Author's Notes: Hey there, it's been quite some time! I'm sorry about the delay, this chapter took much longer than I thought it would to finish. If you're a fan of classic sword-fighting anime, then Heero's dream world will have a few treats in store for you!

Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: No Need For Time And Space Adventures, Part Two!

Azaka: Ah, welcome back!

Kamidake: Our apologies for the interlude. Please, allow us to make up for lost time!

Azaka: When we last left our merry band, they had just completed their journey through three dream worlds created by Washu's Dimension Turner.

Kamidake: The worlds in question were the ones created by Ayeka, Kiyone, and Sasami.

Azaka: Each world was unique, and each revealed much about the person that created it.

Kamidake: As fun as those adventures were, there are still three more dream worlds to go!

Azaka: Yes, and the creators of those worlds are Mihoshi, Ryoko, and Heero.

Kamidake: What sort of worlds did they create? What adventures shall our friends have in them today?

Azaka: Without further adieu, let us find out.

Azaka and Kamidake: We hope you enjoy the show!

….

The morning sun was high in the sky as Mihoshi opened the front door. She smiled as a pleasant breeze met her; she just knew that today was going to be a good day.

"You're ahead of me again," said a familiar male voice from behind her, "You're getting better at that every day."

She turned around, her smile growing larger as she saw Heero walking down the hallway towards the front door. He was dressed in dark brown suit, and Mihoshi loved how he looked in it. It never got old, even though it was his regular work attire.

"Well, I've been trying to get up early so I can help you out more before leave each day," she said, "You work so hard, so it's only right that I do the same."

Heero gave her a small smile as he shook his head. "I appreciate that, but you don't have to act like a domestic servant. You can sleep in a little; I really don't mind."

"It's fine, really!" Mihoshi chirped, "I can always sleep in with you on the weekends!"

Heero chuckled. "That's something I always look forward to. Well, I'd better get moving. Take care, Mihoshi."

"Oh, honey, wait!" cried Mihoshi as she rushed forward, "Your tie's crooked again!"

Heero looked down as she adjusted it for him. "So it is. Thanks."

Mihoshi smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Have a good day at the office! Don't work too hard, okay?"

"No promises," said Heero as he headed off, "Try to stay out of trouble, all right? If you hurt yourself, don't hesitate to call me."

"Okay!" called Mihoshi, "I'll see you later tonight!"

She sighed as he disappeared around the corner. She was proud that he worked so hard to provide for their family, but at the same time she wished that he could find a way to do more of his work from home. Perhaps that would be something that she could talk about with him when he returned in the evening.

Mihoshi then turned back towards the house. "Sasami! It's time to go! You don't want to miss the school bus now, do you?"

"I'm coming!" her daughter cried as she hurried out the door, slipping on her backpack and fixing her hair while trying not to stumble.

Mihoshi smiled. "Do you have everything you need?"

Sasami nodded. "Yup. Oh, Mom? Please don't forget to feed Ryo-Ohki, okay?"

"Don't worry," Mihoshi replied, "I'll take good care of her!"

"All right," said Sasami before taking off like a rocket, "I'd better get going! Love you, Mom!"

"I love you too, Sasami!" called Mihoshi, "Watch out for traffic on your way to the bus stop!"

"Okay!" cried Sasami before she disappeared around the corner.

Mihoshi sighed and smiled. She hoped her daughter would have a good day in class. From what all her teachers had told her, Sasami was a model student, so Mihoshi didn't think she had anything to worry about today.

Mihoshi yawned as she headed back inside. The day was young, and there were still quite a few things left on her to-do list.

As she entered the kitchen she saw Ayeka at the table eating breakfast. "Oh, it's the old maid of the house."

Ayeka scowled. "Are you calling me an old maid?"

Mihoshi laughed. "Ah, sorry! You're up early today, I see."

Ayeka sighed. "Yes, yes. I'm the nagging sister-in-law, I know. The reason I'm up early is because I am responsible for keeping this house running."

She then raised her bowl and took a sip, only to wince. "Ugh! Too salty! What is the deal with this miso soup?"

Mihoshi sighed. "I'm sorry."

"If you were someone that I could count on," said Ayeka, "I would not hesitate to get married myself and leave this household in your care. Look at you. I bet you're planning on just sitting around and spacing out all day, aren't you?"

Mihoshi shook her head. "No, I promise I'm not."

Ayeka sighed before turning back to her plate. "We'll see."

Her eyes then narrowed as she examined one particular bit of food. "What is this?"

Mihoshi smiled. "Well, that's a croquette, sis."

"You call this lump of charcoal a croquette?" cried Ayeka.

Mihoshi sighed again. "I'm really sorry."

Ayeka rolled her eyes before taking a bite. "You just can't get anything right, can you?"

She then grimaced and looked like she was about to hurl. "Oh, dear… there was definitely something not right about that croquette…"

Mihoshi shook her head. This was going to be a long day.

….

"Goodness," said Ayeka as Mihoshi vacuumed the living room, "Could you go any slower? You don't have to spend the whole day cleaning just one room."

Mihoshi smiled. "Sorry."

Ayeka sighed. "Well, at least some cleaning will be done today."

She then walked over to the sliding door and ran her finger along the wooden frame. Her eyes narrowed, and Mihoshi winced as she tried to think of what Ayeka had found to complain about this time.

"Oh, Mihoshi?" said Ayeka, holding up her finger, "What do you suppose this is?"

Mihoshi leaned in and saw that the tip of her finger was covered in a layer of grey-brown grime. "Uhm… dust?"

"Yes," said Ayeka, "Dust. How long do you think this has been accumulating?"

"Don't worry!" chirped Mihoshi as she rushed off to get a washcloth, "I'll take care of it."

The next hour or so roughly consisted of Ayeka pointing out new patches of dust and clutter in the living room, with Mihoshi rushing to take care of them as fast as she could. Her sister-in-law could be a brutal taskmaster sometimes, but Mihoshi went along with it because the faster she finished the cleaning the more time she would have to relax until Heero came home.

After the living room, it was time to do the laundry. As Mihoshi came downstairs with a basket filled well past the rim with clothes, she saw Ayeka standing at the bottom of the staircase with her arms folded.

"Oh, dear," said Ayeka, "When was the last time you did the laundry?"

"I'm doing it now," replied Mihoshi, "Isn't that what matters?"

Ayeka sighed. "How many times have I told you that you have to do it more often? Otherwise it'll just keep piling up like that."

"I know, I know," said Mihoshi as she dumped it all in the washer and fetched the detergent.

"Ah, not so much!" cried Ayeka as Mihoshi began pouring it into the machine, "You mustn't waste it like that. It's better for your household finances if you measure it precisely. That way you'll restock less frequently and save money."

Mihoshi smiled as she started the machine. "Right. I'll be more careful!"

….

"Are you sure about this, sis?" asked Mihoshi as the two of them huffed hefty black plastic bags down the street, "Today's not our trash day!"

Ayeka's eyes narrowed and Mihoshi was scared by the devious light in them. "It's not a problem as long as we don't get caught. By sneaking in our garbage with that of the neighbors, we can take out more trash for the same price that we currently pay to the city."

"I still have a bad feeling about this," said Mihoshi nervously as they approached the trash cans.

"It will be fine," Ayeka replied, "People do this all the time. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if our neighbors snuck their extra garbage in with ours on our trash day!"

Mihoshi sighed. "Well, when you put it that way…"

"I most certainly do," said Ayeka as she looked around the corner, "It seems the coast is clear. Now's our chance!"

The two ladies sprinted for the cans, and Mihoshi was amazed at how fast Ayeka could run while still hauling two trash bags. It was all Mihoshi could do to keep up, and she was breathing very heavily by the time she got to the neighbors' garbage cans.

"Quickly now!" hissed Ayeka, her bag already dropped in the can.

Mihoshi hefted hers up, but it got caught on the edge of the can. Before she realized what had happened the bag ripped open and spilled it contents all over the street.

Ayeka's face paled. "Oh, you cannot be serious!"

"I'm really sorry…" said Mihoshi as she hung her head in embarrassment.

"Hey!" yelled one of the neighbors, "What was that?"

"Oh, no…" Mihoshi muttered.

"Crap!" hissed Ayeka as she grabbed Mihoshi's hand, "Don't just stand there! Run!"

Oh, dear, thought Mihoshi as Ayeka practically dragged her back to her house, I'm not sure how much more of this day I can take…

….

Sliding a plate across the floor, Mihoshi smiled as it came to a stop in front of Ryo-Ohki. "There you are, little girl! Eat up!"

"Meow!" the adorable furball cried before digging into her food.

Mihoshi sighed as she watched the household pet chow down. She wished that she could be as simple and carefree as Sasami's furry friend.

An odd thought struck her mind. "Hmm, Ryo-Ohki… that's a pretty strange name for a cat. I wonder who came up with it… oh, well."

"Meow!" replied Ryo-Ohki, although Mihoshi had no idea if the creature was actually listening to her or just enjoying her food.

Mihoshi giggled. "I think something like 'Whiskers' is a better name for a cat. Then again, you don't look like a regular, cat do you, Ryo-Ohki? Maybe that's why 'Ryo-Ohki' works for you; it's an odd name for an odd cat!"

She glanced to the side where she saw Ayeka hunched over the kitchen counter. Her brow was furrowed intently as she studied a page of coupons and advertisements in the local newspaper.

Ayeka gasped as she zeroed in on one particular item. "My goodness! Mihoshi, come look at this! This says that there's a half-off meat sale today!"

"Oh, really?" she replied, not seeing why Ayeka was getting so excited about it.

Ayeka held up the page and pointed to the advertisement in question. "Yes! It says so right here!"

There was a fierce light in her eyes, and Mihoshi couldn't help but shudder. She had a feeling she knew where this was going…

….

The supermarket was nothing short of a warzone. News of the meat sale had gone far and wide, and to Mihoshi it seemed like every stay-at-home mom in town was at the market today, jostling for position as they all tried to get their hands on that precious commodity before it went back to full price.

"Excuse me!" cried Mihoshi as she tried to work her way through the crowd, "I'll take five hundred grams of roast beef… wait, I mean pork!"

"And three hundred grams of diced meat!" called Ayeka.

"Hold on, you two!" yelled another customer, "That's mine!"

Mihoshi smiled. "There's plenty for everyone… right?"

Ayeka shook her head. "At this rate, they'll be all out in no time. Mihoshi, we must take drastic steps to ensure that we get our meat!"

Mihoshi was shocked to see her sister-in-law charge forward, elbowing her way through the crowd. "Out of my way! Mihoshi, follow me!"

"Oh, dear," she said nervously.

Nevertheless, she stayed right behind Ayeka, and the two of them were able to work their way through the crowd. However, Mihoshi could not fail to notice how Ayeka grew increasingly more aggressive the closer they got to the counter, and she feared that if this kept up then things would really get out of hand.

Sure enough, in her mad charge to make it to the counter, Ayeka was starting to piss people off. The last straw came when she attempted to shove a rather hefty woman to the side, only for her to turn towards Ayeka and push right back.

"Wait your turn, lady!" she growled.

Ayeka scowled and clenched her fists. "Not a chance! That meat is mine!"

Mihoshi's eyes widened as Ayeka shoved the woman again, only for her target to push right back again. The two women glared at each other, and Mihoshi feared what might come next.

"Mihoshi!" said Ayeka, "Go on ahead! I will keep this beast at bay!"

"Who are you calling a beast, you hag?" snarled her rival.

"Ayeka, this isn't a good idea…" Mihoshi weakly protested.

"Go!" snapped Ayeka, "I shall hold her back! I only ask that you save some meat for me at supper tonight!"

Before Mihoshi could stop her, Ayeka threw herself at her foe, fists flying. Her opponent readily returned the favor, and before Mihoshi knew what was happening the two women were engaged in a ferocious bare-knuckle brawl.

"Mihoshi, go!" shouted Ayeka as she punched the woman in the face, "Now!"

Mihoshi nodded. "O…okay! Good luck!"

How in the world did I get caught up in this?

….

"That was a nightmare," Mihoshi sighed.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," said Ayeka, "We got what we went there for, and that's all that matters."

Mihoshi shook her head. "I really don't think that we had to start a fight to get what we wanted. For goodness sake, you've got a black eye, Ayeka!"

Ayeka smiled. "Consider this temporary blemish a sign of my determination to make sure your household gets the most bang for its buck! You should be honored by my sacrifice, Mihoshi!"

Mihoshi looked down at the bags of meat she was carrying. "Well, I suppose we did get a great deal. This'll last us for quite a while!"

Ayeka nodded, grinning in vindication despite the bruising she'd taken at the hands of her opponent. "Exactly! Not only can you use this for meals at the house and for Sasami's school lunches, but you can take the money that you saved here and put it towards that new dining set I showed you earlier."

"I don't know," said Mihoshi, "I mean, Heero seems happy with the one we have right now. I don't think we need a new one."

Ayeka shook her head. "For goodness sake, Mihoshi! Of course Heero won't raise any complaints about the dining set; it's not in his character. However, that does not change the fact that upgrading it will do wonders for your evening table. It would be a crime to pass an opportunity like this up!"

Mihoshi smiled. "I'll think about it. For now, I'm just glad we were able to get out of that store in one piece. The manager looked really angry!"

Ayeka sighed. "Yes, I suppose we'll have to steer clear of that particular store for a while. Not to worry; there are three other markets in our vicinity that we can stop by at any time!"

"We should try to avoid starting another fight if we go to one of them," said Mihoshi.

Ayeka folded her arms. "If there's another prime sale on then I will do what I must to ensure that we get the most out of it. If that means throwing a few punches, then so be it!"

Mihoshi laughed nervously; her sister-in-law could get pretty scary when she had her sights set on a bargain. "If you say so…"

I just want to make it home in one piece, she thought wearily, I'll be happy if we're just able to do that…

She then looked around, realizing what part of town they were in. "Hey, Ayeka?"

"What is it?" she asked.

Mihoshi smiled. "Do you think it would be all right if I called Kiyone? We're close to where she works, so…"

Ayeka sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, I suppose so. She must be close to her lunch break by now. Go ahead and see if she wants to meet up with you; I'll take the groceries home."

"Are you sure?" asked Mihoshi, "You can come with me if you want!"

Ayeka shook her head as she grabbed the bags Mihoshi was holding. "No, I'm afraid that simply won't do. We have to get this meat home and in the fridge at once. I expect you to come home as soon as Kiyone's break is over, all right? We still have some cleaning to do around the house, and I do not intend to put it off!"

Mihoshi nodded. "Don't worry, I'll come back as soon as we're done. Thanks, sis!"

As Ayeka walked off Mihoshi pulled out her phone. She could barely contain her excitement as she dialed Kiyone; it had been a while since they'd last been able to get together.

This is going to be so much fun!

….

Kiyone sighed as she typed away at her computer. "Man, I'm bored. This is why I hate desk jobs."

She looked out the window wistfully. It was a beautiful day outside, and here she was stuck in the office. Yes, it was important for her to keep working and earn a paycheck, but sometimes she felt like she was missing out on life.

I wonder how the old crowd's doing, she mused, I bet they're having fun… especially Mihoshi.

Kiyone shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about old friends. She had several forms she had to get through and not much time to do it before her lunch break came along. She would have to pick up the pace if she wanted to get everything done on schedule.

It was at that moment her desk phone rang, which was an interruption she really didn't need at the moment. Shaking her head in frustration, she picked up the phone.

"This is Kiyone Makibi," she said, "How can I help you?"

"Hello, Kiyone!" chirped a familiar female voice.

Speak of the devil, she thought, her eyes widening, it's her…

"Hi, Mihoshi," she said cautiously, "Why are you calling me at work?"

"Well, I'm in the area," Mihoshi replied, "Did you want to get something to eat? It's been a while since we've had lunch together!"

Kiyone sighed as she checked the clock. If she did a rush job on the forms she figured she should be able to make her lunch break on time, although there was always the chance that she might mess something up and get in trouble later.

"All right," she said after a moment, "How about the café across the street from my office?"

"Great!" Mihoshi cheered, "You're the best, Kiyone!"

Kiyone shook her head. "Look, just be there on-time, okay? I won't have all day."

"Don't worry!" Mihoshi chirped, "See you soon!"

Kiyone groaned as she hung up the phone. Why had she decided to humor Mihoshi like that? If she took her lunch at her desk she'd have time to get the forms done and make sure that they'd been filled out correctly. Instead she'd pretty much screwed herself over just so she could meet a friend.

I'm way too nice to her, she thought as she returned her focus to the screen, Well, I guess it's too late to back out now…

….

"Yay!" cheered Mihoshi as the waitress brought over her ice cream sundae, "Thank you so much!"

Across the table from her, Kiyone smiled as she took a bite out of her sandwich. "You really haven't changed, have you Mihoshi? I remember the first time we hung out and you got one of those. You were as giddy back then as you are now."

Mihoshi grinned. "I can't help it. I love these!"

She dug right in, but in her enthusiasm she wound up taking too much on her first bite and immediately paid the price. "Ouch! Brain freeze!

Kiyone shook her head. "You never learn, do you?"

Mihoshi smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess not. So, how've you been?"

"I'm doing all right," Kiyone replied, "Things have been busy at the office lately. How about you? Are things good with you and Heero?"

Mihoshi nodded. "Oh, yes! He's been doing so well at work that his bosses gave him another bonus recently. Now we can buy Sasami that new bike she's been looking at for her birthday!"

Kiyone smiled. "That's great! Is she doing well in school?"

"Yeah," said Mihoshi, "We wouldn't be giving her the bike otherwise!"

"That's good," Kiyone replied, "How about you and Heero's sister? Is everything good with you and Ayeka?"

Mihoshi sighed. "No, not really. My sister-in-law is such a nit-picker. She's always finding something that I'm doing wrong and yelling at me for it! She does it all day long. When I ask her what's the matter, she always says stuff like 'What was that croquette you served this morning? It tasted like charcoal.' Kiyone, sometimes I really can't stand her. Nothing makes her happy!"

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "You didn't call me here just to complain about her, did you? You know, I've got a ton of work I still need to get done back at the office."

Mihoshi smiled. "But you don't need to go back right away, right? Come on, Kiyone, when was the last time we got a meal together like this? It's good hang out on your lunch with someone instead of eating alone!"

Kiyone sighed. "For your information, it hasn't been that long since we last saw each other. It was a couple weeks at the most!"

Mihoshi's eyes widened. "Really? It felt like so much longer than that."

Kiyone shook her head. "Not really. Besides, ever since you and Heero got married you always end up telling me the same story. It's always about you and him, and then about Sasami, and then Ayeka! It tends to blend together after a while, you know?"

Mihoshi smiled again. "You know, it's not good for you to be frustrated like this, Kiyone. Why don't you find someone and get married, Kiyone? I think that'd cheer you up!"

Kiyone blushed and scowled. "That's none of your business!"

"Aw, why not?" pouted Mihoshi, "We're friends, aren't we? I want you to be happy, Kiyone!"

Kiyone shook her head. "I appreciate that, but I don't need to get married just to find happiness."

"Are you sure?" asked Mihoshi, "You know, I could ask Heero if any of his friends at the office are single. I've been in there with him a few times, and he has some handsome coworkers. What do you say?"

Kiyone folded her arms and looked away, but Mihoshi couldn't help but notice that she was still blushing. "No! I don't need you to arrange a date for me, Mihoshi!"

Mihoshi nodded. "Okay. If you ever change your mind, though…"

"I said no!" Kiyone snapped, "Now can we please talk about something else?"

Mihoshi grinned. "Sure! Oh, how about my sister-in-law?"

Kiyone groaned. "Again? Oh, why not?"

Ah, Mihoshi thought, I knew meeting Kiyone like this was the right call. This is so much fun!

….

Late afternoon was slowly shifting to early evening as Mihoshi finally walked through the front door of her home. She'd wound up staying downtown longer than she had originally planned; once Kiyone had gone back to work Mihoshi had travelled to a few different stores to run some minor errands. On her walk home she had been laden with cleaning supplies and other groceries, and it felt good to finally set the bags down.

"I'm home!" she called with a smile as she kicked off her shoes.

"Hi, Mom!" cried Sasami as she rushed down the stairs.

Mihoshi beamed as she hugged her daughter. "Hi there, Sasami! How was school today?"

"It was good," she replied, "I just finished my homework a little while ago. How come you weren't here when I got home?"

"Sorry about that," said Mihoshi, "I was running some errands and I lost track of time. Are you hungry?"

"A little," said Sasami, "Do you want me to help you make dinner tonight? You look a little tired."

Mihoshi sighed with relief; she could always count on her little girl to lend a hand. "That'd be nice, Sasami. Your father should be home soon, so why don't you get something started while I put these groceries away, okay?"

Sasami smiled. "Sure thing, Mom!"

Sasami rushed off to the kitchen while Mihoshi began unpacking everything. Like clockwork Ayeka came down the stairs, folding her arms when she saw Mihoshi.

"I'll say, it's about time you made it home," she said, "What on Earth delayed you?"

Mihoshi smiled. "I picked up some things we missed at the store earlier."

Ayeka peered closely, and Mihoshi was relieved to see her nod in approval. "Well, I suppose we do need these items. Very well; I'll take over from here, Mihoshi. You best go out back; I think the laundry's done drying, and you should bring it in before it gets dark out."

Mihoshi nodded. "Right. Thanks for the help, sis!"

She headed to the back yard and inspected the hanging laundry. Ayeka had been right; it was about as dry as it was going to get, so Mihoshi fetched a nearby basket and started collecting everything.

"All right," she said to herself, "I've just got to finish this up and it'll be easy going for the rest of the night. Sasami will have dinner ready, Heero will come home, and we can all spend the rest of the evening relaxing!"

"Hey there, Mihoshi!" called a familiar voice, "What's this I hear about Heero being home soon?"

Mihoshi smiled as she turned around and saw Ryoko standing on the street peering over the back yard's hedgerow. "Ryoko! How are you?"

"I'm good," said Ryoko, "except I'm all out of soy sauce. Could you spare me some?"

"Sure," said Mihoshi, "Just let me finish this up real quick and I'll go grab it for you!"

"Oh, no need for that," Ryoko replied, and before Mihoshi knew it her neighbor had jumped the hedgerow and was already at her back door, "I'll just find it myself!"

"Hey, hold on!" Mihoshi cried, rushing over and grabbing Ryoko's arm, "I didn't invite you inside, did I?"

Ryoko smiled. "Oh, don't mind me, Mihoshi! You've still got laundry to finish up. You'd better hop to it!"

"Ryoko," said Mihoshi nervously as her neighbor slid open the back door, "You can't just…"

"Aw, what's this?" Ryoko pouted as she looked around, "Heero's still not home yet? Well, that's a letdown!"

"He should be home any minute now," said Mihoshi, "but you didn't come here to see him anyway… right?"

Ryoko smirked. "Why else would I be here, Mihoshi?"

"You mentioned soy sauce earlier," she replied.

"Oh yeah, that," said Ryoko, "So, which way's the kitchen?"

Mihoshi was about to take the lead when she heard the front door open, followed by a familiar voice. "Finally back. Mihoshi? Sasami?"

Mihoshi smiled as she saw Heero down the hallway. "Heero! Welcome home!"

She moved forward to hug him, but unfortunately her neighbor beat her to it. "Heero, welcome back! It's so good to see you again!"

"Hello, Ryoko," said Heero as he awkwardly tried to free himself from her embrace.

"Heero," said Mihoshi as she moved between him and Ryoko before kissing him on the cheek, "How was your day?"

"Not too bad," he replied with a small smile, "I had a meeting that ran long, though. Sorry I couldn't make it home until now. How was your day?"

Mihoshi shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Mine was just fine. Thank you for asking, though. You're always so good about that!"

"Daddy!" cried Sasami as she came running out of the kitchen, "I missed you today!"

She threw herself at her father, who took her into a warm embrace. "I missed you too, Sasami. How was school today?"

"It was okay," Sasami replied, "By the way, dinner's almost ready!"

"Oh? You're cooking again tonight?" he said, "I'm looking forward to trying what you've made."

"Thanks!" chirped Sasami before rushing back to the kitchen, "I'll let you know when it's done!"

"Speaking of good food," said Ryoko with a smirk as she shoved Mihoshi aside before putting her arm around Heero, "I've got this friend in Atami that runs a beautiful bed and breakfast! What do you say, Heero? How about a nice little getaway there? It'll be just the two of us?"

"Cut it out!" cried Mihoshi as she pushed Ryoko away from Heero, "Stop trying to seduce my husband, Ryoko! For the hundredth time, it won't work!"

"Oh, you must be joking," grumbled Ayeka as she joined in, "Ryoko, what in the world are you doing here?"

"What do you think, you hag?" Ryoko shot back, "I'm here to see Heero, of course!"

Ayeka scowled. "Old hag? Fine talk coming from a widow who lacks any sense of shame and propriety! It is most unpleasant to always find you flirting like this."

Ryoko chuckled. "Well, if you ask me, an old hag who's never been married is far more unpleasant than a girl like me. Don't you agree, Heero?"

Ayeka clenched her fists in barely-contained fury. "Your attitude is simply the worst, Ryoko! I demand that you apologize at once!"

Ryoko stuck out her tongue. "Bite me!"

"Ayeka, Ryoko, cut it out!" Mihoshi pleaded, "The two of you fight so loudly I be the whole neighborhood can hear you!"

Ryoko completely ignored her, instead choosing to run her hand down Heero's chest. "Heero, you really need to get out of here. Why don't you run away with me to Atami? You'll love it there, I guarantee it."

"I'll pass," Heero replied, once again trying to free himself from her unwanted attention.

"Aw, come on, Heero!" Ryoko persisted, "You need me, not the blonde ditz and your hag of a sister! Let's go! I'm sure everyone will be just fine with it!"

"We will not!" Mihoshi and Ayeka shouted together.

"Why's everyone fighting?" asked Sasami as she poked her head out of the kitchen, "You're going to spoil your appetite, and dinner's almost ready!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"And… there!" called a new yet familiar voice.

The world suddenly froze, and Mihoshi saw Washu appear seemingly from thin air in the middle of the hallway, the Dimension Turner in her arms. "All right, I think I'm getting the hang of finding the endpoints for all these worlds. It was a lot easier to find it this time around."

"Aw," pouted Mihoshi, "It's over already?"

"Darn it," said Ryoko, "It was just getting good!"

Suddenly Kiyone popped out of thin air to join them. "Whoa! What happened? Washu!"

"Hi, Kiyone!" chirped Washu with a smile, "Sorry about that; I wanted to make sure that we were all together before I completely closed off this world, so I had to teleport you. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I guess that's one of the perks of being able to bend space and time as I will. I'm a genius!"

"You are brilliant, Washu!" cried Washu-bot A as it appeared on her left shoulder.

"The greatest genius in the universe!" cried Washu-bot B as it sprung up on her right shoulder.

"Aw, shucks!" Washu replied with a blush, "You two are just too much, you know that?"

"Do save the congratulations until we have returned to the real world, if you please," said Ayeka.

"Do we really have to go?" asked Sasami, "I kind of liked that world."

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"It was interesting," said Heero, "but it's probably best if we move along. Washu, how many more worlds are left?"

"Two more to go!" shouted Washu as her fingers rapidly worked her keyboard and the world began to spin, "Ready or not, here comes the next one!"

….

Azaka: And so another dream world comes to a close.

Kamidake: Yet another intriguing adventure come and gone.

Azaka: We are now four worlds into our travels through time and space.

Kamidake: Our merry band of friends has come so far, and yet there are still two more worlds to go!

Azaka: And there is no way to tell what sort of mysteries and wonders await them in the next world.

Kamidake: Our journey through time and space continues onward, and we will follow along until it reaches its ultimate conclusion.

Azaka: Now, without further ado, let us press on to the fifth dream world!

Kamidake: We hope you enjoy the ride!

….

It was another dreary day in the big city. Smoke billowed from distant factories, while the overcast threatened to turn into rain at the drop of a hat. Men in dull grey suits and hats trudged up and down the sidewalks to and from work, while their less fortunate fellow citizens waited in long lines to get served at one of several local soup kitchens set up to help the unemployed in these troubled times. The harsh blare of sirens was a near constant background feature as the local cops chased bootleggers and bank-robbers from one end of the city to the other and out into the countryside.

It was Depression and Prohibition-era America in all its dark and gritty glory.

Several of the aforementioned sirens were from police cars converging on the most recent crime scene; the largest bank in the city. The officers rushed out of their cars, only to be forced to duck behind them as Ryoko unleashed a hail of bullets from her Thompson submachine gun. Shell casings flew through the air and grazed her black pantsuit before hitting the ground, and the sounds they made were music to her ears.

She grinned as she continued to lay down fire. "Yeah, that's right, you pigs! You'd better hide! Heero, come on! We gotta bail!"

"I'm right behind you," her partner in crime replied, lugging a heavy bag of cash in one hand and wielding a pistol in the other, "Keep their heads down while I grab the car!"

"You got it, baby!" said Ryoko with a laugh as she swapped out magazines and opened up again.

Running and gunning, she was able to keep the assembled cops from taking anything more than a handful of potshots at her. The large drum-magazines she'd purchased just a few days ago for her weapon were already proving their worth; she could lay down a sustained barrage and the police could do nothing but pray that she ran out of ammo sooner or later. Fortunately, she'd packed several magazines worth of ammo for this job, and although they were heavy to lug around inside her coat she wasn't complaining one bit about the weight.

Behind her she could hear the magical sound of tires screeching against rubber as Heero brought the getaway car forward and threw open the passenger door. "Get in!"

"Right on time, lover boy!" she said, laying down covering fire as she quickly backpedaled into the car.

"Floor it!" she yelled as she slammed the door shut, still firing out the window.

"Hold on tight, then," Heero replied as he hit the gas.

Ryoko was nearly thrown back in her seat as the car accelerated. The cops were scrambling to get back into their vehicles and give chase, but the two outlaws had a head start. With Heero's skill behind the wheel and Ryoko ready to put some lead into any police cars that tried to catch them, she knew that the two of them were in the clear.

"All right!" she shouted, her hair blowing wildly in the wind, "We're gonna leave them in the dust!"

"This isn't a game, Ryoko," said Heero, "I wish you'd stop treating it like one."

"Aw, what's the matter, Heero?" said Ryoko as she tucked her head back in the car, "You should be more excited."

"I'll settle for us getting away in one piece," he quipped dryly.

Ryoko grinned as she reached back and pulled out a thick stack of cash from their bag of spoils. "We'll do more than that. Check this out, Heero! We've got a real score here!"

"Stealing the money's the easy part," Heero reminded her, "They'll be on the lookout for these bills once they look up the serial numbers. We'll have to be careful with how we launder them."

Ryoko reached over and put her arm around him. "You take this way too seriously, you know that? Can't you just enjoy the thrill of the moment for once? There's nothing like the thrill of robbing a bank, and you know it, Heero!"

Heero sighed. "I'll take your word for it. This isn't exactly the kind of life I dreamed of, Ryoko."

Ryoko shook her head. "Trust me, you'll change your mind soon enough, Heero. A heist like what we just pulled can be a real blast once you learn to loosen up a little bit. Besides, it's not like we've killed anyone in these jobs of ours. We grab the cash, spray some bullets to get the cops to dive for cover, and then we haul ass. It's nice and clean. There's nothing wrong with having some fun as long as no one gets killed, right?"

"This isn't supposed to be fun at all," said Heero, his gaze pointedly fixed on the road.

Ryoko smiled and shrugged. "Keep saying that, Heero. I'll have you singing a different tune before you know it!"

And once that happens, she thought, then the fun will really begin! The world is ours for the taking, Heero, and we're going to take it all!

….

In cinemas across the country, citizens from all walks of life who were still fortunate enough to be able to afford an evening movie ticket were sitting down for their show. Popcorn bags and beverages were at the ready, and the moviegoers were ready to kick back and forget about their worldly troubles for a little while.

However, before they could get to the evening's entertainment, they were first treated to a snapshot of the major news of the day. As this was a theater, the film rolls were naturally dedicated to the more sensational current events, and naturally a certain outlaw couple had become the center of attention in recent weeks.

"This is Pioneer News here, reporting on yet another brazen robbery pulled off by none other than the notorious fugitive Ryoko Hakubi!"

A mug shot appeared on the screen, and the audiences were treated to the special sight of Ryoko sticking her tongue out and thumbing her nose at the camera.

"Ryoko, the gangster who has captivated and terrified the entire United States from coast to coast, is still at large despite a massive manhunt being launched by the federal government!"

The image shifted, and the next one on the real showed the outside of a large bank. Several police cars were parked outside, all of them riddled with bullet holes.

"Today she assaulted the First National Bank's Chicago branch, making off with what's estimated at this time to be no less than half a million dollars in hard cash!"

Once again, the picture changed. This time the shot on the screen was of a palatial rural estate. In front of the estate was a young man in a clean suit.

"It's been over a month now since Heero Yuy, the grandson of the Senior Senator from the state of Illinois, was kidnapped by Ryoko. His well-being is among the concerns of the federal agents tasked with hunting Ryoko down. However, he has also become a wanted man, believed to be an accomplice of Ryoko! According to eyewitness accounts, he was spotted taking part in the robbery that took place today!"

The next shot was of a pair of female law enforcement officers.

"FBI Detectives Mihoshi Kuramitsu and Kiyone Makibi declared at a press conference today that Ryoko's arrest is imminent. However, further questions from reporters present were declined due to the sensitive nature of the ongoing investigation."

The film continued to roll on, and the next scene was of a young woman in a fine white dress. Her expression was stern, and she seemed to be giving the camera a death glare.

"Jurai Financial Group's Miss Ayeka Jurai, who is Heero Yuy's fiancé, has severely criticized the ineptitude of the FBI. She has also announced that she will offer a reward of one million dollars for anyone with information that leads to the arrest of Ryoko and the safe return of Heero Yuy."

….

Sitting in the living room of her estate, Ayeka would've looked every bit the picture-perfect image of a wealthy heiress were it not for the double-barreled shotgun she was currently loading. She knew that it was hardly proper for someone in her position to be handling such a weapon in her current environment, but her fury was such that she did not care one bit at the moment.

Off to the side she heard Kiyone sigh. "Really, Ayeka, did you have to go and make that announcement? You should've consulted with us before you offered a reward, especially one of that size!"

"Yeah," said Mihoshi, "People might think we're incompetent or something!"

Ayeka glared at the two detectives. "Well, that is precisely because you are incompetent! There is no doubt whatsoever about that!"

She stood up as she finished loading the shotgun. "Your bumbling over the past weeks has made it abundantly clear that I cannot trust you or your agency to properly handle this investigation!"

Both detectives stepped back, and Kiyone's hand was hovering nervously over her sidearm. "Now hold on a second! What exactly are you planning on doing with that weapon?"

"What else would I be doing with it?" Ayeka snapped as she pointed it at them, "I am going to handle Ryoko myself!"

Mihoshi raised her hands. "Whoa! Be careful where you point that thing!"

Kiyone stepped forward and grabbed the gun by the barrels. "Ayeka, you have to calm down."

"I will do no such thing!" Ayeka replied, "Now let go at once! While we're wasting time like this, who knows what Ryoko is doing with my beloved Heero? I cannot allow it to go on any longer!"

"Oh, no you don't!" cried Mihoshi as she joined Kiyone in trying to wrest the gun from Ayeka's grip.

"Get your hands off me at once!" shrieked Ayeka.

That was when the heiress's fingers slipped and pulled the trigger. Fortunately, the shotgun was pointed at the ceiling, but it still nearly gave all three women a heart attack as they let go of the gun in panic. Bits of plaster and wood fell on them as they all struggled to catch their breath… and that was soon followed by a chandelier crashing to the floor.

"Oh, great," Ayeka growled, "Now look what you've done!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" pouted Mihoshi.

"That's right," said Kiyone, "You're the one who brought out the damn shotgun, Ayeka!"

"Is everything okay in here?" asked Sasami nervously as she walked into the room with Ryo-Ohki in her arms.

Ayeka sighed. "Yes, Sasami, it is. Now, please run along; your private tutor should be here soon."

Sasami nodded and smiled. "Okay! See you later, Ayeka!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki as the two of them left the room.

This is not over, thought Ayeka as she picked up the shotgun and proceeded to reload it, Mark my words, Ryoko, I will hunt you down and take Heero back from you!

….

One week later…

"Keep your hands up," said Heero as he pointed his pistol at the bank staff, "No one needs to get hurt today. Ryoko, are you done back there?"

Ryoko grinned as she shoved thick stacks of cash off the bank vault shelves and into the bag. "Just about. You're doing great, Heero!"

Heero sighed. "I'm not doing this for approval, Ryoko. Just finish up quickly so we can get out of here."

He still hasn't loosened up, thought Ryoko as she continued to scoop up the cash, I really don't get why. I mean, I took him to that mob casino after the last job and we had a great time there! Sure, I lost most of our money on the roulette wheel, but this job will make up for that! Maybe I just need to think of a different way for us to spend our cash?

"Hey, Heero?" she said, "What do you want to do once we're done here?"

"Now's not the time to talk about that," Heero replied, "Hurry up or we won't be able to make it out of here."

"All right, all right," said Ryoko as she closed up the bag and exited the vault, "I've got the dough, so let's scram!"

The two of them rushed out of the bank and ran towards the car. Ryoko could hear sirens in the distance, but she wasn't concerned; the cops out here weren't as well-prepared as the ones from the last town, and their slow response time was proof of that. The pair of thieves would be gone long before they arrived.

"Okay," said Ryoko as they hopped into the car, "Hit it!"

It didn't take long for Heero to get them clear of the town. Checking the rearview mirror, Ryoko smiled when she saw no sign of police pursuit.

"Man, that was easy!" she said, "We should've hit this place sooner."

"We shouldn't have hit it at all," Heero grumbled.

Ryoko frowned. "You're still going on about that? Come on, Heero; get with me here! This is our life from now on. You need to embrace it!"

"That might be easier to do if we could hold on to our ill-gotten gains for more than a week," he quipped, "I still can't believe you blew through our last haul so quickly."

Ryoko winked. "Come on, Heero; a girl's gotta have fun! You enjoyed yourself too, didn't you?"

"I might if you would show a little more restraint with our finances," Heero replied, "We can't keep this up forever, Ryoko. We need to think long-term."

Ryoko sighed. "You're way too serious, you know that? If we keep hitting banks in smaller towns like this one then we'll be all set. They're much easier to knock over than the ones in the big cities."

"They'll catch on sooner or later," said Heero, "and the feds will tighten the net. We have to consider other options."

"Like what?" asked Ryoko.

"Like getting out of the country while we still can," said Heero, "We've got a good haul here; this can last us quite a while if we play our cards right."

"Oh!" said Ryoko, smiling again, "I love cards! Poker, blackjack…"

Heero shook his head. "That's not what I meant and you know it. We need to exercise some caution and discipline with our money from now on… which is why I will be taking charge of it."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Ryoko protested, "We're partners, Heero! You can't just cut me off from our prize like that!"

"I can if I think you're going to blow it all on gambling again," he countered, "I'm not saying you can't have any fun at all, but we need to make this money last, Ryoko. We can't do that if you lose it all at the tables."

Ryoko folded her arms. "And just how long can you make it last, mister miser?"

"At least until we're out of the country," Heero replied, "and quite a ways past that. What we've got is enough to get high quality fake passports, bribe our way past customs, and set ourselves up with a comfortable life someplace far away from here. We have a chance for a clean escape, Ryoko. We should take it."

Ryoko couldn't help but smile. Heero might've been putting the brakes on her hard-partying lifestyle, but she had to admire the way that he could see the bigger picture. What he was showing her was a means to achieve what she really wanted, more than anything else; to get him truly beyond the reach of Ayeka and the cops. If that meant a little bit of spending discipline was in order, then who was she to fight him on that?

Ryoko sighed. "All right, I'll play along… but you've got to give me at least a little bit of spending money! Come on, Heero; I'll go crazy if you don't let me blow off some steam."

Heero nodded. "That's fine. We'll work that out once we find a good place to rest and plan our next move. If we keep driving we should hit one of our safe houses in a few hours. Can you restrain yourself until then?"

Ryoko leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Only because it's for you, Heero."

"I'll take what I can get," he replied as the car sped off into the setting sun.

….

A few days later…

How did I let her talk me into this?, thought Heero as he straightened his tie, This is a risk we really shouldn't be taking.

He was waiting in the lobby of the hotel for Ryoko to join him. He had changed suits a little while ago, and was now dressed quite sharply in a formal black and white ensemble. Heero wasn't one to boast, but if the looks he was getting from some of the ladies in the lobby were any indication he cut quite a dashing figure when he took the time to clean up properly.

"Well, well," said a familiar female voice from behind him, "Who's the lucky girl that gets swept off her feet by you tonight?"

Heero sighed. "That would be you, Ryoko."

Ryoko giggled. "You know, I think that you might be more excited about that if you turned around."

Heero did so, and it took all of the restraint he could muster to keep his jaw from hitting the floor. There she was, his partner in crime, and she looked stunning. She'd traded in her pantsuit for a strapless scarlet dress that clung so tightly to her body that it left very little to the imagination. Her turquoise hair was as wild as ever, but when combined with the dress and the predatory gleam in her amber eyes it gave her the air of an elegant jungle cat who had her prey in sight and was ready to pounce.

She smirked as he stared at her. "I know you're a man of few words, Heero, and I don't mind that, but I put a lot of work into prettying up for you tonight. Is a little feedback too much to ask?"

It took him a moment to regain command of his vocabulary. "You look… incredible."

She smiled as she looped her arm through his. "You really are a sweetheart, you know that? Come on; I promised you a good time tonight, and I intend to make good on it."

"You're the one who said there was a good speakeasy in this hotel's basement," Heero replied, "I'll follow your lead."

She guided him off to the side of the hotel lobby. There was a door labeled 'staff only' along with a rather burly man in a dark suit.

"Can I help you two with something?" he asked.

"Yes," said Ryoko, "We're looking for the cabaret."

The man's eyes narrowed as he shook his head. "We don't have that here. You need to get with the times."

"Oh, how forgetful of me," Ryoko replied, "I meant the café. You know? The VIP café? I hear it's worth going to hell for."

The man's eyes nodded at the conclusion of the password, and he opened the door. "Down the stairs, second door on your right."

"Thanks," said Ryoko as she passed a few bills to the doorman.

"How did you find out about this place?" asked Heero as the door closed behind them.

Ryoko winked. "Come on, Heero. It's me we're talking about here, remember?"

Heero couldn't help but chuckle. "Good point."

Following the doorman's instructions, they soon found themselves at the entrance to one of the livelier and better-funded speakeasies in town. Known in back-alley circles as 'The Gates Of Hell', it was an underworld bar and nightclub that was right at home in the era of Prohibition. The lighting of the booths along the walls was deliberately kept dim to encourage privacy, while the dance floor was broad and well-illuminated. A long and fine-crafted bar ran along one side of the establishment, while a doorway with a sign titled 'exotic goods' promised much for those who preferred a different brand of intoxicants to alcohol. The far end of the dance floor was dominated by a raised stage, and the jazz band occupying it was well into a smooth and relaxed performance.

Ryoko smiled as she took it all in. "Now this is my kind of place."

Heero couldn't help but give a small smile as well. "It has its charm."

"You bet it does," said Ryoko as she pulled him toward the dance floor.

Ryoko might've had the initiative up to this point, but once they joined with the other couples Heero took the lead. With one hand on her shoulder and the other on her hip, he gently guided her through the dance. For her part, Ryoko seemed content to loop her arms over Heero's shoulders and around his neck, pulling herself close enough for her rather prominent bosom to press up against his chest.

"You see, Heero?" she whispered in his ear, "The outlaw life has its perks."

"A few," he begrudgingly admitted as he tried to ignore the fact that his heartbeat had picked up a couple notches.

Ryoko smirked and winked at him. "Just a few? Come on, Heero; you'd never get to experience anything like this with that goody-two-shoes Ayeka. She wouldn't be caught dead within a mile of this place. Places like this were made for you and me."

"You know," he replied, "we could afford to go to places like this without being bank-robbers. There are honest ways to make a living and have enough cash to enjoy establishments that happen to be on the seedier side of the tracks."

"Maybe," said Ryoko softly, "but there's no thrill in living like that, Heero. There's no rush, no adventure. A place like this is meant for those who live on the edge, going day-to-day without knowing what tomorrow's going to bring."

"Is that the life that you want?" asked Heero.

Ryoko raised her hand to caress his cheek. "It's the only one I've ever known… and I want you to be a part of it."

Despite all attempts at restraint, Heero could help but blush slightly. "Ryoko… I…"

She smiled as she put her finger to his lips. "Don't fight it, Heero. This is the life that you've been looking for. Freedom, adventure, independence… I can give it all to you. In a way, I already have; you only need to embrace them now."

Heero sighed. "It's not that simple."

Ryoko shook her head. "You only think that because you've been denied the chance to really cut loose until now. This world has so much more to offer than the confined life you knew before. Sure, it's a little fast-paced, but that's part of the charm. We're not bound by all those obligations that people like Ayeka are so obsessed over. The only limits on us are that of our imaginations."

"And our wallets," said Heero dryly.

Ryoko giggled. "Hey, we've been doing all right. I am letting you manage our money now, aren't I? A little night out like this won't cut too deeply into our funds."

"Maybe," Heero replied, "but we can't afford to make a habit of this. Not until we have a steady source of income… and are far away from any pursuit."

Ryoko grinned. "Give it time, Heero. That day will come before you know it, and then we'll truly be free."

Heero gave her a small smile in return. "True freedom, huh? It does have a nice ring to it."

Ryoko reached over to undo the top button of Heero's shirt before reaching her hand inside and running it along his chest. "I'll give it more than just a ring if you let me, Heero."

Her hand withdrew a moment later, but that brief gesture was still enough to set his heart racing. Heero had absolutely no idea how to respond to that, and it was much to his relief that Ryoko didn't push things further.

What's gotten into me?, he thought as their dance continued, I never considered getting into the outlaw life; the only reason I'm here now is because of her. I could've bailed at any time. So why…

…why am I still with her?

It was a question he didn't have an answer for. All he could do for now was follow his emotions, and they were pulling him inexorably to her.

A few moments later the song came to an end, and Ryoko smiled at him again. "How about a drink before we go another round?"

Heero nodded; he could use some refreshment after Ryoko's teasing. "I'd like that."

"Good," said Ryoko, "because the bar's calling our names, and it'd be rude to say no."

Heero chuckled. "Since when have you cared about what might be considered rude?"

Ryoko winked. "Whenever there's booze involved!"

"I'd expect nothing less from you," he replied.

They waved down the bartender a few moments later. The man working the counter had a rather robust build, and Heero suspected he also doubled as part of the security staff in the event that things got a little too rowdy for management's tastes.

"What'll it be?" he said.

"Vodka martini," said Ryoko.

"Bacardi," said Heero, "Straight up."

The bartender nodded. "Cash up front; we don't run tabs here."

"Of course," said Heero as he slid a handful of bills across the counter, "This should suffice."

Ryoko grinned as the bartender fetched their drinks. "Straight up, eh? Feeling adventurous tonight, Heero?"

"If I am," he replied with a smirk, "I suppose I have you to thank for that."

A triumphant gleam appeared in her eyes. "So I'm finally making some progress with you here? All right! This calls for celebration!"

"Don't get carried away," Heero admonished her, "We still need to keep our wits sharp. We might have to bail at a moment's notice, after all."

Ryoko shook her head as the bartender slid their drinks to them. "Relax, Heero. There's no way the cops will raid this place."

"What makes you so sure of that?" he asked.

Ryoko smirked. "I happen to have it on good authority that the hotel owner's paying off the local chief of police, along with his top lieutenants. They get a cut of the action, and in return the party keeps rolling. It's nice to have such cooperative local law enforcement, isn't it?"

Heero sighed. "I never thought I'd consider police corruption to be a good thing."

Ryoko patted him on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it. Once you learn how to tell who's on the take and who's not, this whole outlaw deal gets a lot easier."

"Funny," Heero quipped, "I've never seen you take the time to make those observations whenever you decide to hit a bank."

"That takes too much time and effort," Ryoko complained, "I like a quick smash-and-grab job. A few bullets in the air, cash in the bag, and then a speedy getaway's totally my style."

"I've noticed," Heero deadpanned, "and so has the entire country."

"So what?" Ryoko shot back, "It's only the cops that really care about us. The regular schmucks don't give a damn. Hell, I bet some of them are rooting for us! After all, we're sticking it to the banks that lost their life savings. It's not like people really feel sorry for bankers these days, Heero."

"True," said Heero, "but bankers don't have to worry about the cops breathing down their necks. Besides, the government and Ayeka are offering rewards for information that leads to our arrest. There are plenty of people out there who are desperate for cash in these times. They'll rat us out in a heartbeat."

"That's why we've got to stay on the move," said Ryoko, "We can't put down roots anytime soon. The open road's our home."

"At least until we're out of the country," said Heero.

Ryoko smiled as she raised her glass. "You're right. Here's to our great escape!"

Heero nodded as his glass tapped hers. "I'll drink to that."

….

One week later…

Ryoko smiled from her perch atop the car. "Ah, this is great! Look at that view, Heero!"

Her companion, who was sitting on the ground leaning against the side of the car, nodded. "Yes… it's impressive."

They'd made it all the way out to San Francisco in their quest to stay one step ahead of the feds. Their car was parked at an unused dock, and the two of them were enjoying the sight of the bay at night. The sky was clear, the sun and the moon were out, and there was no one else around.

I'm not the type that normally stops to smell the roses, Ryoko mused as she gazed out over the water, but a view like this… well, I'll take the time to enjoy it.

They'd kept a relatively low profile over the week as they made their way across the country, and thanks to Heero's discipline they'd actually managed to hold onto their money this time. As much as Ryoko disliked him limiting how much she could spend, she had to admit that it had paid off. They most certainly wouldn't have made it this far without him exercising restraint over their spending.

"What a night," she said, "I haven't seen a sky this beautiful in quite a while."

"We haven't really had the chance to stargaze ever since this little adventure began," said Heero, "It's a nice change of pace."

Ryoko sighed wistfully. "You and me, alone under the starry sky. It's something special, isn't it?"

"Perhaps," said Heero.

Ryoko looked down at him. "You don't sound all that enthusiastic about it."

Heero sighed. "I'm just considering our circumstances, Ryoko. We are still fugitives, after all. Besides, I never asked to get pulled into this kind of lifestyle, even if it is with you."

Ryoko smiled. "Maybe, but it's been a hell of a lot more exciting than what you once knew. We've been through a lot together now. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Besides the arrest warrants out for us, you mean?" he replied dryly.

Ryoko pouted. "Hey, I'm trying to have a moment with you here! The least you can do is play along."

"I've been 'playing along' since this journey started," said Heero wearily, "and I'm honestly not sure how much longer I can keep it up."

A bright light suddenly beamed down upon them, and Ryoko heard a familiar voice. "Well, lucky for you, it's finally over!"

Ryoko shielded her eyes. "Damn it! Washu, what the hell?"

"Hey, that's no way to talk to your mother!" she shot back.

Heero stood up as the light began to fade. "Finally."

Slowly opening her eyes, Ryoko could see Washu standing on the dock in front of her and Heero. The Dimension Turner was with her, only it wasn't just the ball this time; the entire apparatus was assembled on the dock.

Washu smiled. "Long time no see, Heero. You doing okay?"

Heero nodded. "Well enough, all things considered. Is the machine finally fixed?"

Washu shook her head. "Sorry, I'm afraid that's a little premature. I've made a ton of progress, but I'm still hitting some snags… such as this world."

"I see," said Heero, "So this ride's not quite over yet, huh?"

"We're getting there," said Washu, "but I'm afraid that I can't close off this world as easily as the past ones."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Why? What's going on?"

"The worlds that were created up until now," said Washu, "were simple enough to navigate through. In large part that's because the people who created them are relatively straightforward with their desires, and also because they didn't have a huge emotional investment in the particular world that they created. I'm afraid it's that second bit that's causing problems here."

Ryoko had a feeling she knew where this was going. "You're talking about me here, aren't you?"

Washu nodded. "From what I can tell, this world is a reflection of what you see as an ideal existence for yourself."

"That wasn't exactly hard to figure out," said Heero dryly.

"I'm not finished yet," said Washu, "I can't just simply close off this world like I did the other ones because your attachment to it is so powerful, Ryoko. In order for us to move forward, you have to renounce this world."

Ryoko folded her arms and glared at Washu. "Not a chance!"

"Ryoko, be reasonable," said Heero, "We can't stay here forever. We need to make our way back to our original world."

"And so I have to deny a world that's perfect for me?" Ryoko shot back, "Perfect for us? I made this world just as much for you as I did for me, Heero!"

Heero shook his head. "I want to believe you when you say that, but I know you, Ryoko. You made this world first and foremost for yourself. We all did when we used the Dimension Turner. Even if you did think of me when you created this world, you should know me well enough by now to understand that a life as a fugitive is hardly the kind of existence I'm looking for."

"But it's more than that!" Ryoko countered, "This is freedom, Heero! You can't deny that you want that!"

"Spending the rest of my days looking over my shoulders isn't my idea of freedom," Heero replied, "and it shouldn't be yours either, Ryoko. I know you've been an outlaw all your life, and this world is supposed to reflect your desires, but are you really okay with being at risk of death or imprisonment for the rest of your days?"

"If it means I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, then yes!" Ryoko cried, "I'm not afraid of the uncertainty that this life brings. I embrace it! It's who I am!"

Heero sighed. "Perhaps it is, but it's not who I am, and I imagine the others would agree as well. Ryoko, this needs to end. The real world's waiting for us; we can't escape it forever."

"Heero's right, Ryoko," said Washu, "We can't run from the real world indefinitely."

Heero nodded. "It's where we belong, Ryoko."

Ryoko shook her head. "No, it's not!"

Heero folded his arms. "I know you can be selfish, but this is downright childish, Ryoko."

"So what?" said Ryoko, "Why are you so eager to leave this world, Heero? Haven't we had fun together here?"

"I already told you," said Heero firmly, "This isn't my idea of fun. Besides, you didn't exactly give me a choice in the matter."

Ryoko sighed. "So this world hasn't grown on you at all, Heero? Not even a little bit?"

"No," said Heero, "and it's wishful thinking for you to believe otherwise. It has had its moments, but they're just that; moments. This is not a life that I embrace, Ryoko… and frankly, it's not one that I want for you either."

Ryoko jumped off the car. "All right, maybe I was being hopeful. Still… I really thought you and I could make something of this world. I thought we had a bond that could thrive here! Do you really think so little of the connection you and I have? Do you really hate the idea of traveling alone with me so much?"

Heero shook his head, and Ryoko could've sworn that she caught just the hint of a blush. "It's not that. I… I do enjoy traveling with you, Ryoko. It's just… it shouldn't be like this."

Ryoko stepped back and jumped onto the roof of the car. "Well, I'm not going to let this end. I'm staying in this world! This is the world that I desired. This is my world!"

"Ryoko, stop it!" scolded Washu, "This has gone on long enough! It's time to face reality."

Ryoko shook her head. "No! I won't let this world come to an end, and there's nothing that you can do about it!"

Without waiting for a response from either of them, she took flight.

Why?, she thought, sparing one last look over her shoulder at Heero, Why don't you understand, Heero? This isn't just the perfect world for me. It's the perfect world for both of us!

Isn't it?

….

Heero sighed as he watched Ryoko disappear in the distance. "Well, that could've gone better."

"No kidding," said Washu, "I thought she might be difficult to reason with, but still… this is a problem."

"There's really no other way for us to get out of this world?" asked Heero.

Washu shook her head. "Each world is tied to the will of the one who created it. For the others, creating their dream worlds was really nothing more than an idle exercise in wish-fulfillment. They could let go because at heart they weren't really tied to their individual worlds like they are the real one. With Ryoko, though… she's fighting tooth and nail for this one."

It wasn't hard for Heero to sympathize with Ryoko even after all the trouble she was causing. He remembered all too well what Ryoko had told him about her life before the two of them had met. It was easy to see why she would see a world with her as an outlaw as ideal; it was really the only life she'd ever known. In this world she had taken a hard existence and turned it into an adventure, and even if it wasn't one that Heero necessarily approved of he could understand why she was so reluctant to let it go. At the same time, he also did appreciate that Ryoko genuinely believed that she had thought of him along with herself when she had brought this world into being, even though this was nowhere near the kind of life that Heero wanted for himself.

Life dealt her a rotten hand at the start, he thought, Washu did her no favors by abandoning her at such a young age. I don't care if Washu says she had her reasons. Ryoko deserves a chance at happiness, but I don't want her to be an outlaw for the rest of her life. It might be what she knows best, but… it could end badly for her all too easily.

"Washu," he said, "You're able to travel through these worlds pretty much at will, right?"

"Well, only the one that we're currently inhabiting, to be precise," she replied, "Still, if I want to go somewhere in this world in a hurry, it's a pretty simple matter."

"Can you apply that to other people?" he asked.

Washu nodded. "Yes. I'm assuming in this scenario you're referring to yourself, correct?"

Heero nodded. "Correct. That leads me to my next question; how precisely can you track someone in this world?"

Washu smiled. "Well, now that I've pinpointed you and Ryoko, I can track the two of you pretty much at will. What do you got in mind?"

"Find Ryoko and get me to her," said Heero, his eyes narrowing, "I'll take care of the rest."

….

She floated through the air, drifting aimlessly over the lights of the city and beneath the glimmering stars. It was unlike Ryoko to be so lost. She had no idea where she should go next, but how could that be? This was her world. It was hers for the taking. She could go wherever she wanted.

So why did she feel like she completely lacked direction?

How did it all go wrong?, she thought, This world's supposed to be perfect for me, right?

It had been until Washu had brought it all to a grinding halt. At least, that was the first place that Ryoko cast the blame, but it didn't take long to realize that there was more to it than that. Washu had simply shown up and told her what she already knew deep down in her heart; that this world wasn't real.

No matter how badly she might wish otherwise.

She could've ignored that under other circumstances, but when Heero had sided with Washu that had driven Ryoko over the edge. Why couldn't he see that she had done this for him just as much as she had for herself? Why didn't he realize that this world was a place where the two of them could be happy together?

Why couldn't he see that the two of them belonged here?

Spotting an amusement park below, she idly drifted down until she found a Ferris Wheel. It was a simply matter for her to phase through the wall of the topmost gondola, and from there she had a splendid view of the bay. She couldn't really focus on the sparkling city lights reflected on the water in the distance, though.

All she could think about was Heero.

Was this world really so unacceptable to him? Was there anything that she could do to change his mind? Those two questions continued to echo in her mind, but try as she might she could not find the answers she wanted.

What had happened to her? She used to be such an independent woman. Getting hung up over a guy wasn't her style; if she had the power to create a perfect world for herself in the past she could've done so without taking anyone else into consideration and enjoyed herself to the fullest. Now she had just such a dream world, but it had lost its sparkle the moment the young man she'd been spending the past few months with had rejected it.

She sighed as she looked out the window. Was it wrong for her to want a perfect world? Everyone else had used the Dimension Turner, and Washu had brought all of their worlds to an end sooner or later, but only Ryoko was willing to fight as hard as she was now to hold on to hers. That simply proved how passionate she was about this world, and it felt so cruel for it to have to come to an end now.

"I guess a girl like me doesn't deserve a dream world," she said bitterly as she looked out the window.

"I don't believe that," said a familiar male voice.

Ryoko nearly jumped out of her seat as Heero suddenly appeared out of thin air in the middle of the gondola. "Heero? Where did you come from?"

"Washu," he replied, "It wasn't hard for her to track you down and send me to you. Mind if I join you?"

Ryoko couldn't help but smirk. "Well, you're already here, aren't you?"

He chuckled as he sat down next to her. "That I am."

Ryoko looked down. "So, are you here to drag me back to my senses?"

"I'm just here to talk," he said, "Nothing more."

Ryoko sighed. "You don't have to lie to me, Heero."

"And I'm not," he replied firmly, "It's true that I want to go back to our world, but since this is your world we need to leave it on your terms. I can tell just how strongly you feel about this world, Ryoko; I know letting go of it isn't easy."

She looked him in the eyes. "Heero… when I made this world, I really was thinking of the two of us. Do you really don't believe me when I say that?"

Heero sighed. "What I said earlier… it came out harsher than I meant it. I still believe that you made this world for yourself first… but I also believe that you were thinking of me when you were creating it as well. I know that people like Ayeka and Kiyone see your criminal history when they look at you, but there's a lot more to you than that. You've committed crimes, but you're not the heartless villain that others might paint you as… and I don't think you're as bad as you've made yourself out to be in this world, either."

Ryoko's eyes widened; she hadn't been expecting him to take this tack with her. "Heero… you really mean that, don't you?"

Heero nodded. "I told you; I'm not here to lie to you. Do you believe me when I tell you that?"

How could she not? She knew just how guarded of an individual he could be, but the way he was treating her now was incredibly gentle and considerate. Sure, he had a strong motive there; he wanted to get back to the real world, and she was the key to that. However, that didn't change the fact that she could tell he was being completely sincere with her. He genuinely cared about her, and that made him exceptionally rare as far people she'd met before were concerned.

"Yes," she said after a moment, "I do."

"Good," he said, "because if you don't trust me then what I'm about to tell you won't have any real meaning."

"And what's that?" she asked.

"That you're a far better person than you give yourself credit for," said Heero, "and that's why I want you to let go of this world. I know you've lived your whole life as an outlaw, but I want better than that for you. I don't know how it's like out in the wider galaxy, Ryoko, but I do know how outlaws typically end up on this world; in a prison or in the grave. It can take time, but one of those two fates usually catches up to them sooner or later. That's the last thing I want for you. I can protect you in the Earth Sphere, but outside of that area Preventers has no power, which means that I would have no power to help you no matter how badly I want to."

"I'm a big girl, Heero," said Ryoko, "I don't need protection."

Heero shook his head. "I know that you're stronger than I could ever be, but you're not invincible. I don't want you to find yourself in a fight that you can't win."

"So would you just keep me in a cage?" asked Ryoko, "I appreciate your concern for me, Heero, but safety means nothing if I can't be free."

"I don't want to keep you hidden away," Heero countered, "I know how much you value your independence. Frankly I'm surprised you've stuck around with me as long as you have; I thought someone as free-spirited as you would've gotten tired of this planet a long time ago."

Ryoko couldn't help but smile. "Well, it has a certain charm to it. It has you, Heero, and that's not something I could give up lightly."

She had the satisfaction of seeing him blush slightly, although to his credit he didn't let it throw him off. "If you feel that way about me, then try to consider things from my end. I may not have originally wanted to host you and Ayeka when the two of you came to Earth, but that's changed since then. Meeting you, and all the time we've spent together since then… it's changed my life in ways I could never have imagined, and I don't regret a second of it. I don't want to lose that, Ryoko… but we can't have that in this world. The world that we came from might not be an outlaw paradise, but like you said, it has its charms. More to the point, it's the world that we were meant to live in. It's not perfect, but it's ours all the same… and if it's not a dream world for you, then I want to change that."

Now it was Ryoko's turn to blush; no guy had ever spoken to her like that before. "Heero…"

"Ryoko," said Heero, "I can't do what the Dimension Turner is capable of; I can't create a world that's perfect for you. However… I want to give you a chance in the real world. The chance you didn't have before… the chance that you deserve. I don't want to just continue watching over you along with the others; I want to give you a shot at a new future. I don't know what that would be or how I'd accomplish it, but… I want to try. Will you let me?"

Ryoko smiled again, and she was all too aware of the deepening shade of red sweeping over her face. "Well, when you put it like that… how can I say no?"

"You always can," he replied, "I don't have the power to force you to go along with me… and if I did, I wouldn't use it. It would mean nothing without your free will. That's part of what makes you who you are, and the last thing I want is to take that away from you."

He then stood up and held out his hand. "Well, I've laid my cards on the table. It's up to you now, Ryoko. What do you say?"

She smirked. "You want me to bet on you?"

"You're the one who likes to gamble," he said, "So tell me; where will you put your chips?"

Ryoko smiled as she accepted his hand. "On you. I'll put it all on you, Heero… and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Thanks," he said as he pulled her to her feet, "Now, let's get out of here."

….

Washu smiled as she saw Ryoko floating down towards the dock, carrying Heero with her. "Well, that didn't take as long as I thought it would."

"She's ready, Washu," said Heero as the two of them touched down.

Ryoko nodded. "Yeah. Come on; let's go."

Washu turned back to the Dimension Turner and checked the readings. "Yup, looks like we're all set."

A bright light enveloped them, and the world began to spin again. As this world began to shut down, Washu couldn't help but notice the fond look Ryoko was giving Heero, and she wondered just what exactly the young man had said to her.

I'll pry that out of her later, she thought, It should be interesting, if nothing else…

"Finally," said Heero, "We can go home."

"No kidding," said Ryoko.

Washu smirked. "Whoa there, you two! You're getting a little ahead of yourselves!"

Heero raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"This is it, right?" said Ryoko, "I was the one holding everything up, wasn't I?"

"You were holding up this world," Washu clarified, "but haven't you been keeping count? We've been through five worlds so far, but six of you used my machine… and we still haven't been to the world of the one who used it first."

She had the satisfaction of seeing Heero's eyes widen. "Wait… you mean…?"

Ryoko grinned. "Oh, I forgot all about that! This should be fun!"

Washu chuckled. "Indeed. Let's get this show on the road now, shall we?"

It's about damn time, she thought as the light intensified and the spinning increased in speed, I hadn't planned on going through five other worlds first, but that doesn't matter now.

Now the real experiment can finally begin!

….

Azaka: And so our merry band of friends continue their journey through time and space.

Kamidake: At long last, they have come to the final leg of their voyage.

Azaka: The worlds of Ayeka, Kiyone, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Ryoko were all colorful and most intriguing places.

Kamidake: And they were superb windows into the minds of their creators!

Azaka: Shall the world of Heero Yuy prove to be equally illuminating?

Kamidake: What sort of world would be paradise for a man like him?

Azaka: There is only one way to find out.

Kamidake: Indeed. So, without further ado, let us rejoin our happy gang of time and space adventurers as they pass through their final dream world before returning home.

Azaka and Kamidake: We hope you enjoy the show!

….

In the blood-soaked hell of the Bakumatsu, there was a warrior who took up the sword to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate. Striking from the shadows as an assassin before taking to the open battlefield, this swordsman felled countless men with his peerless technique, his flashing blade a death sentence for the samurai unfortunate enough to go up against it. His skills helped bring about the downfall of the Shogunate and paved the way for the new age of Meiji. When the bloodshed finally came to an end, the swordsman vanished, and with the flow of time became nothing more than rumor and legend.

Now, in the 11th year of the Meiji Era, on the outskirts of Tokyo…

…a certain wandering warrior steps forth from the fog of the past.

….

"Hey!" shouted one of the men chasing her, "Get back here, you tramp!"

"You stinking thief!" yelled another.

"You'll pay for this!" snarled a third.

Looking over her shoulder, Ryoko stuck her tongue out at her pursuers. "You'll have to catch me first, chumps!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki as she ran alongside her.

Ryoko grinned as she stole a quick glance at the bag of coins she'd swiped from the men now chasing her. It had been all too easy to sneak into the back of the gambling den and grab her prize. There had been a lot more back there, but this was what she had felt she could make a quick escape with. Unfortunately, she had still been discovered, and although she felt confident enough to taunt her pursuers she still wanted to get away from them as fast as possible.

Up ahead she spotted a bridge, the last one before the outskirts of Tokyo became the countryside. "Book it, Ryo-Ohki! Once we're across we can hide in the woods. They'll never find us there!"

"Meow!" her furry companion replied.

"You won't get away with this!" shouted one of her pursuers.

"Yeah!" called another, "No one robs the yakuza!"

"Kiss my ass, losers!" she shot back over her shoulder as she made it to the bridge.

Unfortunately, her distraction caused her to miss the man standing in the middle of the bridge. Before Ryoko knew it she had plowed right into him, causing both of them to tumble to ground.

"Damn it," she hissed, wincing at the impact, "I really didn't need that!"

"That makes two of us," said the man she'd collided with.

Ryoko meant to get right back up and keep on running, but she did a double take when she saw just who she'd run into. He looked around her age, and she was struck his appearance. He was dressed in a blue and white hakama, and there was a sword at his hip. He had thick, unruly brown hair and piercing blue eyes, and while he seemed a bit on the slender side there was definitely more than a hint of athleticism to his build. Under other circumstances Ryoko might stick around to hit on such a handsome stranger, but her current situation did not allow for that luxury.

"Sorry," she said as she extricated herself from him and regained her feet, "but I've got to… oh, crap!"

Both ends of the bridge were now blocked by thugs. The group was armed with a motley assortment of weapons including clubs, knives, sickles and more besides. Ryoko was pretty confident with the kunai she carried in her tunic, but she didn't like the idea of fighting all of these guys while trying to protect Ryo-Ohki and her loot at the same time.

"Well, now," said the young man Ryoko had bumped into, "It seems you're rather popular. What did you do to garner so much attention for yourself?"

"None of your business, pal," Ryoko replied.

"She's right," said the leader of the thugs, "Take a hike, buddy. This is a business matter, and it doesn't concern you."

The young man's eyes narrowed. "Those seem like an awful lot of weapons for just a simple business matter."

The top thug chuckled. "Says the guy who's violating the Sword Banning Act. Didn't you get the memo? The days of the samurai are over. You're either very brave or very stupid to be wandering around Tokyo wearing a sword. Hell, if you're a samurai then you're probably both!"

"My sword and my mental state aren't relevant right now," the young man replied calmly, "What I'm more concerned about is the nature of the 'business' between you and this woman. What's going on?"

The lead thug scowled. "Well, if you insist on butting in where you're not wanted, this tramp stole from the yakuza. No one pilfers from our gang and gets away with it!"

"It's not like you guys earned this money honestly," Ryoko quipped, "Easy come, easy go, right? That's the way it works for thieves."

The top enforcer smirked. "Maybe, but I promise things won't be easy for you, lady. We'll be taking that money back, and then we're going to teach you your place."

"That won't be necessary," said the mysterious young man, "Surely it's enough for her to return what she stole, isn't it?"

The thug folded his arms. "No, it's not. Now butt out, pal, unless you want to share in her punishment."

"Hey, are you crazy?" Ryoko asked the stranger, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Hardly," he replied, "but I don't intend on letting them harm you either."

The top thug laughed. "What's this? Is the honorable samurai going to defend a lowly thief? No wonder you guys got wiped out in the Satsuma Rebellion; you're too stupid for your own good!"

"That remains to be seen," said the young man, "Now, I will ask one more time; will you not allow this woman to simply return the money she stole and be on her way?"

"Not a chance," the enforcer replied, "All right boys; take the money and their lives!"

The young man sighed before turning to Ryoko. "Can you and your pet swim?"

Ryoko nodded, wondering where this was going. "Yeah. Why?"

"Because we're going to get wet," said the stranger.

Before Ryoko could so much as blink the young man drew his sword. Striking like a bolt of lightning, he attacked not the men that were approaching them from both sides but the bridge itself. Ryoko's eyes widened in shock as the wood beneath them cracked. The fissures spread rapidly, and the entire bridge buckled and groaned.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked.

"Saving our lives," he replied before striking the bridge again.

This time the impact caused the bridge to cave inward before outright collapsing. Ryoko cried out as they plunged into the river, making sure to grab Ryo-Ohki before they hit the water. Unfortunately, she lost her grip on the bag of money in the process, and it swiftly disappeared beneath the surface of the river.

"Come on," said the young man, pulling her along as he swam with the current, "We need to get out of here before they recover."

Looking over her shoulder, Ryoko saw the thugs that had been about to attack them flailing in the water, grabbing onto whatever bits of debris might support their weight or swimming for the shore. In all the confusion and panic none of them were looking for her; it was time to get while the getting was good.

She let him guide her downstream a ways before they made it to shore. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she held up Ryo-Ohki and gave her a once-over.

"You doing okay, girl?" she asked.

Ryo-Ohki nodded. "Meow!"

She smiled before standing up to wring some of the water out of her clothes. Her rescuer was doing the same while looking upriver for any signs of potential pursuit, and Ryoko was struck by just how calm he was about what had just happened. He had just dropped a bridge and pissed off the yakuza by saving her hide, yet he didn't seem to be worried in the least.

"Two swings instead of one," she heard him mutter, "I must be getting rusty. It's been a while since I've had to collapse a bridge on such short notice."

Wait, she thought, he's done this before?

He then turned to her, and once again Ryoko was struck by his piercing blue eyes. "Are you hurt?"

Ryoko couldn't help but smile; the stranger did look genuinely concerned about her, and that wasn't something she got from people every day. "I think so, yeah."

"Good," said her rescuer before looking down the river again, "We should get moving. I don't know if dropping the bridge will be enough to discourage pursuit, and the most obvious course of action on their end would be to follow the river."

"Did you have a place in mind?" she asked.

The young man nodded. "Follow me."

He made right for the tree-line, and Ryoko shrugged before tagging along behind him with Ryo-Ohki. Although there were no obvious landmarks or paths, the young man seemed to be quite sure of the direction they were heading with.

"Hey," said Ryoko after a few minutes, bothered by the silence, "Not that I'm trying to complain here, but why did you help me back there? That wasn't your fight."

"There's more than enough violence to go around in this world," he replied, "If I can prevent one more person from falling victim to it I will, regardless of their circumstances."

Ryoko smirked. "So you don't care one bit that I really did steal from those guys?"

"Thievery isn't an action that should be smiled upon," he said, "but I don't think it should be responded to with the brute force those men undoubtedly had in mind. Had they been willing to simply accept the return of what you stole then there would've been no need for the action I took to stop them from harming you."

"So is this kind of a thing of yours?" she asked, "You just stick your neck out for anyone who might need help, regardless of what they're up against?"

"There are worse uses for my talents," he said, and Ryoko couldn't help but notice a hint of darkness in his tone, "I can't save everyone in this land, but it would be wrong of me to ignore those who are right in front of me."

"Even if they're a lowly thief like me?" she said with a wink.

"Yes," he replied casually as they entered a small clearing, "Here we are."

"You think we'll be safe here?" asked Ryoko as she looked around.

Her new friend nodded. "It's out of the way. Those thugs likely won't come back this far; they'll keep their search close to the river."

Ryoko noted the remains of a campfire. "Is this where you've been staying?"

"I only arrived in this area the night before," he said, "Make yourself comfortable. I'll grab some kindling and get a fire going."

Ryoko winced as her stomach grumbled. "Any chance you can get a girl a bite to eat?"

"Meow…" whined Ryo-Ohki.

The strange swordsman nodded. "Wait here. I shouldn't be too long."

Not knowing what else to do, Ryoko settled in while Ryo-Ohki laid down in her lap. Watching the swordsman disappear through the trees, she couldn't help but wonder what had brought him out here. She was certainly grateful for his help, but if she was caught with him by the local cops it would cause trouble; the Tokyo police force took enforcing the Sword Banning Act very seriously.

I'm surprised this guy hasn't been arrested already, she thought, Well, I definitely won't be the one to turn him in. I owe him that much for saving my neck, at least. Beside… he's kind of cute.

About an hour went by, and Ryoko was gradually growing concerned before her rescuer showed up again. There were some sticks and tree branches bundled under his left arm, while in his right hand he held three freshly caught fish.

"Sorry for the delay," he said, "I went further downstream to avoid the men from the bridge. I didn't see any of them, though, so I think we've lost them."

Ryoko smiled. "Great. So, how about you get that fire going so we can cook those fish?"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

The young man nodded. "You got it. Three cooked fish, coming right up."

Ryoko's stomach growled the whole time the fish were being cooked, and it took all of her restraint to keep from simply snatching them away from her new friend and chowing down. The wait was worth it, though; when she finally got the chance to dig in, her eyes widened at the flavor.

"Hey, not bad!" she said through a mouthful of food, "You're pretty good at this!"

"Meow…." moaned Ryo-Ohki, savoring the cooked fish on her tongue.

"I've been on the road for several years now," the stranger replied, "If I couldn't cook decent food in the wild I would've starved to death a long time ago."

Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "So you're a wandering swordsman, then?"

"Yes," he said, "I have been for quite some time."

"Why?" she asked, "With your moves, I bet you could land a sweet gig as a bodyguard."

"I've taken odd jobs in the past to get by," said the young man, "but only as need be. To tell you the truth, I think the road suits me."

Looking at his sword again, Ryoko's eyes narrowed as she remembered the latest scare gripping Tokyo. It seemed unlikely that it involved her new friend, but the fact that he wore a sword openly meant that she couldn't rule anything out.

"Hey," she said cautiously, slowly reaching inside her tunic to grip her kunai, "You're not… that guy, are you?"

"What are you talking about?" the wanderer asked.

"There's word of a murderer that's been terrorizing Tokyo recently," said Ryoko warily, "One who's bold enough to openly carry a sword. You saved my neck, so I want to trust you, but… well, I'm gonna need some proof that you're not him."

The young man sighed. "I suppose I can't fault you for being suspicion. Perhaps this will allay your concerns."

He surprised her by tossing his weapon over to her. "Draw it. That should answer your question."

Ryoko raised an eyebrow but did as he said. When the sword was fully drawn she gawked at what she saw. "What the hell? The blade's on the wrong side!"

The wanderer nodded. "Yes. It's a sakabatō. How many do you suppose one can kill with that?"

"Not many," she conceded as she carefully studied the weapon, "and there's hardly any wear and tear on this thing. No blood smears on it, either… it looks like it's barely been used it all."

"It's good for intimidation," said the stranger, "as long as no one actually sees the blade up close, anyway. Beyond that, I'm afraid its abilities in combat are rather limited. It's certainly not an ideal weapon for a murderer, wouldn't you agree?"

"Definitely not," said Ryoko as she passed the sword back to him, "It's proof enough for me, but…"

"Is there are problem?" asked the wanderer.

Ryoko shook her head. "It's not like that. I'm glad you're not the murderer everyone in town's so scared of, but it's just weird that you have a sword like that. I mean, what's the point? No pun intended."

The young man looked up at the night sky, and Ryoko felt like he was gazing at something other than the stars and the moon. "If there's a way to avoid taking life, is it wrong to embrace that path? There is enough bloodshed in the world as it is. I don't seek to stem the tide entirely; that's a task far beyond one man. However… I will no longer add to it."

"No longer…" said Ryoko softly, "…add to it? Who… who are you?"

A very small smile came to the young man's face. "I'm simply a wanderer. No more, and no less."

"Come on," said Ryoko, "Even wanderers have names, right? Mine's Ryoko. What's yours?"

There was a brief moment of hesitation before the wanderer gave his answer. "My name's Heero Yuy."

Ryoko smiled. "There, you see? That wasn't so hard! Nice to meet you, Heero."

The traveler nodded. "Likewise."

"So," she said, "what brings you to Tokyo?"

Heero shrugged. "It's simply where the road took me. Although… this murderer business does have me intrigued. Perhaps I'll stick around and see what's going on."

Ryoko shook her head. "You might want to pass on that. I hear he even kills police officers that come after him. This guy's no joke. I'm staying as far away from him as I can."

Heero's eyes narrowed. "Have you heard anything else about him?

Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"If it's a murderer this strong then he should not be allowed to roam free a moment longer," said Heero, "That goes double if he's able to kill police officers that attempt to apprehend him. If I have the ability to help bring him down, then I wish to do so."

Ryoko sighed. "Well, if that's the case, I guess I'd better tag along."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Why? It sounds like this criminal's the last person you want to be anywhere near. You're under no obligation to come with me."

Ryoko smiled. "Maybe, but I do owe you one for saving my neck back there. I figure the least I can do is help you out a little bit. Besides, you're not from around here, right? I know this town pretty well, and you're going to need a guide if you want to get around here without some inconvenient run-ins with the local cops."

Heero nodded. "If you're really willing to help, then I won't refuse. Thank you."

Ryoko winked. "Anytime, handsome!"

The young man took a bite of his fish, suddenly rather keen about avoiding eye contact with her. Ryoko giggled at the sight; who would've thought that the swordsman who'd dropped a bridge to save her could get flustered like this?

Aw, now that's just cute, she thought, I'll definitely have to stick around now! Heero Yuy…

…I think you and I can have some fun together!

….

The following evening…

"Hold it right there!" shouted Ayeka as she drew her wooden sword.

The brown-haired young man and his turquoise-haired companion turned around. Both looked rather taken aback at her command, but Ayeka was not in the mood for politeness this night. She was a bit surprised that her target had a female accomplice since all the rumors from the police were that he acted alone, and it was possible that the woman was actually a hostage, although she seemed far too relaxed for that. There was a also a strange hybrid cat-rabbit creature perched on the woman's shoulder, but while Ayeka was curious as to its origins she refused to be distracted by it. One way or the other Ayeka supposed she would find out the story of the woman and her furry companion soon enough, but right now that was of secondary importance.

"I finally found you, Mujusai the Manslayer!" she declared.

"What the hell?" said the girl.

"Meow!" cried the strange creature.

The young man shook his head. "I think there's been a misunderstanding here."

"Do not lie!" Ayeka snapped, "There is no one else in the capital that would defy the law and carry a sword in plain sight, and to do so at night is all the more damning! For two months, you have murdered at will, and I shall bring your reign of terror to an end right here and now!"

The young man's companion sighed. "She's not going to listen to reason on this one. What do you want to do?"

"Stand back," he replied, "I'll handle this."

"Enough already!" shouted Ayeka as she lunged forward, "You will answer for your crimes if it's the last thing I do!"

She raised her wooden sword and brought it down hard, hoping to end the confrontation with a single decisive blow. Her opponent was too quick for her, though; he simply rolled to the side, and her weapon hit the ground.

"You're making a mistake," said her foe, "I have no desire to fight you. I'm not your target."

"Coward!" she snarled as she attacked again, "I will not let you escape!"

Her enemy sighed as he ducked beneath her strike. "Try using your head for a second. If I were the murderer you're pursuing, wouldn't I have drawn my sword by now?"

"You are a deceptive killer!" she shot back as she pressed her assault, "You are simply waiting for when you think I might lower my defenses. Sorry to disappoint you, but that will not happen!"

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" her opponent quipped as he continued to doge her attacks, "Is it really too much to ask for you to back off for one second so I can prove my innocence?"

"Save it for the police and the court, Mujusai!" she yelled.

They continued like this for a minute or two, her constantly trying to hit him while he kept evading her blows. Ayeka was growing frustrated, and despite her earlier protests a part of her did feel as though something was amiss here. The killer had reportedly shown no hesitation in drawing his sword when confronted in the past, so why was he refusing to draw now? Also, the young man she was fighting appeared to be rather on the slender side, but according to the police reports the murderer was supposed to be a rather large individual.

Now is not the time for doubts, she thought, I shall bring this to an end and find my answers then!

Her attacks had not completely been in vain; she was gradually backing him into a corner. The wall was behind him, and her enemy was running out of room to maneuver. It would just be a few more seconds before Ayeka would completely have her foe boxed in, and then she could move in to finish the fight.

"Is there nothing I can say to get you to back down?" said her target, "I'd rather not fight you."

"If you wish to avoid a fight then surrender yourself into my custody," said Ayeka.

The young man shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Then you leave me no choice!" Ayeka replied as she raised her sword for a powerful overhand attack.

She brought her weapon down hard, but her opponent drew his sword in the blink of an eye and blocked her attack. He held her back with just one hand on his sword, and Ayeka was shocked by just how effortless he made it look.

"Since you require hard proof," said the young man, "I suggest you take a good look at that sword and tell me if that's the weapon of a murderer."

She was wary about following his instructions, but her eyes went to the sword anyway. Ayeka was stunned by what she saw, and she cautiously pulled back her weapon.

"Hold on," she said, "This… this isn't right. The blade's upside down!"

"Exactly," the young man replied, "Does this look like the kind of weapon a murderer would prefer to use?"

Ayeka shook her head. "No. So… you're really not him?"

"I'm just a wandering swordsman," he said, "and this woman and her pet are my companions. None of us are directly involved with the murderer that's been terrorizing this city, although we are trying to find him."

Ayeka's eyes narrowed. "You are? Why is that?"

"To stop him," said the wanderer, "Just like you."

The woman behind him rolled her eyes. "That was his idea, not mine."

"Meow!" whined her pet.

"Hey, I said we'd help him!" the woman shot back, "It's just not my idea of a good time."

Ayeka was going to question them further when she heard the unmistakable cry of a police whistle. "They must've found him! I have to go!"

"Hold on," said the wanderer, "You shouldn't just rush in."

Ayeka disregarded him, running as fast as she could. "I know what I'm doing. This killer's reign of terror ends tonight!"

….

"Man down!" cried an officer.

"Get him out of here!" ordered Kiyone as she looked around frantically, "Damn it, where are those reinforcements? Mihoshi!"

"I'm trying!" her partner replied before blowing the whistle again, "This is as loud as I can make it go!"

Damn it, she thought as she surveyed the scene, We're going to be in real trouble soon if we don't get some backup!

When a runner had reported that the killer had been sighted, Kiyone had hastily gathered a group of whatever officers had been available at the time to organize pursuit. They had split up into several teams in an effort to box the criminal in, but their target was quick and powerful. Three officers had already been taken away with serious wounds, and while none had died yet tonight Kiyone knew that could change all too quickly.

"Is that all you weaklings have to offer?" her target barked, "You're pathetic!"

I can't believe this is really happening, she thought, fighting to keep her hand from trembling as she held her police saber, I never thought I'd actually have to fight the legendary Mujusai…

Her and her fellow officers were all of average height, but their foe absolutely dwarfed them by comparison. His face was concealed by a hood and mask, but his frame was powerful and seemed to be all muscle. Blood was dripping from the katana he held in his left hand, and Kiyone shuddered at the thought of where that blade would land next.

He chuckled as he stepped towards Kiyone. "Well, well, a woman cop, eh? Haven't killed one of those before!"

"Run, Kiyone!" cried Mihoshi.

Kiyone refused to back down. "I am Detective Kiyone Makibi of the Tokyo Police! Surrender now! I have been authorized to use lethal force to take you down if necessary!"

"I'd like to see you try!" the killer replied.

Before Kiyone could respond she heard a familiar voice call out from behind her. "Stand aside! He's mine!"

"Miss Ayeka!" cried Mihoshi.

Kiyone whirled around. "Miss Ayeka, stay back! Let us handle this!"

Ayeka brushed right past her. "Not a chance. I will not allow this murderer to sully the name of my family's Kenjutsu a second longer!"

Crap, thought Kiyone as Ayeka rushed towards the criminal, She's going to get herself killed!

"This is it, Mujusai!" shouted Ayeka as she leapt forwards, her wooden sword raised high.

Much to Kiyone's surprise, Ayeka actually landed a hit on the killer's shoulder. However, her blow came at a price; the target was able to cut her on her upper right arm. Ayeka remained on her feet, though, and her grip on her weapon was still tight; the wound seemed to be a shallow one.

The murderer struck at Ayeka again, but she was able to leap to the side and avoid the attack. Unfortunately, Ayeka's attempt to evade her foe only succeeded in placing a wall to her back. From the sadistic light in the killer's eyes Kiyone was sure the man was grinning beneath his mask.

"Now you're done for!" he snarled triumphantly, his blade raised high, "Take this!"

"Excuse me," said a new voice.

Kiyone's eyes widened in shock as she saw a young man suddenly rush in and sweep Ayeka off her feet. Despite his burden he moved with shocking speed and was able to get her out of the way before the murderer could attack.

"You!" cried Ayeka, "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your neck," the newcomer replied calmly before glancing at the fugitive, "You're quite the risk taker, aren't you?"

"Hey, Heero!" cried another new voice, this one female, "Watch yourself over there!"

"Meow!" called a feline.

Kiyone turned around again and saw a young woman running forward with a strange cat-rabbit hybrid creature right on her heels. She'd never seen her before, but from the kunai she was holding Kiyone guessed that she intended to get in on the action.

"Stay back!" Kiyone ordered, "We're trying to apprehend a dangerous fugitive! It's too risky for you to approach!"

"If you're scared then why don't you stay back?" the woman countered, "I'm not going to let him fight on his own!"

The man named Heero shook his head as he set Ayeka down. "It seems I'm surrounded by reckless women tonight. This is not how I saw my evening going."

"Why don't I help you with that by killing you?" the fugitive growled as he took a step towards the newcomer.

Heero looked up at the brute, his hand hovering over his sword but otherwise looking remarkably at ease. "Do you really think you're capable of that?"

The murderer laughed. "You've got guts, I'll give you that! Too bad for you, though; it'll cost you your life!"

Kiyone was about to step forward when she heard a most welcome sound; the cry of more police whistles. They were getting closer by the second; the reinforcements were almost there.

"Damn it!" growled the killer, "I've lingered too long. I guess it can't be helped; time to leave."

"You're not going anywhere, murderer!" Ayeka snapped, fury burning in her eyes even as she grimaced from her wound.

"Count your blessings, girl," the criminal replied as he took off, "for I am Mujusai the Manslayer, master of Jurai Kasshin-Ryu! You got off easy tonight, but next time you won't be so lucky!"

"Get back here!" cried Ayeka before Heero stopped her.

"No," he said calmly as he held her back, "You're in no shape to fight right now. You need to get that arm taken care of."

"He's right, lady," said the other woman as she put her kunai away, "You don't got a death wish, do ya?"

"Meow!" cried the strange cat-rabbit creature.

Kiyone was torn on what to do. On the one hand, she had wounded men to attend to, but the killer was still on the loose. There was also the fact that the young man who had saved Ayeka was carrying a sword. He might've helped out this time, but she couldn't ignore the fact that he was blatantly violating the Sword Banning Act.

"Mihoshi," she said after a moment, "Make sure our wounded are taken safely back to headquarters, all right?"

Her partner nodded. "You got it!"

The reinforcements would pursue the fugitive, which left her free to attend to the matter of the swordsman standing before her. The young man's eyes were on her as she approached, and she was struck by the piercing look in them.

"Hey, Heero," said the other woman nervously, "Maybe we should get a move on."

Heero shook his head. "There's no need, Ryoko. Cooperating with the local police is the best way to bring this killer to justice."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," said Kiyone, "I'm not looking for a fight, and I do appreciate the fact that you saved Ayeka back there. However… I'm afraid that you're committing a crime at this very moment, and I can't overlook that regardless of your actions."

Heero nodded. "You're referring to the sword, correct?"

"Yes," Kiyone replied, "In light of your earlier aid, I'll offer you the chance to hand it over now. If you do that, I'll allow you to walk away and go about your business."

"That's a generous offer," said Heero, "Unfortunately it's one that I must decline. It would be rather hard to bring that murder down without my sword. He is the greater threat, officer; would it not make sense to focus our efforts on him rather than this minor indiscretion?"

Kiyone shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do that, and violating the Sword Banning Act is no minor indiscretion; it's a serious offense. Even if you've committed no other crime, I still cannot let it slide."

Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Stubborn idiot. You cops are all the same; you don't know how to pull the stick out of your ass."

"Meow!" cried her furry companion.

Ryoko smirked. "You tell her, Ryo-Ohki!"

"Officer Makibi," said Ayeka as she stepped forward, "I understand your commitment to enforcing the law, and I have nothing but respect for your devotion to your duty. However, I believe that strict adherence under these circumstances actually is detrimental. In fact, I actually believe it's quite unnecessary in light of the true nature of Heero's weapon."

Kiyone raised an eyebrow. "True nature? What are you talking about?"

"I believe she means this," said Heero as he drew the sword and presented it to her, "Please take a close look at the blade, officer."

Kiyone did so, and her eyes narrowed as she studied the weapon. "It's… a sakabatō. I've heard about these, but I've never actually see one in person. They're quite rare."

"And for good reason," said Heero as he sheathed his weapon, "After all, they're not exactly weapons of choice for most swordsmen."

"Look," said Ryoko, "The point is it's not as dangerous as a regular sword. Can't you let this one slide?"

Ayeka nodded. "Please, Officer Makibi. Surely an exception can be made under these circumstances."

Kiyone sighed. "Well… while I suppose it violates the strict letter of the law, it does not violate the spirit of it. Very well; I'll let this one go."

Heero nodded. "Thank you."

"You should be careful walking around with that, regardless," Kiyone cautioned him, "Other officers may not be as understanding as I am."

"I'll keep that in mind," Heero replied.

Kiyone looked around as Mihoshi and the other officers began carrying off the wounded. "This is a mess. I thought we had him this time."

"At least no one was killed tonight," said Heero, "Your officers' wounds do not look life threatening."

Kiyone nodded. "I hope you're right. Still… my superiors aren't going to be happy about this."

"How come you guys haven't caught this creep already?" asked Ryoko, "I mean I get it, he's tough, but you're the police; you guys should be able to take him down with sheer numbers!"

Kiyone shook her head. "It's not that simple. Our officers are spread out all over the capital. Whenever he strikes it's with little to no warning, so we can't effectively concentrate our forces."

"Why not use firearms?" asked Heero, "The police have access to them, do they not?"

"Only certain officers are permitted to carry firearms," Kiyone replied, "The rest only have sabers or staves. Besides, with the way he keeps getting the jump on our officers, I don't think firearms would do us a whole lot of good unless we were able to overwhelm him."

"Do you have any clues as to who this guy really is?" asked Ryoko, "I mean, he wears a mask, so he clearly doesn't want his face to be known, but there can't be a lot of people in town who are as big as he is."

Kiyone sighed. "Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find any solid leads on that front. If people do know, they've been keeping their mouths shut out of fear of retribution from him. I really can't say I blame for that."

"Has he displayed any patterns?" asked Heero, his eyes narrowing, "Is there a signature style that he commits his crimes with?"

"He tends to target police officers," said Kiyone, "and they're always ones that are armed with sabers. My guess is that he wants to prove his superiority to them when it comes to swordsmanship. He strikes at either single officers or small patrols and bails before reinforcements can arrive to cut off his escape."

"That is not all," Ayeka added grimly, "At the end of every encounter he makes the same atrocious lie; that he uses the Jurai Kasshin-Ryu. However, a man who commits such crimes cannot make the claim that he uses that style with any ounce of credibility."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure of that?"

Ayeka sighed. "I'll explain later. We've lingered here long enough."

Kiyone nodded. "I suggest you all head home for the night. The killer is still out there, and I don't want any of you to run into him. That goes double for you, Ayeka; you're in no condition to fight with that wound."

"This is just a scratch!" Ayeka snapped, "I'm quite fine, thank you very much!"

Her subsequent pained wince undermined her assertion, and Heero was the first to jump on it. "Your face and the way you grasp that wound say otherwise. Let's get you home. I know a thing or two about dressing wounds from blades."

Ayeka studied him carefully before replying. "Very well… and thank you."

"Be careful on your way back," said Kiyone, "If you spot anyone suspicious, don't chase after them; report it to the police! You got that?"

Heero nodded. "Understood."

"Don't worry about me," said Ryoko as she yawned, "I'm in no mood for a fight right now."

"Meow…" cried Ryo-Ohki, looking just as tired as her partner.

Ayeka sighed. "Very well. Why don't you come with me, Heero? The least I can do is give you a place to stay for the night."

"Thanks," he replied.

"Hey," said Ryoko, "That offer better include Ryo-Ohki and I too!"

"Since it seems you're currently traveling with him, I suppose it would be rude to refuse you lodgings," said Ayeka reluctantly, "However… you have an ill look about you. If I catch you stealing anything I'll throw you right back out on the street, you got that?"

Ryoko folded her arms. "Whatever."

Glad that's taken care of, thought Kiyone, I'd better get back to headquarters and check on the wounded. It's going to be a long night…

….

Ryoko whistled as they walked through the courtyard. "Wow, so you own this dojo? Nice place you've got here."

"Thank you for letting us stay the night, Ayeka," said Heero.

Ayeka nodded and smiled. "Well, it's the very least I could do for you after the assistance you provided to me earlier. I apologize for attacking you before; it's clear to me now that you could never be the murderer that's been terrorizing this city."

Heero shook his head. "I already told you not to worry about it. Let's get inside; we need to get that wound properly cleaned and bandaged."

"There's a first aid kit in the main hall of the dojo," said Ayeka, "Please, follow me."

As soon as she opened the door she heard the familiar cry of her younger sister. "Ayeka! You're home!"

Ayeka smiled as she embraced Sasami. "It's good to be back, Sasami. You know, you really should be asleep at this hour."

Sasami shook her head. "I tried, but I couldn't fall asleep. I was so worried about… oh no, you're hurt!"

"It's all right, Sasami," Ayeka quickly reassured her, "Trust me; it's not as bad as it looks."

"It can still get infected!" Sasami protested, "We need to get it treated right away!"

"That's something I can help with," said Heero as he stepped forward, "I just need materials to work with first."

Sasami nodded. "Wait right here; I'll grab the first aid kit!"

She rushed off before Ayeka could stop her. Pressing against her wound again, Ayeka led the others inside and took a seat on a nearby mat as she waited for her younger sister.

Off to the side she saw Heero studying the sign hanging on the far wall. "Jurai Kasshin-Ryu dojo. 'Let your sword give life rather than take it'… interesting. This is the dojo's school of thought, I take it?"

Ayeka nodded. "Yes. It was my father's belief, and he desired for it to be the central precept of his style. Perhaps it is fortunate that he is not here today to witness the stain this murderer has brought to its name."

"What happened to him?" asked Ryoko, "Your old man, I mean."

Ayeka sighed. "A year ago he was drafted into the army for the Seinan War. He… he did not survive."

"Which is why you need to be more careful!" Sasami gently admonished her as she returned with the first aid kit.

"I agree with you there," said Heero, "Mind if I take that?"

Sasami nodded and handed it to him. "Sure. Thanks for helping out!"

"Anytime," Heero replied before kneeling next to Ayeka and pulling back the sleeve of her robe, "This shouldn't take too long; the cut's quite shallow."

Sasami smiled. "Thank goodness!"

Ayeka could not help but study her guest intently as he methodically cleaned her wound. Now that she had a chance to see him up close and wasn't running on adrenaline, she was struck by the sharp look in his eyes as he treated her injury. He was as calm as he had been in their initial encounter, but his gaze had an incredibly keen focus to it as it honed in on her wound. He was clearly no amateur at treating cuts from blades, and Ayeka had to wonder just where he had picked up such experience in emergency first aid.

In addition to her general curiosity regarding him, now that she had a good opportunity to take in his appearance as a whole she quickly realized that he was a rather handsome individual. He might've been a bit on the slender side, but there was no denying that his build was an athletic one, and he had already demonstrated considerable physical prowess with how he had managed to scoop her up and get her away from the street killer before he could strike her. Before long she found herself blushing as she watched him dress her wound, and she quickly averted her gaze before he caught her staring.

What's gotten into me?, she thought, I just met him, and this is hardly the time or the place to be ogling him!

She felt something nudge her leg, and as she looked down she saw Ryo-Ohki next to her. "Is there something I can do for you, little one?"

"Don't mind her," said Ryoko, "She's just being friendly. She probably wants to make sure that you're okay."

Ayeka couldn't help but smile as she reached down to pet the adorable furball with her free hand. "You're a sweet little thing, aren't you? I'm quite all right, although your concern is much appreciated."

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"Aw, look at her!" cried Sasami as she knelt next to Ayeka, "She's so cute! Ayeka, where did you find her?"

"She's with me," said Ryoko.

Sasami smiled. "Is it okay if I pet her?"

"Go ahead," Ryoko replied, "She'll get a kick out of it. Hell, if you give her food she'll probably fall in love with you. She's easy to bribe."

Sasami grinned. "In that case, I'll be right back!"

Oh, dear, thought Ayeka as Sasami ran off, I do hope she doesn't go overboard here…

"If you don't mind me asking," said Heero, "How long have you been training in the art of the sword?"

Ayeka was a little taken aback by the question, but she answered all the same. "Since I was a young girl. My father didn't want to teach me at first, but I kept pestering him until he finally agreed."

Heero nodded. "I see. So, would I be correct in assuming the style you use is the same one he practiced?"

Ayeka nodded. "Yes. This is the style that he founded, and I will do all I can to make sure that it lives on. It is the best way for me to honor his memory."

"Even if that means risking your neck trying to take down guys like that street killer?" asked Ryoko, "I don't know a whole lot about being a family, but I'm pretty sure your old man wouldn't want you doing that."

Ayeka sighed. "I have no choice. That monster is sullying the name of the style my father dedicated his life to building. Ever since these killings started and the murderer has proclaimed himself a master of our martial art we've been losing students, and with them the membership dues they pay. If this keeps up we'll eventually lose all of our income, and I'll have no choice but to sell the dojo."

She saw Heero's eyes narrow. "I wonder… could that be what they're really after?"

Ayeka raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

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

Sasami returned a second later with a basket of carrots in her arms. "Let's see if you like these, little one!"

Ryo-Ohki's eyes practically bulged out of her head as Sasami set the basket on the floor. Without hesitation, the strange creature dived right in and began chowing down, with little bits of carrot flying everywhere as a result.

Ayeka couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "Well, it seems we've found her favorite food. My, my, look at her go!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki between bites.

Ryoko smiled. "Like I said, she's easy to please."

"There we go," said Heero, bringing Ayeka's attention back to his work, "All done."

Ayeka gingerly ran her fingers over her bandaged arm. "Thank you very much for that. I must say, you're quite good at this."

"You should still take it easy for a while," Heero cautioned her, "It would be pretty easy for that wound to reopen. Lay off the night patrols for a few days, all right?"

Ayeka shook her head. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm afraid that I cannot do that. I must do everything in my power to bring this killer's reign of terror to an end!"

Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Damn you're stubborn, you know that?

"I'm simply doing what must be done!" Ayeka shot back, "My father will not be able to rest in peace until this matter is brought to a close!"

"But he wouldn't want you to keep getting yourself hurt like this!" Sasami protested, "Ayeka, you're being too reckless!"

"I understand your desire to bring this man to justice," said Heero, "However, it means nothing if you get yourself killed in the process."

"I'm not afraid to risk my life to remove the stain this monster has brought to the honor of my father's martial art!" Ayeka snapped, "I shall not rest until this killer has been apprehended!"

Ryoko shook her head. "Heero, I don't think she's going to listen to reason here."

Heero sighed. "Since you seem quite set on this, how about a compromise?"

Ayeka's eyes narrowed. "I'm listening."

"Going after this man alone would be reckless to the point of suicidal," said Heero, "More to the point, there is only so much ground that you can cover by yourself. In light of this, the most logical move would be for us to join forces."

Ayeka blinked. "You mean that you wish to aid me in my hunt for this murderer?"

Heero nodded. "Yes."

"Admit it," said Ryoko, "you could use a hand, and the police aren't exactly doing a bang-up job here. I'm not exactly thrilled about this, but… well, the sooner we deal with this guy the better."

Ayeka raised an eyebrow. "Forgive me if this sounds rude, but what interest do you have in this matter? For me it's a personal affair, while for the police it's a matter of public safety. Your stake in this crisis isn't as readily apparent."

Ryoko chuckled as she jerked her thumb at Heero. "This guy's a big softy; he doesn't like murderers running around. As for me… well, I owe Heero one, so if he wants to help you out then I guess I'll be coming along for the ride."

"If the three of us coordinator our efforts, we can handle this much more effectively and reduce the risk to ourselves in the process," said Heero, "Also… I would be lying if I said that there was no material aspect involved here."

"What do you mean?" asked Ayeka.

"We need a place to stay while we're in town hunting for this man," Heero replied, "and neither of us have the funds necessary to pay for lodgings."

"We wouldn't have that problem if I hadn't lost my loot when you broke that bridge," Ryoko quipped.

Ayeka raised an eyebrow. "You broke a bridge? Am I missing something here?"

"It's an unrelated matter," said Heero, "Don't worry about it. So, is it all right if we stay here until this matter is brought to a close?"

Ayeka nodded. "Yes. If you truly are willing to help me bring this man down and restore the good name of my father's martial art, then I will gladly host you."

Heero bowed. "Thank you."

Ayeka smiled. "You're quite welcome."

"Yay!" cried Sasami with a grin, "It's been so long since we've had guests! This is going to be so much fun!"

"Now, now, Sasami," Ayeka chided her younger sister, "Let's not get carried away here."

"Sorry, kid," said Ryoko, "We're not here to play around with you."

"Meow!" Ryo-Ohki protested.

Ryoko folded her arms. "Hey, don't argue with me! Sure, you get to pig out and lounge around, but Heero and I have work to do!"

"Work that we can attend to in the morning," said Heero, "For now, I think we've all had enough excitement for one night."

Ayeka yawned. "Agreed. I'll prepare beds for the both of you. I rise early, so I hope you are prepared to do the same; I will not rest a moment longer than I have to until this killer is brought down."

Heero nodded. "I understand. We'll be ready."

….

The next day…

"So many people," said Heero as he and Ryoko walked through the market, with Ryo-Ohki perched on the latter's shoulder, "This might be harder than I anticipated."

"Meow…" murmured Ryo-Ohki as she scanned the crowd.

Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "You really have been out in the sticks for a while, huh? This is the capital; of course it's gonna be crowded. That's probably part of why the police have had so much trouble looking for this guy."

Heero nodded. "True. We've been at this all morning but haven't found any solid leads. Since we know so little about our target it's difficult to determine the best areas to conduct our search in. A city as large and densely populated as this one offers plenty of opportunities for concealment, even for a man as large as the one we're hunting."

Ryoko sighed. "Man, my feet are killing me! Can we rest for like five minutes?"

Much to her relief her companion nodded. "That's fine. How about over there?"

Following his gaze, Ryoko saw a stone bench situated in the shade provided by a handful of cherry trees. "That works."

After taking a seat they scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of their prey. Ryoko highly doubted that the man they were looking for would be so bold as to stroll about in broad daylight in the middle of a crowded market, but it was hard to say for sure. The killer had worn a mask during the encounter the night before, so it was always possible that they might believe no one would recognize them as the killer if they went without the mask during the day.

"Got any ideas?" asked Heero.

Ryoko shook her head. "If you mean any ideas on where the big guy from last night is, not really. I'm just a thief; I tend to stay away from guys that kill to get their kicks."

"I wanted to ask you about that, by the way," said Heero, "Why do you lead the life that you do? Is there really no other way for you to make a living?"

Ryoko studied him carefully. She was expecting to see a judgmental look in his eyes, but to her surprise there was nothing remotely like that in his gaze. He seemed genuinely curious more than anything else; he really wanted to know more about her.

After a moment, she smiled. "Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you. There's not a whole lot to it, really. My parents abandoned me when I was kid. I don't really know why. I was in the slums, so maybe they were just too poor to take care of a kid. It was just me and Ryo-Ohki from then on, and stealing was the only way to survive. I kept with it, and I got good at it, and it just wound up being the way I get from one day to the next without starving to death."

Heero nodded. "I can understand that. Still, there must've been at least a chance for you to try your hand at a different trade."

Ryoko shrugged. "Sure, but every time it ended up the same; they found out that
I was a thief and they showed me the door. People talk a big game about making an honest living, but they're not exactly willing to help others do so if they've already been on the other side of the tracks."

"That's true," said Heero, "Many people aren't willing to give others a second chance. I wish it were otherwise."

Ryoko smiled. "Well, you are, aren't you? I mean, you stuck your neck out for me even though I'm a thief."

She was glad to see him smile in return, even if it was just a small one. "Yes, although I'm afraid I can't offer you much beyond that. In case you haven't noticed, I don't have a lot of money, so I can't really employ you and give you a chance at making an honest living."

"Maybe not directly," said Ryoko with a smirk, "but there are other ways you can help a girl out here."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Think about it," she replied, "With all the resources the police are devoting to catch this guy, I bet they'll offer a reward if we take him down first! What do you say you and I split that fifty-fifty?"

"If the police are offering such a reward, I would be open to that," said Heero, "However, we don't know if there's any sort of bounty being put up for this man's capture."

"Why don't we fix that?" said Ryoko as she spotted a pair of familiar officers, "We can ask them."

It was the two women officers from the night before, Kiyone and Mihoshi. They had just come into view, and from where Ryoko was sitting it looked like they were canvassing the market just like she and Heero had been earlier.

Heero shrugged and stood up. "I suppose it can't hurt. Let's go find out."

Ryoko followed suit and waved down the cops. "Hey, there! How's it going?"

Kiyone's eyes widened as the two of them approached. "You… from the other night!"

"Hi!" chirped Mihoshi, "How are you?"

"Doing well, thank you," said Heero with a small nod, "Yourself?"

Mihoshi yawned. "A little sleepy. We stayed up so late last night working."

Kiyone sighed. "Not the first time that's happened since this killer started his attacks. If we don't bring him down soon it'll mean more than just more dead bodies; we're going to have officers suffering burnout from all the extra hours we're putting into hunting this guy."

"How are the wounded doing?" asked Heero.

Kiyone smiled. "They'll make it. We really got lucky this time."

"No kidding," said Mihoshi, "I'm so glad they're going to be okay!"

Heero nodded. "Same here."

Ryoko shook his head. "I don't get it. Why the hell is this guy targeting cops? If he kills just to get his kicks then there are easier targets for him to go after. I know you said last night that he was doing it to prove how strong he was, but that can't be all there is to it."

"That's one of the things we've been trying to figure out," said Kiyone, "I do have one theory."

Ryoko saw Heero's eyes narrow. "What would that be?"

"Every time he attacks, he always brags about being a master of Jurai Kasshin-Ryu," Kiyone replied, "Not one time that we know of has he not mentioned it. This can't be coincidental."

Ryoko shrugged. "Maybe he's just bragging because he wants people to know how strong his fighting style has made him. He seemed like the arrogant type, after all."

"It's possible that it's nothing more than boasting," Kiyone admitted, "but that doesn't really sit right with me. That's why I think there's more to it than that."

"What do you mean, Kiyone?" asked Mihoshi.

Kiyone's eyes narrowed. "I don't have any proof, but this seems like a concentrated effort to smear the name of Jurai Kasshin-Ryu. When these attacks first began we naturally questioned Ayeka since she's the heir of that dojo, and she completely refuted any notion that the killer was a former student or anything of that nature. I want to believe her, but the consistent mentioning of the style's name by the killer does suggest a link of some sort."

"I'm inclined to believe Ayeka as well," said Heero, "From what little I understand, these killings directly contradict the precepts of her dojo's fighting style. The school makes no secret about what its particular martial art stands for, so any student looking for a style for the sake of power would likely disregard it and search out another dojo. Still, you're right about the consistency of the name dropping by the killer suggesting a link of some sort. The question then becomes this; who would want to bring shame to the name of Jurai Kasshin-Ryu?"

"Maybe her old man had some enemies back in the day," Ryoko suggested, "Maybe this guy's some thug that he beat in a fight and wants payback. Since the master died in the Seinan War, he might be taking his grudge out on the school itself."

Kiyone nodded. "That's plausible, but the problem is that I can't find any leads to support it. It's the same with the rest of the force; everything we chase down just leads to a dead end. After two months of this you'd think that we'd catch a break of some kind, but we've got a whole lot of nothing."

"It's horrible!" moaned Mihoshi, "This guy's attacking officers and we can't do anything about it!"

"So, beyond theories of motive, we really have nothing that leads us closer to the identity of our prey," said Heero grimly, "It's an uphill fight however you look at it."

"This sucks," groaned Ryoko, "At this rate we'll be playing detective forever!"

"You're under no obligation to help us," said Kiyone, "In fact, for your own safety it would be better if you stayed out of this affair and left it to the professionals."

Ryoko shook her head and jerked her thumb at Heero. "No can do, officer. As long as he's in on this hunt, then I'm along for the ride."

"Something will turn up," said Heero, and Ryoko was surprised by the calm certainty in his voice, "There has to be something that we're overlooking. As soon as we find it we can bring this matter to a close."

Kiyone smiled wearily. "I'd like to think so, but we've got our work cut out for us. If you really insist on helping out, then I won't stop you. We need all the manpower we can get, whether it be official or otherwise. Just promise me that you'll be careful, all right? There's already been enough bloodshed in this case."

"Trust me," said Ryoko, "I don't plan on letting this guy take me down."

"That makes two of us," said Heero.

Kiyone nodded. "In that case, the two of us need to get back to our patrol. Try to keep a low profile, okay? I'll pass the word around to the other officers to ignore the fact that you have a sword, but they might not all get the message, and there are some hotheads who could try to goad you into a fight just to test their skills."

"I'll keep that in mind," Heero replied.

"Good luck!" chirped Mihoshi, "Please let us know if you find anything!"

"Hey!" called Ryoko, "Before you go, you gotta tell me something; is there a reward out for anyone who helps bring this guy down?"

Kiyone nodded. "Yes, but only if they provide information that leads to the successful apprehension of the killer, so please don't come to us with just any random tidbit of gossip; we've got enough of those to sort through already."

"Understood," Heero replied, "Take care."

"You as well," said Kiyone.

Ryoko grinned as the two cops took off. "Well, now we know; there's money to be had here!"

"Only if we're able to get a solid lead, though," said Heero, "We're quite a ways off from that right now."

Ryoko sighed. "Right. So, what now? Any bright ideas?"

"Why don't we look for Ayeka?" he suggested, "It would be good to catch up with her so we can compare notes. Perhaps she's found something that we've missed."

Ryoko nodded. "Sounds good to me. Let's go track her down. Wait… where exactly do we find her? I mean, she left the dojo about the same time we did this morning."

"She mentioned that she was going to be concentrating her efforts down at the docks today," said Heero, "She thought the killer might be hiding out in one of the buildings where they store goods that are fresh off the ships."

Ryoko winced. "Ugh, not the docks! It smells like raw fish all over the place down there!"

"Nevertheless, if we wish to meet up with Ayeka, that's our destination," said Heero firmly, "Let's move."

Ryoko nodded. "All right, fine. Come on, Ryo-Ohki!"

"Meow!" her furry companion replied.

….

"Really?" said Ayeka, her eyes widening, "Are you sure?"

The lead dockworker nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely. We've had shipments get robbed up that way a few times over the past few weeks now, and the survivors mentioned the bandits were led by this big guy with a sword."

Ayeka nodded. "I see. Do you have any other information?"

The man shook his head. "Just that and the general area, I'm afraid. Sorry I can't be of more help, miss."

Ayeka shook her head and smiled. "Oh, please, don't worry about it. You've done more than enough already. Thank you so much!"

"Sure thing," the dockhand replied, looking a little concerned, "Still… you really shouldn't get mixed up with the people out that way, miss. They're not a good crowd."

"You needn't worry about me," said Ayeka as she turned to go, "I can take care of myself."

The slight ache coming from her wound undermined her argument somewhat, but Ayeka shrugged it off. After months of searching, she finally had a lead. Granted, it was a pretty vague one, and she couldn't act on it by herself, but it was still better than nothing.

At last, she thought, progress! I must go inform the others!

She wondered if they had found any new clues during their time in the market. If she was lucky they'd be able to combine what they had learned today and use it to take down the killer once and for all. The thought of finally clearing the good name of her family's martial art drove her forward, so much so that she was barely paying attention when she rounded a corner and wound up colliding with none other than Ryoko.

"Hey, watch… oh, it's you," grumbled the thief.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"That was easier than I thought it'd be," said Heero, "I was afraid we'd have to spend all afternoon combing the docks looking for you."

"Why have you come down here?" asked Ayeka, "I thought you were still at the market."

"We ran into some of the officers from last night," said Heero, "They've got a theory about the person behind these attacks, and we wanted to see if you found any information that might back that up."

Ayeka raised an eyebrow. "Really? What did you find out?"

"Can we do this somewhere else?" asked Ryoko, holding her nose and wincing, "Seriously, how do you deal with the smell down here, Ayeka?"

Ayeka had actually ignored it up to this point since she had been so focused on finding information, but now that Ryoko brought it up she was forced to agree; the docks had a very strong odor about them.

"Very well," she said, "Let's head back towards the market for now. I do still need to run a few errands before returning to the dojo for the night."

It didn't take them too long to get clear of the docks and begin making their way towards the market. Along the way Ayeka listened as the two of them relayed to her the conversation they'd had with Kiyone and Mihoshi.

"So," said Heero, "what do you think?"

"Well," Ayeka replied, "It's certainly interesting. The idea that this murderer is someone with a grudge against our dojo has crossed my mind before, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out who it might be. I went through all the old student rolls just to be safe, but none of them strike me as the kind who would engage in this kind of barbarity just to settle some score with our school."

Heero nodded. "I thought as much."

"So much for that lead," Ryoko grumbled.

"Maybe not," said Heero, "The student roster might be a bust, but what about your father's acquaintances? I'm sure the police already asked you about this, but did he have any enemies?"

Ayeka shook her head. "No, or at least none who would resort to this level of savagery. He had a few contemporary rivals, but that's true of any dojo master, and any differences between them were nothing that couldn't be settled by a simple training bout or two."

"What about you?" asked Heero, "You seem pretty active in the community, at least if your pursuit of this man is any indication. Do you help the police chase criminals on a regular basis? The culprit might be someone who has a history with you rather than your father."

"I'm afraid not," Ayeka replied, "After father passed away I've mostly tended to the dojo and looking after my sister. The only reason I've involved myself in this manhunt is because this killer brought the name of my father's martial art into this mess."

Ryoko sighed. "Well, I'm lost. If it's not out of a personal grudge, then I've got no idea why this crazy son of a bitch is involving your dojo in his killings."

"It does make the question of motive much more difficult to ascertain," said Heero with a contemplative look, "We'll have to come at this from another direction."

"Any bright ideas?" asked Ryoko.

Heero shook his head. "Not yet."

Ayeka smiled as she spotted the market just up the street. "Don't worry about it right now. We'll have plenty of time to brainstorm tonight after dinner. I'm sure the information I found today will help with that."

A few moments later they were in the center of the bustling market place. Ayeka spent a couple of minutes looking around the food stalls when her eyes widened as she spotted a familiar figure in the distance. It was an elderly gentleman, and he wasn't alone; there were three men with him, and judging from the way they carried themselves Ayeka guessed that they were his bodyguards.

"Oh, dear," she said softly, "Not him."

"What's wrong?" asked Heero.

"Well, well," said the squat old man that Ayeka had spotted, casually approaching her, "Isn't this a pleasant surprise! It's nice to see you, Ayeka."

"Kihei," said Ayeka, giving him a curt nod, "What brings you out here?"

Kihei smiled. "Oh, just some minor errands, I assure you. I certainly had not planned on bumping into you today, Miss Ayeka. That being said, now that we're here…"

Ayeka's eyes narrowed. "I know where you're going with this, and my answer remains the same, Kihei. I will not sell."

Kihei shook his head. "So eager to dismiss without even hearing my new offer? It's quite a generous one, I assure you, and that's even in light of your recent misfortunes."

"My answer is no!" Ayeka snapped, "That has not and will not ever change!"

Kihei's eyes narrowed. "Stubbornness is unbecoming of a lovely young woman such as yourself, Miss Ayeka. Then again, so is swordsmanship. Really, now, I'm sure your father didn't want you to live in such hardship. Trying to carry on his school is an admirable way to attempt to honor his memory, but you could do so much better in life."

"I have made my choice," said Ayeka firmly, "It will not change."

"I don't know what's going on here," said Ryoko as she folded her arms, "but pushy guys like you really rub me the wrong way. She said no, so take a hike gramps!"

Kihei shook his head. "Such intransigence… the time will come when you wished you had been more flexible, Miss Ayeka. Do not say that I did not warn you."

"If you are going to resort to threats," said Heero as his hand hovered over his sword, "then you have no further business here. Leave us and go about your business."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" said one of the bodyguards as he stepped forward.

"Look at this," said the second one, nodding at Heero's sword, "Someone's ballsy… or an idiot."

"You think just because you've got the guts to wear a sword out in the open means you can talk to our employer like that?" said the third, glaring at Heero, "You've got another thing coming, pal."

"Now, now," said Kihei, "There's no need for such hostility here. I'm sure this young man means no offense."

"You can take my meaning however you please," Heero quipped, and Ayeka was taken aback by the chilly edge in his voice, "Your business with Ayeka is done here. Move along."

Kihei chuckled. "Well, well… did you go and hire a bodyguard in your hour of need, Miss Ayeka? I'm surprised that you can afford one given your current state of affairs."

"I'm not on her payroll," said Heero as he glared at Kihei, "but I must insist that you be on your way regardless."

Kihei sighed. "Very well, then. Until next time, Miss Ayeka."

"What was that about?" asked Ryoko as the old man and his retinue walked off.

"Meow, meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki, shaking her head.

Ryoko nodded. "Yeah, I know. I don't like the look of him either."

Ayeka sighed. "That was Kihei. He's a landowner whose holdings include several of the properties surrounding the dojo."

Heero's eyes narrowed. "So it's the dojo he wants you to sell, then. He was pushing pretty hard for it."

"He says the land it's on is quite valuable," said Ayeka, "I can certainly see why men like him would want to see something other than a swordsmanship school built there, but I have no intention of letting him have it. That dojo is not only the home of Sasami and I, but it is all we have left of our father. Its value transcends that of mere money."

She saw Heero's brow furrow even further. "Money… could it really be that simple?"

"What's up, Heero?" asked Ryoko.

Rather than answer her, he turned to Ayeka. "Earlier you mentioned that you found some information. Let's have it."

Ayeka was a bit taken aback by his sudden assertiveness, but she nodded all the same. "Well, one of the dock foremen mentioned how some of the goods they bring in get shipped by horse to the next town over. Apparently, some of those shipments have been occasionally waylaid by groups of bandits over the past few weeks, and those bandits are led by a large man with a sword. Their description was vague, but it sounds like this could be our culprit."

"Did they give you anything else?" asked Heero.

"Yes," Ayeka replied, "They said that it's rumored this man and his associated thugs are based out of a dojo called Kiheikan on the outskirts of that town."

Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "A dojo?"

"Well, more like an ex-dojo nowadays, from what I understand," said Ayeka, "Apparently it's now a gathering place for all sorts of nasty criminals. Supposedly a former samurai took it over a few months ago. Descriptions regarding him are vague as well, but his height and frame are constantly mentioned as being significantly larger than normal, so there is a chance that this samurai could be the man we seek."

"It sounds like these murders started shortly after this samurai took over the dojo," said Heero.

Ayeka nodded. "Yes. The timeline fits, and there are not many men of that size who are as skilled with a sword as our culprit is. I have no proof as of yet, but I believe it's worth checking out."

"I agree," said Heero, "We certainly have no other leads to go on at the moment."

"So, what are we waiting for?" asked Ryoko, "Let's go check it out!"

Ayeka shook her head. "I intend to, but not today. There are some things I must purchase before returning to the dojo for the evening. Besides, a place like Kiheikan is not somewhere that should be approached casually. This will require careful preparation."

"Your restraint is prudent," said Heero, "Especially considering that your arm hasn't completely healed yet."

Ayeka sighed. "Believe me, I'm sorely tempted to rush over there right now. However, I have Sasami to think of as well. Acting rashly will do her no good. Besides, I told her this morning that I would not do anything reckless today. I do not wish to worry her."

"In that case," said Heero, "I'll catch up with you later. There's an errand of my own that I need to run."

Ayeka raised an eyebrow. "An errand? What sort?"

"Nothing major," Heero replied as he took off, "I'll see you later tonight."

"Hey!" yelled Ryoko as she went after him, "Wait for me!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

How odd, she thought as she watched the three of them disappear into the crowd, I don't recall him mentioning any other matters he had to attend to today. I wonder what it could be…

….

"So, this is Kiheikan," said Heero, "It looks like it's seen better days."

Ryoko nodded. "I'll say. It's a total dump!"

Well, she thought, that might be taking a bit far; I've seen worse places than this. Still, it's definitely not a place for nice people, at the very least.

The old dojo was very rundown, and its current occupants couldn't seem to be bothered with anything more than the bare minimum as far as upkeep was concerned. There were no sentries, but the jumble of male voices coming from just beyond the rickety old door told Ryoko that the place was definitely occupied.

"Hey," she said as she glanced nervously at Heero, "Are you sure about this? This isn't like when we first met; there's no bridge for you to bust if we need to make a quick getaway."

"Meow…" murmured Ryo-Ohki.

"We'll be fine," said Heero calmly, "However, if you wish to wait outside, I'll understand completely."

Ryoko shook her head. "Tempting, but I'm going in there with you. After all, I still owe you for saving my neck. I wouldn't be able to pay you back on that if I sat out here while you walked in there by yourself."

Heero nodded. "In that case, let's introduce ourselves."

He then knocked on the door. "Hello. Is anyone home?"

A few moments later a grungy-looking man opened the door. A cigarette was in his mouth, and from the very strong body odor coming off him Ryoko didn't even want to try to guess the last time he'd bathed.

"What the hell do you want?" he growled.

"Is the sensei available?" asked Heero.

The man scowled. "Master Hiruma is out! Come back later!"

Heero folded his arms. "So, it's 'Master Hiruma', is it? How interesting…"

"What's it to ya?" the thug spat.

Ryoko saw Heero's eyes narrow. "I was under the impression that the master was the Mujusai."

The man's face paled. "How'd you…?"

"So, her suspicions were on the mark," Heero muttered, "Teaming up with her was the right way to go about this after all."

"Yo, Nishiwaki!" a male voice called from behind the man at the door, "What's going on over there?"

The man looked over his shoulder. "You guys better get out here. We've got a punk and a wench asking questions about the Master!"

Heero and Ryoko took a step back as several men came out of the dojo. They were all armed, mostly with common weapons like knives, poles and clubs, but a few among them had katanas as well. On her shoulder, Ryo-Ohki hissed at the assembled thugs, and Ryoko reached into her tunic and pulled out her kunai.

Crap, she thought, there are at least a dozen of them. Not good…

"I don't know who you two think you are," said Nishiwaki, "but you've poked your noses where they don't belong."

"We're not here for a fight," said Heero, "Only for information. If you choose to attack us, however, you will regret it."

One of the men laughed. "You've got some nerve, you scrawny prick!"

"What do we do about them, Nishiwaki?" asked another.

Nishiwaki drew his sword. "We get rid of them. Now."

Ryoko tensed, but Heero still looked remarkably casual as his hand went down to his sword. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't really seen him fight before; the closest they'd gotten to that was when he'd dropped the bridge to help them escape from the Yakuza. There was also the incident from the nighttime encounter with the killer, but apart from sweeping Ayeka off her feet and getting her away from the murderer he hadn't really done anything that demonstrated serious martial prowess.

Did he seriously think that he could take them all?

"I'll give you one last chance," said Heero, "Back down now or suffer the consequences."

Nishiwaki smirked. "Get him."

As the thugs approached Ryoko saw Heero's eyes narrow, and his gaze took on a frigid edge. "So be it."

….

Ayeka's eyes narrowed as she studied her teacup. "A crack? When did that get there?"

"You were probably holding it too tight, Ayeka," said Sasami from across the table.

Ayeka sighed. "Yes… you're probably right."

Damn this whole situation, she silently fumed, I've gotten so high strung from this affair that I'm taking it out on my dinnerware now… this can't come to an end soon enough.

"It sure is getting late," said Sasami, "I hope Heero, Ryoko, and Ryo-Ohki are okay."

Ayeka nodded. "As do I."

Ayeka had to admit that she was growing worried about her temporary guests, or at least one of them at any rate. Heero had sounded casual when he'd mentioned his errand, but he'd been gone an awfully long time now. She couldn't imagine where he might be at this hour.

He left right after I mentioned Kiheikan, she thought with growing trepidation, Oh, dear… I hope he hasn't done something rash.

It was tempting to go out now and search for him, but Ayeka could not do that. She still had responsibilities for both her sister and the dojo, and at this hour that meant that she wasn't going anywhere. She still had some cleaning to do before she could call it a night, and she didn't want to give Sasami further cause for concern; she'd worried enough since this string of murders had begun.

There was a sudden knock at the door, causing both Ayeka and Sasami to jump.

"Do you think it's them?" asked Sasami.

Ayeka stood up. "I'll go check. Wait here."

Just to be on the safe side, she grabbed one of the wooden swords from the racks along the wall. She doubted she would need it, but it was best to be safe at this time of night.

If it's not them, she thought, the whoever this is has a very poor since of timing. I hate to come across to someone as rude, but if this is some traveling salesmen come calling at this hour then I may well snap at them.

When she opened the door she was sorely tempted to give the person she saw a swift whack on the head; it was none other than Kihei. The smug smile on her face was absolutely repulsive to her, and to make matters worse he was not alone. Not only were the three bodyguards from earlier with him, but she counted several more as well. There had to be at least a dozen men with him.

"Ah, Miss Ayeka!" said Kihei, "It's such a lovely night out, wouldn't you agree?"

Ayeka glared at him. "Kihei… what business do you have with me at this hour?"

"Come now, Miss Ayeka," said Kihei, "Do you really have to ask?"

"I suppose not," said Ayeka, struggling to keep a cool head, "but we already discussed this at the market earlier. I knew you were persistent, but this marks a new low even by your standards. If you keep this up I will have no choice but to report you to the police for harassment!"

Kihei shook his head. "I can assure you that there will be no need for that, especially not after tonight. I do hope that you keep some sake on the premises, Ayeka, for tonight is an occasion that is certainly worth raising a cup to!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Ayeka, not liking one bit where this was going.

Kihei smiled again. "Why don't you let us come inside first? It's ill-form to discuss such matters on the front porch, wouldn't you say?"

Before Ayeka could object two of Kihei's bodyguards pushed their way forward. She swiftly found herself elbowed aside as the men entered her dojo, followed by their master.

"Ah, it's in such lovely condition!" said Kihei as he studied the main hall, "It's a good thing that I've kept the other major landholders in town away from this property; they'd be itching to buy it after seeing this."

"I would give them the same answer that I have given you," said Ayeka, her temper rapidly approaching the boiling point, "This property is not for sale, Kihei!"

"Yes, yes," said Kihei dismissively, "However, I'm afraid the paperwork has already been filed."

Ayeka's eyes widened. "That's preposterous!"

"Oh, on the contrary," said Kihei as he pulled a folded paper out of his pocket, "In fact, here it is!"

Sure enough, Ayeka recognized it as a property deed. Where Kihei had managed to get one for her dojo she knew not, but that did not matter at this point.

"All I require," Kihei continued, "is your seal."

Ayeka scowled. "You will not have it!"

Kihei sighed. "As stubborn as ever. You know, I did try to make it easy on you. I even offered you a fair price for this property on several occasions. However, you were never able to open your eyes and appreciate just what you had to gain from this transaction. You've exhausted my patience, Miss Ayeka, and now it's time to bring this little dance of ours to a close."

"Ayeka?" she heard Sasami ask from the next room over, "What's going on?"

Ayeka's face paled; the last thing she wanted was for her younger sister to get involved in this affair. "Sasami, I want you to stay in that room! Do you understand?"

"Ayeka?" said Sasami, "What's wrong?"

"Just stay there!" Ayeka barked.

Kihei nodded. "Yes, I believe that would be best. She's too young to get wrapped up in business like this. It's too bad that you didn't think of her sooner, though. The money you could've made had you agreed to sell earlier would've served you both quite well. It really is a shame that it's come down to this."

Ayeka raised her wooden sword and pointed it at the old man. "Leave, Kihei. Now."

Kihei shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't be happening, Miss Ayeka… at least not until this transaction is concluded. One way or another, this property will be mine… or rather, ours."

The old man snapped his fingers, and Ayeka heard a set of heavy footsteps coming from behind her. Turning around, she saw a very large and muscular man with a thick beard standing in the doorway. A sword was held casually over his shoulder, and the cruel look in his eyes made Ayeka realize instantly just who she was looking at.

"You…" she said, pointing her sword at the brute, "The Mujusai!"

He chuckled. "Hello there."

"This is Hiruma Gohei," said Kihei, "He's the master of Kiheikan, as well as my brother."

Ayeka's eyes widened. "Wait, your brother? Then that means…"

"You know," Kihei interrupted her, "I really didn't want to handle this affair in such an unsavory manner. I'd much rather prefer to make a legal purchase. Unfortunately, intransigence combined with your snooping around has forced my hand. I can no longer afford the luxury of patience."

Kihei sighed as he continued. "Bringing bloodshed into a business affair was not my first choice for resolving this matter, but I can't argue with the results. Using my brother to cook up this commotion with a murderer terrifying Tokyo who claimed to use Jurai Kasshin-Ryu was an effective means to discredit your school. Throwing around the name Mujusai the Manslayer worked wonders; the legend of his terrible prowess is so powerful that no one would dare mount a serious stand against him. Even the police were suitably terrified, and all of their confrontations with him were undermined by the fear the reputation of the Mujusai instilled into their rank and file officers."

"You coward!" Ayeka hissed.

Kihei grinned. "Thanks to our campaign of terror it has only taken two months to reduce you to this. Most of your students have abandoned you, and with them goes your precious source of income and prestige. By the most recent estimates, once I take possession of this land and properly develop it, the value will increase five or six times thanks to the Westernization policy and current industrial growth embraced by the government. It would be such a shame for that potential to be squandered because of your outdated desire to preserve your family's martial art."

"You bastard!" growled Ayeka, "You won't get away with this!"

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong," said Kihei with a smirk, "Brother, would you care to take it from here?"

The big man grinned as he stepped forward, brandishing his sheathed sword. "Your school's motto is supposed to be 'swords that give life', right? That's cute. How about this, then? Why don't you use that 'sword that gives life' right now to save your own life? If you're even capable of that."

Ayeka braced herself and brought her wooden sword into a guard position. "It would seem that I don't have much choice in the matter. Fine, then, you overgrown beast! I'll show you the true strength of my family's martial art. You will pay for besmirching the name of Jurai Kasshin-Ryu!"

Hiruma smirked. "Is that so? Come on and prove it, then."

Ayeka lunged forward. Moving with all the speed and strength she could muster, she lashed out at the man's gut, hoping to wind her target and give herself an early advantage. Unfortunately for her, the man reacted much quicker than his bulk would indicate him being capable of and simply blocked her attack with the palm of his left hand.

"What?" cried Ayeka, her eyes widening at how effortlessly her foe had stopped her attack.

Hiruma gave her a cruel grin. "Your 'strength' is nothing more than a little girl's dream. This is real power!"

Her opponent then made a hard overhand strike with his sheathed sword. Ayeka raised her weapon to block it, but the force of the blow was so strong that it snapped her wooden sword in half before hitting her shoulder. Staggered by the strike, Ayeka was easy prey, and Hiruma wasted no time in lifting her up by her robe.

"Mastery and death!" her foe sneered, "That is what a sword is for! It doesn't save lives; it takes them!"

"That is true," said Kihei as he approached Ayeka from behind, "but do not take her life quite yet, Hiruma. A seal is only valid if it is made while the signer is still alive."

Looking down, Ayeka could do nothing as Kihei pulled out a small knife and made a small cut on her thumb. He then pressed it to the piece of paper he was holding, leaving a crimson blot on it.

"There," he said with a smile, "It's finally ours! I should've done this much sooner. Jurai Kasshin-Ryu is no more!"

No, thought Ayeka, I can't let it end this way!

It was at that moment that the front door opened again. Ayeka and the others turned to see a single man standing in the entryway. Ayeka didn't recognize him, but it appeared that Hiruma did.

"Nishiwaki?" he said, "What are you doing here? What's going on?"

It was then that Ayeka noticed just how pale the man was. His legs were shaking, and it looked like he was about to pass out at any second. His whole body was trembling, and that was matched by the tremor in his voice.

"The… the real one… got us," he said, his voice barely more than a terrified whisper.

A soft thud came from behind the man before he keeled forward, knocked out cold. His fall revealed the man standing behind him; the wanderer from the night before.

"Heero!" Ayeka gasped.

She saw him survey the impromptu gathering. "It seems I'm a little late. My apologies, Ayeka. It took a little longer than I had anticipated, but I was able to extract all the information I needed from Nishiwaki."

"What information?" asked Kihei, his eyes narrowing.

Meanwhile, Hiruma loosened his grip on Ayeka as he turned towards Heero. "You… you're that meddling punk from the night before! So, are you here to talk about 'swords that give life' too?"

Heero shook his head. "No. The fundamental truth of swordsmanship is the same as that which underlines all martial arts; while they are best used for self-defense, they are ultimately a means to kill. One can color it up however they wish, but it is impossible to deny the brutal heart of the matter."

"No…" said Ayeka softly, "That… that cannot be right…"

Heero sighed. "She speaks as one who's never had to personally stain her hands with blood. The ideals of Jurai Kasshin-Ryu are a sweet and naïve lie, nothing more."

Ayeka shook her head. "You're wrong! It… it's not like that…"

She was surprised to see a very small smile grace Heero's face. "That said… I wouldn't mind if that lie became the truth one day. Using the martial arts to save lives rather than take them would be a much better utilization of the violence inherent within them. For our talents in the art of combat to be used to preserve life rather than vanquish it… yes, that would be infinitely preferable to the cold reality that they presently embody."

Ayeka smiled. "Heero…"

Hiruma scowled. "Hey, brother? This guy bugs me. Can we get rid of him?"

Kihei nodded. "Yes. He's been a real nuisance. Have your underlings kill him."

Hiruma grinned. "All right, boys! You heard my brother! Take his head!"

The motley assortment of thugs brandished their equally versatile and improvised weapons. Ayeka shuddered at the bloodthirsty grins on their faces. Heero looked calm, but there was simply no way that he could prevail against such odds.

"Heero, run!" she cried, "Please, you must retreat!"

For his part, Heero simply slipped one hand down to the hilt of his sword. "Further violence would be meaningless at this point. Anyone who wishes to avoid seeing a doctor should leave now."

"Tough talk coming from a dead man!" cackled one of the thugs.

"We're going to feed what's left of you to the fishes!" snarled another.

Heero's eyes narrowed and Ayeka felt a sudden chill as she saw the dark edge in his gaze. "So be it. Don't say I didn't warn you."

The leading thugs were right on top of him when he finally drew his sword. Before Ayeka could so much as blink there was a flurry of silver flashes before three men dropped to the floor, clutching their sides and gasping painfully for air. More rushed in, and a single lightning-fast slash took two of them down before they knew what hit them. The others lashed out with their myriad assortment of weapons, but none of them could so much as touch Heero, who seemed to be dodging them almost as casually as he might make his way through throngs of people on a crowded day at the market.

"What… what is this?" said Kihei, a hint of fear creeping into his voice, "How come they can't hit him? What sorcery is this?"

No, thought Ayeka as she carefully studied Heero's movements, it's not sorcery. It's… anticipation.

Even in the midst of the fight, Heero was carefully analyzing every aspect of his foes. The slightest bit of tension was enough to betray the intentions of his enemies, and right now he was ruthlessly exploiting that. What blows he could not dodge outright were simply deflected and brushed aside, and every opponent that tried to attack him immediately found themselves struck down. His swordsmanship was swift and efficient; there was not a single gap in his defenses, and each of his strikes was made with pinpoint precision. Soon he was surrounded by fallen thugs, and as the last of the underlings went down Heero turned his attention to the two brothers that were at the heart of this whole unsavory affair.

"Striking at the dojo's reputation by associating its fighting style with murder was clever," said Heero, "However, you picked the wrong alias. If you were half as smart as you think you are you would've realized that the Mujusai is not a practitioner of Jurai Kasshin-Ryu. The name itself is a dead giveaway."

Ayeka's face paled as she realized what he was getting at. "No… it cannot be…"

"You…" gasped Kihei, "You mean…"

"There is an old and very obscure style of swordsmanship," Heero continued, "In fact it is all but forgotten now. The name of that school is Mujushin Kenjutsu, also known as the Sword of No Abiding Mind."

"Are you…?" Hiruma murmured.

Heero pointed his sword at Hiruma. "The meaning of the name Mujusai is this; 'one who has mastered every aspect of Mujushin Kenjutsu'. Were it not for the nature of this particular sword, the floorboards here would be soaked with blood right now."

Ayeka was in shock. "Then… Mujusai the Manslayer… that's you?"

"Yes," said Heero as he calmly stepped forward, "and I'm most eager to bring this matter to a close. I sent Ryoko to inform the police after we dealt with the underlings at Kiheikan. They should be showing up here any time now. They know exactly who they're after now, so the two of you will have a hard time escaping them. Surrender now; further violence is meaningless."

To her relief Hiruma actually let Ayeka go, but that was only so he could step forward and draw his sword. He was grinning as he stared down Heero, and Ayeka could easily see the bloodlust in his eyes.

"I thought you were nobody when you interfered the other night," he said, "It didn't even occur to me to try to fight you. Now I regret it!"

"Unlike you," Heero replied, "I don't engage in violence for the sake of violence. It's regrettable that I wasn't able to bring this affair to an earlier conclusion, but I intend to rectify the matter tonight. The only question now is whether or not you will be brought to justice unharmed or otherwise. The choice is yours."

Hiruma chuckled. "You're either confident… or just plain arrogant! Why don't we find out which one it is?"

The brute raised his sword. "There is only enough room in this world for one Mujusai! This will decide which of us is worthy of the title!"

"If you insist," said Heero, his eyes narrowing, "but I already have the answer, and you're not going to like it."

"Shut up and fight!" shouted Hiruma as he brought his sword down in a powerful overhand strike.

There was so much strength behind the attack that it shattered the floorboards, but it didn't so much as graze Heero. He deftly sidestepped the blow, and Ayeka couldn't tell if he was looking at Hiruma with either contempt or pity.

"Brute force is not the way of the Muju," said Heero, "Shall I show you what mastery of this form really means?"

Hiruma's response was a vicious horizontal slash, but Heero simply ducked beneath it. His counter was swift and devastating; there was an audible crunching noise as his first blow shattered the muscular giant's right knee, while a blindingly fast second strike impacted Hiruma's lower torso. The one-two combo was enough to send the big man down to the floor, grasping his knee and side and whimpering in agony.

"Consider yourself lucky," said Heero casually, "I hit your kidney with that second strike, so you'll be pissing blood for about a week. If I wanted to I could've utterly crushed your internal organs."

Ayeka was floored by what she saw. The killer who had terrorized Tokyo and dragged the name of her family's martial art through the mud had been reduced to an utter wreck, too winded to so much as even beg for mercy. A final blow to the back of his head knocked him out cold, and Ayeka watched as Heero then turned his attention to Kihei.

"This sword is not designed to kill," he said as he approached Kihei, an arctic chill in his voice, "However, a sufficiently powerful and well-placed strike would be more than enough to break your neck. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do precisely that."

Looking at the man who had started this whole ugly affair, Ayeka took no small amount of satisfaction at the sight of Kihei being reduced to a pathetic series of tremors and moans. He seemed completely incapable of any form of coherent speech and could do nothing but continue to back up as Heero approached him until he was against the wall.

"Any last words?" Heero asked as he raised his sword.

Ayeka thought she heard what might've been a whimper before Kihei slumped down, passed out in utter terror. Drool flowed freely from his mouth, and a growing puddle beneath him put the final nail in the coffin of his dignity. Ayeka could only grimace at the sight; she was not looking forward to cleaning that up later.

"Thought so," said Heero as he sheathed his sword, "Those who send others to their deaths are usually cowards when confronted with their own mortality."

He then leaned down and plucked the deed Kihei had forced Ayeka to give her seal to from the old man's pocket. Shredding the paper, he then turned to Ayeka and gave her an apologetic bow.

"I'm sorry for the deception," he said, "but it's usually better to keep a past like mine under wraps. Would you be so kind as to not make mention of it to the police?"

Ayeka nodded, struggling to find the right words after all that she had seen. "Of… of course."

The door to one of the side rooms opened, and Ayeka saw Sasami peek nervously through the gap. "Ayeka… is everything okay?"

Ayeka smiled. "Yes, thanks to Heero."

"Oh, wow!" she gasped as she stepped into the main hall and surveyed all the fallen thugs, "You did all this, Heero?"

Heero nodded. "Yes."

Sasami turned to her sister. "Ayeka, why didn't you let me come in here? I could hear stuff, but if Heero was fighting all these guys then why didn't you let me watch? I bet he was amazing!"

"He was," Ayeka replied, "but it was also incredibly dangerous in here, Sasami. I could not let any harm come to you!"

"Thankfully there's no risk of that now," said Heero, "I hope that no one else thinks to try something like this again."

Ayeka was about to reply when she heard what sounded like footsteps just outside the front door. The three of them turned to see Ryoko enter the hall with Ryo-Ohki perched on her shoulder. Behind her was a group of police officers, with Kiyone and Mihoshi leading them.

"I brought backup, Heero!" she yelled as she came inside, her kunai at the ready, "All right, who's ready to… oh… well, so much for another fight."

"Wow!" cried Mihoshi, "They're all out cold!"

"Yes," said Kiyone softly as she walked inside and began inspecting the unconscious thugs, "Miss Ayeka… was this your doing?"

Ayeka shook her head. "I'm sorry, but as much as I'd like to take credit for this, I'm afraid I cannot. It was Heero who defeated these men."

Kiyone's eyes widened as she turned to the wanderer. "Seriously? You took them all on by yourself?"

"Yes," Heero replied matter-of-factly, "That's not a problem, is it?"

"Are you kidding?" said Mihoshi, "That's incredible! How'd you do it?"

Ryoko smirked. "Well, if our little scuffle at Kiheikan is anything to go by, then I think I can imagine how it went down."

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki triumphantly.

Kiyone nodded as she looked around. "Well, I don't know how you pulled it off, but you took care of the hard part for us. Officers, tie up these men before they regain consciousness!"

Her subordinates moved quickly, and as they carried out her orders Kiyone pulled a small pouch out of her pocket and passed it to Heero. "I didn't think I'd end up giving this to anyone, but… well, you've earned it."

Ayeka peered over Heero's shoulder as he opened the little bag. She could make out just the top of what looked like a considerable sum of money.

"Oh, my," she said softly, "Well, it certainly is well earned, I cannot deny that."

"Hey!" snapped Ryoko as she rushed over, "What about my share? I relayed the information to you cops after we finished things up at Kiheikan. I want my cut!"

"Here you go!" chirped Mihoshi as she passed Ryoko a small pouch.

Ryoko grinned as she eagerly snatched it right out of her hand. "All right! Now that's more like it!"

"The Tokyo police aren't usually in the habit of offering bounties," said Kiyone with a smile, "but with the way things were going we were getting desperate. In this case, I think it was well worth the extra expense, and I'm sure my superiors will agree."

"Will you need help with taking all of these men to your headquarters?" asked Heero.

Kiyone shook her head. "Nah, we can handle it. You've done more than enough already."

"Can you show us your moves?" asked Mihoshi, "I want to see how you beat them all!"

"Me too!" Sasami chimed in.

"Sasami!" Ayeka scolded, "He's not some travelling performer you can just bark out orders to! Show some courtesy!"

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "We don't have time for a show, Mihoshi. It's going to take all night just to process these guys."

"Aw, no fair!" Mihoshi pouted, "We've been working so hard already, Kiyone! We should have a little fun now that we've caught the bad guys!"

"The fun will have to wait until we've locked these thugs up good and tight," Kiyone shot back, "Now, let's get a move on!"

Ayeka watched as Kiyone led Mihoshi and the other officers out of her dojo with the thugs in tow. She smiled at the thought of Kihei and the others finally being brought to justice for all the death and misery that they were responsible for.

"At last," she said softly, "It's finally over."

"Indeed," said Heero, "You should be proud of yourself, Ayeka. You persevered through a very difficult trial. I think your father would be proud of all you did to defend the honor of his name and that of his martial art."

Ayeka shook her head. "You give me too much credit, Heero. Were it not for your efforts, there is no way that the situation would've been resolved in such a just manner."

"Hey!" barked Ryoko. "What about me? I helped too, you know!"

Ayeka folded her arms. "Perhaps, but you did so only out of the thought of monetary reward!"

"That's not true!" Ryoko shot back, "I wanted to help Heero because I owed him one, and he wanted to help you because that's just the kind of guy he is, so I had to go along with him here!"

Heero smirked. "Maybe, but there's nothing wrong with money being a factor too. I seem to recall you losing a considerable ill-gotten sum when we first met, after all. At least this is money that you can say you earned honestly."

Ryoko smiled. "True. Either way, it means I won't have to worry about where my next meal's going to come from for a little while. Isn't that right, Ryo-Ohki?"

"Meow!" her furry companion cheered.

"So," said Heero as he turned back to Ayeka, "what's next for you?"

"Restore this dojo to its proper state of affairs," said Ayeka with a determined smile, "It won't be easy to win back all of the students that I lost in this mess, but I'll find a way. Having our name officially cleared by the police will help considerably."

Heero nodded. "I imagine so. I wish you luck."

"Thank you," said Ayeka with a blush, "Although… if I may be so bold… may I ask something of you?"

"Go ahead," said Heero.

"I… I don't want to impose on you, especially with all the help you've given me already," said Ayeka, "However… it would be a great help if you would stay on… at least, for a little while. I think you'd be a good instructor, and I could certainly use a sparring partner as skilled as you are."

"And we could use some help in keeping this place neat and tidy!" Sasami chimed in, "Won't you please stay? It would be so much fun to have someone aside from just Ayeka and I living here!"

"Hey!" snapped Ryoko, "How come he's the only one that gets that kind of offer? What about me?"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"And what exactly would the likes of you have to contribute around here?" Ayeka countered, "I doubt you're good for more than picking pockets and drinking sake!"

Ryoko scowled. "Are you trying to pick a fight? I don't care if Heero just helped you out of a jam; I'll throw down with you here and now!"

"Do you really think that you have a chance against me?" said Ayeka, "I am the head of a dojo while you are merely a common thief. In a straight-up fight you don't stand a chance!"

Heero stepped between them. "A fight will not be necessary, ladies. I think there's been enough combat for one evening as it is, don't you?"

"I'm up for one more round if she is," Ryoko growled.

"I could not have said it better myself," Ayeka shot back.

"Come on, you two!" Sasami pleaded, "You should both be better than this!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"If it's the offer of employment at this dojo that is causing this dispute," said Heero, "then it is all the more meaningless since it is a position that I do not intend to take."

Ayeka's eyes widened. "What? But… but why?"

Heero sighed. "I truly do appreciate the offer, Ayeka, but having me associated with your dojo will do you more harm than good in the long run. You've already seen what a fake Mujusai can do to your reputation. Trust me when I say you do not want it to become known that you have the real one working for you as an instructor."

Ayeka shook her head. "No one would find out! I would keep your secret at all costs. You have my word!"

Heero gave her a small smile. "I have no doubt that you would keep your word, but the chance of exposure and repercussions remains nonetheless. I came into this whole affair as a wanderer, and I intend to leave it in the same manner. Trust me; this is for the best."

"But… but it's not…" Ayeka stammered, "It's not… right. After all you've done… I have to repay you somehow!"

"That's not necessary," Heero replied, "I simply wanted to bring the murderer to justice; I didn't do this out of thought for reward."

"We have to thank you somehow!" Sasami protested.

"If you feel that strongly about it, then continue to run this dojo as your father would have if he was still here," said Heero, "I may have said that the school's motto of 'swords that give life' is a naïve lie, but I do believe that the world would be a better place if that lie became the truth. Regain your lost students and pass on those ideals to them, and I will consider us even."

Ayeka nodded. "Very well. Still… is there really nothing else that I can do for you?"

Heero shook his head. "You have your hands full enough as it is. Don't trouble yourself further on my account. Farewell."

"Wait!" cried Ayeka as he headed for the door with Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki in tow, "Just… just tell me one thing!"

"What would that be?" asked Heero.

"Will… will I ever see you again?" she asked nervously.

Heero closed his eyes for a moment. "Well, it's always a mystery as to where the road will lead next. That being said, I'm sure my path will take me through Tokyo again someday. When that time comes, I would be most interested in seeing how far you've taken your dojo since today."

Ayeka smiled. "In that case, I'll give it my all. I'll restore Jurai Kasshin-Ryu to its full glory and make this dojo one that you and my father would be proud of!"

"And I'll help!" chirped Sasami.

Heero nodded and smiled again. "I look forward to seeing someday. Until next time, and thank you for your hospitality."

With that he slipped out into the night, followed by Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki. For several long moments Ayeka stared at the empty doorway, struggling to process all that had transpired in such a short amount of time.

I never asked him why, she thought, I never asked why a legendary warrior like the Mujusai now carries a sword that does not kill. Then again, after all he's said and done tonight… I might already know why.

His words were one of a man who had seen enough bloodshed in his time. His statement that the ideals of Jurai Kasshin-Ryu were a naïve lie was one born from having taken life in combat, but his desire to see that lie become the truth must have come from that very experience. Ayeka could not say for sure, but it seemed most likely that the reason he carried the weapon that he did was so that he could continue to fight for what he believed was right without having to spill more blood in the process. That was what she wanted the students of her dojo to aspire to once she brought them back into the fold, and it was a sentiment that she fully embraced.

"Farewell, Heero Yuy," she said softly with a small smile on her face, "Wherever your road takes you, I wish you safe travels… and that you return here soon."

….

"So," said Ryoko from behind him, "where do you want to go next?"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

Heero stopped and turned to face her and Ryo-Ohki. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I was thinking of taking one of the southwestern roads out of Tokyo, but beyond that I have no destination in mind."

Ryoko smiled. "Sounds good to me. It's been a while since I've left the capital, so I think Ryo-Ohki and I will tag along."

Heero shook his head. "You don't have to. You're not under any obligation."

Ryoko smirked. "Since when did I have to have a debt to you in order to travel with you? Sure, I helped you bring this whole 'fake Mujusai' mess to a close, so I guess we're even from you saving my neck back at the bridge, but that doesn't mean we have to go our separate ways."

"I don't know what you think you're going to get out of this," said Heero, "I'm not on this journey because there's money involved."

Ryoko shrugged. "I figured that, and to be honest I don't really care. Besides, thanks to the bounty from the cops I've got enough money to last Ryo-Ohki and I for a little while, so I'm not too worried about scrounging up some cash."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Then… why?"

Ryoko put her arm around him. "Well, because you're an interesting guy. You didn't judge me when I said I was a thief, you're pretty badass in a fight, and you're easy on the eyes. What can I say? I like you."

"Meow!" Ryo-Ohki cheered.

"Even knowing who I really am?" he asked.

Ryoko smiled again. "Sure. We've all got stuff in our past that we're not proud of. Maybe you used to be a feared warrior and assassin, but I can still tell that you're a decent guy. I mean, look what you did back there. You helped take down a murderer and his lackeys without killing anyone and without asking for a reward. Sure, we both got paid, but I bet you would've helped them out even if there wasn't money involved."

Heero nodded. "That's correct."

"See? There you go!" said Ryoko with a grin.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"So," said Ryoko, "what do you say we hit the road? Wherever you want to go is fine by me. No matter what direction we go, I'm sure we'll have some fun along the way!"

Heero chuckled. "I imagine we would. Under other circumstances I'd have us set off right now. However… there's somewhere else we need to be right now."

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

"I mean that it's time to wake up," said Heero, "This has been an interesting dream, but in the end that's all it is. We can't keep running from reality forever. Isn't that right, Washu?"

There was a rustling sound from the tree-line off to the right, and a moment later Washu stepped out from the foliage with the Dimension Turner in hand. "All right, fess up; how long have you known that I was monitoring you?"

"Not too long after we entered this world," Heero replied, "You may be a genius, but your covert tracking skills could use some work."

Washu smiled. "I suppose you're right."

Heero nodded. "Now it's your turn to fess up; how long ago could you have cut off this dream world and taken us back home?"

"A while ago," Washu admitted, "but that would've defeated the point of all this."

Ryoko folded her arms. "And what exactly was the point of all this? Don't get me wrong, it's been a fun ride, but I know you didn't put this machine together just for us to play around with it."

Washu nodded. "Correct, although that didn't stop you from doing just that anyway. There was an experiment that I was hoping to conduct with it, and while it took longer than I had originally anticipated I was finally able to get around to it. I was hoping that it would continue for a little while longer, but I have most of what I sought."

Heero's eyes narrowed. "The subject of the experiment in question was me, wasn't it?"

Washu smirked. "Can't get much past you, can I?"

Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "Wait, are you serious? This whole thing was about Heero?"

Washu shrugged. "More or less. I'll admit it was rather entertaining to see the dream worlds the rest of you came up with, but that was a sideshow. The main event was Heero… and I must say, it wasn't quite what I was expecting."

"Sorry to disappoint," said Heero dryly.

Washu shook her head and smiled. "Oh, no, it's not like that at all, Heero! I simply meant that I didn't anticipate you creating a world like this one. I'm not disappointed at all; you just threw me a curveball with what you came up with here. All the better, actually; unpredictability makes for a much more exciting experiment."

"What exactly were you hoping to accomplish with this 'experiment' of yours?" asked Heero.

Washu chuckled. "Would you believe me if I said it was to find out more about you?"

"Consider me skeptical," Heero deadpanned.

"I'm with you there," said Ryoko.

"It really is the truth, you know," said Washu, "I wanted to see what sort of desires and ideals you keep buried deep inside that head of yours. The Dimension Turner gave me the perfect chance to see what would happen when your imagination was given the chance to run wild!"

"I think you're overstating my level of input in all of this," said Heero, "It's not like I consciously ordered your device to create this world. All I did was touch the control panel."

"And that was enough," said Washu, "Don't you remember? The Dimension Turner doesn't really require conscious input; it's more than capable of working with what it finds in your subconscious mind, and you gave it plenty of material to work with."

"So this is your ideal world, Heero?" said Ryoko, looking around, "Honestly, I'm a little confused. I figured at the very least it would be a little more high-tech than this."

Washu smiled. "Just because the world Heero's from is modern by his standards doesn't necessarily mean he would create a different one that had the same level of technological development. In fact, after observing you I think I know why this particular world works so well for you, even if you didn't consciously realize what you were creating at the time."

"How so?" asked Heero.

"First things first," said Washu, "Ryoko, may we have a moment?"

Ryoko glared at her. "What, you mean I'm not allowed to know about why Heero's world is the way it is?"

Wash sighed. "Ryoko, please. I won't ask that you give us some space for my sake. That being said… would you do it for Heero's? The ground that we're about to tread on is rather… personal."

The lovely pirate turned to him, looking genuinely concerned. "Heero?"

Heero's eyes narrowed as he studied Washu. It was clear that she knew more than what she was letting on. The question was how much… and who else should be aware of it. Sending Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki away likely would make things easier…

…but that didn't mean that it was the right thing to do.

I don't know what Washu's uncovered about me, he thought, but whatever it is, there's no running from it forever. I might as well face it here and now… and if I have to, then I'd rather Ryoko be here too. After all she's told me about her past, who am I to keep secrets from her at this point?

"No," he said firmly after a moment, "She stays, Washu."

"Are you sure?" asked Washu, looking uncharacteristically worried.

Ryoko put her hand on his shoulder. "Heero? You okay?"

"Meow?" murmured Ryo-Ohki.

He nodded. "Yeah. Let's have it here and now, Washu."

Washu sighed. "Very well, then. Tell me this, Heero; a sword, especially one with the blade on the wrong side, is hardly the kind of weapon that is ideal for your line of work, correct?"

"That's correct," said Heero grimly, "Since you're the resident genius, I'm sure you already know what I typically employ."

"Firearms, knives, grenades, etc." said Washu darkly, "Those are the weapons of your trade in the real world, Heero. With certain exceptions, they don't allow for much in the way of non-lethal force. I know that you're not the type of person who takes pleasure in killing. If you did, you would never have created a world where your weapon of choice is one that makes it so much easier to fight without taking life. As a member of your world's peacekeeping forces, you know that sometimes protecting the world and the innocents who live in it means staining your hands with blood… but that doesn't mean you don't wish that it were otherwise."

"My wishes are irrelevant to reality," said Heero, "I couldn't change it even if I wanted to."

Washu smiled. "That may be true, but you were able to change it here. The fact that you did so speaks volumes. The same goes for the persona that you took on. Others might envision themselves as an ideal hero, but you took a different route. In this world, just like the real one, you have blood on your hands thanks to your past actions. You could've made it otherwise, but you chose to keep that aspect of yourself."

Heero nodded. "Some things should not be forgotten… or forgiven."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ryoko.

Washu shook her head. "You may see it that way, but your actions in this world and the philosophy that underlines them indicates otherwise. You may view the past as beyond atonement, but you strive for it just the same… and, in my humble opinion, you deserve it."

"I appreciate the sentiment," said Heero, "but it's not that simple."

Washu sighed. "I suppose you would take that viewpoint. If I had to guess, I'd say it's why you're still serving with the Preventers organization. Defending the peace in your world is noble in and of itself, but you are not doing so simply out of idealism. I'm sure you have the best of intentions, and I do not doubt for a moment the very real sacrifices you've made to keep the people of the Earth Sphere safe, but you don't see it as simply a moral obligation; you see it as a sentence."

"So what if I do?" asked Heero, "It's one that's been well earned."

"Hey, hold on a minute here!" cried Ryoko, "Heero, you're making it sound like you're the bad guy here! Sure, maybe you've done some shady stuff in the past, but the way you're talking makes it sound like you're worse than me!"

"Not quite as eloquent as I might put it," said Washu, "but her point's valid all the same. If it's a self-imposed sentence, Heero, then tell me this; who decides when it's been served to completion?"

"You tell me," Heero replied, "You would know a thing or two about long sentences given how we found you, after all."

Washu nodded. "True, but that one was imposed by an outside party. We can argue over whether or not it was just, but at the end of the day I wasn't the one who made that call or ended the sentence. With you it's an entirely different matter."

"And what do you know about me?" he asked pointedly.

Washu smiled. "Enough to see that you are by far your own worst critic. There is nothing wrong with reflecting on past mistakes and seeking to make up for them, but you need to cut yourself a break. You are a far better person than you imagine yourself to be, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that assessment."

He was surprised to feel Ryoko put an arm around his shoulder. "She's right, Heero. You need to learn to ease up a little, especially on yourself. I know you mentioned a while back how you were part of a rebellion against your world's government, and I'm sure it wasn't pretty, but that's in the past. I don't care about that. I care about the guy in front of me right now, and from where I'm standing I think that you're a pretty damn good guy where it counts. I wouldn't have stuck around for so long if I thought otherwise."

His eyes widened slightly. "Ryoko…"

She took things one step further by kissing him on the cheek. "Cut yourself some slack, all right? If you dwell on the past too much you're going to miss out on all the good that the present and the future have to offer. That'd be a real shame, don't you think?"

Heero couldn't help but smile slightly. "You know… you might have a point there. I'll try to keep that in mind."

Ryoko grinned. "You'd better do that. You got my back on this, right Ryo-Ohki?"

"Meow!" her furry companion cheered.

Washu chuckled. "Well, there you have it."

Heero nodded. "I suppose so. Now, can you take us back to our world? I think we've spent enough time in the land of dreams."

"Sure thing," said Washu, "but before I do that, I noticed a few odd details regarding this world that I was hoping you'd clear up first."

Heero shrugged. "No promises, but I'll do what I can."

Washu smirked. "I couldn't help but notice a few… historical oddities, if you will. For example, the roles you had for Kiyone and Mihoshi. It was quite a natural move, but I don't think there were women acting as police officers in that particular era."

Heero nodded. "I'm not a complete expert on the history of that time period, but I imagine you're quite correct."

"I had some time to study this era while observing you," Washu replied, "Another discrepancy I noticed was your style of swordsmanship. Mujushin Kenjutsu was a real style, but from what I understand it died out well before the Meiji Restoration."

"You're right about that," said Heero, "I came across references to the style when I was studying particular forms of swordsmanship; I wanted to try to find something to use against the priest in our sparring matches. There are no living practitioners, and there haven't been for centuries, but the writings I found on the style were enough for me to attempt a reconstruction of sorts. I haven't actually tried to use it against the old man yet, though."

Washu smiled. "Interesting… do you plan on changing that once we're back in the real world?"

"You can always come to our next match and find out," said Heero.

Washu nodded. "I think I'll take you up on that."

"Was there anything else you wanted to know?" asked Heero.

"Just one thing," said Washu, "You're in your late teens, right?"

Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "What does his age have to do with this?"

"Well," said Washu, "we're supposed to be in the 11th year of Meiji in this world, and the background of Heero's 'persona', if you will, was regarding an assassin who fought in the Meiji Revolution. Given that timeframe… Heero, you'd be at the very least in your mid to late twenties in this world."

Heero nodded. "What of it?"

There was a moment of silence before Washu chuckled. "Well, I was going to say that you've aged a little too well, but now that I think about I actually can see you looking like this when you reach that age. Oh, yes… I think you'll age like fine wine."

"Really?" Ryoko purred, eyeing him lustfully, "Well, well… you really are something special, aren't you Heero?"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"Is there anything else you need to know?" asked Heero, rather eager to change the subject.

"Well," said Washu, "I suppose so. Tell me, Heero… would you like to stay here a little longer?"

Heero raised an eyebrow. "You mean in this world?"

"Of course," Washu replied, "What else would I be referring to?"

Heero shook his head. "As soon as you were able to, you cut off the other worlds that were created by the Dimension Turner. Why show me special treatment?"

"If anyone among us has earned special treatment, it's you," said Washu with a smile, "I know hosting all of us has been no easy task for you. We might not show it as much as we should, but all of us truly are grateful for what you've done over the past few months. When we return to the real world, your mission continues. I know it's not like others that you've had in the past, but you still have duties to uphold. In this world, you can escape them for a little while. None of us would begrudge you the chance to do so."

"She's right, Heero," said Ryoko, putting her hand on his shoulder, "I definitely wouldn't mind spending a few more days in this world, especially if it meant traveling with you!"

"Meow!" cheered Ryo-Ohki.

Heero couldn't help but smile. "I appreciate the thought, Washu, but I'm afraid I have to decline. We've spent enough time traveling between dream worlds. It's time to return to ours."

Washu nodded. "Very well, then. In that case, hold on tight!"

The world began to spin again, and a brilliant light began to emanate from the Dimension Turner. Before he was forced to shield his eyes Heero caught Washu studying him intently, and once again he found himself wondering just how much the eccentric scientist really knew about him. She hadn't really gone into great detail earlier like he first thought she would, but there was something about the look in her eyes that made Heero suspect that Washu understood far more about him than she was letting on.

I suppose I'll find out what she's learned sooner or later, he mused as he closed his eyes, There's little point in worrying about it for now.

It was reassuring to know that they were finally heading back to the world that they belonged in, but at the same time the Preventers operative couldn't help but feel a slight pang of regret. Yes, it was time to go home, but at the same time the point that they were making their departure from the land of dreams left him pondering; what would it be like to travel freely with Ryoko as his companion? Was his entire 'dream world' really just a buildup to that? Was a journey with her, liberated from the duties and responsibilities of his role as a defender of the peace, the real dream that he sought?

If nothing else, it would at least give him something to think about when they returned to reality.

….

November 19th, A.C. 198

The loud 'cracks' of wooden practice swords meeting came in rapid-fire succession as Heero and the shrine keeper continued their sparring match. Looking on from the sidelines, Washu, Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami and Ryo-Ohki were all completely glued to the action. Kiyone and Mihoshi were on patrol duty today and thus had been unable to join the others on their excursion to the Masaki Shrine, which was a real shame as far as Washu was concerned; they were missing on hell of a show.

Incredible, she thought as she watched the two of them go at it, I can't believe he was actually able to retain some of the knowledge and techniques from his dream world and incorporate them into his style of combat. Heero Yuy… your abilities are truly outstanding.

And to think that you've only scratched the surface of what you're really capable of…

The young man moved with phenomenal speed, and each strike and deflection was a marvelous display of efficiency and precision. Washu still didn't think that he had what it took to beat the old man this time around, but at the very least he would make the shrine keeper work for his victory today.

The priest seemed to share Washu's sentiment, at least if the gleam in his eyes was anything to go by. "My, my… your talent grows every time you come back here."

Heero didn't answer, at least not with words; he was completely focused on the fight, so he let his weapon do the talking. A furious sequence of slashes and thrusts put the old man on the defensive, and the Preventers operative was relentless in pressing his advantage.

"Woohoo!" cheered Ryoko, "Kick his ass, Heero!"

"You can do it!" called Sasami.

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"Yes!" shouted Ayeka, "Show him just how strong you are, Sir Heero!"

Oh, Princess, Washu mused with a smirk, it only you knew the true depths of his potential…

The shrine keeper chuckled as he deflected Heero's latest attack, blunting the young man's offensive and seizing the initiative. "I hate to disappoint a gathering of such lovely ladies, but I'm afraid I can't let you have your victory so easily."

This time Heero did give the old man a verbal reply as he blocked Katsuhito's strikes. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

The pace of the fight seemed to quicken, and Washu recognized that the duel was rapidly approaching its peak. The only question now was how the priest would land the finishing blow.

Sorry, Heero, she thought as her host and the old man exchanged a flurry of strikes and counters, Don't get me wrong, you're good, but you're not quite at his level just yet. Give it time, though…

There was a brief pause in the action as both fighters faced off, and Washu could tell that the next exchange would be the last. The two men nodded, and a split second later they both charged forward. Their practice weapons moved so quickly that even Washu had a hard time tracking them, and while the two combatants appeared completely calm the intensity of their clash was undeniable.

The two fighters whirled around each other, dodging and blocking each other's attacks as they sought the crucial opening that would decide the match. A pivot on Heero's part set the young man up for a powerful slash, but the step had also left his back exposed for the briefest of moments, and that was all that Katsuhito needed to thrust forward. However, just before his wooden sword could make contact, the old man suddenly halted his strike at the last possible moment.

Washu's eyes widened in shock as she realized what had just happened. "No way…"

She wasn't the only one who looked surprised. The others were speechless, and even the priest seemed taken aback at the sudden turn of events. The reason was simple enough; in the brief moment that Katsuhito had seized to attack Heero's back, the young man had slid his sword along his left side and thrust it backwards so the point was less than a centimeter from the shrine keeper's gut.

"I don't believe it…" the priest said softly, "The simultaneous strike… Mujushin Kenjutsu… where did you learn this?"

"I read about it," said Heero, "I've been looking for the chance to try it out."

Katsuhito's eyes narrowed as the two fighters withdrew their swords. "Through leaving a small opening in your defenses, you entice the enemy to strike. At the same time, this creates an opening in your foe's defenses, giving you the tiniest of windows to retaliate. Young man… you know that if this were a real fight that move would be a suicide strike, right?"

Heero nodded. "Yes. Since this was not a real fight, though, I felt safe in taking a shot at it."

Katsuhito shook his head. "Even so, it's not a technique that should be used lightly. Even in a practice match you could get yourself seriously hurt. It is a technique that was meant as a last resort, and you should treat it accordingly."

Heero shrugged. "It's not the first time I've pulled a stunt like that. I guess old habits die pretty hard. I'll have to work on that. Still, for the purpose of the match, I'd say it worked out all right."

The priest chuckled. "I suppose it did. After all these fights, we finally have a draw. Your abilities truly are something else; there are master kendo practitioners in the world who would be downright envious of the level of skill you've demonstrated."

"Thanks," said Heero.

"Care for another round?" asked the shrine keeper.

Heero shook his head. "Not today. It's getting close to lunchtime, so we should be heading back."

Sasami's eyes widened. "That's right! Today's the day you were going to show me how to make… oh, what's it called again?"

"A pastrami grinder," said Heero, "I think you'll enjoy it, Sasami."

The younger Juraian Princess smiled. "I hope so. Let's get going!"

"Meow!" cried Ryo-Ohki.

"A meal does sound nice right about now," said Ayeka.

"No kidding," said Ryoko, "I could eat a horse right about now."

Ayeka rolled her eyes. "You just had breakfast no more than two hours ago because you sleep so damn late! How can you possibly be that hungry right now?"

"I've got a healthy appetite," the pirate replied, "I'm not one of those stick-thin girls that has to starve themselves to feel good about how they look."

Ayeka scowled. "And are you implying that I am such a woman?"

Ryoko shrugged. "Take it however you want."

Heero stepped between them. "That's enough, you two. If you keep this up Sasami and I will make your sandwiches last, so cut it out."

Ryoko pouted. "That's not fair, Heero! I don't deserve that!"

"There's no need for that, I assure you, Sir Heero!" cried Ayeka with a hint of panic, "Please do not sentence me to the rear of the meal queue!"

"Rein in your mutual hostility and I won't have to resort to such measures," said Heero before looking over his shoulder, "Washu, are you coming?"

Washu smiled. "I'll be along in a little while. Save a sandwich for me, all right?"

The young man looked slightly puzzled, but he nodded a moment later. "Suit yourself."

Heero and the others disappeared down the stairs a few moments later, leaving Washu alone with the shrine keeper. She smirked as she watched the old man pick up the practice swords before approaching her; it was time to start getting some answers.

"He really spooked you there, didn't he?" she asked.

The priest chuckled as he sat down on the front steps of the shrine next to her. "I've never seen a swordsman develop their skills as rapidly as him. At the rate he's going, I think it's only a matter of time before he finally notches up a win."

"Or until he forces you to start going all out," said Washu with a knowing grin, "Now that's a fight I really want to see."

Katsuhito nodded. "Yes, I suppose you would. The centuries have passed, but you haven't changed a bit, I see. Is that for better or worse, I wonder…"

"Is that why you set up shop right next to where I landed on this rock?" asked Washu, "You didn't know what I'd do when I finally got out of that cage? You know, after all we've been through, I was hoping for a little more trust."

The shrine keeper shook his head. "It was not a matter of trust. I was genuinely concerned that the extended amount of time you spent in stasis might have adversely effected your disposition. You may not believe this, but I was genuinely relieved to find that you were released no worse for the wear."

Washu smiled. "Actually, I do believe you. You always were a big softy, after all. Even during the Imperial Civil War, you stayed a decent man while others succumbed to lust for power and revenge. Man, what a mess that was… two thousand years of war. We were all a bunch of idiots back then, weren't we?"

The priest smiled. "I never thought I'd see the day where you would include yourself amongst the ranks of fools… it would seem that you've gained some maturity in recent days."

Washu shrugged. "Well, I suppose I need to at least try to act my real age from time to time. It's not very fun, though."

The shrine keeper chuckled. "Well, no one said that you had to completely change your ways, Washu Hakubi. The galaxy would be a lesser place if its greatest scientist lost the spark that made her who she is, wouldn't you say?"

Washu smirked. "I see you've been working on that silver tongue of yours. You've come a long way…"

"… Yosho Masaki Jurai."

Preview for next time!

Sasami: Hooray, we're back!

Ayeka: Ah, it's good to return to the real world!

Ryoko: I don't know, I was kind of enjoying myself there. How about you, Heero?

Heero: I think I've had enough travelling through time and space to last me for a good while.

Ryo-Ohki: Meow!

Washu: Glad to hear it. Now never mess around in my lab again! You got that?

Mihoshi: Yes, ma'am!

Kiyone: Don't need to tell us twice.

Sasami: Ayeka, look outside! It's snowing!

Ayeka: Oh, my, how lovely! It's so picturesque and… Ryoko! What was that for?

Ryoko: Snowball fight!

Ryo-Ohki: Meow!

Mihoshi: Come on, Kiyone, let's join in!

Kiyone: Well, I can think of worse ways to pass the time. Heero?

Heero: Why not?

Azaka: Actually, Sir Heero, you have an incoming call you need to take.

Kamidake: He says he's an old friend of yours.

Heero: Who in the…?

Quatre Raberba Winner: Hey, Heero! How are you? Got plans for the holidays? I'm hosting a party up here at L4, and you and your house guests are all invited!

Heero: Wait, how do you know…?

Sally Po: Let's just say someone here at HQ thinks you might be going stir-crazy. What do you say, Heero? Up for a happy holiday get-together?

Washu: This should be interesting. Next time, in Chapter Twelve: No Need For A Party Night!

Heero: There are so many ways that this could go wrong…

Ryoko: Bottoms up, Heero!

Author's notes: All right, it's good to have the story moving forward again. On the off chance that anyone missed the references, Heero's dream world was basically the very beginning of the series Rurouni Kenshin with a few personal touches thrown into the mix. One of the larger changes was Heero's fighting style; Mujushin Kenjutsu is actually the form used by Jin in Samurai Champloo.

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please review, and see you next time!