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.

6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Hey everyone, how are you? My apologies for the delay; this chapter wound up being much bigger than I'd originally planned. That seems to be a common theme with my writing, now that I think about it… ah well, too late to change that habit now!

I'm once again playing fast and loose with the continuity of the Tenchi Muyo franchise, drawing on elements from both the original OVA and Tenchi Universe along with adding in original content of my own. Pay attention, because some of the stuff that's mentioned in this chapter is going to pop back up later on in a big way, especially with regards to the opening scene!

Well, I think that about does it for now. Enjoy!

Chapter Six: No Need To Be Blinded With Science!

Several centuries ago…

Her hands cuffed in front of her, Washu Hakubi walked down the aisle towards the podium. Despite her circumstances her head was held high, and anyone in the gallery could get a good look at the most notorious mad scientist in the universe. Her stature was on the shorter side, so much so that it was quite easy to mistake her for a teenage girl rather than recognize her for the grown woman and brilliant researcher that she truly was. Her bright red-pink hair was tied up in a ponytail that fell well past her waist and spread out wildly despite its restraint. Her pale skin only serve to emphasize her green eyes which always seemed to be alight with some new spark of genius…or insanity, depending on who one asked. A black and white robe adorned her body, tied with a cream colored sash, while the opening in the robe revealed a dark purple tunic and tan leggings; a rather nice outfit given her particular situation. Those clothes did very little hide her lithe and slender frame.

Old fools, she thought as she scanned the faces in the gallery and those sitting on the panel up ahead, I can't believe I let myself get captured by these dull and unimaginative bureaucrats! As if any of them were anywhere near fit to pass judgment on me!

She was aboard the Discovery, the chief vessel of the Galactic Institution of Science. A body that operated independently from, although sometimes in cooperation with, the Empire of Jurai and the Galaxy Police, it was the premiere organization for scientists from every possible field in the known universe. Right now Washu was walking through the mammoth vessel's Hall of Justice, where the GIS meted out sentences against those that violated its edicts. Judgments rendered by the seven judges, or GIS Justices, were as legally binding as those made by both the Empire of Jurai and the Galaxy Police, and in fact the GIS court shared many of the same legal procedures and protocols as those two organizations.

Washu had nothing but disdain for the Hall of Justice and the judges that presided over it. They were supposed to act to make sure that the wider galaxy was made safe from any potentially dangerous discoveries made by members of the GIS, but as far as Washu was concerned they existed only to hold back the organization's greatest minds, chief among them hers. There was also the open secret that members of the court were in the pockets of both the Empire of Jurai and the Galaxy Police, so Washu could hardly consider them to be worthy arbiters for a body that was supposed to be independent of those groups.

A panel of senile geezers long past their prime, she thought with derision as she stepped up to the podium, A pompous group of buffoons concerned more with archaic procedure and their own power rather than the advancement of science. This is a complete farce!

At least the view was nice. The backdrop for the seven GIS Justices was a window, so Washu had a clear view of the stars outside. Those would be infinitely preferable to stare at when compared to the old windbags on the panel.

The wrinkled face and beady black eyes of High Justice Plutarchus, head of the panel and chief of the Hall of Justice, looked down at her with barely veiled contempt. Washu was more than willing to return the sentiment; the ancient and arthritic windbag symbolized everything that she hated about the GIS court. His crooked hand grasped a gavel, and after a few seconds he banged it on the panel.

"This session of the Hall of Justice is called to order!" he yelled, his voice surprisingly deep given his decrepit appearance, "All members of the gallery, be seated!"

There was some rustling in the background as the audience obeyed the order, but Washu paid them no mind. She kept her attention on the seven members of the panel, evaluating each justice and looking for signs of weakness. Unfortunately they were all seasoned judicials; their stone faces gave away little of value.

Come on, you fossils, she thought, let's have at it already. We all know that this is more of a sentencing hearing than an actual trial; the Empire will have seen to that. Raise your curtain and let's get this opera of the absurd over with!

As if sensing her unspoken insults, Plutarchus gave her a nod. "The defendant shall state her name and position for the record of the court."

Washu smirked. "Why bother? You'd have to be a rock not to know who I am."

"Name and position for the record of the court," Plutarchus reiterated.

Washu rolled her eyes; the old sack of skin and bones would likely keep this up until he keeled over and died, and as amusing as that might be she had little interest in prolonging this piece of political theater. "Dr. Washu Hakubi, Professor Premier of the Galactic Institution of Science."

Plutarchus nodded. "And where is your defense counsel?"

"Counsel was declined," said Washu, "as it was throughout this ridiculous process. I'm quite capable of defending myself, whether it's in a legitimate court or this vapid melodrama you've cooked up."

"Mind your tongue!" shrieked Emmirrial, the sole female Justice, "If your insolence continues you will be held in contempt of this court!"

Ugh, she thought with disgust, You mean I'm not already? I've got nothing but contempt for this court, so I see no issue with the favor being returned.

"Do you know why you have been called before this court today?" said Justice Autarchus.

"Not a clue," she replied dryly.

"Your research has long pushed the envelope of what this Institution has found to be acceptable for its members," said High Justice Plutarchus, "but you have also brought great accolades and honor to us, so it was tolerated."

By 'accolades and honor' what you really mean is fame and funding, she thought, That's why I could get a blank check from the Budget Committee; my research made the Empire open its coffers to the GIS in hopes that other scientists would provide for them what I did. They got some of what they wanted, but nothing on the scale or of comparable brilliance to what I created!

"Your weapons research was sanctioned by the Empire during the civil war," said Autarchus, "However, once the Emperor ceased his commissions your understanding with both the Empire and this Institution was quite clear; you were to scale back your armaments projects. This you completely failed to do."

"Torpedoes that could destabilize the cores of suns and cause them to go supernova!" rattled off Emmirrial, "Airburst charges that could disintegrate atmospheres! A mobile battle station capable of rendering planets asunder! Orbital satellite networks designed to cloak worlds in shadow! Does your desire for destruction know no bounds?"

Washu smirked. "Spare me the list of toys, Emmirrial. We all know that they're not what your panel and your backers in the Empire are really after. Those are petty gimmicks when compared to what the Emperor had me build to end the Imperial Civil War. That is what this trial's about; Jurai wouldn't have put you old relics up to this otherwise!"

"Insolent wretch!" Emmirrial shrieked, "I move to hold Dr. Hakubi in contempt of court!"

"Aye," said Autarchus.

The other justices made their approval known, but the High Justice did not confirm the decision. Instead his eyes simply narrowed.

"Since you seem so dead set on dispensing with formality and protocol, Dr. Hakubi," said Plutarchus, "I see no reason to dance around with normal court procedure when it will take mere moments to cut to the heart of this matter."

"Finally," said Washu, faking a yawn, "I thought you were going to bore me to death."

The High Justice pointedly ignored her disdain. "This panel was convened because the most dangerous of all your weapons, the single deadliest creation in the entire universe, has gone missing."

Washu smiled. "You don't say. Hard to imagine how the Empire lost something that big."

"Do not play dumb with this panel," Autarchus growled, "We know full well that it was you who spirited the weapon away! Think long and hard about your response to this charge, Dr. Hakubi. Your very future is at stake here!"

"Shocker," replied Washu casually.

"Silence!" yelled Emmirrial, "Tell us where your fiendish creation is!"

"That would contradict the 'silence' part," Washu quipped.

"Enough of your childish snark!" snarled the High Justice, barely contained fury lighting up his eyes, "You will have one chance to answer this question truthfully, and by doing so perhaps retain some position at this Institution!"

Washu rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what was coming but deciding to play along. "Fine. Ask away."

"Where is the Gate Of The Arbiters?" asked Plutarchus, "Where is the key to the Judgment Array?"

Washu grinned. "I don't remember."

"Now is not the time for one of your games!" yelled Autarchus.

"I'm being completely serious," Washu replied, "I erased key bits of information about the Gate from my memory, including where I hid it. Feel free to do a scan of my brain if you want to confirm it."

"Medical!" shouted Emmirrial, "Bring a neural scanner droid in here at once!"

A few seconds later a man in a white coat approached the podium, a spherical black robot floating next to him. The machine got right in Washu's face, and a ray of blue light emanated from the round scanner located on the front of it.

I hate these things, thought Washu as she squinted, Too damn bright.

A moment later the automaton turned to the doctor that had accompanied it. "Subject shows significant alterations within the memory centers of her brain."

Washu chuckled as she looked up at the panel. "Told you."

The High Justice looked like he was about to burst several blood vessels. The gavel was quivering in his hand, and Washu thought he might go right into a seizure.

"You insane little wretch!" he snarled, "Do you have any idea what you've done? The key to the most powerful weapon in the entire universe… and you sabotaged your ability and by extension that of anyone else to find it?"

"Oh, I know exactly what I've done," Washu replied triumphantly, "You can tell your masters in the Empire that they'll never be able to access my masterpiece. They'll just have to make do with their fleet."

"Enough of your impertinence!" yelled Emmirrial, "High Justice, this cannot continue!"

Plutarchus took a deep breath to calm himself before nodding at his colleague. "Agreed."

I don't suppose they'll just let me off with a slap on the wrist, she mused, Not when the Empire's got a serious hard-on for my masterpiece and I made sure that they'll never be able to use it. This should be interesting.

"Washu Hakubi," said the High Justice, "as we are an enlightened Institution, we do not use the death penalty. Therefore, you are henceforth stripped off all titles, and are sentenced to permanent exile…"

Oh, she thought, well that's not too bad.

"…while confined to a stasis pod," Plutarchus continued.

Washu's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "Hey! Now wait just a minute!"

"Does the panel agree with the sentence?" the High Justice asked his colleagues, pointedly ignoring Washu.

"Aye," said Autarchus.

"Aye," said Emmirrial, "and good riddance."

The rest of the justices sounded off, all in favor. Plutarchus turned back to Washu, and there was nothing she wanted to do more than wipe the smug smile right off his face.

"The panel is unanimous in regards to the sentence," he said, "It shall be carried out immediately."

"Hold on a second!" Washu yelled, "We can talk about this!"

"I think not," the High Justice replied, almost nonchalantly, "Farewell, Washu Hakubi. Who knows? Perhaps you'll get fortunate and some fool will free you from you confinement in ten thousand years. I highly doubt it, though."

With that he pressed a button on the panel. A translucent green barrier shot up around her, culminating just above her head. Washu felt herself being lifted off the ground, entrapped now in the ovoid stasis pod. There was a grey belt around the middle, with several nubs extending towards her. They sparked with lighting, and Washu knew what was coming.

A blue barrier surrounded the pod and the platform that Washu had been standing on. Its purpose was made clear a moment later as the floor beneath the pod opened up, revealing the void of space.

"No," she said, "No, no, no! You guys can't be serious about this!"

The pod then shot through the hole. Looking up, Washu saw the Discovery quite rapidly fade into the distance. Moments later the lighting coming from the prods inside the pod engulfed her, and her world became black.

September 30th, A.C. 198

Standing over Heero's infirmary bed, Sally folded her arms and smirked. "What was that you said earlier, Heero? 'A test flight might be fun', I think it was."

Heero sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment. "I hardly think now's the time for jokes, Sally."

Sally laughed. "I don't see why not. The great Heero Yuy, taken down by a living starship's fixation on carrots… you'd better hope I don't tell Duo about this one."

"Blackmail's not your style," said Heero.

Sally shrugged. "Hey, if it works, why not? You don't usually give me this kind of leverage."

And you're reminding me why I'm so careful, thought Heero, I still can't believe what happened up there. Why did Sasami have to find that carrot while she was on Ryo-Ohki's screen?

After Ryo-Ohki's carrot-crazed collision with Sasami's vessel, the two ships had plummeted back to Earth. Fortunately the two vessels hadn't landed in a heavily populated area. As a matter of fact they'd landed right in the middle of the Ardennes forest, not too far from Base Green. Since it was still night and the two ships had come down as one it would be easy for the government to spin the incident as a minor meteor impact, although they would have to work fast to conceal the wreckage from any nature-minded civilians.

Luckily there was really only debris from one ship to clean up. Since Sasami's ship had taken the brunt of the impact, Ryo-Ohki actually hadn't been as badly hurt as she had during the landing in Lake Genval. The living starship had returned to its furry cat-rabbit form, and while she was bruised and battered Ryoko had seemed quite confident that her pet and mode of galactic transportation would soon make a full recovery. Of course, the passengers of both ships had been considerably banged up by the crash, and while no one had suffered life-threatening injuries Sally and Lady Une had insisted that they all be taken to Base Green's infirmary for overnight monitoring.

In the bed to the right of his he saw Ryoko give him a weak smile. "Sorry, Heero. Didn't mean to give her something to use against you like that."

Heero sighed. "It's fine. The flight was my idea anyway, not yours."

"Maybe," said Ryoko, rubbing her knuckle on Ryo-Ohki's head, "but if carrots-for-brains here could handle her urges better we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Meow!" whined Ryo-Ohki.

"Oh, shove it up your ass, furball!" Ryoko scolded, "This is all your fault, fuzz butt!"

In the bed on Heero's left Ayeka folded her arms. "Serves that cretin right!"

"No!" cried Sasami from the bed past Ayeka's, "Ryoko, go easy on her!"

"Poor Ryo-Ohki!" pouted Mihoshi from another bed.

"Don't sympathize with that troublesome, flea-ridden creature!" huffed Ayeka, "She deserves quite the punishment after that fiasco!"

"Hey!" growled Ryoko, "I'll be the one to deal with Ryo-Ohki, so butt out Ayeka!"

Ayeka glared at her. "You dare to give commands to me? I'll make you pay for your impudence, you scoundrel!"

"Bring it on, you royal brat!" yelled Ryoko.

"Please stop fighting!" cried Mihoshi.

"Ayeka, stop it!" cried Sasami, "You can't fight in their infirmary!"

"Oh dear," said Azaka, "I fear there may be no stopping them this time."

"Princess Ayeka can't get so worked up like this!" fretted Kamidake, "It's hazardous for her health!"

Heero sighed before sitting up in the bed and raising his voice. "Enough!"

That was sufficient to quiet everyone down, and Heero knew he had to act while he had their attention. "No one is going to be fighting in here. We're all going to rest up until the medics release us, and then we'll head back to the apartment in Brussels. Is that understood?"

Ayeka nodded. "Yes… of course, Sir Heero."

"Fine," grumbled Ryoko, "As long as we get to get out of here."

"Nicely done," said Sally quietly, nodding at Heero, "You really do have a way with these women."

Heero lay back down. "Don't remind me."

Sally smiled. "Rest up, lady killer. You're going to have a full plate in the morning."

"You mean I don't already?" he asked dryly.

"Not even close," said Sally as she left the infirmary.

That's great, he thought, I wonder what's going on with her and Lady Une. Well, I guess there's no point in worrying about it now.

He closed his eyes, hoping that he would be able to get some sleep before the night was over. Heero had a feeling he'd need every bit that he could get.

….

"How are things down in the infirmary?" asked Lady Une as her office door closed behind Sally.

Her friend and subordinate shrugged and smiled. "Not too bad, all things considered. Ryoko and Ayeka may want nothing more than to rip each other's hair out, but Heero's got a pretty good handle on them."

Lady Une nodded. "At least he can manage that much."

"I think you're being a little too rough on him," said Sally as she took a seat across from the Director's desk, "It may have been his idea to do that little escort flight with Ryo-Ohki, but there's no way he or anyone else could've seen this mess coming."

Lady Une took a deep breath and slowly let it out before replying. "I know. The truth is he's handled everything quite well over the past month. Still, this is a mess that we need to get cleaned up, and quickly."

"At least they came down in the Ardennes," said Sally, "Plus it was at night and in the middle of the rain. Crews are already removing debris, and the area's been cordoned off. It's not ideal, but things could be a lot worse."

"What about Ryo-Ohki?" asked Lady Une, "How did she look down in the infirmary?"

"Hard to tell since I've never seen anything like her before," said Sally, "but considering she didn't go into hibernation like last time I think it's safe to say that she's all right, if a bit banged up."

Lady Une sighed. "Any chance of us using her to get the girls home?"

Sally shook her head. "Doubt it. She belongs to Ryoko, and from what I've gathered she's not particularly in a hurry to leave Earth. I doubt she'll give Ayeka and the others a ride home either."

"I see," said Lady Une, "So we're back at square one… perhaps worse."

Sally nodded. "Heero agreed to host Sasami along with the others because it was just for two weeks, but now it's looking like she'll be sticking around for quite awhile, along with the rest of the girls. Heero's apartment just isn't practical to really continue on like this."

"I agree," said Lady Une, "I've been giving the matter some thought, and I believe one of our safe houses should be used from here on out."

Sally smiled. "Sounds good. Any particular candidates in mind?"

Lady Une nodded. "One, yes. The house is nice; a three story residence. It's in a rural area, so civilian exposure is greatly reduced, and it's practically on the other side of the planet from the capital."

"Sounds like we've got a winner," said Sally, "How long do you think it will take to prep?"

Lady Une smiled. "Not long at all. The place is already furnished; all I'll have to do is send in a crew to sweep up the dust."

Sally smirked. "When do we drop the bombshell on Heero?"

"Give it a few days," Lady Une replied, "We should wait until he's fully healed until we have him move across half the planet."

"That won't take long," said Sally, "You know how fast he gets back on his feet."

"One of the many qualities that make him such a good operative," said Lady Une, "A little time in the country will do him some good, I think. Then again, given his houseguests, he may not have much time to relax out there."

Sally chuckled. "That's the understatement of the year. Do you need anything else from me?"

"Just keep that debris cordoned off until the cleanup's done," said Lady Une, "We've been pretty damn lucky with this whole alien business so far, all things considered. Let's not screw it up."

Sally nodded. "You got it!"

….

October 4th, A.C. 198

"Japan?" asked Heero.

He was standing in Lady Une's office at Preventers HQ. It had been a few days since he and the others had returned to his apartment in Brussels, and much to Heero's relief his four female guests had been far too worn out by the crash to cause any trouble. Everyone had been focused on recovering from their various bumps and bruises, giving Heero some much needed peace and quiet until Lady Une had summoned him today.

Lady Une was sitting behind her desk, and standing behind her and too the right was Sally. The two women appeared to be at ease, although there was a look in Sally's eyes that Heero did not trust one bit.

The Preventers director nodded. "Yes. I've been giving the matter some thought and have spoken with Sally about it. We both agree that remaining at your apartment in the capital is no longer feasible given that your guests will now be staying for far longer than originally anticipated."

"I'll admit it's a little crowded," said Heero, "but it's nothing that I can't handle. I've had worse living situations, you know."

"I appreciate your resilience, Heero," said Sally, "but you don't need to act tough. It's too damn crowded at your place now. You need a little more space."

Heero's eyes narrowed. "Why am I assuming that 'more space' is just an excuse to get me and my guests as far away from the capital as possible?"

"If we were doing that," said Sally with a smirk, "we'd send you to the moon. Or Mars."

"You know what I mean," said Heero.

Lady Une sighed. "I won't lie that it will be easier on us if you and your guests aren't close to the capital or any major metropolitan area for that matter. Don't take this the wrong way, Heero; you've handled those women remarkably well, especially considering what they're capable of. However, the fact of the matter is that we've been incredibly lucky over the past month that we've still been able to keep the public out of the loop. If these women continue to stay in the capital then our luck will eventually run out."

Heero nodded. "I understand. When do we leave?"

"Two days from now," said Sally, "Most of the prep work has already been completed. The house is already furnished too, so you'll really only have to worry about packing personal items. We'll keep your apartment maintained until the time comes that you're able to return to it."

"Thanks," said Heero, "Do I at least get to see what our new home looks like?"

Lady Une smiled and passed him a file across her desk. "Yes, and I think you'll like it."

Heero opened up the file and browsed the photos before nodding. "Looks like a good setup. Exposure risks will definitely be reduced."

Sally smiled. "I thought you'd approve. There's a small town not too far away, so that'll cover your basic supply needs, and from there you can always catch a train into one of the larger cities if you have to."

Heero continued to browse through the file, with one item catching his eye. "What about the neighbor? That could be a problem."

Lady Une shook her head. "Hardly. He lives at the Shinto shrine, which is still a decent distance from the house. We've done background work on him too, just to be safe. The priest is of no concern."

"You should check out the shrine," said Sally, "It's pretty nice."

"If you say so," said Heero, "Is there anything else that I should be aware of?"

"Nope," said Lady Une with a smile, "I think we've covered everything here. Get back to your place and make sure the girls are ready for the big move."

"Good luck," said Sally with a smirk, "Make sure you and the girls rest up; you've got an early flight."

….

October 6th, A.C. 198

Putting her hands on her hips and smiling, Ryoko whistled as she took in the building that was now their new home. "Wow! Nice place!"

"It's so big!" said Sasami.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki from her perch atop Sasami's head.

"Quite impressive," said Ayeka.

"Yay!" cried Mihoshi, "We'll have so much more room now!"

"More space will be nice," said Azaka.

"Indeed," said Kamidake, "No offense, Sir Heero, but your previous residence was getting rather cramped."

"None taken," said Heero, and Ryoko saw him give their new home an approving nod, "This is definitely a step up from the apartment."

You can say that again, thought Ryoko, Man, I can't wait to check out the inside!

When Heero had told Ryoko and the others that they were moving to a safe house out in the country, Ryoko had expected a small, rundown residence. As crowded as the apartment had gotten, at least it was a high-end residence with all the accommodations Ryoko needed for a comfortable stay on Earth. However, she had to admit that this new place had not only defied her expectations but appeared, at least at first glance, to be a considerable improvement from Heero's apartment.

From what little Ryoko understood about Earth architecture, the three story dwelling before her was a pleasing mix of traditional and modern construction. Its crimson roof was built with the same kind of tiles that Ryoko had spotted on the tops of temples during the trip out here. It sloped far down the front to the right over the main entrance but then receded sharply about a third of the way to the left in a kind of reverse-step pattern, with a set of three windows installed overlooking what Ryoko assumed was the third story bathroom. The walls and foundations appeared quite sturdy and with a creamy color that was a nice contrast to the roof. Large windows dominated the bottom floor and much of the middle one, with the lower ones overlooking a long wooden patio that wrapped around almost half the house in a right angle. A small shed was built along the right wall, and there was a patch of soil off to the side that was clearly meant for gardening even though nothing was currently growing there.

The surrounding landscape was nothing to sneeze at either. It was up in the mountains so it was a little chillier than Brussels had been, but it looked so nice that Ryoko was more than willing to forgive that flaw. A thick forest covered the slopes and hills and promised to be very useful if another game of hide-and-seek took place. The trees were a riot of red, yellow, and orange now that fall was in full swing, and they only served to enhance the area's beauty in the late afternoon sun. There was a small lake in front of the house, with a series of stepping stones leading out to an island with a large tree in the middle of it. For a moment Ryoko had thought that it was a Jurai tree, but she had swiftly dispelled that notion from her mind; Ayeka and Sasami were the only Jurai natives out here, and their ships hadn't landed anywhere near this place. Around the side of the lake, just a brief walk from the house, was the beginning of a long stone staircase that Ryoko assumed led to the Shinto shrine that Heero had mentioned on the flight out to this island region.

Normally the country's not my idea of a fun place to hang out, she mused as she took in the scenery before looking over at Heero, but if I get to stay with hotshot over here then I think I can adapt!

Hefting two duffle bags over his shoulders, Heero led the way towards the front door. "Come on, let's get inside and unpack."

Ryoko grinned. "Right behind you!"

She could've just zipped ahead and phased right through a wall or the door, but that would've ruined the fun. So Ryoko stuck with the group as Heero dropped one of his bags before unlocking the front door.

"Our new home," he said as he picked the bag back up and stepped inside.

"Whoa!" said Mihoshi as the rest of the group followed him in.

The entrance way was a nice foyer with a wooden floor that had clearly been recently cleaned. A storage closet was to the right, and past that were the stairs leading up to the second floor, while at the end of the hall was a bathroom. Moving ahead of the group, Ryoko found a spacious room to the left that appeared to combine both a living room and a dining room. There was a right-angle couch much like the one at Heero's apartment in Brussels, albeit larger. A low and broad table was set in front of it on the large tatami mat, and set up on a steel shelf was a flat screen television. The kitchen was to the right of the large living room while the windows gave a great view of the small lake and the surrounding hills. Off to the left of the kitchen and the upper part of the living room was a smaller room that looked like a study of some kind.

"Be right back guys," she said as she floated off the floor, "I'm going to check out the upstairs!"

"Ryoko!" huffed Ayeka, "Come back here and help us carry these bags!"

Ryoko smirked as she phased through the ceiling and into the second floor. Looking around, she quickly found three bedrooms, a storage closet in the hall, and a full bathroom as opposed to the smaller one on the first floor. The bedrooms were all decently sized and already set up with bedrolls laid out on tatami mats, and while Ryoko wouldn't mind taking one of them as her own she would also be quite fine with the couch downstairs.

A smaller staircase led up to the third floor. Here Ryoko found another bedroom, one slightly larger than the ones below and with an actual bed, and that was the one she assumed Heero would take. There was another bathroom up here as well, fully equipped with a combined bath and shower. Rounding things out were another closet and what looked like a small storage room.

Sweet setup, she thought as she phased back through the floor to the second story, I could get used to this!

"Ryoko!" she heard Mihoshi call.

"We need some help!" cried Sasami.

Ryoko sighed. "Fine, I'm coming."

Phasing through the floor to the first story, Ryoko smiled as she saw the others trying to deal with all their bags. "What's taking you so long? I've already explored the whole house!"

"Just grab a bag," said Heero as he headed up the stairs.

Ryoko quickly found her bag and followed the others upstairs. She made a break for the largest of the three bedrooms on the second floor and triumphantly smiled as she dropped her bag down on the bedroll.

"Dibs!" she yelled.

Going back into the hallway, she saw that Ayeka and Sasami had laid claim to a room, while Mihoshi had taken the third. Heero was nowhere in sight; he'd probably gone up to the third floor already.

Ayeka yawned. "Goodness, how long have we been up? Did the flight from the capital have to be so early?"

"Cheer up, Ayeka!" said Sasami, "We made it to our new home! We'll be able to rest real soon."

"Meow…" said Ryo-Ohki slowly, looking like she wanted nothing more than to hit the hay.

That does sound nice, she thought, We've been up since before the ass-crack of dawn. Still, I'm too excited to sleep now. I want to look around some more!

Wandering over to Mihoshi's room, she saw that the space cop didn't share her enthusiasm. The blonde officer was already face down on her bedroll and drooling on her pillow.

Ryoko grinned as she crept forward, a ball of crimson energy appearing in her hand. Kneeling down next to Mihoshi, Ryoko detonated the red orb like a firecracker right by the cop's ear, causing her to leap up like a cannonball.

"Attack!" she cried as she fell back to the floor with all the grace of a drunken dog.

Ryoko chuckled. "Not this time, sleepyhead."

"Ryoko!" Mihoshi pouted, "That was mean!"

"You can snooze later," said Ryoko as she left the room and headed upstairs.

It didn't take her long to find Heero in the third floor bedroom unpacking his bag. Smirking, Ryoko crept up behind him and put her hands over his eyes while pressing herself up against his back.

"Guess who?" she said playfully.

"Shouldn't you be unpacking, Ryoko?" asked Heero, not sounding the least bit surprised.

"Nah," said Ryoko as she let him go, "I can do that later! It's not like I've got all that much anyway."

"Fine," said Heero as he put some jeans in one of the nearby dresser drawers, "Just don't expect any of us to do your unpacking for you."

Ryoko sighed. "All right, you've made your point."

Heero nodded. "Good."

Ryoko stood off to the side to let him unpack for a few more minutes before she spoke again. "So, when do we get to explore this place?"

"I know the house is bigger than the apartment," said Heero, "but it's not that big."

"I didn't mean the house," said Ryoko, "I meant the rest of the area. I bet you and I could have some real fun back in those trees!"

"Don't let Ayeka hear you say that," Heero replied as he put some more clothes away, "I don't need you two getting into another fight, at least not until I've had a bit of sleep."

Ryoko smirked. "Hey, she's the one that's so high strung, not me. If she would just chill out a bit then we wouldn't fight so much."

"You're not blameless, you know," said Heero.

Ryoko folded her arms and pouted. "Heero, how could you say that? I thought you were on my side!"

"I'm just trying to keep the peace," he said, "and my sanity. Things might be easier out here than back in the capital, but I still have to keep an eye on you and the others. There are people not too far away from here, and I don't want them finding out about your powers."

"Would it really be that big of a deal?" she asked as she sat down on the bed next to his duffel bag.

Heero sighed. "I know it doesn't feel like it would be to you, but you don't know humanity very well. While plenty of people have wondered if we're not alone in the universe, there are others who believe that Earth is special and it the only planet in the universe that harbors life."

"Sounds pretty stupid and arrogant if you ask me," said Ryoko, "I mean, your planet's a bit primitive, but with your level of technology you at least have to have some idea about just how big the universe is. It's pretty vain for humans to think that they're the only intelligent life in the galaxy."

"I agree," said Heero, "and so do plenty of people in the government, which is why contingency plans were drawn up in the event that we made contact with beings from beyond the Sol system. However, the manner in which you and Ayeka arrived wasn't really in line with what we had imagined, and the same goes for Mihoshi and Sasami."

Ryoko smirked. "No surprise there. You'd have a hard time predicting me, Heero."

She was pleasantly surprised to see him chuckle. "I can't argue with that."

Ryoko lay back on the bed while he continued to unpack. "So that's why you need to keep us secret? Just because of human pride?"

Heero shook us. "Not pride; fear."

"Come on," said Ryoko, "It's not like I'm that scary. Well, at least when I'm not mad."

"That's not it," Heero replied, "To be honest, I think that if most people on this planet or in the colonies had a chance to meet you and the others any fears that they did have would dissipate. None of you pose a threat to us, and you're all good people."

"Even me?" asked Ryoko with a smirk, "You do remember what I am, right Heero?"

Heero nodded. "Yes, and I also know that if you were going to cause trouble for this planet you would've stirred up some mayhem long before now. Besides, I know that there's more to you that just a pirate."

Ryoko was surprised to feel herself blushing; the sincerity in his words had caught her completely off guard. "Well… maybe, but don't go thinking that I'm an angel now just because I told you about my past."

Her eyes widened slightly as she saw Heero give her a small smirk. "Roger that."

Ryoko didn't know why, but she was actually finding herself to be a bit flustered, and hurried to get the conversation back to where it had been earlier. "So you don't think most people would be scared of me or the others if they got the chance to get to know us, then? If that's the case then why did you bring up fear?"

"Because it's not the fear of normal people that I think would cause problems," said Heero, "It's the fear of certain groups that give me cause for concern."

"You're losing me," said Ryoko.

Heero looked down in thought for a moment before turning to her again. "What's your experience with religion?"

Ryoko raised an eyebrow, taken aback by that line of questioning but deciding to play along. "Not really my thing, so I don't really bother with it unless there's an artifact I can steal from some temple or shrine and make some cash. You?"

"The same, minus the stealing," Heero replied, "However, there are some that don't have the same… relaxed outlook that you and I do. The majority of people who adhere to one faith or another are relatively moderate and open to new ideas, but there are subgroups that lack that flexibility."

"So what?" asked Ryoko, "You're keeping me and the others secret because you don't want these guys to crap their pants?"

Heero shook his head. "It's not that simple. These people can be very dogmatic and rigid. When confronted with a threat to their orthodoxy, their reactions can be unpredictable, even dangerous. There are fundamentalist groups who could cause a great deal of damage and suffering given the right provocation. The reveal of intelligent alien life would strike at one of the core tenants of many of these groups; that humans and Earth are unique and special in the eyes of whatever divinity they believe in. They may not be a threat to the likes of you, but they could still hurt or kill a lot of innocent people before they're stopped."

Ryoko smiled. "So what you're really worried about is what nutcases like this could do to others when my existence causes them to flip out. You really are a big softy, aren't you Heero?"

"My job is to protect the peace of this world and the innocent people who live here," Heero said firmly, "The Earth Sphere's seen enough war, and I'm not going to let a bunch of religious fanatics start a new one just because you and the others don't fit in with their interpretation of scripture."

What a guy, she thought as she looked at him, I don't usually go for the guardian types, but he's really something else.

Ryoko smirked as she got off the bed and came up behind Heero, putting her arms around him. "Well, if you ever want some help in dealing with these fundamentalist assholes, just let me know. I'll show them what real fear looks like. By the time I'm through with them they'll be worshiping me as the devil herself."

"Tempting," said Heero as he slipped free of her grasp, "but no thanks. Director Une would really let me have it if I brought you in on any of my operations."

"All right," said Ryoko, "but the offer's still on the table."

Heero nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Looking out the window, Ryoko smiled before grabbing Heero by the arm and started pulling him towards the door. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" asked Heero.

"Outside," she said, "We still got a bit of daylight left, and I want to explore a little. You can finish unpacking later."

Heero sighed. "All right. Let's see if the others are up for a little walk."

The two of them went downstairs and stopped by Mihoshi's room. Ryoko wasn't surprised in the least to see the blonde space cop once again snoozing on the bedroll and drooling on her pillow.

"Well, looks like she's out of it," said Ryoko.

Heero nodded. "Let's check on the others."

They went over to Ayeka and Sasami's room and were confronted by the same sight; both sisters were completely asleep. Even Ryo-Ohki was snoozing, curled up comfortably next to Sasami's head on the pillow. Ryoko smiled; now she'd have Heero all to herself.

"No sense in waking them up," she said, "They need the sleep."

"All right," said Heero as he closed their bedroom door, "Let's go."

Snooze, you lose, Ayeka, Ryoko thought triumphantly as the two of them headed downstairs, Now I get to have some fun with Heero while you're out like a light!

"Sir Heero," said Azaka as the two of them passed Ayeka's guardians in the hallway, "where are you going?"

"Sightseeing, apparently," Heero replied.

"What should we do?" asked Kamidake.

"Ayeka and the others are asleep upstairs," said Heero, "Just keep an eye on the place."

"No waking them up," said Ryoko with a mischievous smirk, "They need their sleep, after all."

"Oh, of course," said Azaka.

"That's rather thoughtful of you," said Kamidake, "I'm sure Princess Ayeka will appreciate your consideration!"

Like hell she will, Ryoko thought wryly, Not when she finds out that I got some alone time with Heero while she was asleep!

As they stepped out the front door a cool breeze hit them, and Ryoko smiled. Her eyes immediately went towards the stone staircase around the edge of the lake, and she started pulling Heero towards it.

"Come on!" she said, "Let's go check out that shrine you were telling us about!"

"Okay," Heero replied.

Ryoko wasted no time in looping her arm through Heero's, grinning at the thought of just how angry Ayeka would be if she could see her now. She was expecting Heero to fight her, but to her pleasant surprise he made no move to separate himself from her. He still looked as collected and cool as ever, but Ryoko still got a rather relaxed vibe from him, like he had simply allowed himself to go along with the flow to wherever it might lead.

"Whoa," said Ryoko as they got to the base of the stone staircase, "This is… a little bigger than I thought it would."

The staircase wasn't just one long, straight path with an obvious end. It went up to a rest area and then turned to the left out of sight behind a group of trees. From the way the hills looked Ryoko realized that there were probably several twists and turns before it arrived at its final destination.

"You can always put it off until tomorrow," said Heero, "although it's odd that you'd be intimidated by something as small as a flight of stairs."

Ryoko smirked at him, enjoying the challenge. "Hah! Not a chance!"

Heero nodded. "All right. Let's get going."

The two of them started up the stairs. It would've been easy for Ryoko to pick Heero up and fly the two of them over to the shrine, but why rush things? The fact that he still hadn't moved to free himself of her arm was a good sign, and Ryoko wanted to savor this while it lasted.

"Man," she said, "This must've been a pain in the ass to build."

"I checked some information on it before we flew out here," said Heero, "Apparently this staircase and the shrine at the end are around 700 years old. They didn't have any of the advanced construction equipment and techniques back then that we enjoy now."

"Sounds like a drag," said Ryoko as they continued their climb, "Manual labor's really not my thing."

Heero chuckled. "So I've noticed."

"Hey!" said Ryoko, "I'm a beautiful woman, Heero! You don't expect me to do heavy lifting, do you?"

"I might not, normally," said Heero calmly, "but I know what you're really capable of."

Ryoko smirked. "Oh, you only think you know what I can do, hotshot. I can lift a lot more than just you and Ayeka, you know."

"I'm sure," Heero replied, "and I'd rather you not demonstrate that right now."

"Fine," said Ryoko, "I'll save that secret for another time."

Their climb went on, and as they made their way up the stairs Ryoko admired the scenery. The sun was slowly making its way down, and the shifting light seemed to set the surrounding trees ablaze with color. Birds cawed as late afternoon gradually shifted to early evening, insects buzzed, a few frogs croaked… the entire area was just so alive.

"You know," said Ryoko after a moment, "I just realized something."

"What's that?" asked Heero.

Ryoko grinned. "Now that we're out of the city I don't have to worry as much about what I'm going to wear. I can stick with my regular clothes now. Don't get me wrong, the stuff that you bought me is great, but I'm a lot more comfortable in what I normally wear."

Not that she was uncomfortable in what she was wearing now. Her white button-up shirt and black skirt was a favorite outfit for her, especially since it gave her the option of undoing a few buttons to give Heero an enticing view, which she always did. Still, her tunic and leggings were so much more familiar for her, so getting the chance to wear those regularly again would be nice.

Heero nodded. "That's fine, but if we end up going into town or somewhere else with a lot of people you might need to change clothes."

"I know," said Ryoko, "No worries; thanks to you I've got plenty to choose from!"

"Yes," said Heero, "you and the others."

Their climbed continued, and Ryoko started wondering if they'd ever reach the end of the path. Before too long though she saw the staircase seemed to reach its peak a little bit up ahead.

"Ah," she said as they neared the top, "finally."

"It's not that much of a climb," said Heero.

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Ryoko.

They reached the top, and Ryoko saw a rather large dirt clearing. A path made up of neatly laid stone tiles lead up to what she assumed to be the shrine that Heero had mentioned earlier. It was a wooden building, and the style struck Ryoko as very similar to architecture that she'd seen in the Empire of Jurai. There was a staircase leading up to a deck that looked to run around the entirety of the main building and a large entrance that led into structure. There was an ornate wooden carving above the entrance that looked like two dragons, while the slanted roof had purple ceramic tiling. At the back of the shrine was a walkway that branched out to the left and led towards another equally old building which Ryoko assumed to be the shrine keeper's residence. A wooden fence with stone foundations ran around the entire complex, although it would hardly be much of a deterrent to any intruder.

Off to the right there was an opening in the fence that led to a cave entrance. Two rows of stone lanterns marked a pathway of sorts to the cave, and a wooden sign was posted near the front. A red wooden decorative archway stood just before the cave entrance, the legs of which had rope tied around them with tassels hanging off.

"Not bad," said Ryoko, "Pretty scenic."

Heero nodded, and Ryoko saw him look around. "I wonder where the priest is at."

Ryoko shrugged. "Maybe he's inside. Come on, let's check it out."

She dragged him forward, but before they could get further than a meter she saw a shadow move in the temple's main entrance. A second later a man immerged that Ryoko assumed to be the shrine keeper. He appeared to be a middle aged man, with long grey hair tied in a ponytail. Ryoko assumed that his white robes were the traditional attire of a priest, and like the temple itself she was a bit struck by the resemblance they bore to what she'd occasionally seen in the Empire of Jurai. His glasses put emphasis on his brown eyes, which despite his age still seemed to be quite sharp. Capping it all off was a grey mustache, a bit thick but not overly exaggerated.

The old man smiled at Ryoko and Heero. "Ah, welcome. It's been a while since this sleepy old shrine's had any guests."

"Yeah, well, we're not here for praying," said Ryoko.

"We don't have any offerings," said Heero as he freed himself from Ryoko's arm, "I'm sorry."

The shrine keeper shook his head. "There's no need to trouble yourselves about such things. Just having visitors is nice."

"We actually just moved to the area," said Heero, "We've taken up residence in the house beside the lake."

"I see," said the old man, "I was wondering what all the activity down there a few days about was about. They must've been prepping the place for your arrival."

"Sounds about right," said Heero.

"So," said Ryoko, "you got a name, old man?"

The priest chuckled. "Oh, sorry young lady, it seems I've quite forgotten myself. My name is Katsuhito Masaki. I am the keeper of the Masaki shrine."

"Nice to meet you," said the Preventers operative as the two men shook hands, "I'm Heero Yuy."

The space pirate offered hers. "Ryoko. So, you keep this place clean? That's gotta be dull."

Katsuhito smiled as he shook her hand. "Perhaps to one better suited for city life, but I find it to be quite relaxing. My days of youthful troublemaking are well behind me. A peaceful life up here in the hills is quite nice."

"You seem to have done all right for yourself," said Heero as he nodded at the shrine keeper's home.

The priest followed Heero's gaze before shaking his hand. "Oh, it's quite a modest home. Still, it has all the comforts one such as myself requires."

Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Sounds nice, but I'll pass on a tour."

"We won't keep anymore of your time," said Heero.

"Nonsense," said Katsuhito, "Having visitors is quite refreshing. It's quite all right if you stay awhile!"

"And do what?" asked Ryoko, "No offense, old man, but I doubt you've got much up here to entertain guests with."

Katsuhito chuckled. "Oh, you might be surprised."

He then turned to Heero, and to Ryoko it looked like the old man was studying him for a moment before he spoke. "You seem like a spry young man. Care to join me for a little sparring?"

"Sparring?" asked Heero, looking a bit taken aback.

Ryoko chuckled. "You can't seriously be considering fighting Heero, right old man? Hey, maybe you had some moves back in the day, but you're kidding yourself if you think you can tangle with a badass like hotshot here."

Katsuhito smirked. "Is that so, young lady?"

Ryoko put her arm around Heero and grinned. "You'd better believe it!"

"Ryoko…" said Heero.

Katsuhito chuckled. "Well, then this should be interesting! Wait right here."

As the priest headed towards his home Heero turned to Ryoko. "I didn't come here just so I could pick a fight with the local shrine keeper."

"Hey," Ryoko replied, "he's the one that invited you to spar. I just told him what he'd be getting himself into. It's not my fault he ignored my advice."

"The way you give advice leaves much to be desired," Heero deadpanned, "That sounded a lot more like a challenge than a helpful word of warning."

"Oh, come on," said Ryoko with a smile, "Don't be like that! I wasn't kidding when I said that you were a badass, you know? You can take this guy!"

"That depends on what sort of 'sparring' he has in mind," said Heero as he folded his arms, "and I never agreed to do this, you know."

"Hey, the gauntlet's been thrown down," said Ryoko, "You can't back out now."

Heero sighed. "I wish I didn't agree with you."

"Relax, Heero" said Ryoko as she playfully messed with his thick brown hair, "it'll be fun! After how long that damn flight was I'd say you could use the chance to loosen up a bit."

"This isn't exactly my idea of loosening up," Heero replied as he gently but firmly shoved her hand aside.

"Well, then you'll just have to adapt," said Ryoko, "Oh, here he comes!"

The old man had just left his home, and Ryoko was surprised to see that he was carrying what looked to be two wooden swords.

"Bokken," she heard Heero say softly, "I wasn't expecting this."

"You can handle yourself in a swordfight, right?" asked Ryoko, trying not to sound worried.

She was a little taken aback when she saw Heero chuckle. "You'll just have to wait and see."

As the shrine keeper approached he tossed one of the wooden swords at Heero. "Does this work for you?"

Heero nodded as he effortlessly snatched the bokken out of the air. "It's fine."

Katsuhito smiled. "Good. It's been quite awhile since I've had someone to spar against."

Ryoko patted Heero on the shoulder. "Go get him, Heero!"

Before he could answer she went around him and the old man towards the steps of the temple where she took a seat. She saw Heero briefly shake his head before taking up position across from the shrine keeper, the wooden sword in his right hand.

"So," said Heero, "how do you want to do this?"

"No need to make things complicated," Katsuhito replied, "First one to land a hit wins."

Heero nodded. "Sounds good."

Ryoko watched as the old man raised his bokken in a two handed grip. She was no expert, but his stance seemed quite solid, and there was a quiet intensity in the shrine keeper's eyes. Ryoko hoped that she hadn't gotten Heero in over his head.

Looking over at her host, she saw that the young man was likewise holding his weapon in both hands now. Heero didn't seem to be intimidated by Katsuhito, but the way his eyes had narrowed seemed to indicate that he was carefully evaluating his opponent.

"Well, Ryoko," said Katsuhito, "why don't you tell us when to start?"

She looked over at Heero, who gave her a nod. "Ready when you are."

Ryoko smiled and raised her right hand. "All right! Ready?"

The two men looked gazes, looking ready to leap into action at a moment's notice.

Ryoko brought her hand down hard. "Fight!"

She was surprised to see Katsuhito kick things off. The old man moved with startling speed, and he rushed forward with his sword raised. He brought the bokken down hard and fast, but Heero had his weapon at the ready and was able to block the shrine keeper's opening strike. Bracing himself and absorbing the blow, Heero quickly pushed off his left foot and countered with a swift diagonal slash.

Katsuhito's sword seemed to move with a mind of its own as the old man instantly intercepted Heero's strike. The shrine keeper bent his bokken to bleed off some of the force from Heero's blow before striking back with a thrust. Heero smoothly sidestepped while redirecting the priest's wooden sword with his. The Preventers operative wasted no time in making another attack of his own, this time a horizontal slash.

Okay, thought Ryoko as she saw Katsuhito parry the blow, Looks like the old man has some moves. Then again, so does Heero.

The shrine keeper was clearly no amateur. As he continued to trade attack and counterattack with Heero he always kept his footing. His moves were smooth and precise, almost seamlessly alternating between offense and defense.

For his part, Heero seemed to lack some of the form and polish of the priest, but he more than made up for that with a tight, efficient defense and a punishing offense. As Katsuhito went on the attack Ryoko's host would bring the bokken in close to his body, intercepting the shrine keeper's strikes while exerting as little energy as possible. The moment an opening presented itself he would lunge forward with a hard counterattack, and despite the old man's skill Ryoko thought she saw a hint of surprise in the old man's eyes as he worked to fend off Heero's attacks.

As Heero brought his bokken down in a powerful overhand strike Ryoko saw Katsuhito take a step back and angle his wooden sword down towards the ground. By shifting his grip and the direction of the blade ever so slightly he was able to deflect Heero's attack while reducing the amount of energy he spent on blocking. The old man then smoothly transitioned into a counter, and Heero was barely able to bring his weapon up to block the priest's slash.

Rather than immediately counter like before, Heero surprised Ryoko by breaking off. Katsuhito likewise moved back a bit, and to Ryoko it looked like the two fighters were taking a moment to reevaluate each other.

Too bad Ayeka and the others are snoozing, she thought, They're missing a great show!

"Go, Heero!" she yelled, "Kick his ass!"

The two men shared a brief nod, and a second later Katsuhito rushed forward. The shrine keeper launched a swift assault, raining blows down on Heero at an impressive speed considering his age. Ryoko thought for a moment that Heero might be in trouble, but even as the young man fell back under the barrage she realized that his was a very controlled withdrawal. He weaved a tight defensive cocoon around his body with his bokken, and he didn't look the least bit afraid as he protected himself from the priest's sequence of strikes.

As the old man brought his weapon down in another overhand blow, Heero sudden countered by meeting his wooden sword halfway with his own. Disrupting the momentum of the priest's strike, Heero then brought his bokken down to try to strike the shrine keeper across the chest. Katsuhito managed to pull back and deflect the blow, but it was a very close thing.

The old man smirked. "Impressive. You're not bad, young man."

"Same goes for you," said Heero.

The old man chuckled as he went back on the offensive. This time he made a series of quick thrusts and jabs, all designed to keep Heero off balance. Ryoko watched as Heero fell back again, swatting aside the attacks before responding with a swift thrust of his own. For a moment Ryoko though his strike would hit Katsuhito right in the gut, but at the last moment the old man caught it with his bokken and redirected the blow, causing Heero to move right past him.

The shrine keeper then whirled around with impressive speed. Heero ducked under the slash and rolled to the side to put some distance between himself and the priest. The Preventers agent rose to his feet, but he barely had time to bring his bokken up before Katsuhito was upon him, raining down another sequence of swift overhand strikes. After a few moments Heero managed to take one of the priest's strikes and redirect it away from him and down towards the ground, giving him the opening he needed to launch a counterattack.

Now it was Katsuhito that fell back as Heero rained down powerful vertical strikes on him. The young man may have had been a bit on the slim side, but the strength he was able to put behind his attacks was nothing to sneeze at. Ryoko could see the shrine keeper's brow furrow in concentration as he worked to fend off Heero's furious assault.

Wow, she thought, I knew that Heero was good in a fight, but I didn't expect anything like this. He's got some moves!

Her handsome host pressed his assault, never letting up as he continued to force the priest back. While the duel may have turned against him, though, the shrine keeper still seemed quite calm and focused. Ryoko had to admit that the old man had nerve, but it wouldn't do him much good at this rate.

Heero redoubled his efforts, perhaps sensing an opportunity to land the winning blow. Ryoko was confident that Katsuhito would not last much longer. However, as Heero lunged forward for what Ryoko was sure would be the finishing blow the old man suddenly stepped back and pivoted with his right foot. In a move so fluid, swift, and graceful that Ryoko could hardly keep up with it, the priest brought his bokken around through nearly a full circle and hit Heero right in the back.

Ryoko's eyes widened in shock as Heero stumbled forward. For a moment it looked like he would fall, but he managed to stay upright. Lowering his wooden sword, the young man turned around and looked at the shrine keeper that had just bested him. He appeared relatively calm, but Ryoko could still see a hint of surprise in his eyes. Ryoko couldn't fault him for that.

"No way…" she said softly.

A moment passed before Katsuhito chuckled and smiled. "That was quite a match, young man! You really have some talent."

Heero shook his head, and Ryoko was surprised to see a very small smirk appear on his face. "You were toying with me. You could've beaten me in our first exchange."

Katsuhito shook his head. "I'm afraid you're overestimating me there, not to mention selling yourself short. You put up a good fight, although you overextended yourself in that last exchange. I haven't had a match like that in quite some time."

The priest held out his hand. "You're welcome to come back here anytime you want to go another round. I wouldn't mind the practice."

Heero nodded and shook the old man's hand. "I might take you up on that. Thanks."

"You're welcome," said Katsuhito, "You got rather aggressive there towards the end."

"I thought I had seen enough of your fighting style to take you down," Heero replied, "It looks like I was wrong."

"Perhaps," said the shrine keeper, "but you made a good show of it. Maybe next time I won't be so lucky, eh?"

Heero shook his head. "Somehow I doubt that."

Ryoko stood up and went over to him. "Hey, don't be like that! You'll kick his ass next time, Heero!"

Heero chuckled. "Maybe down the road, but not right away. You didn't fight him, Ryoko."

"That good, huh?" said Ryoko as she looked over at the priest.

Katsuhito shook his head. "Your friend gives me too much credit, young lady. He's a very capable fighter in his own right."

Ryoko turned back to Heero and smiled. "He's got a point. You still put on one hell of a show, Heero!"

Heero nodded. "Thanks."

"Would you two care to stay for dinner?" asked Katsuhito, "I'm sure it won't take that long for me to make something."

Heero shook his head. "We should get back."

Ryoko stretched and yawned. "I'm with you there, Heero. I'm beat."

"Are you sure?" asked the shrine keeper.

Heero nodded. "We had a long fight out here. I appreciate the offer, but at this time I think it'd be best if the two of us went on our way."

Katsuhito nodded. "Very well. Don't be a stranger. Feel free to visit anytime."

"Thanks," said Heero, "We might just do that."

"Come on, Heero," said Ryoko as she put her arm around him, "Let's go home."

The two of them headed towards the stairs, and to Ryoko's pleasant surprise Heero didn't try to shake her arm off. His expression was no different than usual, but he seemed a little more relaxed than normal.

"Well," she said as they headed down the stone steps, "that was interesting."

Heero nodded. "I wasn't expecting to get into a kendo match with the local shrine keeper."

"Hey," said Ryoko with a smile, "it looked to me like you were having some fun with that fight! It's good to blow off some steam once in a while, you know?"

She was glad to see a small smirk appear on his face. "It was… entertaining. I might just have to go back for another match sometime."

"See?" said Ryoko, "First day here and you've already made a friend thanks to me! Now aren't you glad that I dragged you outside for some exploring rather than just let you unpack and snooze back at the house?"

"Perhaps," said Heero, sounding a bit ambiguous.

They walked in silence for a moment before a thought crossed Ryoko's mind and she just had to give voice to it. "Hey, remember that cave off to the side of the shrine?"

Heero nodded. "What about it?"

"What do you think is in there?" she asked.

"Good question," Heero replied, "You should ask the shrine keeper next time we go up there."

Ryoko smiled. "Maybe I will."

….

October 7th, A.C. 198

"Ah," said Ayeka as she set down her cup of tea on the table, "that is superb! Sasami, you truly have outdone yourself!"

Her little sister smiled. "Thanks, Ayeka! I did it just like Heero showed me!"

Ayeka returned her smile from her seat on the couch. "Well, then I would say that you have an excellent teacher. Why don't you pour yourself a cup and join me?"

Sasami nodded. "Okay."

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki from her spot next to Ayeka.

Sasami pointed at the strange furball and frowned. "No! I already gave you carrots earlier. You have to wait until lunch now, Ryo-Ohki!"

"Meow…" the living starship pouted.

Sasami turned back to Ayeka and nodded. "I'll be right back."

How lovely, she thought as she watched her sister go over to the kitchen, Sir Heero's been a wonderful influence on Sasami. I never imagined that his talents encompassed so many areas.

Then again, from what Ayeka understood Heero had lived alone prior to her and the others moving in with him. It was only natural that he would pick up certain skills to provide for himself, and apparently good tea making was one of them. She was relieved that he was still willing to pass on those skills to her younger sister even in light of the mess that Sasami had helped cause several days ago.

The crown princess of Jurai, brought down by a carrot held by her sister in plain view of Ryo-Ohki? The thought was simply absurd, and if Ayeka hadn't lived through it herself she would've dismissed the idea as insanity. Still, with some reflection Ayeka realized that her misfortune might actually be a blessing in disguise.

I have more time now, she thought as she looked out the window, There's no need for a rushed confession. I can take my time with Sir Heero… grow our rapport, and work up my courage to fully express my feelings towards him. Yes… getting stuck here a while longer might well have been the best thing that could've happened to me!

There he was, just outside the window, sitting down on the wooden porch that wrapped around part of the house and looking out at the lake. Heero looked to be simply enjoying the surprising warm fall day, and Ayeka was loath to interrupt one of his rare moments of peace and quiet. Still, there was the temptation to go outside and join him. Perhaps she could do so under the pretense of bringing him a cup of tea?

"Oh, Sasami!" said Ayeka as she turned around, "How much tea did you make?"

"A whole pot!" Sasami replied as she came back towards the living room with her cup, "Why do you ask?"

Ayeka was about to answer when she saw trouble heading right for her sister. "Sasami, to your right!"

The younger princess turned, but she was too late; Mihoshi walked right into her, and the two of them went tumbling to the ground.

"Ow!" cried the blonde space cop as the tea spilled on her, "That's hot!"

"Mihoshi!" cried Sasami.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki as she ran towards the two of them.

Mihoshi quickly stood up. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry!"

Ayeka shook her head. "Goodness, woman, you're just coming down here now? You missed breakfast, and it's nearly noon already!"

"I'm really sorry!" she said sheepishly, "I was tired from yesterday."

"So you slept for, what, a good fourteen hours?" said Ayeka incredulously, "My word, how in the name of Tsunami have you kept your job, Mihoshi?"

"Ayeka, that's enough!" Sasami chided her as she dusted herself off, "She said she was sorry."

Ayeka sighed. "Very well."

"I should clean this up," said Sasami, nodding at the spilled tea and the broken cup.

"I'll do it!" said Mihoshi, "I made the mess, so I'll take care of it!"

"At least Ryo-Ohki's helping," said Sasami.

Indeed, the furball was lapping away at the tea on the floor. While the creature's appetite seemed to consist mainly of an overwhelming hunger for carrots, apparently Ryo-Ohki did have some degree of flexibility.

"Sasami," said Mihoshi, "Where's the cleaning supplies?"

"Back here," said Sasami as she lead the way toward the kitchen, "Come on, I'll show you."

That's surprisingly responsible of Mihoshi, Ayeka mused, although… I do hope she doesn't find some way to make it worse.

There was a rippling noise, and Ayeka nearly jumped out of her seat as Ryoko phased right through the ceiling and into the living room. "What's with all the racket? Can't a girl get some beauty sleep around here?"

Ayeka pointed at her rival, her eyes narrowing in a glare. "You! You're even worse than Mihoshi! How late were you planning on sleeping?"

Ryoko shrugged. "Hey, I was up later than any of you, so shut up. Besides, it's not like I'm going back to bed now."

That certainly seemed to be the case based on her attire; it was her tunic and crimson leggings. Ayeka mused that that was one of the advantages of being out here in the country as opposed to the city; they were free to wear their normal clothing now. For herself, Ayeka was clad in the kimono she had worn upon arrival, as was Sasami, while Mihoshi had on her pink tank-top and jeans.

"My, my," said Azaka, "It seems today's shaping up to be quite a lively one."

"I just hope things don't get too carried away," said Kamidake.

"I'm starving!" said Ryoko, "You better have saved me some food!"

"It's in the microwave, Ryoko!" Sasami replied, "Heero put some there for you and Mihoshi. Just heat it up for a few seconds and it will be good to go!"

Ryoko smiled. "Thanks, kid."

Ayeka eyed the space pirate with suspicion as she went over to the kitchen. Her words about being up later than her and the others did not sound like they boded well. What had that woman been up to?

That foul tramp, she silently fumed, If she tried to make a move on Sir Heero while the rest of us were asleep I will have her head!

She took a deep breath to calm herself as she once again looked at her host through the window. No, she had nothing to worry about. Heero had proven himself to be a man of great character and inner nobility; he was far above whatever cheap seductions Ryoko might employ.

That did once again bring to her mind the thought that she now had a chance to deepen her relationship with her host, and Ayeka knew that she would be foolish to ignore it. Deciding that the others would be preoccupied for at least a few minutes, she stood up and headed right for the front door. When she got outside she was surprised to see that Heero had gotten up and was heading towards the lake.

"Sir Heero!" she cried as she picked up her pace a bit, "Where are you going?"

Heero stopped and turned towards her. "Ayeka. I was going to check out that tree in the middle of the lake. Would you care to join me?"

Ayeka beamed at the invitation. "Yes, I'd love to!"

Ayeka immediately wanted to cringe at just how eager she had sounded there. If she truly wanted to win Heero's affections she couldn't act like a besotted schoolgirl. Her host was young, but he was definitely a mature adult; a more responsible and restrained approach would be the best way to get closer to him.

If Heero was taken aback at all by her enthusiasm he gave no sign of it. The young man simply nodded and started walking again.

"All right, then," he said, "Let's go."

A few seconds later they were at the edge of the lake. Ayeka looked on as Heero studied the stone steps before cautiously going out onto the first one.

"How is it?" asked Ayeka.

Heero nodded and held out his hand. "Seems pretty stable. Come on."

Ayeka fought to keep from blushing as she gingerly accepted his hand and stepped out onto the rock. The surface was surprisingly smooth, and it was a little slick. Ayeka felt her left foot lose traction and she slipped forward. She feared that she would knock both herself and Heero right into the water, but to her surprise he caught her without budging so much as a centimeter.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Am I?, she thought, the heat rushing to her face as she felt his hands firmly holding her hips and realized that her head was right up against Heero's chest, Oh, you have no idea, Sir Heero…

She cautiously righted herself, keeping her hands on Heero's shoulders as she did so. When she felt more confident of her footing she nodded and gave her host a smile.

"I believe so," she said, "Thank you, Sir Heero!"

Heero nodded as he turned forward. "Mind your footing. I'm sure the others will be just as smooth and slick."

"Right," said Ayeka.

She let him take the lead as they slowly made their way across the stepping stones. Each time she moved from one stone to the next Ayeka feared that she would fall again, but Heero was always there to keep her from slipping into the lake. Ayeka wondered if Ryoko and the others were watching them from the windows. The thought gave her a small thrill, if only because of how jealous her rival would be.

As they got closer to the island Ayeka gained a new appreciation for how big the tree was. It wasn't taller than the trees that covered the hills, but it was much wider at the base. Just like yesterday, Ayeka found herself reminded of the Royal Trees of Jurai, but there was just no way that this particular specimen of flora could be one of them.

Ayeka breathed a sigh of relief as Heero helped her off the last stone and onto the small grassy island itself. "Once again, you have my thanks, Sir Heero. I would've fallen into the lake several times over were it not for you!"

"Don't mention it," said Heero, "If you train a little and work on your balance you should be able to overcome that problem."

Ayeka smiled and shook her head. "Training? I'm afraid I wouldn't know the first place to start, Sir Heero."

"It's not that complicated," Heero replied, "Even something simple like jogging can help improve your coordination. You should try it sometime."

Ayeka nodded. "Perhaps I will. You certainly don't seem to have any trouble with balance, if you don't mind me saying."

"That's because my training's been reinforced by experience," said Heero, "When you're in my line of work you don't live too long if you can't keep your footing."

"I will keep that in mind, Sir Heero," said Ayeka.

Heero turned towards the tree. "So, what do you think?"

Ayeka looked up and smiled. "It's quite lovely. I'm surprised that it still has so much green in its branches, considering how colorful the trees in the hills are."

Heero nodded. "Yes, I noticed that too. I'm surprised it's out here to begin with; out in the middle of a lake, even a small one, is not a place I'd expect a tree as large as this one to thrive."

"It must be quite old," said Ayeka, "Judging from how wide the trunk is. I mean, I'm no expert on Earth trees, but would I be wrong to assume that the width of the base and how many rings are on the inside would be good indicators as to a tree's age?"

"That's correct," said Heero, "So I take it Jurai trees work the same way as ours, then. As far as aging goes, I mean."

"So it would seem," said Ayeka, "I know some of the more well known specimens in the Empire have been in existence for millennia. A few are believed to be as old as the Empire of Jurai itself, or perhaps even older."

"That's impressive," Heero replied, "They must be quite imposing."

Ayeka smiled. "Oh, they are glorious sights to behold, Sir Heero! Some have become major tourist attractions in their own right. In fact, for a truly devoted citizen of the Empire one might say that visiting one of the Grand Trees, as we call the oldest specimens, is something of a sacred pilgrimage. It is recommended that citizens see at least one of them within their lifetimes."

"That sounds like a few of the religions we have in the Earth Sphere," Heero replied, "For Islam it's recommended that devout members with the means make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca, a holy city in the Middle East. Roman Catholics have something similar with the Vatican in Rome, although again this is not a strict requirement but rather a desire if one has the funds to pursue such a trip. For other Christian denominations and Jewish sects the city of Jerusalem in the Middle East may have a similar sort of significance as a pilgrimage site."

"I see," said Ayeka, "I suppose when viewed in that light a trip to see one of the Grand Trees could be considered to be a religious pilgrimage of sorts."

"Does the Empire have any major religions?" asked Heero.

"Yes," Ayeka replied, "although… it is rather hard to describe the faith most commonly adhered to in the Empire of Jurai."

"I've got time if you want to try," said Heero.

Ayeka nodded and smiled. "Very well. Do recall what I told you about the legends regarding the guardian entity Tsunami?"

Heero nodded. "Yes."

"I suppose you could say that our… faith… centers primarily upon her," said Ayeka, "We believe that she is the divine figure that watches over both Jurai and the broader Empire. Her power gifted our world with life and strength, and her wisdom guided our founding Emperor and his descendants."

"Simple enough so far," said Heero.

"This is where it gets more complicated," said Ayeka, "Beyond the legends of the initial contact between her and the Emperor and her pledge to him and his descendants there is not much in the way of organized doctrine surrounding her, if you will. There is no central text like other religions, but rather a variety of writings from philosophers and historians concerning possible interpretations of her will for both the people and Jurai as a whole. There is also no central holiday named for her or celebrated for her; the closest one might get to that would be the anniversary of the Empire's founding. Our other holidays primarily concern the seasons and the start of the new year, along with celebrating a few historical occurrences."

"What about worship practices?" asked Heero.

"Well," said Ayeka, "the fact of the matter is that there is really no single practice. People may invoke Tsunami's name in private prayer or in public ceremonies, but there is no set manner in which one has to do that. There are several shrines and temples dedicated to her, but there are many more that are devoted to nature and ancestral spirits that people may pray to as well. Heroes or other figures of great renown in Jurai's past may also receive a shrine if they are deemed worthy of such an honor by both the throne and a special historical council."

Heero nodded. "Are there any central tenets?"

Ayeka smiled. "Yes, although it really might be better to just call them general principals. Kindness towards others, regardless of social class. Respect for life, from the smallest insect and blade of grass to the greatest beast and mightiest tree. Harmony between civilization and nature. Loyalty to friends and devotion to loved ones. Fealty in romance. Seek out knowledge, and always strive to improve your understanding of the world so that you may play your part in making it a better one."

She was surprised to see a very small smile grace Heero's face. "I can't find fault with any of those. They're simple, yet at the same time elegant and universal. If more people adhered to those then I'd be out of a job, and I'd be quite all right with that."

There was a kind of wistfulness to his voice that tugged at Ayeka's heartstrings. She had yet to learn any of the details regarding particular missions that he had undertaken prior to meeting her, but from the general description of his occupation that he had given her it was clearly a role that involved a measure of violence. Ayeka understood that combat was sometimes necessary in order to protect the peace, but from what little she knew about Heero it seemed that the need to occasionally take life so that others may be kept safe was a burden that weighed heavily upon him.

What has he gone through?, she thought as she looked longingly at him, What past battles has he endured? What has he sacrificed in the name of peace for his world? Sir Heero…

Ayeka found herself reaching out towards him, almost completely by reflex. Her hand barely brushed against his, and she was about to take hold of it when he spoke again.

"So," he said, "if the legend of Tsunami and the texts and teachings surrounding her consist of Jurai's main religion, what about other faiths? You've said that your nation is a galactic empire; surely you've encountered other religions."

Ayeka quickly withdrew her hand and nodded. "Oh, of course!"

"Has that ever caused problems?" asked Heero.

"In the early days of our expansion, yes," said Ayeka, "However, I believe that was due primarily to cultural misunderstandings and heavy-handedness on the part of certain Imperial officials. The tenets of Jurai's faith are of peace and harmony; asserting dominance over another faith is completely counterintuitive. It is also incredibly counterproductive, as the Emperor and his top advisors wisely concluded. That was when they set about crafting what became collectively known as the Jurai Imperial Statutes of Faith. They essentially codified the role of religion within the Empire and laid the groundwork for all future matters regarding the relationship between the government and spirituality."

"How do the Statutes work?" asked Heero.

Ayeka smiled. "Simply put, they encourage coexistence among faiths within the Empire of Jurai. While the Royal Family and the nobility may all believe in the power and the teachings of Tsunami, the Emperor and his council deliberately crafted the Statutes to forbid themselves from imposing one faith or doctrine upon the people. At the same time the Statutes legalize the practice of other religions provided that matters of faith do not intrude upon the legal rights of citizens. Having spiritual beliefs is perfectly acceptable within the Empire and is protected by the Statutes, but the moment one faith or another begins to impose itself upon people and limit their civil rights, and has been proven to do so before a special tribunal, the throne and the Emperor's advisory council are permitted to step in and address the matter alongside the judiciary and local government offices."

Heero nodded. "I like the sound of that system so far, but wouldn't involving the Emperor directly put it at the mercy of his particular beliefs?"

Ayeka shook her head. "It may seem that way at first, but remember; the Statutes explicitly prohibit the Emperor from imposing a faith on the subjects of the Empire. In order to enforce that, the Statutes give the throne rather limited powers on matters of religion; the courts are given greater prerogative in matters of conflict between state and faith. The Emperor can exercise a measure of influence, but if it is found to be unduly in favor of one religion then the judiciary can act against him, with the support of the Noble Assembly."

"What's the Noble Assembly?" asked Heero.

"Oh, that's a body comprised of the upper echelon of the imperial nobility," said Ayeka, "Officially they're supposed to handle governmental affairs that are deemed below the level of requiring the direct attention of the throne. The positions are all hereditary, and the body elects a prominent member to serve as its head who is known as the Assembly Minister. However, oftentimes the nobles that make up the assembly are not actually present, instead running the affairs of their own domains. Instead they simply send representatives, typically a family member chosen by the noble in question."

Heero nodded. "So it's an unelected legislative body, then."

"That's not a bad way to look at it, I suppose," said Ayeka, "By design the Empire of Jurai lacks most of the democratic institutions of your Earth Sphere Unified Nation. I hope that you bear it no ill will for that, Sir Heero."

Heero shook his head. "As long as it protects its people and doesn't interfere in our affairs I think I can deal with that."

Ayeka gave him a relieved smile. "I'm glad to hear that."

Heero looked at the tree before them in thought for a moment. "So between the Emperor and his council, the courts, and the Noble Assembly the Empire of Jurai has a system of checks and balances designed to enforce the Statutes of Faith and protect the free exercise of religion in the territory it controls provided that it doesn't conflict with the individual rights of the people. How's that for a summary?"

"Succinct and accurate, Sir Heero," said Ayeka, "You're quite astute when it comes to politics, if I do say so myself."

"A necessity in my line of work," Heero replied, "Not understanding the political ramifications of a mission can be just as bad as not understanding the mission itself."

Ayeka nodded and smiled. "Your mindfulness is truly remarkable, Sir Heero. Director Une and Lady Sally could not ask for a better soldier than yourself. You are a great credit to your organization."

"Thanks," said Heero.

She watched as he took a step forward and reached out towards the tree, putting his hand on the trunk. He looked quite thoughtful as he did so, and Ayeka was keen to know what was on his mind now.

"Tell me something," he said after a moment, "Has religion in the Empire ever taken a… violent turn?"

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

"I'll rephrase that," said Heero, "Has anyone in the Empire of Jurai ever used religion as an excuse for violence?"

"Well," she said cautiously, "as far as the faith of Tsunami is concerned, the closest that it has ever come to any sort of violence was in the earliest days of our expansion. Like I said before, the heavy-handedness of some imperial officials led to serious issues. It bred hostility between the Empire and the newest vassals, but thanks to the Emperor and his top advisors writing the Statutes of Faith violence was limited to a few scuffles and protests. Since then the faith of Tsunami has stood as an example of how one spiritual path can embrace tolerance of all others."

"But there are other faiths within the Empire," said Heero, "There has to have been members of them who did not like the idea of their religion not being dominant, or being able to strictly control the lives of their followers without violating the Statutes of Faith."

Ayeka nodded slowly. "Yes… at times there have been. With as vast as the Empire is and with so many religions being under its umbrella it was really only a matter of time before zealots and those who used religion as a vessel for power began to push back against their perceived loss of influence. There have been… incidents, from time to time."

"Terrorism?" asked Heero, his eyes narrowing at the word.

Ayeka sighed. "I'm afraid so, yes."

"How does Jurai respond when an attack takes place?" asked Heero.

"Carefully," Ayeka replied, "Anyone who dares to harm the citizens of the Empire will be met with the might of Jurai and made to answer for their crimes. However, at the same time the throne must proceed cautiously, lest it give the impression that it is waging a campaign against an entire faith. An investigation is typically able to determine the identity of the targets, and from there every effort is made to apprehend them and bring them to trial. Failing that, elimination of the targets is handled by the intelligence services, the military, or the police depending on the situation. The Empire also carefully examines the factors that may have motivated the attack in the first place in order to try to prevent another incident. Combating religiously motivated terrorism is not something that can be done with brute force; without understanding the cultural, sociological, scriptural, or even economical or political motivations that convince people to commit such violence then we would simply end up waging an eternal war against them."

Heero nodded. "Our government follows a similar path. Granted, we no longer have the large armies of old, but we still have the forces we need to combat extremism. However, without understanding what prompts people to go down that road in the first place we would simply end up in a state of eternal conflict. Fortunately we've avoided making the same mistakes as some past government have made. We do have terrorist groups and individuals that we have to deal with, but because we don't treat every incident with a hammer we're able to manage extremists and keep the peace much more effectively."

Ayeka smiled. "I would imagine that you are an integral part of your government's efforts to keep the peace. A man of your skill and character is without a doubt an invaluable soldier."

Heero shook his head. "I may be one of the top agents, but I'm just one part of a larger whole. If I left tomorrow Preventers would carry on just fine without me."

There was something odd about the way he said those words. To Ayeka it sounded almost like he was trying to convince himself of that rather than her.

"Then again," said Heero, almost like he was thinking out loud, "I'm not sure what I'd do outside of my current line of work."

"Sir Heero?" said Ayeka, raising an eyebrow.

The young man shook his head. "It's nothing. Forget I said anything."

It would be impossible for Ayeka to do that, but the least she was capable of was respecting his wishes and refrain from prying… regardless of how badly she wanted to at that moment.

He turned to her. "We should head back. The others are probably wondering what's up by now."

Ayeka nodded reluctantly; she certainly wouldn't have minded staying out on the island with him a little longer, but she would not fight him. "Very well, then. Lead on, Sir Heero."

Her host took a step out onto the nearest stone. Ayeka was about to follow when she felt the faintest hint of… something… behind her.

She looked back and saw nothing but the tree. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the specimen intently. For just a moment there, she could've sworn she'd sensed the same sort of energy as that which flowed within the Royal Trees of Jurai.

It cannot be…

She stared hard at the tree, but she felt nothing. Whatever brief flicker of power she may have sensed must've been strictly within her imagination.

"Ayeka," said Heero, "You okay?"

Ayeka quickly turned back towards him and smiled. "Oh, quite so, Sir Heero! Let's go back!"

How foolish of me, she thought as she slowly followed him across the stepping stones back to shore, Of course that tree is not one from Jurai. How can it be, when I am the first citizen of the Empire to set foot upon this world? Just a silly bit of my imagination, nothing more…

….

October 10th, A.C. 198

The crack of wood hitting wood filled the air as Heero traded blows with Katsuhito. Having just disrupted the shrine keeper's rhythm, the Gundam pilot was now on the attack, raining down blow after blow as fast as he could, determined not to let up and give the old man any breathing room whatsoever.

"Come on, Heero!" he heard Mihoshi cry.

"Kick his ass, Heero!" yelled Ryoko.

"Fight well!" cried Ayeka.

"You can do it!" shouted Sasami.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

In front of him he saw Katsuhito smirk as he fell back under Heero's assault. "Sounds like the ladies are enjoying the show. You'd better not let them down, young man."

"I don't intend to," Heero replied as he brought his bokken down in a hard overhand strike.

Heero was rather surprised that he'd decided to come back to the shrine so quickly. On the surface his excuse had made since; Ryoko may have seen it already, but Ayeka and the others hadn't. After a couple days of getting settled in the time had come to start exploring the area, and what better way to start than by introducing the rest of the girls to their new neighbor? However, Heero couldn't deny the small part of his mind that told him that his reasons were a bit more selfish than simply letting his roommates get to know the area they'd be calling home for the foreseeable future.

I'm no kendo expert, he thought as he fended off a sudden counterattack from the old man, but my combat experience and training is enough to let me hold my own in a fight. Still, even with that I was defeated by this guy. He moves much faster than his age would suggest… he's good.

Heero had some experience with martial artists, with his fellow Gundam pilot Chang Wufei being the most immediate example, but him and the others that Heero had encountered had always been in the prime of their lives. Katsuhito was clearly getting up there in years if the grey hair was any indication, but his moves were still swift, polished, and precise. If age had slowed him down at all Heero couldn't tell; he could only imagine what the shrine keeper had been like in his prime.

That was why Heero had wanted to fight him again. To go up against someone like this, who was clearly a master in his chosen field of martial arts, was an incredibly thrilling experience. Heero did not seek battle for battle's sake, but this was different; there were no lives riding on the line and no political consequences of any kind for victory or defeat. This was simply a sparring match where he could test his skills against someone who not only knew what they were doing but who was also better than him. As far as exercise went, Heero couldn't ask for a better workout.

He was on the defensive now, falling back as Katsuhito took the initiative. Keeping his wooden sword close to his body to intercept attacks while minimizing openings, Heero steadily fell back in an attempt to give himself room to maneuver. The shrine keeper was relentless, with one attack seamlessly flowing right into another. Using traditional blocks, parries, and counters to get out of this situation would not work for Heero, not when the man who was attacking him outclassed him in the art of the sword.

Good thing I can improvise, thought Heero as he deflected another slash, and the old man never said that we were fighting with traditional kendo rules. It's time for me to take advantage of that!

As Katsuhito took another swing Heero ducked and rolled to the right. He then lashed out at the shrine keeper's legs, but Katsuhito surprised him by jumping right over his sword. Still, the move had bought Heero a split-second of breathing room, and he was able to take advantage of that. Coming upright again, the Preventers operative thrust forward at the priest just as the old man's feet were touching the ground again.

Amazingly, the shrine keeper managed to redirect the thrust, and Heero found himself going right past him. Whirling around as fast as he could, Heero was barely able to bring his wooden sword up in time to block a swift slash from Katsuhito. Once again the old man took the offensive, undoing all of Heero's work in the span of just a few seconds.

Heero ducked and rolled again, this time to the left. Instead of attacking the shrine keeper's legs this time Heero brought his bokken up to try to slash Katsuhito across the torso. The priest was still able to block the strike, but Heero was able to quickly make another slash and put the old man on the defensive.

Katsuhito was forced to step back to give himself room to counter, but Heero refused to give him the chance to interrupt his momentum. The Gundam pilot pressed his assault with a vertical strike followed by a diagonal slash, both moves which the shrine keeper blocked but was unable to counter. The old man was steadily falling back, and Heero was determined to keep it that way.

He thrust forward to try to hit the priest in the gut, but his attack was deflected. Heero followed that up with a horizontal slash, but once again Katsuhito blocked the strike. For a second the old man had an opening to go back on the offensive, but to Heero's surprise he didn't take it. The Preventers operative found out why a moment later; as Heero made an overhand strike Katsuhito sidestepped and ducked, making a sweeping kick and knocking the Perfect Soldier right off his feet.

Heero fell right on his back, and as he looked up he saw the shrine keeper standing over him, his wooden sword to the Gundam pilot's throat and a small smile on his face. "Match?"

Heero nodded. "Match."

Katsuhito held out his hand, and Heero accepted it. As the old man pulled him to his feet his small smile became a full grin.

"Very well done!" said the shrine keeper, "You're flexible and quick-thinking, but you really should've considered that if you can play outside the normal rules then so can your opponent."

"I was fully aware of that," Heero replied, "I know that we never agreed on any ground rules beyond 'first hit wins.' You're just too fast."

Katsuhito shook his head. "Actually I would say that you're faster than I am. My advantage would be that I am more experienced in the art of sword fighting than you are, so I'm better able to anticipate your moves… even when you part from traditional swordplay."

Heero nodded. "I see."

"Heero!" cried Ryoko as she and the others came forward, "Are you okay?"

Heero nodded as he dusted himself off. "I'm fine."

"You did quite well, Sir Heero," said Ayeka with a smile.

"You were great!" chirped Mihoshi.

"Yeah!" said Sasami.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

Their approval was nice, but for reasons he could not explain Heero found himself looking at Ryoko. The space pirate gave him a smile and a nod.

"You've got the moves, Heero," she said, "You'll beat him next time!"

Heero couldn't help but chuckle. "We'll see."

"Hopefully sometime soon," said Katsuhito, "It's been quite a while since I've had a good sparring partner. In the meantime, what do you say to some lunch? If you'd like I have some rice balls in my kitchen."

Heero shook his head. "You don't need to feed us. We'll head home for lunch."

Katsuhito smiled. "No, no, it's no imposition at all. Please, I insist. It's the least I can do to thank you for bringing so many lovely young ladies over!"

"Rice balls sound good!" said Sasami.

Mihoshi nodded. "I'm hungry!"

"Meow…" whined Ryo-Ohki.

"A meal would be nice," said Ayeka.

Ryoko shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Heero nodded at Katsuhito. "Looks like I've been outvoted."

"Excellent," said the shrine keeper, "I'll be right back."

As the priest headed off Heero simply dropped his wooden sword and went over to the steps the shrine. Taking a seat, he grabbed a nearby water bottle and took a drink.

When I came out here I didn't think I'd end up as the shrine keeper's workout partner, Heero mused, Still, as far as assignments go this one's pretty nice. I wonder what Wufei would think of the priest… he'd probably have some fun sparring with him too.

Ryoko sat down next to him and smiled. "You looked like you were having fun out there!"

"What gave you that idea?" asked Heero as he took another sip.

Ryoko gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Come on, you don't have to hide it from me! I've gotten to know you pretty well over the past month, Heero. Admit it; you were excited during that fight."

"As much as I hate to agree with Ryoko on anything," said Ayeka, "I do feel that she is on the mark here. Sir Heero, you may not have been smiling during the match, but to me you still did appear to be quite engaged in the contest."

A dark skinned hand ruffled his hair, and Heero looked up to see Mihoshi standing over him with a big smile on her face. "You don't need to hold yourself back, Heero! You're allowed to have some fun just like the rest of us!"

That was surprisingly insightful from the normally hapless space cop. Next to Mihoshi Heero saw Sasami nodding in agreement.

"You need to do things that you enjoy, Heero," said Ayeka's younger sister, "It's good for you!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki from her perch atop Sasami's head.

"Look," said Ryoko, "your bosses may want you to keep an eye on us, but that doesn't mean it just has to be a job for you. We had some fun back when we were in Brussels; no reason why we can't enjoy ourselves out here, and that goes for you too!"

"If something catches your fancy, don't hesitate to tell us!" said Ayeka, nodding enthusiastically, "I understand your desire to do your duty, but please don't feel that you must neglect personal pursuits on our account. Sir Heero, if you have an interest or a hobby that you wish to try then I will do everything I can to encourage and support you in it!"

"Yup!" said Mihoshi, "The rest of us can try stuff with you too! It'll be fun for everyone!"

"Yeah!" Sasami chimed in, "And I'll try hard to think of stuff that we can all do together!"

"Meow! Meow!" Ryo-Ohki sang.

Heero couldn't help but smile at their sincerity. To have so many people genuinely care about him being able to enjoy himself was something he definitely wasn't used to. He knew that Sally and Lady Une had their concerns about him and had tried to encourage him to relax more in their own way, but it was quite unlike the treatment he was getting now. This was completely new to him, but despite the unfamiliarity it was quite refreshing for Heero.

I'm glad Duo's not here right now, he mused, Four women around me, all concerned about me finding something that I enjoy… I'd never hear the end of it.

"Ah, it sounds like you all are enjoying yourselves," said Katsuhito as he approached them, a tray of rice balls in his hands, "Sorry about the delay."

Heero shook his head. "It's fine."

"About time!" said Ryoko, eying the food, "Let's dig in!"

Ayeka shook her head in disdain. "Really, Ryoko, can you not show the slightest bit of decorum and courtesy?"

"Can it, you royal nag," said Ryoko dismissively.

Ayeka stomped her foot on the ground, seething with indignation. "Why, you loathsome cur!"

"Ayeka, stop it!" cried Sasami as she grabbed her older sister's arm.

"Please don't fight!" whimpered Mihoshi as she put her arms around Ryoko, "I want to eat!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

Heero sighed before standing up. "That's enough, all of you! We're guests here, and if you don't cut this out I'll take you all home right now."

Why do I always end up being the adult in the group?, he thought, This is getting ridiculous.

His words and tone seemed to be enough to quell any potential violence. The girls broke apart, with Ryoko and Ayeka folding their arms and glaring at each other but not taking things any further than that.

Katsuhito chuckled as he set the tray down next to Heero. "Quite a feisty bunch of young ladies you have here, Heero. They must be a real handful at home."

You have no idea, he thought, If these girls don't drive me crazy it won't be for lack of trying.

"They keep things… lively," he said after a moment while the girls started grabbing food.

"You mean we keep things fun!" said Ryoko between mouthfuls of rice.

"Atrocious manners…" Ayeka muttered as she took a small bite.

"This is good!" said Mihoshi as she started chowing down.

Sasami nodded. "Thanks a lot, mister!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki with joy as she dug into her meal.

"You're very welcome," Katsuhito replied as he sat down on the steps of the shrine and grabbed a rice ball for himself, "Eat as much as you like."

"Don't mind if I do!" said Ryoko as she chewed.

"So, Mister Katsuhito," said Ayeka, "If you do not mind me asking, how long have you been the caretaker of this temple?"

"Oh, about as long as I can remember, I believe," the priest replied, "The Masaki family has watched over this shrine for many generations. I take my duties to this place quite seriously, and I must say that this sort of life is quite soothing and peaceful."

"What about your sword skills?" asked Heero, "Are those part of a shrine keeper's duties?"

He watched the old man carefully as he smiled and replied. "Oh, no, they're just a hobby of mine. I have to keep in shape somehow."

Hardly a hobby, Heero thought, I'm no expert, but I've been in enough fights to know that this guy's moves are top notch. He probably trained and fought competitively in his earlier days. He must've been something to watch in tournaments.

Heero kept his musings private. If the old man did not want to go into detail on the roots of his skills then Heero would respect that. Given how much of his own past he kept hidden away Heero felt that it would be hypocritical of him to force the priest to go any further into his than he wanted to. It wasn't like Ryoko or any of his other guests, where learning about them was an important part of his responsibilities and determining if they were a threat to the world; the priest was just a friendly neighbor who happened to have an interesting talent.

"I want to try it!" said Mihoshi, "I think fighting with those wooden swords would be fun!"

"Sure," said Ryoko with a smirk, "Right until you fall flat on your face."

"Mihoshi," said Ayeka, "perhaps it would be best if you found a pursuit that did not demand quite as much coordination."

"It looks like it'd take a lot of work," said Sasami, "Mihoshi, you probably wouldn't be able to sleep as much as you do if you train for that."

Mihoshi looked down in disappointment. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Mihoshi with a sword, Heero mused, Even if it's just a wooden one that's an accident waiting to happen…

"I'm sure you can find something else to try out, young lady," said Katsuhito.

Mihoshi nodded and smiled. "Okay."

"Hey, old man," said Ryoko as she finished up a rice ball, "Got a question for you."

Katsuhito smiled. "Go ahead."

Ryoko pointed past the group and off to the side. "What's in that cave over there?"

Heero had been wondering when the pirate would bring that up. While he was curious himself he hadn't been planning on asking the priest about it personally, at least not today. Now that Ryoko had done it though Heero figured he might as well pay attention and see what he could learn.

Katsuhito smiled as he looked where Ryoko was pointing. "Ah, that cave… that is the very reason the Masaki shrine was built."

"What do you mean?" asked Sasami.

"Many centuries ago," said Katsuhito, "legends say that a powerful demon came to this land. Unable to slay it, a local priest instead imprisoned it within that cave. In their gratitude, the local villagers helped the priest construct a new shrine to watch over the cave in the event that the demon might slip free of its prison. That priest was of the Masaki line, and it has been the duty of the Masaki family to have at least one descendant of him watch over this place at all times."

"How strong was this demon?" asked Mihoshi.

"That is hard to say," the shrine keeper replied, "but if it terrified the locals to the extent that the priest would seal it in a cave then it must have been a fearsome demon indeed."

"That's scary!" said Sasami.

"Quite an interesting story," said Ayeka.

"Yeah," said Ryoko.

There was a devious light in the space pirate's amber eyes that did not bode well as far as Heero was concerned. He wasn't sure what Ryoko was thinking, but the Preventers operative was quite sure that whatever she had in mind would likely involve getting into some sort of trouble.

"So what does the demon look like?" asked Mihoshi.

Katsuhito shook his head. "No one knows. There are no paintings or drawings, and the legends do not describe its appearance. We do not even know if it was male or female."

"How strange," said Ayeka, "If it terrorized this whole area then one would think that there might at least be some sort of artistic rendering of the thing."

"Alas, there is not," said Katsuhito.

"Interesting," said Ryoko, smirking as she looked at the cave.

Once again Heero saw that mischievous light in her eyes, and this time she caught him looking. The wing that the lovely pirate sent his way did not make Heero feel any better about it.

She's got something planned, he thought, and that's probably going to mean a headache for me.

"When was the last time someone went in there?" Ryoko asked the priest.

"Not since the demon was sealed away," said Katsuhito, "From that point onward entry into that cave has been strictly forbidden."

"Then how do you know if the demon's still in there?" asked Sasami.

Katsuhito chuckled. "I think that if this demon escaped people would notice rather quickly."

"Perhaps," said Ayeka, "but would it not be prudent to at least check to make sure it remains sealed?"

"It might," Katsuhito replied, "but by the rules laid down by the original founder of this shrine no one may enter the cave. That applies even to me, the current priest. Whether that is wise or not is open to debate, but that is the tradition and the rules that I am bound by."

"But it's not like you can stop everyone who wants to get in there, right?" said Ryoko, her eyes narrowing, "Even you have to sleep, old man, and I'm not seeing anyone else working here."

The shrine keeper smiled. "Yes, that is quite true. However, there are other deterrents within that cave. Legends speak of many traps that were set in there, both to stop people from going in and to keep the demon from escaping."

"All the more reason not to go in there, then," said Ayeka.

"What kind of traps are in there?" asked Sasami.

Katsuhito shook his head. "I do not know. However, I would imagine that they are quite dangerous."

"Only for normal humans, maybe," Heero heard Ryoko mutter.

"That cave gets spookier the more you talk about it," said Mihoshi.

Katsuhito chuckled. "Well, I should hope so. It is not a place to be entered lightly, after all."

"I wholeheartedly agree," said Ayeka.

"Meow," chimed in Ryo-Ohki.

And I see no reason to enter that cave, Heero thought as he looked over at Ryoko again, Still… I've got a bad feeling about this.

….

Ryoko smiled as she passed her plate to Heero. "That was great. Thanks for dinner, Heero!"

Her handsome host nodded as he collected everyone's dishes. "You're welcome."

"I'll help you clean everything!" said Sasami as she got up from her spot on the couch.

"Thanks," said Heero, "I appreciate that, Sasami."

Ryoko watched as the two of them headed over to the kitchen. There was something about how Ayeka's younger sister was always so eager to help Heero that made Ryoko a little suspicious.

She's not trying to make a play for him too, is she?, thought Ryoko, I mean, she looks like a kid, but… well, this is Ayeka's sister, after all. The girl's got to have a bit of deviousness in her somewhere.

After a moment Ryoko shook her head. She was being paranoid, and that definitely wasn't healthy. Sure, she could see how someone might find Sasami to be cute, but Ryoko doubted that the girl was Heero's type. He was a man who needed a more mature and experienced touch, and that was something the pirate knew that she would be quite capable of providing. She was sure that her charms were growing on her host, albeit at a much slower pace than she would've liked. However, that was part of what made Heero such an interesting guy; he wasn't easily ensnared by her womanly wiles. Ryoko had to work to get closer to him, and while she might be lazy more often than not she knew that Heero was definitely a guy who was worth the effort to make her way into his heart and mind.

Ryoko then glanced over at Ayeka. Now there was a woman she might have to worry about when it came to possible romantic rivals. The space pirate wasn't blind; she knew that Ayeka had managed to sneak in a bit of alone time with Heero a few days ago on the island in the middle of the lake. Ayeka played the role of a demure and proper princess quite well, but the royal could be crafty when she wanted to be. The heir to the Juraian throne definitely had her eyes set on Heero, and the crash up in orbit meant that she would now have much more time to make a play for the young man's affections.

At least she's the only one I need to really watch out for, thought Ryoko, I mean, Mihoshi might be cute, but she's also a complete airhead. I can't really see Heero going for her. Sasami's just too much of a kid, so that just leaves Ayeka. I'm doing pretty well when compared to her, though… at least I think I am.

In the romantic cold war that had developed between Ayeka and Ryoko over the course of their campaigns to win Heero's heart, every possible advantage was critical. Ryoko was constantly on the lookout for ways to set herself apart from her rival and to make inroads as far as her host's feelings were concerned, and unlike the princess she was much more willing to make bold plays. It had served her well so far, and Ryoko wanted to make another one soon.

What to do, though? Back in the city there were plenty of options available, but out here in the countryside the possibilities were more limited. Ryoko didn't know the area well enough to really have a grasp on what she could pull off, but there was one bit of information that had lingered in the back of her mind ever since that first visit to the Masaki shrine.

The cave.

A forbidden cavern with traps and possibly, if unlikely, a demon sealed at the end of it? To others that might sound like something to stay away from, but for an adventurous sort like Ryoko who thrived on pushing boundaries and breaking the rules that practically screamed 'come get me!'

Me and Heero in the demon cave, she thought, a sly smile growing on her face, Now that sounds like fun! Of course, Heero might not see it that way right off the bat, so I'm gonna have to force him into it.

A plan quickly formed in her mind, and Ryoko's smile continued to grow. It was simple and straightforward; all she really had to do was wait until Heero finished cleaning with Sasami and came back into the living room.

She looked over at the kitchen as her host and her rival's sister continued washing and drying the dishes. It would probably be just a few more minutes until they were done, but to Ryoko those few minutes would be entirely too long.

….

Ayeka smiled as Heero and Sasami walked back into the living room. "So, Sir Heero, did you have any plans for the evening?"

Heero shook his head. "I was going to check the news, unless you had another idea."

"Oh, not right now," she replied, "I'm quite all right spending the evening here, and brushing up on current events in your world would be most educational."

"Aw," said Mihoshi, "There's a show on right now that I want to watch!"

"You can watch a rerun later," said Sasami, "We're still Heero's guests, so if he wants to watch something he should get to do it.

Mihoshi hung her head. "Okay…"

It was rather amusing to watch her younger sister gently chide the Galaxy Police officer. The blonde cop should've been more mature, but to Ayeka she was anything but. It was still quite hard to picture her as a member of such a prestigious galactic organization.

Ayeka was also not faking her desire to watch the news with Heero. The more she could learn about his world, the better able she would be to hold an intelligent conversation. While Ayeka was more than happy to continue sharing information about Jurai with him, she knew that she could not rely on that as the sole topic of conversation between them. If she wanted to deepen the connection between the she had to show that she was interested in the world he was from as well, especially given just how important his duties were in it.

I'm quite certain Sir Heero does not watch the news for entertainment, she thought, When he observed it at the apartment he seemed quite focused. He must be looking for ways that current events might impact his responsibilities as a peacekeeper.

"It'll just be for a little bit, Mihoshi," said Heero as he sat down and grabbed the remote, "I can change it over to your show later."

Mihoshi smiled at him. "Aw, thanks Heero!"

"That's rather generous of him," Azaka commented.

"Well, Sir Heero has proven to be quite a gracious host," Kamidake chimed in.

Indeed, thought Ayeka with a smile, and when mother and father eventually learn of the great courtesy and kindness Sir Heero has shown Sasami and I they will undoubtedly wish to reward him. Oh, but how can one put a price on his generosity?

Ayeka knew that Heero wasn't asking for any sort of compensation from her or the others, but she wanted to find some way to repay him that went beyond mere verbal expressions of gratitude. He deserved much more than that for all the trouble that he had gone through on her behalf.

She shook her head. There was no need to worry about such things right at this moment. She would have plenty of time to think of some way to reward her host beyond simple platitudes. For now it was enough to simply sit beside him and enjoy a relaxing evening.

At least, it would have been enough were it not for the woman sitting on the other side of Heero. Ryoko's eyes had narrowed as Heero had taken his seat between the two of them, and Ayeka did not like the look in them.

What the devil is she planning now?, she silently fumed, It's one foul scheme after another with this witch, I swear!

"Really?" Ryoko pouted, "You want to spend the rest of the night watching the news? Come on, Heero; there's something much better we can do to pass the time!"

Heero shook his head. "I think we had enough excitement at the shrine earlier."

"You mean you did," said Ryoko, "You got to fight the old man again while the rest of us watched. I think it's our turn to have some fun now!"

"Our turn or yours?" said Ayeka, scowling at her rival, "You're hardly the generous type, Ryoko!"

Ryoko put her hands over her heart. "Ayeka, that hurts! I only want to help Heero enjoy the evening, and you have to go and say such cruel things!"

This was ruse Ayeka was well accustomed to from Ryoko by now, and she refused to buy into her faux-wounded feelings. "They are simply a statement of fact! The only person you have any bit of generosity for is yourself, Ryoko!"

"Ayeka, stop it!" cried Sasami, "There's no need for you two to fight!"

"Yeah…" said Mihoshi nervously, "We… we should all enjoy the TV right now, not argue!"

"This could be bad," said Azaka.

"It always is with these two," said Kamidake, "I do wish Princess Ayeka could be as gentle as Princess Sasami!"

Ayeka paid her guardians no mind; her fierce gaze was locked on Ryoko. "Out with it, Ryoko! What are you planning?"

"Planning?" said Ryoko in that fake shock that Ayeka so loathed about her, "Really, Ayeka, why do you have to be so paranoid?"

"I'm not paranoid if I'm correct," Ayeka quipped.

Ryoko completely brushed her off, her eyes focusing on Heero. "Come on, Heero; you need to get out of here. Staying around Ayeka's negativity isn't healthy."

"I don't plan on going anywhere tonight," said Heero, "and don't act as though you're not playing a part in this, Ryoko."

"Heero, don't be like that!" cried Ryoko, "I'm only thinking of you! I've thought of something really fun that we could do together tonight!"

"What would that be?" asked Heero, his gaze still on the TV.

Ryoko smiled. "The cave."

Damn that woman, thought Ayeka, I knew that she would hatch something foul!

"No!" cried Mihoshi, "That priest said that it was forbidden!"

"She's right," Sasami scolded, "We can't go in there, Ryoko!"

"I don't see a reason why we should," said Heero, "The shrine keeper's duty is to keep people out of there, and while I doubt there's really a demon in that cave I have no desire to intrude upon Masaki's responsibilities."

Ayeka nodded. "A most sensible attitude, Sir Heero."

"Come on, Heero!" said Ryoko as she put her arm around him, "Don't tell me you're not the slightest bit curious about that cave! The traps, the legend… it's exciting and you know it!"

"A cave?" said Azaka, "What is this about?"

"Why do we always seem to miss out on the good stuff?" asked Kamidake.

"My feelings about the cave are irrelevant," said Heero firmly, "I have no intention of causing trouble for the shrine keeper."

"Who said anything about causing trouble for the guy?" Ryoko replied, "He's probably asleep by now anyway. All I want to do is just sneak into the cave and look around. There's no harm in that, right?"

"Perhaps," said Heero, "but it would still be rude, and after the hospitality he's shown us I have no intention of trespassing on his grounds."

Ryoko sighed and shook her head, but to Ayeka she did not look defeated. "Well, I tried to sweet talk you into it. Guess you're gonna make me do this the hard way, huh?"

Ayeka's eyes narrowed. Now what was that tramp going to do?

Her question was answered a moment later when Ryoko threw her arms around Heero. That action alone was enough to get Ayeka angry, but her fury and indignation went through the roof when she saw Ryoko begin to float up off the couch, taking Heero with her.

"Ryoko, what are you doing?" cried Mihoshi.

"Cut it out, Ryoko," said Heero, his voice surprisingly calm given the circumstances.

Ryoko shook her head and smiled as she took Heero up into the air. "Nope! I'm going to make you have some fun even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming, Heero!"

"That's enough, Ryoko," said Heero firmly, but while he struggled within her grip Ryoko would not release him.

She's too strong, even for Sir Heero, Ayeka thought, I should know that better than most, given how many times we've fought in the past. Her physical strength is quite formidable.

"Release Sir Heero at once!" Ayeka snarled, the air around her crackling with energy.

"Ryoko, let him go!" cried Sasami.

"What shall we do?" asked Azaka.

"Princess Ayeka, shall we attack?" asked Kamidake.

Ayeka wanted to give exactly that order, but since Ryoko was holding Heero there was a very good chance that he would be struck as well. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth at the realization that there was nothing she could do.

"Ryoko!" screamed Ayeka.

"Later, losers!" the pirate sneered, sticking her tongue out at Ayeka and the others before phasing through the window with Heero and flying off into the distance.

"Oh, no!" cried Sasami, "She's taking him to the cave!"

"What do we do?" asked Mihoshi.

"Well, isn't that obvious?" said Ayeka, glaring out the window, "After her!"

….

There was no point in fighting Ryoko now; they were too high up in the air. That didn't stop Heero from narrowing his eyes as he looked at the woman who held him.

Ryoko smiled at him. "Hey, you're not still sore about me grabbing you like this, are you?"

"What do you think?" Heero replied.

"Lighten up, Heero!" said Ryoko, "I know you're better than this!"

"I think my reaction's perfectly reasonable," said Heero, "I did tell you that I didn't want to go to the cave, after all."

"I heard you just fine," said Ryoko with a smirk, "but you need to be a bit more adventurous, Heero. I know you've got that within you; I just need to help you see it."

Whether I like it or not, apparently, Heero mused, If Duo could see me like this he'd never let me hear the end of it…

Despite his situation a part of Heero couldn't help but be amazed with how Ryoko had managed to keep a hold of him back inside the house. Her grip was inhumanly strong; her feminine appearance was a perfect disguise for her incredible physical power, let alone her other abilities. In terms of pure strength Heero was willing to admit that Ryoko had him decisively beat.

"Why do you suddenly want to go into this cave so badly?" asked Heero.

Ryoko winked at him. "You know me, Heero; if someone says going somewhere is forbidden then I got to check it out!"

Heero shook his head, half frustrated and half amused. "That does sound like you."

"Trust me," said Ryoko as the evening breeze blew through her hair, "you'll have fun, and the shrine keeper will be none the wiser."

Heero sighed. "I suppose it's too late to back out now. If I tried to run once we reach the ground you'd just grab me again, wouldn't you?"

Ryoko grinned. "Yup! You're fast, Heero, but you can't fly. There's no escaping me!"

"All right," said Heero, "I'll play along, but we keep this quiet and we don't disturb anything in the cave, okay?"

Ryoko winked. "No sweat. The priest is probably out like a light right now; you know how old people are. We'll check the place out and the old man will be none the wiser."

Heero nodded. "In that case do you mind setting us down?"

"We're almost there," Ryoko replied, and he was a bit surprised by how sincere her smile had become, "I'll never let you fall, Heero, so don't worry."

"All right," said Heero.

Her words actually were reassuring, and despite the fact that she had basically kidnapped him mere minutes ago Heero trusted her. Ryoko was wild and impulsive, but one thing that she had definitely proven to Heero since the day that they'd met was that she really did care about him and didn't want any harm to come to him.

"You know," he said, "Ayeka's not going to take this lying down. She's probably chasing after us on foot right now."

Ryoko smirked. "Yeah, but she's got to climb all those stairs. We get to skip that part!"

"True," said Heero.

Ryoko nodded, and Heero saw that she was looking past him. "All right, there's the cave. Going down!"

Heero had no choice but to hold on tight as Ryoko went into a dive. Her grip on him remained strong and Heero knew that he wasn't in any real danger, but it was still a little unnerving to be descending like this without a parachute.

He shifted his gaze towards the shrine. All seemed quiet down there. There were no candles lit at the temple or any sort of light coming from Katsuhito's home; it looked like the old man had decided to call it a night.

Looks like we caught a lucky break, he thought, If fortune stays with us we can hopefully keep this little adventure under wraps. Then again, if luck was on my side then I probably wouldn't be caught up in Ryoko's scheme in the first place…

They touched down a few seconds later, much to Heero's relief. It felt good to have both feet on solid ground again, but he wasn't given much time to appreciate that; Ryoko had already grabbed his arm and was pulling him towards the entrance to the cave.

"Come on!" she said, her voice an excited whisper, "Let's do this!"

"Calm down," Heero admonished her, "We need to be careful about this."

"Relax," said Ryoko, "It's just a cave."

"Caves can be dangerous," Heero replied as they approached the entrance, "They're not to be taken lightly."

"How bad can it be?" asked Ryoko.

"Depends," said Heero, "The shrine keeper did say that this one had traps in it."

Ryoko shook her head. "Do you really believe that? I bet he just made it up as part of the legends about the cave and the demon."

"Legend or not, we still need to be on our guard," said Heero, "Even without manmade traps a cave can be a hazardous environment. We could get lost or trigger a cave-in if we're not cautious."

Ryoko smiled and put her arm around him. "Aw, are you nervous, Heero? Don't worry; I'll take care of you!"

Heero shook his head and shrugged off her arm. "That's not it. I just have a realistic appreciation of potential danger, unlike you."

Ryoko smirked. "Hey, a little bit of danger's part of the fun!"

"Perhaps, but it's nice when you can at least see that danger coming," said Heero as the two of them came to a stop at the mouth of the cave, "It's pitch black in there, and you didn't exactly give me time to grab a flashlight."

Ryoko grinned. "No worries. I got this."

Before Heero could ask what she had in mind she answered his question by holding out her right hand and clenching it into a fist. A shaft of crimson energy ignited, and Heero realized that this was the energy sword she'd mentioned to him a month ago after Mihoshi had crash landed at Lake Genval. The red light of the blade was more than enough to illuminate the surrounding walls of the cave and a few meters ahead of them.

"See?" said Ryoko, "I got your light right here. Just don't touch it and you'll be fine."

Heero nodded. "All right. Lead the way."

The two of them proceeded to enter the cave. Their shadows danced on the walls in the crimson light of Ryoko's energy blade, and Heero found the experience to be rather surreal. The rock looked to be rather plain, although Heero wasn't exactly an expert geologist. He kept his eyes open for bats, but apart from him and Ryoko there didn't appear to be any signs of life in the cave so far.

"How far back do you think this goes?" she wondered aloud.

"Only one way to find out," said Heero.

Ryoko smiled. "Now that's more like it! I knew you'd get into the right attitude for this sooner or later."

"Stay focused," Heero chided her.

He hoped that she would heed his words. There was something about the cave that was giving Heero a bad vibe. The floor seemed too smooth, and so did the walls. It made their progress easier, but for some reason Heero could not name it felt rather off.

If the locals and the priests of the past really did fear this cave, he thought, wouldn't they have taken measures to impede progress? The old man spoke of traps, and while Ryoko might dismiss that possibility I'm not ruling it out…

His gaze wandering towards the floor, Heero's eyes narrowed as he studied a patch of rock in front of Ryoko. Like the rest of the floor it was quite smooth, but it was just a bit darker than the surrounding area… and it had a very faint, almost invisible outline.

"Ryoko, stop!" he ordered.

It was just a split second too late; her foot stepped on that patch of rock, and it sank down a few centimeters. A second later camouflaged slots on the walls behind and in front of Heero and Ryoko opened up, and out of them shot two wooden grids that formed an instant cage.

"Whoa!" said Ryoko, her eyes widening, "I guess the old man wasn't kidding about the traps!"

"Yeah," said Heero as he leaned forward to study the barrier in front of them.

Pushing on it with his hands, he then backed up a bit before giving the barrier a good kick. The wooden grid shuddered but held. However, as Heero leaned forward again he saw that several cracks had appeared in the frame around where his foot had hit it.

"It's not that strong," he said, "Give me a few minutes and I should be able to break through it."

Ryoko grinned as she held their improvised light source over her head. "I can do it faster than that. Step back, Heero!"

Heero gave her as much space as the confines of the cage would allow, and as soon as Ryoko had the clearance she took a swing with her energy sword. The crimson shaft burned right through the wood, cleanly cutting the barrier in half.

"There," she said as she hopped over the lower half before turning back towards Heero, "Piece of cake."

"Don't get cocky," he said as he joined her on the other side, "I doubt this is the last obstacle we'll face in here."

Ryoko laughed. "Bring it on!"

Apparently the cave had accepted Ryoko's challenge, because just a handful of meters passed before they somehow triggered another trap. There was a loud rumbling, and as Heero and Ryoko looked up they were shocked to see the ceiling open up and a large round boulder came rolling at them.

"You've got to be kidding me," Heero growled as he started backing up.

"Hah!" Ryoko sneered as a ball of crimson energy appeared in her left hand, "Take this!"

The red sphere flew forth and hit the heavy stone ball dead center. The boulder shattered into a thousand pieces, with Heero raising his arms and closing his eyes to protect himself from shrapnel.

"Come on!" Ryoko shouted at the cave, "Is that all you've got?"

"Glad to see you're having fun," Heero deadpanned as he brushed some rock chips and dust from his shoulders.

"Oh, yeah!" said Ryoko with a grin, "I can't wait to see what else we find in here!"

With that they ventured deeper into the cave, and it turned out that the cavern had quite a few surprises left in store for them. Trap holes, concealed dart shooters, a tar pit, a swarm of angry bats… were it not for Ryoko's powers their progress would've been much slower.

After what felt like an eternity but was probably no more than an hour or so Heero spotted a strange green glow up ahead. "What's that?"

"Beats me," Ryoko replied, "Let's go check it out!"

Where does she get that energy from?, Heero thought, How she's still so enthusiastic about this whole expedition I haven't got a clue…

They continued towards the mysterious emerald light, and before long they emerged in a large circular chamber. Several spires of what looked to be green crystal were arrayed around a much taller and thicker chunk of the emerald material. The central spire looked to be around four or five meters tall and at least a meter thick at the base. Patterns of circles interconnected by spokes were carved into the floor like many bicycle wheels stacked atop each other. A rope was wrapped around it, and tied to it were several white tassels that Heero recognized as traditional Shinto trappings. The light in the chamber seemed to emanate from it, and Heero was at a loss as to explain how it was giving off such a glow. They didn't even need Ryoko's energy sword to serve as illumination any more, a point illustrated by the lovely pirate extinguishing the blade a few seconds after they'd entered the room.

Ryoko whistled. "Well… didn't see this coming."

Heero nodded. "That makes two of us."

"What the hell's that giant rock in the middle?" asked Ryoko, "Do you think that's where the demon's supposed to be?"

"I don't know," Heero replied, "I'm still trying to figure out how it's giving off so much light."

"Yeah," said Ryoko, "that is pretty weird."

Taking a few steps closer, Heero realized that there was a faint outline of… something within the crystal of the main spire. It was little more than a faint, ovoid shadow, but it was there all the same. It looked to be about as large as a person.

"Hey," he said, "are you seeing this?"

Ryoko nodded. "If you mean that blur inside the rock, then yeah. Glad it wasn't just me."

Approaching cautiously, Heero put his right hand on the spire. Nothing happened physically, but Heero felt a strange presence the moment his palm made contact with the rock. It was as if whatever was inside the crystal had just the faintest bit of awareness, enough to possibly know that it had company but no more than that.

What the hell is this?, he thought, The old man… that legend couldn't possibly be true…

As he studied the rock he felt a familiar pair of arms reach around him and squeeze his chest. At the same time he could also feel the prominent chest of his companion press against his back.

"Hey, Heero?" Ryoko whispered in his ear, "Want to have some real fun?"

Heero sighed. "Ryoko, this isn't the time for your games."

Ryoko chuckled, and Heero felt his heartbeat quicken ever so slightly as her breath brushed over his ear like a soft, warm, and sensual breeze. "Why not? It's just us here, after all. You've entertained me so far with this little adventure; why not take things a bit further?"

He was saved from answering by a familiar and furious female voice. "Unhand Sir Heero at once, you fiend!"

The two of them turned around to see not just Ayeka but Mihoshi, Sasami, Azaka and Kamidake all in the entrance to the chamber. The girls looked a bit battered but otherwise in good shape, while the two royal guardians seemed to have taken a few dings and scratches on the way in. Ryo-Ohki was there as well, perched as usual atop Sasami's head.

"Damn it," he heard Ryoko mutter, "They caught up a lot faster than I thought they would."

"Sir Heero!" cried Ayeka as she rushed forward, "Are you all right?"

Heero nodded. "I'm fine. There's no need to worry."

"I'm glad that you're okay!" said Mihoshi as she and the others came up behind Ayeka.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"Yeah!" said Sasami, "None of those traps hurt you?"

Heero shook his head. "No, although it wasn't for lack of trying on their part."

"I'm impressed, Sir Heero," said Azaka, "Considering that Ryoko kidnapped you and forced you into this cave you appear to be in remarkably good shape."

"And quite calm," said Kamidake, "It would appear that Princess Ayeka's fears were groundless."

"I will be the judge of that!" Ayeka snapped at her guardians before turning back to Heero and Ryoko.

The princess gave the pirate a withering glare. "I simply cannot believe you, Ryoko! Do you think so little of Sir Heero's hospitality that you would stoop so low as to kidnap him for your amusement? You truly are the lowest of the low!"

Ryoko folded her arms. "Can it, you royal bitch! I'll have you know that Heero agreed to this once we were out of the house!"

"Under duress, I'm sure," Ayeka shot back, "You could have gotten him killed in any one of the foul traps in this cave!"

"I'm a bit surprised that you and the others made it through them as fast as you did," said Heero, "Ayeka, are you okay?"

Ayeka turned to him and smiled. "Oh, quite so, at least now that I know that you're safe, Sir Heero! Our path through this cave was treacherous, but the thought of physical harm could never deter my efforts to rescue you!"

"He doesn't need rescuing," said Ryoko, "You're just jealous because I was getting some alone time with him!"

Heero saw Ayeka's face flush deep red at that. "Jealous? Me? Hardly! I was simply concerned for his safety, and I had good reason to be so given that you abducted him!"

"But Heero said that he was okay," Mihoshi chimed in, trying to defuse tensions, "Isn't that all that matters now?"

"Mihoshi's right," said Sasami with a smile, "We found Heero and he's not hurt! Everything's all right."

"Meow, meow!" chirped Ryo-Ohki as she nodded in agreement.

"All's well that ends well," said Kamidake.

"Yes," said Azaka, "There's no need to have a fight here."

Ayeka shook her head, glaring furiously at Ryoko. "While I am most relieved at Sir Heero's safety, I'm afraid that Ryoko's actions cannot go unanswered! She's gone too far this time!"

Ryoko smirked. "Oh, yeah? What are you going to do about it, Ayeka?"

"Something I should've done a long time ago," Ayeka growled, and Heero felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as the air around the princess crackled with energy, "I'm going to beat you into submission and penitence!"

Heero saw Ryoko brace herself for action, crimson sparks emanating from her hands. "Hah! I'd like to see you try!"

"That's enough, you two!" said Heero, his voice hard and firm, "Stand down right now!"

Unfortunately his words were not enough to get either of the two ladies to back down. Ayeka's face was one of wrath and determination, and Ryoko looked focused and excited at the chance to fight her rival.

Damn it, he thought as he looked back and forth between the two women, What am I supposed to do if I can't talk them down?

"Ayeka…" Sasami began.

"Stay back, Sasami!" Ayeka cut her off, her gaze fixed on Ryoko, "This time I'll put that wench in her place!"

"Ryoko!" cried Mihoshi, "Don't do this!"

"Too late, Mihoshi," said Ryoko, "You'd better keep your distance unless you want to get caught in the crossfire."

"Princess Ayeka," said Azaka, "Can we be of assistance?"

"We're ready to fight at your command!" said Kamidake.

Ayeka shook her head. "No, I forbid you from interfering! I will defeat Ryoko alone!"

Ryoko chuckled. "Leaving your bodyguards on the sidelines, huh? You're gonna regret that, Ayeka!"

Ayeka stared daggers at the pirate as several small cylinders appeared around her, sparks of energy flying among them. "Hardly. Before this is over I will see you kneeling before me, humbled by the power of Jurai that flows through me!"

Heero backed up as the two women faced off. He had no idea how to stop them now, and compared to their raw power he knew that he was completely outmatched. He looked around furiously to try to find something in the chamber that might give him an edge, but nothing stood out to him apart from the central crystal spire than was illuminating the room.

His eyes narrowed as he saw the light emanating from the central spire begin to pulse. It was subtle, and since the others were focused on the impending clash between Ryoko and Ayeka he doubted any of them noticed it, but it was there all the same. Was it responding to the energy that was about to be unleashed by the two alien beauties?

I don't like this, he thought as he looked back and forth between the crystal and the two women he was supposed to be keeping under control, I have no idea what's inside that spire… or what might happen if Ryoko and Ayeka damage it.

"Ryoko! Ayeka!" he shouted, "That's enough! Back down now!"

Ryoko shook her head. "Sorry, Heero. Hate to cause too much trouble for you, but I'm not backing down here!"

"Nor am I!" said Ayeka, "I sincerely apologize, Sir Heero, but I cannot allow Ryoko's actions to go unpunished!"

"Punish this!" yelled Ryoko as she let fly with a ball of crimson energy.

The swarm of small cylinders surrounding Ayeka coursed with lightening, and a barrier immediately engulfed the princess and blocked the attack. Ayeka grinned, but it was hardly a happy smile; she looked more like a tigress barring her fangs just before she pounced.

"You'll have to do better than that, Ryoko!" she snarled.

Ryoko grinned. "Hah! You asked for it!"

Now spheres of crimson energy glowed in both of Ryoko's hands, and she launched them both at Ayeka. It wasn't just that pair of red balls either; the space pirate let fly with a rapid fire barrage.

The rain of crimson fury pounded Ayeka's barrier, but it held strong. More to the point, Ayeka didn't look the least bit concerned. Quite the contrary; her smile only grew as the bombardment continued.

"Quantity over quality?" she mocked, "That is so typical of you, Ryoko. That might work on the incompetents of the Galaxy Police, but you couldn't defeat me with it in a thousand years!"

Suddenly a swarm of small cylinders appeared in the air around Ryoko. Heero only had a split second to spot them before lighting shot forth from them and engulfed the pirate. Her barrage ceased and she cried out in pain.

"Aaagh!" she screamed, "Damn it, you bitch!"

Ayeka cackled like a witch. "Serves you right, you foul tramp! This is what you get for defying the heir to the imperial throne! I will make you suffer for your insolence!"

Ayeka's face had become a rather cruel sneer, and Heero was rather taken aback by the transformation. He never would've guessed before now, but apparently Ayeka had something of a sadistic streak when her anger burned hot enough.

As much as Heero wanted to avoid taking sides in this fight though, he couldn't stand by and let Ayeka torture Ryoko. However, before he could even attempt to intervene he was surprised to see the trapped pirate suddenly smirk.

"Suffer?" said Ryoko, "Please. If you're counting on this to beat me then you're in for a world of hurt!"

Her entire body suddenly glowed in crimson energy, and her scarlet sword sprang to life in her right hand. With a snarl Ryoko took a mighty swing and ripped through several of the small cylinders that were zapping her. A burst of energy a split second later that flew out from her like a shockwave annihilated the rest.

Ayeka's eyes widened in shock. "That's not possible… you should've been completely immobilized by the pain!"

"Sorry, you royal brat," said Ryoko with a fierce smile, "but I'm a lot tougher than you think I am! Why don't I give you a demonstration?"

I have a bad feeling about this, thought Heero warily.

Glancing over at the others, he saw that Mihoshi had grabbed her pistol and had it pointed in the general direction of the two combatants, but her uncertainty was clear in her expression and Heero highly doubted that she'd be able to fire on either of them. Sasami just looked despondent, and Azaka and Kamidake were as inscrutable as only artificial guardians could be. Heero was at least relieved that the four of them hadn't gotten caught in the crossfire so far, but the fight was far from over.

Turning back to the fight, Heero was surprised to see that Ryoko had floated up to the top of the central spire. She was now straddling the massive stone, and Heero didn't like the way that she was smiling at it.

Even Ayeka looked a bit nervous. "What are you doing up there?"

Ryoko chuckled as she shot a devious smirk at the princess. "Easy. I'm going to show you just how outclassed you really are, Ayeka!"

Then she reached down to grab the spire. Her body glowed with a crimson aura, and Heero saw her brow furrow in concentration. She grit her teeth, and Heero was shocked to see that the huge chunk of crystal was starting to shake.

She can't seriously be trying to uproot it, Heero thought, She can't be that strong.

It looked like Ryoko was determined to prove that thought wrong. Violent tremors coursed through the spire as Ryoko pulled, and they were starting to reverberate across the rest of the chamber. The shaking grew worse with each passing second, and Heero was amazed to see the crystal actually slowly begin to rise.

"No way…" said Ayeka softly, her eyes widening.

"Unbelievable!" cried Sasami.

Atop her head, Ryo-Ohki looked rather nervous. "Meow…"

"Ryoko!" shouted Mihoshi as she shakily aimed her gun at the pirate, "P-put that down right n-now!"

"I have the distinct feeling that Ryoko will not abide by that order," Azaka commented.

"Should we try to stop her?" asked Kamidake.

"The Princess has forbidden us to get involved," Azaka replied, "Until she states otherwise we cannot intervene."

I don't think she's going to do that, Heero mused, She seems way too proud to call on her guardians to help her in the middle of a duel with her rival.

He saw Ryoko grin as she pulled the huge chunk of crystal further out of the floor. "You'd better pray that your barriers are as strong as you think they are, Ayeka… either that or start running!"

"You're insane!" cried Ayeka, with more than a hint of fear in her voice, "Put that thing down at once! You could cause this entire chamber to collapse!"

"If you're scared then why don't you just give up and run away?" Ryoko taunted, "Don't worry, I won't brag too much about how I sent you packing!"

She then looked back down at the spire she was holding, her expression turning into a grimace as she continued to lift it. "Come on, you big son of a bitch, get out of there!"

The massive rock rose still further and the vibrations began to get worse. His eyes narrowing, Heero could spot cracks starting to appear on the surface of the crystal, and that subtle pulsing light from before had suddenly become much more visible. He felt the floor tremble beneath his feet, and Heero realized that Ayeka's fears might very well be right on the money.

"Ryoko!" he shouted, "Drop that spire now!"

Ryoko shook her head as she continued to pull. "Sorry, no can do, Heero! Unless you can talk Ayeka into surrendering then I'm going to give her what she's got coming!"

"Ryoko, you have to stop!" cried Sasami, "Please!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki, sounding about as alarmed as a creature like her could.

"Ryoko!" yelled Mihoshi, "Put that down or I'll have to shoot!"

Ryoko laughed. "Please, we both know that little popgun of yours can't hurt me, Mihoshi!"

"I-I'm not joking, Ryoko!" Mihoshi stammered, "This is your last warning!"

"Then you'd better hurry," Ryoko taunted her, "because I've almost got this thing out!"

She was right; Ryoko was able to lift it much faster now, and Heero was sure that it would be just a matter of moments before the crystal completely cleared the floor. The chamber was trembling so badly it might as well have been in the middle of an earthquake now, and the pulsing light and growing cracks in the spire were impossible to miss.

With one final, mighty heave Ryoko was at last able to completely free the crystal spire from the chamber floor. For a moment Heero could see a triumphant grin on her face, but that quickly transformed into surprise and confusion as the lovely pirate finally spotted the rapidly growing cracks and the ever brightening pulsing light coming from what she was holding.

"Uh-oh," she said, "I, uh… that wasn't me, right?"

"Who else could possibly have caused that, you fool?" shouted Ayeka.

"Ryoko, drop it now!" yelled Heero.

"Please!" cried Sasami, "Do it before something bad happens!"

"This looks pretty bad already!" cried Mihoshi.

"Meow!" Ryo-Ohki practically howled at her master.

That decision was made with no input from Ryoko; the huge chunk of rock was shaking so badly now that the pirate had no choice but to release it. Unfortunately it wasn't enough for her to simply let it go; Ryoko panicked and flung it at the wall, where it impacted quite violently with a huge crash and made a large indentation.

Great, thought Heero, That was the last thing we needed.

"That did not look good," said Azaka.

"Indeed," chirped Kamidake.

"You idiot!" shrieked Ayeka, "Are you trying to bring this cave down upon our heads?"

"Why did you do that?" cried Mihoshi.

"Hey!" shouted Ryoko, "You're the ones who wanted me to drop it! Quit whining!"

"Oh, no!" cried Sasami, pointing, "Look at it!"

Heero's eyes had never left the crystal, and it was a good thing that he was so focused on it. Even after Ryoko had released it the rock's vibrations had only continued and had now built up to a fever pitch. The entire chamber was shaking violently in response, and the light was pulsing so brightly now that it wouldn't look out of place at a rave.

No, thought Heero, don't tell me…

Sure enough, the crystal shattered. The rock crumbled, but the green light never faded. In fact, it now rose from the wall and hovered over the floor as an orb a little larger than a person. At the same time the tremors that were shaking the cave continued, and Heero could now see cracks forming in the walls, the floor, and the ceiling.

"We need to get out of here!" he shouted, "Now!"

He was relieved to see Ryoko nod, and the pirate flew right at him. "Don't need to tell me twice!"

Before Heero could react Ryoko had practically tackled and grabbed him before lifting him up off the ground and flying towards the exit. "Let's go!"

"Hey!" cried Ayeka, "Wait for us!"

"Run!" yelled Mihoshi.

"Hurry!" cried Sasami.

Heero had no choice but to hold on tight as Ryoko zipped through the cave at lightning speed while the others ran behind her. Looking over Ryoko's shoulder Heero could see the green ball of light following them, and the cave was starting to collapse in the background.

"Damn it," he said, "This place is falling apart."

"Hang on, Heero!" said Ryoko, flashing him a confident smile, "I'll get us out of here!"

"You'd better," Heero replied, "because if we die in here I'm going to haunt you."

"Don't forget about us," said Azaka, his voice surprisingly calm given the circumstances.

"If we're destroyed in here we'll be abject failures as guardians of the Princess," said Kamidake.

The two cylindrical guardians were actually hovering along at a pretty decent clip. Heero was sure that they could outpace Ayeka and the others that were stuck with running on foot, but they appeared to be limiting their speed in order to stay with the two princesses.

"Good thing we cleared all those traps earlier," said Ryoko, "Otherwise this would be a lot harder!"

"Like things aren't bad enough as it is," Heero deadpanned as Ryoko dodged a chunk of rock falling from the ceiling.

"Hey," Ryoko pouted, "how was I supposed to know that lifting up that crystal would cause the cave to start collapsing?"

"Ignorance is not an excuse," Heero replied, "You were holding that thing, so you should've noticed much sooner what was happening while you were lifting it. If you'd put it down sooner we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Chew me out after we get out of here!" yelled Ryoko.

"Believe me, I plan on it," said Heero.

Looking back, Heero was relieved to see that Ayeka and the others were still in one piece. However, he was concerned that the floating green ball of light was still in pursuit and showed no signs of giving up.

"I might have to hold off on chewing you out," said Heero, "Whatever that light is might be a problem."

"What do you want me to do?" asked Ryoko as she evaded a series of falling rocks.

"If it's hostile, fight it," Heero replied, "Beyond that I have no idea."

Ryoko nodded. "We'll see what happens."

"Works for me," said Heero, "If we get out of here alive."

Ryoko smiled. "Don't worry, we will."

Her confidence was reassuring, and when combined with her power it seemed reasonable. Of course, her overconfidence and her power had helped kick off this whole mess to begin with.

He saw Ryoko nod again. "There's the exit. We're almost there!"

Heero nodded. "Hurry."

"Hold on tight!" yelled Ryoko as she sped up for the home stretch.

"Wait for us, you fiend!" he heard Ayeka shout in the background.

"Come on!" cried Sasami, "We can make it!"

"Meow!" shrieked Ryo-Ohki.

"I don't want to die in here!" screamed Mihoshi.

A few seconds later Heero felt a rush of fresh air as Ryoko flew out of the cave. She carried him a few meters beyond the exit before she landed and set him down. It felt very good to have solid ground beneath his feet again.

Ryoko grinned at him. "Whew! How's that for a rush?"

"It was one that I could've done without," said Heero as he looked at the cave entrance, waiting for the others to escape.

He was relieved to see Ayeka and the others not too far from the entrance now. Apart from a few scuffs and bruises they all appeared to be okay. He couldn't see the green ball of light that had been pursuing them earlier; had it given up or been extinguished by falling rocks?

He had no time to ponder the matter further thanks to Ryoko. "Uhm, Heero? We got company."

Turning around, Heero saw none other than Katsuhito. The shrine keeper was looking at them with his arms folded, but to Heero's surprise he looked incredibly calm given that he and Ryoko had just come out of a cave that they weren't supposed to be in to begin with. In fact, he seemed to look almost amused at the whole spectacle.

"Well, now," he said with a smile, "You two are out late. Seems you've had a rather interesting adventure, haven't you?"

Heero looked at Ryoko, and the pirate shrugged at him. Cleary the ball was in his court.

However, before Heero could even think of what to say to the old man Ayeka and the others came rushing out of the cave. No sooner had Ayeka and Sasami stopped to catch their breaths when Mihoshi barreled right into them and knocked them to the ground.

"Ow!" cried Sasami, "Mihoshi!"

"Watch where you're going, woman!" yelled Ayeka, "Seriously, as if that cave weren't bad enough…"

"Meow…" groaned Ryo-Ohki, who had the misfortune of being underneath Ayeka.

As the three ladies and the cat-rabbit worked to untangle themselves from each other Heero saw Azaka and Kamidake floating out of the cave. That presented a whole new set of problems. It was bad enough that Heero had to try to find some way to explain this whole incident to the shrine keeper, but trying to find a way to mask Azaka and Kamidake's true nature and by extension that of his guests was going to be a tall order considering that they were hovering right in front of Katsuhito.

I just exposed my neighbor to the secret that Preventers has been trying to keep ever since these girls showed up, he thought, Lady Une will go through the roof when she hears about this…

"Are you all doing okay?" asked the priest, "It would seem that you've had a rough time of it."

Heero was taken aback by the shrine keeper's concern. Given that he and the others had just come out of a cave that Katsuhito was sworn to guard and keep others from entering the Preventers operative had figured that the old man would be furious, but Heero couldn't detect so much as a hint of anger in the priest.

Not knowing what else to do, Heero simply nodded. "I think we're all okay."

"Yeah," said Ryoko, who was clearly trying quite hard not to smile; apparently she still hadn't come off of the adrenaline rush she'd gotten from flying out of the cave with Heero in her arms.

"I believe so," said Ayeka as she stood up.

"Uh-huh," said Sasami before turning to her furry companion, "Are you okay, Ryo-Ohki?"

The cat-rabbit nodded. "Meow, meow!"

"We're alive!" said Mihoshi triumphantly.

"It would appear that the worst is behind us," said Azaka.

"Thank goodness!" Kamidake chirped, "We were in real trouble there for a moment, weren't we?"

Damn it, thought Heero, those two just had to start talking. Now how am I supposed to explain what they are to the old man?

Much to his surprise Heero saw the shrine keeper chuckle. "I don't think you're out of the woods yet."

For a moment the Preventers operative thought the priest had merely meant that they would now have to deal with him, but Heero quickly realized that Katsuhito's gaze was actually focused past them. Turning around, Heero had to fight the urge to swear as he saw that green ball of light from before, hovering just outside the cave entrance.

"Uh-oh," said Ryoko, "That doesn't look good."

"What is that thing?" asked Sasami.

"It's the demon!" cried Mihoshi.

"Calm down!" Ayeka chided her, "You won't do us much good panicking like that!"

Ryo-Ohki hissed and barred her fangs at the ball of light. It was quite a stark contrast from her usual happy and cute demeanor. She looked ready to tear that orb apart, although Heero doubted she could really do much without transforming into her ship form, and he was really hoping to avoid that.

What am I supposed to do about this?, he thought, Is it hostile? After that rude awakening Ryoko gave it I wouldn't be surprised if it was…

Heero took a step forward to prepare for a possible confrontation, but he was surprised when Ryoko actually moved in front of him.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Keeping you from getting into anymore trouble because of me," said Ryoko, looking over her shoulder and smiling at him, "I know that I started this, so if this thing wants a fight because of me it'll have it, but only with me; you're not the one at fault here, so I'm not going to let you get hurt."

Heero was more than a bit taken aback by her word. He didn't see Ryoko as the type of woman to really take responsibility for her actions like this, let alone put herself on the line to shield someone else from the consequences.

She wasn't the only one who was apparently ready for a fight; none other than Ayeka had moved beside Ryoko to face off against the strange ball of light.

"Ayeka?" said Heero, his eyes widening ever so slightly.

The princess nodded and smiled at him. "Fear not, Sir Heero; you are under my protection!"

Ryoko chuckled. "Huh. You sure about this?"

"You and I will settle things between us on our own time," Ayeka replied firmly, "If this strange object is a threat then I would just as soon deal with it now, and if I must align myself with the likes of you to do so then so be it. I will not allow Sir Heero to come to harm due to the consequences of your actions, Ryoko!"

"Hold on, you two," said Heero, "We still don't know if this thing's a threat yet."

"Perhaps," said Ayeka, "but I refuse to take any chances!"

Heero didn't know if it was in response to the two women or acting completely on its own, but the bright green orb began to pulse with rapidly increasing intensity. It soon became so bright that Heero and the others had no choice but to shield their eyes. Even then the glare was nearly blinding.

It was in that moment that Heero heard a voice. "Ah, damn it! How long was I in there? I've got such a crick in the neck!"

Hold on, he thought as he cautiously opened his eyes, Is that… a woman?

Heero heard Katsuhito chuckle. "Well, now, what have we here?"

That was a very good question, and the closest answer Heero had for it was a rather short and slender woman. Her red-pink hair appeared to be tied in a ponytail, but even with that measure of restraint it still had a rather wild look to it. The same went for her green eyes; there was a spark of energy in them that looked like it could swing towards genius or madness at the drop of a hat, and that was despite her stretching her arms and neck like someone who had just gotten up after falling to sleep in an awkward position. Her robe, tunic and leggings gave her a slightly exotic appearance, and they were in remarkably pristine condition for someone who'd apparently been asleep in them for a while.

She continued to stretch for a moment, apparently oblivious to the crowd that was gathered before her. "Ugh… they could've at least made that thing a little more comfortable. I feel like hell…"

"Is… is she really a demon?" asked Mihoshi softly.

Unfortunately it wasn't softly enough. Those words more than got the woman's attention, and she wasted no time in glaring at the group that was watching her.

"Hey!" she snapped, "Who's calling who a demon? Show some damn respect!"

"We're sorry," said Heero as he stepped quickly between Ryoko and Ayeka, wanting to get between this woman and the others before things really got dicey, "We just weren't expecting to find… well, you in that cave."

The woman looked at him, and the light Heero had spotted in her emerald eyes earlier seemed to grow just a bit brighter as she gave him a rather haughty smile. "Well, I guess I can forgive you this time, provided that you show me the deference that someone with my stature and reputation deserves!"

"Uhm, who are you?" asked Sasami.

The red-head's eyes widened in shock as she looked at the younger princess. "Wait, you can't be serious, right? You gotta know who I am!"

Sasami shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't."

Mihoshi shook her head as well. "Me neither."

"That makes three of us," said Ryoko, looking rather puzzled at this new development.

Ayeka put her hand on her chin. "Hmmm… there's a vague familiarity about you… but alas, I cannot place it."

"I have no recollection of this woman whatsoever," said Azaka.

"Likewise," Kamidake chimed in.

The strange woman groaned. "Aaagh, you've got to be kidding me! Where did I freaking land, the sticks? And how long have I been stuck out here?"

Katsuhito smirked. "Well, if the legends about this cave were actually referring to you, miss, then I'm afraid you've been asleep for many centuries."

The red-head sighed. "That long, eh? Well, I guess it could be worse. At least I landed on a planet with a breathable atmosphere and relatively intelligent life."

"Relatively?" said Heero, folding his arms.

The woman smiled at him. "Now, now, no hard feelings, handsome. It's hard for anyone to compete with the likes of an intellect like mine! Since you and your friends got me out of there I'll cut you some slack. Well, except for the one that was shaking me around like a damn rattle! You could've freaking killed me!"

"I'm starting to wish that I had," Ryoko muttered.

"Pardon me, miss," said Ayeka, "I hate to seem like a rude sort, but… who exactly are you?"

The woman smirked. "Well, I guess I'd better clue you in. Can't have you wallowing ignorance forever!"

She folded her arms and grinned. "I am the most respected and revered researcher in the universe, the queen of scientists across the galaxy, the pinnacle of intelligence in all fields that I partake in! I am the one, the only, the beautiful and brilliant Washu!"

As if that bombastic boast wasn't enough, capping off the display were two tiny robot replicas of the woman, dressed like cheerleaders, who suddenly appeared on her shoulders. Both had yellow dresses on, with a red 'W' emblazoned on the front of them.

"Washu, you're amazing!" chirped the robot on her left shoulder.

"The greatest genius in the universe!" cried the one on her right.

"Ha ha ha, ha ha ha!" she cackled, looking quite pleased with herself.

She smiled at Heero and the others as she laughed, while their collective reaction was one of complete bemusement at her display. How was anyone supposed to respond to something like that?

An egomaniac of a scientist from outer space, sealed in a cave and cast as a demon by superstitious locals, Heero thought, Yup, it's official; I've seen everything now.

Eventually Washu stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow as she looked at Heero and the other. "Really? That didn't get anything out of you guys?"

Heero shook his head. "Sorry, but I've never heard of you."

"Me neither," said Mihoshi.

"I've got nothing," said Ryoko.

"Hey, Ayeka?" said Sasami, "Have you heard of her before?"

Ayeka's brow furrowed in thought. "Perhaps…"

Her eyes then widened as she looked at Washu again. "No, wait… you're the Washu Hakubi? The most notorious mad scientist in the history of the universe? The one that the Galactic Institution of Science captured and condemned to exile in a stasis pod for building weapons of monstrous power and destruction?"

Washu's eyes narrowed. "Hey, watch it! You're making me sound like the bad guy in all of this!"

"The title 'mad scientist' might have something to do with that," Ryoko muttered.

"Oh, goodness," said Azaka, "A legendary mad scientist in our midst. I fear what this might portend to."

"It certainly does not bode well for us," fretted Kamidake.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki, who was fidgeting in Sasami's arms.

"Ryo-Ohki," said Sasami, "What is it?"

"Meow, meow!" she cried, and it looked like she was trying to get to Washu.

Sasami put her down on the ground, and the cat-rabbit cautiously approached the red-head. Washu smiled in recognition.

"Well, now," she said as she leaned down and patted the creature on the head, "I haven't seen you in a long time! How've you been, Ryo-Ohki?"

"Meow!" the cat-rabbit cried in what appeared to be joy.

Ryoko's eyes widened. "Wait a sec, you know her, Ryo-Ohki?"

Ryo-Ohki eagerly nodded. "Meow! Meow!"

"Of course she knows me," said Washu, "After all, I created her and the rest of her species."

Ryoko looked floored. "What?"

"Really?" asked Sasami.

"You cannot be serious," said Ayeka.

"That's amazing!" cried Mihoshi.

"You're not joking around here, right?" asked Heero.

"Young man," said Washu, "I can assure you that I never joke when it comes to my work. In fact… I think there's more than one of my creations here."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ryoko.

Washu grinned as she took a step closer to the pirate. "I'm talking about you. Oh, yes; I definitely remember you. You've grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you, Ryoko."

Ryoko backed up. "What the hell? You've lost your mind!"

Washu folded her arms. "Hey, that's no way to talk to your mother!"

Heero blinked and shook his head. He couldn't possibly have heard that right.

"Sorry," he said, "but can you say that again?"

Washu smiled at him. "Sure thing, handsome. I created both Ryo-Ohki and Ryoko, which makes me her mother."

Heero's reaction was considerably understated when compared to those of the others. Ryoko looked like her jaw was about to hit the floor, Ayeka and Sasami were paler than ghosts, and Mihoshi's eyes were wider than dinner plates. The only person that seemed completely unfazed by that revelation, not counting Azaka and Kamidake, was Katsuhito. If anything he seemed to be more amused than anything else.

"You… you've got to be kidding!" said Ryoko, emphatically shaking her head, "How the hell can you be my mother?"

"I just told you how, silly," said Washu, "I created you, just like I created Ryo-Ohki and the rest of her species. It might not have been through natural means, but I can assure you that I am the one responsible for your birth."

Sasami smiled. "Wow! I can't believe you're Ryoko's mom! Ryoko, that's amazing!"

Mihoshi sniffed. "I can't believe you hadn't met your mother until now, Ryoko… that's so sad!"

"A mad scientist for a mother…" Ayeka muttered, "Well, I suppose that would explain a few things…"

Washu smirked as she looked at Ryoko. "Look at you; you're taller than I am. Got a bigger rack, too. Bet you've been popular with the boys the past few centuries, haven't you?"

Ryoko looked somewhere between flustered and ticked off. "You… "

The past few centuries?, Heero thought as he studied Ryoko, Just how old is she? She clearly left that part out when she was telling me about her past. Then again, I didn't ask for age…

After a few moments Heero saw Ryoko huff and fold her arms. "Well, I still don't believe it. As if a pipsqueak like you could be my mother!"

Washu's eyes narrowed, and there was a brief glint of devious light in them that did not bode well. With a wave of her hand a transparent keypad appeared out of thin air. She rapidly typed a few keys on it, and a flash of light engulfed Ryoko and forced Heero and the others to shield their eyes.

What the hell did she do?, he thought as he slowly opened them.

He looked around for Ryoko, and quickly found her…

… in a significantly different form.

She was less than a meter tall now, and looked like a child version of herself. That wasn't the weirdest part, though. Her hands and feet were green and webbed, like those of an amphibian, and her mouth had become distinctly frog-like in appearance.

Ryoko opened her changed mouth to speak, but apparently coherent language was no longer possible for her. "Ribbit… ribbit? Ribbit, ribbit!"

Washu chuckled. "Now who's the pipsqueak, dear? You really should show your mother some respect, you know?"

Mihoshi smiled. "Aw, she's so cute!"

"She's adorable!" said Sasami as she knelt down next to Ryoko, who did not look the least bit grateful for the attention.

Katsuhito chuckled. "Now that is quite an interesting trick, Miss Washu! A very unique talent, I'm sure."

Washu smirked. "Oh, it was nothing. I just did some tweaking with her genetic structure. The fundamental building blocks of life are my bitch!"

"Poor Ryoko," said Kamidake, "I hope she's alright!"

"She does not appear to be harmed," said Azaka, "Although I highly doubt that she is pleased with her new form."

Ayeka put her hand to her mouth and laughed. "Oh, what a most amusing spectacle this is! A bit of a childish trick, but quite entertaining!"

Washu glared at Ayeka, and before Heero could warn the princess the mad scientist's fingers flew across the keyboard again. There was another flash of light, and when the dust settled Ayeka was now in the same predicament as Ryoko.

"Ribbit… ribbit?" she croaked, "Ribbit! Ribbit!"

"Call my work childish, will you?" said Washu, folding her arms, "Perhaps this will teach you to appreciate my genius!"

"Princess Ayeka!" cried Kamidake.

"What shall we do?" said Azaka.

That's a very good question, mused Heero.

Having gotten over her initial shock, Ryoko pointed and laughed at Ayeka, or as much as she was able to laugh with her mouth the way it was. Ayeka responded with a glare and a slap, and before Heero knew it the mini-pirate and mini-princess were rolling around on the ground like two kids in a schoolyard scuffle.

"Now, now, you two!" said Mihoshi as she grabbed both of them and pulled them apart, "You shouldn't be fighting!"

"That's right!" said Sasami, grinning, "Come on, you're both in the same form now, so you should try to get along!"

Both frog-Ryoko and frog-Ayeka glared at the two girls and at each other, clearly ready to go right back at it at the first opportunity. While it was a relief to see that they apparently couldn't call upon their powers to fight each other in this state, Heero knew that he couldn't let them remain like this forever.

"Miss Washu," he said cautiously, trying to avoid suffering the same fate as Ryoko and Ayeka, "While I can appreciate seeming them both humbled like this, is there any way that you could possibly change them back? It is my responsibility to look after the two of them, after all."

Washu nodded. "Oh, sure, it'll be easy to restore them to their original forms."

Heero nodded. "Good. Thank you."

Washu smirked. "However… before I do that, I want something from you, handsome."

Heero did not like the look in her eyes one bit. "What would that be?"

The red-headed scientist smiled playfully at him. "Could you call me Little Washu?"

Preview for next time!

Heero: Given the trend of the last few chapters, I'm sure none of you are surprised that Washu's now taking up residence with me and the girls.

Ryoko: Oh, come on, Heero! You can't let her stay in the same house as me!

Ayeka: Sir Heero, much as I hate to question your judgment, are you sure that this is wise?

Heero: She didn't exactly give me a choice in the matter.

Washu: Hey, Heero? Mind if I set up shop here?

Heero: That's a closet, Washu.

Washu with an evil grin: Not for long!

Mihoshi: Oh, wow! It's so big in here now!

Sasami: How did you do that, Washu?

Washu: Oh, it's easy to manipulate dimensions when you're the biggest genius in the universe! Now, get out of my laboratory!

Heero: I don't know if this house is going to survive its newest resident…

Meanwhile, in outer space…

Kiyone: Galaxy Police Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi, reporting for duty, sir!

Random Galaxy Police officer: Detective Kiyone, good to see you. We've detected a signal coming from a small system in the Outland Sector. It appears to be of Galaxy Police origin, and it might be your partner's distress beacon. Go investigate it at once.

Kiyone: Wait… Outland Sector… my partner… Mihoshi? No… no, no, no, NO!

Ryoko: Next time, in Chapter Seven: No Need For Partners!

Kiyone: Please don't let Mihoshi be alive!

Author's Notes: All right, the story's moving forward! With the next chapter the final member of the main harem will arrive on the scene! Luckily for Heero she'll actually be a sane roommate, which is much more than can be said for the crazy ladies he's had to deal with so far.

I'm sure some of you are raising eyebrows at Katsuhito's inclusion in this fic despite the complete lack of Tenchi Masaki. Let me just say this now; I have a plan, and all will be revealed in due time. There's a reason he's here, and I'll leave it at that. And no, still no Tenchi in this fic, nor will he be showing up at all in the story.

Well, thanks for reading the chapter. Please review!