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.

7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes: Hi there, everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it! Got another long chapter here, and I can't promise that they'll get shorter anytime soon.

As you all know from the preview in the last chapter, this installment will introduce Mihoshi's partner, Kiyone! That being said, her intro's not the only thing going on here. Like I said before, I'm bringing in elements from both Tenchi Universe and the original Tenchi Muyo series for this fic, and you should be able to spot some of them as you go through the chapter. At the same time I'm still adding my own original content as well, and it's all going to come together later on in the story once the action leaves Earth.

Of course, that's still quite a ways off. For now, sit back and enjoy the show!

Chapter Seven: No Need For Partners!

October 12th, A.C. 198

Leaning back in her chair, Lady Une looked out the plane window and shook her head. "Another one, and right under our noses this whole time… I still can't believe it."

Across from her she saw Sally smirk. "Yeah, and another woman to boot. Heero's got some crazy luck. He owes me big time for not telling Duo yet about his growing collection of alien ladies."

Despite her stress, Lady Une could not help but smile. "He does indeed."

The two of them were travelling aboard a jet belonging to the Preventers. They'd left Brussels as soon as it had been practical, but Lady Une was already worrying that the more than twenty-four hour time period between Heero's report and their departure might've been too much. Who could say how events had developed at Heero's safe house since then?

"What really surprised me was what Heero mentioned in his report about the link between Washu and Ryoko," said Sally, "What kind of freakish coincidence is it that Ryoko just so happens to meet her mother out here? The odds of that happening couldn't be seen with a microscope!"

"That's not all," said Lady Une, "If what Heero said about that cave is true, then Washu's been sealed in there for several centuries at the minimum. What does that say about Ryoko's age?"

Sally smirked. "Well, I'd say that she's looking pretty good for being at least a few hundred years old."

Lady Une sighed. "Sally, the implications here are nothing to be joking around about."

Sally nodded. "I know. Come on, Lady; how long have we known each other now? You know that I can take things seriously and still look at them with a bit of humor."

Lady Une gave her a tired smile. "I know. Sorry. I'm just a little frazzled right now. It feels like we only just got done dealing with that crash in the Ardennes, and now this drops into our laps. One alien woman after another… life just gets crazier and crazier."

"I hear you there," Sally replied, "I'm still amazed that we've been able to keep the whole thing under wraps."

"This one should be easier than the other women," said Lady Une, "After all, this one didn't involve a crashing ship. Heero and the others found her in a cave."

"Yeah," said Sally, "but unlike the others we now have a witness who knows beyond a doubt that we're dealing with aliens here."

Lady Une sighed. "The priest… I'm still not sure what to do about that."

"We might've gotten lucky with regards to that, actually," said Sally with a smile, "From what Heero said in his report it sounds like this Katsuhito was remarkably calm about the whole thing. In fact, it looks like he took it all in stride."

Lady Une's brow furrowed. "Yes, and that's not what I expected. One of the biggest reasons we've been keeping the existence of Ryoko and the others under wraps is because we've been worried about the potential reaction from the religious community. This Katsuhito is the keeper of a Shinto shrine; exactly the type of person we'd hoped to keep out of the loop."

Sally shook her head. "I think you might be lumping him in with the more hardcore figures that we've been stressing over. From what I understand he doesn't seem like some fire-and-brimstone preacher. We might have some room for flexibility with him."

"I hope you're right," Lady Une replied.

"In the meantime," said Sally, "I'm more concerned about Washu. The fact that Heero saw fit to include the term 'mad scientist' in his description of her does not exactly bode well."

Lady Une nodded. "I agree, but there's opportunity there as well. The study of Mihoshi's crashed ship and Sasami's vessel alone has already had a huge impact on our covert research. Ultimately our findings from those investigations could send our technology leaping forward by the order of centuries. This Washu might be able to provide us with even more ground-breaking knowledge."

"That's if she's willing to cooperate," said Sally, "We haven't exactly established that she's friendly yet."

Lady Une smiled. "True, but Heero does seem to have a way with all the women he's encountered so far in this little adventure of ours. Perhaps he can convince this Washu to help us."

"It'd be nice," Sally replied, "but I'm not ready to bet on that yet. According to Heero, the legends about that cave seemed to refer to her as an imprisoned demon. I'm not saying that she is a demon, but it looks to me like someone did go through a considerable effort to keep her locked away in there."

Lady Une nodded. "That's true. At the very least it sounds like she's a criminal. Do you think that she's a genuine threat?"

Sally shrugged. "It's possible. I want to know why she's out here and how she ended up imprisoned in that cave. If she's been out here for several centuries then she would've landed while the people out here had nothing more than spears, swords, and bows and arrows. It's hard to see how they would've been able to subdue someone from beyond out world."

"In his report Heero said that Ayeka had mentioned Washu being sealed in some kind of stasis pod when she was exiled," said Lady Une, "If that is true then it's likely that the natives simply found her already trapped in her pod."

Sally smiled. "That makes sense. Given the state of their culture back then the locals must not have had a clue as to what to make of her. Religion and superstition probably kicked in, they labeled her a demon, and they locked up her pod in that cave. Washu would've been in no position to offer any kind of resistance."

"Yes," said Lady Une, "and she's quite fortunate that the locals didn't try to destroy her pod."

"Maybe they did try but were unable to do that with what they had to work with," said Sally, "The thing's destroyed now thanks to Ryoko, so it's not like we'll have a chance to study it."

Lady Une sighed. "Yes. Quite unfortunate, that. The technology that must've composed a device like that would be invaluable to us, especially with our new colonization efforts on Mars."

"If we're lucky, maybe she'll be able to give us the designs for it," said Sally.

"Perhaps," said Lady Une, "We still don't know what exactly her primary discipline is. Asking her for a project without understanding her area of expertise would be premature of us."

Sally chuckled. "Yeah. Maybe we should hold off on that until we have a better idea as to her intentions now that she's free."

Lady Une nodded. "Yes, I think that would be prudent."

The Director of Preventers looked back out the window. "An alleged pirate, two princesses, a police officer, a living starship, and now a mad scientist, all in the care of our best operative… I couldn't make this up if I tried."

Sally smiled. "I hear you there. Heero's life has been turned completely upside down by all this, and ours have been thrown for a loop too. Who knows what's going to come next, right?"

"Yes," said Lady Une, "Everything's become so unpredictable ever since Ryoko and Ayeka showed up. It feels like the arrival of those two opened up the floodgates for something big… and I have a feeling that we're nowhere near the end of it yet."

"I wonder if Heero's got that feeling too," said Sally.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Lady Une replied.

….

Ryoko groaned as she struggled against her bindings. "Damn it! Washu, let me out of here!"

Somewhere out of her line of sight she heard the demented red-head laugh. "Call me 'Mommy' first, and I'll think about it!"

Ryoko scowled. "No! Besides, what kind of mother straps her daughter to a table like this?"

"The kind that wants to do a checkup," Washu replied, "Since you're an outlaw I highly doubt that you've been to any decent doctors over the centuries that I was sealed away. It's a mother's duty to make sure her daughter's healthy. Don't you feel so lucky to know that your mother is the greatest genius in the universe? You've got the best doctor in existence to keep you healthy!"

Ryoko growled. "Even if I did believe that, which I don't… did you have to take my clothes off for this?"

"Quite complaining," said Washu absently, "I let you keep your underwear on, didn't I? You should be thanking me for that!"

Ryoko wasn't exactly a modest girl, but she couldn't help but blush at how exposed and vulnerable she felt right now. Her only saving grace was that Heero wasn't in the laboratory with her and Washu at the moment. Ryoko was all for showing off her body to her handsome guardian, but she'd rather it be under better circumstances than this.

Damn it, she thought, this is so embarrassing! I should've listened to Heero; I wish I'd never gone anywhere near that damn cave!

If she hadn't then Washu certainly would never have had the chance to set up shop in Ryoko's new home. The devious red-head had chosen the strangest of places to carve out for herself in the residence; a closet. It was the one downstairs, close to the front door. It had originally been intended for coats and shoes, but Washu had swiftly commandeered it and put it through a considerable renovation.

Ryoko had no idea how Washu had done it; the red-head had spun some techno babble about linking the closet to an alternate dimension, but the pirate hadn't really gotten the gist of it. In the end she supposed it didn't matter how Washu had pulled it off, only that where the downstairs coat and shoe closet had once been was now a lab the size of which Ryoko had yet to fully determine. She wasn't exactly in a position to do so right now anyway, seeing as how she was strapped to a cold steel table wearing nothing but her black bra and panties. She'd bought them using Heero's money on their shopping trip a while back, and while she'd always imagined showing them off to him someday she found herself praying to whatever deities might exist that he did not walk into Washu's lab and see her in them right at this moment.

Ryoko continued to struggle against her bindings, but it was no use; she couldn't make as much as a crack in them. To make matters worse she'd found herself unable to use any of her powers; no doubt more of Washu's tricks at work. The fact that she'd somehow found a way to neutralize Ryoko's powers was an uncomfortable bit of evidence for the lovely pirate that the maniacal scientist was actually telling the truth about her part in Ryoko's origins.

If she really is my mother, she thought, then I do not want to know who my father is. Then again, if she made me artificially I might not even have one. That's probably a good thing…

Ryoko sighed. "Come on, just get it over with."

Washu appeared to the right of her with a triumphant grin on her face. "Hah! I knew you would surrender eventually!"

Ryoko looked away, determined not to make eye contact with her. "Are you going to rub it in or are you going to do your stupid exam already?"

"Oh, relax," said Washu as she walked over to a nearby console, "You don't have to be so grumpy about it?"

"Says the lunatic who stunned me, stripped me, and strapped me to this damn table," Ryoko grumbled.

"Chill out," said Washu, "This'll be over before you know it."

She fiddled with a knob and pressed a few buttons, and Ryoko heard some mechanical sounds above her. Looking up, Ryoko's apprehension increased as she saw what looked like a black sphere mounted on a steel arm descending towards her.

"Washu?" she said nervously, "What is that thing?"

"What's the matter?" Washu chuckled, "Scared?"

Ryoko glared at her. "You're not helping!"

"Calm down," said Washu, "It's just a scanner. I'm not planning on anything invasive. Well, not today, anyway."

"That's comforting," Ryoko deadpanned.

The black device lowered until it was less than half a meter above her. A small silver cylinder extended out from it by a few centimeters. Just a few seconds later Ryoko was forced to close her eyes as a bright green light shone forth from that cylinder.

"Damn it!" she said, "Are you trying to blind me, Washu?"

"Quit whining," Washu replied, "It'll be over before you know it."

A few seconds later Ryoko opened her eyes. She saw that the light had moved on from her face and was working its way down the rest of her body. Ryoko didn't feel anything, but that still didn't change the fact that the whole procedure made her deeply uncomfortable.

Matters weren't helped by Washu looking at a screen and smiling. "Hmmm… very nice."

"For a mom you're acting incredibly creepy," said Ryoko.

"You're not just my daughter," said Washu, "You're one of my prized creations. I'm allowed to admire my handiwork."

"You're not making me feel any better about this," Ryoko quipped.

At least it looked like the whole thing was almost done. The scanner had already passed her hips and was working its way down her legs. Ryoko could only hope that whatever data Washu got from all this she kept private. The last thing she wanted was Ayeka getting dirt on her.

After the device got all the way down to the end of the table the green light disappeared and the silver cylinder retracted. A few seconds later the arm holding the black sphere began to ascend, and Ryoko heard a 'click' as her restraints came undone.

"There," said Washu, "All finished, and from what I've got here it looks like you're in perfect health! See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?"

Ryoko immediately hopped off of the table. "Where are my clothes?"

Washu pointed off to the right. "Over there. Aren't you going to thank me?"

"Not a chance," Ryoko replied as she hurriedly retrieved her clothes and got dressed.

Washu sighed and shook her head. "Kids these days… so ungrateful."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't go around stripping and tying up your own daughter!" Ryoko snapped.

Washu folded her arms. "Do you want me to stun you again? I've got no problem knocking you out and performing some more invasive examinations. I could even ask Heero to help me out. Then again, I could also get him on that table too. I wouldn't mind giving him a checkup. What do you say? I'd be willing to let you watch!"

Ryoko flushed red at the prospect. "Leave him out of this!"

Washu laughed. "What's the matter? You don't want me getting my hands on your lover boy?"

"It's not like that!" Ryoko yelled.

Washu rolled her eyes. "Right. Don't think that I haven't noticed the way you look at him. Not that I can blame you; that boy is one handsome specimen! Maybe I should get in on that action…"

"You stay away from him!" Ryoko snapped.

Washu smirked. "What are you going to do if I don't?"

Ryoko growled. "I don't know right now, but I promise you it won't be pretty."

Wash shrugged. "Whatever. If you keep hanging around here I might put you back on that table for another round."

That was all the incentive Ryoko needed to get out of there. "You got lucky last time. If you try that crap again I'll be ready for you!"

Washu gave her a devious smile. "Keep telling yourself that. Stay out of trouble now!"

Damn it, thought Ryoko as she hurried toward the exit, Why did she have to move in with us? What did I do to deserve this?

….

Washu leaned back in her chair, still smiling as Ryoko scampered out of the lab. "Ah… that was fun!"

Maybe some aspects of the checkup hadn't been entirely necessary. The scanner would've worked just fine had she let Ryoko keep all her clothes on, for starters. However, Washu had been cooped up in that damn stasis pod for so long that her more childish instincts were eager to make up for lost time. It had been completely worth it to see her daughter so freaked out on the table, and her reaction when Washu had suggested doing the same thing to Heero had been absolutely perfect.

For all her joking though, Washu had been serious about wanting to examine Ryoko. It wasn't just due to the desire to check up on what she considered to be one of her prized creations. For all her playfulness, Washu really did care about Ryoko and truly did consider her to be her daughter. Had circumstances been different she would never have abandoned her and left her with Ryo-Ohki all those centuries ago, but the forces Washu had been up against included more than just the old bags of skin and bones that were the GIS Justices; some very powerful enemies had been after her work, and the scientist had had to go to incredible lengths to keep her secrets out of their hands. Ryoko was one of them, and that was another reason why Washu had wanted to examine her; she needed to know if this component of her plans remained in play.

A few centuries, or even a millennium, is just a drop in the flow of time's river, she thought, For someone like me, they pass by all too quickly. However, a lot can happen even in that short time span. The fact that a world like this remains free and that my pod wasn't discovered until now may be a blessing; it looks like events haven't escalated too badly in my absence.

What had been truly surprising upon her waking up was to find several potentially major players already gathered on the same distant planet. Not only was her daughter here, but so were two Juraian princesses. Washu had seen many strange coincidences in her time, but this counted as among the strangest by far. Having an officer of the Galaxy Police thrown into the mix only served to make things even weirder.

Is all this really just a throw of the cosmic dice, she mused, or are there other forces at work here? And that boy… how did he wind up in the middle of all this?

There was no denying that she was quite curious about the young man who was now playing host to her. If nothing else, Heero Yuy was quite a polite and reasonable person; he'd readily acquiesced to her desire to take up residence with him and the others. She may not have left him much choice in the matter, but Washu could tell that the young man had put thought into it and had clearly done his best to adapt to the circumstances he was faced with. Washu could respect that; life that could not adapt was life that would not be alive for much longer. He'd also been quite calm and disciplined regarding the whole affair. Lesser men would've frozen in panic at the display of power that she'd demonstrated against Ryoko and Ayeka or at the revelation of her identity as an exiled scientist, but Heero had handled both of those rather smoothly.

It didn't hurt that her new host was quite handsome to boot. Washu had seen plenty of attractive men in her time, but she could not deny that this young man stood out even then. His casual clothes did not hide his well trained frame, his blue eyes were quite striking and went along very well with his dark brown hair, and there was a certain quiet intensity about him that Washu found to be intriguing. At any rate it was easy to see why Ryoko was hot and bothered about him, and Washu was willing to bet that at the very least Ayeka shared those feelings too.

If nothing else, the young man was certainly interesting. He seemed to be a rather unlikely player to get caught up in the middle of so many unique women, but then again he hardly appeared to be a run of the mill guy himself. In fact…

…Washu could not shake the feeling that there was actually something familiar about him.

Washu shrugged. She was imagining things. She was clearly far older than this boy, and she'd been sealed away long before he had been born. Perhaps she'd met someone who looked similar to him long ago and she simply couldn't remember who they were. Regardless, it hardly mattered at this point.

"Now, then," she said softly as she turned her attention back to her screen, "Let's see what we've got here."

She hadn't been lying to Ryoko; the preliminary results of the scans did show her to be quite healthy. While this was obviously a relief for Washu, there was something in particular that she was looking for… and it did not take long for her to find it.

"There we go," she said as she zoomed in, "Right where I left it."

Showing up on the scanner was something that Washu had implanted within Ryoko a very long time ago. Within her chest was a very small and spherical red gem. Ryoko was completely unaware of it by the looks of things.

"It's still dormant," Washu mused aloud, "After all these centuries, she hasn't woken it up… well, given what it would mean if she did, I suppose that's a good thing."

That gem was not the only one of its kind. It was actually part of a set of three…

…and Washu had the other two.

Washu smiled. If the gem was still dormant then it likely meant that the forces Washu was up against hadn't discovered what Ryoko was carrying. Otherwise they would've attacked her with great power and forced her daughter to the brink, and thereby unleashing its incredible strength. The fact that it remained asleep within Ryoko's chest meant that Washu had an ace in the hole to play when the time came, especially once the other two gems were added to the mix.

"Looks like I'll have to keep an eye on her for a while," she said, "Things should get very interesting."

….

"Well," said Lady Une as she turned off the car, "this is it."

Sally nodded. "I know we were the ones who set Heero up out here, but it's still kind of hard to believe that he's got a nice country house that he's sharing with a bunch of girls. Duo would never let him hear the end of it."

"Quite true," Lady Une replied with a smile, "Shall we?"

Sally smiled in return. "Should be fun. Let's go."

The Preventers operative and her commander climbed out of the black sedan. Sally sighed as the fresh autumn wind blew through her hair.

You really lucked out, Heero, she thought as she shut the car door, A big house out in the country and with a bunch of beautiful women to keep you company. Now you've got one more added to the mix… one that's apparently been here for a very long time already.

She fell in behind the Director as the two of them headed towards the front door. Lady Une hit the small buzzer to the right of the door frame, and a few seconds later a familiar purple-haired girl opened the door.

"Oh, Director Une!" said Ayeka, "Lady Sally! What a pleasure to see you both again!"

"Likewise, Ayeka," said Lady Une, giving her a courteous bow.

"You look like you're doing well," said Sally, "I hope this new place is to your liking."

Ayeka nodded and smiled. "Oh yes, quite so!"

"May we come in?" asked Lady Une.

"Of course," Ayeka replied, "Sir Heero said that you would be showing up soon. Please, come in!"

She stepped aside, and the two of them entered the home. As they took their shoes and jackets off Sally move to put hers in the nearby closet, but she didn't get the chance.

"Let me take those!" said Ayeka hurriedly, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that closet is no longer… suitable to hold your belongings."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"What's Heero hiding in there?" asked Lady Une.

"Forgive me," said Ayeka, "but I feel that it would be presumptuous of me to speak for Sir Heero on that matter. It would be best if he told you himself."

Sally and Lady Une traded a glance and shrugged before they both turned back to Ayeka. Whatever was going on, they'd likely find out soon enough.

"Okay, then," said Sally as she passed Ayeka her jacket, "Thank you."

"Yes," said Lady Une as she handed hers to the princess, "if you're sure you don't mind."

Ayeka shook her head. "Oh, no, not at all! If anything I should be thanking you for allowing my younger sister and I to remain with Sir Heero. You've been far too kind to us both after all the trouble we've caused you!"

Lady Une smiled. "It's no trouble at all. You and Sasami have both been quite cooperative with us, so our hospitality and that of our top agent is the least that we can offer."

"And I'm sure that Heero enjoys your company," said Sally.

She was surprised to see Ayeka blush slightly at that. "Oh… well, I would like to think so."

Interesting, Sally thought, Looks like Heero might be growing on her in more ways than one.

"Please," said Ayeka, and Sally couldn't help but notice that she seemed a bit too rushed, "come with me!"

They followed her out into the main living area, where she proceeded to lay their coats over the back of the couch. It was occupied by Ryoko and Mihoshi, who looked like they were enjoying a crime drama on the TV. Ryo-Ohki was lounging in Ryoko's lap, a contented smile on her face and a few orange carrot crumbs stuck in her fur. Off to the side were Azaka and Kamidake maintaining a silent watch over everyone else.

"Sir Heero!" Ayeka called, looking towards the kitchen, "Your guests have arrived!"

Following Ayeka's gaze, Sally saw not only Heero but also Sasami in the kitchen. The two of them were both by the stove, and from the smell that was wafting over it looked like chicken was on today's lunch menu.

Heero nodded at the two of them. "Thanks for coming out here. You're a bit earlier than I thought you'd be."

"Hi there!" said Sasami, beaming at them, "It's nice to see you again!"

Sally smiled. "Hello, Sasami."

Lady Une nodded. "It's good to see you too. How are you, Sasami?"

"I'm good," she replied, "Lunch is just about ready, so make yourselves at home!"

"Is that all right, Heero?" asked Sally.

Heero nodded. "Go ahead. It shouldn't be too much longer."

"Come!" said Ayeka, "I'll join you on the couch while we wait."

"Welcome," said Azaka.

"It's good to see you again," said Kamidake.

"Hello!" chirped Mihoshi as Sally and Lady Une followed Ayeka over.

Ryoko simply nodded, sparing the two women just a brief glance. "Hey."

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki in greeting.

"Hello there," said Sally as she smiled at Ryoko, "Staying out of trouble, Ryoko?"

Ryoko scowled, knowing full well that wasn't the case but clearly not wanting to give Sally the satisfaction of admitting that. "That's none of your business."

"I disagree," said Lady Une, and while she was smiling as well Sally couldn't help but note a slight edge in her gaze, "In fact, one could make the argument that everything you do is our business since you're staying with one of our operatives. Try to keep your nose clean, Ryoko."

Ryoko definitely looked flustered at that, but she couldn't seem to come up with a good reply. Sally had to resist a smirk; Lady Une could have that effect on people when she put her mind to it. It was part of what made her such a good Director for the Preventers agency.

"She's right, Ryoko," Mihoshi cheerfully admonished her, "You really should try to behave better."

Ryoko glared at her. "Who do you think you are, my mom?"

Mihoshi innocently shook her head. "No, silly, that's Washu!"

Ryoko groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Speaking of Washu," said Sally as she looked around, "where is she?"

"She's in her lab," said Mihoshi.

Lady Une raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard her right," said Ryoko.

Lady Une and Sally both turned to Ayeka, who simply nodded. "Yes, what Mihoshi said is correct. I understand that it's strange, especially given that this house did not have such a facility when we first arrived."

The pieces started to come together in Sally's head. "The closet…"

Lady Une shook her head. "You've got to be kidding me."

"It didn't take Washu too long to set up shop," said Heero as he and Sasami came out of the kitchen carrying plates full of chicken teriyaki and rice, "I'll show you after we eat."

Sally nodded as she accepted a plate from him. "Thanks."

"I don't understand," said Lady Une, "How on Earth was she able to fit a lab in that closet?"

Heero shook his head as he returned to the kitchen to grab more food and drinks. "I still don't know. Washu said something about linking it to another dimension, but she was pretty light on the details. Whatever she did, it's way beyond what we're capable of."

Sally looked back towards the closet by the front door. It certainly explained why Ayeka had not wanted them to go in there, but that only raised further questions.

Just what the hell, she thought, are we dealing with here?

The answer to that question would surely come soon enough. For now, Sally certainly couldn't deny that she was hungry, especially after the long flight she and Lady Une had taken to get out here. The food smelled great, so she decided to dig in.

"So," said Lady Une as Heero and Sasami finished bringing out everyone's meals before joining them, "I take it Washu's had no problem settling in?"

Heero shook his head. "None that I've noticed."

"She's made herself right at home," Ryoko grumbled.

"Indeed," said Ayeka, "I was surprised at how quickly she was able to establish herself here."

"She set up that lab so fast," said Mihoshi in between bites of chicken, "It was incredible!"

"Yes," said Sally, "about that lab… Heero, she's not doing anything dangerous in there, is she?"

Heero shrugged. "If she was I'd have a hard time figuring it out. The stuff she can do is far beyond anything our science can pull off."

"Like turning Ryoko and my sister into frogs," said Sasami with a laugh, "That was funny!"

Both Ayeka and Ryoko flushed red. Sally couldn't blame them for their embarrassment. When she'd first read that bit of Heero's report it had taken every ounce of her restraint to keep from laughing.

Lady Une smirked. "Yes, I'm sure it was."

"It was not!" snapped Ayeka.

"I'd like to see you laugh when Washu turns you into a frog," growled Ryoko.

"I do hope that Washu does not do that again," said Azaka.

"Princess Ayeka would be furious," said Kamidake.

I can only imagine, thought Sally with a smirk, It's really too bad that Heero didn't catch that on video. I suppose I could ask Washu for a demonstration. It sounds like she'd have no qualms about using Ryoko or Ayeka for something like that…

Sally wouldn't do such a thing, of course. It was an amusing idea, though. If nothing else Washu's little stunt seemed to have taken both Ayeka and Ryoko down a peg, and Sally couldn't find fault with that.

"Let's hope that Washu can refrain from such behavior for the time being," said Lady Une, "Heero, do you think she'll be a problem?"

Heero shook his head. "She's eccentric, but she seems willing enough to listen to me. I think we'll be okay."

I can't possibly imagine why, Sally thought, smirking again, You really do have a way with the ladies, don't you Heero?

It was hard not to laugh at the situation. Here was Preventers' most eligible bachelor, a young man that Sally knew had caught the eyes of several young ladies working in the agency, and yet not only had he not gone after any of them but he now found himself playing host to no less than five girls from beyond the Sol System. She had to wonder just how things would play out with that kind of dynamic; at this point anything was possible.

"I hope you're right, Heero," she said.

….

Heero sighed as he finished putting the last dish away. "I guess there's no putting it off any longer."

"Heero?" said a familiar female voice behind him, and when he turned around he saw that it was Sasami, "Are you okay?"

Heero nodded. "It's nothing."

Sasami shook her head. "It's about Washu, isn't it?"

She's a lot more perceptive than she lets on, Heero mused, I keep forgetting that.

"All right," he said, "I'll admit I'm a little concerned. She's unpredictable. I don't need a repeat of the frog incident."

Sasami smiled. "It'll be fine. Just do what you always do."

Heero couldn't help but give her a small smirk. "I'm not exactly sure what that is, Sasami."

Sasami laughed. "That's easy! Just be yourself. Talk to Washu the way you talk to the rest of us. She'll listen to you, I know she will!"

"That simple, huh?" he said, a bit skeptical.

Sasami nodded. "Yup. Treat her just like you treat us. It'll be fine."

Easier said than done, he thought, I've at least gotten to know the rest of you a bit since you've all arrived here. Washu's another matter, and the things that she could be capable of… well, at this point I'm not ruling anything out.

He didn't want to argue against Sasami when she was trying so hard to help him, though. That innocent smile and the earnest look in her eyes could be quite potent, and Heero had to wonder if Sasami was being deliberate in her expression or if it just came naturally to her.

In the end all he could do was nod. "All right. I'll give it a shot."

Sasami beamed. "Don't worry. The rest of us will be right there with you."

For her sake he gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

"Anytime," said Sasami as she nodded towards the living room. "Now, are you ready?"

He followed her gaze, where he saw his houseguests and his two superiors still lounging on the couch and watching TV, casting the occasional glances his way. "As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this."

The two of them walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. As they approached he saw Ayeka grab the remote and turn the TV off, and before Heero could say anything the whole group was on its feet. Even Ryoko was standing, surprisingly enough; Heero had been certain that she wouldn't want to go anywhere near Washu's lab.

"Sorry for the delay," said Heero, nodding at Lady Une and Sally, "I'm ready whenever you are."

Sally smiled. "Sure thing. Director?"

Lady Une nodded. "I think we're all set. Lead the way, Heero."

"Do you mind if the rest of us join you?" asked Ayeka.

Heero looked at Lady Une, who simply nodded again. "I don't see a problem with it."

"Just as long as Washu doesn't turn you and Ryoko into frogs again," said Sally with a smirk.

Ayeka's face paled slightly at that. "She… she wouldn't do that twice."

"She'd better not," growled Ryoko, "or I'm shoving an energy ball right up her ass."

"You shouldn't talk about your mother like that, Ryoko!" said Mihoshi with a smile that Heero could not tell for the life of him if it was genuinely innocent or mockingly so.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki in what Heero could only assume was agreement with the space cop.

"Azaka, Kamidake," said Sasami, "Are you coming as well?"

"Would you like us to?" asked Azaka.

"We exist to serve you in all ways possible," said Kamidake.

Ayeka shook her head. "No, you two are to remain here. If that cretin tries anything this time I shall deal with her myself."

"Very well, Princess Ayeka," said Azaka.

"Best of luck!" chirped Kamidake.

"Come on," said Heero as he started walking down the hall, "Let's go."

It took only a few seconds to reach the closet door. Standing in front of it, Heero took a deep breath before he opened it up and stepped inside.

I don't think I'll ever get used to this, he mused, What Washu was able to do in here… I've never seen anything like it.

Washu had called it a 'pocket-dimension', but to Heero that term gave what she had done to the closet a deceptively small feel. The facility that she had set up was downright cavernous, and although he'd been in here just after she'd finished the initial renovation he still had no idea just how big this lab of hers really was. There were consoles, screens, cabinets and work tables spread out everywhere. The room wasn't just one large space, either; there were several alcoves, nooks and crannies that led off to who-knew-where. Washu had mentioned that she was also living back here, but Heero had no idea where she'd set up her bedroom or her equivalent of such a thing.

Behind him he heard Sally whistle. "Damn… she really went to work in here."

"Incredible…" said Lady Une softly.

"More like creepy as hell," Ryoko muttered.

"It's most unnatural!" said Ayeka in a mix of anxiety and indignation, "I swear, that woman truly is a demon!"

"I want her to do this to my closet!" said Mihoshi, "Then I can fit more stuff in there!"

"That's a great idea!" said Sasami, "Ayeka, don't you think so too? We could have Washu enlarge our closet as well!"

"No, we shall not," said Ayeka firmly, "I'm sorry, Sasami, but I have no intention of commissioning Washu for any such renovations."

And I'm quite grateful for that, Heero thought, The last thing I need is more of Washu's 'pocket-dimensions' popping up in this house. Who knows what she might end up connecting to…

"Where the hell is she?" asked Ryoko, "I want to get this over with!"

"You didn't have to join us," said Heero as they walked through the lab.

Ryoko folded her arms and shot a glare at Ayeka. "Yeah, well… it's not like I could let the royal brat show me up."

Ayeka scowled. "Are you trying to pick a fight again, you cur?"

"Knock it off, both of you," Lady Une ordered, her voice sharp and stern.

Much to his pleasant surprise Heero saw both Ryoko and Ayeka jump slightly; Lady Une's commanding tone seemed to have taken them off guard. Glancing at Sally, he saw that she had a satisfied smirk on her face.

Can't say that I blame her, Heero mused, One underestimate's the Director at their own peril…

"She's gotta be around here somewhere," said Sasami.

"Meow," mumbled Ryo-Ohki from Sasami's arms.

"Washu!" yelled Mihoshi, "Where are you?"

There was no immediate answer, but a few seconds later Heero heard what sounded like falling items and breaking glass, followed by a series of curses. Following the noise, Heero and the others soon arrived at a rather large desk. There were vials, beakers, and other scientific equipment and supplies scattered all around, and kneeling on the floor with a dustpan and a mini-broom was the lady of the hour, hastily trying to clear up some broken glass and what appeared to be a greenish liquid.

"Damn it," she hissed, "That stuff's slippery…"

"Having trouble?" asked Sally.

Washu looked up at the others, looking a bit surprised at the company. "When did you guys get here?"

"We just came in," said Heero, "It's not like you've got a lock on that door."

Washu nodded as she continued cleaning. "Right. Gotta fix that, or at least get myself an early warning system installed."

"It's nice to see that you've made yourself at home," said Lady Une, "I trust my agent's given you his full hospitality?"

Wash smiled, and there was a light in her eye that made Heero a little nervous as she looked at him. "You mean handsome here? He's been an absolute gentleman! I couldn't ask for a better host. Quite the piece of eye-candy too, if I do say so myself!"

Heero couldn't see them, but he could all but feel Ayeka and Ryoko staring daggers at Washu from behind him. That was hardly a good sign, and he knew that he had to find some way to keep things from getting out of hand.

Lady Une smiled. "Well, I'm glad you like him. I'm also glad that you saw fit not to turn him into an amphibian."

Washu chuckled as she glanced at Ayeka and Ryoko. "Word travels fast, eh? Not to be rude or anything, but who exactly are you again?"

Lady Une turned to Heero. "You didn't tell her that we were coming?"

"I did," Heero replied, "but I'm not sure if she was paying attention."

"Sorry about that," said Washu, "I think I was in the middle of putting my lab supplies back together when you popped in."

Heero looked over at Lady Une and shrugged. His boss took that as her cue to make her introduction.

"In that case," she said, "my name is Lady Une. I'm the Director of Preventers, the organization that Heero works for. We're charged with keeping the peace on Earth and in the colonies."

Sally smiled. "I'm Heero's direct superior. My name's Sally Po. It's nice to meet you."

Washu nodded. "Thanks. So, you two are big-shots, huh? It's nice to get the celebrity treatment."

Lady Une chuckled. "Is that so? Well, given that we've only started experiencing contact with beings from beyond our world quite recently I'd say that it's only natural that we'd want to meet you… especially since you've apparently been here for quite some time already."

"Right under our noses, in fact," said Sally, "Ryoko and Ayeka only showed up here a little over a month ago, and Mihoshi and Sasami not long after that. You, on the other hand, have apparently been out here for centuries at least."

Washu whistled. "And you guys really had no outside contact between way back then and just recently? Man, you really are way out in the middle of nowhere. I'm surprised I landed on this rock."

"As are we," said Lady Une, her eyes narrowing, "and we have some questions about that."

Washu folded her arms, and Heero was surprised to see that she looked completely serious now. "I'm sure that you do."

"You're a smart woman," said Sally, "so I'm sure you understand that we need to learn as much about you as we can. We're charged with the safety of this world, after all; we need to determine that you're not a threat."

Washu smiled. "So you want to interrogate me, right? I'm fine with that, but I've got just one condition."

Lady Une nodded. "And that is?"

Washu pointed at Heero. "Handsome here does the interview, and without an audience."

Suddenly put on the spot, Heero turned to his superiors. "Well?"

"You do realize that as our agent Heero will report his findings directly to us," said Sally, "Regardless if he interviews you in private or in front of the rest of us we will learn what was discussed."

Washu nodded. "I'm well aware of that. Since he's been so cooperative with me I won't hold that against him. Nevertheless, that's my condition to going along with this."

Things were quiet for a moment, and Heero was concerned that Lady Une or Sally might raise an objection. He saw the two women look at each other and nod before turning back to Washu.

"Very well," said Lady Une, "I accept your condition."

"Just don't turn Heero into a frog," said Sally with a smirk, "We would like for him to be able to continue to perform his duties, after all."

Washu smiled. "Sure thing… although I can't make any promises!"

Lady Une chuckled and glanced at Heero. "Better watch yourself, Heero."

"No wait just a minute!" said Ayeka, stepping forward, "I object to this! With all due respect, Director Une, Washu has already proven herself to be a threat! You cannot let her be alone with Sir Heero!"

"Yeah," said Ryoko, in a rare moment of agreement with her rival, "Look at what she did to me and Ayeka when she popped out of that cave! You can't let her get him alone!"

Washu smirked. "Are you jealous of your mother, Ryoko? That's not very mature of you!"

"Bite me!" Ryoko shot back.

"That's enough!" said Heero sternly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Ryoko and Ayeka, "I'll handle the interview and the rest of you will not interfere. Is that clear?"

"Sir Heero…" said Ayeka nervously.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Ryoko, shooting a suspicious look at Washu.

Heero nodded, although privately he had his doubts. "I am. My superiors agreed to her condition, so it's my duty to follow through."

Sally smiled. "Well said."

"Don't worry, Ayeka," said Sasami, "Heero will be fine!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"You should trust your mother, Ryoko," Mihoshi chimed in.

Ryoko folded her arms. "She's the last person I would ever trust."

"It doesn't matter," said Heero firmly as he looked at Washu, "So, where do you want to do this?"

"I set up a little room in the back," said Washu, "We can talk there."

Heero nodded before turning to the others. "I don't know how long this will take, so why don't you all just head back to the living room? I'll come find you when we're done."

"Sounds good," replied Lady Une, "We'll show ourselves out, Washu."

"Try not to knock anything over," said Washu, "I'm trying to keep this place tidy."

"Remember," said Sally with a wink, "No frogs!"

Washu smirked. "You guys are never going to let that one go, are you?"

"It did make a rather striking impression," said Heero as the others headed for the door, "I don't think anyone will be forgetting it anytime soon."

"Sir Heero!" Ayeka called, "Please be careful with that woman!"

"Washu!" Ryoko yelled, "If you try anything funny I'll make you regret it!"

"Come on, you," said Mihoshi as she grabbed her arm, "Time to go!"

Washu waved, a playful grin on her face, "See you later!"

When the group was gone Washu turned to Heero and nodded. "Follow me."

Not knowing what else to do, Heero fell in behind her as she guided him back through her lab. Despite her earlier protestations about how she was trying to keep the facility 'tidy', what Heero saw looked more like organized chaos.

Where did she keep all this stuff?, he thought as he saw containers of all shapes and sizes, some sealed and some partially unpacked, There's no way it could've been with her when she was sealed away in her stasis pod.

After a moment Heero shook her head. Washu was a bundle of mysteries, and while he hoped the coming interview might solve a few of those riddles he had his doubts.

"How far back does this go?" he asked as they kept walking.

"Just a little bit further," said Washu.

"I know you explained to me before how you did all this," said Heero, "but I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around it. It is impressive, though."

Washu turned to him and smiled. "Aw, are you trying to flatter me, handsome? Keep that up and you'll have me eating out of the palm of your hand!"

"Let's avoid that if possible," Heero replied, "I have a feeling that Ayeka and your daughter would react poorly to it."

Washu laughed. "So there is a sense of humor under that cool exterior of yours! Why didn't you show me sooner?"

"I wasn't joking," Heero deadpanned, "Now that you're here I'm charged with looking after you in addition to the others. If Ayeka and Ryoko kill you then I'll have failed in my duties."

Washu chuckled. "They could try, but they wouldn't have a whole lot of luck. They're powerful, but I already know how to deal with both of them."

"I'm not sure if your frog trick will work twice," Heero commented.

Washu put her hands on her hips and turned towards him, her eyes narrowing. "Young man, are you implying that I'm a one trick pony? Believe me, I'd be more than happy to prove you wrong!"

Heero shook his head, hoping that he hadn't crossed a point of no return. "There's no need for that."

Washu gave him a devious smirk. "I'll be the judge of that. Come on; we're just about there."

Heero could see that she was right. Just past her, wedged between a shelf full of vials and other equipment and a console of some sort was a bright red door.

"Here we go," said Washu as she opened the door and stood aside, beckoning him to come in, "Home, sweet home!"

Heero walked through the door and was confronted with what appeared to be a pretty comfortable set of living quarters. There was a desk with a chair off to one side and a couch to another. Her bed was along the back wall, and the whole setup struck Heero as rather Spartan in nature.

"You know," said Heero, "you don't have to confine yourself back here. You're more than welcome to come out into the rest of the house."

Washu smiled, and to Heero it looked surprisingly genuine. "That's sweet of you, but you don't need to worry about me. I've just been taking time to set things up properly and get back into the swing of things. You don't have to be concerned; I'll come out and join the rest of you soon enough."

Heero nodded. "If you say so."

Washu led him over to the couch. Sitting down first, she then looked up at him and patted the spot next to her.

"Come on," she said with an impish smile, "I don't bite!"

"That's the least of my concerns," he said as he sat down with her.

Washu chuckled. "I suppose it is."

"Don't take this the wrong way," said Heero firmly, "but I'm obliged to be as thorough as possible here. If I seem pushy it's because we need to know as much about you as possible, especially considering the abilities that you've already demonstrated to us."

Washu nodded. "I understand. Don't worry; I won't hold it against you for doing your job."

"I appreciate that," Heero replied.

Washu smiled. "Hey, I can be professional when the mood strikes me."

"Forgive me if I have a hard time seeing that based on our initial encounter," Heero deadpanned.

Washu nodded and smirked. "Point taken."

"Well then," said Heero, "are you ready?"

"Almost," Washu replied, her eyes narrowing, "Having you handle the interview by yourself was the condition I gave to your superiors, but I've got two more for you. I won't go along with you in this otherwise."

"You're altering the agreement?" said Heero, stiffening somewhat, "What makes you think I'll go along with you on this?"

"The impression I have of you so far," said Washu, "I'll admit I don't know you too well, but from what I've observed you're calm, professional, flexible, and reasonable. What I'm going to ask of you isn't too demanding, and it's certainly not worth any effort you'd put up to fight it."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Heero firmly, "What do you want?"

"First," said Washu, "I want to do more than just give you information; I want to learn as well. I'll answer your questions, but I've got some of my own that I want to ask you. There's a lot that I don't know about this planet or the people that you work for, after all, and I intend to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. What do you say? Play nice and we can both get what we want."

Heero closed his eyes for a moment. Her first term really wasn't that unreasonable; it was natural that she'd be curious about the world she found herself in, as well as who was keeping an eye on her. As an interrogator he couldn't let her gain the upper hand, but if turning this into an exchange of information made things go smoothly then he could adapt his approach accordingly.

He nodded, although he fixed her with a stern gaze as he answered. "Very well, I'll accept your first term. What's the second?"

Washu chuckled. "No need to be so uptight about it, handsome. It's quite small, I assure you!"

"You'll understand if I don't take your word for it on that," Heero replied, "So, what is it?"

She gave him the same playful grin that she had the night they'd first met. "Could you please call me Little Washu?"

….

He's not half bad at this, thought Washu as she listened to Heero answer one of her questions about Preventers, No wonder his superiors agreed to let him handle me on his own…

Washu had to admit that she was impressed with the way that Heero was dealing with the interrogation. His questions for her were blunt and to the point, and when she didn't give him a direct answer he would press for a bit to see if she would yield. If she didn't then he would simply move on to the next topic, but Washu didn't fool herself into believing that he would simply forget what she had been unwilling to discuss. As for his end, whenever Washu asked him a question his answer would be a balanced mix of informative but limited. He would give her plenty of useful general information, but if things moved towards material that he considered to be off limits he would make that quite clear and not move so much as a centimeter further in that direction.

The result had been more or less what Washu was hoping for; a game of give and take. Neither party got everything that they asked for, but at the same time they wouldn't be walking away empty handed either. Washu did find herself idly wondering if some of the topics she refused to discuss now might pop back up later on in a different setting, and if she'd be willing to spill the beans to Heero then. Given the company he now kept, particularly concerning Ryoko, it was a distinct possibility.

Washu smiled as he finished up. "Thanks. Sounds like you guys really have your hands full nowadays, especially with people like me showing up."

Heero nodded. "Yes, although so far we've managed to keep things under wraps. I'm sure you understand by now that we'd like to keep it that way."

Washu nodded. "Of course. I could tell from the beginning that your civilization isn't ready for proper first contact with the broader galaxy. The fact that you and your organization are working so hard to keep the existence of Ryoko and the others a secret shows that your superiors feel the same way."

"Since you understand the situation," Heero replied, "does that mean that we can count on your cooperation?"

Washu grinned. "Sure, as long as I get to keep my setup here with you, handsome!"

His expression didn't change very much, but Washu could tell from the way he seemed to relax ever so slightly that he was relieved by her answer. "I think that should work out fine."

"Glad to hear it," said Washu, "I'd hate to have to move out after working so hard to get my lab back up and running!"

"Speaking of your lab," said Heero, his eyes narrowing, "what sort of work do you plan on doing in here?"

Washu gave him her best impression of an innocent smile. "Oh, you know. Just a little bit of this and that…"

"Washu…" said Heero, folding his arms.

"Hey!" Washu pouted, "You said that you'd call me Little Washu just like I asked, remember?"

"That was just to get you to do the interview," Heero replied, "I said nothing about doing it afterwards, and stop deflecting from what I asked. I'm not backing off this time."

Washu sighed before smiling again. "Well, I guess I can hold off on any truly dangerous work… but only as a favor to you!"

Heero nodded, although he looked skeptical. Washu couldn't blame him for that.

"I guess I'll have to take that," he said, "Just know that I will be checking in here."

"Sure thing," Washu replied, "You can come and go as you please; wouldn't dream of keeping eye-candy like you locked out!"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," said Heero, and Washu had the satisfaction of seeing that he looked a little uncomfortable.

Pressing her advantage, she sidled up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Aw, is mister hot-shot government agent actually a shy guy? I can help with that, handsome! I am a doctor, after all; maybe you should let me treat you!"

"I'll pass," Heero replied as he brushed her hand off him.

Washu winked. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me!"

Heero nodded as he stood up. "I do. Well, I think we're done here for now. Come on; the others are waiting."

"Sure thing," said Washu as she joined him, and the two of them headed out the door and back through the lab.

"So," she said as they walked through the lab, "what happens to you now? You get a nice pay raise for keeping an eye on the scary alien mad scientist?"

"A raise would be nice," Heero replied, "I am going to need to buy more food now, at the very least."

Washu smiled and patted him on the back. "I'll put in a good word for you with your bosses! I'm living with you now, so I've got a stake in your paycheck too."

She was surprised to actually see him smirk and chuckle ever so slightly. "As long as you don't get me fired somewhere down the road."

So he can loosen up a bit, she thought, This guy gets more interesting with each passing moment…

Eventually they came to the exit. Heero opened the door, and Washu followed him through it. Once they were back in the main house it didn't take them long to find the others, who were all waiting anxiously in the living room.

Washu grinned at the others as she gave Heero a playful nudge with her elbow. "Well, all done! And look; I didn't hurt him at all!"

"Sir Heero!" cried Ayeka as she rushed over, "I'm so glad that you're safe!"

"Heero!" said Ryoko as she raced Ayeka, looking no less relieved, "Are you okay?"

"Relax," he said, "I'm fine."

"See, Ayeka?" said Sasami with a smile, "You worry too much!"

"I told you to trust Washu, Ryoko!" Mihoshi chimed in.

"Easy for you to say," Ryoko muttered.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki from Sasami's arms, looking quite pleased to see him.

"It would seem that things went well," said Azaka.

"Quite a relief," said Kamidake, "I would hate for Ayeka to get angry again."

Lady Une smiled. "How did it go?"

"Well enough," Heero replied, "I'll send you my report later."

"We look forward to reading it," said Sally, "but we wouldn't mind a preliminary verdict from you."

Washu looked over at Heero, who simply gave his superiors a nod. "She's dangerous, but no more or less so than any of the others. I think it'd be best if she stays here."

Lady Une smirked. "As blunt as ever, I see. Are you sure this is the way you want to play it?"

"Yes," Heero replied.

Sally smiled. "Well, at least you'll be keeping her out of our hair. The last place we want her is Brussels."

Washu folded her arms. "You know I can hear you, right?"

Sally chuckled. "Yes, I do."

"Sally is correct," said Lady Une, "No offense, Miss Washu, but I'm afraid we just can't risk bringing someone like you to the capital at this time."

Washu shrugged. "That's too bad. Oh, well. I'm sure I'll find plenty of ways to keep myself occupied out here."

"I should hope so," said Lady Une before turning to Sally, "Well, I think that we're done here."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "So soon?"

Lady Une nodded. "Heero will have his full report composed and sent to us within forty-eight hours. I trust that won't be a problem, will it, Heero?"

Heero shook his head. "Not at all. I'll have it in your inbox well before the deadline."

Lady Une smiled. "Excellent. I'll keep my eyes open for it."

"Do you have to leave so quickly?" asked Mihoshi.

"Can't you stay for dinner?" asked Sasami.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"It wouldn't be a problem," said Heero.

Lady Une shook her head. "Thank you, but we really must be getting back."

"Our hotel's a bit of a drive from here," said Sally, "Plus, we've got a long flight back to the capital tomorrow."

Heero nodded. "Understood. I'll show you out."

Washu grinned. "It was nice meeting you. If you come back sometime and ask really nicely I might just do some work for you!"

Lady Une nodded. "I'll keep that offer in mind. Until next time, Washu. It was a pleasure to meet you. Farewell, everyone."

"Farewell, Director Une. Lady Sally," said Ayeka with a small bow, "Safe travels to you both."

"Come back again sometime!" said Sasami.

"It was nice seeing you again!" Mihoshi chimed in.

Sally smiled. "I'm sure we'll see you all again eventually. Stay out of trouble, everyone!"

As Heero headed towards the door with the two women, Washu found herself alone with the rest of the girls. They all turned towards her, with Ayeka and Ryoko in particular looking rather anxious.

Can't say that I blame them, she thought with a smirk, If they're not careful the only thing protecting them from me will be Heero! Then again, it might be nice to give him an examination as well…

"Well," she said with a grin, "you're all stuck with me now!"

"Damn it," Ryoko muttered, "This sucks…"

"A rather unfortunate development," murmured Ayeka.

Washu folded her arms. "What's that? You two had better change your tones, or the next thing I do to you will be much more creative than turning you into frogs!"

She had the immense satisfaction of seeing both of their faces pale. The two women gulped, and Washu could only imagine the nightmare scenarios that were running through their heads now.

I still got it, she mused, I may be a bit on the short side, but I can still inspire fear with the best of them!

"Aw, don't be like that, Washu!" said Mihoshi with a smile, "Ryoko and Ayeka didn't mean anything by it. Right, you two?"

"Come on, Ayeka," said Sasami, "She's staying with us now, so we should all do our best to get along and be friends!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"That would be for the best," said Azaka.

"As always, Sasami is the voice of reason," said Kamidake.

More likely she's just too nice to want to pick a fight, thought Washu as she looked at the younger princess, Not that that's too surprising though. If she's who I think she really is…

Washu had never actually met Sasami before she had awoken on Earth, but her face definitely had a familiar look to it. The exiled scientist had a feeling she knew exactly where that came from too, and if she was right then it meant that things would get even more interesting than they already were.

Ayeka must've caught her looking at her younger sister, because she took a step to put herself between Washu and Sasami. The older princess glared at her, but Washu wasn't intimidated in the least.

A few moments later she heard the front door close and mere seconds later Heero was down the hall and into the living room. He looked between Washu and the others, studying everyone intently.

"Did I miss something?" he asked.

Ayeka shook her head and smiled. "Oh, nothing at all, Sir Heero!"

"We're good here," said Ryoko while shooting a nervous glance at Washu.

"Is everything okay with your bosses?" asked Mihoshi.

Heero nodded. "Yes."

"I hope they come back sometime soon," said Sasami, "They're both nice ladies."

"They are," said Heero, "but they also have very busy schedules, Sasami. If they come back out here again it will likely be for something very important, not a social call."

"Sir Heero's right, Sasami," said Ayeka, "They are his superiors, after all, and are charged with protecting this world. I doubt that leaves them much time for friendly visits."

"That's putting it mildly," said Heero, "I'm actually surprised they were both able to find the time to come out here."

Washu chuckled. "I guess I've got your higher-ups pretty spooked then if they're coming out all this way, eh?"

Heero turned to her. "I didn't leave anything out in my report to them on our first encounter, and given the power that you displayed it was quite natural that they'd take a keen interest in meeting you and evaluating you firsthand. You're lucky that they agreed to go along with your demand to just have me conduct the interview; Director Une doesn't pull her punches in the interrogation room."

Washu smiled at him. "Well, then, I guess I owe you one, don't I? How would you like the favor to be repaid, handsome? I've got a few ideas!"

"Washu!" growled Ryoko.

"As fiendish as her daughter!" hissed Ayeka.

"I'll pass, thanks," said Heero, "Your cooperation in the interview makes us even."

Washu smirked. "All right, but I'll keep the offer on the table!"

Indefinitely, she silently added as she studied him, You've got all the other girls wrapped around your finger, and I want to find out why. Two Juraian princesses, a member of the Galaxy Police, and my daughter… how did you wind up becoming the sun that they're now orbiting around? I'm keeping my eye on you at least until I get that question answered. It's gotta be more than just looks…

A growl from her stomach interrupted her thoughts. For the first time Washu realized that she was absolutely famished, and she had completely forgotten the last time she had eaten; setting up her lab and her interview with Heero had occupied her considerably.

"So," she said, "any chance that we could get some dinner going?"

"Yeah," said Mihoshi, "I'm starving!"

"I must admit," said Ayeka, "Dinner would be lovely right about now."

"Yo, Heero," said Ryoko, "What's on the menu for tonight?"

Heero shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Oh!" said Sasami, "How about that dish you showed me how to make with the noodles and the red sauce and meat?"

"Spaghetti?" said Heero, "I think we've got the ingredients we need for that. There should be some garlic bread in the fridge that we can heat up too."

Ryoko smiled. "That sounds good!"

Ayeka nodded. "Indeed."

"Yummy!" Mihoshi chimed in.

"Let's get started!" cried Sasami, already rushing towards the kitchen.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki as she chased after her.

Washu looked at Heero and raised an eyebrow. "Spaghetti?"

Heero shrugged. "You'll find out if you like it or not soon enough. I'll go help Sasami cook. Feel free to relax; I'll let you know when it's ready."

Washu nodded. "Sounds good. I guess I'll hang around out here then; I suppose I could use a bit of time out of the lab."

"Oh!" said Mihoshi, smiling, "You should watch TV with us. There's supposed to be a great show on right now!"

Washu smiled. "Why not?"

As she headed over to the couch with the others she spared one more glance over at Heero, who was already in the kitchen setting up to cook with Sasami. Landing on a planet that was out in the middle of nowhere like this was hardly an ideal situation, but she had to admit that things could've been a lot worse. She had a place to stay, her new lab was all set up and ready to go, she had companions to mess with, and a rather attractive host.

Might as well make myself comfortable, she thought, I have a feeling that I'm going to be here for a while. No reason why I can't enjoy it!

….

Well, thought Heero as he wrapped up washing the dishes, that went much better than I thought it would. No fights, no explosions, no transformations… it's hard to believe that we actually had a normal dinner with our newest houseguest.

It was a big relief to the Gundam pilot, seeing as how the living room was also in effect their dining room; a fight of any sort, especially while spaghetti was on everyone's plates, would've likely made a huge mess on the couch. Fortunately for Heero he had dodged that particular bullet. He chalked up part of his luck to the fact that the TV had been kept on the whole time, and Washu had apparently been quite interested when Heero had idly flipped the channel over to the news. That was something he would have to keep in mind for the future; she was curious about the current affairs of his world, and there were ways he might be able to take advantage of that.

Dinner wasn't the only thing that had gone well. Lady Une and Sally's visit had gone much smoother than Heero had originally anticipated. Washu's demand to have him handle the interview with her by himself had concerned him for a bit, but his superiors had been agreeable on the matter and everything seemed to have worked out for the best. He still had plenty of time to compose his report and send it over to the Director, and he was sure that that would satisfy any lingering questions she might have.

After that, he mused, comes another trip to the grocery store. I really hope I get that new cost of living adjustment soon; with all these hungry ladies to feed I'm going to need it.

He would likely have to bring Washu along on that trip, if only to get a feel as to what she might like. Of course, there was no way that he would be able to go alone with her; if Ayeka and Ryoko's behavior up until this point was any indication he highly doubted that they would just sit back and let him take her out without them. Then Mihoshi and Sasami would likely try to join in, and he would be heading into town with all of his lovely alien ladies in tow.

Heero shook his head as he put the last dish away. There wasn't any point in worry about that right now. He could save it for tomorrow; right now he needed to unwind after all that had happened today.

Looking out at the living room, Heero was glad to see that his guests were all still on the couch and focused on the TV. One of Mihoshi's cop shows was on at the moment, and glancing at Washu he saw that she was watching with what appeared to be mild amusement. He had to wonder what this sort of cultural exposure was like for someone who had been in a state of suspended animation for what at the minimum had to be several hundred years. Heero supposed that she would no doubt have plenty more questions for him as the days went on; he did not believe for a moment that their little interview was the end of things on that front.

Things were about as peaceful as they could get given this crowd, which meant that Heero had a rare opportunity to get himself some space. Slipping quietly out of the kitchen and doing his best to not draw any attention himself, the Preventers operative went through the hall and carefully opened the front door to avoid making any noise and alerting the others. After stepping outside the young man cautiously shut the door and started walking towards the small lake in front of the house.

Finally, he thought as he closed his eyes for a moment, the better to enjoy the cool evening breeze, a bit of space. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Idly he found himself wandering towards the edge of the lake where the stepping stone path to the island in the middle began. Deciding to follow this bit of whimsy, he went out onto the first stone and began slowly making his way across the rocks. It didn't take him too long to arrive at his destination. The large tree dominated the island like it always did, and Heero found himself looking up at its branches. There was still quite a bit of green left in its leaves, which was rather surprising given the time of year. Heero simply shrugged; it was just one more mystery that had popped up in his life, and quite frankly it was a very minor one.

Turning around, he sat down and leaned back against the tree. Staring across the lake he could see the lights of the living room on in his house, along with flashes coming from the TV. It was such a peaceful image, one that was quite at odds with the rather rambunctious nature of his houseguests. Heero supposed that it was a decent metaphor for where he currently found himself in life; quiet on the outside and anything but on the inside.

I don't know how long this will last, he thought, Watching over these women is important, but eventually the Director and Sally will need me back in the field. I'm not sure what I'll do with the girls then. Oh, well; no sense in worrying about it now. I'll find a way to manage things when the time comes.

He closed his eyes again and gave a very small smile as he savored the evening breeze and the feel of the tree against his back. He felt so comfortable right now that he wouldn't be surprised at all if he just dozed off…

….

"Enjoying your nap, handsome?"

Heero jolted upwards. Looking around, he quickly found the source of the voice; it was none other than Washu. He also realized that he was still on the island with the tree, and that it was still dark out.

"Did I actually fall asleep out here?" he asked, the question more directed at himself than at Washu.

"Yup," said Washu with a smile, "You looked pretty cozy."

"How long was I out?" asked Heero.

"About an hour," Washu replied, "Sorry for making you jump like that, but it's not exactly healthy for you to sleep out here. The weather's nice now, but it's probably going to get colder before the night is over."

Heero studied her, puzzled at what appeared to be genuine concern on her part. "How do you know that?"

"Simple," said Washu with a shrug, "It's still early. Besides, for a genius like me, meteorology is a breeze… no pun intended. Your planet's weather patterns are nothing special when compared to some of the real oddball worlds out there in the universe."

"You've only been awake for a few days," said Heero, shaking his head, "You can't know that much about our weather in that short amount of time."

Washu smirked. "Hey, you'd be surprised at how quick of a study I am!"

Heero's eyes narrowed as another thought popped into his head. "How did you get out here by yourself?"

"Same way you did," Washu replied, "The rocks."

"That's not what I meant," said Heero, "If the others knew that you were coming out here to see me then I doubt that they would've let you do so alone. Not Ayeka and Ryoko, at least."

Washu smiled. "It was easy enough; I just told them that I was going back to my lab. Since the closet's right by the front door none of them suspected a thing. Besides, between you and me I don't think they're exactly eager to spend any time alone with me right now!"

Heero nodded. "True enough."

Washu surprised him by stepping forward and sitting down right next to where he had been sleeping. She looked up at him and patted the ground next to her.

"Care to join me?" she said, "You don't have to run back inside quite yet, right?"

Heero wondered what her game was, but he felt that there was no harm in going along with it for now. "All right."

As he sat down beside her he saw her nod across the lake at the house. "I have to admit, this is a pretty sweet setup. Your bosses treat you pretty well, Heero."

"Well," he replied, "the circumstances are rather… unique. If none of you had arrived I'd still be living in my apartment in the capital. Still, a place like this is a nice change of pace from the city."

Washu nodded. "Nice and roomy, too… even without my little renovations!"

"Speaking of renovations," said Heero cautiously, "you're not planning on adding on any more dimensional pockets to the house, are you?"

Washu gave him a sly smirk. "Maybe. It all depends."

"Depends on what?" asked Heero.

"On how generous I'm feeling!" said Washu, "I mean, I could give this house of ours so much more than it has right now. Just a few tweaks in the fabric of time and space and we'll be living in luxury!"

"I'll settle for simple comfort," said Heero, "I'd rather not run the risk of you linking the place with a black hole."

"Hey, now, don't be like that!" said Washu, "What do I look like to you, an amateur? Trust me, dimensional manipulation is child's play for me!"

"Perhaps," Heero replied, "but for now I'd like you to refrain from any further modifications to the house, okay?"

Washu chuckled, and Heero did not like the look in her eyes. "We'll see, handsome."

Heero sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that you're the type who enjoys toying with people?"

"Because I totally am," said Washu without missing a beat, "Where's the fun in being a super genius if I can't use my brilliance to troll people?"

"I'm starting to see why you were exiled and crammed in that pod," Heero deadpanned, "You must've driven your fellow scientists insane."

Washu pouted. "Hey, it's not my fault that my old colleagues were a bunch of stiffs! It's tough being a pretty scientist with a healthy sense of humor when everyone around you stresses on and on about formalities and dignity. People need to loosen up and have a bit of fun!"

Heero could not help but smirk and shake his head. "You're starting to sound like Duo. I really hope that he never meets you."

"Colleague of yours who likes trolling people?" asked Washu with a grin.

Heero had to chuckle. "You could say that."

"Sounds like he's a pretty fun guy," said Washu, "Is he as good looking as you? You should invite him over sometime so I can do a comparison… a thorough comparison."

Heero didn't need to be a genius to figure out what she was hinting at. "That's not going to happen."

Wash shrugged before smirking at him. "That's a shame. Guess I'll just have to get my kicks with you!"

"Like mother, like daughter…" Heero muttered, "I'm starting to see where Ryoko gets some of her personality traits from. You said that she was made artificially, but clearly you passed on some of your aspects to her."

"Call it a touch of vanity," Washu replied, "She's one of my masterpieces, after all, and I have a healthy ego!"

"Understatement of the year," said Heero as he looked out at the house, wondering what Ryoko would say if she could hear him and Washu talking about her like this.

There was a moment of silence before Heero spoke again. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something."

Washu chuckled. "Something you missed during our session earlier?"

Heero nodded. "It wasn't a high priority, and it wasn't something I planned on reporting to my superiors."

Washu smiled and rubbed her hands together, clearly excited. "Oh, so now we're going off the record, eh? All right, then; hit me!"

"It's about Ryoko," said Heero, "Why did you really make her?"

"Well," said Washu, "when you put it like that you make it sound like I wanted something more than a daughter?"

"That is what it sounds like," Heero replied, "and that was intentional. Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't strike me as the type to have children just for children's sake."

Washu sighed. "Can't slip much past you, can I?"

"I wouldn't be very good at my job if I weren't able to pick up on things like that," said Heero.

Washu nodded. "True. Look, you're right in that I created her for much more than to simply give myself a daughter, but… I can't tell you why."

"Is she a weapon?" asked Heero, hating how blunt he sounded but refusing to dance around the issue.

Washu looked down, and to Heero it almost looked like she was ashamed. "Partially, yes, but… she's so much more than that, Heero."

"I could've told you that on my own," said Heero, and he had the satisfaction of seeing Washu's eyes widen in response.

"You…" she said softly, her voice trailing off.

"I won't pull my punches," said Heero, "Ryoko's a very powerful individual, and that makes her very dangerous. It's why my superiors want me to keep an eye on her. However, I've spent enough time with her to know that she's more than just a person with extraordinary abilities. She's impulsive and selfish, but she's also intelligent, independent, passionate, and tough. She's a woman who's been through quite a lot, and she had a rough start to life; you didn't do her any favors when you left her, even if Ryo-Ohki was with her."

Washu nodded, and Heero was impressed with how she didn't flinch under his gaze. "Believe me, if I could've done things differently, I would've. I can't tell you right now, Heero, but… well, I had my reasons for acting the way I did back then."

"Why can't you tell me?" asked Heero firmly, "Can you tell Ryoko, at least?"

Washu shook her head. "Not yet. Look, I know how this must sound to you and how it would sound to her, but… I don't think either of you are ready for it yet. It's… well, it's much bigger than just the relationship between a mother and daughter."

Heero folded his arms. "I'm having a hard time buying that. Are you sure it's not just because you're afraid to honestly confront Ryoko about why you abandoned her?"

Washu's eyes narrowed, but despite the pressure Heero was putting on her she refused to back down. "If you knew what I was facing back then you'd be completely supporting my decision. For all I know the threat could become active again, too, and that's why I can't tell either of you yet. Not until I learn more."

"What threat?" asked Heero, pouncing on that word, "Is it a danger to the Earth?"

"I put some countermeasures in place before I was captured and sealed away," said Washu, "If they survived the centuries then the threat should remain neutralized. However, as of right now I have no way to know for sure. I've been out of it for too long and have completely lost my connections with the rest of the galaxy. I can't say more until I've found a way to reestablish those ties and update my information."

Heero shook his head in frustration. "So you refuse to budge on this? Look, if you feel it's too big for you trust me with I can understand that, but what about your daughter? Ryoko deserves the truth."

He was surprised to see that Washu was now smiling at him, and even more so that it appeared to be quite warm and sincere. "You really care about her, don't you?"

"Yes," Heero replied instinctively, giving no thought whatsoever to the possible broader implications.

Washu smirked. "Well, now… she really did get lucky, ending up staying with you, didn't she? Oh, the fun I could have with her about that…"

"You can save your 'fun' for later," said Heero, "Ryoko only brought it up once, and only when I asked her about it, but I could tell that your absence hurt her pretty badly at the start of her life. Having Ryo-Ohki with her wasn't enough to fill the hole that came with not having a real parent or guardian in those early days. If you tell her why you couldn't be there you could go a long way towards healing that wound."

Washu smiled again. "How about that? You're an operative and a therapist. You really are an interesting guy, you know that?"

"So I've been told," said Heero, "but I'm not looking for compliments right now. I'm looking to understand you and help Ryoko."

Washu nodded. "I know. I can't give you the answers you want right now. However… when the time's right, I'll tell you and Ryoko everything. I promise."

Heero closed his eyes for a moment before looking at her again and nodding. "All right… but I'm going to hold you to that."

Washu smiled. "I'd expect nothing less from the man who's been taking care of my daughter. I know she's only been here for about a month and a half, but I think staying here with you has been pretty big for her. She's very protective of you, you know? Considering that she's a pirate that's something I wouldn't have expected."

Heero shook his head. "It's my responsibility to look after her; she doesn't need to protect me, regardless of what comes calling."

"I admire you for thinking that way," Washu replied, "especially given that you have only your combat skills and experience to rely on when confronted with a threat. However, given the power your companions possess I'd say that there's nothing wrong with leaning on them for help now and then. I certainly doubt that Ryoko would mind defending you!"

"Perhaps," said Heero, "I'll admit that I'm at a disadvantage when compared to her and Ayeka, but I'm not going to let myself become deadweight. I've gotten into more than my share of fights, and if there's one thing I've learned it's this; no matter how outgunned you are, you've always got ways to get a good hit in. You just have to find your opening and seize it."

Washu chuckled. "Very well put. You know, the more I hear you talk, the more I like you. You've got a pretty good head on your shoulders considering that you're from such a backwater planet. I think you'd do all right in the larger galaxy."

Heero couldn't help but smirk. "Maybe, but first I'd need to close the technology gap. I know my government's made strides in studying the remains of Mihoshi's ship along with Sasami's vessel, but we're still far behind what you and the rest of your civilization are capable of."

"True," said Washu, smirking as well, "but I think you can catch up. Who knows? I might just give you a hand!"

"I'm sure Sally and Lady Une would appreciate that," said Heero.

"Of course, I wouldn't do it for free!" Washu added with a wink.

"I find a hard time imagining how we could pay you," Heero deadpanned, "I doubt our money's worth all that much to you."

Washu grinned. "Oh, I'm sure I could find something here for you to reward me with!"

Heero chuckled. "I suppose you could."

Washu leaned forward and stretched her arms in front of her. "That's for another time, though. I may be a super genius, but even I get rusty after a few hundred years out cold. I'll need to refresh my mind before I get cracking on serious research again. Ah, well; I can entertain myself with some light stuff for a little while."

"What qualifies as 'light' for you?" asked Heero.

Washu shrugged. "Tactical-scale weapons, weather-altering devices, geological disruptors, genetic manipulation; two-bit fields, really."

That hardly strikes me as 'two-bit', Heero thought, and you're lucky Sally and the Director didn't hear you say any of that.

"I'm not going to have to worry about you burning down the house, am I?" he asked as his eyes narrowed.

Washu gave him a dismissive wave of her hand. "Relax, Heero. I'm not about to torch the place I live, accidentally or otherwise."

"That's comforting," said Heero, although he still wasn't entirely convinced that his new country house would be safe from his latest guest.

"You know," said Washu, "I'd also be willing to take on personal work from you."

"What do you mean?" asked Heero.

"Simple," Washu replied, "You're mainly a field operative, right? Your government has you watching over us for right now, but if a crisis pops up they'll probably want their top guy on it. In your line of work you need the best gear that you can get; I could help you with that."

She actually seemed to be quite serious about the idea, much to Heero's surprise. "I'll think about it."

Washu smiled knowingly. "You do that, handsome. Sooner or later I guarantee that you'll be coming to me for some fancy new gadgets!"

"As long as they don't blow up in my face," Heero said dryly.

"Hey, now!" said Washu indignantly, "The great Washu prides herself on top-notch quality work! Any personal items constructed by her come with a 'no-blowing-up-in-your-face' guarantee! This warranty is not applicable to devices that have become damaged due to external or hostile forces."

"You need to work on your sales pitch," Heero replied with a small shake of his head.

Washu laughed. "Well, what do you expect? I'm a scientist, not a businesswoman! Besides, the field of marketing is beneath someone like me. That's for people who have eyes only for cash and have no grander ambitions. It's a complete waste of my talents!"

Heero could not help but smirk slightly at her pride. "So it's research for research's sake with you? The money really doesn't matter?"

Washu nodded and grinned. "You got it!"

"I can respect that," said Heero, "In my line of work I've met a lot of people who only cared about either money or power; any broader ideals or beliefs that they'd had before had long since withered away. Finding people who can see beyond those two things and genuinely believe in their ideals and follow through with them is quite refreshing."

Washu gave him a playful nudge with her elbow. "You know, you act all calm and cool, but you're really just a big softy on the inside, aren't you? Come on, you can tell me the truth!"

Heero chuckled. "I suppose I am."

"Hah!" Washu laughed triumphantly, "Called it! And it makes perfect sense; why else would your bosses choose you to keep an eye on me and the others? You've got them all fooled with your stoic routine, so they listen to you, but when it comes down to it there's a warm heart in there that just wants to take care of them!"

"Don't go spreading that around," said Heero, "I do need them to have some respect for me, after all."

Washu patted him on the shoulder. "Relax; I'll keep my mouth shut. Well, maybe!"

"Do you intend to blackmail me?" asked Heero dryly.

Washu smiled. "What, you? Never! I just think that what you told me is an interesting tidbit of information that I should hang onto. The others might find it valuable, but I think that if they haven't figured that out about you already then they don't deserve to hear it from me!"

"They might already know, to be honest," Heero replied, "or at least suspect. They have spent quite a bit of time with me already, you know."

Washu nodded. "Yeah, and if you're being this nice to a woman that you just met a couple days ago then I imagine that you've been pretty easy for the others to get along with. Still, no sense in letting them think you're totally soft, right?"

"Yes," said Heero, "I'd like to think they know that I can be forceful when the occasion calls for it."

"Oh, I'm sure that they do," said Washu, "I don't think they'd respect you otherwise."

"I hope you're right," said Heero.

Washu then stood up and offered him her hand. "Come on, Heero. The others are going to start worrying about you sooner or later."

Heero nodded and accepted her hand, allowing her to help him to his feet. "You're right. I've spent enough time out here."

"No one can blame you for wanting a little space," said Washu with a smile, "After all you put up with for us I think you deserve it."

"Thanks," said Heero, "Well, let's go."

He started moving towards the stepping stones, but he noticed that Washu wasn't following. Rather, her gaze was focused intently on the tree.

"Interesting…" he heard her murmur.

"What is it?" Heero asked.

Her brow furrowed in thought for a moment before she looked at him. "Heero, how old do you think this tree is?"

He was a bit taken aback by that question. "I'm not sure. Judging by the width of the trunk though, I wouldn't be surprised if its age was over a century or two."

"I'd wager it's a good deal older than that," said Washu, and a small smile crept onto her face.

Heero looked back and forth between her and the tree. "Do you know something?"

Washu chuckled. "For now, I have only suspicions. However… if they're right, then it would seem that I've landed on a very interesting planet."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Washu shook her head. "Not now. When the time's right, perhaps. Come, let's go."

As she walked past him and stepped out onto the first stone Heero looked back at the tree again. He recalled that Ayeka had paused to study the tree when the two of them had come out to this island before. Was there something about it that she and Washu recognized?

Whatever it is, he thought as he looked back at Washu, it would seem that I'm not going to get a straight answer about it tonight. I suppose I'll just have to be patient. We shouldn't be going anywhere for a while, so I've got plenty of time to figure out how to solve this particular puzzle.

….

October 13th, A.C. 198

Stepping out of the shower and wrapping his towel around him, Heero was about to go get dressed when the floor started shaking under him. Grabbing onto the counter to steady himself, Heero initially assumed it was a minor tremor and would pass soon; the Japan region was certainly no stranger to them. However, the shaking did not subside, and in fact seemed to be getting worse.

"Damn it," he growled as he rushed out of the bathroom, trying his best to keep both his footing and some measure of modesty, "Gotta find the others!"

Going as fast as he could under the circumstances, he went down to the second floor and found it to be empty. Continuing downstairs, Heero found his assorted houseguests all clinging to furniture in varying degrees of distress… with one notable exception.

Crap, he thought as he realized who was missing, Don't tell me…

"Where's Washu?" he asked.

"In her lab!" yelled Ryoko, "Damn it, this all her fault, isn't it?"

"Sir Heero!" cried Ayeka, "Please, stop her!"

"The whole house will fall down if this keeps up!" screamed Mihoshi.

"Oh dear," said Azaka, "I do hope that doesn't happen."

"It would be most unfortunate!" chimed in Kamidake.

"We need to get outside!" cried Sasami.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki as she tumbled all over the floor, unable to keep her footing in the shaking.

Sasami had the right idea. In an urban environment Heero would've recommended sheltering inside, but since they were out in the country things were different.

"All of you, get out front and away from the house!" he ordered, "I'll go into the lab and try to stop this!"

"Sir Heero!" cried Ayeka, "Are you sure?"

"We can help!" yelled Ryoko.

"Go!" he said, a little more forcefully than he'd intended but wanting to make sure they both knew that he was in no mood for arguing.

The two women nodded and joined the others in scrambling towards the front door. Heero followed them, but rather than head outside he then turned left and threw open the closet door. The shaking grew even worse the moment he did so, and Heero was more confident now that something inside the lab was causing all this.

"Washu!" he called as he went inside, "Are you still alive?"

"Heero!" he heard her yell in reply, "Give me a hand over here!"

Making his way through the lab as best as he could, Heero quickly found Washu. She was down on her hands and knees, taking shelter under a table. Were it not for the current situation Heero might've found the image to be amusing.

"What's going on?" he asked as he rushed over to her.

Washu crawled out from under the table and stood up, although her footing was quite uncertain. "Just help me stay on my feet and get me over to that console!"

She pointed past the table where there was a large monitor and a keyboard. The whole display was going haywire, and beyond that Heero could see a window that gave a view into what appeared to be some kind of testing chamber. Suspended in the air was a dark gray orb, and from the way it was violently vibrating Heero surmised that it was the source of the sudden earthquake.

Heero nodded. "All right, let's go."

Letting her put her arm around him for support, Heero started moving towards the console. At any other time he might be a bit more self-conscious of the fact that he was only wearing a towel and that a woman was holding onto him, but under the present circumstances that was the last thing on his mind.

"Almost there," he said.

"Good," said Washu, "Damn it, I must really be rusty if I screwed up something as simple as this…"

"Complain about it later," said Heero as they came up to the console, "Just shut it off!"

Washu nodded and reached towards the key pad. "Got it. Keep me standing, handsome!"

Heero braced her as best as he could while she typed in what he assumed to be the shutdown sequence for the device. He saw her smile as she hit the last key, but just before the device went inert it gave off one more powerful pulse and sent them both tumbling to the floor, with Washu landing right on top of Heero.

Heero groaned as his head hit the hard floor. However, apart from a small throbbing he seemed to be okay. The fact that the shaking was finally subsiding was a bonus.

However, what did not improve the situation was the fact that he was now lying on his back on the floor of Washu's lab, with the red-headed mad scientist right on top of him, and he'd come in here wearing only a towel…

…which he just realized had slipped off during the fall.

Looking up at Washu, he saw that she was straddling his waist, and there was a growing smile on her face as she became aware of their new situation. "Well, now… are you really that into me, Heero? Not that I'm complaining…"

Heero's hand was a blur as he grabbed the towel, slid out from under Washu and wrapped the towel back around his waist. "Don't get the wrong idea."

Washu chuckled as the two of them stood up. "Oh, it might be too late for that, handsome! Mmmm… you've got quite the body there, you know that? Tell me, when was the last time a qualified doctor gave you a physical exam? I'd be more than willing to fill in as your new physician!"

"I'll pass on that," Heero replied, quite eager to change the subject, "What exactly are you doing in here?"

Washu shrugged. "Just a bit of testing. I really thought that the vibrations would be confined to the chamber. I guess I'm a little rustier than I thought."

"What were you testing?" asked Heero, his eyes narrowing.

Washu grinned. "A localized earthquake generator. Imagine this; you're surrounded by ten guys, they've all got guns drawn on you, and then the suckers all fall to the floor because you triggered a tremor that effects only where they're standing! Pretty neat, right?"

"In theory, yes," said Heero dryly, "It clearly needs some work; it wasn't nearly as precise as what you just described."

Washu folded her arms. "Hey, I'd like to see you try to invent a personal earthquake generator that can target precise points! It's not exactly easy, you know?"

"Cleary," Heero replied, "One of several reasons why I don't intend to try making something like that."

Washu smiled. "You never know when something like this might come in handy. When I get the kinks worked out I'd be happy to offer the first production model to you! I certainly wouldn't mind having you field test it for me."

"We'll see," said Heero, having no intention of taking her up on that offer.

"Sir Heero!" he heard Ayeka cry out, "Are you all right?"

"You okay?" called Ryoko.

Heero turned and saw the two of them running towards him and Washu. "I thought I told you two to go outside with the others?"

"We felt the shaking subside," said Ayeka, "I apologize for my disobedience, but your safety is of paramount concern to me, Sir Heero!"

"I couldn't just sit out there!" said Ryoko, folding her arms, "Who knows what this psycho here could've gotten you into! She's crazier than Ayeka!"

"Hey!" Washu snapped, "Don't talk about your mother that way!"

"Bite me!" Ryoko quipped.

"That's enough," said Heero firmly, "As you can both see, I'm fine."

"Yes," said Ayeka, her pale face becoming red as she looked at him, "You certainly do appear to be… in good condition."

Ryoko smirked, although Heero could see a hint of red in her face as well. "Oh, yeah… you're looking very good to me, Heero."

It was a rather unsubtle reminder of Heero's current attire, or lack thereof. He heard Washu chuckle, and he could practically feel her eyeing him up and down.

"Well," said Washu, "I'm glad that everything turned out all right. You can come in here and help me out anytime, Heero. I wouldn't mind falling on top of you again!"

"What?" said Ayeka, her eyes widening and her blush growing considerably.

Ryoko glared at Washu. "Hey, just what the hell did you do?"

Washu smiled innocently. "Me? Why, nothing! I was just lucky that Heero was in here to break my fall when I lost my balance, that's all."

"You little fiend!" growled Ayeka.

"Lying witch," Ryoko snarled.

"Cut it out," said Heero, "Washu, if you're done trying to destroy the house for today, I'm going to finish getting cleaned."

Washu nodded and grinned. "All right; I guess I can put the Squad-Level Tactical Tremor Generator on hold for a while!"

"Good," said Heero as he walked out of the lab, leaving the three ladies behind him, "and you need to work on the name."

"I'm open to suggestions!" she replied.

"I'll pass," said Heero before shutting the door behind him.

Whatever I'm being paid, he thought as he headed upstairs, it's not nearly enough to deal with this crap…

….

October 16th, A.C. 198

Sitting down on the wooden porch that wrapped around the front of the house, Mihoshi leaned back and smiled. "Ah, what a beautiful day!"

It certainly was. It may have been autumn, but the sky was surprisingly clear today. The hills were alive with bursts of red, orange, and yellow as the trees continued their seasonal transition, and a pleasantly cool breeze blew their leaves all around. The wind tussled Mihoshi's hair, and she reveled in the sensation.

It's so pretty out here, she thought, I'm glad I get to live in a place like this with a guy like Heero, even if things have been a little crazy lately.

The incident with Washu's earthquake device was just the first of several to disturb their country household. Morning had barely become afternoon that day when the closet door had burst open and Washu had come running out with her ponytail on fire. After dousing the flames she'd dragged Heero and the others, including Mihoshi, into her lab to help deal with the cause; a frog that she had somehow captured and then mutated so that it could breath fire. A very energetic and frantic chase had resulted, and even though herding the creature and finally capturing it had been rather hectic work Mihoshi had actually enjoyed herself while doing so.

The following day had brought another mess upon them, courtesy of their resident mad scientist. It had resulted from what at first glance had seemed to be a relatively harmless experiment; Washu was trying to genetically modify carrots to make them more nutritious for Ryo-Ohki. However, the project had quickly taken a turn for the worse when one of the carrots had mutated into a four-legged monstrosity that was a meter tall and two meters long and could spit acid. Once again Heero, Mihoshi, and the others had been drafted in to contain the beast, and upon defeating it Washu had Ryoko kill it and serve it up to Ryo-Ohki as a feast. As far as Mihoshi could tell the cute little furball hadn't eaten anything at all since then, and it would likely be a few more days before she finally worked off all the excess food she had consumed and would be able to partake in her usual meals.

The rest of the incidents following that had been relatively minor, but they'd all stemmed from the same source; Washu's lab. While the others might grumble about the unpredictability of their newest houseguest, Mihoshi actually enjoyed it. As far as she was concerned Washu was making things exciting, and since no one had been seriously hurt she felt that there was no harm in the legendary mad scientist's antics.

Things have become pretty lively lately, she thought with a smile, It's hard to know what's going to happen next!

That sentiment really seemed to sum up her recent life quite well. She had landed on a remote world, gotten into a fight with a notorious space pirate, a princess of Jurai, and a local law enforcement officer. Then she had wound up befriending them and moving in with them. Then Ryo-Ohki and Sasami had shown up, a crash had prevented her from returning home, and they'd all moved out to the country. Now they'd unearthed an exiled scientist who had proceeded to join their growing family, and who could say what the future held for them going forward?

This certainly wasn't where Mihoshi had pictured herself being at this point in her career with the Galaxy Police, but she wasn't complaining. Life was strange right now to be sure, but it was also fun. Everyday felt like a carnival of course, and if Mihoshi thought of it as a vacation then it was the best leave that she'd ever had.

She looked down at the small pink cube that was sitting in her lap. Life was fun right now, but it was missing something.

Or rather, someone.

I wonder how she's doing, thought Mihoshi, She still hasn't found me… no one from the Galaxy Police has, actually. I wonder if they ever got my signal.

The small pink cube that she was holding was her personal distress beacon, a standard issue piece of equipment that all Galaxy Police officers were required to carry. Following her training, she had activated it soon after landing on this world, but it had yet to draw any of her colleagues to Earth. It was supposed to emit a strong signal, but the planet she was on was located pretty far back in the Outland Sector, and Mihoshi had to wonder if she was simply too far away from the standard patrol routes for anyone to pick up her beacon's message.

Someone should've noticed that she hadn't reported back to HQ by now. Standard Galaxy Police procedure under such circumstances would be to send another officer out to the area where she had last been stationed to do a search. That search had to be underway by now, right?

Even if it was, though, it was impossible to say how long it might take them to pick up on her beacon. The Outland Sector was vast, and if a major crisis came up it was always possible that the Galaxy Police would divert all resources to confront it; a search mission for a missing Detective First Class would be a fairly low priority at that point.

"Are you homesick?" asked a familiar male voice.

Mihoshi jumped. Turning around she saw Heero standing behind her. How he had approached her so quietly she hadn't a clue; moving without making a sound almost seemed to be second nature for him.

Mihoshi smiled. "Heero! How long were you there?"

"Not long," he replied, nodding at the spot right next to her, "Mind if I join you?"

Mihoshi shook her head, surprised that he wanted to spend time with her. "Please!"

He sat down and looked at the device that she was holding. "That's your beacon, right?"

Mihoshi nodded. "Yeah. It's been active ever since I landed here, but…"

"There's been no response from the Galaxy Police," Heero finished for her, "The only ship we've seen out here since your arrival has been Sasami's. Is that just a beacon, or is it also a two-way transmitter?"

Mihoshi shook her head. "Nope, just a beacon. All my long range communication gear was trashed when my ship went down."

"I see," said Heero, and Mihoshi was surprised to see a rather gentle light in his eyes, "I've been so focused on trying to keep an eye on all of you that I really hadn't stopped to consider what your stay here might be doing to you. You've been apart from everyone you know for quite some time now; that can't be easy."

Mihoshi smiled again. Heero wasn't the most expressive guy, but she could tell that he was genuinely concerned about her.

"Oh, I'm okay!" she replied, "You've been really nice to me, and I like being here with you and the others. It's been so much fun!"

Heero chuckled. "Perhaps a little too fun at some points."

Mihoshi shook her head. "No, silly, you can never have too much fun! There's always room for more!"

Heero sighed, and Mihoshi could see a very small smile work its way onto his face. "Clearly you have the energy for it. Where you get it from, I'll never know."

"I've always been like this!" said Mihoshi, "You only live once, right? You have to make the most out of life!"

"You've got quite the positive attitude," said Heero, "Forgive me for saying this, but I'm a little surprised that someone in your line of work can have such boundless optimism."

Mihoshi was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"You're a police officer," Heero replied, "You must've seen some unpleasant things in your line of work."

Mihoshi shook her head. "It hasn't been that bad."

She then looked down, some of the doubts she'd long kept hidden starting to come forward. "Although…"

"What is it?" he asked.

She turned towards him again. This wasn't something she was usually comfortable talking about, but Heero had been so patient and understanding with her since she'd started living with him that she found him very easy to open up to. In the end she felt that if there was someone here that she could really talk about something like this with, it was him.

"Can I tell you something personal?" she asked.

Heero nodded. "If you're comfortable with it. I won't spread anything that you want me to keep quiet unless it's a threat to the Earth, in which case I'll have no choice but to report it to my superiors."

Mihoshi nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, it's nothing like that."

"All right," said Heero, "So, what's bothering you?"

Mihoshi sighed. "Well, the truth is… I don't think I'm a very good police officer."

"What makes you say that?" asked Heero.

"It's complicated," said Mihoshi, "and kind of a long story, too."

"I've got time if you do," Heero replied.

Mihoshi smiled. "You're a really nice guy, you know that?"

"So you tell me," said Heero, "I won't argue the point this time. So, where did you want to start?"

"I think my family and the academy would be good," said Mihoshi, "My father's the Chief Superintendant of the Galaxy Police; he pretty much runs the whole organization. He's been a member since before I was born. Whenever he was home I'd always ask him to tell me stories about the arrests he and his friends made; that was before he got up so high in the ranks, of course. I lived for stuff like that."

Heero nodded, and there was an understanding look in his eyes. "You didn't join the Galaxy Police just because it was a family tradition, did you? You genuinely wanted to be a law enforcement officer."

Mihoshi grinned. "Yup! All my life!"

"That's good," said Heero, "If your job is one that you've always wanted, then I would call that a big success in your life."

"Thanks," Mihoshi replied, "but I almost didn't get it at all. I managed to get into the academy when I was old enough, and I tried to study hard, but… well, I was never a very good student. I'm easily distracted, and the Galaxy Police Academy is on a massive space station where there's a lot to see and do."

"It can't have been that bad," said Heero, "You did graduate, after all. You must've had strengths that your teachers recognized."

"Well," said Mihoshi, "there were some things that I was good at. I did pretty well in the physical training sections of the curriculum; I've always been pretty in shape, after all. I could figure out how to use most of our equipment, too… although there were some mistakes that I made along the way, and I still have trouble with a few pieces of gear."

"I see," said Heero, "So if those areas weren't what gave you the most trouble, then what did?"

Mihoshi sighed. "Regulations and astrophysics. It's not enough to be able to know how to chase and take down a suspect. You have to do it properly, and that means going by the rules one hundred percent. I couldn't memorize the statutes and regulations for the life of me, even some of the easy ones. And as for astrophysics… well, that made my head spin."

"Astrophysics seems like an odd topic for a police officer to have to study," said Heero, his eyes narrowing.

"Well," Mihoshi replied, "it would be if we were based only on the ground, but we're not. We patrol the entire galaxy, and we have a really big fleet that's responsible for all sorts of duties in outer space. Customs enforcement, anti-pirate patrol, search and rescue, traffic collision response, VIP escort; our duties outside a planet's atmosphere cover a huge variety of missions."

Heero nodded. "I see. I guess it does make sense; the word 'galaxy' is in your organization's name, after all. Plus, you did arrive here in your own ship."

Mihoshi smiled. "Yup! Every member of the Galaxy Police has to understand the complexities of interstellar travel and be flight certified both in atmosphere and in outer space. There is a special group that trains solely as pilots, but they only work with our elite Special Tactics Division. Regular Galaxy Police officers, however, are required to qualify as both agents of law enforcement and as certified pilots capable of traversing every star system within our jurisdiction."

"In that regard, I'd say your job's a lot harder than mine," said Heero, and Mihoshi was surprised by the level of respect in his tone and expression, "I have experience operating on Earth, in the colonies, and in outer space, but that's really only within the area we call the Earth Sphere. The sheer distances that you're required to cover are far greater than anything I've had to work with before. I can see why studying that field would've given you problems."

Mihoshi sighed. "That's not even the worst part."

"Really?" asked Heero, "What else do you have to deal with?"

Mihoshi looked down gloomily. "Me. I can be… a big scatterbrain sometimes. I'm easily distracted. Everyone knows it, especially me. I'm my own worst enemy, Heero."

"That might be a trait that would've caused you difficulty in your studies," Heero replied, "but you still graduated, right? You must've found a way to work past it."

Mihoshi smiled. "Yeah. I made a good friend. She can be a bit strict sometimes, but it's because of her that I was able to clamp down and study. I still spaced out and got sidetracked sometimes, but she kept bringing me back to what was really important. I wouldn't have made it through the academy without her."

"It sounds like she really cared about you," said Heero, "Otherwise she wouldn't have pushed so hard to help you pass your tests and graduate."

"Yup," said Mihoshi, "She was great. We even became partners after graduation! It was amazing!"

"If she was your partner," said Heero, "then why wasn't she with you when you came out here?"

"Well," said Mihoshi, "most of the time partners will use the same cruiser. However, sometimes Headquarters will have partners split off into temporary solo assignments to cover more territory, or to fill in for another officer. That's what happened to me; one of our comrades was hurt on the job and recovering, so our superiors assigned me to cover their particular patrol route in the Outland Sector, and that just so happened to include Earth! How's that for a coincidence?"

"It's a pretty big one," Heero replied, "Do you think your partner will come out this way eventually?"

"I hope she does," said Mihoshi, "Although…"

"What is it?" asked Heero, his eyes narrowing.

Mihoshi sighed. "If she finds me, I know that she'll scold me. It'll be pretty bad, too. I crashed my ship, let you disable my armor, I failed to capture Ryoko, and even got my identification and regulation guide destroyed. She's going to be so mad at me!"

"I think that would be only because she'd be worried about you," said Heero, "She'd probably be glad in her heart to find you safe and sound."

"Maybe," said Mihoshi, "but still… she'd really let me have it. It wouldn't be the first time, either."

"You two have had trouble in the past?" asked Heero.

Mihoshi nodded. "Yeah, and it's all my fault."

"I don't think you're being very fair to yourself," said Heero, "Partnerships are a two-way street; whatever problems there are can't be solely placed on the shoulders of one person. If there are difficulties in your professional relationship they can't be completely your doing."

Mihoshi shook her head. It was sweet of Heero to try and cheer her up like this, and she appreciated his words, but in this case she knew that he was mistaken.

"Sorry," she said, "but you're wrong about that. That scatterbrain problem that I mentioned before? Well, I carried that with me from the academy into my career. Sometimes it feels like our missions have been one string of accidents after another, and I know that they've all been my fault. It's bad enough that I keep screwing up, but my mistakes also affect my partner. I don't want to be a burden to her like that!"

"So keep working to better yourself," Heero replied, "It's good that you recognize that you recognize your flaws, but you can't let them define you and weigh you down like this. As long as you continue to strive for self-improvement, you'll eventually find a way to overcome your difficulties."

Mihoshi smiled. "You think so?"

Heero nodded. "I do. You're a better woman than you give yourself credit for, Mihoshi."

Mihoshi looked down, fighting very hard to keep him from seeing her blush. "Thank you…"

He's just too nice to me, she thought as she glanced over at him, and he's handsome… oh, why does he do this to me?

Mihoshi wasn't completely clueless when it came to boys, but her experience with them was still rather limited. That was mostly due to her rather hapless nature; it was a rare man indeed that could withstand the deluge of accidents that seemed to follow her wherever she went. None had come anywhere near close to showing the same level of patience with her that Heero gave her, and that was almost as attractive to Mihoshi as his looks.

If he worked the same job as me, she thought, I… I could date him. Maybe I should try to recruit him?

It wasn't the first time that idea had crossed her mind. The Galaxy Police had strict regulations regarding contact with civilizations that were not considered to be ready for exposure to the wider galactic community. Those rules extended to fraternization with individual members of such a race, and they were much stricter than those that applied to dating within the ranks of the Galaxy Police. However, Heero had proven himself to be such an exceptional individual that Mihoshi was sure that an exception could be made for someone like him. He was already a talented peace officer on his world, and she knew that he would do very well if he were allowed to join the Galaxy Police.

He'd probably ace all the academy courses, she mused, and they wouldn't stick someone like him on traffic duty. He'd get to work the big cases, make the big arrests… he'd be a super star in no time!

"What's up?" asked Heero.

Mihoshi nearly jumped. She'd gotten completely caught up in her thoughts. Actually, a fantasy might be a better way to describe it. Heero as a Galaxy Police officer? That was an idea that she could definitely get behind. If nothing else, she was willing to bet that he'd look good in the uniform.

"Oh, nothing!" she said, "Nothing at all!"

The look in his eyes said that he didn't buy it, but he didn't seem eager to press her. In the end he simply shrugged and looked out towards the lake.

"So," he said, "if a member of the Galaxy Police does come out here looking for you, what should we do?"

"Well," said Mihoshi, "if they get close enough to this system they'll definitely detect my beacon. Once they approach Earth they'll be able to narrow down my exact location, which means that they'll be landing out here. I think that if you and I greet them together things should be okay."

Heero nodded. "Sounds good. Of course, with the way things stand now it could be a very long time before one of your colleagues makes it out here. Will you be all right?"

Mihoshi smiled, once again touched by his concern for her. "Yup! After all, I've got you here looking after me, right? As long as I stay with you I'll be fine!"

She was surprised to see Heero give her a small smile in return. "In that case, I'll do all I can to watch over you, Mihoshi. I know the others can get frustrated with you sometimes whenever you make a mistake or cause an accident, but I want you to know that no matter what happens you will always be welcome here."

"Aw," said Mihoshi, feeling herself blush again, "Thanks, Heero!"

"You're welcome," he replied, "If you don't mind me asking, what's your partner like?"

"My partner?" said Mihoshi, "Well, for starters she's very smart. Like I said before, I wouldn't have made it through the academy without her helping me study. She was close to the top of our class in every single category!"

Heero nodded. "She sounds like a very clever woman."

"Oh, yeah," Mihoshi replied, "and not just that; she's also pretty tough. She's really good in a fight. Guns, her fists, her power armor… she's way better than me with all of those."

"Have you ever fought against her?" asked Heero, "For practice, I mean."

Mihoshi nodded. "We've had some training fights. She beat me every time."

"I see," said Heero, "What's she like as a person?"

Mihoshi smiled. "Well, she's pretty nice. She was patient enough to put up with me, after all. She's also very disciplined, which is another part of how she helped me get through the academy. She knows all the rules by heart. She can also be pretty scary when she's angry…"

"Do you think she'd be willing to cooperate with me if she comes out here looking for you?" asked Heero.

Mihoshi nodded. "Yup. Actually, I think that she'd like you!"

"Really?" asked Heero.

"Oh, yeah," said Mihoshi, "You're smart, disciplined, strong, kind and handsome! You two would get along really well!"

All those traits that she had mentioned would indeed appeal to her partner. However, what Mihoshi had left unspoken was that those same traits very much appealed to her as well. Now that she thought about it, if her partner did arrive here and meet Heero, would she start developing the same feelings towards him that Mihoshi had? That was a dilemma that she hadn't really considered before, and it made Mihoshi a little flustered.

Oh, no, she thought, What should I do? I mean, I want her to find me, but… but I really like Heero! What if she starts liking him the same way that I do? I don't want me and her to become like Ayeka and Ryoko!

"Everything okay?" asked Heero.

Mihoshi smiled again, hoping to hide her sudden discomfort. "Yup, all good!"

She looked up at the sky again. She wondered where her partner was right now? Was she out on patrol, or back at Headquarters? Was she still assigned to the same area, or had she been transferred?

Would she ever see her again?

I hope you're okay. I really do miss you…

…Kiyone.

….

A sharp buzzing sound forcing her from her slumber, Kiyone Makibi fumbled around with her hand until she finally found the button on her bedside clock that killed the alarm. Pushing herself up and then stretching her arms, the Detective First Class looked out the viewport of her Galaxy Police cruiser Yagami, staring at her reflection and the stars beyond.

Looking back at her was an image of a lovely young woman. Her dark blue-green hair was rather messy given that she had just woken up, but Kiyone had been told in the past that it looked very nice when she was cleaned up. Her eyes were a nearly perfect match for her hair, and while they were a little dull now they became sharp and focused while she was on the job. The turquoise shorts and tank-top that she had slept in still left plenty of her pale skin exposed, along with a very athletic body that had been sharply honed by both training at the Galaxy Police Academy and her years of service in the organization since then.

"That time already, huh?" she said as she glanced over at the clock again, "Well, guess it's time for another day on the job."

Climbing out of bed, she headed over to the bathroom. About ten minutes later she was all freshened up and dressed in her blue Galaxy Police uniform. It was standard issue, but Kiyone complemented it with a red headband to help keep her bangs out her face. She'd been told by more than a few people that she looked good in the uniform, and as she admired herself in the mirror she had to smile in agreement with that assessment.

Her stomach growled, and Kiyone took that as her cue to go start up some breakfast. Making her way to Yagami's small kitchen, it didn't take her long to fix up some food. Settling down at the table nearby, she looked over at the small memorial shrine that she had set up for her partner. It wasn't much; just a couple pictures mounted on the counter of her and a certain blonde haired, blue eyed and dark skinned woman.

Mihoshi, she thought as she looked at the pictures, it's been over a month since you disappeared and were declared M.I.A. After so much time, everyone thinks you're dead… including me.

Kiyone closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened again she was smiling.

And thanks to that, I'm free!

Ever since graduating from the academy and being paired up with Mihoshi, Kiyone's career had consisted of one disaster after another. Oh, where was one to start with the incidents and catastrophes? The time where they'd accidentally rammed a Juraian diplomatic cruiser because Mihoshi had set it as a target for the autopilot? Or when she'd accidentally set the interior of a hijacked agricultural barge ablaze in pursuit of a suspect? How about when she'd been trying to tranquilize a hostage taker and instead accidentally shot the negotiator instead?

It was one nightmare after another, Kiyone thought with a cringe, and it was so unfair! I finished at nearly the top of my class; they said I would be on the fast track to promotion to the upper ranks in no time! Instead my career went down the tubes, and it was all because of my moron of a partner!

That dismal death spiral for her career had been averted the moment Mihoshi had been declared M.I.A. Kiyone knew that it was wrong to look on the bright side of what was undoubtedly her partner's death, but things had started improving almost immediately. Granted, right now she was still stuck patrolling the Outland Sector, but already her record had taken a turn for the better. In the past month alone she'd successfully intercepted two pirate attacks on civilian transports, had chased down and captured a smuggler, made several traffic stops for pilots flying illegally modified craft, and had been first to arrive on the scene at a collision and had successfully kept both craft from falling into a gas giant. Those were all small items in and of themselves, but Kiyone knew that with enough of them she could start to clean up her record and get recognized by the brass for eventual transfer back to the core systems where the real action and promotional opportunities were at.

In about a year or so she would be on track for recognition and advancement. As long as she continued to work hard and be diligent in her duties she would be able to not only salvage her career but rise above its ignominious beginning. Surely her commanding officer would look at her file when the time came for her annual performance review and take note of the improvement in her record. From there it was just a matter of time before her name found its way to the Promotional Board for consideration.

It might take more than one review, she mused as she ate, I mean, with my record while Mihoshi was my partner I've got some serious damage to my reputation. It won't get better overnight. Still, if I keep at it I know I'll be able to get my career back to where it should be!

It was best not to get too far ahead of herself, though. For now Kiyone would take things one day at a time. A patient and measured approach would be the best to climbing out of the metaphorical hole that she was stuck in. Consistency and reliability were traits highly valued by the upper echelons of the Galaxy Police, and if Kiyone could demonstrate those then she would begin her long overdue rise to greatness soon enough.

Kiyone smiled as she finished up her food. "All right. Time to start my shift."

Cleaning up first, she then headed over to Yagami's cockpit. Taking her seat in the pilot's chair, she looked to her right at the copilot's post. She had to admit that she was still getting used to not seeing Mihoshi there, and despite her relief at being free of her cumbersome partner there was a small pang in her heart, a certain bit of nostalgia. Times had been crazy when she was partnered up with Mihoshi… but there had been a few bright spots there as well. If nothing else, her old partner was a fun woman, one who could always be counted on for entertainment in one form or another.

Too much entertainment, really, she thought as she checked her cruiser's systems over, I'm not sure how much longer I could've dealt with her. Where she found all that energy I'll never know. And how one person could be such an airhead and still be alive in this universe is beyond me!

Seeing that all of Yagami's systems were in working order, Kiyone tapped a key on her console and brought up a new screen to see if any new instructions from Headquarters had come through. Studying the monitor, she saw that nothing had changed since she'd last checked in.

"Still on the same patrol route, huh?" she said, "Well, I guess I could use a quiet day at work."

She'd been working this particular stretch of space for about a week now. It was nothing special; an off branch of one of the main commerce lanes that went through the Outland Sector. There were a handful of inhabited systems out this way but they weren't anything to write home about. Incidents out here tended to be pretty minor, but the Galaxy Police still wanted someone to be monitoring the area, and right now that just so happened to be her.

"Okay," she said, "Let's get moving, Yagami."

However, before she could switch over from autopilot to manual she saw a blue light blink on one of her consoles. At the same time she heard a chime, and checking her screen she saw that it was an incoming transmission from Headquarters.

Huh, she thought, I wonder what's up…

Tapping a key on her screen, she saluted as her immediate superior appeared on the monitor. "Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi, reporting for duty, sir!"

Chief Muraka, a middle-aged man with a thick brown beard, nodded on the screen. "At ease, Makibi."

Kiyone nodded and relaxed in her chair. "What can I do for you, Chief?"

"We got a ping recently from one of our long range recon probes," said the Chief, "The source was pretty far back in the Outland Sector. About as close to the edge of the map as you can get."

Kiyone's eyes narrowed. "Really? What was the code it sent? Pirates?"

Chief Muraka shook his head. "No, it's actually a distress code. It appears to have picked up on a beacon."

Kiyone nodded. "I see. I assume it's civilian in origin, correct? The Imperials don't have much of a presence out here, after all."

"Actually, it's neither civilian or Imperial," said the Chief, "It's a Galaxy Police beacon."

Kiyone's eyes widened. "An officer's in trouble? Do we know who?"

"Well, here's the thing," said the Chief, "This particular part of the Outland Sector where the transmission's coming from… is actually where your former partner was last stationed."

Kiyone's face paled; she couldn't have heard that right. "Sir… can you repeat that, please?"

The Chief nodded. "Long story short, that beacon appears to belong to Mihoshi. Since you were her partner before she went missing, I want you to go check it out."

"Sir!" said Kiyone, fighting to keep the panic out of her voice, "Are you sure that this is an authentic Galaxy Police beacon we're dealing with here?"

Chief Muraka folded his arms. "Are you questioning a superior officer, Detective Makibi?"

Kiyone quickly shook her head. "No, sir! I only wish to make sure that I'll be going after a genuine distress call instead of a possible pirate ambush."

"The signal's been authenticated," the Chief replied, "The code's confirmed as that of Detective First Class Mihoshi Kuramitsu's beacon. Makibi, your orders are to investigate at once. Coordinates will follow this transmission."

Kiyone nodded, doing her best to conceal the growing sense of defeat within her. "Understood, sir."

"Good luck, Detective," said the Chief, "Headquarters, out."

As soon as her commanding officer disappeared from the screen Kiyone slumped down in her chair. "No… why now? Why me? It's not fair!"

A few seconds later her monitor flashed again, and Kiyone's depression only grew when she saw that it was the set of coordinates that the Chief had mentioned. She'd been given an official order, and like a good officer Kiyone would not refuse it. However, that didn't mean that she had to be enthusiastic about her new assignment.

Oh, please, please, please, she silently begged whatever divine entities existed in the universe, please don't let Mihoshi be alive!

….

October 17th, A.C. 198

Sitting down on the wooden porch, Heero took a sip from the cup of tea he was holding and nodded in approval. "That's pretty good. She's getting better at this."

'She', of course, was Sasami. The younger Juraian princess had lately been seizing every chance she could get to make food or beverages, regardless of the occasion. It seemed to be an activity that Sasami found genuine enjoyment in, and if she loved it that much then Heero was quite willing to indulge her. Of all the girls that had taken up residence with him she was by far the easiest to handle, and Heero would privately admit that he had become rather fond of her.

Sometimes I feel like she's become my younger sister, he mused as he took another sip of tea, I hope Ayeka doesn't mind that.

"How is it, Heero?" he heard Sasami through the open screen door.

Heero looked back at her and nodded. "It's nice. You did a good job, Sasami."

Sasami smiled. "Thanks! Does Mihoshi want some?"

Heero glanced off to his right, where a meter or two away the blonde space cop was taking an afternoon snooze. "I think she's good for right now."

"I'll take some!" said Ryoko from her spot on the couch.

"I'll have a cup as well please, Sasami," said Ayeka, who was on the opposite end.

"How about you, Washu?" asked Sasami.

The red-headed mad scientist was sitting between Ryoko and Ayeka, and she gave Sasami a smile and a nod. "That'd be nice. Thanks."

"Sure," said Sasami, "Coming right up!"

"Ah," said Azaka, and if the cylindrical guardian had had a face Heero was quite sure it would be smiling right now, "What a lovely and peaceful day this is turning out to be!"

"Indeed!" Kamidake chimed in, "It's quite refreshing!"

Agreed, Heero mused, I'll take as many days like this as I can get.

Given the rather rambunctious group of ladies that he was playing host to, Heero was quite frankly amazed at how calm today had been so far. It was early afternoon and as of right now there hadn't been a single incident of note in the past twenty-four hours. They'd all eaten lunch a little bit ago and were now simply relaxing. Even Washu had come out of her lab to join them, and she was currently watching TV with Ryoko and Ayeka while Sasami made refreshments, Ryo-Ohki munched on a carrot, and Heero and Mihoshi chilled out on the porch, leaving the screen door open to allow the cool afternoon breeze to go into the house.

It was an almost idyllic day, the kind of which that Heero had not experienced since… well, ever, really. If someone had told him just a few months ago that he'd be sharing a country home with a bunch of women from outer space and be enjoying a peaceful afternoon like this he would've had them checked into an institution. It was just one more example of how strange his life had become.

Strange… but surprisingly pleasant.

I've got no complaints, he thought as a small smile appeared on his face, I haven't had to take a life in quite some time. Not since Ryoko and Ayeka showed up here and started all this. My life's become unusual to say the least, but in the process I've become something more than a knife for the government to wield in the shadows. Now… I guess I'm a caretaker of sorts. I much prefer that to being an angel of death.

His smile faded. Ryoko, Ayeka, and the others… they accepted him as their host and guardian, but would that acceptance continue if they found out just what he'd really done in the past? Heero wasn't a fool; the image that they had cultivated of him was missing a vital piece, one that he had been deliberately withholding from them. They might have some questions, but overall their view of him was a rather noble one. However, if they learned the truth, Heero doubted that their impression of him would remain a positive one.

He took another sip of his tea. Whether they ultimately learned of his past and his true self or not was something that could very well be out of his hands. It was impossible to say what the future might hold for him with how unpredictable his life had become ever since this group of women had dropped into his world. The best Heero could do was really just play things day by day. If his past was forced into the light then he would not shy from whatever criticism and scrutiny the others would undoubtedly throw at him, but for now he would keep such matters under wraps for as long as possible.

I think the only ones who have shown any real interest in my past so far have been Ryoko and Ayeka, he mused, and that's been intermittent, really. They haven't pressed me on it recently, and if they're not pursuing it right now then I certainly won't be the one to bring it up in conversation.

There was no need to do so at present anyway, especially not on a day like this. Such a peaceful and pleasant day as this was meant to be savored, and Heero would not be the one to ruin the mood. Raising his cup again, he drank his tea and then looked up at the sky. There were some clouds, but the sun was still quite visible. The weather truly was very lovely for this time of year, and Heero had to wonder how many more such days were left for this year. Autumn would become winter soon enough, although truth be told Heero was actually looking forward to that transition, especially since a place like this was quite likely to get some decent snowfall when the time came.

Perhaps we could all have a snowball fight, he thought, a small smile appearing on his face again, That would be fun… as long as Ryoko and Ayeka don't get carried away.

Heero shook his head. A snowball fight? Why had something like that wormed its way into his head? He didn't use to think about stuff like that whenever winter approached. He chalked it up to just one more of the several interesting effects his guests were having on him.

He felt his smart phone vibrate in his pants pocket. Pulling the device out, he saw Sally's name on the caller ID.

"What's up?" he asked as he answered the phone.

"Are you alone?" Sally responded.

Heero looked at the snoozing Mihoshi and the rest of the crowd back inside the house. "No, but no one's really paying attention to me right now."

"I see," said Sally, "What's Mihoshi up to?"

Heero was a bit taken aback at that particular question. "She's taking a nap. Sally, what's going on?"

"No sense in beating around the bush," she replied, "Heero… you're about to have company."

Heero looked up at the sky; he highly doubted that the 'company' that Sally was warning him about was of terrestrial origin. "Do you have a visual?"

"Yes," said Sally, "I'm sending you photos now. I think you'll find the design to be familiar."

Looking at the phone, Heero saw a few images move across the screen. Sally was right about the new contact looking familiar; the streamlined design reminded him of Mihoshi's ship. However, this craft was crimson instead of grey, and it was considerably larger. In fact, it looked to be nearly twice as large as Mihoshi's vessel, if not more.

"Galaxy Police?" he said.

"That's my guess," said Sally, "I'm assuming that they're here for her."

"Hold on," said Heero, his eyes narrowing, "You said that I was about to have company, but Mihoshi's craft crashed at the lake near Brussels, not out here. Are you sure that this new contact is coming my way?"

"We've confirmed their approach vector," said Sally, "Heero, can you think of anything that's happened that would draw a ship towards your new home?"

His conversation with Mihoshi from the day before flashed through his head, and he recalled the odd pink cube that she'd been holding.

Her beacon, he thought, I guess someone picked up on it after all.

"If I had to guess," he said, "I think someone's picked up on Mihoshi's portable distress beacon. She took that with her when she came with us out here."

"I see," said Sally, "Well, I'll leave the handling of this encounter in your hands, Heero. Try to keep things civil until I can arrange another flight out there, okay?"

"Roger that," Heero replied, "I'll gear up just in case things go sideways."

"Better make it quick," said Sally, "They'll be right on top of you in a few minutes."

"Duly noted," said Heero.

"Good luck," said Sally, "Water, out."

Heero sighed as Sally ended the call. So much for today being quiet and relaxing. On the bright side, the fact that whoever was coming was heading this way rather towards the capital would make his job a little easier by cutting down on potential witnesses. Sure, there was still the shrine keeper to worry about, but seeing as he lived up the hill and had been quite calm about Washu Heero did not think that he needed to be too concerned about his neighbor. If anything, Heero knew that he should probably be more concerned about the reactions of the women he was charged with caring for rather than those of the priest.

Whatever happens, happens, he thought as he looked up at the sky again, I'll just have to be ready for anything…

….

Kiyone calmly worked the controls as her ship entered the upper atmosphere. On her approach to the planet she had noticed the large number of orbital habitats and had made sure to chart a course that would minimize her risk of exposure to their inhabitants. Even so, there was always the chance that someone had spotted her, so she knew that she would have to make her search as quick as possible.

Just find her beacon and get out, she thought, If it's just her beacon and nothing else, great. If it actually is Mihoshi, well… I guess I'll just have to kiss my career prospects goodbye. Again…

She sighed. Who had the worst luck in the galaxy? Was it Mihoshi, or her? Sure, Mihoshi's cluelessness and status as a walking disaster area might've been the source of all her career mishaps, but then again, since Kiyone was stuck with her as her partner and unable to change that, could it not just as easily be argued that her luck was about as abysmal as one could possibly have?

Kiyone shook her head. Luck didn't matter right now. She had her mission, so she would perform that mission to the best of her abilities. If nothing else, retrieving a stranded comrade would look good on her record, right?

Kiyone groaned. She was already trying to put a silver lining behind the possibility of finding Mihoshi. Was that what things had come down to now? Had her life really become such a disaster that she was now forced to find the bright side of every bit of misfortune that came her way?

"Stay focused," she told herself, "It just picked up the beacon transmission, nothing more. Someone could've already picked her up and she just left the stupid thing behind. That's something she'd do, right?"

Or I'm just in one giant case of denial right now, she mused, I can't be faulted for that, can I? Come on, universe; can't you cut me some slack just this once?

Then again, this was Mihoshi she was dealing with here. The universe had never cut her any slack as far as her partner was concerned, and there was no reason to believe that it would start doing so now.

Checking Yagami's surface scans, she saw that the area where the beacon signal was coming from appeared to be fairly remote. It was up in the foothills near the base of a mountain, and from the looks of things the region was sparsely populated. That was good news for Kiyone; it would cut down on potential complications from the locals.

She could feel her cruiser vibrate slightly as it descended through the atmosphere, but overall the ride was quite smooth. This was to be expected; Yagami was a top of the line patrol cruiser equipped with highly advanced Galaxy Police technology, and that included inertial dampeners designed to reduce the stress of atmospheric entry on pilots. Kiyone was pleased that the system was in full working order; the last thing she wanted to have to worry about was getting thrown out of her seat and losing control of her ship thanks to faulty equipment.

"So far, so good," she said, "Now, let's see if we can narrow down that beacon's location."

Rescanning the area as she continued her descent, Kiyone watched the image on her screen shift. Now it was much more zoomed in, and she could make out what appeared to be a small lake with an island in the middle of it. Off to one side was a large house, while further away was a set of stairs that led up a hill towards what appeared to be a shrine.

Looks like she might've made contact with the locals, she thought with a sigh, Well, it's Mihoshi, so I really shouldn't be surprised by that. I just hope that she hasn't told them too much about who she is.

It was logical to assume that if the beacon signal was coming from or nearby the house then Mihoshi was probably staying there as well. Since this place appeared to be out in the middle of nowhere Kiyone could dispense with subtlety and make a more direct approach. She's station her cruiser right over the lake, head down to the surface, grab her partner and get out. At this point it didn't matter if some country bumpkins saw her; since this planet was isolated Kiyone doubted its leaders even believed in the possibility of life from beyond their world, so anyone in power was unlikely to believe the ramblings of some commoners from way out in the country.

Checking her monitor, Kiyone made the final adjustments as the Yagami entered the last phase of its descent. The vessel slowed down, and the images on the screen were now much clearer. Before her was an elevated region alight in the colors of this world's autumn. On another occasion Kiyone might've stopped to admire the view, but she did not have time for that today.

Her sensors zoomed in even further, and Kiyone's eyes narrowed as she was able to make out what appeared to be a person standing in front of the house. Kiyone couldn't make out any details quite yet, and she wondered if the local had already spotted her.

"Well, now," she said as she fine-tuned her scopes, "Let's see if we can get a better look at you, stranger."

A few seconds later she was able to get a more refined image of the figure. It was a male who appeared to be no older than Kiyone; indeed, she suspected that he was actually younger. He was dressed simply enough; just a pair of blue jeans, a green tank-top, and a dark blue jacket. His skin was relatively light and made for a good contrast with his dark brown hair. Even with her ship's advanced sensors Kiyone could not make out the color of his eyes, but the young man did seem to be looking up in the general direction of the Yagami.

Looks like I've been made, she thought, It'll be interesting to see how he handles this. Time to make our first impression, Yagami!

The cruiser continued to descend, and the ground was rapidly approaching. Soon that ground was replaced by water as Kiyone brought her ship in over the lake, a few moments later it was hovering just a few meters over the water.

"All right," she said with a smile as she put her ship into a stationary hover, "Landing successful! Time to go chat with the local boy."

Getting out of her seat, she stepped into the corridor just behind the cockpit. Taking a moment to flatten out a wrinkle in her uniform, she then typed on a keypad mounted on the wall. A red light blinked on the console, and then the hatch in front of her opened up and a long ramp descended, touching down gently on the shore of the lake.

Stepping out of the ship, she once again saw the young man she'd spotted on her monitor earlier. He was looking at her ship, and this time Kiyone could discern his eye color. It was blue, and it was actually a rather striking hue of it. Or perhaps it was simply the way he was looking at her and her ship; he was remarkably calm, and Kiyone could tell that he was intently focused on her.

He doesn't look all that phased about this, she thought as she started heading down the ramp, I wonder why that is? He's kind of attractive, too… for a local way out in the sticks, anyway.

She gave her head a small shake. Now was not the time to be thinking like that, no matter how handsome the stranger appeared. That was how Mihoshi might think in a situation like this, and Kiyone did not feel like imitating her former partner right now.

She saw the young man move towards her as she reached the bottom of the ramp, and Kiyone was once again struck by how remarkably cool and focused he seemed. He didn't seem the least bit shaken up by the fact that a large cruiser had just landed in front of his house. There was something about the way he was looking at her that Kiyone actually found familiar; it was like he was evaluating her, trying to determine if she was friendly or hostile.

He might be a local, she thought, but he's sure not playing the part of a scared civilian experiencing first contact. What's up with this guy?

Figuring she might as well be the one to make the first move, she smiled and gave him a friendly wave. "Excuse me, sir? I'm assuming that this is your residence, is that right?"

The young man nodded. "Yes, it is. If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

Whatever else he might be, this stranger was apparently one to get right to the point. That was fine with Kiyone, although she still found it incredibly odd as to how level headed he seemed to be given the circumstance.

"Well," she said, "my name's Kiyone Makibi. This may sound a bit strange to someone with you, but I'm actually with an organization called the Galaxy Police."

"Where's your ID?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Kiyone felt a bit nervous under his gaze; it was surprisingly intense. Just who exactly was she dealing with here? And he was already asking for her ID? No mention of the cruiser that she'd just parked over the lake in front of his home?

Something's not right here, she thought, I thought this planet was about as far away from the core systems as you could get. It's not even supposed to have experienced contact with beings from beyond its star system, but this guy doesn't look phased by any of this. What the hell's going on?

Deciding to play along until she learned more, she pulled out her identification cylinder and tapped the end. A small arm extended at a ninety-degree angle, and a screen popped to life with her image, name, rank, and the Galaxy Police logo on it.

"Here," she said, "I'm a Detective First Class, and I'm out here on official Galaxy Police business."

The young man nodded. "I thought your ship design was familiar. It's bigger than the one that crashed by the capital, though."

Kiyone's eyes widened slightly. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry," said the young man as he held out his hand, "but your arrival's not entirely unexpected. My name's Heero Yuy. I'm part of a peacekeeping organization called Preventers. It's nice to meet you, Detective Makibi."

Kiyone shook his hand and made note of his rather strong grip. "You as well. I don't suppose that you've got some sort of identification to prove you're part of this Preventers group, do you?"

Heero nodded and reached into his coat pocket. Kiyone tensed for a moment, wondering if he would suddenly pull a gun on her, but she relaxed a second later when he passed her a card. It had his image on it, along with an insignia and some basic information. She knew nothing about this world, but his identification looked pretty legitimate as far as she could tell.

"Thank you," she said as she handed it back to him, "Do you have a rank or title I should use, Mister Yuy?"

"You can just call me Heero, Detective," he replied.

Kiyone smiled; she certainly didn't mind the informal approach. "In that case, feel free to call me Kiyone. Is this area part of your jurisdiction?"

"My jurisdiction is this planet, her moon, and all of her orbital colonies," said Heero, "but for the moment I am working out of this particular region."

That's a pretty wide area of responsibility for a planetary officer, she thought, Why's someone like him assigned out in a place like this? Is it because of Mihoshi's beacon?

"I see," she said, "You said that a ship similar to mine touched down near your capital. Where is that, exactly?"

"Several thousand kilometers to the west of here," he replied, "Almost half the world away, actually."

Kiyone's eyes narrowed. "Forgive me, but are you sure you've got that distance right?"

Heero nodded. "Yes. Is there a problem?"

"Well," said Kiyone, "the thing is, if that ship was similar to mine than it's a good chance that it belongs to another Galaxy Police officer. The reason I'm here is to find that officer; their portable distress beacon's signal was detected coming from this world. However, the signal's source is this region, not your capital."

"Yes, I know," said Heero, and Kiyone was struck by how casual he was about it, "The ship crashed in a lake, but the officer did not remain with her craft. She came with me when I left the capital, and she now resides out here. She brought her beacon with her, along with some additional belongings."

Kiyone felt her heart sink. "So… she is still alive?"

Heero nodded and gestured behind him. "She's right over there."

Looking past him, Kiyone could indeed see her former partner. She was on the front porch, dressed in a pink tank-top and blue jeans…

…and she was out like a light.

Kiyone sighed. "I can't believe she slept through my ship landing like that. Typical…"

"So you're her partner, then?" said Heero.

Kiyone nodded. "Yes… I am. I take it she's mentioned me to you, then?"

"Yes," Heero replied, "although she never actually gave me your name."

"I see," said Kiyone, "Well… thank you for putting up with her this whole time. I'm sure she's been a handful for you."

"She has," said Heero, "but it's been no trouble. She's a very nice woman."

That's true, thought Kiyone, I'll say this much for Mihoshi; she's kind to a fault.

Kiyone forced a smile. "She is. I appreciate you looking after her while she's been here. I'll be taking her off your hands now."

Heero shook his head. "Not quite yet."

Kiyone's eyes widened. "Why? She's not from your world, after all."

"No, she's not," said Heero, "However, she has been placed under my observation custody for the time being. I'll need to speak to my superiors before she can leave with you. I understand that your mission is to retrieve her, and I have no intention of standing in the way of that objective. That being said, I have my own mission, and in order for it to change I will have to get my commanding officers involved."

Kiyone nodded; his argument wasn't unreasonable, and she could sympathize with his situation. "I understand. How long will it take for you to contact them?"

"I actually spoke to one of them before you landed," he said, "Our orbital observation grid spotted your ship approaching the planet, and I was duly notified. My immediate superior will be arranging a flight out here; I have no doubt that she would like to speak to you personally. However, since she'll be flying out from the capital it will take some time for her to arrive here."

"Very well," said Kiyone, "In that case, I would like to at least speak to my partner and remain here until I can actually bring her back home."

Heero nodded. "That's fine. Although…"

Kiyone's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

He nodded back at Mihoshi. "When she's out like this, it can take a bit of work to wake her up."

Kiyone couldn't help but smile; it sounded like this guy was already familiar with at least one of Mihoshi's traits. "Trust me, I know exactly what you mean. Let me handle it. I've got experience with this."

More than I'd like to have, she added silently.

"All right," said Heero.

Kiyone let him lead the way. She kept her smile on her face, but on the inside her emotions did not match her expression. She was already visualizing what would happen to her career once she returned with Kiyone to HQ. The accidents would begin anew, she would be the subject of scorn and ridicule due to being unable to rein in her partner's eccentricities… her career was already back in its death spiral, and there was absolutely nothing that she could do to rescue it.

It's not too late, she thought, If she slept through your arrival there's no reason to think your departure would wake her up. You can still run away. Just tell Headquarters that you couldn't find her! They wouldn't think twice about it!

In the end, though, Kiyone knew that she couldn't do that. It would be going against orders from her superiors and defying her mission objectives, and as much as she didn't want to reunite with her partner Kiyone could never sabotage an officially sanctioned Galaxy Police operation.

That was what she told herself, anyway. She refused to admit to another reason.

Namely, that she might've actually missed her airheaded partner.

A few seconds later Heero and her were standing over Mihoshi. Looking down at her partner, Kiyone could not help but feel a certain sense of nostalgia. How many times had she been in this position, having to wake up the snoozing blonde? She'd lost count quite a long time ago.

Kiyone sighed. "She really hasn't changed."

"She's been hoping that you would be the one to find her," said Heero, "Mihoshi speaks very highly of you."

Kiyone smiled. "I'm sure she does."

"She's missed you," Heero added.

Kiyone nodded. "I don't doubt that a bit."

"Well," said Heero, "I'll let you do the honors of waking her up."

I wouldn't exactly call it an honor, she thought, but I guess that there's no putting it off any longer.

Kiyone took a deep breath before yelling words that she hadn't yelled in over a month. "Mihoshi! Wake your ass up, on the double!"

That did the trick. Just like old times her partner shot to her feet…

…and promptly lost her balance and fell right on her butt.

"Ow!" whined the blonde woman, rubbing her back, "That hurt…"

She then looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw the source of the yelling. "Kiyone! You found me!"

Before Kiyone could respond Mihoshi was back on her feet, and she wasted no time in throwing her arms around her. Kiyone forced herself to keep smiling, a rather difficult thing to do considering it felt as though her partner's grip might just crack her ribs.

"Oh, Kiyone!" cried Mihoshi, and Kiyone could tell that her partner was trying and failing to hold back tears, "I missed you so much!"

"Yeah," said Kiyone, giving Mihoshi an awkward pat on the back, "I… I missed you too, Mihoshi."

Mihoshi sniffed. "You mean that?"

"Of course I do, silly!" Kiyone replied.

That's it, she thought, my life is over.

Mihoshi's grip on her tightened considerably. "Oh, you're the best, Kiyone!"

Yeah, she thought dryly, I'm a damn saint, aren't I?

"Listen, Mihoshi," she said, feeling like her partner was about to crush her, "Can you… let me go? I'm having… a little trouble breathing!"

"Oh, sorry!" said Mihoshi, quickly releasing her, "I'm just so happy to see you!"

Kiyone nodded and smiled. "Same here. You look well, Mihoshi."

That she did. From where Kiyone was standing Mihoshi seemed to be no worse for the wear considering how long she'd been marooned on this planet. She glanced over at Heero; apparently he'd taken very good care of her.

I'll have to swap stories with him while I'm here, she mused, It'll be interesting to see how he managed to put up with her without going insane.

"How did you find me?" asked Mihoshi.

"Your beacon, silly," Kiyone replied, "How else would Headquarters have known to send me out here?"

"Oh, right," said Mihoshi, "Well, I'm glad you're here. We've got so much to catch up on!"

Kiyone nodded, not particularly looking forward to that but not wanting to clue Mihoshi into what she was really thinking. "We'll have plenty of time for that; Heero's informed me that he can't let me take you back home quite yet."

Mihoshi looked puzzled and turned to Heero. "Really? Why not?"

"I just need Sally to come out here so she can talk to Kiyone," Heero replied calmly, "It's just like when she and Director Une came out here for when we found Washu."

Kiyone's eyes widened. There was no way that she had heard that right.

"Uhm, pardon me, Heero?" she asked hesitantly, "Did… did you just say that you found someone named Washu out here?"

Heero nodded. "Yes."

His casual answer was rather off-putting for Kiyone given what she had heard about the legendary and notorious mad scientist. Perhaps it was a mistake; maybe they had found another individual who just happened to share that woman's name. Of course, Kiyone knew that that was likely an exercise in wishful thinking, but the idea of Mihoshi having landed on the same planet as the infamous Washu was pretty hard to swallow.

Kiyone was still struggling to come up with a reply when she heard a new voice enter the conversation. "Sir Heero? Please pardon the interruption, but could you possibly explain to me what exactly is going on out here?"

The Detective First Class did not think that her eyes could get any wider, but that notion was quickly proven wrong when she found herself face to face with none other than the crown princess of the Empire of Jurai.

"No way," she said softly, "It can't be…"

Ayeka Masaki Jurai looked at her, her expression one of puzzlement. "Forgive me for any potential rudeness, but who are you, miss?"

"Oh, right," said Kiyone, bowing, "I'm Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police, your Highness. Forgive me; I did not expect to run into someone of your stature on this planet."

Ayeka nodded. "I see. So, you must be here for Miss Mihoshi, then."

"Yes," Kiyone replied.

Ayeka smiled. "Wonderful! I think it's high time that our resident Detective found her way back to the Galaxy Police! Wouldn't you agree, Sasami?"

Kiyone's face paled; there was another member of the Royal Family here? That couldn't be right.

Sure enough, a second later another girl appeared, and it was indeed the younger sister of the crown princess. Like the older princess, Kiyone had only seen pictures and news clips of Sasami Masaki Jurai in the past; she'd never imagined that she would get the chance to meet the girl who was also known as the Gentle Fairy of the Royal Family.

The younger princess gave her a warm smile. "Hello, there! I'm Sasami. It's nice to meet you, Detective!"

Kiyone couldn't help but smile in return; how could she do anything else when face with the most adorable member of the Royal Family? It would almost be a crime not to return her smile!

She bowed again. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, your Highness."

"Aw," said Sasami, "you don't need to call me that. Just call me Sasami!"

Kiyone nodded. "Very well, then… Sasami."

That's going to take some getting used to, she thought, Headquarters is always so strict when it comes to potential interactions with members of the Royal Family…

"Sasami is always so relaxed when it comes to formality," said a male voice.

"It's a very pleasant trait of hers," said another, this one with a slightly higher pitch.

Leaning in slightly, Kiyone quickly found their sources; two cylindrical beings that she recognized from file images as being the guardian entities of Princess Ayeka. She supposed that it was only natural that they would be on this planet with the woman that they were assigned to guard, although it still felt weird to see them here.

"Would you all pipe down?" said a new voice, this one female, "I'm trying to watch something here!"

Kiyone's eyes once again widened as she saw who had spoken. It was a relatively short woman with green eyes and red hair which was tied up in a pony tail but still quite wild.

Washu Hakubi.

I guess it was too much to hope that Heero was talking about another woman named Washu, she thought, What the hell am I supposed to do about this?

However, the appearance of the infamous mad scientist was not the last surprise that this place had in store for her. Sitting on the couch not too far from Washu was another woman, this one with wild turquoise hair and amber eyes. It was a face that was plastered on Wanted posters throughout the galaxy.

Ryoko.

Kiyone found herself stiffening. It was bad enough that Washu had apparently been freed from her stasis-pod prison, but now the notorious pirate Ryoko was here as well? Her powers were the stuff of legends within the halls of Galaxy Police Headquarters, and while Kiyone was confident in her skills she knew that she would still be hard pressed to take on someone like her.

Kiyone tensed further as Ryoko looked over at her and scowled. "What the hell? Since when did we pick up another cop for a guest, Heero?"

"She just arrived," Heero replied, entirely too casual for Kiyone's liking, "Apparently she's here for Mihoshi."

Ryoko seemed to relax at that. "Oh, really? Well, it's about damn time someone came by to pick her up. Lazy bums."

"Typical Galaxy Police," said Washu as she turned her attention back to what appeared to be the large screen of an entertainment device, "A bunch of sluggish bureaucrats. I'm surprised it only took them a month to dispatch someone to search for Mihoshi."

Kiyone didn't know what to make of this. Here was one of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy sitting beside a universally feared scientist with a penchant for creating immensely destructive weapons out on some backwater planet. More so, they were right in front of her and casually bad-mouthing the Galaxy Police. Kiyone might've fumed with indignity were the circumstances not so damn weird.

"Oh!" cried Mihoshi as she grabbed Kiyone's arm and started dragging her inside, "We've still got some leftover rice rolls in the fridge from lunch. Come on inside, Kiyone; you must be hungry!"

"Well…" Kiyone began, not really sure how to react as her partner pulled her through the living room past one woman that she should be arresting right now and another that she should at least notify Headquarters about.

Before Kiyone knew what was happening she found herself sitting down on a mat in front of the table in the living room, with Mihoshi serving her a plate of rice balls. To top things off was Sasami, and Kiyone was struck by the very odd sight of a member of the Jurai Royal Family serving tea to her.

"Here you go!" said the younger princess with a smile as she handed a cup to her, "I hope you like it!"

Not know what else she could do in this situation, Kiyone raised the cup and took a sip. "Thank you."

Mihoshi sat right down on the floor next to Kiyone, and the big smile that she'd been wearing ever since laying eyes on her still hadn't left her face. "Oh, you're going to love it here, Kiyone!"

'Love it here?', she thought incredulously, Has she already forgotten that I'm here to bring her back to Headquarters? I know she's an airhead, but this is ridiculous!

"If there's anything you need, just let me know," said Heero as he joined them and accepted a fresh cup of tea from Sasami, "Since I've been playing host to everyone here for a while I've kept this place well stocked."

Kiyone's eyes widened. "Wait, you've been hosting everyone here? For how long?"

"Ryoko and Ayeka got here first," Heero replied as he took a sip from his cup, "That was about a month and a half ago. Mihoshi showed up a little less than a week later. Sasami arrived about a week after Mihoshi landed. Washu was the last; we found her stasis pod in a cave not too far from here seven days ago."

"And now you're here, Kiyone!" said Mihoshi with a grin, "It's like a giant party where more guests keep arriving!"

"That's one way to put it," she heard Washu mutter.

"Some party," Ryoko quipped, "When we've got booze instead of tea then I'll start celebrating."

"Things certainly are lively when it comes to us," said Ayeka, "We barely have any quiet days anymore."

"Well I like it!" said Sasami, "It's so much fun, isn't it, Ayeka?"

"Perhaps," Ayeka replied, "but we could do with some stability and predictability."

"It would be nice if we could have at least one full day go by without some incident or another," said the cylinder with the blue symbol, which if Kiyone recalled from the files correctly was called Azaka.

"Indeed," chimed in the one with the red symbol, which must've been Kamidake.

Just what have I gotten myself into?, thought Kiyone, There's nothing in the rulebooks for dealing with a situation like this…

She was about to take another sip of her tea when she felt something nudge her arm. Looking down, she saw what appeared to be a cross between a cat and a rabbit standing on the floor beside her.

"Meow!" cried the creature in what Kiyone assumed was a greeting.

"Uhm… hello," said Kiyone awkwardly.

The creature replied by hopping right into her lap and snuggling against her. Not sure what else to do, Kiyone cautiously reached down and started slowly petting the animal on the head. She seemed to have found a good spot because a few moments later she heard what sounded like purring coming from the creature.

Kiyone couldn't help but smile. "Well, you're a cute and friendly little furball, aren't you?"

"Aw," cooed Sasami, "She likes you, Kiyone!"

"Lucky!" cried Mihoshi.

"What's her name?" asked Kiyone as she continued to pet the rather adorable animal in her lap.

"Oh, that's Ryo-Ohki!" said Sasami with a big, innocent smile on her face.

Kiyone froze as she looked down at the cat-rabbit. This was the Ryo-Ohki? This cute little furball was actually the vessel belonging to one of the most wanted pirates in the galaxy? This was the ship that had allowed Ryoko to steal the cargo from who knew how many transports and fight off countless Galaxy Police cruisers?

"You've got to be kidding me…" she said softly.

"What's wrong, Kiyone?" asked Mihoshi.

What was wrong? Everything about this whole situation was wrong. Here she was, a member of the Galaxy Police, sitting down with her partner having rice balls and tea while sharing the same room with a local peacekeeping officer, two members of the Royal Family and their guardians, a notorious mad scientist, a pirate that was wanted across the galaxy, and the creature that just so happened to also be said pirate's space ship.

Kiyone had told Heero that she would wait until his superiors had had a chance to speak to her before retrieving Mihoshi, but that had been before learning that he was also hosting both a known fugitive and a woman who would be back on the Wanted list once the Galaxy Police and the Empire of Jurai found out that she had escaped confinement. Her circumstances did not permit her to simply relax and enjoy Heero's hospitality; she was an officer of the Galaxy Police, and the rules and regulations of that organization demanded action.

Kiyone rose so quickly that Ryo-Ohki went tumbling from her lap onto the floor. "Argh, I can't believe you, Mihoshi!"

Mihoshi gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean, Kiyone?"

Kiyone's eyes widened in disbelief. "What do I mean? You've been sharing a residence with one of the most wanted pirates of all time, Mihoshi! Have you even tried to arrest her?"

Mihoshi nodded. "I did, but… well, I wasn't able to. She defeated me. Heero and Ayeka helped."

Kiyone turned to Ayeka and Heero. "Is this true? Princess, did you actually fight against a member of the Galaxy Police?"

"Not knowingly," Ayeka replied quickly, "and I can assure you that Sir Heero did not know of Miss Mihoshi's true identity at the time of the fight either. She did not identify herself immediately upon her arrival, and Ryoko deceived us into thinking that she was a pirate!"

"Mihoshi was in her power armor suit at the time," said Heero, "We really did have no idea who she was. By the time she'd identified herself we had already defeated her."

"And so that was it?" asked Kiyone as she turned back to her partner, "Just because they defeated you once doesn't mean that your duties as an officer of the Galaxy Police ended there. As soon as you got the chance you should've made another effort to capture Ryoko!"

"But I couldn't!" cried Mihoshi, "I crashed my ship, remember? What was I supposed to do?"

Kiyone knew that Mihoshi had a point there, but she still couldn't ignore the fact that her partner had done absolutely nothing to deal with the menace that she had been living with since arriving on this planet.

"You still had Princess Ayeka of the Empire of Jurai and her bodyguards here with you," said Kiyone, "Between the three of them you should've found some way to restrain her and keep her contained until someone picked up your beacon and found you!"

"That was never going to happen," Heero cut in, "Ryoko, like Ayeka and the rest of my guests, is under my observational custody. It's my responsibility to look after her, and that includes preventing people from capturing her and hauling her off this planet regardless of her past actions."

Kiyone rounded on him. "You've got no idea who you're dealing with here! Do you have any idea how hard the Galaxy Police have been trying to capture her? There are some damn good reasons for that, too!"

"I'm well aware of that," Heero replied calmly, "Ryoko was kind enough to give me some of the relevant details."

Kiyone folded her arms. "You can't trust her, you know? She's a pirate and a wanted woman; she'd say and do anything as long as it suited her ends!"

"Your point?" said Heero, and Kiyone was struck by the sudden edge in his tone.

She refused to let herself be intimidated. "My point is that if you're truly charged with keeping the peace on this planet then you should be doing everything in your power to lock away someone like Ryoko!"

"I'm keeping the peace by doing exactly what I've been doing since Ryoko and Ayeka arrived on Earth," Heero shot back, his voice now carrying an arctic chill, "Thanks to the actions of me and my organization we've come up with a solution that minimizes civilian exposure to them and the others without compromising our ideals. Ryoko may have a criminal record in the Empire of Jurai and in the jurisdiction of the Galaxy Police, but the Earth Sphere Unified Nation has no relations with either of those entities. Ryoko is on our world; she's ours to deal with as we see fit. More to the point, she is my responsibility. My mission is to look after her along with the rest of my guests, and I will fulfill that objective in the manner that I see fit. If you interfere in any way I will make you regret it."

Kiyone instinctively let her hand hover over her pistol. "Are you saying that you'll intervene if I arrest Ryoko? That would make you an accessory to her actions, and I'd have full legal authority to arrest you along with her."

"If you so much as touch him," said an icy female voice from behind her as a hand took her shoulder in a very tight grip, "I will rip you in half."

Kiyone felt a chill go down her spine as she turned to face none other than Ryoko. She no longer had that relaxed and nonchalant look on her face from earlier. Her amber eyes had sharpened, and Kiyone had to fight to keep from recoiling at the sight of the sheer venom that she saw in them.

Kiyone refused to let herself be cowed into submission by the likes of the pirate. "So you want to add another count of threatening a Galaxy Police officer to your rap sheet? Fine by me."

"Shut up," Ryoko growled as her eyes shot daggers at Kiyone, "Let's take this outside."

"Ryoko," said Heero as he stood up, "What are you doing?"

"Taking care of business," Ryoko replied, "If she wants to pick a fight here she'll have it with me. Stay out of this one, all right?"

"No promises," said Heero.

"Kiyone!" cried Mihoshi as she grabbed her shoulder, "What are you doing?"

"My job!" Kiyone shot back, "The same job that you should've done when you arrived here. Now, go grab your gear! You didn't lose it, did you?"

Mihoshi shook her head. "No, I have it here, but…"

"Then go get it!" Kiyone snapped, a little harder than she'd meant to, "Your vacation ends now, Mihoshi. You're back on the clock, and we've got a fugitive to apprehend!"

Mihoshi turned to her host. "Heero…"

Kiyone was surprised to see Heero shake his head. "It's all right, Mihoshi. Do as she says. She is your partner, after all."

Mihoshi nodded and turned to head upstairs, but not before looking back at Heero again. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," said Heero, "We'll get things worked out."

"Sir Heero?" said Ayeka nervously, "Could you perhaps elaborate on that?"

"Not really," Heero replied, entirely too casually considering how serious the situation had become, "I'm playing this by ear."

How the hell is this guy so damn calm?, she thought, If he thinks I'm anywhere near as easy to beat in a fight as Mihoshi then he's got another thing coming!

Ayeka nodded. "I… I see. Well, I suppose I should join you all outside. Azaka, Kamidake; come!"

"At once, your Highness," Azaka replied.

"As you command, Princess Ayeka," said Kamidake.

"Ayeka…" said Sasami, looking quite worried, "What's going to happen?"

"A struggle of some sorts, no doubt," said Ayeka, "Sasami, I want you to stay in here where it will be safe, all right?"

Sasami nodded. "Okay."

"Hey, Sasami?" said Ryoko, "Hang on to Ryo-Ohki, okay? I don't want her getting caught up in the middle of this."

Sasami smiled as she scooped the cat-rabbit up into her arms. "I'll keep her safe, Ryoko!"

"Thanks" said Ryoko before turning to the resident mad scientist, "Yo, Washu? Are you coming outside with us or what?"

Washu shook her head, still sitting on the couch and watching whatever was on the giant screen. "Nah. You kids go have fun."

Kiyone's eyes widened. "Fun? Once I've apprehended her you're next, Washu! Don't think that the Galaxy Police has forgotten your list of crimes!"

Washu shrugged. "As hidebound and anal retentive as they are, I'm sure they haven't. Enjoy your scrap with my daughter, Detective. I'll be right here when you're ready to get your ass handed to you."

Kiyone was fuming now. The fact that she was being casually dismissed by such a notorious mad scientist really got under her skin, and it was tempting to just slap her cuffs on Wash right now. However, Kiyone knew that she had to keep a cool head. The best way for her to emerge from this situation victorious was to focus on one objective at a time. Her first priority was to deal with Ryoko; Washu would be Round Two.

"Kiyone!" cried Mihoshi as she ran down the stairs, tucking in her uniform as she did so, "I'm ready!"

Kiyone nodded. "Good. You're backing me up, so look sharp!"

"Got it," said Mihoshi, lacking enthusiasm.

Her partner then looked at Ryoko. "I'm really sorry about this, Ryoko."

Ryoko shrugged. "I'll go easy on you, Mihoshi; I know Heero wouldn't like it if I beat you to a pulp. Your partner's going to get a real thrashing, though, so you're going to have to deal with that."

"Aw, don't hurt Kiyone!" cried Mihoshi.

"Get a hold of yourself, Mihoshi!" snapped Kiyone, "Since when do Galaxy Police officers ask pirates for mercy?"

"But Ryoko's my friend, Kiyone," said Mihoshi, "I don't want you to hurt her and I don't want her to hurt you!"

Kiyone wanted to tear her hair out in frustration. "Mihoshi, we're cops! She's an outlaw! What do you think we're supposed to do in a situation like this?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Mihoshi," said Ayeka as they went outside, "but I'm afraid I must side with your partner here. You may have been outmatched before, but now that she is here you must perform your duty and apprehend Ryoko."

Ryoko glared at Ayeka. "Hey! Who's side are you on, you royal brat?"

Ayeka gave her an evil grin. "Certainly not yours, you loathsome cur! Were you truly foolish enough to think otherwise?"

"I swear," Ryoko growled, "if you interfere I'll set your hair on fire!"

"Oh, I'm terribly frightened!" said Ayeka, not sounding the least bit scared as she turned to Kiyone, "Detective, did you hear her just now? I do believe that directly threatening a member of the Jurai Royal Family is a punishable offense, is it not?"

Kiyone nodded. "It is, and I'll be adding it to Ryoko's rap sheet."

Ayeka smiled. "Oh, how wonderful! If only you had arrived here sooner, Detective. Your dedication to the law and your bravery will not go unrewarded today, I assure you. I'll make sure that my father hears of the gallantry that you'll doubtlessly display when you apprehend the foul woman who threatened his daughter!"

"Like hell you will!" snarled Ryoko.

"Please, your Highness," said Kiyone, "Let's save that kind of talk until after I've succeeded in subduing her. I doubt she'll go down easy, after all."

Ayeka nodded. "Of course, Detective. Know that I am in full support of your efforts today. Azaka, Kamidake!"

"Your Highness!" the two guardians said as one.

"Stand at the ready," she ordered, "Be prepared for anything!"

"As you command," they both replied.

Ryoko scowled at the two guardians. "If you two butt into this fight then I'm turning you into firewood, you got that?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Ryoko," said Azaka, "We would rather not fight you, but if Princess Ayeka orders us to then we will have no choice."

"Hopefully it will not come to that," said Kamidake.

Ryoko shot another glare at Ayeka. "We'll see."

Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Ryoko put some space between themselves and the others. While Heero, Ayeka, Azaka and Kamidake stood off to the side Ryoko took up position off to the right, with Kiyone and Mihoshi facing off against her from the opposite side.

Kiyone pointed at the pirate. "All right, Ryoko, this will be your first and last chance to end this peacefully. Surrender now and come quietly, otherwise we'll have no choice but to take you down by force!"

Ryoko folded her arms. "Take your best shot, lady. There's no way in hell that I'm surrendering to the likes of you and Mihoshi."

"Fine," said Kiyone, "In that case, we're not holding back. Mihoshi, get ready!"

Mihoshi nodded. "Right!"

Kiyone reached into her pocket and withdrew a small red sphere. She tapped the top of it before throwing it into the air. The sphere suddenly glowed red, and a hissing noise came from Yagami as the vessel's top hatch opened. A much larger red sphere flew out of the ship's upper hull and made a beeline for Kiyone and Mihoshi.

Ryoko's eyes narrowed as the ball of red light approached. "What's this?"

"Something to help even the odds," Kiyone replied.

The red sphere touched down behind Kiyone, and the light faded to reveal a Galaxy Police mechanized armor suit with a crimson paintjob.

"Mihoshi!" barked Kiyone, "That's the same type of suit as the one that you had on your ship, so you should be able to use it. Get in there and back me up!"

"Got it, Kiyone!" cried Mihoshi.

Much to Kiyone's relief, Mihoshi got into the powered armor without incident. The suit quickly closed up around her, and the green sensor eye glowed to life.

"Okay," came Mihoshi's voice over the armor's speakers, "I'm ready!"

"So she can talk to outsiders in that thing," Kiyone heard Heero say from the sidelines, "It would've been nice if she'd used that feature back when we first met."

"I wholeheartedly concur, Sir Heero," said Ayeka.

"So your partner's got armor now," said Ryoko, folding her arms, "That's not going to stop me from kicking both of your asses."

"We'll see about that," said Kiyone as she drew her pistol, "Mihoshi, let's go!"

"Right behind you, Kiyone!" her partner replied.

Just like old times, she thought, although whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was open for debate, except that we never faced anyone as powerful as Ryoko. I hope Mihoshi's up for this.

Taking aim, Kiyone fired off a volley with her pistol. Yellow bolts of energy flew through the air, but Ryoko didn't even try to dodge them. She simply stood where she was, and the air around her shimmered as an energy barrier surrounded her and deflected Kiyone's shots.

Ryoko smirked. "Is that all you got, Detective? I could block those shots for the next thousand years!"

"I figured that wouldn't work," said Kiyone, "I just wanted to test your defenses. Mihoshi, attack!"

"Got it!" yelled Mihoshi.

The crimson power armor surged forward, firing from its wrist-mounted energy blasters as it went, and Kiyone added her own fire to the mix. Once again Ryoko's barrier deflected the shots, but Kiyone had the satisfaction of seeing the pirate's eyes widen as she realized that the shots were really just meant to keep her in place as Mihoshi charged her, trying to tackle her with her armor.

"Crap!" Ryoko hissed as she dived to the side at the last moment.

She was able to evade Mihoshi's charge, but Kiyone had planned for that. Grabbing a disk-like device from her belt, she clicked a button on the top of it and chucked it at the pirate. As the device flew through the air three yellow energy cords sprung from it, and when it hit Ryoko the cords wrapped around her and bound her tight.

Kiyone smiled. "Gotcha!"

"Good job, Kiyone!" cried Mihoshi.

Kiyone's smile disappeared as she saw Ryoko smirk. "Oh, please? You think this is gonna keep me down?"

Sparks of crimson energy crackled and coursed over the pirate's body. They flowed over the yellow energy cords and into the disk device that they were originating from. There was a flash and a small burst of flame that came from the device, followed shortly by a tiny plume of smoke as the yellow cords disappeared; Ryoko had burned out the restraint.

"Now," she said with a smile, "my turn."

She held out both her hands and unleashed a barrage of crimson energy blasts at Kiyone and Mihoshi. The two Galaxy Police officers were forced onto the defensive and dodged left and right to avoid getting hit. Kiyone returned fire when she was able to with her pistol, but Ryoko swatted the yellow bolts aside with contemptuous ease.

Kiyone turned to her partner. "Mihoshi, get airborne and hit her from above!"

"Okay!" chirped Mihoshi.

Her partner took to the sky in her crimson power armor, but Ryoko soon joined her. The pirate launched another barrage of red energy balls at Mihoshi, and she returned fire with her armor's blasters. Kiyone added her fire to the mix from down on the ground, and while it made for an impressive light show it didn't exactly bring them any closer to apprehending their target.

Damn it, she thought, She already shorted out my first Entangler so there's no point in me throwing another one at her. Our guns don't really have an effect on her either. How the hell are we supposed to take her down?

Ryoko laughed as she weaved in and out of Kiyone and Mihoshi's fire. "Come on, is this all that two officers of the Galaxy Police can do? From the way you were talking earlier I thought that you'd be able to put up more of a fight, Detective!"

"Mihoshi!" yelled Kiyone, "Forget trying to shoot her, it won't work! Try to grab her with your armor! I'll back you up!"

"Right!" Mihoshi replied.

Taking aim, Kiyone sent a stream of yellow bolts at Ryoko. Ryoko dodged or blocked them as required, once again showing very little effort in doing so, but the shots weren't meant to truly threaten her. Kiyone's intent was simply to keep the pirate busy while Mihoshi charged in to tackle her.

It seemed to be working; Mihoshi was rushing in and Ryoko still appeared to be preoccupied with Kiyone's covering fire. However, at the last moment Ryoko dived, causing Mihoshi to fly harmlessly over her.

"Nice try, Mihoshi!" said Ryoko as she fired a crimson blast into the back of the power armor, "Maybe you could hit me if I were sleeping!"

"Don't let her get to you, Mihoshi!" Kiyone yelled, "Charge her again! I'll cover you!"

"Okay, Kiyone!" cried Mihoshi.

Once again Kiyone laid down covering fire for Mihoshi. She did her best to keep Ryoko off balance, but there was really only so much variety Kiyone could put into her shots; patterns were bound to immerge sooner or later, and she was sure that Ryoko would pick up on them. However, her blaster wasn't the only weapon Kiyone could use to keep Ryoko busy.

"Mihoshi!" Kiyone shouted as she grabbed a spherical device from her belt, "Switch over to thermal imaging!"

"Why?" her partner asked.

"Just do it!" Kiyone ordered as she clicked a button on top of the device, priming the weapon.

Waiting a couple seconds to make sure she timed the throw right, she then chucked the sphere into the air. It was right in front of Ryoko when it detonated, releasing a cloud smoke that quickly engulfed the pirate.

"Now's your chance, Mihoshi!" yelled Kiyone, "Get her!"

"Okay," said Mihoshi, "Here I go!"

She charged straight into the cloud left by the smoke grenade. Kiyone smiled; since Mihoshi was using the armor's thermal imagers she'd be able to see while Ryoko would be flying blind. This time there was no way that Ryoko would be able to dodge her.

Kiyone's smile rapidly faded as she saw Ryoko shoot out of the top of the smoke cloud. The pirate folded her arms and smirked as she looked down at Kiyone, while Mihoshi still hadn't emerged from the cloud.

"That wasn't too bad," she said, "but come on, Detective! You're really underestimating me if you think that I don't know how to fly straight up to get out of a smoke screen."

"Damn it," she growled, "Mihoshi, get out of there!"

"Where did she go?" she heard Mihoshi cry from somewhere in the smoke cloud, "Kiyone, I don't think the thermal imager's working! I can't find her in here!"

"That's because she's not in there anymore!" Kiyone snapped, "She's right above you!"

"Oh!" said Mihoshi, "Don't worry Kiyone, I'll get her!"

I'm not betting money on it, she thought dryly as she watched her partner fly out of the smoke cloud, I don't know what else we can do here. Nothing's working.

"Back me up, Kiyone!" yelled Mihoshi as she charged at Ryoko again.

Kiyone duly raised her pistol and opened fire, although she doubted that it would do much good. It was nice to her partner acting more enthusiastic about their mission now, but that didn't change the fact that Ryoko had shrugged off everything that they had thrown at her so far. Kiyone wasn't a walking arsenal; there were only so many gadgets and weapons that she could carry at one time, and it was hard to figure out how to use the ones she had left to subdue Ryoko.

The pirate danced through the air, evading and deflecting Kiyone's pistol shots like it was the easiest thing in the world. Even Mihoshi charging at her in her power armor didn't give her cause for concern; Ryoko would just evade her, and at times it looked like she was deliberately waiting until the last moment before dodging as a way of taunting Kiyone's partner.

It was as she fired another volley at Ryoko that she heard Ayeka sigh from the sidelines. "I suppose I have no choice now. Those two will never subdue her at this rate."

"What are you planning, Ayeka?" asked Heero.

"Forgive me, Sir Heero," Ayeka replied, "but I cannot stand idly by and miss this golden opportunity to defeat the scourge that is Ryoko. Azaka! Kamidake! Attack!"

"At once, your Highness," the two guardians replied as one.

The two cylinders took flight with surprising speed. Before Kiyone knew what was happening they had already ascended to the same height as Mihoshi and Ryoko. The space pirate was preoccupied with dodging yellow blaster bolts from Mihoshi's armor and Kiyone's pistol, which actually put Azaka and Kamidake in an ideal position for a flanking attack.

What are they going to do?, she thought, I don't see any obvious weapons on them…

Kiyone got her answer a moment later. While Ryoko was busy deflecting fire from Mihoshi's armor Azaka and Kamidake managed to bracket her, with the blue guardian on her left and the red one to her right. Blue and white sparks flew through the air between them, and Ryoko soon found herself caught inside an energy field.

"Hey!" she yelled as she looked back and forth between the two guardians, "What the hell are you two doing? Stay out of this! I was winning, damn it!"

"I'm terribly sorry, Ryoko," said Azaka, "but we have our orders."

"We cannot disobey a command from Princess Ayeka," said Kamidake, "Please forgive us!"

"Forgive you? Like hell I'm gonna do that!" growled Ryoko as she glared down at their master, "Ayeka, you backstabbing bitch! When I get out of here I'm gonna give you a new asshole on your forehead, you got that?"

Ayeka laughed. "Oh, by all means, do try to escape, Ryoko! I'll be waiting right here… if you can break out of there!"

Ryoko grinned. "You asked for it. Eat this, you oversized paperweights!"

Holding out her arms, she fired blasts of crimson energy at both guardians. However, her attacks failed to breach the barrier. In fact, the sphere of energy that she was caught in actually deflected her attacks back at her, and Kiyone had the satisfaction of hearing the pirate cry out in pain as she was hit by her own fire. Burn marks appeared on her tunic and skin, and wisps of smoke were coming from her hair.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" she yelled, "Damn it, that hurts!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Ayeka, looking anything but apologetic, "Did I forget to mention that, as Royal Guardians, Azaka and Kamidake can generate barriers of incredible power? I'm afraid you'll need to try much harder than that to break out of there, Ryoko!"

Ryoko snarled. "Ayeka… I swear, you are going to pay for this!"

"And yet another count of threatening royalty added to your rap sheet!" said Ayeka with a grin, "I'm sure the good Detective's taken note of that!"

Kiyone had indeed made a mental note to add another count of that to the list of charges against Ryoko, but that was really a minor issue at this point. What really mattered was that Azaka and Kamidake appeared to have Ryoko completely contained. Now all Kiyone had to do was figure out a way to keep Ryoko restrained whenever the guardians had to deactivate their force field.

It wasn't easy, she thought with a smile, and I wasn't planning on getting help from the princess, but I'm not complaining. When I return to Headquarters with Ryoko in Yagami's cell the top brass will be tripping over their desks to promote me! My career's saved!

She could see it now. The commendations, the ceremony, the praise, her jealous former classmates, her pay raise… it was so beautiful that it nearly brought Kiyone to tears.

And it was all shattered by two gunshots.

Kiyone's eyes widened as Azaka and Kamidake fell out of the sky and crashed to the ground. Sparks and small wisps of smoke were coming from the bottoms of the two cylinders; their lift units had been knocked out. Glancing back up, Kiyone saw the remnants of the guardians' force field flicker and die; Ryoko was free again. Turning towards the sidelines, Kiyone saw who had fired those two shots.

Heero Yuy.

Ayeka's face was pale with shock as she looked back and forth between her guardians and Heero. "I… I don't understand! Why, Sir Heero?"

"As I told Kiyone," he said calmly as he lowered his firearm, "my mission is to look after you, Ryoko, and the others. I'll do what I must to meet that objective."

"Sir Heero," said Azaka, "How did you take us out so easily?"

"We're Royal Guardians!" bemoaned Kamidake, "It should've taken something much more powerful than your weapon to defeat us!"

"Your barrier was powerful," said Heero matter-of-factly, "but it only surrounded Ryoko. The two of you were wide open, and I've had enough time to study you to learn where your weak points are. Don't worry; I'll ask Washu to fix you up when this is over."

Kiyone was still having trouble processing everything. Royal Guardians like Azaka and Kamidake were supposed to be defensive juggernauts in a fight, or at least that's what she and every other aspiring Galaxy Police officer was taught at the academy. For two of them to be taken out by a primitive projectile weapon defied all comprehension and conventional wisdom, but there was no denying what she had just witnessed.

Who the hell is this guy?, she thought as she looked at Heero, No way he's just a common peacekeeper. Not with marksmanship like that…

Up above, Ryoko folded her arms. "Look, Heero, I appreciate the assist, but I told you to let me handle this one!"

Heero nodded, and Kiyone could not help but marvel at just how cool and collected he was given everything that had happened so far. "I know, but I never said that I would stay out of it, remember? I did say 'no promises', after all."

Ryoko smiled. "Well, I guess you got me there. Thanks for the help, but I can handle these two from here."

"So can I," said Heero, "In fact, why don't you tag out, Ryoko?"

Ryoko's eyes widened, and she wasn't the only one to be taken aback by that statement; Kiyone couldn't believe what she had just heard. From the looks of things, the same went for everyone else.

"What did you say?" asked Ryoko.

"You heard me," Heero replied, "Sit the rest of this one out; I'll wrap things up."

"Heero," said Ryoko, "I know that you've got some moves, but get serious here; these two outnumber and outgun you. At least with my powers I can take them."

"I know you can," said Heero, "but I'd rather handle this myself. I can bring this to a decent end and then we can work out our issues in a more diplomatic manner. Stand down, Ryoko. This'll be over soon."

"Heero!" cried Mihoshi, "What are you doing? I don't want to fight you!"

"You're challenging two members of the Galaxy Police to a fight," said Kiyone, her eyes narrowing as she met Heero's gaze and raised her pistol, "You cannot win. I don't care if you're a good shot; we outmatch you in technology."

"Sir Heero, please reconsider this!" said Ayeka frantically, "Let Ryoko fight them; I will refrain from further interference, you have my word! Please, do not act so rashly!"

Heero shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ayeka, but this is the only way to bring things to a conclusion at this point that doesn't involve a body count."

"Heero," said Ryoko, "you don't have to do this!"

"It's all right," he said, and Kiyone was stunned to see him give the pirate a small smile, "Go sit down and take a break, Ryoko. It'll only take a few minutes for me to wrap this up."

Ryoko sighed. "I really can't talk you out of this, can I?"

Heero shook his head. "Sorry."

Ryoko smirked. "You can be pretty stubborn sometimes, Heero. All right, I'll sit the rest of this one out, but you'd better be able to back up all this tough talk of yours!"

Heero chuckled. "I'll try not to disappoint."

Kiyone watched as Ryoko descended and headed towards the sidelines. She quickly realized that her attention was on the wrong target; while she was looking at the pirate, Heero swiftly raised his pistol and fired in one fluid motion. Kiyone felt her hand jerk, but she hadn't actually been hit. Rather, her pistol had been shot out of her hand. Before it even hit the ground a second shot rang out, and Kiyone was absolutely stunned to see the trigger of her pistol get shot out.

She turned back to Heero and watched as he coolly holstered his pistol. "That should even things up a bit. I hope you're good at hand-to-hand combat, Detective."

Kiyone raised her fists into a guard position. "I am, but it's not just me that you're fighting here, remember? Mihoshi! Get him!"

"But I can't shoot him!" cried Mihoshi, "He's not like Ryoko! If I hit him he'll die!"

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "You don't need to shoot him! You just need to grab him with your armor!"

"Oh," said Mihoshi, "Well, I guess that will work. Sorry, Heero, but I have no choice!"

Heero nodded. "It's okay, Mihoshi. Make your partner proud."

"Buddy," said Kiyone, "you are way too calm about this, you know that? I think you've got a few screws loose in that head of yours."

Heero shrugged. "You wouldn't be the first to think that."

"I'm sure," said Kiyone as she rushed forward, "Let's see what you got!"

She threw a hard right punch as soon as she was in range, but her attack found nothing but air. Heero had simply rolled to the side and was already back on his feet, his fists raised but not moving to counter.

If he wasn't going to strike back then Kiyone had no qualms about continuing her offensive. She feinted with a left hook before making a high kick with her left leg. Once again Heero evaded, this time moving back to get out of her range.

"What's wrong?" said Kiyone as she advanced, "I thought you were going to settle this. What happened to all that tough talk of yours from before?"

Heero didn't answer. Instead he continued to duke and roll as needed to avoid her punches and kicks. Kiyone didn't know why he was being so passive after strolling into the fight with such confidence, but it didn't matter. Heero might be evading her attacks, but Kiyone wasn't the only one that he needed to worry about.

She spared a quickly glance in the air and found her partner diving down, maneuvering to put herself behind Heero. Kiyone had to fight to keep from smiling and ruining the setup. This was perfect; she'd stay in Heero's face and keep him occupied while Mihoshi grabbed Heero from behind and subdued him. The local would be defeated and embarrassed and Kiyone and Mihoshi could return to the task at hand of apprehending Ryoko.

Steady, she thought as she punched and kicked at Heero while he continued to duck and occasionally block her blows with his arms, Just keep his attention on you for a few more seconds…

Now Mihoshi was at ground level, and Kiyone stepped up her assault. Her strikes intensified as she sought to drive Heero right into the arms of her armored partner. The young man fell back exactly as Kiyone had expected, and Mihoshi moved in for the tackle.

At the last possible moment Kiyone rolled to the side, leaving Heero alone against a charging Mihoshi. She was confident that there was no way he'd be able to dodge her partner at this range.

Then her eyes widened in shock as she saw what happened next.

Apparently dodging hadn't been on Heero's mind, or at least not quite. In a single motion so fast and graceful that Kiyone struggled to track it, the young man grabbed the right arm of Mihoshi's armor. Before Mihoshi could grab him Heero used her arm as leverage and swung himself up onto the back of her armor. He quickly reached into his jacket and pulled out a knife, and then he drove the blade right into the back of the crimson armor's neck.

The armor fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Sparks flew from the back of the neck, and while the unit's limbs jerked it clearly wasn't getting up again anytime soon. Heero smoothly slid off the back of the crimson power suit and put his knife away before turning to face a stunned Kiyone.

"I can't move!" cried Mihoshi, "Heero, what did you do?"

"Same thing I did the first time we met," he replied, "Stay down there until this is over, Mihoshi. I don't want to hurt you."

"Okay," said Mihoshi, "Sorry, Kiyone!"

Kiyone shook her head, still unable to believe what she was seeing. "How did you do that? That shouldn't have been possible!"

"You made a mistake earlier when you told Mihoshi that that armor was the same kind as what she had on her ship," said Heero, "After we defeated her we took her armor for study. I know all of its weak points, and the wire bundle in the back of the neck is a big one."

"Woohoo!" shouted Ryoko, "Nice one, Heero!"

"Oh, my…" said Ayeka, "That was quite impressive…"

"That was very well done!" said Azaka.

"With that display of skill, I now don't feel quite as ashamed of our own defeat," chirped Kamidake.

"Fine," said Kiyone, "maybe you do have some moves. You've still got me to deal with, pal. Don't think that I plan on going easy on you."

"We don't have to do this," said Heero, "You can stand down at any time, Kiyone."

"That's not going to happen," she replied firmly, "I'm an officer of the Galaxy Police, and I will do my duty! Ryoko's a criminal who has to be arrested, and if I have to go through you to do that then so be it."

"Your dedication is admirable," Heero replied, "but surely you can show some discretion."

"Beat me," said Kiyone, "and then we'll talk about discretion."

Heero nodded. "So be it."

Kiyone rushed forward, determined to end this fight quickly. She made a hard right swing, but Heero was able to block it on his arm. This time her foe actually decided to counter with a left hook, and while Kiyone was able to block it she was surprised at the power behind his hit. She didn't let that stop her, though; she immediately brought her leg up to try and kick him in the head. Her opponent ducked beneath it and threw another punch, and it was only by twisting her body at the last moment to bleed some of the force off of his blow that Kiyone wasn't taken down then and there.

She went into a back handspring to put a bit of distance between her and Heero. Landing on her feet, she rubbed her right side. Maybe his blow hadn't landed with full force, but it was still nothing to sneeze at.

"That was very good," said Heero, "You definitely have talent."

Kiyone wasn't in the mood for compliments from an enemy. "I've got more than that. I'm not gonna let you beat me!"

Now was as good a time as any to start fighting dirty. Reaching for her utility belt, Kiyone grabbed her second Entangler device and threw it at Heero. The three yellow cords sprang to life as the capture device whirled through the air, but in a single swift and seamless motion Heero drew his pistol and shot the weapon right out of the air.

"Save the gadgets," he said as he holstered his weapon, "They won't do you any good."

"We'll see about that!" said Kiyone as she reached for her belt again.

Grabbing a smoke grenade, she chucked it at Heero. As the weapon went off Kiyone grabbed a small grey half-disk shaped device from her belt and clipped it to her right ear. A tiny curved rod extended out of the device until it hovered over her right eye, and from that rod a small holographic display appeared.

"Thermal," she said, and the screen went over to heat vision.

She could clearly see Heero amid the smoke now, and she wasted no time in rushing at him. He would be fighting blind now, which meant that this was the best chance she had to take him down. She was a bit puzzled that he wasn't moving, but that just meant that he would be easier to subdue.

She entered the cloud and moved to tackle him…

…only for him to turn and face her at the last moment and punch her in the gut.

Hard.

Kiyone doubled over as the wind flew from her body. It was all she could do to grab onto Heero's shoulder and keep herself upright, but her grip was tenuous… and fading fast. She felt incredibly light headed, and darkness was beginning to encroach on her vision.

With what little strength she had left, she looked up at the man who had so decisively beaten her and said one word. "How?"

"If you're going to attack through a smoke screen," he replied, "make sure that your opponent can't hear you coming."

That was the last thing she heard before she lost consciousness.

Preview for next time!

Kiyone: Ow… damn it, that hurt, Heero!

Heero: Sorry, but it was the only way to end that fight without a serious injury.

Mihoshi: Kiyone! You're finally awake!

Ryoko: Oh, great. Is she going to start another fight?

Ayeka: As much as I would like for her to apprehend you and haul you off to prison, I believe another engagement would be counterproductive.

Washu: There's not much of a point; she can't win.

Kiyone: I wish I didn't agree with you. Looks like it won't matter one way or the other; we just got new orders from HQ.

Mihoshi: Yay! They're making us resident officers of the Sol System! That means we can stay here!

Sasami: That's wonderful, Mihoshi! Welcome to our family, Kiyone!

Kiyone: My career… it's over.

Heero: If it's any consolation, you did fight well.

Kiyone: Thanks. You're not too bad yourself, Heero. Well, guess I'll make myself comfortable. Sounds like I'm gonna be out here for a while.

Washu: Detective, stay out of my lab. That will be your only warning.

Ryoko: And don't try to arrest me again, you got that?

Kiyone: I think you've got bigger threats to worry about than me, Ryoko.

Ayeka: Oh my goodness, a bounty hunter? We truly are a magnet for odd characters, aren't we?

Ryoko: Damn it. Why did it have to be her?

Washu: Next time, in Chapter Eight: No Need For A Rival!

Nagi: So this is where you've been hiding out, eh, Ryoko? And you found a man, too? I might just have to take him along with your bounty!

Heero: Remind me how I got stuck in the middle of this again?

Author's Notes: Ah, feels good to have another chapter posted! While the next one introduces the lovely bounty hunter Nagi from Tenchi Universe, she won't become a member of the harem; Kiyone was the last character I'm adding to it. That being said, it won't be Nagi's only appearance in this fic, either. She'll pop back up again, and things will get very interesting when she does! That's quite a long ways off, though, so once her intro chapter's complete you'll just have to settle for some chapters devoted to hijinks, romance, and some character development until she takes the stage again.

Until next time! Please review!