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.

8. Chapter 8

Author's Notes: Ah, nice to have another chapter posted! I managed to cut down on the length a little bit for this one, but I can't make any promises about the chapters to come.

Enjoy!

Chapter Eight: No Need For A Rival!

Swimming in the blackness of her own mind, Kiyone slowly began to fight her way back to consciousness. She could vaguely make out voices in the background, and as light gradually came onto the scene she was aware of crude shapes and colors that she assumed were people, but her vision was taking its sweet time in returning to her.

"Ugh…" she groaned, "Where… am I?"

"Hey!" said a very familiar female voice, "She's coming around!"

Kiyone didn't need her vision to be perfect to know that the brown and blonde blur hovering at the edge of her sight was Mihoshi. Her sight became clearer by the second, but even without it she would've recognized that voice anywhere.

So, she mused as images of the fight from before flashed through her mind, it wasn't a dream, then. Wishful thinking, I suppose. Well, guess it's time to face the music.

As her vision cleared up she found herself lying down on the couch in the main living room of the house. Mihoshi was right beside her, along with the others from before. Sasami was the closest, while the rest seemed to be maintaining their distance.

"How long was I out?" she asked.

"Not long," said Heero as he stepped forward, "Only about a half an hour."

"Should I be thanking you for that?" Kiyone asked dryly, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the man who'd put her in this condition.

Heero shrugged. "Depends on how you look at it. If I'd wanted to, I could've made sure that you'd be out of commission for much longer."

Kiyone chuckled as she rubbed her gut. "So you're saying that, as hard as you hit me, you were still pulling your punches?"

"Yes," he replied bluntly.

Kiyone shook her head and sighed. "Beaten by a local. Man, I really screwed up, didn't I?"

"You did put up a good fight," said Heero, "Mihoshi wasn't wrong when she told me that you were skilled."

"Kiyone," said Mihoshi, "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, but… "

"Forget about it," said Kiyone as she sat up, "No point in worrying about it now."

"Hey," said Ryoko, folding her arms and glaring at her, "You'd better think hard about your next move before you get up from that couch. Heero might've felt like going easy on you, but if you pick another fight then I'm not going to hold back."

"Ryoko, stop it!" cried Sasami, "Can't you see that she's still not feeling well?"

"She got punched," Ryoko quipped, "She's not sick."

"She still shouldn't be put under any stress, Ryoko," said Sasami firmly.

"Yeah," said Mihoshi as she smiled at her partner, "Kiyone needs to be able to rest and relax right now."

Off to the side she saw Washu smirk and shake her head. "I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon."

Not too far away, Ayeka sighed. "After what happened earlier I am forced to concur. Sir Heero may have ended the engagement, but I'm afraid that the underlying issues of the conflict remain unresolved."

Ryoko folded her arms. "If that's your fancy way of saying that you'll help her try to arrest me again then we're going to have a problem, Ayeka."

"That's not going to happen," said Heero, "Is that clear, Ayeka?"

Ayeka nodded. "Quite so, Sir Heero. Besides, with Azaka and Kamidake currently down, we have no way to contain Ryoko."

"So the only reason you're playing nice is because your bodyguards are done?" said Ryoko, "Great. I hope Washu never fixes them."

"How could you say that, Ryoko?" asked Azaka

"Our actions against you were nothing personal," said Kamidake, "We were only acting under Princess Ayeka's orders!"

Looking around for the two guardians, Kiyone found them lying on their sides; someone had apparently dragged them into the living room and left them rather unceremoniously on the floor. She could still see the points where Heero's bullets had knocked out their lift units; they wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

"That's why I don't want you to be fixed," said Ryoko, "That way Ayeka can't order you two to try and capture me again!"

"They cannot stay like this forever!" cried Ayeka, "Washu, please; you must repair them!"

Washu shrugged. "I'll get to it later. Don't pester me about it or I won't fix them at all."

Ayeka's face paled, and she frantically nodded. "Very well, Washu! Rest assured that the last thing I wish to do is pester you!"

"Oh, dear," said Azaka, "I fear our chances to be mobile again are at the whims of a demon, Kamidake."

"Our situation is certainly dire!" chimed Kamidake.

"And you're not helping it much by calling me a demon," Washu added with a smirk, "You two better be on your best behavior over there, or I'll take you into my lab, tear you down, and rebuild you as my personal bodyguards!"

"That's impossible!" declared Azaka, "No one has ever been able to subvert a Juraian Guardian!"

"It cannot be done!" cried Kamidake, "Only the ancient masters of Jurai understand our inner workings!"

Washu chuckled. "And who do you think taught them how to create beings like the two of you?"

Ayeka's eyes practically bulged out of her head at that statement. "Surely you jest…"

Washu grinned. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Do you care to bet the loyalty of your guardian entities on it, Ayeka?"

Ayeka swiftly bowed her head. "I most certainly do not! Please, forgive their outbursts, Washu! It shall not happen again!"

Washu's smile became slightly less devious. "Okay, but only because you asked nicely."

"I hate to be rude," said Heero, "but Azaka and Kamidake are a secondary concern right now. Kiyone, are you able to stand?"

Kiyone nodded as she cautiously shifted on the couch until her feet were touching the floor. "I… I think so. Why?"

"We need to talk," he said, "In private. Care to join me for a walk?"

"What is this, Sir Heero?" asked Ayeka.

"Whoa!" said Ryoko, looking frantically between Kiyone and Heero, "You can't be serious, Heero! You just got finished fighting her!"

"I don't think Miss Kiyone should be walking around right now, Heero," said Sasami, "She should still rest."

"Yeah!" cried Mihoshi, "You did knock her out, after all!"

Kiyone shook her head. "It's okay, Mihoshi."

She then stood up and smiled at her partner. "See? I'm totally fine."

"Good," said Heero as he headed for the door, "Let's go."

"Sir Heero," said Ayeka, looking more than a little concerned, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," Heero replied.

"Hey, cop!" said Ryoko, glaring daggers at Kiyone, "If you try to hurt him out there then you're going to answer to me, you got that?"

"Stand down, Ryoko," said Heero, "Everything will be fine. We're just going to talk. Isn't that right, Kiyone?"

Kiyone nodded; there was no point in her starting another fight, and she doubted that she would come off any better in a second round than she had in the first. "That's right."

Ryoko sighed, but she wasn't done glaring at Kiyone. "Fine."

What's her deal?, thought Kiyone, She's a pirate, so why's she acting so protective of this guy? It doesn't fit her profile at all.

"Heero," said Mihoshi nervously, "please… please don't hurt Kiyone, okay?"

Kiyone was surprised to see Heero give her partner a small smile. "It's all right, Mihoshi. I promise I won't do anything to harm her."

Mihoshi smiled back. "Okay. Have fun!"

I can't believe how fast she switches gears, mused Kiyone, I guess some things really never change…

"Enjoy your walk," said Sasami, "I'll start making some dinner, okay Heero? I know it's early, but I bet you're hungry after everything that happened earlier."

Heero nodded. "That'll be nice. Thank you, Sasami."

Sasami smiled. "Sure. See you later!"

Kiyone shook her head as she followed Heero out the door. A princess from Jurai's Royal Family offering to cook for a commoner? Sasami may have had a reputation across the Empire for being nice, but that still seemed like a bit much.

As she shut the door behind her she turned back to Heero. "So, where are we going?"

"Not far," Heero replied, "We'll just walk around the lake. Are you up for that?"

Kiyone nodded and smiled. "Sure. You may have knocked me out, but I'm not that weak. I bounce back pretty quickly."

"So I can tell," said Heero as the two of them started towards the lake, "Your resilience is impressive. I imagine that's served you well in your career."

Kiyone sighed as she thought of all the times that she'd scrambled to recover from one of Mihoshi's many, many mishaps. "That's one way to put it."

"I may not know Mihoshi as well as you do," said Heero, "but the limited experience I've had with her has taught me a few things about her. She can definitely be a handful, and she's not exactly the most observant person out there…"

Kiyone smirked. "You're preaching to the choir there, pal."

"But," Heero continued, "her heart's in the right place. She's kind, energetic, and genuinely wants to do the right thing. She's devoted to being a member of the Galaxy Police, even if she may not be its most effective officer. Mihoshi's a good woman; you could have far worse partners than her."

Kiyone shook her head. "Sorry, but you have no idea how wrong you are, Heero."

"I don't think I'm wrong at all," said Heero as he gave her what struck Kiyone as a rather harsh look, "Partnerships are a two-way street, Kiyone. I've been around Mihoshi long enough to learn about her faults, and I'm sure that they've made working with her a headache. However, I still believe she gives everything she's got to whatever she sets her mind to. Whether it's being a member of the Galaxy Police or simply helping out around the house here, Mihoshi brings her best effort to whatever tasks she's given, and she's very enthusiastic about it. As her partner, you should at least be able to recognize that."

Kiyone's eyes widened. "Hey! What gives you the right to criticize the way I deal with my partner? I should be made a saint for the crap that she makes me put up with! She's all but ruined my career thanks to being such an epic airhead!"

"I'll admit that, apart from the fight yesterday, I haven't really had much of a chance to see you two work together," said Heero, "but what I witnessed yesterday gave me a few ideas. You don't view Mihoshi as an equal in your partnership. You think of her as little more than a burden that you were unjustly settled with. Does that sound about right?"

Kiyone wanted to shoot back with some witty retort, but she found that she couldn't do it. She didn't know how, but this local that she'd only met an hour or two ago had somehow cut right to the heart of her feelings on her partnership with Mihoshi.

"I'll be the first to say that Mihoshi has her issues," Heero continued after moment, "but whatever her faults, I also know that her devotion to her duty as a member of the Galaxy Police is sincere. She really does love her job, and she wants to do it to the best of her ability. However, she can't do that if she has a partner who doesn't believe in her."

Kiyone put her hands on her hips. "So, what, am I just supposed to ignore her screw-ups and give her a pat on the back? We're cops! A mistake has the potential to get us killed!"

"Believe me, I'm aware of that," Heero replied, "I agree that Mihoshi needs to be called out when she makes a mistake. However, there has to be more to it than that. You have to give her the chance to learn from her mistakes and make amends. More importantly, you have to show her that you think she can learn from those mistakes."

Kiyone sighed. "Look I get that I've been hard on her in the past. It's not that I don't want her to do better. It's just… well, I didn't sign up for this job just to be someone's mentor. I've got my own career goals, you know?"

Heero nodded. "I'm sure that you do. I also think that Mihoshi understands that. This may surprise you, but I think that she's a bit smarter than you give her credit for. She may not be the most perceptive person out there, but she's not completely blind either."

"Maybe," said Kiyone, "So, what do you think I should do?"

"Ease up on her a bit," said Heero, "Don't be afraid to point out her mistakes, but give her the chance to make things right."

Kiyone smirked. "You make it sound so easy."

"Believe me," said Heero, surprising Kiyone by smirking as well, "I know it will be anything but that. I don't know Mihoshi as well as you do, but I have enough familiarity with her to understand that a serious effort to improve her development will be an uphill fight. That being said, I think that she'd work much harder to better herself if she knew that her partner was really rooting for her. She does look up to you, after all."

Kiyone couldn't help but smile. "I know. Don't tell her I said this, but… back when we were partners, sometimes I felt like she was my younger sister. A ditzy and clumsy younger sister who gave me no shortage of headaches… but a sister all the same."

"I'll keep that between us," said Heero, "although I think that if you told her that it would mean a lot to her."

Kiyone nodded. "Maybe I will someday."

They were quiet for a moment before Kiyone spoke again. "So… where do things go from here?"

"One of my superiors will be coming out here to meet you," Heero replied, "So in that respect, not much has changed. Where things go beyond that is up to you and me."

Kiyone raised an eyebrow. "Not sure that I follow you there."

"It's simple," said Heero, "Do you still plan to attempt to arrest Ryoko again?"

Kiyone sighed. "As much as I'd like to, I know you won't let me do that. I hate to admit it, but since you already beat me once in a fight I doubt I'll have better luck in a second round with you."

"What about when you and Mihoshi eventually leave?" asked Heero, his eyes narrowing, "You'll head back to the Galaxy Police and report to your superiors, correct?"

Kiyone nodded. "Of course."

"And what will you tell them?" he asked.

Kiyone knew what he was getting at. "I take it you would prefer if I left out the matter of me finding Ryoko out here, right? You want me to lie to superiors."

Heero shook his head. "Not lie. Just leave out a few details. Surely you can exercise some discretion there, can't you?"

Kiyone folded her arms. "Why should I? As an officer, it's my duty to provide a truthful report to my superiors upon the completion of an assignment."

"For security and diplomacy's sake," said Heero, "The organization that I work for has been trying very hard to keep our contact with extraterrestrial life under wraps. If you told your superiors that Ryoko was out here I imagine that they would put together a strike force of some kind to come here and capture or kill her. Does that sound about right?"

Kiyone nodded. "Yes."

"And just what do you think such an action would do to our attempts to keep the peace on our planet?" asked Heero.

"I know what you're getting at," said Kiyone, "I suppose it would be in everyone's interests if we could find a way to avoid a major incident. If we came out here in force I doubt that Ryoko would go down without a fight, and she's capable of inflicting major damage when provoked."

"So," said Heero, "bearing that in mind, wouldn't you agree that an alternative approach to this situation would be preferable?"

"It would," said Kiyone, her eyes narrowing, "but I still don't like the fact that you're asking me to lie to my superiors."

"I can understand that," Heero replied, "but there's still a workaround. Your mission here was simply to investigate Mihoshi's beacon and rescue her if she was still alive, correct?"

Kiyone nodded. "That's right."

"So inform your superiors that you've accomplished that mission," said Heero, "You've found Mihoshi and will be returning to base soon. You'll be telling the truth, and there's no need to act beyond the bounds of your mission, right?"

Kiyone sighed. "I suppose that's true, but still… look, Ryoko's wanted by the Galaxy Police for a reason. Quite a few reasons, in fact. I'm sure that you mean well, but do you really think that you can keep her here? Her power makes her a serious threat to your world, and the list of crimes that she's committed in the wider galaxy is quite extensive. Her record is real, Heero; she's not some innocent woman on the run because she's wrongly accused."

"I'm well aware of that," said Heero, "Believe it or not, Ryoko told me quite a bit about her past soon after Mihoshi arrived here. I doubt that it was everything, but even so she was quite candid. She admitted to being a pirate, and I've let her stay here even with that knowledge. I think it would be best if she continued to stay here; I can continue my mission to monitor her, and if she's here then it means she will not be out in the wider galaxy committing more acts of piracy."

"I have to admit that that arrangement works out well for both of us," said Kiyone, "but still… can you really keep her confined here, Heero? She has Ryo-Ohki; she can run away any time that she wants, and there's nothing that you can do to stop that from happening."

Heero nodded. "I know. However… I think that if she was going to run, she would've done that by now."

"Then why is she still staying with you?" asked Kiyone.

She was surprised to see him chuckle. "Good question. I still haven't quite figured that out myself."

"That's not exactly comforting," said Kiyone dryly, "Heero, if I'm going to agree to this then I need some kind of assurance that Ryoko's actually going to stay here and that she won't be a threat to innocent people here or in the wider galaxy."

Heero shook his head. "I can't make any guarantees, Kiyone. All I can tell you is that I have faith in Ryoko and will do everything in my power to watch over her and prevent her from threatening others. I know that this is asking a lot, but I need you to trust me."

Kiyone smirked. "Trust the guy capable of disabling a mechanized armor suit with a knife and knocking me out with a single punch? You don't ask for much, do you?"

"I could've done far more damage than that," said Heero, "I didn't want to seriously hurt either you or Mihoshi, and you know that. Isn't the fact that I held back enough for you to at least give me the benefit of the doubt?"

"The fact that you were holding back and still able to take us both out like that is what worries me," said Kiyone, studying him carefully, "I mean, Mihoshi didn't use her armor's full power because she didn't want to kill you, but even so… there should've been no way for someone like you to beat her like that. No offense, but if that's you 'holding back' then I'm a little scared to think of what you're really capable of."

"I can understand that," said Heero, "and I have no intention of going all out when it concerns anyone here. I've been given responsibility by my government to watch over all of our visitors from beyond our star system, and I intend to fulfill that mission. I have no desire to fight with lethal intent if I can avoid it."

Kiyone smiled. "You're pretty restrained, aren't you? If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

"Eighteen years," said Heero, "give or take a few months, perhaps. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure when my birthday is."

He's so young, she thought, and yet he's capable of all this… I don't know if I should be scared or impressed. Maybe both…

"You know," she said after a moment, "you've got a pretty good head on your shoulders considering how young you are. If things were different I might even try to recruit you into the Galaxy Police. I think you'd do all right there."

"I appreciate the thought," said Heero, "and it does sound like it'd be an interesting job. However, I think I've got my hands full with my current duties as is."

"No kidding," said Kiyone, "Dealing with all of your guests? You definitely don't have it easy."

"Perhaps," said Heero with a small smile, "but it's been an interesting experience. I don't regret any of it."

Kiyone whistled. "Not sure if I could look at it the same way. I'm amazed that you've kept your sanity intact with that crowd."

"I've been in enough high-stress situations that I know how to keep my cool," Heero replied, "My current circumstances are unusual, but I can handle it."

Kiyone nodded. "I bet. I don't know you very well, but from what I've seen so far it looks like your government made the right call in putting you in charge of your guests. You've handled things pretty well."

"Are you including our fight in that?" asked Heero.

Kiyone shrugged. "I'll admit that I'm still a little sore about that… in more ways than one. Still, no one died or was seriously hurt. We're all in one piece and thanks to that you and I have had a chance to resolve our situation."

"That's the outcome I was shooting for," said Heero.

"Well, nice job with that," Kiyone replied, "So, your superior's coming out soon to interview me, right?"

Heero nodded. "It should be tomorrow. There's still some room in the house, so you're welcome to spend the night here rather than your ship."

"Thanks," said Kiyone with a smile, "I think I'll take you up on that."

"You'll have to share Mihoshi's room," said Heero, "Are you okay with that?"

Kiyone nodded. "That'll be fine. I'm sure she'll want to get caught up anyway."

"Thanks for being flexible with this," said Heero.

"Sure," said Kiyone, "By the way… I know you and I've already gone over our issue regarding Ryoko, but she's not the only guest of yours that I'm worried about."

"You're referring to Washu," said Heero casually, "What has you so concerned?"

"I know she was exiled a long time ago," said Kiyone, "but that doesn't change the fact that she built some pretty dangerous stuff back in her day. I'm not sure I like her being out here and free of her confinement."

"I'll admit that her new lab's caused us some problems," said Heero with a shrug, "but I've been monitoring her to the best of my abilities. For what it's worth, she doesn't seem to be intent on pursuing any truly dangerous work. At least, dangerous for her; from what I understand, what she's been doing these days to keep herself occupied is pretty tame compared to what she worked on prior to her exile."

"I'll have to check out her lab myself to verify," said Kiyone, "That's not going to be a problem, is it?"

"Not with me," said Heero, "but Washu might have different feelings about it."

"Any chance that you could put in a good word for me?" asked Kiyone.

"I can," Heero replied, "although I can't guarantee that she'll listen."

"I'll take anything I can get when it comes to her," said Kiyone, "I still can't believe she landed on a rock this far out. No offense."

"None taken," said Heero, "I'm surprised that we found her where we did. She's been out here for a long time."

Kiyone sighed. "I'm just glad you and the others were the ones to wake her up rather than any of the other locals. I have a feeling that that wouldn't have ended well."

"That makes two of us," said Heero, "She was enough of a handful for us to deal with as it is."

Kiyone laughed. "I bet. The notorious mad scientist Washu, stuck living with you and the others? I'm amazed that your house is still in one piece."

Heero shrugged. "It was touch and go for a while, but she seems to have found a balance. She might still shake up the place from time to time, but I don't think she's in any danger of burning it down anytime soon."

"For your sake, I hope you're right," said Kiyone, "By the way, there's one more thing that I wanted to ask you about."

"What's that?" said Heero.

"The Juraian princesses," said Kiyone, "Did you want me to take them home? I'm sure the Emperor's worried about his daughters if they've been out here for this long."

"I suppose it would be best to get them back home," said Heero, "We'll have to talk to Ayeka about that. I doubt that she'll mind riding back to the Empire in a Galaxy Police cruiser."

Kiyone smiled. "Not to mention it will look good on my report to my superiors."

Heero chuckled. "Always looking for a way to stand out to the brass, aren't you?"

"Hey," said Kiyone, "I've got to take every chance I can to polish my record. My career's been in the dumps for ages now. Finding two royals and returning them to the capital of the Empire will be a coup for me!"

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," said Heero, "You still have to get them back to Jurai in one piece, after all."

Kiyone laughed. "Please, that'll be easy! I know all the safest routes from here to Galaxy Police HQ and into the heart of the Empire of Jurai. Even with Mihoshi as my partner again, there's no way that we'll botch this!"

Heero smirked. "You sure don't lack for confidence."

"I've been waiting for ages for the chance to ride in from the Outland Sector back to the heart of civilization as a hero," said Kiyone with a grin "Now that it's within my grasp there's no way that I'm going to let it slip through my fingers!"

Heero nodded. "In that case, I wish you luck. If all goes well then it sounds like you'll have big things in store for your future career."

"Yup," said Kiyone, "and I'll owe it all to you; you've kept Ayeka and Sasami safe and unharmed all this time, after all. If things were different I'd totally buy you a drink for this!"

"I appreciate the thought," Heero replied, "As long as Ayeka and Sasami make it home safely, you can consider us to be even."

Kiyone shook her head. "No way. The least I can do is put in a good word for you in my report. If the Empire of Jurai or the Galaxy Police expands out to this area it'll be good to have a contact on the record with a proven record of friendly interactions with us."

"Not counting our fight, of course," said Heero with a chuckle.

"Hey," said Kiyone, "I'll totally let that slide, given what you've got me set up with now. Sure, I may not be hauling in Ryoko, but bringing Ayeka and Sasami back to Jurai is just as good. Retrieving my partner as well will be the icing on the cake of that mission report!"

"As long as everything works out well," said Heero, "I just want this whole incident to be wrapped up smoothly."

"You think your bosses will promote you for this?" asked Kiyone with a wink, "I could always pass my compliments to your superior when they come out tomorrow!"

"Thanks," said Heero, "but I'm not really looking for a promotion right now. My current duties are enough for me as it is."

Kiyone shrugged. "Well, if you change your mind, let me know. There's no reason we both can't benefit from resolving this like professionals, right?"

Heero nodded. "True."

"So," said Kiyone, "why don't you and I head back inside and tell the others that we've got everything sorted out?"

"Sounds good," said Heero, "I know that Mihoshi will be happy that we worked things out amicably."

Kiyone nodded. "That's true. She's not very confrontational, so I know she wasn't happy about the two of us fighting. I guess you've been treating her pretty well; she really seems to like you."

"Mihoshi's a good woman," said Heero, "She has her faults, but her heart's in the right place. The least I could do was keep her safe until someone from her organization would be able to bring her home."

Kiyone smiled. "I know I talked about how she ruined my career, but… well, I am grateful that you took care of her. Sure, she drives me crazy, but I don't really want anything bad to happen to her."

"I thought as much," said Heero.

Kiyone's eyes narrowed. "Just don't go sharing that with Mihoshi, okay? I can't have her thinking I've gone completely soft or she'll never respect me."

"I disagree with that," Heero replied, "but I'll keep your real thoughts to myself."

"Thanks," said Kiyone.

This guy's really something else, she thought as the two of them walked back towards the house, I dismissed him as just a local, but he's really got his act together. Taking on me and Mihoshi the way he did, hashing things out with me after I regained consciousness…

You're all right, Heero Yuy…

….

"I cannot do it!"

The words came out much faster than Ayeka had intended, and her tone was much more forceful that she'd wanted it to be, but she couldn't help herself. What Kiyone had just told her was something she just could not agree to…

…or rather, did not want to agree to.

Truth be told, Ayeka had been quietly dreading this moment once she'd learned of Kiyone's arrival. It was only natural that the Detective would seek to return her and her sister to the Empire after reuniting with her partner. Ayeka should've been more prepared for that, but she was not.

I haven't had enough time, she thought as she glanced furtively at her host, I still have not found the chance I seek to convince Sir Heero of my affections! I cannot leave now!

Of course, she could not openly state that that was the real reason why she did not wish to return to the Empire. However, Ayeka found herself ill-prepared to offer up a sufficient excuse; she had not given the appropriate amount of thought to the matter. It may not have been Kiyone's intention, but she had put Ayeka on the spot, and she was at a loss for how to recover from this dire situation.

The Detective in question appeared quite taken aback by Ayeka's emphatic refusal of her offer. "What? I don't understand!"

"Ayeka, what's wrong with you?" asked Mihoshi, "This is the chance for you and Sasami to go home!"

"It's highly unlikely that you'll get another one anytime soon once Kiyone departs with Mihoshi," said Washu.

"Better get while the getting's good!" said Ryoko with a grin.

Damn her, she thought as she shot a glare at the pirate, That fiend is enjoying this! If I leave this world then Sir Heero will be at her mercy. I cannot abandon him to such a fate!

"Princess Ayeka," said Azaka, "Forgive me for questioning you, but why would you decline this chance to return to the Empire?"

"Surely your father and mother must be very worried about you after such an extended absence," said Kamidake, "and you have obligations to the Empire as the crown princess as well."

"With all due respect, your Highness," said Kiyone, "your bodyguards are right. I can't think of any reason why you would want to stay on this world. Far be it from me to lecture you, but you do have duties as a member of the Royal Family."

Ayeka bowed her head. "I am well aware of that, Detective. However… I simply cannot return to the Empire at this time!"

"You're not making a whole lot of sense," said Heero, and Ayeka could not help but blush as he sat down next to her, "Ayeka, why don't you want to go home?"

Oh, if only I could summon the courage to tell you the truth, Sir Heero, she silently cried, I'm ashamed to admit it, but my strength abandons me the moment I consider revealing the feelings I have developed for you!

She looked at the man that had come to mean so much to her in such a short amount of time. He was as calm and collected as ever, but Ayeka had come to know him well enough that she was now able to read into some of his more subtle expressions. She was touched by what appeared to be genuine concern on his part; he truly sought to understand the reasons behind her refusal. Were those reasons anything other than her growing affections for him she would come clean, but this was the one matter that she found that she could not be completely honest about with him.

"Forgive me, Sir Heero," she said, "I have no desire to impose upon you further than I already have, but… I am not ready to return to the Empire at this time. If Sasami desires to return then I would be more than happy to entrust her safety to Detectives Kiyone and Mihoshi for the journey home."

"You still haven't told us why you're set on staying here, your Highness," said Kiyone.

"I know why," said Sasami with a smile.

Ayeka blushed. She knew her younger sister was perceptive, but did she truly know just how deep her affection for Heero had become?

"Sasami…" said Ayeka nervously.

"She likes being out here with you, Heero!" said Sasami, "So do I! It's like a vacation out here!"

Ayeka breathed a sigh of relief. Whether that was truly her sister's opinion or if she had simply decided to refrain from revealing the true nature of Ayeka's feelings, it did not matter. Sasami had come up with an excuse, and however frivolous if might be Ayeka would eagerly latch onto it.

"I'm… I'm afraid my sister is right, Sir Heero," said Ayeka, giving him an embarrassed smile, "The truth is… the time I've spent out here has been very pleasant, even with all the incidents we've experienced since my arrival. Staying on your world has truly been a breath of fresh air, and I wish to continue my sojourn here a while longer. I realize that I'm being selfish, and I do sincerely apologize for it, but I believe I need this. In fact, I had not realized until quite recently just how much I needed to be away from the Empire for a while."

"I want to stay longer too!" said Sasami, "Heero, please let us stay with you!"

"Hey," said Ryoko, folding her arms, "What do you think you're doing, Ayeka? You don't get to mooch off Heero just because you want a vacation!"

"Mooch?" said Ayeka, her eyes narrowing, "That's a rich word coming from the likes of you, Ryoko! You've done nothing but live off of Sir Heero's grace and charity since the moment you arrived here!"

"Well, so have you!" Ryoko shot back.

"Please don't start fighting again, you two!" cried Mihoshi.

"Stop it, Ayeka!" pleaded Sasami.

"Is it always like this?" Kiyone asked.

Washu chuckled. "You have no idea, Detective."

"Heero," said Ryoko, "She's totally trying to take advantage of you!"

"She would be in good company," said Heero, and Ayeka was surprised to see him smirk as he looked at Ryoko, "Wouldn't you agree, Ryoko?"

Ryoko blushed and looked down; this was one of the rare times Ayeka had seen her express anything close to embarrassment or shame. "Well…"

"Heero," said Sasami, "Can we please stay longer?"

"You can't seriously be considering this, Heero," said Kiyone, "They need to be returned home to the Empire!"

"The Detective speaks the truth," said Azaka.

"Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami really should be heading home," said Kamidake.

Ayeka once again turned to her host. "Sir Heero… whatever your decision in this matter is, I shall not argue against it. However, I humbly beg of you to extend your hospitality to me a while longer. Please, Sir Heero! Being here with you has been the experience of a lifetime, and I do not wish for it to end so soon. Let me stay by your side and learn more about your world!"

"Heero…" said Kiyone, sounding more than a little exasperated, "You've got to be reasonable here. Remember what you and I talked about earlier?"

Heero sighed. "I really am going soft, aren't I?"

"Sir Heero?" said Ayeka, her heart hammering in her chest.

He looked at her and her sister. "Is this truly what you want?"

Ayeka nodded frantically. "Absolutely!"

"Yeah!" cried Sasami.

Heero nodded. "Very well, then. As long as you agree to remain under my supervision, you're free to stay."

Ayeka could not contain herself. Throwing all restraint to the wind, she threw herself at Heero and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She'd never felt so happy and relieved in all her life, and it was all she could do to refrain from kissing Heero right then and there.

"Oh, thank you, Sir Heero!" she cried, "I promise that you will not regret this!"

"You're the best, Heero!" yelled Sasami as she hugged Heero from the opposite side.

Ayeka was dimly aware of Kiyone's growing dismay. "No… this isn't how it was supposed to go!"

"What's wrong, Kiyone?" asked Mihoshi, "We should be happy for them!"

Kiyone looked down at the floor in despair. "My beautiful career… I just watched it go up in smoke…"

"Damn it!" she heard Ryoko grumble, "This sucks!"

"Is this really all right?" asked Azaka.

"The princesses seem to be happy with it," said Kamidake.

"Ayeka? Sasami?" said Heero, sounding a little strained, "It's… getting a little hard to breathe…"

Ayeka quickly released him, followed swiftly by her sister. "Oh, dear! Are you all right, Sir Heero?"

The young man nodded, rubbing his neck as he did so. "I think so."

Ayeka smiled. "That's good. Please, forgive my enthusiasm. That wasn't very proper of me."

Heero shook his head. "It's all right."

"We got a little carried away," said Sasami with a big, innocent grin on her face.

How fortunate for me that mother was not here to see that, Ayeka thought, resisting the urge to cringe, I fear that she would never let me hear the end of it. Let alone what father and Funaho might say…

Her momentary embarrassment was already fading in the face of her overwhelming joy, though. Once again, she knew that she was greatly indebted to Heero for his compassion and charity, and Ayeka was determined to do her utmost to prove to him that she was worthy of such consideration on his part.

"Aw," said Mihoshi, "that's so sweet of you, Heero! I wish that Kiyone and I could stay with you for a while longer."

"You'll be here at least another night," said Heero, "Sally wants to meet with Kiyone before the two of you leave."

"Great!" said Mihoshi, "I like her! She's a nice lady."

"Heero," said Kiyone, "What exactly am I supposed to tell my superiors about this? I can't just leave out of my report the fact that the Emperor's two daughters are out here!"

"You won't have to," said Ayeka, able to take the initiative now that she knew Heero would let her and Sasami stay longer, "Detective, please inform your superiors that Sasami and I are taking an extended leave of absence from the capital on this planet. They can pass that message along to Jurai. If my father seeks to retrieve us then, that will be his decision."

Kiyone sighed. "All right."

"Father will be fine with it," said Sasami, "You should worry about mother, Ayeka. If we stay out here too long she'll come after us, and then she'll meet Heero!"

Ayeka felt herself blush at the very thought of such an encounter. "Oh, dear…"

"What's wrong?" asked Heero, "Would your mother not approve of someone like me watching over you?"

Ayeka quickly shook her head. "Oh, no, that's not an issue at all, Sir Heero!"

Quite the opposite, in fact, she thought, If mother ever found out about Sir Heero, I fear that she might take a rather keen interest in him. She wouldn't be the only one. Funaho, Lady Seto… Sir Heero will never know a moment's peace if any of them find out about him!

"Well, if you insist," said Kiyone reluctantly, "Heero, if you don't mind I'm going to head to the Yagami and start writing up my report. Don't worry; I have no plans on departing until I've met with your superior."

Heero nodded. "Very well."

"Oh!" said Mihoshi excitedly, "I'll come too, Kiyone! I haven't written a report in so long, so I really should do that!"

"It's fine, Mihoshi," said Kiyone, looking like she needed an excuse to get away from her partner for a little bit, "You can do your report on our way back to HQ."

"Okay!" Mihoshi chirped.

Ayeka smiled as Kiyone headed out the door. The Detective's report would doubtlessly find its way to Jurai sooner or later, but she wasn't particularly worried about what would come of that. As long as her father and mother knew that she and Sasami were all right then Ayeka doubted that they would be in any real hurry to have them returned to the Empire. That gave her some much needed time to redouble her efforts on getting closer to her host and winning his heart.

Fortune has smiled upon me again, she thought as she looked at Heero again, I shall not let this chance pass me by!

….

October 18th, A.C. 198

"You know," said Sally as she walked through the front door, "we really have to stop meeting like this, Heero."

"How was the flight?" he asked, ignoring her attempt at humor.

Sally smiled. "Oh, it was fine. I caught up on some work on the way out here."

Heero nodded as he closed the door behind her. "How's the Director taking the news?"

"Pretty well," said Sally as she took off her shoes, "The fact that Kiyone landed out here rather than by the capital or another urban area definitely helps things. That was her ship floating over the lake, right?"

"Who else's would it be?" Heero deadpanned.

Sally chuckled. "True. At least this one's in one piece. Whatever else she might be, this Kiyone's certainly better at atmospheric entry than Mihoshi. Speaking of which, where is everyone?"

"In the living room," Heero replied, "Come on."

Sally nodded and followed him, and a few seconds later she once again found herself face to face with Heero's ever growing collection of female alien houseguests. It wasn't hard to pick out Kiyone in the crowd; all she had to do was scan for the only unfamiliar face.

"Lady Sally!" cried Ayeka as Heero led her into the room, "Welcome!"

"It's good to see you again!" said Mihoshi.

"Yeah!" cried Sasami as she rushed forward to greet her, "Where's the Director?"

"Lady Une's pretty busy, Sasami," said Sally, "I'm afraid that she didn't have time to join me on my flight out here. She did want me to tell you that she said 'hello', though. She's quite fond of you."

"Aw, thank you!" Sasami replied, "Do you want to join us for lunch? It's almost ready!"

Sally nodded. "Sure, why not? Thank you."

"Make yourself at home," said Heero as he followed Sasami towards the kitchen, "We'll bring the food out soon."

"What's on the menu?" she asked.

"Mexican today," said Heero, "Hard shell and soft shell. We've also got rice and beans, along with chips and salsa."

Sally smiled. "Going all out today, huh? All right, then. I'll take two hard shell tacos and some rice on the side."

Heero nodded. "You got it."

How about that?, she mused as she watched Heero and Sasami return to their cooking, It's almost like he's been domesticated. Oh, Duo would kill to learn about this!

As amusing as the thought was, Sally kept it to herself. This was a business trip, after all, and it would be unprofessional of her to get sidetracked, regardless of how interesting the reasons for it might be. Deciding that now was as good a time as any to start getting to know the new arrival, Sally headed over towards Kiyone.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, nodding at the spot on the couch next to her.

Kiyone nodded and gave her a polite smile. "Please, feel free."

"You must be Detective Makibi," said Sally as she sat down and held out her hand, "My name's Sally Po. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," the officer replied as she shook her hand, "and you can just call me Kiyone, Miss Po."

The Preventers operative smiled. "Sally's fine, Kiyone. I hope your stay so far has been comfortable."

"Oh, yes," said Kiyone, "Your agent's been very professional in his conduct. I must say, I'm impressed; Heero's a model officer for your organization."

She's known him less than a day and she's already singing his praises, thought Sally, resisting the urge to smirk, Heero, you really do have a way with the ladies, don't you?

"Thank you," said Sally, "I'm sure Heero would appreciate the compliment."

Kiyone nodded. "Personally, I think that he could do very well in an organization like the Galaxy Police."

"Hey!" Ryoko snapped, "Don't even think of trying to recruit him!"

Sally chuckled. "What's the matter, Ryoko? Heero's already a cop of sorts when you think about it."

Ryoko shook her head. "He's different. He's too good for the Galaxy Police!"

Kiyone's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying that we're sub-par, Ryoko? How dare you insult the Galaxy Police!"

Ryoko folded her arms. "I'll insult them all I want. You guys are a bunch of paper pushers and wimps!"

"Please stop fighting, you two!" cried Mihoshi.

Off to the side Sally saw Washu shake her head. "They're almost as bad as her and Ayeka…"

"Lunch is ready!" yelled Sasami from the kitchen, "Come and dish up!"

"No shoving," said Heero, "We don't need a repeat of last week's beef stroganoff incident."

"That was Ayeka's fault!" Ryoko quipped, "She was the one in a hurry to stuff her face!"

"Excuse me?" Ayeka huffed indignantly, "I distinctly recall that mess being your responsibility, Ryoko!"

Never a dull moment with these two, Sally mused, I almost feel sorry for you, Heero…

"You two can keep fighting," said Washu, who was already in the kitchen, "The rest of us will take the food."

"Hey!" Ryoko snapped, "Save some for me!"

"And for me as well!" cried Ayeka.

"Calm yourselves first," said Heero firmly, "or I'll keep you out there with no food until everyone else has finished eating."

Sally smirked as Ryoko and Ayeka paled at the thought of being denied what smelled like a delicious lunch made by Heero and Sasami. Heero really had learned how to effectively handle his houseguests.

"Aw, you can't do that!" cried Ryoko, "Come on, Heero!"

"Please, Sir Heero!" said Ayeka as she bowed her head, "I swear that it won't happen again!"

Heero nodded. "All right. Come on."

Everyone dished up without incident, and a few moments later they were all back in the living room chowing down. No matter how many times she came over to this place, the sight of Heero sharing a meal with so many alien women never ceased to amaze Sally. If she wasn't right in the middle of it she would never have believed it had happened, or that he did this every day now.

He's adapted quite well to his new circumstances, she mused in between bites, Heero… you're changing. I wonder if you're even aware of it…

Lunch went by without incident, and while Heero and Sasami were cleaning up Sally knew that it was time to get to the business at hand. "Kiyone, do you mind if we have a word in private?"

Kiyone nodded. "Of course. Heero did say that you would want to interview me before I left here with Mihoshi."

Sally smiled. "I appreciate you being so cooperative. Let's step outside. This shouldn't take too long."

….

"You know," said a familiar voice from behind her, "you shouldn't eavesdrop on your own partner."

Mihoshi jumped, tripped, and fell to the floor in one graceless sequence. Turning around, she saw Heero standing nearby. He offered her a hand, one that she gratefully accepted.

"I know," she said as he hauled her to her feet and she looked back out the sliding door at Kiyone and Sally, "but… I want to know if they're saying anything about me!"

She'd been standing next to the door, and had had it cracked ever so slightly so she could try to listen in on Kiyone and Sally. Her efforts had been less than successful; the two women had started walking out towards the lake, and while they hadn't gone all the way out to the water's edge it was still far enough that making out anything that they said was difficult at best.

"You shouldn't be worrying about that," said Heero, "You haven't caused any trouble while you've been here, so at the very least Sally won't have anything bad to say about you."

"But what about Kiyone?" she asked, glancing back outside, "I know she's still frustrated over what happened yesterday!"

Heero shook his head. "Actually, I think you're wrong about that. I may not know her as well as you do, but from what I can tell I believe she's moved on from yesterday's skirmish and your reluctant role in it."

Mihoshi smiled. "You think so?"

Heero nodded. "Yes."

It was nice to hear Heero say that, but truth be told Mihoshi was worried about more than just whatever it was that Kiyone and Sally might be talking about. The fact that Heero's commanding officer was here meant that Mihoshi's time with her handsome young host would soon be coming to an end. Once Sally had gotten whatever information she desired from Kiyone there would be no reason for her and Mihoshi to remain on Earth. Kiyone's mission had been to find Mihoshi and return with her to Galaxy Police HQ after all, and she had no reason to delay the completion of that mission any longer than necessary.

We'll probably be leaving later today, she thought, or tomorrow at the latest. Once we do, that'll be it…

I'll never see Heero again.

It was to be expected, of course; since she had been assigned to the Outland Sector's Traffic Patrol Division before her crash and would likely remain posted to that duty, she could not remain on a single planet. She would be responsible for patrolling a very large area of outer space, and while doing so with her partner would make the job more bearable it still meant that her odds of coming to Earth again were practically non-existent. Even under the remote chance that she wound up in this star system again, it would not be for a social call; her superiors would not want her making contact with anyone on Earth regardless of the circumstances.

Such a separation might've been inevitable, but that didn't make it any easier for Mihoshi to accept. She'd been drawn to this world and marooned here by chance, but she had soon found that she enjoyed being on Earth more than anywhere else that she had been in quite a long time. It was true that it was a very nice planet, but it wasn't the scenery that had captivated Mihoshi's heart; it was the people.

Or, more specifically, one person.

Heero Yuy.

She may have been here for over a month now, but even so she couldn't get over how patient and considerate he'd been with her. For all that Mihoshi loved Kiyone, she knew that once she returned to her duties as a Galaxy Police officer she could expect to start wearing on her partner's nerves all too soon. If she'd ever come close to hitting Heero's limits Mihoshi had never seen evidence of it, but she knew all too well what Kiyone's tolerances were.

We might have fun together, she thought, but still… I know that I'm going to be a burden for her again.

"What's wrong?" asked Heero.

Mihoshi nearly jumped again; she'd gotten so wrapped up in her worries that she'd completely forgotten that he was there. "Oh, it's nothing!"

Heero shook his head. "I don't think so. Come with me."

She raised an eyebrow but did as he instructed. She followed him out the sliding door, and she thought for a moment that he was going to take her over to where Kiyone and Sally were. He did start walking towards the lake, but the path he was on would give his superior and Mihoshi's partner a wide berth.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Just for a little walk around the lake," said Heero, "Like I did with Kiyone the day before."

Mihoshi saw Kiyone and Sally look at the two of them as they got closer to the lake. Not knowing what else to do, Mihoshi followed Heero's lead and gave the two of them a nod and a wave before continuing on her way.

"You're nervous," said Heero, "Are you really that afraid of going back to working with Kiyone?"

Mihoshi shook her head and smiled. "No, not at all! Kiyone can be strict sometimes, but she's a great partner!"

Heero nodded. "I'm sure that she is. That being said, I know that she's been a little hard on you in the past. You don't have to sugarcoat it, Mihoshi."

She sighed. "Well… I deserve it with all my screw-ups."

Heero shook his head. "No, you don't. I know that all you want is a chance to prove yourself, and you're going to get it."

"How do you know that?" she asked him.

"I had a nice chat with Kiyone yesterday," he said, "We discussed your partnership in great detail."

Mihoshi gulped. "And… what did you say?"

"I told Kiyone that she needed to ease up on you," Heero replied, "She'll still call out your mistakes, but I think you'll find her willing to give you a better opportunity to make them right."

Mihoshi smiled. "You really think so?"

Heero nodded. "I do. Your partner can be strict, Mihoshi, but she really does care about you. Kiyone wants your skills to improve, and I believe that she will give you the chance to demonstrate your growth. You will have to work hard to earn that chance, though."

Mihoshi couldn't help herself, and she threw herself at Heero, hugging him as tight as she could. "Thank you, Heero! You're the best!"

She blushed as she felt the young man awkwardly return her embrace and pat her on the back. "You don't need to thank me, Mihoshi. Just do your best to learn and grow. Show Kiyone that she can have faith in your abilities."

Mihoshi nodded as she continued to squeeze him. "I will, I promise!"

"All right," said Heero, and he sounded just a little bit strained, "Now… do you mind letting go, Mihoshi?"

Her eyes widened and she quickly released him. "Oh, right! Sorry, Heero! I guess I got a little carried away."

Heero shook his head. "It's all right. Don't worry about it."

I'm really going to miss him, she thought as she looked at the man who had acted as her handsome guardian ever since her arrival on this planet, Heero… you're a really great guy, you know that? I don't think that anyone else would've talked Kiyone into giving me another chance like that, but you did. I owe you big time.

She tried to think of some way that she could repay him for all he had done for her since her arrival, but what was there that she could do that would possibly convey her gratitude? Matters were only made worse by the fact that her departure was likely mere hours away, or perhaps a day at most. That wasn't nearly enough time for her to come up with a sufficient means of thanking him for his help.

"So," she said, "what will you do after I go back to the Galaxy Police, Heero?"

"Well," he replied, "I'll still have the others to keep an eye on. I think I'll be out at this house for the foreseeable future."

Mihoshi smiled. "I wish I could stay out here longer. I mean, I know that I've been away from the Galaxy Police for too long, but still… I really like being out here with you, Heero."

Once again she could feel herself blushing. Would it really be so bad if she went further than that? If she was going to be leaving soon anyway, would there really be any harm in telling him that her feelings for him went deeper than simple friendship?

No, she thought, I can't! I don't want to make things complicated right before I leave! We have to part as friends!

It hurt more than she thought it would to admit that to herself. Even if it was for the best, it was still hard to acknowledge that it had to end like this. Oh, how tempted she was to just throw her career away right then and there, to let Kiyone fly off without her and spend the rest of her life at this lovely country house with the nicest guy she'd ever met.

"Mihoshi?" said Heero, "Are you okay?"

She nodded quickly and smiled again. "Oh, I'm fine, Heero!"

He looked skeptical, but he didn't press the matter. "All right."

They walked along the side of the lake for a few moments before Mihoshi sighed; she wanted to at least get a little bit of what she was feeling out into the open. It wouldn't be a full admission, but it'd still be better than nothing.

"Actually," she said nervously, "to be honest… I'm really gonna miss you, Heero."

He surprised her with a small smile. "I'll miss you too, Mihoshi."

She wasn't the best at reading people, but there was something about the way that he was looking at her that made Mihoshi realize he was being completely sincere. There was a kind of subtle openness about him, like he was letting a little more of himself out into the world than normal. It made her heart race, and she had to pull herself back from spilling the beans right then and there.

"You're sweet," she said.

It felt like such a lame reply. All the things she wanted to say to him, and that was the best she could come up with?

"You know," said Heero, "this doesn't have to be goodbye forever, Mihoshi."

Mihoshi's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Earth's in the area that you patrol, right?" he said, "As long as you call ahead, I'd have no problem with you stopping by for a visit."

Mihoshi smiled. She didn't know if she'd ever get the chance to do that, but the fact that he was offering his hospitality all the same meant a great deal to her.

"Thanks," she said, "I'll try not to crash my ship next time."

"That would be nice," Heero replied with a small smirk.

"Try to keep Ryoko out of trouble while I'm gone, okay?" she said with a wink.

"I'll do my best," said Heero, "I don't want her popping back up on the Galaxy Police's radar or returning to her pirating career."

Mihoshi nodded. "I think you'll do just fine. Please keep Ayeka and Sasami safe too. If something happens to them out here then Kiyone and I could get in trouble for not taking them with us when we had the chance."

"They'll be safe," Heero replied, "I promise."

"Good," said Mihoshi with a smile, "and keep an eye on Washu, okay? I know all her little inventions are fun, but Kiyone's worried about her doing something dangerous."

"I wouldn't exactly call what Washu's currently been up to 'fun'," said Heero, "but I'll try to keep her in check just the same."

Mihoshi was sure that he would. Washu might be unpredictable, but with the way Heero had worked his way into Mihoshi's heart she was sure that the legendary mad scientist would care about him as well in her own way and wouldn't want to do anything that caused him real trouble. As she thought about it, she realized that the rest of the girls were the same way.

They all liked him in their own way, and the funny thing was that Heero really hadn't tried too hard to gain their affections. He hadn't flirted with them or gone out of his way to impress them or anything like that. He'd simply been himself and done his duty as a member of Preventers…

…and that had been more than enough.

I think I was right about you, Heero, she mused as she looked at the young man whom she considered to be both a guardian and, at the very least, a dear friend, You'd be right at home with the Galaxy Police. I wish Kiyone and I could take you with us. You could go to the academy, and then work cases and patrols with us. Everyone in the Galaxy Police could see what I see when I look at you, what makes you so special.

They could see you, and they would love you…

…just like I do.

….

"Well," said Heero, "Your thoughts?"

He was alone with Sally now. The two of them were standing on the shore of the small lake, looking out at the island and the beautiful tree on it, not to mention the crimson Galaxy Police cruiser floating over the water. They'd finished their respective conversations with Mihoshi and Kiyone a few minutes ago, and now it was time for the after action report, as it were.

Sally looked at him and smiled. "You handled things very well with her, Heero. She spoke highly of you and your abilities. I don't think I could've asked for a better first impression."

Heero refrained from sighing with relief; that meant that Kiyone had neglected to mention their fight from the previous day, just like he'd hoped. "I appreciate that."

"I am a little surprised that you agreed to allow Ayeka and Sasami to stay longer," she said, her smile becoming a smirk, "You're going soft, Heero."

"Don't remind me," he deadpanned.

Sally chuckled. "Oh, if only the girls at HQ could see this side of you. They'd be fawning all over you."

"Send them Duo's way," Heero replied, "He'll have fun with them until Hilde scares them off."

"As funny a mental image as that is, I'm afraid I'll have to pass on that," said Sally, "Besides, I'm too nice to give Hilde a headache like that."

"But you have no problem inflicting that headache on me, is that right?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sally patted him on the shoulder. "Oh, relax, Heero. I thought the girls here would've helped you loosen up more than this."

Heero shrugged. "Maybe they have, and I'm just not showing it to you right now."

Sally looked thoughtfully at him. "Perhaps. Is there any lady in particular that I should thank for that?"

For some reason Heero couldn't place, Ryoko's face was the first one to flash through his mind. He wouldn't tell that to Sally, though; she'd never let him hear the end of it.

"Take your pick," he said, hoping to sound as noncommittal and nonchalant as possible.

Of course it didn't work on Sally; it never did. He didn't know how she had become so adept at reading him, and he supposed that it didn't matter. All that really mattered was how he dealt with it… and if she decided to keep her insights to herself or spread them to others that Heero would much rather remained in the dark.

"I already have," she said with a smile, "and I'm not the only one. For those of us in our organization who are 'in the know' regarding your present circumstances, there's a little pool that's been set up. Care to guess what for?"

"Not really," Heero replied, his gut already telling him exactly what it was for.

Sally chuckled. "Well, in your case, I suppose guessing would be a waste of time. Tell me, how is the lovely Ryoko doing?"

"Well enough," said Heero, suddenly wondering why his heartbeat had picked up ever so slightly at the mention of the beautiful pirate.

Sally smirked. "I'm sure she is."

"How long will you be staying here?" he asked, rather eager to change the subject.

"Oh, not too long," said Sally, "I'll stick around to watch Kiyone and Mihoshi take off, and then I'll head back to my hotel. From there I'll take my jet back to the capital."

"Have there been any developments out that way?" asked Heero, "With regards to Ayeka and Sasami's ships, I mean."

"We've tried sending more dive teams down into Lake Genval to study what's left of Ayeka's vessel," said Sally, "but we get the same result each time; a current kicks up and forces our divers back to the surface."

"That can't be natural," said Heero.

Sally nodded. "I agree. They always report seeing a green light just before the current kicks up, but beyond that we've got nothing. I'm sure Ayeka's ship is causing it, but since our divers can't get close we can't figure out how."

"Have you had any luck with the remains of Sasami's ship?" he asked.

Sally smiled. "Oh, yes, much more than with Ayeka's. Our scientists are positively obsessed with that thing. They've only taken a few pieces back to the labs for study, though; they insist on observing it at the crash site and keeping it as intact as possible. They think it's still alive and is undergoing some sort of healing process. It's all a bit over my head, to be honest."

"If you want, you could always borrow Washu and have her take a look at it," said Heero.

Sally laughed. "You just want me to take her off your hands for a bit, don't you? Perhaps someday, but for now Lady Une's instructions are quite adamant; she doesn't want your resident mad scientist anywhere near the capital, or the rest of Europe for that matter."

Heero sighed. "I can't say that I blame her for that."

"Neither can I," said Sally, "Although if you were to go along with her then the Director might change her tune. From what little I've observed, Washu does seem to at least respect you."

"Wouldn't me going with her defeat the purpose of trying to get her away from here in the first place?" Heero deadpanned.

Sally chuckled. "Only for you, Heero."

The two of them looked up at Kiyone's ship in silence for a moment before Heero spoke again. "I'm surprised that you're willing to let Kiyone and Mihoshi leave so quickly. The Director won't have any time to send a science team out here to study the ship."

Sally shook her head. "It's not necessary. While I'm sure our scientists would kill for the chance to study a vessel like this intact, it's possible that attempting to hold the ship here for that purpose could be interpreted as a hostile act by the Galaxy Police. We've salvaged the remains of Mihoshi's ship already, and while it's smaller than this one it does appear to share plenty of similarities. Our scientists have already learned a great deal from that wreckage and from their studies of the crash site in the Ardennes. There's no need for us to hold Kiyone and Mihoshi here and risk a possible diplomatic incident."

Heero nodded. "As long as you and the Director think that's the best call, I'm fine with whatever you two decide."

"What I'm more worried about," said Sally, "is Ayeka and Sasami continuing to stay here. We don't know how the Empire of Jurai will react to that."

"I've already taken that into account," Heero replied, "Ayeka gave Kiyone a message for her superiors to pass along to the Empire. It will let them know that she's on an extended vacation. The Empire will know that we're not holding them here against their will."

Sally nodded. "Well, I suppose that takes care of one concern. However, I have to imagine that eventually their father will want them to return home. Since we lack the means to communicate with the Empire directly, we have to assume that the Emperor will dispatch at least one ship to come out here and retrieve his daughters at some point in the future. Depending on the circumstances of their arrival, that could cause some problems."

Heero nodded. "You're right. Hopefully Ayeka and Sasami will be able to help prevent any serious incidents if we do end up with visitors from the Empire."

Sally smiled. "I'm sure they'll do their best to help us out with that when the time comes. If nothing else, both of those girls are certainly fond of you."

"Yes," said Heero, wondering if Sally was hinting at anything there.

For a moment Heero thought she might press the matter, but then he saw her shrug and move on. "Well, shall we head back inside? I think it's about time we told Kiyone and Mihoshi that they're free to go."

"Sounds good," said Heero.

As they went back towards the house, Heero felt a strange sense of reluctance at the thought of giving Kiyone and Mihoshi the news that they could head back home. It actually had more to do with Mihoshi than Kiyone. For all the problems her clumsiness and cluelessness had caused, Heero realize that he really was going to miss the dark skinned and blonde haired space cop. He'd found her innocence and optimism to be very refreshing, and while those qualities could also be found in Sasami he still felt that his new life out here in the country would be lacking something without her around.

He shook it off. This was inevitable, and while Heero might miss Mihoshi when she was gone, he knew that it was for the best that she returned to the Galaxy Police. There was no sense in putting that off any longer than necessary.

….

It was all Mihoshi could do to keep from crying, though whether it was from joy or sadness she really couldn't say. Here she was, dressed in her full Galaxy Police uniform and standing beside Kiyone with their ship behind them, facing Heero and the others. The moment of truth was finally here; it was time to go home.

Well, she thought, forcing herself to smile, this is it…

She would miss all of them, not just Heero. Sasami's cheerfulness, Ayeka and Ryoko's arguing, Azaka and Kamidake's commentary, Washu's crazy inventions… each and every one of them would be remembered fondly.

"I want to thank you again for taking care of Mihoshi while she was here, Heero," said Kiyone, "The Galaxy Police will not forget that you aided one of its own."

Heero nodded. "I'm just glad that she got the change to be reunited with her partner."

So was Mihoshi, although she could've done without yesterday's fight. Still, things had ultimately worked out for the best, and as reluctant as she might be to leave Heero behind she was looking forward to seeing Galaxy Police HQ again.

"I'd like to thank you for delaying your departure until I had the chance to come out here," said Sally, "I'm grateful for your cooperation, and I know that Director Une shares my sentiment."

Kiyone nodded. "I'm glad that our interactions, however brief, have been on such good terms. In the event that a member of the Galaxy Police comes out to your system again and is in need of assistance, I'm sure that they will be in good hands."

"I'll tell everyone at HQ about you, Heero!" said Mihoshi, "They'll all know how nice you were to me!"

"I appreciate that," said Heero, "Take care of yourself, Mihoshi."

Mihoshi nodded. "I will, Heero."

"I wish the both of you a safe journey home," said Ayeka, bowing her head.

"It was nice to meet you two!" said Sasami with a smile, "Mihoshi, come back and visit some time, okay?"

Mihoshi smiled back. "I'll try."

"Heero," said Kiyone, "I trust that you'll keep your guests safe. I'll make sure HQ passes on the news regarding Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami. As long as the Royal Family knows that they're safe, I don't believe the Empire will cause any trouble for Earth."

"Thank you," said Heero.

"Be careful on your way out," said Sally, "Try not to get within visual range of our orbital colonies, please."

Kiyone nodded. "Of course."

"Ryoko, Washu," said Mihoshi, "Stay out of trouble, okay? Don't cause any problems for Heero!"

Ryoko folded her arms. "Hey, just who made you the boss of me?"

Washu chuckled. "No promises, Mihoshi."

"I don't like the sound of that," said Azaka.

"It does not bode well for us," chirped Kamidake.

"Hey!" snapped Washu, "I'm the only one around here that's capable of fixing you two if you get damaged, remember? Show a little more respect!"

Ayeka sighed. "Oh, dear…"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki, and Mihoshi saw the cat-rabbit hop forward until she was right at her feet.

Mihoshi smiled as she leaned down and pet the adorable furball on the head. "You be good now, okay, Ryo-Ohki? Don't eat too many carrots or you'll get fat!"

"Meow," the creature replied, and Mihoshi couldn't tell if she was agreeing with her or pouting.

"Mihoshi," said Kiyone as Ryo-Ohki hopped back over towards Sasami, "Are you ready?"

She looked at the group one more time before her gaze settled on Heero again. Her heart was pounding; there was so much she wanted to say but didn't dare to at that moment. Doing her best to calm her nerves, she walked up to Heero and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I'll never forget you, Heero," she said softly, "Don't forget about me, okay?"

She smiled as the young man returned her hug. "I won't. Be careful out there, Mihoshi. If you're out this way and need a place to stay, you know where to find me."

Mihoshi couldn't resist the urge to kiss him on the cheek. "You got it, Heero!"

She stepped back, and she quickly noticed that Ayeka and Ryoko were glaring daggers at her. Mihoshi could feel the heat rushing to her face; she couldn't believe what she'd just done.

Standing beside her partner again, Mihoshi gave Kiyone a nod. "Okay. Let's go."

Kiyone nodded and tapped a key on her wrist piece. The Yagami's side hatch opened up and the ramp quickly descended. As soon as it was all the way down Mihoshi and Kiyone made their way up it.

It only took a few seconds to get to the top. Looking back at Heero and the others, Mihoshi gave them one last smile and wave before stepping inside and shutting the hatch behind her.

"You remember how to find your way around Yagami, right?" said Kiyone as the two of them headed for the cockpit.

Mihoshi nodded. "Yup!"

It had been a while since Mihoshi had been aboard the Yagami, but since she'd been assigned to the ship along with Kiyone after graduating from the academy it was pretty much a second home to her. If there was one place in the galaxy Mihoshi could navigate with absolute certainty, it was the Yagami.

It didn't take long for the two of them to make it to the cockpit. Mihoshi instinctively went over to the copilot's seat while Kiyone settled in at her station. The chair still fit her like a glove despite her absence; it was good to be back.

"All right," said Kiyone, "Let's bring her up to full power!"

"You got it!" replied Mihoshi, her fingers already dancing across the control panels.

The data displays came to life all around them, bathing Mihoshi in a familiar array of light. Her eyes quickly zoomed in on one particular flashing point of light.

"Hey," she said, "It looks like we missed a message from HQ."

Kiyone nodded. "You're right. Let's see what the brass wants."

A second later Mihoshi saw the grizzled face of her and Kiyone's immediate superior, Chief Muraka. It looked like he hadn't changed a bit, although Mihoshi reflected that she hadn't really been gone that long.

His gruff voice came over the speaker as the recorded message began to play. "Detective Makibi, I've reviewed your report. First of all, I'd like to offer you my congratulations on the successful finding of your partner. We're all relieved to hear that Detective Kuramitsu is alive and well. Your personal file has already been updated to reflect this successful search and rescue mission."

Kiyone smiled. "Seems a bit premature since we haven't actually made it back to HQ yet, but I'll take it!"

"I also read your mention of the brief delay in your return home due to interactions with a local law enforcement agent," the Chief continued, "As long as your actions are within protocol, HQ has no problem with you cooperating with local authorities in this matter."

"You told him about Heero!" said Mihoshi, grinning.

"Well," Kiyone replied, "it was kind of hard not to. Don't worry; I left out the part where we had to fight him."

"You're the best, Kiyone!" cried Mihoshi, relieved to hear that the events of the day before wouldn't be getting them in trouble with their superiors.

"I'm sure that you're anxious to return to base," said Muraka, "However, I'm afraid that will have to wait for a while; I have new orders to pass down to you, courtesy of the top brass."

"New orders already?" said Kiyone, raising an eyebrow, "That seems a bit quick…"

"Given that we now have both Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami of the Empire of Jurai residing on the planet that you found Mihoshi on," said the Chief, "it would not be prudent for the Galaxy Police to leave them unguarded. I know that your report said that the guardian entities Azaka and Kamidake are with them along with the local law enforcement officer that you cooperated with, but I'm afraid that's not good enough for the top brass. We would like to make sure that both princesses are kept safe, which is why you will not be returning to Headquarters."

Mihoshi's eyes widened and her heart started hammering in her chest. Was the Chief actually saying what she thought he was?

Kiyone's eyes widened as well, but unlike Mihoshi she did not appear to be excited. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"No," she said softly, "Oh, please don't tell me…"

"Therefore," said Muraka, "you are being reassigned. For the time being, you are both hereby designated as Resident Officers for the star system that you found Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami in. Your primary mission is to keep the two of them safe until their eventual return to the Empire."

Mihoshi was absolutely beaming now. "Did you hear that, Kiyone? We get to stay!"

Kiyone shook her head, her face paling. "This can't be happening!"

"In addition to those duties," the Chief continued, "you will also be assigned to undertake regular sweeps of the system. If there are any ships in distress within that system, Headquarters expects you to render aid and keep them out of sight of the local inhabitants. You will also receive notifications of any criminals that attempt to flee through that system or seek to hide out in it. Should such a situation arise, you will apprehend them and hold them until another Galaxy Police vessel can arrive to transport them out of the system."

"Sounds like we'll be busy!" said Mihoshi cheerfully.

Kiyone slumped down in her chair. "This system's a dead end. They just shot my career down a black hole!"

"If you have any questions concerning your new assignment, please feel free to contact Headquarters," said Muraka, "However, any requests at a transfer will be denied. This is your posting until further notice, and the top brass expects you to follow these orders to the letter. That is all. Headquarters, out."

The Chief disappeared from the screen, and Mihoshi couldn't stop smiling as she looked out the cockpit window down at Heero and the others. There they were, waiting on the ship's departure, and they had no idea that now Yagami didn't have to leave at all. Mihoshi couldn't wait to give them the good news.

"Come on!" she said, standing up, "Let's go tell the others that we get to stay, Kiyone!"

"You do it," said Kiyone, looking dejectedly at the now black screen, "I'll be out in a little bit."

Mihoshi couldn't see why her partner was so bummed about their new assignment. This was perfect; they'd get to keep staying with their new friends, only now it was an official mission. Kiyone just hadn't been around Heero and the others long enough to realize how much fun it would be to stay with them. Mihoshi was certain that she could change her partner's mind eventually.

Guess what, Heero?, she thought as she rushed towards the exit hatch, I get to stay with you longer, and Kiyone will be with us to! This is going to be so much fun!

….

Sally sighed. "Well… I did not see that one coming."

"Neither did I," said Heero as he took a sip of his tea.

They were back in the living room along with the others. Mihoshi had given them the news regarding the reassignment orders she and her partner had been given, and then they'd all gone back inside to try and figure out what to do about it. Sasami had made them a fresh pot of tea, but Heero could barely taste it since his mind was so focused on this new situation.

"Well, I suppose it makes sense," said Ayeka, "The Galaxy Police does work closely with the Empire of Jurai. I'm sure the leaders of that organization wish to ensure the safety of Sasami and myself so as to avoid incurring father's ire."

"Great," Ryoko grumbled, "Just when I thought I'd be rid of at least one of you…"

"Quite the interesting development," said Washu.

"Do we have enough room for Kiyone here?" asked Sasami.

Heero nodded. "That shouldn't be a problem. She can share Mihoshi's room. That's okay with you, right, Kiyone?"

Kiyone nodded absently. "Sure."

"Housing's not really the issue at this point," said Sally, "It's visibility; that cruiser sticks out like a sore thumb, to put it mildly. Sure, this area's out of the way, but not that far. Someone outside this circle's going to notice it sooner or later."

Heero nodded. He'd been thinking along the same lines. Kiyone's cruiser did present a considerable hurdle, but Heero thought he might have a solution to that problem. It all depended on how cooperative another one of his guests was feeling.

"Washu," he said, "You told me once that you'd be willing to do some personal work for me. Is that offer still on the table?"

Washu grinned. "Anything for you, handsome. Let me guess; you want a way to conceal the Yagami while she's parked here, right?"

"Is that something that you can pull off?" Heero asked.

Washu chuckled. "Please; I could do that in my sleep. Of course, I do have one condition."

Heero sighed. "What's that?"

Washu gave him a faux-innocent smile. "Say please… and call me Little Washu!"

Sally nearly choked on her tea, and Heero had the feeling that she was trying very hard not to laugh. The last thing Heero wanted to do was acquiesce to Washu's condition in front of his coworker, but right now his options were rather limited.

Swallowing his pride, he looked at Washu and bowed his head. "Very well. Please come up with a device that will conceal the Yagami while it's here… Little Washu."

He tried to ignore Sally's failure to suppress a chuckle while Washu kissed him on the cheek. "Aw, you're just so damn cute when you say that! All right, Heero; one Yagami-custom cloaking device coming right up!"

"Hold on a second!" cried Kiyone, "Cloaking technology is restricted! Only select Juraian military craft and a few Galaxy Police ships are permitted to have cloaking devices! Mihoshi and I don't have the necessary permits for installing technology like that on Yagami, and its power core isn't strong enough for it anyway!"

"You let me worry about the power core," said Washu, "and as for the permits, don't sweat it; I'll install the device so that an inspection crew won't be able to find it."

"All right!" cheered Mihoshi, "We're gonna get a stealth ship, Kiyone!"

Kiyone sighed. "I don't believe this… how many regulations can we possibly break in one day?"

"When can you start?" asked Heero.

"Tonight," Washu replied, "It'll definitely be an all night job, though, and I'm gonna need full access to the ship."

"You'll have it," said Kiyone, looking out the window at her cruiser, "I still can't believe that I'm actually agreeing to this…"

"Hey!" said Ryoko, "Why does she get special treatment? Washu, do something like that for Ryo-Ohki!"

Washu shook her head. "Can't do it."

Ryoko folded her arms indignantly. "That's a load of crap!"

"No, it's the truth," said Washu, "I really can't do it."

"If you don't mind me asking," said Ayeka curiously, "why not?"

Heero already had the answer. "It's because Ryo-Ohki's alive."

Washu smiled. "Very good, Heero. Brains along with those moves and good looks of yours… I knew there was a reason why I liked you!"

"Why does Ryo-Ohki being alive mean that you can't make her invisible?" asked Sasami.

"Because Ryo-Ohki's not a machine," said Washu, "With Yagami, all I have to do is replace and modify some part. It's pretty simple stuff, really. However, Ryo-Ohki's not like a normal spaceship. She doesn't have interchangeable parts or anything like that. I can't just remove, replace, or modify her organs or tissue at will. Ryo-Ohki's an incredibly complex life form, Sasami. I may be a genius, but even my talents have their limits."

Ryoko chuckled. "I never thought I'd hear you admit something like that."

Washu smirked. "Only an idiot refuses to recognize their limitations. Besides, for a genius like me, limitations are simply new obstacles to overcome through the awesome power of science!"

Like clockwork, the two mini Washu cheerleader robots that Heero had seen before popped up on her shoulder.

"The power of your science is glorious, Washu!" cried the one on the left.

"You're the greatest scientific genius in the universe!" yelled the one on the right.

"That's right!" said Washu with a triumphant grin.

Sally shook her head and chuckled. "I swear, sometimes I'm amazed that you stay sane with some of the guests you have, Heero."

"Enough to give me a bonus?" he replied dryly.

"Don't push your luck," said Sally.

"Uhm, Heero? Miss Sally?" said Mihoshi, "Is it okay if I help Kiyone get her stuff moved in here?"

Sally nodded. "Go ahead, Mihoshi."

Mihoshi smiled. "Great! Come on, Kiyone!"

Kiyone sighed. "Right behind you."

The two of them headed out the front door, and Sally smiled as they left. "Poor Kiyone… she doesn't seem particularly thrilled about her new assignment."

"She's not the only one," Ryoko grumbled, "The last thing we need is another cop around here."

"Oh?" said Sally, raising an eyebrow, "And why would that be, Ryoko? Something you want to share with me?"

"No, not really," Ryoko quipped.

"She'll be fine," said Washu, "She's had to put up with Mihoshi as a partner, right? She'll settle in soon enough."

"I hope she likes my cooking," said Sasami.

Ayeka smiled at her younger sister. "I'm sure she will, Sasami. After all, Sir Heero's been a superb culinary mentor to you."

Sasami nodded and grinned at Heero. "You bet he has!"

Heero had to resist the urge to chuckle. He'd never imagined himself being in the role of teaching someone how to cook before. Still, he couldn't deny that he was enjoying his ongoing tutoring of Sasami in the art of preparing Earth dishes, and he had no doubt that her cooking skills would far surpass his own before too long; the sweet and gentle royal certainly had a knack for it.

"So," he said, turning to Sally, "how much longer will you be staying?"

"Why?" said Sally with a smirk, "Eager to get rid of me, Heero?"

"Just wondering if I'm going to have an extra mouth to feed tonight," he replied.

Sally shook her head. "No need to worry about that. I'll be heading out pretty soon."

"You don't have to," said Sasami cheerfully, "I wouldn't mind cooking for you!"

Sally smiled. "I appreciate that, but I'm fine."

"Pardon me, Lady Sally," Ayeka chimed in, "but will Director Une really be okay with this? I'm not just referring to Detective Makibi staying here; Sasami and I remain here as well, after all."

Sally nodded. "She'll be fine. As long as Heero's keeping an eye on you two I don't think she'll worry too much about it. Just try to behave for him, okay? I think he's got enough on his plate as it is."

Ayeka smiled. "Oh, absolutely! I promise that I will do all that I can to avoid causing trouble for Sir Heero!"

"We'll be good!" chirped Sasami.

"No incidents shall arise because of us," said Azaka.

"Of that, we can assure you," said Kamidake.

"I suppose that's all that I can ask for," said Heero.

Sally chuckled. "Yes, I suppose so."

….

Kiyone sighed as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She still couldn't believe that this was the situation that she found herself in now; stationed on a remote planet with no chance whatsoever of transfer. It felt like a prison sentence that she had done nothing to earn and yet had no power to appeal.

Damn it, she thought, I should've seen this coming. As soon as I reported back that I'd found Mihoshi I'm sure the Chief and the others started thinking of ways to keep either of us from returning to Headquarters. It's not fair!

"Kiyone!" called Mihoshi, "Are you almost done in there?"

"Yes," she replied absently.

Actually, she was done. She'd taken a shower and was now in the tank-top and shorts that she normally slept in, she'd brushed her teeth, and was just about as cleaned up as she could get. She was ready for bed, but wanted to savor the precious solitude given to her by the bathroom for just a few more seconds.

All things considered, the day had actually gone by pretty fast. Before Kiyone had known it Sally was heading out and Sasami and Heero were serving up dinner. Kiyone might've been down in the dumps with regards to her new assignment, but even in her gloom she still had to appreciate the cooking of her new host.

If I have to be stuck here, she mused, I might as well take advantage of the food. Heero's quite the cook. Never would've expected a guy like him to have that kind of talent…

As strange as it was, she did find a small smile creeping onto her face at the thought of the young man that she'd tangled with yesterday. It was hard to imagine the last time she'd met a guy like him. He was skilled in a fight, calm under pressure, considerably more cunning than she'd expect of an inhabitant of such a backwater planet, and a surprisingly gracious host. He seemed to be a bit aloof and detached at times, or at least withdrawn, but those were faults that Kiyone was more than willing to forgive.

The fact that he was rather handsome certainly didn't hurt matters either.

Yes, all things considered, her new posting could definitely be worse. She had no idea when she might get the chance to go back to Headquarters and the Core Systems where the real action and promotional opportunities were, but for right now she saw no harm in treating her current assignment as something akin to a vacation. Sure, the new orders for her and Mihoshi had made it clear that they would be expected to carry out normal system patrol duties in addition to acting as protection for Ayeka and Sasami, but out in the ass end of the Outland Sector Kiyone wasn't really expecting much activity. The fact that a planet as out of the way as Earth had become an impromptu residence for a notorious space pirate, two royals and their guardians, a legendary mad scientist, and now not one but two officers of the Galaxy Police was a freak coincidence of astronomical proportions, but Kiyone was sure that the normal laws of probability would have to reassert themselves eventually.

At least, she hoped that they would.

"Come on, Kiyone!" called Mihoshi, "It's time for bed!"

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "All right, I'm coming!"

Kiyone knew that her partner wasn't acting this way out of some sense of responsibility or maturity. The much more likely explanation was that she simply viewed the two of them sharing a room in this house as something exciting and fun. No doubt she would want to chat and swap stories as soon as they turned the lights out, whispering and gossiping like a pair of schoolgirls.

Like back in our academy days, she thought with a strange sense of wistfulness, I guess that won't be too bad…

Leaving the bathroom and heading for the bedroom, Kiyone was not surprised in the least to see Mihoshi already laying on her bedroll in her pajamas. She smiled as Kiyone shut the door behind her.

"Isn't this great?" she said as Kiyone turned off the light, "Staying here is so much more comfortable than being stuck on the Yagami all the time, right?"

Kiyone nodded. "Well, it's certainly nice out here. I guess I could use some time in the country; it's not like we'll be patrolling all day and night in this star system, after all."

"Yup!" Mihoshi chirped, "It's nice and quiet out here."

"I just hope it stays that way," said Kiyone as she lay down, "The last thing I want is the brass chewing us out if anything happens to Ayeka and Sasami."

"They'll be fine," said Mihoshi, "They've got us here, and Ayeka's pretty strong too. Plus Azaka and Kamidake are protecting them too."

For all the good they did yesterday, she thought dryly, I still can't believe Heero shot them down like that. If anyone else figures out that trick then the Royal Family is going to have to commission new guardians.

"Hey, Kiyone?" said Mihoshi.

"What's up?" she asked.

Mihoshi smiled, and Kiyone could've sworn that she saw a hint of red in her partner's face. "So… what do you think of Heero?"

Kiyone was a bit taken aback. That had certainly come out of nowhere. After the events of the past forty-eight hours it was hard to really put her feelings about the young man into words.

"Well," she said, "he… he seems like a decent guy. He's got a really strong punch, I know that for sure."

"I'm sorry about that," said Mihoshi, "I didn't want you to get into a fight with him on your first meeting."

Kiyone shook her head and smiled. "It's all right. Besides, we patched things up, so it won't happen again."

"That's good," said Mihoshi, "He's actually a really nice guy once you get to know him."

Kiyone smiled. "I'm sure he is."

Mihoshi yawned. "I'm sleepy! Goodnight, Kiyone."

Kiyone nodded. "Goodnight, Mihoshi."

Her partner rolled onto her side, and Kiyone could've sworn that only a few seconds had passed before she started snoring. Kiyone shook her head; how her partner was capable of falling asleep so quickly was beyond her.

It really is just like old times, she thought, Well, I guess I'll just have to deal with that.

….

October 25th, A.C. 198

"So," said Katsuhito in between the loud 'cracks' of colliding bokken, "how is your newest houseguest settling in?"

"So far, so good," Heero replied as he blocked the old man's latest attack.

Katsuhito chuckled as he pressed his assault. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. I must say, you're playing host to quite the lively group of ladies, young man."

Heero nodded, unable to suppress a smirk as he defended himself. "I can't argue with that."

All things considered, it really hadn't taken Kiyone too long to settle in with Heero and the others. True to her word, Washu had completed the cloaking device for Yagami and had installed it on the ship. Now Kiyone could conceal her ship while it was parked by the house and while she was taking off and landing. The device wasn't perfect; due to the power limitations of Yagami's core it could only be kept on for prolonged periods of time if the rest of the ship's systems were inactive. While Yagami was actually in flight the cloaking device could only remain activated long enough for it to leave or reenter the atmosphere, otherwise it would burn out. That was fine as far as Heero was concerned, though; all he really needed was for the ship to remain concealed while it was on Earth, and Washu's device accomplished that.

He'd been a little concerned when Katsuhito had shown up to the house the day after Sally had left. He had just been paying a friendly visit and inquiring when Heero might want to spar with him again, but Heero had still been worried about how Kiyone might react to this priest that she did not know at all. Fortunately she'd been very calm and relaxed about the whole thing, and she'd seemed to actually get along pretty well with Katsuhito. That had reassured Heero enough that he'd been willing to bring her along with the rest of the girls up to the shrine the following day to visit the priest and share lunch with him.

Once he was convinced that Kiyone wouldn't have any trouble with residing with the others, Heero had decided to move back to what had become his normal routine. That included, among other things, taking some time for himself and getting some space from the house and his lovely guests. The best way to do that was a walk up the long series of stairs to the Shinto shrine, and since he'd actually enjoyed his first sparring match with the local priest he'd taken to engaging in duels with the old man whenever he visited. Katsuhito was always a ready and willing sparring partner, and a very formidable one.

So formidable, in fact, that Heero had yet to actually land a hit on him in any of their matches.

"You've gotten better," said the old man as Heero finally managed to counter and go on the offensive.

"Thanks," he replied as he lashed out with a series of diagonal strikes.

Trying to keep up the pressure, Heero increased his pace and started adding a few low kicks into the rotation. The effort did seem to keep the priest on the defensive, but Heero wouldn't kid himself; the old man was way too calm for the Gundam pilot to assume that he had him 'on the ropes', as it were.

"When will you be bringing those lovely ladies over here again?" asked Katsuhito as he continued to deflect Heero's attacks.

"Whenever they feel like it," said Heero as he shifted to a series of hard vertical strikes.

"Well, if they do, I'm always happy to make a meal for them," said the shrine keeper with a smile as he fended off Heero's blows, "It's always nice to have such pretty women for company."

"I'm sure it is," Heero replied.

He lunged forward, trying to take the old man off guard with a swift thrust towards his stomach. Unfortunately, Katsuhito was ready for him. He smoothly parried the thrust and turned Heero's momentum against him, sending him forward. With a fluid turn he brought his wooden sword around and smacked Heero with it on the shoulder.

"Match," said the priest.

Heero nodded. "Nice move. I thought I might've had you that time."

Katsuhito smirked. "You were close, but you overextended yourself again. You need to watch out for that."

"I will," said Heero as he passed his sword over to the old man, "Same time tomorrow?"

The priest nodded. "Sure, but must you really leave so soon? I've got enough left in me for another round at least, and I'm sure you do as well."

"I'm afraid I have to," Heero replied, "Sasami should have lunch prepared soon, and she'll worry if I'm late."

Katsuhito chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure she will, as will the rest of your guests. Well, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow then, Heero. Feel free to bring those lively young ladies by as well."

"If they're up for it," said Heero as he turned around and headed for the stairs.

He hadn't exactly lied; Sasami had volunteered to make lunch today, and Heero was sure that she would indeed have it ready soon. However, that wasn't the real reason why he was leaving. Before Heero had even started his match with the old man he had felt the same sensation he'd been feeling on and off for the past three days now.

He was being watched.

He didn't know who his new observer was. It was only his highly developed instincts that had attuned him to their covert observation of him. As he started down the stairs his eyes darted this way and that, and his ears listened for the slightest hint of noise that was out of place in this environment. It was just a hunch, but he felt like this mysterious spy was closer now than they had been over the last few days.

When he got about halfway down the stairs and was at one of the rest areas he stopped and looked to his right at the tree line. "I know you're there. How long are you going to stay in the shadows?"

He heard a chuckle, and the voice that followed was smooth, rich, and unmistakably female. "My, my… you're a sharp one, aren't you?"

"As sharp as I have to be," said Heero, his right hand reaching inside his jacket and hovering over his pistol, "Are you going to come to me, or should I come to you?"

"Well, I'm always up for a game of hide and seek," the voice replied, "but seeing as I'm a visitor to your planet, I suppose it's only proper that I make the first move."

"I usually get advance notice when we have visitors from outside our star system," said Heero, now picking up a distinct shadow just beyond the trees, "How did you make it down here undetected?"

"It wasn't hard," the mystery woman replied, her voice much closer now, "Your planet's orbital observation network is rather lacking. No offense, but I could've gotten through blindfolded without being spotted."

"None taken," said Heero as the stranger finally stepped into view.

Her upper body was shrouded in a black cloak with a golden clasp, but Heero could tell just from her legs that he was looking at a very athletic woman. The cloak was pulled up over her head, but her face was visible, and the Preventers operative had to admit that it was rather striking. A confident smirk was on her light-skinned face, and her auburn eyes had a provocative spark in them. There was a black claw-like marking that ran from her left cheek down to at least her neck, and Heero couldn't tell if it was a tattoo or a natural part of her skin. What little of her hair that he could see appeared to be light blue, and past that he could barely make out her slightly pointed ears.

She met his gaze, evaluating him as he evaluated her. Neither of them blinked, and while the impromptu staring contest lasted only a few moments it felt like much longer.

"You won't need your gun," she said with a nod, "I'm not here for a fight. Not with you, at least."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Heero, keeping his right hand in his jacket and on the grip of his sidearm.

She smiled. "A cautious one, aren't you? I'm a bit surprised, given how you fought with the old man earlier; your moves got pretty bold towards the end of your mach. A swordsman's style usually says something about their personality, but I must say that I still haven't quite pinned yours down, and I've had the past three days to observe you."

"I try to keep people guessing," Heero quipped.

The woman chuckled. "Indeed. You're interesting for a local boy from this far out, I'll give you that."

"Enough word games," said Heero curtly, "Who are you?"

"The name's Nagi," she replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Heero Yuy."

"How do you know my name?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

She reached into her cloak, and for a moment the Gundam pilot thought she was going to draw a weapon. Instead she pulled out what appeared to be a very small moth-like creature, but on closer inspection Heero realized that it was mechanical.

"Devaliar Security's Mk. III Eye-Fly," she replied, "The name could use some work, but the surveillance tech jammed inside this little bugger's what really counts. Top of the line, and worth every credit of the investment. I've been watching you with more than just my eyes, Heero… and listening with more than just my ears."

As he listened to the woman speak, Heero realized that he had heard her name before. "You're a bounty hunter, aren't you?"

Nagi's eyes widened ever so slightly. "How do you… never mind. Ryoko told you, didn't she?"

"Yes," said Heero.

She smirked. "Interesting… so, did she tell you why someone like me might be hunting her?"

"I can take a few guesses," said Heero dryly.

"You've got nothing to gain by protecting her," said Nagi, "and I'm not here to fight you. I've chased more bounties than I can count from one end of this galaxy to the other, and Ryoko's the only one to ever elude me. I'm here to fight her and apprehend her."

"That's not going to happen," said Heero firmly.

Nagi raised an eyebrow. "Why? Do you mean to protect her from me?"

"And what if I do?" asked Heero, his eyes narrowing.

"Well," she said, "for starters, you'd be protecting a known fugitive. That would make you an accomplice, and while there might not be a bounty on your head yet, I guarantee that would change once I hauled Ryoko in and told the Galaxy Police about you."

"You're getting ahead of yourself," said Heero, "First you have to bring her in, remember? Your success isn't guaranteed."

Nagi chuckled. "Indeed, but it won't be because of you. Ryoko's powerful, which is why she's been able to elude me for so long. It's part of why I want to be the one to bring her in. The money's nice, but she's also just the kind of foe that I look for in this line of work. I will fight her, one way or the other. The Galaxy Police might not like bounty hunters such as myself fighting locals on frontier worlds like this, but if I told them that you were impeding my pursuit of the infamous space pirate Ryoko they wouldn't bat an eye at me attacking you."

"I'm sure they wouldn't," Heero replied, "but if that's a threat then I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that."

Nagi smiled. "You've got courage, I'll give you that much. You really should reconsider, though. There's nothing in this for you."

"It doesn't matter," said Heero firmly, "Ryoko is under my observational custody. My mission is to look after her, and I'm going to do exactly that."

Nagi shook her head. "I know about your Preventers organization thanks to my bug. I don't think that they'd want you to protect Ryoko if they knew the full extent of her criminal record."

"Well, they don't know it," said Heero, "which means my mission remains unchanged."

The bounty hunter's eyes narrowed. "You're outmatched, kid. You might be armed, but I guarantee that whatever weapons you have will do no good against me."

"Care to find out?" said Heero.

Nagi sighed. "If you insist."

She reached inside her cloak. Heero swiftly drew his pistol, while at the same time Nagi pulled out what appeared to be a golden rapier. It was a surprisingly elegant weapon for a bounty hunter, and Heero would've dismissed it as archaic if it were it not for the glowing crimson sphere built into the hilt. It appeared to be a power source of some kind, and the tip of the weapon sparked with violet energy.

"Last chance," she said, a chill creeping into her voice, "Back down, boy."

"After you," he shot back.

Nagi shook her head. "I never stop my hunt. If you get in my way, then you become my prey, and I'll treat you accordingly!"

Acting on nothing more than instinct, Heero rolled to the right, and not a moment too soon. A violet bolt of energy flew from the tip of the rapier, leaving a black scorch mark on the cobblestones where he'd been standing just a split second earlier; apparently this woman's 'sword' doubled as a ranged weapon.

Bringing his gun to bear as he came up on his feet, he squeezed off a round, aiming for her right shoulder. There was a brief flash of blue energy as his bullet was stopped in midair.

"I told you," said Nagi, "Your weapon's no good against me."

She shifted her cloak, revealing a dark blue and black skintight bodysuit that left little to the imagination. A red belt wrapped around her waist, and it had a golden buckle with a blinking red light.

"Loronai Defense Industry's J-200 Personal Shield Generator," she said with a smile, "Good for energy or projectile weapons. Primitive bullets don't have the power to punch through this, kid. Why don't you just throw in the towel? You'll save yourself a world of hurt."

"Sorry," said Heero, "but I don't give up that easily."

He lunged forward, taking a couple shots as he charged. Just like before, the bullets were stopped by the energy shield, but Heero wasn't counting on them hitting her anyway. Swiftly closing the distance, he flipped the gun in his hand and lashed out, aiming to pistol whip her right in the head.

She dodged him, but it was a near thing, and the way her eyes widened ever so slightly told Heero all he needed to know.

Her shield may block bullets and other projectiles, he thought, but it looks like it doesn't activate to fend off melee attacks.

If he'd taken her by surprise it was only for a moment. The bounty hunter quickly countered by lashing out with her rapier. Heero ducked the attack, but it was by a very narrow margin, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as the slender sword passed over his head trailing violet sparks.

In a single fluid motion he drew his knife with his left hand and struck back. This time Nagi blocked the attack with her blade, and violet sparks coursed through the sword and into Heero's blade. His hand was jolted by electricity, but he managed to keep from dropping the knife.

The bounty hunter smiled. "You're tougher than you look. You might actually make this fun."

"I'll do more than that," he growled.

Grimacing as shocks continued to course through his left hand, he swung with his right, once again aiming to club her over the head with his sidearm. She swiftly intercepted the blow with her free hand before making a sweeping kick and knocking him off his feet. His back hit the ground, but it was only for a second; he quickly rolled to the left and regained his feet.

"You're mine!" she declared as she lunged forward.

Heero dived to the right, barely avoiding the tip of the saber. Like a heat seeking missile, Nagi stayed right with him. He ducked under the blade and lunged forward with his knife, but she caught his arm before bringing her rapier down on it. This time the shock was severe enough that Heero couldn't help but drop the knife, and it was only by braking free of her grip and backing off that he was able to avoid taking a worse hit.

Damn it, he thought, I can barely feel my left arm now! That sword of hers is no joke.

Taking her head on like this was a losing proposition. It was time to change tactics. He made a break for the tree line, firing a couple shots to distract her as he did so.

He heard Nagi chuckle as he leapt into the brush. "A chase, huh? Well, I'm game!"

Heero was actually relieved to hear that. He moved swiftly though the bushes and trees, but he wasn't actually retreating. Moving into the cover provided by the mountain woods would give him a better shot at ambushing Nagi and taking her down. At this point, he figured that that was the only way he'd be able to beat her.

Sure enough, he could hear her rushing through the woods, hot on his heels. She seemed to be matching his pace, and it didn't sound like she was breathing hard either. If nothing else, this particular bounty hunter was definitely in shape. Trying to wear her out would be a gamble; Heero's best bet was to set up a surprise attack from the cover of the trees and take Nagi down quickly.

Wish I had a few flash-bang grenades, he thought, I could definitely use those right about now. I guess I'll have to find another way to blindside her.

He broke to the right and hid behind a tree. Quickly scanning the ground, he spotted a small stone and picked it up. Peeking around the tree trunk, he saw the bounty hunter on the move. She was heading in his general direction but did not appear to know his exact location. Heero doubted he'd be able to stay hidden for long; he had to act fast.

Taking a moment to judge the distance between them, Heero then threw his rock. Not at Nagi; as a projectile it wouldn't do any good against her shield. Instead he threw it a ways off to the left, hoping the noise would distract her.

The rock hit a tree, and he saw Nagi abruptly turn in that direction. Seizing the opportunity, Heero closed the distance. He moved from one tree to the next, trying to strike a balance between minimizing his exposure and approaching her as quickly and quietly as possible. Soon he was just a few meters away from her, crouching behind a cluster of thick bushes.

Nagi had stopped moving. She was crouching as well, scanning all around her for any sign of Heero. The bounty hunter was alert and tense, and Heero knew that she'd be ready to react at the slightest disturbance. He'd have to pick his next move very carefully.

Looking at the ground, Heero found another small rock and picked it up. Moving towards the edge of the bushes, his eyes narrowed as he found a suitable target for his stone. Steadying himself, he threw the rock at a tree a little bit to the right of Nagi. As soon as she moved he would rush forward to tackle her.

At least, that was his plan, but things didn't quite work out that way. The stone hit the tree, and Nagi did move towards it, but the second Heero had broke cover Nagi turned to face him with a triumphant grin on her face. Her saber was at the ready, violet energy sparking all along it, and Heero realized that she'd only been pretending to be distracted by the rock.

A bolt of purple energy flew from the tip of the weapon and hit Heero in the left leg. He stumbled as he lost nearly all feeling in the limb, but Nagi wasn't done with him yet. She pressed a small button built into the hilt of her sword, and a long and flexible strand of violet energy emanated from the end of her slender weapon. The bounty hunter took a swing with her purple whip, and Heero swiftly found himself wrapped up in purple energy… which proceeded to send shocks coursing through his body.

He grimaced against the pain. It actually wasn't too bad compared to some of the hits he'd taken in the past, but the shocks were steady and consistent, and it was becoming quite difficult to stay on his feet. The bounty hunter stepped forward, and the shocks intensified.

"Don't fight it," she said as darkness began to encroach from the edge of his vision, "You're just going to make it worse. It's designed to knock you out, not kill you… but if you keep resisting it, it'll put even more energy into taking you down."

"Damn it," he hissed as he was forced to his knees.

The darkness was growing, but he couldn't bring himself to willing submit to the shocks and lose consciousness. If Nagi wanted to take him down, he'd make her work for every second of it.

She smiled as she knelt down next to him and looked him in the eyes. "Stubborn, aren't you? You've got that much in common with her, at least. I'm starting to see why she likes you. You're more than just a pretty face, young man."

Heero lunged forward, attempting to head-butt her. Nagi slipped to the side with ease, and all he succeeded in doing was falling face first to the forest floor.

He rolled over and saw Nagi leaning down towards him, pulling what looked like an injector out of her cloak. "No choice, then; I'll have to help you along. You're too tough for your own good."

Heero tried to roll away, but Nagi easily stopped him before plunging the needle into his neck. A sense of dizziness and light-headedness swiftly came over him, and the gradually encroaching darkness became a flood.

"Sweet dreams, handsome," was the last thing he heard before he completely blacked out.

….

Ayeka smiled as she savored the taste of the tea. "Even better than before… Sasami, your talents have blossomed wonderfully!"

Her younger sister beamed at her. "Thanks, Ayeka!"

"It's so good!" chirped Mihoshi in between sips.

"Yeah," said Kiyone, her eyes widening slightly, "Sasami, you've really got a knack for this. I'm impressed."

"It's so nice to see Sasami's gifts so appreciated," said Azaka, "Her father and mother would be quite proud."

"If I were capable of crying I would be shedding tears of joy right now!" said Kamidake, "Our dear princess shall no doubt grow up to be a marvelous young woman!"

Indeed, she shall, thought Ayeka, Although I do not believe that being gifted in the culinary arts is particularly fitting for a princess. Oh, well… I suppose there's no harm to it, and she certainly does seem to enjoy it.

"Where's Ryoko and Washu?" asked Sasami as she looked around, "I want them to try it too."

"Washu's still in her lab," said Kiyone with a shrug, "and Ryoko's still snoozing. Not much of a surprise, there; she had quite a bit to drink last night."

"But it's nearly lunch time!" cried Mihoshi, "How can Ryoko still be asleep?"

Ayeka shook her head. "That woman… I swear she must be the laziest pirate in the galaxy! How in the name of Tsunami did she acquire such a fearsome reputation with such an awful sleeping habit?"

"You're telling me," said Kiyone as she took another sip of her tea, "She's worse than Mihoshi."

"Hey!" pouted Mihoshi, folding her arms, "I don't sleep in that late! And I get up on time when we have patrol duty!"

"Only after I yell at you and your bedside alarm nearly drives me insane," Kiyone grumbled, "Man, I'm glad we took the day off so I didn't have to put up with that today."

"Is that really all right?" asked Ayeka, "I thought that your superiors ordered you to maintain steady patrols of this system?"

"As part of our duties, yes," Kiyone replied, "but it's not like they ordered us to do it every hour of every day. They understand that we need some downtime, so they gave me the freedom to structure our patrol schedule. Besides, our main mission is to protect you, and since you're not leaving the planet anytime soon there's nothing wrong with us being down here with you instead of flying around the edges of this system."

"And if we were up there all the time, we'd miss Sasami's cooking!" Mihoshi added.

Kiyone smiled. "Yeah, I guess there's that, too."

"It's not just me," said Sasami, "Heero cooks too, remember?"

"Speaking of Heero," said Kiyone, looking around, "Where is he? He can't still be at the shrine sparring with the old man, can he?"

Ayeka had to admit that she was growing a little worried about that. Her host was well aware of when the normally scheduled midday meal was, and Heero had repeatedly proven himself to be a very punctual young man. She knew that he enjoyed his sparring sessions with the shrine keeper, but that had never kept him from returning home on time for lunch, or any other meal for that matter.

"It's all right if he's a little late," said Mihoshi with a smile, "We should let him have his fun!"

"Perhaps," said Ayeka as she looked out the window, "but still… I do hope that he hasn't forgotten the time."

"He'll be back," said Sasami, "You'll see!"

It would be nice to have some time with him while Ryoko's still asleep, she thought, If that pirate's going to snooze as late as this, then she can't complain if I take advantage of her sluggishness.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki, and Ayeka saw that she was pawing at Sasami's legs.

Sasami smiled down at the living starship. "That's right, it's your lunchtime too, Ryo-Ohki! I'll be right back!"

She went off to the kitchen and returned a few moments later with a bowl of carrots. She sat them down on the table in front of the couch, and Ryo-Ohki wasted no time in hopping right up onto the tabletop and started to munch away.

Ayeka heard the sliding door start to open, and she turned to face it with a smile. "Oh, Sir Heero…"

But it wasn't her handsome host that came through the door. In fact, she couldn't see anyone at all, at least not right away. Standing up to get a better view, she soon saw who the new arrival was.

Or rather, what it was.

I don't believe it, she thought, her eyes widening, Another one? How is this possible?

Standing in the doorway, looking quite pleased with itself, was a creature that was unmistakably a cabbit. The long ears, the whiskers, the curious combination of rabbit and feline physiology… there was no mistaking what this creature was. That being said, it was not exactly the same as the cabbit that currently shared this residence with her. This particular specimen had white fur and looked like it was just a little bit larger than Ryo-Ohki. Its eyes were red instead of yellow, and it had a golden gem embedded in its forehead.

"What in the…" she said softly.

"What is it?" asked Kiyone as she leaned over to get a better look, "Oh, no way!"

"It's another Ryo-Ohki!" cried Sasami.

"Truly?" asked Azaka.

"How strange," said Kamidake.

"It's so cute!" chirped Mihoshi.

"Meow!" the creature replied in greeting.

Its cry was deeper than Ryo-Ohki's, and while Ayeka had nothing more than that to base her suspicions on, she felt that this particular creature might actually be a male. She watched as it cautiously wandered into the house, scanning its surroundings as it made its way around the couch. Its nose was raised to the air, and from the way it was sniffing Ayeka was sure it had caught the scent of Ryo-Ohki's carrots.

"Where did this thing come from?" asked Kiyone.

"A good question," said Ayeka as she monitored the creature's progress, "Another one of Washu's experiments, perhaps? I recall her saying something about having been the one who created Ryo-Ohki's species in the first place a while back. Perhaps she decided to create a new specimen while she was here?"

"She could've given us a heads up," said Kiyone.

A few seconds later the creature had hopped up onto the table. Ryo-Ohki turned and looked curiously at the newcomer for a moment before giving what Ayeka understood to be the cabbit's equivalent of a smile.

"Meow!" she cried out in greeting, looking quite excited to find another of her kind here.

Unfortunately, this new creature did not seem to return Ryo-Ohki's friendly sentiments. Quite the opposite, in fact. The cabbit tensed up, its hair stood on end, and it bared its fangs and hissed at Ryo-Ohki.

"Uh oh," said Mihoshi, "That doesn't look good!"

"Oh, no!" cried Sasami, "Why's it doing that?"

Ayeka wasn't sure what to do, and from the looks of things none of her companions did either. She watched as Ryo-Ohki took matters into her own hands, or paws… or mouth, in this case. Grabbing a carrot from the bowl, she walked slowly over to the newcomer before setting it down on the table and gently nudging it towards the pale-furred creature.

The new cabbit stopped hissing and leaned forward, taking cautious sniffs as it did so. It then inched towards the carrot and took a small, experimental bite. Its eyes widened, and its demeanor completely changed from agitation to excitement. It then wasted no time in devouring the carrot.

"Well," said Kiyone with a smile, "It seems that did the trick."

"Good job, Ryo-Ohki!" cheered Sasami.

"Meow!" Ryo-Ohki cried happily as she grabbed another carrot from the bowl and brought it next to the newcomer before starting to chow down.

"Aw," cooed Mihoshi, "They look so cute together."

It didn't take long for the two cabbits to finish their carrots. Ayeka was a bit nervous about how the newcomer might react now that its tasty distraction was gone, but her fears were soon put to rest when she saw the pale creature gently nudge Ryo-Ohki, and she heard the distinct sound of purring.

"Yay!" cried Sasami, "Now they're friends!"

Ryo-Ohki certainly seemed to share the sentiment. She was purring as well and leaning into her fellow cabbit, and now Ayeka was all but certain that this new creature was indeed a male.

"I still want to know where this thing came from," said Kiyone.

"We should go ask Washu," said Azaka.

"She does seem the most likely person to have an answer for that," said Kamidake.

"All in good time," said Ayeka with a smile, "All in good time."

….

"Ugh, man," groaned Ryoko as she downed a glass of water and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, "Maybe I did drink a little too much last night…"

She wasn't exactly known for her restraint to begin with, and when Kiyone had introduced her and the others to that Galaxy Police drinking game of hers the night before Ryoko had gone all in. It hadn't taken much for her to beat the competition, although much to her disappointment Heero had refrained from taking part; she would've loved the chance to go shot for shot with him. Still, it had amused her to no end to put Mihoshi, Kiyone, and Ayeka in their places; she was the undisputed Queen of the Bottle.

Her lofty title unfortunately had come at a price, and that was in the form of the hangover that she was still nursing. It had definitely receded considerably, but there was still enough of it there that she'd been slower to rise than normal this morning. Still, she was starting to get hungry, and the way her stomach was grumbling suggested that she'd already missed one meal for the day; it would be a shame to sleep through lunch too.

I wonder what Heero and Sasami are making today, she mused as she adjusted her hair a bit, I don't really care too much, as long as it's ready soon. I could definitely use a bite to eat.

A few moments later she was heading downstairs, eagerly anticipating seeing Heero and throwing herself at him just to piss off Ayeka. It would be as a good a note as any to start the day on.

However, when she got to the bottom of the stairs and went to the living room, she didn't see Heero. All the women of the household with the exception of Washu were there, along with Azaka and Kamidake, but the young man she'd been looking forward the most to seeing was nowhere to be found. She wondered where he might be, but it was only for a moment; she was quickly distracted by what she saw on the table in front of the couch.

There was Ryo-Ohki next to a bowl of carrots; a common enough sight in this house. However, that wasn't what had her attention. It was the second cabbit that was standing on the table with Ryo-Ohki.

The white cabbit.

There was only one such cabbit that Ryo-Ohki had encountered before, and she knew that she was looking at the exact same one right here and now.

"Ryo-Ohki!" she yelled, "What the hell are you doing with him?"

Ryo-Ohki glanced over at her and bent her head, looking puzzled. The white cabbit ignored her; it was still munching on a carrot.

"Oh, Ryoko!" said Mihoshi with a smile, "You're finally up!"

"Wait, so Ryo-Ohki's new friend is a boy?" said Sasami, "Ryoko, how do you know that?"

"Have you seen this thing before?" asked Kiyone.

Ayeka looked back and forth between the two cabbits and Ryoko. "Is something the matter, Ryoko?"

Ryoko pointed at the table. "You're damn right there is! Ryo-Ohki, don't you remember who that is?"

"Meow," murmured Ryo-Ohki as she put herself between Ryoko and the other cabbit.

Damn it, thought Ryoko, she likes him! I really should've seen that coming.

She had more important things to worry about than the feelings of Ryo-Ohki at the moment, though. If this pale cabbit was here, then that meant she was somewhere nearby.

At that moment the closet door by the front entrance opened and Washu stepped out. "Okay, it's lunch time, right? So, what's on the menu, Heero?"

The mad scientist's eyes widened slightly as she entered the living room. "Hey, what did I miss?"

Ryoko pointed at the pale cabbit. "You missed Ken-Ohki, that's what!"

"Ken-Ohki?" said Sasami, "That's his name?"

"Aw, that's cute!" cooed Mihoshi, "It really is a boy version of Ryo-Ohki!"

Kiyone raised an eyebrow. "How do you know his name, Ryoko?"

Ayeka's eyes narrowed. "Ryoko, what is going on? Explain yourself!"

"We've run into each other before," said Ryoko as she walked over to the table and glared down at Ken-Ohki, "All right, you damn furball, time to come clean. Where's Nagi?"

The white cabbit looked up and hissed at her. Meanwhile, Ryo-Ohki was trying to stay between the two of them, and her increasingly frantic cries were clearly pleas for peace between the two of them.

Ryoko wasn't having it. "Damn it, Ryo-Ohki, we can't make nice with this guy. You know who his master is!"

"Nagi," said Mihoshi, "Haven't I heard that name before?"

Kiyone sighed. "Of course you have, numbskull. She's a bounty hunter, and one of the best. Everyone in the Galaxy Police is supposed to know who she is!"

"Oh," said Mihoshi, "but… why would she be here?"

"I can imagine a pretty good reason," said Ayeka, smirking as she looked at Ryoko, "Looks like you'll finally answer for your crimes, Ryoko!"

"Shut up!" Ryoko snapped as she looked around, "Damn it, where's Heero when you need him?"

"Good point," said Washu, scanning the room as well, "He really should be back by now."

"Well, he's not," said Kiyone, "which means that we'll have to deal with this situation ourselves."

"What do we do?" asked Sasami.

"I think it's obvious," said Ayeka, glaring at Ryoko, "We let this bounty hunter have her prize!"

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

"Oh, dear," said Azaka.

"Here we go again," chimed in Kamidake.

"We can't let her take Ryoko!" cried Mihoshi, "She's our friend!"

Ayeka looked at her incredulously. "You're a member of the Galaxy Police, Mihoshi! It is your duty to assist this 'Nagi', wherever she might be, in apprehending such a dangerous fugitive like Ryoko. Justice demands it!"

"Justice my ass!" Ryoko snapped, "You just want to get me away from Heero, you royal brat!"

"Cut it out, you two!" snapped Kiyone, "We don't have time for your bickering!"

"How dare you!" huffed Ayeka, "Miss Kiyone, you should be taking my side in this! You tried to arrest Ryoko when you arrived here, after all. Why shouldn't we let this bounty hunter take her away?"

"Because that's not my call to make," said Kiyone firmly, "It's Heero's. I might not agree with him, but Ryoko's under his observational custody just like you, your sister, and Washu are. Ryoko's Heero's responsibility and I'm not going to interfere with his mission."

Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Never thought I'd see you take my side."

Kiyone folded her arms. "I'm not. If I had it my way I'd be helping Ayeka turn you over to Nagi. Heero and I came to an agreement about you, though, and I'm going to honor it."

"Speaking of Heero," said Sasami, "we should go look for him. We need his help to figure out what to do!"

Washu nodded. "Sasami's right. He shouldn't be too hard to find; if he's not here then the only other place he could be is still at the shrine with the old man. I'll go get him."

"That won't be necessary," said a new voice as the sliding door opened.

Ryoko whirled around, instantly recognizing that voice. The air around her crackled with crimson sparks, and blood red energy danced in the palms of her hands as she spotted none other than the lady of the hour standing in the doorway.

"Nagi!" she snarled.

The hood of her cloak was down, revealing the face of her rival in all its fierce and steely glory. A dark blue headband helped smooth over her long aqua colored hair, and that cool and confident smile that Ryoko had learned to loath was on her face.

She nodded in greeting. "Long time no see, Ryoko."

"You," she said with a humph, "How the hell did you find me out here?"

Nagi shrugged. "It wasn't that hard. At last known sighting you were being chased by Ryu-Oh out into this nowhere patch of the Outland Sector. I was hounding another bounty at the time, but once I collared him I headed straight out here. Granted, it took me a bit of time to search the surrounding systems, but process of elimination helped me narrow things down. Besides, Ayeka's hatred of you is common knowledge, and she hasn't been seen in Imperial space in quite some time; I figured that she was still pursuing you out here, so I simply had to be patient and keep up the hunt."

Ryoko scowled. "You always were a persistent bitch."

Nagi chuckled. "Really, Ryoko, must you be like that? It's been quite a long time, after all. I thought you might actually miss me!"

"You're as full of yourself as ever, aren't you?" Ryoko spat.

"Only because I know how much it irritates you," her foe replied.

"Uhm, excuse me," Mihoshi chimed in nervously, "Are… are you really here to take Ryoko away?"

Nagi rolled her eyes. "Why else would I be here, Mihoshi? I thought you were supposed to be a cop; my intentions should be obvious to you."

"Hold on," said Kiyone, her eyes narrowing, "How do you know her name?"

"The same way I know your name, Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi," Nagi replied casually, "I've been watching you all for the past three days."

"Three days?" said Ayeka, her eyes widening.

Washu chuckled. "And I never picked up on it, even with all the little add-ons I've made to this place… I'm impressed."

"Well I'm not!" snapped Ryoko, "That's just creepy!"

"The diligent hunter takes their time to study their prey and their surroundings," said Nagi, "It's what separates the best from the rest."

"So you know all about us then?" asked Sasami.

Nagi shrugged. "I know what I need to. That's enough."

"A rather chilling individual, isn't she?" said Azaka.

"She doesn't seem to be one for pleasant conversation," chirped Kamidake.

"You can save your 'pleasant conversation' for the palace, you stacks of kindling," Nagi scoffed, "The only thing that matters to bounty hunters is the ability to produce results."

"Well, if 'results' in this case happens to mean you dragging Ryoko off to the cell that she deserves, I certainly see no problem with it," said Ayeka.

"Hey," said Kiyone, "did you forget about Heero, Ayeka? He's probably not going to like that!"

"He could always change his mind," Ayeka replied, "Quite frankly it would be in his best interest to do so."

"He won't be changing his mind," said Nagi.

"How do you know that?" asked Mihoshi.

Nagi chuckled. "He made his feelings on the matter quite clear earlier."

Ryoko's eyes narrowed as a quiet alarm bell went off in her mind. Heero's absence, Nagi's arrival, and the way she was talking now… something was very wrong.

"What the hell did you do, Nagi?" she growled.

Nagi smirked. "Nothing permanent. However, I'm afraid your new man's not going to be able to help you out of this jam."

Ayeka gasped. "Oh, no! Sir Heero!"

"Where is he?" snapped Ryoko, "I swear, if you hurt him…"

"He's a little bruised," said Nagi, "but it's nothing serious."

"Take us to him," said Kiyone, her hand hovering over her pistol, "Now."

Nagi shrugged. "All right. He's right outside. Ken-Ohki, come!"

The bounty hunter turned around and headed out the door, with her cabbit right behind her. Ryoko and the others were hot on her heels, and the group gave a collective gasp when they got outside.

"Heero!" she cried.

He was lying unconscious on the grass. The young man didn't appear to be severely hurt, but Ryoko's blood started boiling when she saw the stun-cuffs that bound his wrists and the shackles secured to his legs. A shock collar was around his neck; he'd be in for a rude surprise if he woke up and tried to fight his bindings.

"See?" said Nagi, "Like I told you, nothing serious."

"Like hell!" Ryoko snarled.

She immediately rushed towards Heero, only to be interrupted by a bolt of violet energy hitting the ground in front of her. She whirled around and glared at the source.

"Let him go!" she yelled at her rival, "He's got nothing to do with the score between us!"

"I disagree," Nagi replied, "and so did he. You should be proud of your lover boy here, Ryoko. He actually put up a pretty decent fight before I took him down. Not bad for a backwater local. I can see why you like him; he's definitely got spirit, and he's not bad in a scuffle."

"You've gone too far, Nagi!" snapped Kiyone, stepping forward, "Article Five, Section Two of the regulations governing bounty hunters licensed by the Galaxy Police and the Empire of Jurai is quite clear; a hunter cannot attack and detain persons who do not have official bounties on their heads. Doing so is grounds for the suspension of your Hunter's License at the very least!"

Nagi waved her finger at Kiyone like a teacher taking a pupil to task. "Ah, but you forgot the exception clause, Detective; a hunter can engage someone without a bounty on their head if they pose an imminent threat to the hunter and others."

"How could Sir Heero possibly pose a threat to you?" asked Ayeka indignantly, "As a bounty hunter with a galactic reputation I'm sure that whatever weapons and devices you carry are sufficient to ward off the admittedly primitive armaments that Sir Heero has at his disposal, evidenced by the fact that you have collared him like a common criminal!"

"You mean this?" asked Nagi as she pulled Heero's pistol from her cloak, "I agree that it's primitive, but the level of technological advancement doesn't matter. He drew his firearm and aimed it at me, so I was well within my rights to engage him. If anything, I think you should be praising me for the restraint I showed in dealing with him."

"Even so," said Kiyone, "I will have to insist that you release him immediately!"

"Yeah!" chirped Mihoshi, "Let Heero go!"

Nagi chuckled. "And if I refuse? Will the two of you try to arrest me for collaring him? With his actions he could legally be considered as Ryoko's accomplice. At the very least, he's sheltering a high profile fugitive. Normally his living on a backwater world like this would be a permissible defense in court since they would take it to be a sign of forgivable ignorance, but he indicated to me that he's aware of why someone like me would hunt Ryoko, so that defense is now forfeit."

"Perhaps," said Kiyone, "but he was acting in accordance with his own mission parameters as defined by the organization that he works for, which on this planet is a lawful governmental force."

Nagi shook her head. "I highly doubt that the Galaxy Police would care about whatever mission Heero had here. In their eyes he'd been seen as a criminal for knowingly harboring Ryoko."

"That doesn't matter," said Mihoshi, "because no official arrest warrant has been issued for Heero! You have to release him!"

"She's right," said Kiyone, "You cannot continue to lawfully detain Heero, Nagi. Even if you fought and subdued him in self-defense, continuing to hold him like this will put you in violation of the terms of your Hunter's License. If you wish to avoid legal repercussions then you have no choice but to hand him over to Mihoshi and I right now!"

Nagi smirked. "Not quite. I have another option; I could bring him in. Once your superiors hear how he's been harboring Ryoko then I'm sure they'll retroactively authorize a bounty and put a price on his head. It wouldn't be as much as the prize for collaring Ryoko, but I imagine it would still be decent money."

Kiyone glared. "The Galaxy Police does not retroactively sanction bounties!"

Nagi shook her head and gave what appeared to Ryoko to be a pitying glance at Kiyone. "Poor girl… I guess your partner's not the only reason why the Galaxy Police has you out here in the backwoods. You're just too naïve to be allowed close to the real action, aren't you?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" growled Kiyone.

"Simple," Nagi replied, "All I would have to do is slip a few credits to one of the clerks in the Galaxy Police's Bounty Issuance Office and they'd retroactively sanction a price on this boy's head without batting an eye. It wouldn't be the first time they've done that."

"Liar!" cried Mihoshi, "If anyone did that they'd be arrested and charged for corruption!"

"And those charges would bring with them investigations," said Nagi, her smirk becoming a cruel smile, "Investigations which would lead to higher ranking officials that most certainly would not want their names cast in such a negative light… and would have the power to kill said investigations. The Galaxy Police aren't nearly as upstanding and honest as you two beat cops think they are; your organization has a dark side, and it's quite ugly. It serves us bounty hunters quite well, though, so I'm not about to complain."

Ryoko stepped forward. "Look, I love hearing you trash talk the Galaxy Police, but I don't have time to listen to that today. You kidnapped a friend of mine, and I want him back."

Nagi looked over at Heero. "Just a friend? From what I saw over the past three days I thought you held him in higher regard than that."

Ryoko blushed. "That's none of your damn business!"

"Sir Heero is not just Ryoko's friend," said Ayeka as she stepped up to join her otherwise arch-rival in staring down the bounty hunter, "He is mine as well. He has acted as guardian and host to myself and my sister, and I demand that you release him immediately!"

Nagi's eyes narrowed. "Or you'll do what? Cry to your mother and father? I don't care if you're the crown princess of Jurai; get in my way and I'll deal with you accordingly. Besides, you're a long way from the Empire; the Imperial Fleet and the Royal Guard won't be of any use to you out here."

Ayeka was positively seething with fury. "Why, you…"

Nagi chuckled. "Now, now, there's no need to get upset. I'm perfectly happy to give Heero back to you. Of course, it won't be for free."

Washu folded her arms. "So now you're ransoming him? Now I remember why I never liked bounty hunters. Your kind seems to stoop lower and lower every time we cross paths."

"That's rich, coming from a woman who's built weapons capable of wiping out entire star systems," Nagi replied, "but it's besides the point. My terms really are quite modest."

"And what are they?" asked Kiyone.

"Simple," said Nagi, "There are two scenarios in which I'll release Heero. The first is if Ryoko willingly surrenders herself into my custody. Knowing Ryoko, though, I don't really see that happening. That's why I'm prepared to offer an alternate scenario; if Ryoko fights and defeats me, I'll let the boy go."

"And if she loses?" asked Ayeka.

Nagi smiled. "Then I'll haul off both her and Heero to the Galaxy Police. No reason why I can't collect more than one bounty for my troubles, after all."

"That's not going to happen," Ryoko growled, "I'll take you on, and I'll kick your ass!"

"Now, hold on just a moment!" cried Ayeka, "If you are defeated then Sir Heero will suffer along with you! If you truly care for him, Ryoko, then you should give yourself up for his sake!"

Ryoko shook her head, her gaze firmly locked onto Nagi. "No. I'm going to win and take Heero back from this bitch if it's the last thing I do!"

Nagi nodded. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"You'll change your tune when I'm done with you," Ryoko snarled as she stepped forward.

Nagi smirked. "We'll see."

"Ryoko, think about this," said Kiyone, "This is not just your life that you're gambling with here."

"Shut up," snapped Ryoko, "Unless you're going to help then I suggest you stay out of this."

"About that," said Nagi, nodding towards Heero and pulling out a small remote from her cloak, "If anyone attempts to interfere in our duel, lover boy over there's in for some hurt. Several thousand volts worth of it, give or take a few."

"You fiend!" hissed Ayeka, "You're as bad as the scum that you hunt!"

"Hardly," Nagi replied, "I've spent a long time hunting Ryoko. Now that I'm so close to finally defeating her, I'm not taking any chances. The boy only gets hurt if you try to back up Ryoko. As long as you stay on the sidelines he'll remain unharmed. All I want is a duel; that's not too much to ask, right?"

"If that's all you want then you don't need a hostage!" cried Mihoshi.

"She's right," said Ryoko, "I would've fought you anyway, Nagi."

Nagi raised an eyebrow. "Really? So you can honestly tell me that you didn't start planning your escape the instant you saw Ken-Ohki?"

Ryoko nodded. "That's right. I happen to like staying here. I was never going to run, least of all from the likes of you. And now I've got even more of a reason to fight you."

Nagi chuckled as she looked over at Heero. "You really do like him. Well, he is easy on the eyes, I suppose. Plus he does have that defiant spark in him… a pity it got him into trouble this time."

"Ryoko," said Sasami nervously, "are you going to be okay?"

Ryoko looked back at the girl and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll have this wrapped up and Heero back with us before you know it!"

Sasami nodded and smiled. "Okay."

Ayeka sighed. "You're really going to do this, aren't you?"

Ryoko's eyes narrowed. "You bet I am."

Ayeka nodded. "Very well. In that case, for Sir Heero's sake and yours you had best defeat her. If anything happens to him because of your actions then I will make sure that a lengthy prison sentence shall be the least of your troubles."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ryoko replied dryly.

The others stepped back, leaving Ryoko to face her rival with nothing in the way. She couldn't help but glance off to the side at her unconscious host. Her blood boiled at the sight of Heero bound up like just another one of Nagi's bounties; she was going to make the hunter pay dearly for what she had done to him.

Of course, her adversary saw exactly where she was looking. "You want him back? You know what you have to do."

"Yeah," Ryoko growled, crimson energy engulfing her hands, "so let's get to it!"

She raised her hands and cut loose. A barrage of energy balls raced through the air and hammered Nagi and the ground around her. Soon there was nothing but smoke where the bounty hunter had been standing, but Ryoko refused to let up; she knew how tough her foe was.

Suddenly she saw Nagi leap up out of the smoke cloud, completely unscathed. She flipped in the air as she drew her sword before falling down towards Ryoko, grinning all the while. Violet energy flowed up and down her golden saber, and Ryoko quickly brought her own crimson energy blade to life to block the blow.

"Ah," said Nagi as Ryoko pushed her back, "this brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Sure," said Ryoko as she lunged forward, "just like old times!"

The bounty hunter sidestepped her thrust and countered one of her own, forcing Ryoko onto the defensive. For her part, Ryoko leapt into the air and brought her scarlet blade down in a hard overhand strike. Rather than block the blow head on, Nagi deflected it to the side. Ryoko back flipped to avoid the expected counterattack, but she was surprised when Nagi didn't strike directly with her saber. Instead she fired off a volley of violet bolts from the weapon's tip. It was an attack that posed little threat to the pirate; she brought up her energy barrier and effortlessly deflected the shots.

"You'll have to do better than that!" yelled Ryoko as she returned fire, a steady stream of crimson spheres flowing from her left hand.

Nagi chuckled as the shots bounced off the shimmering force field that now surrounded her. "I could say the same for you."

Damn it, she silently fumed, I guess she upgraded her shields since our last fight!

"Why don't we spice things up a bit?" said the bounty hunter with a smirk as she pulled a cylindrical device out of her cloak.

Before Ryoko could react, Nagi threw the device into the air. A second later it detonated with a deafening crack, but that wasn't nearly as bad as the brilliant light that followed. Ryoko was forced to shield her eyes, and her foe used the opportunity to close in for a strike. The outlaw was barely able to bring her crimson blade up to block the violet saber, and she was forced to fall back.

"Damn you!" she snarled at her rival as she clumsily fended off the bounty hunter's attacks, "How the hell can you see in this damn light?"

"I had my eyes surgically altered," Nagi replied, and although Ryoko could barely see her face she knew that her foe was smiling, "They can handle light orders of magnitude brighter than this. It was expensive and hurt like hell, but it was definitely worth it!"

Ryoko knew that she couldn't keep fighting like this. Nagi was relentless, and while the brilliant light was starting to fade Ryoko's vision was still seriously impaired. Fortunately, she wasn't limited to just fighting on the ground.

The pirate took to the sky, firing off a volley of scarlet blasts to cover her ascent. The few shots that connected with Nagi were deflected by her shield, but the move had bought Ryoko some space, and that was what she'd been going for.

Unfortunately, her rival was undaunted by the fact that Ryoko was now airborne. She took a swing with her saber, and a long violet energy whip flared to life.

"Where do you think you're going?" said Nagi as she lashed out with the whip.

Ryoko was able to evade the initial strike, but her foe was as devious as she was persistent. The whip suddenly curled back around, and before Ryoko could react it had wrapped around her left leg.

"Get back down here!" Nagi yelled before giving a mighty pull.

Her opponent's strength was fierce, and Ryoko was yanked down to the ground. She hit the grass hard, and while the impact wasn't enough to knock her out it definitely dazed her.

"You're mine," said Nagi, a triumphant grin on her face.

Ryoko shook her head, clearing her vision and her head. "Not a chance!"

Sparks of blood-red energy coursed along her body and raced down her left leg towards the whip. The violet cord writhed and loosened enough to where Ryoko was able to pull her leg free. She then leapt back up to her feet, and not a moment too soon; her adversary was already lunging forward with her saber.

"Not bad," said Nagi as Ryoko barely managed to block her blow.

"Shut up!" she hissed as she struck back with a kick to the bounty hunter's gut.

Her blow landed and slightly staggered her foe, but not as much as Ryoko had hoped; apparently that skintight bodysuit of Nagi's had some sort of armor-fibers woven into the fabric. She tried to follow up with a diagonal slash from her blade, but her enemy was able to parry the strike and go right back onto the offensive.

"Same as always," said Nagi as she pushed Ryoko back with a sequence of lightning-quick thrusts and cuts, "You're all power and ferocity, but no technique."

"Quit talking like you're all hot shit!" Ryoko snarled as she frantically blocked Nagi's attacks.

Nagi chuckled. "Why? I love the way it gets under your skin!"

"Ugh," she groaned as she continued to fend off her rival's assault, "I swear, you can be such a troll!"

Nagi shrugged as she pressed her attack. "I'm just doing what works best. You always have been easy to agitate. It works to my advantage."

"You'll need more than that if you want to beat me!" Ryoko growled as she took to the sky again.

Nagi nodded. "Indeed. Time to turn up the heat!"

Ryoko unleashed a barrage of crimson spheres as her foe reached into her cloak. The pirate's attacks once again bounced off of the shield, and the force field gave the bounty hunter all the time she needed to pull out two silver spherical-devices. Ryoko had never seen those in her rival's arsenal before, but she doubted that they were anything pleasant.

"Try running from these!" said Nagi as she threw the silver balls into the air.

Her toss wasn't particularly strong; it wasn't even enough to get the spheres halfway up to Ryoko's altitude. That didn't seem to matter though, since at the peak of their arc they suddenly shot towards Ryoko like they had minds of their own.

Built-in anti-gravity emitters, she thought as she tried to put some distance between her and the spheres, I wonder what else these things are packing…

The silver balls zipped towards her at an astonishing speed, and before Ryoko knew it they had flanked her, one to each side. Sparks of blue and green lightning started emanating from them, and a second later Ryoko found herself engulfed in a barrage of powerful bolts.

She couldn't help but scream as the azure and emerald sparks coursed all over her body. The pain was excruciating, so much so that she found herself rapidly losing altitude. If nothing else, Nagi's new toys were a nasty piece of work.

She grimaced as she looked down at her rival. To her surprise, Nagi wasn't smiling as the pirate descended towards the ground, writhing in agony. Her arms were folded, and her expression was hard as stone.

"Surrender," said Nagi, "I'm no sadist, Ryoko; I don't particularly enjoy using methods like this, but I'll do whatever it takes to catch my prey. Give up now and the pain will end."

"Go…to… hell!" Ryoko gasped as she hit the ground, gritting her teeth as the lightning continued to engulf her body.

Nagi sighed and shook her head. "So damn stubborn. Fine; I'll just have to give you the same help that I gave your boy toy."

She drew an injector from her cloak and started walking towards her. A growing sense of panic gripped Ryoko; if that needle pierced her skin she knew that she was done for.

Damn it, she thought frantically, I can't let it end here!

If Nagi drugged her she would lose everything. Her ship, her freedom to roam the stars, to live life to the fullest, to party and plunder to her heart's content…

…no.

That wasn't everything.

There was something missing.

And by chance or fate, her eyes found it.

Heero Yuy.

Her defeat would mean that she would lose him. It wouldn't be just because she'd be locked away for who knew how many centuries; Heero would be taken and thrown into a cell too. More to the point, in the remote chance that Ryoko ever tasted freedom again, by the time she got out Heero would likely have passed away; she knew that she could live for much longer than the inhabitants of his world.

If she fell now, she would lose him forever.

No, she thought, a fresh fire burning in her heart, I am not going to lose him! I refuse to go down like this, and I'll be damned if I drag Heero down with me!

A power she'd never felt before burst to life within her. Her entire body started pulsing with crimson energy. A storm was brewing inside her, and it was rapidly expanding and escalating in intensity. The power continued to build and build until Ryoko felt like she would burn up from within if she held it back. It needed an outlet, and she quickly found one.

Holding out her arms, she cut loose with a barrage of blood-red lighting. The storm of scarlet energy pushed the agonizing green and blue bolts right back to their sources, and the silver spheres exploded. She rose to her feet as fragments from the devices fell to the ground, and she had the satisfaction of watching her rival's face become as white as snow.

"What… what the hell is this?" she said, her ever-present cool faltering before Ryoko's newfound power.

Ryoko chuckled. "I don't know. Let's find out together, shall we?"

She lunged forward, her earlier torment scorched away by the incredible fire that was now coursing through her blood. Sparks danced along her crimson energy blade, and it radiated with an intensity that it had never shown before. Her strike was swift and powerful, staggering her rival even as she blocked the blow.

"So you've caught your second wind," Nagi spat as she stood her ground, "So what? You've still got nothing but brute strength; finesse is completely alien to you!"

Ryoko smiled. "So what? You can take your finesse and shove it right up where the sun don't shine!"

She hammered her foe with another fearsome blow. Nagi attempted to parry, but the force was too great, and the bounty hunter had no choice but to leap back to avoid taking the brunt of the attack.

Ryoko refused to give her adversary so much as an inch of breathing room. She pressed her assault, striking faster and harder than she had ever done so before. Her offensive was as ferocious as an oncoming cyclone, and it threatened to rip apart everything in her path. She continued to push her enemy back, propelled by a passion that she had never imagined could've dwelt within her. Tactics and strategy, reason and logic; these were all thrown right out the window. All she wanted to do was pulverize her opponent and free the young man that she captured.

I won't let you take him, she thought as she lashed out with blazing fury, I won't let you take Heero away! He's staying right here with me!

She rained down a monsoon of blows on Nagi. Whatever she might've lacked in technique and refinement she more than made up for with overwhelming power and savagery. Driven by a primal wrath, fuelled by a possessive rage that she could barely comprehend, she was determined to crush her foe beneath her heel and grind her into dust.

Ryoko didn't know how long this newfound power of hers would last, so she decided that this needed to end now. She drove herself hard and fast against her foe, bashing her way through Nagi's defenses with all the grace and subtlety of a sledgehammer. The bounty hunter leapt backwards, putting a bit of distance between them, but that simply caused Ryoko to switch over to longer-ranged attacks. She cut loose with a barrage of scarlet energy blasts, shots that were much more powerful than what she had been able to unleash earlier. Wave after wave of crimson energy rushed over Nagi's force field, and Ryoko's eyes narrowed as she saw sparks start to emanate from the generator built into her enemy's belt; the barrier was about to short out.

"You're mine!" the pirate snarled as she charged forward.

She raised her blood red blade and brought it down hard. Nagi was able to parry the blow, but before the bounty hunter could launch a counterattack Ryoko blasted her with a crimson ball of light from her left hand. That shot was the final one needed to shatter her opponent's force field, and Ryoko immediately followed it up with another scarlet sphere.

The blast sent Nagi to the ground, and she lost her grip on her saber. She wasn't dead, but her cloak and bodysuit were scorched, and her breath was labored. The bounty hunter reached for her blade and tried to stand, but Ryoko kicked her in the side before picking up her rival's weapon.

"Well, well," said Ryoko with a smile as she held the saber over her opponent's head, "I bet you didn't see this coming, did you, Nagi?"

Her adversary defiantly glared up at her. "Well, get on with it, don't just stand there and gloat!"

Ryoko chuckled. "Fine by me. So long, Nagi."

She raised the saber for a finishing blow, but before she could attack a white furball threw itself between her and Nagi. It was none other than Ken-Ohki, glaring up at her and hissing in fury.

Ryoko tried to shoot him away. "Beat it, fleabag! She's the one I want dead, not you!"

Ken-Ohki bared his fangs at her and hissed again, refusing to budge. Ryoko's eyes narrowed as she met his gaze.

"Fine," she said, "Have it your way. You die with her."

"Ryoko, don't do it!" cried Sasami.

"That's enough, Ryoko!" yelled Kiyone.

"Ryoko!" screamed Mihoshi.

"You've already defeated her!" shouted Ayeka.

"Don't let your rage control you!" yelled Washu.

"Shut up!" Ryoko growled, "You saw that this bitch did to Heero!"

"Meow!" cried a familiar female feline.

Now Ryo-Ohki was between Ken-Ohki, Nagi, and Ryoko. The cabbit was shaking her head frantically, pleading with her master not to go through with it.

"Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko hissed, "Move it!"

Ryo-Ohki refused. She continued to shake her head, adamant in her opposition. A few times she would even look off to the side, nod, and then shake her head. It took a few repeats for Ryoko to realize what she was trying to convey.

Ryo-Ohki might not have been able to speak a conventional language, but she still had ways of getting across what she wanted. Where she was looking and nodding was actually Heero, and the way she would then turn back to Ryoko and shake her head made things clear; her finishing off Nagi like this wasn't what he would want.

Ryoko grit her teeth in frustration. "Damn it! How do you know that? She was the one that did that to him!"

Her living starship refused to budge, and much to her surprise Ryoko could feel her simmering fury weakening, becoming something closer to simple annoyance. The power that came with that fury was fading too, and with it the crimson haze that had engulfed her mind and body. It felt like one hell of an adrenaline letdown, but at least she could feel her ability to reason effectively return to her.

She sighed, and the crimson energy blade in her right hand faded while she lowered the saber in her left. "Fine. Damn it… you're a real pain in the ass sometimes, Ryo-Ohki."

"Meow," her furry companion replied, looking quite relieved at her decision to back down.

She brushed both Ryo-Ohki and Ken-Ohki aside with her foot before giving Nagi a good kick to the side. "Listen up, bitch. I won, so let Heero go. Then get the hell out of here. You got that?"

Nagi nodded. "Fine. I did say that I'd release him if you defeated me, after all."

Ryoko tensed as Nagi reached within her cloak and pulled out a remote. Her apprehension was proven to be misplaced a second later when the bounty hunter pressed a button and Heero's shock collar, stun cuffs and leg shackles all came undone.

"Sir Heero!" cried Ayeka as she rushed forward.

The rest of the girls were right behind her. Ryoko wanted to join them, but she didn't dare take her eyes off of Nagi. She backed off just enough to allow her rival the chance to stand up.

Nagi smirked as she got to her feet. "Still think I'm going to try something? Relax, Ryoko. I'll honor the terms of our duel."

"Good," said Ryoko, "Now beat it."

Nagi's eyes narrowed. "You know that this isn't goodbye forever, right? I'll retrain, upgrade my gear, and take on more bounties for a while, but eventually I'll be coming for you again."

"That's fine," Ryoko replied, "I'll take you on anytime, but you leave Heero out of it. You got that?"

Nagi shrugged. "That depends on him. He was willing to fight me earlier for your sake. If you don't talk him out of it, then I'm willing to bet that he'd do the same thing again."

She's got a point, Ryoko privately admitted, Damn it, Heero, I appreciate you sticking up for me like that, but you were in way over your head this time.

She saw Nagi nod towards the ground. "It seems I'm not the only one who will want to come back after you."

Following her rival's gaze, she saw Ken-Ohki and Ryo-Ohki nudging up against each other. They were both purring happily, and Ryoko sighed.

"That's going to be a problem," she groaned while passing Nagi's saber back to her.

"They'll have to get over it," the bounty hunter replied as she sheathed the blade, "Ken-Ohki! We're leaving!"

"Meow!" the white cabbit pouted.

"Quit whining!" Nagi snapped, "It's time to go."

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

Ryoko glared down at her cabbit. "You seriously like him? What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Meow," Ryo-Ohki murmured, and Ryoko couldn't tell if her furry sidekick embarrassed or swooning over her new friend.

Ryoko shook her head. "What am I going to do with you? You really need to work on your taste in men."

Nagi chuckled. "I bet she picked that up from you. Lover boy over there's quite the catch, after all."

Ryoko blushed as she glanced over at the unconscious Heero, who was surrounded by the other girls. "Would you just beat it already?"

Nagi rolled her eyes. "Fine. Just one thing."

Ryoko's eyes narrowed. "What's that?"

"Your boy toy's a real fighter," she said with a smile, "He might be from the sticks, but he still stands out; not a whole lot of guys like him out there."

Ryoko folded her arms. "What are you getting at?"

Nagi's smile became a smirk. "I just so happen to like fighters such as him. If I swing by again and he makes another decent go at it… well, I might just have to take him under my wing. I bet if I trained him, he'd be one hell of a bounty hunter… and maybe more."

"Get. Out. Of. Here," Ryoko snarled, fighting with every ounce of her strength the urge to strangle her rival where she stood, "Now!"

Nagi chuckled as she leaned down and picked up Ken-Ohki. "Whatever you say. So long, Ryoko."

She then chucked her cabbit into the air. "Go, Ken-Ohki!"

"Meow!" cried the white furball as it went through the same transformation sequence that Ryo-Ohki was capable of.

The male cabbit shifted and expanded until it was no longer recognizable as a living creature. Now it was a mirror image of Ryo-Ohki's starship form, save for having a pale color scheme as opposed to Ryo-Ohki's darker palette. A violet beam shot out of the craft and engulfed the bounty hunter.

"Until next time, Ryoko," she said, "You'd better not let anyone else claim your bounty before then."

"I'd like to see them try," she shot back, "Now get lost!"

Nagi disappeared, and Ken-Ohki rapidly ascended. A few seconds later it was completely out of sight, much to Ryoko's relief.

"Good riddance," she muttered.

"Meow," Ryo-Ohki pouted.

Ryoko folded her arms. "Oh, quit whining. You're better off without him, anyway."

Ryo-Ohki ignored her. Instead she started hopping over towards Heero and the others, leaving Ryoko no choice but to follow.

"Hey," she said as she pushed through the crowd and leaned down, "How's he doing?"

Ayeka sighed with relief. "He's appears to be unharmed. Thank goodness."

Washu nodded. "I recognize the drug Nagi injected him with. He'll be out of it for at least a few more hours, but it won't do any real damage to him."

Mihoshi smiled. "He looks so peaceful like this, doesn't he?"

He really did. It was quite a contrast from his normally cool and stoic demeanor. Asleep like this, Heero looked so innocent and vulnerable that Ryoko actually found herself blushing as she looked at him.

Kiyone nodded. "Hard to believe he got into a fight with the legendary Nagi."

"I'm just glad he's okay," said Sasami, "We should get him inside and let him rest."

Ryoko nodded. "I'll take him upstairs."

Ayeka's eyes widened as Ryoko carefully put her arms underneath Heero and lifted him up. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I already told you," said Ryoko as she cradled her handsome host, "Taking him to his room so he can sleep the rest of this off."

"I'd rather have him in my lab," said Washu, "He really should be kept under observation, at least until he wakes up."

Ryoko smiled. "I'll keep an eye on him."

"That's awfully generous of you," said Kiyone.

"Aw," cooed Mihoshi, "That's so sweet! I'll come too!"

Ryoko glared at her. "No! You'll just wake him up early, you klutz!"

Ayeka scowled at Ryoko. "I don't like this. What foul scheme have you concocted this time, you fiend?"

"I don't have one, you royal brat!" Ryoko snapped as she started floating upwards, "Stop being so damn paranoid!"

"Get back here at once!" Ayeka ordered.

She was held back by Sasami. "Ayeka, stop it! Let her take Heero to his room so he can rest! He wouldn't want you two to fight like this!"

Ayeka kept glaring as Ryoko continued to ascend with her precious prize. "I swear, if you try anything untoward with regards to Sir Heero I shall hand you over to that bounty hunter personally!"

Ryoko rolled her eyes as she came level with the window for Heero's room. "Take your best shot."

Without further adieu she phased through the window and the wall, cutting off any possible reply from the princess.

"Finally, some freaking peace and quiet," she muttered as she carried Heero over to the bed.

With a tenderness that surprised even her, she carefully laid the young man down on the bed. She then took a few moments to adjust the covers before slipping him beneath them and making sure his head was comfortably against the pillow.

She smiled as she looked down at him. "There. I think you've earned a little break after all the crap you've put up with today, huh, Heero?"

Of course, he didn't answer; he was still out cold. Still, if he were awake, Ryoko imagined that he would've agreed with her.

With nothing else to do, Ryoko knelt down besides the bed and absently ran her fingers through Heero's thick brown hair. Her smile only grew as she thought about the day's events, especially with regards to what Nagi had said about the young man before her.

"He was willing to fight me earlier for your sake. If you don't talk him out of it, then I'm willing to bet that he'd do the same thing again."

I bet you would too, Heero, she thought, I could tell from the moment we met that you were an interesting guy, but now… you really are one of a kind, aren't you?

Before she could continue that train of thought her eyes started to flutter. She felt a little light headed, and Ryoko realized that whatever power she had drawn upon in her fury earlier in the battle had taken more out of her than she'd initially suspected. She could really use some shuteye, but at the same time she was quit reluctant to leave Heero's side.

Her smile became devious despite her weariness. Ayeka would flip out if she knew what Ryoko had in mind, which was all the more reason to do it. Without hesitation, she crawled into bed beside Heero, pressing herself tightly against him under the covers.

"You don't mind a little company, do you, handsome?" she whispered in his ear as she laid her head down next to his on the pillow.

She was pretty sure that Heero would mind if he were conscious, but to Ryoko that was just further motivation for her actions. If nothing else, his reaction when he woke up and saw her in bed next to him was bound to be priceless.

Before sleep could overtake her, she leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "Sorry for getting you dragged into that mess, Heero. Sleep well, tiger."

A few seconds later she was off in dreamland.

Preview for next time!

Heero: Well, I'm glad Nagi's gone.

Ryoko: Yeah, no kidding.

Sasami: I'm just glad that you're okay, Heero!

Ayeka: Indeed. Perhaps we can finally have some peace and quiet for a while?

Kiyone: That'd be nice.

Mihoshi: Aw, but what'll we do for fun?

Washu: Whatever you do, it'd better not involve my lab, Mihoshi!

Sally: The rest of you can relax for a while, but I'm afraid we need Heero, Ayeka, and Washu to come to the Brussels for a few days.

Heero: The capital? Why?

Sally: Because there's a tree growing in the middle of Lake Genval now.

Ayeka: Ryu-Oh!

Washu: Fascinating… well, I guess that'd be worth checking out.

Ryoko: Hey, how come I have to stay back here with the others?

Sally: Because we're trying to keep this visit low-profile, and we can't do that if you're fighting with Ayeka the whole time.

Heero: Kiyone, you're in charge until we get back.

Kiyone: You got it.

Sasami: Have fun!

Mihoshi: Bring back some souvenir snacks for me please!

Washu: Next time, in Chapter Nine: No Need For A Royal Tree!

Ayeka: Finally, I can get Sir Heero away from Ryoko!

Ryoko: Damn it, this blows! Ayeka, don't get any funny ideas!

Washu: This should be interesting…

Author's notes: Well, this chapter wraps up the intro arc; the main harem's all taken the stage, and one of the recurring characters has been given her due. The next few chapters will be kind of a breather; a little bit of fun before the next big arc kicks into gear.

Regarding Ryoko's burst of power towards the end of the fight with Nagi; that's actually related to the gem that Washu implanted inside of her, which was mentioned back in Chapter Seven. That's going to be kind of important later on, so watch this space!

Hope you all liked the chapter. Please review!