"We appreciate your cooperation in this matter," said Lady Une, "We've learned so much studying your ship, Sasami, even if it was only for two weeks. Earth's space craft technology will advance by orders of magnitude thanks to you. We're in your debt."

Sasami smiled. "I'm glad it helped you out. Thanks for taking care of it!"

"Perhaps someday we may return to this world," said Ayeka, "When it is ready for an official encounter with the Empire of Jurai, of course."

Sally smiled. "We'd appreciate a heads up before any more of your ships come to visit."

Ayeka bowed. "Of course."

"Well I'll definitely come by to visit!" said Mihoshi, "Earth's in my jurisdiction, after all!"

"If you do," said Lady Une, "please be so kind as to avoid crashing your ship again."

With Mihoshi I'm not sure if that's possible, thought Heero, I guess we'll just have to hope for the best.

"Okay!" chirped Mihoshi.

"We'll start opening the hatch," said Sally.

"Wait," said Heero, "Do you mind giving us a minute first?"

Both Sally and Lady Une looked rather taken aback, and Heero couldn't blame them; he wasn't normally the type for sentimentality. However, it felt wrong to just send them on their way so briskly.

He looked at Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, Azaka and Kamidake. "I'm glad I got the chance to meet all of you. I actually did enjoy the time that we spent together. I hope you have a safe trip home."

Heero wasn't surprised in the least to see Mihoshi start to tear up, although she did take him off guard by suddenly rushing forward and taking him into a hug. "Aw, I'm gonna miss you, Heero!"

Heero nodded, awkwardly returning her hug. "Take care, Mihoshi. Work hard, and try to be a little more careful when you're flying your ship."

Mihoshi nodded as she let him go. "I will. Thank you for everything!"

She's been a handful, he thought, but she has a good heart. However, I'm not sure any amount of hard work on her part can help her overcome her rather… hapless nature.

He saw Sasami walk over to Ryoko and give Ryo-Ohki a pat on the head. "I'm gonna miss you, Ryo-Ohki!"

"Meow!" cried the cat-rabbit.

"Ryoko," said Sasami, "take care of her, okay?"

Heero was surprised to see Ryoko give the girl a smile, and one without a hint of sarcasm in it at that. "Sure thing, kid."

Sasami then turned to Heero and bowed. "Thank you for everything, Heero! I learned a lot from you. I promise I'll come back and visit you sometime!"

Heero nodded. "I'd like that. Maybe we could cook together again."

Sasami smiled. "That would be fun! Take care, Heero!"

"You too, Sasami," he replied.

She's got a bright future ahead of her, he thought, I'm sure she'll grow into a lovely woman. I wonder what she'll be like then… it would be interesting to find out.

He then saw Ayeka step forward and give him a bow. "Sir Heero, I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me during my stay here."

"We appreciate your patience and understanding very much," said Azaka.

"Please forgive any inconvenience we might have caused!" said Kamidake.

Heero shook his head. "It's fine. No need to worry about it."

"Sir Heero," said Ayeka with a smile, "regarding what we discussed last night… I want you to know that I will never forget your words of encouragement. I will serve my people to the best of my abilities, and it will be your example that guides me!"

I'm not sure if an assassin like me is the best role model for a princess dedicated to serving her people, he thought, Of course, she doesn't know about that bit. That's definitely for the best.

"You're a strong woman, Ayeka," he said, "Believe in yourself and do what you think is right. You'll be just fine."

Ayeka bowed. "Thank you, Sir Heero."

She stepped back and joined the others by the ship before turning to Heero's superiors. "Director Une, Lady Sally? I believe that we're ready."

Lady Une nodded. "All right. I wish you a safe journey."

"As do I," said Sally before turning to a nearby technician, "Okay, open up the hatch!"

The man nodded before racing off to carry out her order, and Sally and Lady Une headed for a nearby door. A few seconds latter there was a loud grinding noise from above as the heavy doors slowly began to retract. Rain immediately began to fall through the opening, and Heero was glad that they were all standing under cover.

Well, he thought as he looked at the ship and the people standing in front of it, the time has come. I've still got Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki with me, but… it won't be the same without the rest of them.

Proper goodbyes had been said, so why did Heero still think that something was left out? He'd done everything that he knew how to do in order to give Ayeka and the others a heartfelt farewell. Were his efforts really so lacking?

Looking around, his eyes fell on Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki. Studying the cat-rabbit in particular, an odd thought crept into his mind. It wasn't like him at all… but then again, so much of his life had been thrown far out of the realm of ordinary for him over the past month that thoughts like this one were quickly becoming the new normal.

Well, he mused as he looked up at the cloudy night sky, I don't see any harm in it. It would only be for a little bit… and it would be a much better sendoff.

"Ryoko," said Heero, "Ryo-Ohki is fully recovered, right?"

Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. Why, what's up?"

As the doors high above finished opening Heero took a glance at Sasami's ship before turning back to the pirate and her pet. "Do you think she'd be up for a flight?"

Ryoko's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Heero nodded. "I know you have your differences with Ayeka. I'm not asking you to be friends with her, but she's been under my roof for the same amount of time as you up until today. Why don't we give her an escort?"

"Whoa, hold on!" said Ryoko, "You don't expect me to…"

"… go with her all the way back to Jurai?" Heero finished for her, "Of course not. Just a small parting flight, no further than Mars. Consider it a final courtesy before Ayeka and the others leave the Sol system… and a favor to me."

Ryoko smiled. "Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can't say no. You really are a sly devil, you know that?"

"I'll take your word for it," Heero replied.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Ayeka.

Ryoko smirked. "You'll see, princess."

"Come on, Ayeka!" cried Sasami, "It's time!"

Ayeka sighed. "Yes, I suppose it is. Farewell, Sir Heero. Ryoko… well, if you stay out here then I will not alert Imperial forces to your presence. For Sir Heero's sake, not yours!"

"Aw, now that's nice of you!" said Ryoko, and Heero could've sworn that beneath her sarcasm there may have been just the tiniest hint of actual gratitude, "Since you're leaving Heero to me I guess the least I can do is stay out of your boring little empire for a little while."

"Boring?" growled Ayeka, "You dare insult the empire after I've just given you leniency? The nerve! Were it not for my royal obligations I would remain here and dispense the justice you so clearly have coming to you!"

Heero was afraid that he'd have to step in between them, but it was at that moment that a green light shot out from Sasami's ship and engulfed her and the others.

Ryoko grinned. "Oh yeah, I've got plenty of nerve. Too bad you don't, or you'd tell mommy and daddy to take your 'royal obligations' and shove them where the sun don't shine!"

"Please stop fighting!" cried Mihoshi as she grabbed Ayeka, "You're my ride home!"

If Ayeka had an answer Heero didn't get to hear it. At that moment the green light grew even brighter, and with a flash Ayeka and the others had disappeared inside Sasami's ship.

"That's right!" yelled Ryoko, "You'd better run!"

"Ryoko…" Heero said.

Ryoko looked at him and smiled. "All right, I'll cut it out. So, when do you want me to have Ryo-Ohki do her thing?"

"Let's wait until Sasami's ship clears the opening up there," said Heero, "I'd rather we didn't get in a crash inside Base Green's hangar."

Ryoko nodded. "Sounds good."

Heero grabbed his smart phone and dialed Sally. "Where are you?"

"In the main control room with Lady Une," Sally replied, "What's up, Heero?"

"When Sasami's ship clears the doors, don't close them," said Heero, "At least not until we're clear?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Sally.

"Hold on!" said another female voice over the speaker, one that Heero recognized as belonging to Lady Une, "Heero, you can't be thinking what I think you are!"

"Why not?" he asked, "We've already got one ship launching. Why not launch another and see what it can do? It's as good a chance as any for me to study Ryo-Ohki's capabilities outside of combat."

"This is reckless," said Lady Une, "even for you."

"If the risk for exposure for Sasami's ship is minimal, then the same would go for Ryo-Ohki in these conditions," said Heero, "We might as well take the chance to learn more about what she can do. Besides, a test flight might fun."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment before Heero heard something that sounded oddly like…

…laughter?

Was it something I said?, he thought, I wasn't trying to be funny…

After a few seconds he heard Sally's voice. "I'll be damned… I see at least one of those girls is rubbing off on you, Heero."

"Indeed," said Lady Une, "You never would've said something like that a month ago."

"You're losing me here," Heero replied.

"We're saying you're good to go," said Sally, "Although I have to ask; did Ryoko talk you into this?"

Heero looked at the space pirate before shaking his head. "No, this was purely my idea. Why?"

"No reason," said Lady Une, "Very well, we'll wait until you're clear before we close up the base. I hope your… test flight goes well."

"Have fun, Heero!" said Sally before she hung up.

Well, thought Heero as he put the smart phone away, I'm not sure what I was expecting… but it definitely wasn't that.

"What's up, Heero?" asked Ryoko, "We good to go?"

Heero nodded. "Once Sasami's ship is clear, have Ryo-Ohki transform."

Ryoko smiled. "You got it! I think you're going to enjoy this!"

"We'll see," Heero replied.

They watched as Sasami's ship slowly began to ascend. Rainwater started flowing off the vessel's hull as it rose. Heero was concerned that part of the ship might get caught on a catwalk or the edge of the opening above, but the vessel moved with remarkable smoothness and precision.

Not bad, he thought, I hope the scientists who were studying the ship managed to figure out the flight systems. This thing's hardly even making any noise.

The ship gradually picked up speed, and before Heero knew it the vessel had completely cleared the opening and was racing up towards the rainclouds. He waited for the craft to put a little more distance between itself and Base Green before turning to Ryoko.

"All right," he said, "Show me what she's got."

Ryoko nodded, and Heero was rather surprised by how she unceremoniously grabbed Ryo-Ohki by the scruff of her neck and chucked her into the air. "Ryo-Ohki, go!"

"Meow!" cried the cat-rabbit.

Almost immediately the creature began shifting. Its fluffy body became angular and rapidly enlarged. The transformation sequence was quite rapid, and mere seconds later Heero found himself looking at the crystalline vessel he'd encountered in orbit nearly a month ago.

"Impressive," he said, "I bet that comes in handy when you need to make an escape."

"Oh, yeah!" Ryoko replied, "Ryo-Ohki's great for a quick getaway!"

"So," said Heero, "how exactly do we board her?"

"Oh, that's easy," said Ryoko, and before Heero could react she threw her arms around him and grinned up at her ship, "Ryo-Ohki, now!"

"Meow!" the living starship cried.

A bright red light shot out of the vessel, much like the green one that had emanated from Sasami's craft. Heero was forced to shield his eyes, and when he opened them again he saw that he was in a very different place.

I didn't even feel myself move, he thought as he looked around, That was… not what I was expecting.

The room he found himself in was quite alien, but he was still able to recognize it as Ryo-Ohki's control center. Like the exterior, the interior of the vessel had a very crystalline appearance. Heero was standing on a slightly raised platform, and next to him was Ryoko with her hands on a very smooth control panel. Several dark grey crystals were floating in midair, and while Heero didn't know what they were for he guessed that they functioned as displays of some kind.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Heero nodded. "It's… interesting."

Ryoko pouted. "Oh, come on, that's it?"

"It's enough for now," said Heero as he turned to what was clearly the main monitor since he could see the opened ceiling doors of Base Green on it, "Are we good to go?"

Ryoko smiled. "You got it. You might want to grab onto something first."

"Okay," said Heero as he braced himself against the control panel next to Ryoko.

Heero didn't like how Ryoko smirked at him, but there was nothing he could do other than hold on for dear life as the space pirate looked at one of the floating crystals and grinned.

"Hit it, Ryo-Ohki!"

The gray crystal shifted, and Heero was surprised to see none other than the furry face of Ryo-Ohki reflected in the gem. "Meow!"

Even braced against the console, Heero was not wholly prepared for the speed at which Ryo-Ohki took off. His knees buckled as the living starship shot out of the hangar like a bullet, and it was only thanks to his strength and training that he was able to avoid falling to the floor.

Ryoko gave him an approving smile as Ryo-Ohki rapidly gained altitude. "Not bad, Heero. Thought for sure I'd get to see you fall on your ass!"

"I'm not that easy to knock over," Heero replied as he steadied himself.

Ryoko chuckled. "Good to know, hotshot."

"How far out are they?" asked Heero as he looked at the main display.

Ryoko's eyes narrowed. "Further than I thought. Sasami's ship is pretty fast."

"Can we catch them?" asked Heero.

Ryoko grinned. "You bet! Ryo-Ohki's one of the fastest ships in the galaxy. We'll be on them before they clear Earth orbit!"

Ryo-Ohki seemed determined to live up to Ryoko's boast. On the screen Heero could see Sasami's ship growing larger at a steady pace. Despite the initial rough start Heero was surprised at how smooth the ascent was going now; he wasn't having to brace nearly as much as he had earlier.

"So," said Ryoko, "what's the plan?"

"Like I told you earlier," Heero replied, "just a farewell escort flight. No further than Mars. Given how fast Ryo-Ohki moved through the system when you first arrived that shouldn't be a problem."

Ryoko nodded. "Sounds good!"

….

Her gaze fixed on the screen, Ayeka watched as Sasami's ship smoothly and gracefully climbed through Earth's atmosphere. They had already cleared the rainclouds, and the blue sky above was rapidly giving way to the black of space and the specks of distant stars.

Such a small world, she thought as the ship continued to ascend, and yet… it is quite a memorable one. Especially the people who live there.

Sir Heero…

They hadn't even cleared Earth's gravity well and already Ayeka's heart ached with longing. The farewell down in the hangar of Base Green had gone reasonably well, but Ayeka knew that there was so much more that she could've said. The missed opportunities kept replaying themselves in her head, and the Juraian princess cursed her cowardice. Now she would never have the chance to truly give voice to the feelings in her heart.

She knew that she would never meet another man like Heero again. The Empire of Jurai was vast and wealthy, but Ayeka would trade it all away in a heartbeat for the chance to be with her host again. Duty and obligation had never weighed so heavily upon her shoulders as now. She would return to her home and her people, but Ayeka knew that her heart would always long for the small world of Earth and the comforting presence of its handsome guardian.

"Princess Ayeka," said Azaka, "you seem troubled."

"What is the matter, your highness?" asked Kamidake.

Ayeka shook her head. "It's nothing."

She felt Sasami tug at her sleeve, and when Ayeka turned to her sister she saw her smiling. "It's Heero, isn't it?"

Ayeka quickly turned away. "It's nothing like that at all!"

Sasami giggled. "You don't have to hide it from me, Ayeka. I know you like him!"

Ayeka sighed as she reluctantly faced her sister. "Was it really that obvious?"

Sasami nodded. "He made you smile, Ayeka. A real smile, too! How many boys back home could do that?"

"None that I can recall…" she mused.

"See?" said Sasami, "I told you!"

"Wow…" said Mihoshi, "Sasami, you're so smart!"

Ayeka shook her head, both at her sister and the clueless cop. "Regardless of my feelings, the fact remains that I could only know Sir Heero temporarily. My place is with Jurai… no matter how much my heart may disagree."

"I know we have to go home and get Mihoshi back to the Galaxy Police," said Sasami, "but you should tell Heero how you really feel before you go!"

Ayeka gave her sister a melancholic smile. "I'm sorry, Sasami, but I'm afraid that moment has passed me by. Fate can be such a cruel thing at times."

"Princess!" Azaka cut in, "A ship appears to be approaching!"

"It's Ryo-Ohki!" cried Kamidake.

Ayeka's eyes widened. "You cannot be serious!"

"It's Ryoko!" cried Sasami, "She's coming with us!"

"Yay!" cried Mihoshi, "She really does care about us!"

"Oh, she most certainly is not!" huffed Ayeka as she glared at the image of her rival's ship on the main display, "Hail her at once!"

The display shifted, and if Ayeka had been surprised before she was absolutely stunned to see not only Ryoko but also Heero appear on the screen.

"Sir-Sir Heero!" she stammered, "I… what is the meaning of this?"

"Call it a farewell flight," he replied, "We're giving you a little escort. Not too far, but… well, I thought it was a more fitting way to say goodbye."

Ayeka was quite astonished at this. "And you were able to talk Ryoko into using her ship for this? What terms did she agree to?"

The pirate folded her arms. "I'm doing this strictly as a favor to Heero, so don't get any ideas, Ayeka!"

An elbow nudged her, and Ayeka looked down to see her sister grinning at her. "Now's your chance, Ayeka!"

Ayeka blushed furiously. "Sasami… I can't just…"

"Is everything all right?" asked Heero.

Ayeka quickly turned back to the screen. "Oh, yes! Sir Heero, I must express my profound gratitude at this gesture of yours. Truly, your nobility and courtesy know no bounds!"

"Ayeka," said Heero, "you don't need to stand on ceremony with me."

Ayeka smiled. "You are too kind, Sir Heero. The truth is… there is something I wished to tell you before we parted ways. I do not know why, but I could not say so down in the hangar before."

This is it, she thought, my last chance to truly express my feelings! It shall not go to waste!

….

Sasami smiled as she watched her older sister talk with Heero. She knew Ayeka all too well, and it had hurt her to witness her sister's obvious heartache as the ship had begun its departure from Earth. Thanks to Heero's unexpected decision to provide them with a temporary escort Ayeka would have a chance to get her heavy emotional burden off her chest.

She absently put her hand in her pocket and was rather surprised to feel a hard object when she did. "What's this?"

Grabbing the object and pulling it out, Sasami realized that it was a carrot. She smiled as she looked at the orange vegetable. It was a pleasant reminder of Ryo-Ohki, and Sasami wondered if she would be able to grow some carrots when they returned to Jurai.

Unfortunately for Sasami and everyone else on both ships, the younger princess had unknowingly made a crucial mistake by bringing that carrot out into the open where everyone could see it… one that would have dramatic consequences.

….

In her ship form Ryo-Ohki did not possess her traditional pair of eyes, but she was far from blind. Her sensors took over to provide her with visual data, and she could see just as clearly as when she was in her cat-rabbit form, if not more so. The way she perceived her other senses underwent some slight variation in her ship form, but she was still completely aware of her surroundings… and still very much at the mercy of her primal urges.

Therefore, when Sasami had pulled the carrot out of her pocket, she had brought it into view of not just Heero and Ryoko, but also Ryo-Ohki. What her passengers could see on her screen Ryo-Ohki could see as well, and spotting that carrot triggered the most precious stimuli to a cat-rabbit; the sense of taste.

A cat-rabbit like Ryo-Ohki was an incredible creature, but even she could not fight the overpowering and primal urge that was sweeping through her now. She could see a carrot.

She loved carrots.

She would have that carrot.

And woe be to anyone that happened to get in her way.

Or happened to be aboard her, for that matter.

….

Oh, great, thought Ryoko dryly as she watched Ayeka struggle with her words, don't tell me she's going to pick now of all times to confess her feelings to Heero? Right when I thought that I'd be rid of her for a while. Damn it, why did I let Heero talk me into this? I could've said no and found some other way to pay him back for everything, right? Would that have been so bad?

Ayeka hadn't spit anything out yet, which meant Ryoko still had time to sabotage her. The devious pirate was in the middle of formulating a plot when she caught something on the screen out of the corner of her eye.

Oh, crap, she thought as she saw Sasami off to the side, Please tell me that's not…

Unfortunately it was; Sasami was holding a carrot.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki with joy.

"Ryoko," said Heero, "what's going on?"

Before she could reply Ryo-Ohki answered Heero's question for him. The crystals floating around the two of them began to shift. First Ryo-Ohki's face appeared on them, and then that image was rapidly followed by Sasami's outstretched hand and the carrot it held.

That seemed to be all Heero needed to grasp the situation. "No… she wouldn't…"

"Meow!" screamed Ryo-Ohki, and the living starship surged forward.

"Ryo-Ohki is approaching fast!" Ryoko heard Azaka say over the screen.

"She's heading right for us!" cried Kamidake.

"Ryoko!" shouted Ayeka, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Look out, Ayeka!" cried Ryoko.

Ayeka looked puzzled at her warning. "What?"

"Damn it!" hissed Heero, who was already bracing himself against the main console.

"Ayeka, move!" yelled Ryoko, "Ryo-Ohki's going to ram you and I can't stop her!"

Ayeka's eyes widened in shock. "What? Stop her!"

"I just said that I can't, you idiot!" screamed Ryoko.

"What's going on?" asked Sasami innocently, the carrot that had started it all still held in her hand.

"Crap!" said Ryoko, bracing herself alongside Heero, "This is gonna hurt!"

"Ryoko!" cried Ayeka, "Stop this at once!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"I'm too young to die!" shrieked Mihoshi.

And with a fearsome crash she slammed into Sasami's ship.

Preview for next time!

Heero: Don't ask how, but we're all still alive.

Ryoko: Ow… damn it, Ryo-Ohki! You could've killed us!

Ryo-Ohki: Meow…

Ayeka: This is all your fault, Ryoko! Seriously, how could you lose control over your ship?

Ryoko: Hey, princess, your sister was the one that brought out the carrot! Blame her and Ryo-Ohki's poor impulse control!

Sasami: I'm sorry!

Lady Une: Well… this presents a dilemma.

Sally: Yup. Looks like Heero's gonna be stuck with these ladies for longer than we thought. That apartment of his is just not going to cut it anymore.

Lady Une: Agreed. I'll have one of our safe houses prepped… one that's far away from the capital.

Heero: Probably for the best.

Ryoko: So, where are we going?

Heero: An island region called Japan.

Ayeka: Well, at least we get to visit a new place.

Sasami: This'll be fun!

Mihoshi: I hope the food's good!

Katsuhito Masaki: Well, new neighbors! Welcome, it's a pleasure to meet you! I'm the keeper of the Masaki shrine.

Heero: He seems nice enough. I guess it's harmless having a Shinto priest as a neighbor. There's hardly anyone else around here.

Ryoko: Hey, Heero, let's go check out that cave over there!

Katsuhito: Hmmm…. I wonder…

Ayeka: Ryoko, come back here at once! Release Sir Heero immediately!

Sasami: Hey, wait for me!

Mihoshi: Me too!

Katsuhito: I wonder what will happen when they find the 'demon' sealed in there? This should be interesting.

Ryoko: Next time, in Chapter Six: No Need To Be Blinded With Science!

Washu Hakubi: It is I, the greatest scientific genius in the universe, Washu!

Mini Washu-Bot A: Washu, you're amazing!

Mini Washu-Bot B: The greatest genius in the universe!

Heero: This is not going to end well…

Author's Notes: Whew, nice to have a new chapter for this story posted, it's been far too long! I hope you all were paying attention during Ayeka's back-story spiel, because some of that information is going to be pretty important later on in the story. Oh, and as for Katsuhito showing up in the next chapter… well, I only said that Tenchi Masaki would not be showing up in this story if you recall my author's notes at the start of the fic: I never said anything about Katsuhito. As for why he's entering the stage… you'll just have to wait and see.

Hope you liked the chapter. Please review!