Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Advent of Washu: Cascade ❯ That Which We Have Lost ( Chapter 3 )

The Advent of Washu

-Cascade-

He stopped walking down the passageway and looked around. It was quiet. So quiet, in fact, that the weight of the silence pressed down on him like a bed of nails, grating at his very subconscious. The station was self-destructing around him, and it wasn't making a sound.

He shrugged and started walking again, his footsteps echoing off the mangled bulkheads and fractured decks. The irony in this did not escape him as he walked, listening to the gentle sounds of each footfall as they followed along behind him, breaking the otherwise complete silence.

The smoke filled passageways were empty, void of their usual throngs of panicked officers rushing to escape the doomed station. He found this interesting. He'd had this dream many times before, and it had always remained fundamentally the same. This time it was different. This time it was quiet. And calm.

The bulkhead next to him silently exploded, and he turned to watch as the fire flowed through the air, filling the space between the walls with its ribbons of orange and yellow and crimson. White-hot shards of steel shot outward, propelled by the force of the explosion and ricocheting off of the opposite wall. He turned his head to follow one of the pieces as it flew through the air, watching as the superheated piece of metal slowly cooled before falling to the deck and bouncing down the passageway. She was down there, he knew, waiting for him only a few paces down the hall. The piece of steel skidded to a stop.

There was a sharp tug at his chest, and he looked down, his curiosity aroused. A small hole exploded outward from his left breast, blood and bone erupting from the wound as a shard of metal ripped through his chest. He arched an eyebrow. This is a new one, he thought, watching the piece of shrapnel fly off down the hall, a trail of blood following behind it like the tail of a comet.

"Welcome," she said. He looked past the shrapnel and saw her standing there in front of the life pod door. He walked toward her, the explosion dissipating behind him and dissolving into wisps of smoke that swirled about in the confines of the passageway. He smiled. This was the first time she had spoken to him in his dreams.

"Why are you here?" he asked as he approached her, the heat from the explosion passing over them and causing her hair to blow about in its wake.

She smiled. "Why are you here, really?"

The wave of warm air passed on and the passageway began to fill with smoke again. Her hair settled down, falling gently across her shoulders. He looked up at her face again, at her eyes. It always came back to her eyes, no matter how he tried to avoid it. Every time.

"I don't know," he said, looking away. "I need you to tell me. I need to know."

She nodded and turned to face the escape pod. "That is something I cannot do." She stepped through the door.

He shook his head and stepped forward. "Then why are you here?" he asked. "Why are you doing this to me?"

She turned and looked at him wistfully. She smiled. "I'm making things better."

And the door slammed silently shut, and the deck rumbled under his feet.

"Damnit!" he cursed, slamming his fist into the bulkhead. The wall shattered, splintering into a thousand pieces and giving away before him. The universe lay beyond, and he saw it all with a clarity of understanding that he had never before experienced. The wound in his chest throbbed, and his heart fluttered weakly before it died. The blood in his veins turned to ice. He sighed and closed his eyes, holding his arms out to the sides. The universe flowed through him in that moment; that instant between life and death when all is suddenly clear. A low rumble started somewhere off in the distance.

The station silently exploded behind him, folding in on itself and giving itself to the stars. His eyes flew open and he cried out with every fiber of his being, giving himself over to the flood of comforting warmth that surged through him, filling him to the brink and spilling over to touch all that surrounded him.

The rumble grew louder, and he started to laugh. This was amazing. He could feel his every nerve bundle and muscle group. Every function of his body was under his direct control, and his heart started beating again with newfound strength. The rumble was upon him now, and he allowed it to wash over him; to fill him with its awesome power.

When it passed, she was before him, even more beautiful than before. Her presence filled him with awe, and he looked away. She smiled and reached out, lifting his chin so that their eyes met.

"Now do you see?" she asked.

Her gaze held him captive, and he struggled against its power. She drew him in deeper, the sharp lines of her face accentuating the gentle power that was hidden behind the soft green of her eyes. Three circles of green graced her forehead. He shuddered.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered.

"You are searching."

"For what?"

She brushed her hand across his cheek and started to drift away. "For me," she said, fading into nothing.

And, for now, he was alone.

**********************006*********************

That Which We Have Lost

"Do you really think she's going to Earth?" Tenchi asked.

Ayeka turned away from the window. "There's nowhere else for her to go to."

Tenchi nodded and sat back in his seat. It didn't really make any sense to him, why Sasami would be doing this, but nothing that had happened during the last week (Is that all it had been?) had made any sort of sense, either. Everything that had happened since he'd left for Jurai had felt like a dream. Some of it had been good, such as the conversations he'd had with the Lady Funaho. Since the incident with Kagato, when he had learned so suddenly and unexpectedly the truth that his grandfather had skillfully hidden from them all, he had never quite realized just what the royal blood flowing through his veins could mean. It had been startling to learn that he was a prince, but until recently that truth had felt distant, unreal. He'd never been to Jurai before, and though his house was filled with alien women, Jurai was really nothing more than a word to him; that magnificent and powerful world from which some of his most dear friends had come. But it had remained alien to him.

And then, a few days ago, he'd set foot on soil that was not from Earth for the first time, and the word that was Jurai took on new meaning and substance. Jurai was real. And with that realization had come another truth, one that had not occurred to him until Lady Funaho had explained it to him in that oh so subtle way: He did not truly belong on Earth.

True, the majority of his blood was Earthling; his mother had only been half-Juraian. But the Juraian blood in him was strong, and the longer he stayed on Jurai the more he felt it and the more he accepted it. It was funny how life worked sometimes, he thought. A year ago his life had been simple and care-free, but now everything was different.

"There's nothing there for her," Tenchi said, looking past Ayeka and out the window behind her. Jurai seemed to glow with its own radiance, its shades of blue and green heightened by the blackness of space beyond. The planet grew smaller as Ryu-oh carried them away.

"I know," Ayeka said, taking a seat across from Tenchi. "Miss Washu took off into space, and we don't know where she is now."

Tenchi looked at Ayeka and smiled softly. That wasn't what he'd meant. "We should call Grandpa then, and let him know. Maybe he can talk to her, if she shows up."

"Yes, maybe we should."

They sat in silence for a bit, watching as Jurai grew smaller and smaller in the window until it was nothing more than another point of light in the curtain of black.

"So what do we do now?" Ayeka asked, breaking the silence.

Tenchi looked at her, mildly surprised at the question. "Well, we find Sasami, of course."

Ayeka shook her head. "No, I mean after that. After all of this is finished and Sasami's better. Do we go back to Earth?"

"Of course we do."

"You've been formally introduced at court now. You will be expected to perform your duties as a prince."

Tenchi nodded. He knew it was true, of course. "Nothing is the same anymore, is it?"

"No, it isn't."

"I guess that's what Lady Funaho was trying to tell me the other day. I wonder if she ever felt the same way?"

"About what?"

Tenchi looked out at the stars again. There was so much out there. So much more than he'd ever imagined. He'd been in space before, but it had never made him feel like this. Everything was different.

"About leaving Earth."

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Shinjiro stepped through the doors that opened onto the galley before he'd realized exactly where it was he'd been heading. Both Rodger and Adrian were sitting at the table with mostly empty plates of food in front of them. The two men looked up as he entered the room. Adrian stared at him for a moment, snorted, and turned back to his food.

Shinjiro sighed inwardly. "Shit," he muttered. The doors slid shut behind him. He had drifted off momentarily while on the bridge and his dream had left him feeling disoriented. He really didn't feel like facing his companions at the moment. Especially not with the way things had been going recently. He sighed and walked over to the table anyway.

"Morning, gentlemen," he said, pouring himself a cup of coffee and sitting down.

"It aint morning, and we aint gentlemen," Adrian grumbled, not looking up from his plate.

Shinjiro shrugged. "Close enough." He set the pot down and sipped his coffee.

Rodger pushed his plate away and rested his elbows on the table. "What's going on here, man?"

Shinjiro shrugged and blew on his drink. "She got away. It happens from time to time. Even to me."

Adrian snorted. Rodger shook his head. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. Level with us."

Shinjiro took another sip of his coffee. "I already told you all I know."

"I saw the way you were looking at her earlier. Half the time you wanted to rip her head off, but the rest of the time. . ." he paused and shook his head. "Man, the way she was speaking to you . . . she played you like a fiddle."

"She was playing us all," Shinjiro said, setting his coffee aside. "You saw the sort of power she had. She's been screwing with us from the get-go."

Adrian dropped his fork and pushed his plate aside. "So why hasn't she killed us yet, huh? She's certainly had the chance."

"How would I know?"

"And what's with that detective, Mihoshi?" Rodger asked. "What'd you drag her into this for?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Shinjiro said, grabbing his coffee cup. "Now can I eat my breakfast, or shall we step on down the hall to the interrogation room? I hear they just redecorated. Supposed to be real comfortable now."

"Asshole," Adrian muttered into his drink.

Shinjiro looked over at the larger man. "On occasion," he said.

"Hey Adrian, how's Amos doin' on the repairs?" Rodger asked.

"You askin' me to leave?" Adrian grumbled, not taking his eyes off of Shinjiro. The Lieutenant stared back at him just as intently.

"Yes, I am."

Adrian tapped his fingers on the table, glaring at Shinjiro. After a moment he shoved his chair back and stood. "I want the rest of my money, and then I want you off my ship."

"Don't worry," Shinjiro said, turning his attention back to his drink, "I'll be gone soon enough."

Adrian looked as if he was going to say something more, then snorted again and walked from the messdeck, the doors sliding closed behind him and somehow managing to give the impression of slamming shut, even though they were automatic. Rodger leaned back in his chair and sighed. Shinjiro looked at him and smiled.

"You look like hell, Rodge."

"No shit. After what you've put us through?"

"You knew it might get rough. I'm sorry about your ship, though."

Rodger shook his head and waved him off. "Hell, I don't care about all that. I just want to know what's going on in that screwed-up cop head of yours. What'd you have to drag us all into this for, anyway?"

"I didn't hear you complaining when I offered you the money."

"You weren't straight with us."

Shinjiro chuckled. "Don't tell me you believe her."

"Their stories matched, you know."

"Of course they did. They've had a couple of months to get it all straight."

Rodger shook his head. "I don't know. I'm no cop, but that seems like a pretty complex cover story. Too many little things to get snagged up on, not to mention just how crazy the whole thing sounds"

"I know what I saw, and I saw her."

"You're positive?"

Shinjiro leaned forward and looked Rodger in the eyes. "Yes."

Rodger sighed, then nodded. "Just as long as you know what you're doing. 'Cause from where I'm sitting, things are starting to get a little weird."

Shinjiro sat back and sighed. "Yeah, well, things have been weird for me ever since I woke up in your sick bay."

"Look man, I just need to know that you're playing with a full deck, that's all. Adrian was right. She could have killed us whenever she wanted, and that's not a position I like being in. If you say she blew up the G.P., I'll believe you. But there's got to be another way of going about this thing."

"I don't know that there is. And anyway, I know what I'm doing."

"And what's that?"

Shinjiro took a sip of his coffee and smiled. "Apparently I'm searching."

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"So what are we waiting for?" Ryoko demanded, pointing past Washu and back into the asteroids. They had been flying for nearly half an hour before coming to rest near the outer edges of the field.

"I need some time to think," Washu said, letting go of Ryo-oh-ki's controls and sitting back in the command chair. Two more seats rose up through the floor next to Ryoko and Mihoshi.

"And you can't do that on our way back to take care of those guys?" Ryoko said, frowning.

"I don't want to go back yet. I want to give him some time to think things over."

Mihoshi slowly took her seat. "But he's obsessed with you, Miss Washu. I don't think he's going to change his mind."

Washu looked back at the detective. "Well I don't really expect him to. But he's eventually going to have to ask himself what it is he's really doing, and it'll be interesting to see what happens when he does."

"Come on, Washu," Ryoko said, dropping into her chair. "Mihoshi just said it, the guy's a freak. He's not going to quit anytime soon"

Washu shook her head. "So what do you want to do, Ryoko? Kill him?"

She shrank back in her seat a little.

Washu continued. "But you're both right. We can't just let him run around loose up here, so we're going to have to do something eventually. That's why I want to see what he's going to do next. I want to see if anything we said to each other changes how he acts or not."

"So that's all you're going to do, huh? Just sit here and wait for him to come back to you?"

Washu nodded. "Pretty much. I certainly don't want him going back to Earth."

Mihoshi stirred in her seat. "But what are you going to do when he gets here? He's not very nice but I don't want you to hurt them."

"Don't worry. I'm just going to talk to him is all. See if I can't figure out why he believes what he does. You have to admit it's pretty strange for him to have come to the conclusions that he did. And why did he wait so long to start coming after me? The G.P was destroyed months ago."

"Rodger said they found him in an escape pod," Mihoshi said.

Washu arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Did he say where?"

Mihoshi shook her head.

Ryoko shrugged. "So what? He'd said he was there when it blew, didn't he?"

"Yes," Washu said, "but I never really believed him. But now . . ." She shook her head. "I just need to talk to him some more."

"So let me get this straight," Ryoko said, folding her arms and looking Washu in the eyes. "You've got some crazy cop intent on arresting you for something you couldn't possibly have done; my gems are losing their power and it's affecting Ryo-oh-ki as well, and you have no idea what's causing it. All this starts happening at about the same time as Sasami wigs out in the kitchen, and you think it's all linked back to this cop?"

Washu grinned. "Well I never actually said that. But yes, that's right."

"Did I leave anything out?"

Mihoshi perked up and raised her hand, practically bouncing out of her seat. Ryoko and Washu both turned toward her. She shrank back a little at the looks they shot her. "Oh . . . um . . ," she started, readjusting herself in her seat and looking at Ryoko. "It's just that you forgot about Ayeka and Sasami taking Tenchi with them to Jurai, and how you didn't put up much of a fuss about it, that's all."

Washu grinned and turned to look at Ryoko. "Hey, that's right. I'd almost forgotten about all that."

Ryoko frowned. "Hey, let's not go changing the subject. So what are we waiting for, anyway?"

"So you two don't mind?" Washu said, turning back toward Ryo-oh-ki's controls. "Let's just take our time then," Washu said, turning Ryo-oh-ki around and heading slowly back into the asteroids.

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Amos's cargo hold was by far the largest single compartment in the ship and was, in fact, the sole purpose for the ship's existence. Normally the hold would be filled with ore samples waiting to be examined by Company scientists, who would cross-examine their findings with the ship's logs and the crew's reports. They would then send this information up to the head office along with their own recommendations, and the company executives would then decide which fields to mine next. So while on the whole the Amos was a rather small ship, its cargo hold was the exception, accounting for half of the ship's internal pressurized area.

Shinjiro reached the end of the passageway and stopped in front of the doors to the cargo hold. The lights in the passageway were dimmed, and the light from the hold shone through the circular windows of the doors, illuminating his face. He stood there for a moment, staring at the doors. A thought struck him, and he looked back over his shoulder, down the short, dark passageway. He smiled and turned back to the doors and their windows of light. He stepped forward and the doors opened.

The hold was filled with the large crates he'd purchased back at the thieves market. Most of the contents were useless now, as he'd been planning on outfitting Detective Kuramitsu's patrol ship with the more powerful weapons that were available on the black market. Granted, most of the weapons that the G.P. used came from the genius minds of the Science Academy, but there was always some mad scientist in the criminal underworld that was willing to modify the police and military weapons, making them much more potent than their original design. And usually more dangerous to use as well, seeing as the simplest modifications usually involved removing the safety devices.

He shook his head as he walked around the boxes that were stacked in the middle of the room. Kuramitsu had surprised him. He'd expected her to be more reasonable than she had proven. Why he'd expected this, he couldn't say. He'd read her report, had gotten a glimpse of how her thought process worked. She was a brilliant detective, to be sure, but there was something about her that seemed . . . off. Reading the report it was hard to say just how she had managed to destroy Kagato, and indeed, in the end it had been Ryoko who had actually done most of the work, with Mihoshi simply being in the right place at the right time. Or so it would seem. The report had felt rather odd, and during their earlier discussion Washu had muttered something about 'editing'.

But he should have known that Mihoshi would not be willing to work with him against her friends. Still, he had hoped that her training would have instilled more of a sense of duty than she'd exhibited.

"Water under the bridge," he muttered as he stood there, looking up at the stack of useless and expensive equipment. He'd been forced to pull out all the stops in order to scrape up enough currency to pay Rodger and Adrian and to get the weapons he'd thought he'd need, and it still hadn't been enough. The G.P. had tightened security on the financial lines more than he'd expected, and he'd only gotten enough money to pay the miners half of what he'd promised. He never let on that he didn't have the rest of the money, but instead had used their stop at the thieves market as an opportunity to try and strong-arm some money from one of the lesser gang leaders. Things had gone sour, and he'd almost gotten them all killed. His situation had not improved since.

He sighed and turned around, leaning against the crates. "What the hell are you doing here, anyway?" he asked himself. Here he was, on the far side of the universe in an old survey ship, attempting to single-handedly apprehend possibly one of the most devious criminals ever, and even he wasn't certain how it had all come to pass. He folded his hands behind his head, and his eyes came to rest on his escape pod, nestled in a far corner of the hold.

It was the first good look he'd gotten at it, and Amos had been right: He truly was lucky to be alive. The pod was made from a relatively soft and flexible material designed to absorb the shocks and impacts of an emergency escape, but it was damaged well beyond all reasonable limits. He pushed himself away from the crates and walked over to the silver-skinned pod. Its scarred surface stared back at him, defying logic. He reached out and grabbed hold of the seam that split the surface and pulled it aside so that he could see inside. The darkness of the pod's interior was complete, and the memories came flooding back, flashing through his mind in random, jumbled bursts . . .

. . . Pipes were bursting around him and people were running scared, some with a purpose and others trying to get away from the smoke that surrounded them all and rose up to cover the loud number thirty-three with a blanket of confusion . . .

. . . He saw her pod in front of him and he reached out to touch it, and then he was beside it, close enough to touch . . .

. . . A low rumble started somewhere in the distance . . .

. . . The world cleared in his vision. Her hair fluttered gently in the wind, flowing smooth as fire, dancing around her face and caressing every curve as she turned to face him . . .

. . . A breath of warm air, breathed deep into his soul, pulsing, surging, filling him with newfound strength . . .

. . . Their eyes met, and he was lost in that moment again, swimming in the deep green ocean that was her eyes, adrift for all eternity. Wisps of smoke drifted slowly between them . . .

. . . And the fire was beautiful . . .

He slammed the two halves of the pod together again and stepped back, momentarily stupefied by the sudden surge of emotion. The power of the visions had been surprising; their clarity unreal. He ran his hands through his hair and leaned against the nearest bulkhead. "Good lord, what's happening to me?" he muttered.

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A cool breeze blew through the room, and Ayeka stirred softly before waking. It was still dark outside, but there was some light reflecting off the lake that lay beyond her windows, and it filled her room with a gentle, soft light, which was of course why her bedchamber was positioned where it was. Ayeka shivered and rolled over, turning her back to the window and pulling her sheets tighter about herself.

"Please close the windows, Kamidake," she muttered. "It's cold in here." She closed her eyes and started to drift back to sleep. A moment later she heard the gentle sounds of the windows sliding shut. "Thank you," she sighed.

She breathed deeply and slowly, allowing the softness of the bed to overtake her and lull her back to sleep

"Princess Ayeka?" a gentle voice softly asked.

Still half asleep, Ayeka did not open her eyes. "Yes Sasami, what is it?"

"Open your eyes, Princess."

Ayeka moaned groggily. "Can it wait until . . . Oh! Sasami!" Her eyes flew open and she sat up so quickly that her head spun.

The child smiled at her, silhouetted against the peaceful nightscape that lay beyond the windows of Ayeka's bedchamber, and gently shook her head.

"No, not Sasami, Princess Ayeka. Or, at least, not Sasami as you know her."

Ayeka rubbed her eyes and blinked, squinting against the reflected light from the lake. The small girl in front of her took a few steps closer to the bed, and Ayeka was able to get a better look at her. She did indeed look and sound like Sasami, but there was something different about her as well. Her hair was down, and her features seemed a touch sharper; more mature. Two circles of green were neatly centered on her forehead. Ayeka gasped softly and covered her mouth as recognition dawned. The girl nodded and sat down on the edge of Ayeka's bed.

"However, you may call me Sasami if you wish," she said, "or Tsunami. Either would be correct."

Ayeka shook her head, still quite shaken and not fully aware of what was happening. "But how is this . . ." she started, looking Tsunami over, trying to separate the image of her sister from the goddess that was in front of her. "Where is Sasami?"

"She is safe, with me. We are going to try and help Washu."

Ayeka rubbed her eyes again and blinked herself fully awake. "Yes, of course," she said, sitting up straight and smoothing down her sheets. "Sasami was very worried about her."

"Yes, I know."

Ayeka sat silent for a moment, and then looked back at Tsunami. "So this is why Sasami's been acting strangely?"

Tsunami nodded.

"But I thought she had many years yet before you would assimilate?"

"As did I."

That caught Ayeka off guard slightly. "Oh? What do you mean? What is going on here, Tsunami?"

The child Tsunami rose and turned to look out the window. "I don't know."

Ayeka scoffed. "Why are you doing this then, if you don't know?"

"I had no choice. Sasami would have died if I had not merged with her at this time."

Ayeka frowned. "Isn't that what you said last time? The situation does not seem to have improved."

"I am sorry for the troubles I've caused your sister. I'm sorry there was nothing else that I could have done."

"And what about making Sasami go into fits and pass out? Are you sorry for that as well?"

Tsunami turned and looked at her. Her eyes were deep and hollow. Ayeka shrank back, the hurt on Tsunami's face making her sorry she had been sharp with her.

"That is why I had to intervene. We were in danger, and there was nothing else I could do."

"I'm sorry," Ayeka said, looking away. "I didn't mean to get angry. Thank you for helping her."

"Together, we are stronger then if we are separate. But Sasami was not yet ready for the changes assimilating with me would bring. Therefore she tried to reject me. It was very hard on her."

"Then why did you force her?"

"I had no choice." She sat down on the edge of the bed once again and turned to look out the window, thinking. "You remember the first time it happened," she said, turning back to Ayeka, "back on Earth, in your kitchen?"

"Of course."

"It was at that time that that we were the most vulnerable and that I knew something would need to be done."

"But what happened?"

"Exactly what happened I don't know, but I do know that I was attacked, and it was all I could do to fend it off. Sasami was affected as well, and that was why she passed out."

"Attacked?" Ayeka said, leaning forward. "By what? By who?"

Tsunami shrugged. "I don't know yet. After we were attacked, I was very weak, and it took me quite a while to regain my strength. I was very worried at the time that I would be attacked again, and if they had tried I fear neither Sasami or I would have survived. But they must have been weakened in the attack as well, for they didn't try again until the night of your father's celebration dinner. I was expecting another attack and was able to withstand it by assimilating with Sasami."

Ayeka sighed. "Does Sasami know all this?"

"She is starting to understand what's happening, yes."

"But you haven't told her like you're telling me?"

Tsunami smiled softly. "It would be best if you thought of us as the same being. I am Sasami, and Sasami is me. We are one now, and Sasami knows what I know, if she chooses to."

"If she chooses . . ?"

Tsunami nodded. "Like I said, Sasami was not yet ready for the assimilation, but she is beginning to accept what has happened."

Ayeka nodded and looked down at her lap. "I think I understand."

"Please remember, Princess Ayeka, even though things are different now, she is still your sister. That will never change, and neither will her love for you."

Ayeka nodded again. Tsunami smiled and looked at Ayeka kindly. She stood and took a step away from the bed. "Ryu-oh knows where we are now," she said. "You shouldn't have any problem finding us."

Ayeka looked up. "You're just a projection aren't you?"

Tsunami nodded.

"Is Miss Washu really in danger?"

Tsunami nodded again. "I'm afraid she is, but not in the way you are thinking. Mister Yakagamo is only doing what he feels is best. He doesn't want to harm her."

"Mister Yakagamo? Is he the policeman?"

"Yes."

"If he's not the problem, then why is she in danger?"

"I don't know, but I feel that whoever is after me is after her as well."

"I don't understand," Ayeka said.

"Neither do I. And that is why we are going to help her."

Ayeka shook her head and sighed. "Everything we do gets very complex, doesn't it?"

"You have to admit, it keeps things interesting," Tsunami said with a grin.

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"So what do you think of all this, Amos?" Rodger asked, kicking back in his seat. The monitors that lined the console in front of him showed an array of data detailing the status of the engine and hull repairs.

"Engine repairs should be completed within two hours, sir. Remaining hull damage can be repaired while we are underway. We will need some dry dock time after we return to headquarters, but the patches should hold until that time."

Rodger frowned at the computer unit. "That's not what I was talking about, Amos. You know that."

"I don't know that I do, sir."

"Don't be coy. I mean Shinjiro and Washu and that space pirate flying around in a Galaxy Police patrol ship and that good looking blonde detective and everything else."

"Last I knew, I wasn't allowed to think about all that."

"Don't tell me you're actually sore about all this."

"I'm just following my orders to ignore the serious breaches of company protocol that have been taking place recently. Though I don't know how you are planning on explaining the damage we have incurred, or how you are going to doctor the logs. But like I said, I'm not supposed to think about that."

Rodger sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I got us all into this mess. I really am. But I'd really like to know your take on the situation."

Rodger thought he heard Amos sigh. For an older model, the ships computer could sometimes come across as amazingly human. Rodger shuddered briefly at the thought of working on a ship with a newer interface. Amos's human tendencies could be unnerving enough, sometimes.

"Well, for one, I still believe that rescuing the Lieutenant was the right thing to do," Amos said.

Rodger chuckled. "You think I was worried about that?"

"That is the logical starting point for everything that's happened."

"Aside from the blame factor, have you come to any other conclusions?"

"It is my firm belief that the Lieutenant is suffering from some sort of mental breakdown, most likely brought about from his traumatic experience's following the destruction of the Galaxy Police headquarters. While his belief that Professor Hakubi was responsible for the release of the prisoner Kain and the subsequent destruction of headquarters may be valid, he should have consulted with the surviving G.P. command structure before pursuing any further course of action."

"And Adrian and I acted rather hastily in agreeing to help him in his pursuit."

"You said to leave out any blame. But that is one advantage to being a computer: I'm not affected by such material matters as greed."

"Thanks," Rodger muttered.

"So what do you wish to do now?"

"I say we cash in our chips and head home. But that's up to Adrian, really. Where is he, anyway?"

Amos's processors processed for a moment. "He is currently in the starboard passageway, heading for the cargo hold."

"Could you ask him to come up here? We need to talk."

"Do you want Lieutenant Yakagamo, as well?"

"No. Definitely not. Where is he, by the way?"

"He is in the cargo bay as well."

Rodger sighed. "Damn. That's all I need, for those two to get in a row."

"I'm sorry, sir, but the intercom units in the cargo bay seem to be offline. I'm running diagnostics now, but it would seem they were damaged in the explosion."

"Don't worry about it then, but keep an eye on those two, if you would."

"Yes sir."

> > >

The light from the cargo bay spilled into the passageway as the doors opened for Adrian. He blinked his eyes against the brightness and then stepped into the large room. The doors slid shut behind him and he paused, frowning up at the large boxes that filled the center of the hold.

"That should be ore," he muttered to himself as he looked from one box to the next. The logic of it all escaped him. They'd been away from home office now for over two months and should have been on their way back by now with a hold overflowing with ore samples. Instead they had boxes.

"Damn it all, anyway," he muttered, turning away from the crates. The rest of the hold was empty for the most part, with only a few small boxes of spare parts and tools scattered here and there. He saw what he was looking for against the aft bulkhead and he started across the room when a glint of light in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned and saw Shinjiro's escape pod against the opposite bulkhead, half hidden by the crates. He shook his head in disgust. The whole reason they were in the mess they were in now was because of that stupid thing. He growled quietly under his breath and started to turn away, then pulled a double-take. He took a couple steps deeper into the bay so that he could see around the boxes better. Shinjiro was back there, leaning against the bulkhead next to the pod.

He grumbled again and started toward the G.P. Officer. Shinjiro looked up as he got closer. "What're you doin' in here?" Adrian asked.

"Hello to you, too," Shinjiro replied. He shook his head and blinked, as though he were just waking up, and pushed away from the wall.

Adrian walked over to him and crossed his arms. "I asked what you were doing."

Shinjiro frowned. "I wasn't aware I was banned from the cargo bay, Captain."

Adrian growled. "Listen, wise-ass. Since we brought you on board you've been nothin' but trouble. I want to know just what the hell sort of mess you dragged us into here."

Shinjiro choked back a laugh. "Dragged? I didn't drag you into anything. I made an offer and you accepted."

"You weren't square with us."

"I told you everything I know."

"You don't know shit."

Shinjiro's eyes narrowed to slits. The two stared at each other for a moment, the space between them growing thick with tension. "Fine," Shinjiro said slowly, studying Adrian's face. "You want to know what I know?"

"Yeah."

"Then you're out of luck, buddy, 'cause you're right. I don't know shit."

Adrian scoffed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"All of this. Everything that's happened up until now. I don't know why it's happening."

"It's happening because of you," Adrian said with a scowl. "You're messed in the head, pal, and you're dragging us along for the ride."

"I never forced you to do anything."

"No, you just lied to us about what was really going on."

"I didn't lie about anything! I told you all that I knew at the time and made you guy's an offer which you then accepted."

Adrian threw up his hands. "Just a second ago you said you didn't have a clue what the hell was going on!"

Shinjiro shook his head. "I said I didn't know why this was happening. But I do know why I'm here."

"Bullshit. You don't . . ."

"I know what I saw! Damnit, she was there!"

"So what?" Adrian said. "That's not even the point. I don't care about any of that, never have. The point is you're completely out of your mind and way out of your league here. You're outgunned and outmatched on every front."

"And I told you all that from the get-go. You knew what we were up against."

Adrian shook his head. "You know what? I'm done with this. I'm through. I don't care about any of it, not even the money, which you probably don't even have. I just want you off of my ship and outa' my life."

Shinjiro nodded. "Once I've got Washu, you'll never see me again."

Adrian balked. "Oh, hell no. I just told you, I'm done. First outpost we come to, hell, the first ship we pass, you're gone. Even if I gotta cram you into that P.O.S. life pod of yours and shoot you out an airlock."

It was Shinjiro's turn to growl. "But I've still got a job to do here, whether you like it or not."

Adrian balled up his fist. "You know, pal, you're about two beats away from getting thrown out an airlock right here and now."

"I'm taking Washu to see her, and you're not stopping me."

Adrian curled his other fist, popping his knuckles in the act. "I'm sure as hell gonna' try."

Shinjiro's first punch was aimed toward Adrian's kidney, which the larger man quickly sidestepped, causing Shinjiro to overextend his reach. Adrian sent his first blow toward the base of Shinjiro's skull. Shinjiro dropped forward, using his momentum and lack of balance to roll away from Adrian's fist. He quickly twisted around and brought his head up, taking a knee and staring hard at his opponent. He smiled.

"You've got some moves, old man."

Adrian shifted his weight, taking a more open stance. "This is freakin' ridiculous, man."

"I'm not going to let you stop me."

"Have it your way, then."

Shinjiro slowly rose to his feet, and Adrian looked him over, weighing his options. He stood a head taller than Shinjiro, but all that meant was that the police officer would be faster than him; more agile - more dangerous. And he's insane, Adrian told himself, stepping to the right and slowly circling Shinjiro. He's so far off his rocker there's no tellin' what he could do.

Shinjiro leapt forward once more, this time keeping his momentum in check. Adrian sidestepped again, shifting back to the left. Shinjiro pivoted and followed Adrian as he stepped back. Adrian watched for the punch that was sure to come, dropping his arms in preparation to block while tensing to deliver his own blow. The two men's eyes locked as the adrenalin surging through their systems seemed to slow time and blur their surroundings. Shinjiro grinned. The bastard's enjoying this, Adrian thought briefly when a blur of motion below caught his attention, and he was barely able to stumble away from Shinjiro's leg sweep. Before he could regain his balance Shinjiro drove his palm directly into Adrian's sternum. His breath was driven instantly from his lungs and his heart fluttered as it missed a beat or two, and he was so stunned that he forgot to be in pain. In the next instant Shinjiro was on top of him again, but Adrianwas able to duck away from the punch and back away. Shinjiro shifted to the right and regained his stance, balancing on the balls of his feet and watching Adrian with unflinching eyes and a little half smile that spoke of self-assuredness.

Adrian regained his breath and gasped, forcing his eyes to re-focus as he brought up his fists. His arms felt like rubber, as it was almost as if his blood had stopped flowing. The dark blur that was Shinjiro sharpened and took shape once more as Adrian's body started to recover from the devastating blow it had just received.

"So what's it going to be, Captain?" Shinjiro asked. "Still want to kick me off or what?"

"More'n ever," Adrian growled. "You could've broken my ribs, you prick."

"That was kind of the idea."

> > >

"I think they've 'gotten in a row,' sir," Amos said, sliding over to where Rodger had his feet propped on he console. Rodger looked up from the monitor he'd been half-heartedly studying.

"Took 'em long enough," he muttered, dropping his feet to the deck and pushing his chair back from the console. He stretched and stood. "How long until we're clear of the asteroids?"

"Another twenty minutes," Amos said, "and the asteroids are thinning out, so it's pretty clear sailing."

"Alright," Rodger said, turning and heading for the doors. "I'm going to go and see if can't keep those two from killing each other. You've got the helm then?"

"Yes, sir."

Rodger nodded as the doors slid open. "Wish me luck, then. Oh, and you might want to get medical prepped. I've got a feeling we'll be needing it."

> > >

The fist flew at him from his blind side. It was all Adrian could do to duck away from the punch, buying him just enough time to sloppily block the jab that quickly followed. The ferocity and skill with which Shinjiro was pressing his attack surprised him, so much so that Adrian was starting to believe that Shinjiro actually meant to take him down. And with the way the fight was going, that was starting to look more and more like a possibility.

Shinjiro pressed forward again with another volley of rapid-fire jabs, most of which Adrian was able to either dodge or deflect. He swatted away the last of Shinjiro's punches and took a step back, gasping for air and quickly wiping the sweat from his brow. Shinjiro smiled crookedly as he bobbed on the balls of his feet, shaking blood back into his arms.

"Need a break, old man?" he asked.

Adrian growled and launched himself toward Shinjiro, closing the gap between them in less than two steps. The policeman barely had time to look surprised before Adrian caught him square in the chest with his shoulder and drove him back, slamming him against the cargo ramp. Shinjiro gasped as the air was forced from his lungs, and he slumped to the deck, stunned, as Adrian stepped back.

It was Adrian's turn to grin. "How'd'ya like that, you crazy bastard?"

Shinjiro started to chuckle and pushed himself up off the deck, resting on his hands and knees.

Adrian's eyes narrowed to slits, and he scowled. "Aw, screw it," he muttered, and aimed a kick toward the G.P.'s gut.

Shinjiro looked up suddenly, his eyes on fire, and before Adrian could even blink he had caught hold of the kick and was on his feet again. He shoved Adrian's foot back at the larger man, and Adrian stumbled backward, off balance. Shinjiro stared hard at Adrian, his eyes piercing and a strange, crooked smile playing across his lips. Adrian regained his balance and stared back, surprised at the sudden change in Shinjiro's demeanor. Shinjiro continued to stare at him, and then he was directly in front of Adrian, and he watched as Shinjiro cocked his head to the side and blinked wearily. In the next instant Adrian's chest seemed to explode as Shinjiro drove his palm forward once again, and he was thrown backward through the air.

He crashed down hard amongst the cargo ramp's control machinery, and the air was suddenly filled with hydraulic fluid as hoses were ripped from their fittings.

"I thought you'd put up more of a fight, you know?" Shinjiro said, slowly walking toward Adrianas oil rained down around him.

"Screw you, pal," Adriangrowled, fighting the slick deck to get back to his feet. The hydraulic hoses continued to flick through the air, hissing and whizzing as they coated the room with pale brown fluid. Shinjiro chuckled and shook his head.

"No, it's you who's screwed,"

> > >

The cargo bay doors slid open for Rodger, and it was at that moment that the seal around the cargo ramp failed from lack of hydraulic pressure. A piercing screech filled the hold as the atmosphere was sucked through the tiny gaps that formed around the ramp's perimeter, and in the next instant the ramp failed entirely. Rodger managed to grab hold of the nearest handrail as the air rushed from the compartment and lifted him off his feet. The effects of the explosive decompression struck him hard as the vortex of escaping atmosphere swirled around him, and his body suddenly felt as if it were going to explode. Behind him the boxes that filled the hold ripped from their tie downs and went flying off through the ramp opening.

The passageway doors slammed shut, and everything suddenly became very still. Rodger gasped, but there was nothing to inhale. Every inch of his body was forcing itself outward as though it were trying to rip through his skin. The only sound was the blood in his ears pounding relentlessly against his eardrums.

His strength failed him, and he let go of the handrail, and a part of him was surprised to find that he was still floating. Another part of his brain told him that it was because the gravity had failed, and yet another part of his mind told him that that was the least of his worries. His body slowly rotated in the zero-gravity, and for a moment he found himself looking out on space with his own eyes instead of through a view screen or solar-tinted window. Thousands of points of light shone back at him from beyond a field of asteroids that cast deep shadows across his vision, and then everything blurred as his eyes started to hemorrhage.

Some movement caught his attention, and he fought against the darkness that was forcing itself upon him. He slowly turned his head toward the motion and was mildly surprised to see Shinjiro walking toward him, dragging a limp Adrian behind him. The part of his mind that had told him the gravity had failed told him that he was indeed going nuts, but since he was going to die anyway why not enjoy it? Shinjiro reached out and grabbed hold of him, and Rodger had a sensation of being pulled through a sheet of warm water, followed by an immediate release of pressure. He gasped, and this time his lungs filled with air. Shinjiro helped him to his feet and propped him up.

The passageway doors opened, and they were surrounded by the vortex once again. Shinjiro shoved him forward and he crashed against the far bulkhead of the passageway. He bounced off the hard steel and felt his body being pulled once more toward the void by the torrent of rushing air. And then the doors closed, and the howling wind ceased, and he collapsed to the deck in a crumpled heap.

Rodger felt as though his body were on fire. Every part of him burned as oxygen returned to his bloodstream, and then his body went stiff as his muscles started to spasm. His head clouded and his vision darkened, and the last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was Shinjiro dropping Adrian's limp form in the middle of the passageway and turning away from them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------- -------

Katsuhito Masaki stood at the edge of the lake, watching as the moon rose above the hills, as full and bright as it had been the previous night. The moon's soft glow reflected off the surface of the water and silhouetted Funaho's branches against the backdrop of the evening valley. The night was wonderfully warm, and a soft breeze blew across the surface of the lake and toyed at his robes.

Funaho spoke to him, and the First Prince of Jurai sighed. The breeze gusted mildly for a moment, and a single leaf pulled free from one of Funaho's topmost branches. It drifted lazily toward the earth, twisting this way and that as the summer wind danced across the water. Katsuhito watched it fall until at last it touched the lake, causing little ripples to spread evenly outward.

He watched the leaf for a moment as it floated on the waters surface, than he sat down on a protruding tree root and looked up at Funaho. She spoke to him again, and this time he smiled and nodded, agreeing with the tree that had been with him for as long as he chose to remember.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"Well now that's not something you see every day," Washu said.

"I wonder where they all came from?" Mihoshi said, studying the scene carefully. Boxes of every size and variety were floating among the asteroids, and Ryo-oh-ki had slowed almost to a stop as the women surveyed the scene.

Ryoko stepped closer to the view screen and looked hard at the boxes. "Well," she said after a moment, "that one came from Seniwa, and that one from Ryuton, and that one from . . ."

"All right you, knock it off," Washu said, rapping Ryoko on the back of the head. "They must have jettisoned them from their cargo hold for some reason."

"But why would they do that?" Mihoshi asked.

Washu shrugged. "I don't know, but they can't be too far away. These boxes are all still floating pretty close together, so they haven't been here for very long."

"Yeah, but it also means they got their ship working again," Ryoko muttered, rubbing the large goose-egg Washu had given her.

"Of course they did," Washu said with a grin. "That's an old Hotaru class cargo ship they're on. You can't kill those things unless you really mean it."

"So where do you think they went, Miss Washu?" Mihoshi asked.

"Let's see, shall we?" Washu said, pulling up Ryo-oh-ki's navigation screens and running a scan of the area. Ryoko peered over her shoulder and frowned as she studied the screen.

"I don't see them anywhere."

Washu frowned, too. "There's no way they could have made it out of range by now." She turned and waged a finger at Ryo-oh-ki's control crystal. "You're just not looking hard enough."

"Hey! Don't blame this on her," Ryoko said, elbowing Washu away from the computer screen as Ryo-oh-ki's crystal bowed its head and meowed pitifully. "This is all your fault anyway, you know."

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for reminding me," Washu said, dropping into the command seat. Ryoko scanned the area a couple more times, increasing the power each time. Then she threw up her hands and deactivated the screen.

"There not out there," she said, falling backwards and floating just above the deck, her hands behind her head. "Hey! Maybe I actually did destroy them?"

"Wrong," Washu said. "We'd be finding bits and pieces of them scattered all over the place if you had. And besides, that wasn't a very good shot you know."

Ryoko crossed her legs and sat up. "It's not my fault G.P. ships don't know how to shoot," she said, pointing at Mihoshi, who pouted.

"No," Washu said, kicking back and folding her arms behind her head. "I think he's just hiding somewhere waiting for us to find him. Remember, this guy's not dumb. He left all these boxes here for us to find, knowing that we'd slow down to investigate." She smiled to herself and rapped the side of her head. "And we played right into his hands."

Ryo-oh-ki meowed and a screen popped up in front of her. She leaned forward and studied the screen for a moment, then grinned. "Well now, that didn't take long did it?"

Ryoko drifted down to look over Washu's shoulder. "What? They're here already?"

Washu gave a sharp nod and hopped out of her seat. "Yep. So all we gotta do now is . . ." she stopped short and looked over her shoulder at the view screen. "What!? No way!"

A blinding bright light exploded all around them, and they stumbled back at the intensity of the flash. Ryo-oh-ki cried out in alarm, and then just as quickly as it had arrived, the light was gone. Mihoshi lay still for a moment, blinking, before picking herself up off the floor.

"What happened?" she said, looking around in a confused daze. Ryoko was lying on the floor a few feet away from her. One of Ryo-oh-ki's crystals popped up next to Mihoshi and meowed. The view screen flashed and showed the Amos turning away from them and flying off into the asteroids. "Oh no, Miss Washu," she said, pointing at the screen. "I think they're getting away."

Ryo-oh-ki meowed again and shook her head. Mihoshi looked away from the screen and saw that Ryoko was still lying on the deck, unmoving. Washu was nowhere to be seen. Mihoshi gasped and dropped to her knees next to Ryoko. She looked her over, the scared feeling she'd had when Ryoko and Washu had collapsed the previous night returning, and then scooped her into her arms. Ryoko was limp, and her arms flopped to her sides. The gem on her wrist was glowing bright red. Mihoshi stared at it for a moment, transfixed, when Ryo-oh-ki cried out again. She looked up and saw that the Amos was now nothing more than a tiny speck on the view screen.

Mihoshi's lip started to quiver, then she bit down and blinked back the tears that were starting to blur her vision. "Ryo-oh-ki," she said, gently laying Ryoko back on the floor. "Do you know where Miss Washu is?"

Ryo-oh-ki started meowing excitedly and magnified the part of the view screen that showed the Amos. Even magnified, the ship still appeared small, it was so far away now. Mihoshi stood, nodding. "Okay then," she said, trying to keep her voice from cracking too badly, "we need to go after them."

A dozen or so crystal materialized around Ryoko. They glowed brightly for a moment, and then they and Ryoko sunk through the floor. Mihoshi watched as Ryoko disappeared, and Ryo-oh-ki meowed reassuredly. The ship started to move forward.

And then the space around them started to shimmer. Ryo-oh-ki's alarms started to flash, and then immediately ceased. Screens started popping up all around the bridge, flashing random images and jumbles of information. Mihoshi looked around her wildly. "What . . ?"

One section of the screen highlighted itself and remained steady. A portion of space in the center of the screen grew exceptionally dark, and slowly but steadily, so that Mihoshi didn't even notice at first, a halo of light surrounded the darkness. First one section of the darkness and then the next began to take on form, until finally before Mihoshi's surprised eyes there was a gleaming white starship floating in stark contrast to the blackness of space and the dull brown of the asteroids.

Mihoshi gasped. "Oh my," she whispered, "Tsunami."

End of Part 2