Believe it or not, nanotechnology does exist. Biotech robots smaller than carbon atoms - five million of which would be needed to approximate the size of the period at the end of this sentence - are used for various technological and biological purposes. Advances in the fields of medical nanotechnology and nanobiotech are particularly encouraging, and at the same time, particularly chilling. For more information, visit http://www.nano.org.uk/nano.htm _______________________________________________________________________ I thought that they were angels But to my surprise They climbed aboard their starship And headed for the skies. They said, "Come sail away Come sail away Come sail away with me." Queen, "Come Sail Away" _______________________________________________________________________ Kinmokusei Story Chapter Thirteen: Blonde Ambition by Kotetsu _______________________________________________________________________ Yaten awoke the next morning feeling weak and drained. Overall, it was an intensely relieving sensation, being drained of all of her energy. She welcomed the weak tremblings of her muscles with honest enthusiasm. With some difficulty, Yaten managed to sit up in her bed. Her hand immediately flew to the side of her head, where a mirrored earrings was entangled in her sleep-mussed silver hair. Well, she could fix that later. For the moment, she had more important things to take care of. The Queen's ceramic balls sat in a neat row on the nightstand beside her bed. Yaten wondered who had dragged her to bed last night, and who had placed the balls there. Wait, it must have been either Seiya or Taiki. No big mystery there. Darn, but she felt tired and confused. Yaten shook her head, and blinked. Time to get down to business. She stared at the balls, and concentrated. She counted slowly to thirty. Nothing happened. Her heart thumping within her chest, Yaten took a deep breath, and counted to thirty again, staring at the balls and *willing* them to begin floating and spinning as they had before-- Nothing, again. Absolutely nothing. "Yes!" She had one victory under her belt already. It was a good way to start the morning. Now, for the second test . . . Yaten closed her eyes, and turned her thoughts inward. She groped blindly, stretching her mental fingers through the darkness of her own mind, searching, seeking-- There. Anchored in the back of her mind, stretched thinner than a hair, the intangible link between her and Malathos extended backward through hundreds of light-years of space . . . It was still there. Yaten felt her stomach twist with dismay. The link was still there, but . . . she examined it carefully, feeling it with her mental fingers, sensing the miniscule amount of energy barely squeezing through its narrow passages. The distance separating her from Malathos was now so great, that only the tiniest trickle of energy was flowing into her. And that distance would keep multiplying over the next forty eight hours, until they finally arrived at Turan. Yaten tried an experimental tug at the thin thread-like energy flow-- No good. Even stretched to its limits, the link was still too strong for her to break. With a sigh of defeat, Yaten pulled her mental fingers back, opened her eyes, and forced herself to return to her senses. Even this small exercise of her empathic powers had already drained her. That was a good sign, at least. She knew that her energy level wouldn't rise out of control again anytime soon. For the time being, she was safe. Yaten yawned, stretched, and slid out of her bed. She began performing her daily morning rituals, untangling and brushing her hair, sneaking quickly in and out of the shower before either Seiya or Taiki could claim it, dressing herself and making up her face, blow-drying her hair, brushing and styling it again-- Yaten paused, staring at herself in her dresser mirror. She had taken off the mirrored earrings before she jumped into the shower; should she now put them back on? Yaten hesitated a moment, then made her decision. Yes, she might as well. She could no longer feel any discernable difference in her energy level whether she wore the earrings or not, but still, they might become useful in case of an . . . emergency. And besides, they looked good on her. "You know what you should make a hobby of, Yaten?" she asked her mirrored reflection as she continued brushing her hair. "Witchcraft. It might be fun. Especially if you could use Seiya and Taiki and guinea pigs." she made a mental amendment to her resolution. Finally satisfied that she looked presentable, Yaten emerged from her quarters. "Good morning, sleeping beauty," Taiki acknowledged her as she entered the cramped little kitchen. Taiki was already showered and dressed, and critically eyeing a piece of toast in the toaster. "Did you sleep well?" "I'm fine," Yaten answered the unspoken question behind Taiki's casual inquiry. "I tried the balls. I couldn't even get them to wobble." "And . . . ?" "I still can't break the link. It's still there. But it's small enough to be negligible." "That's what I was counting on." Satisfied with the browned crust of her toast, Taiki popped it up and out of the toaster. "How's your tongue doing?" "Fine." But Yaten winced at the reminder. She needed to wash her mouth out with salt water. Yuck. "Where's Seiya?" "Still asleep." Yaten's stomach rumbled. "Got anything else to eat?" "Plenty. The refrigeration unit is fully stocked." Stepping around Taiki, Yaten began rummaging through the fridge. She wanted fruit. Where were the greenberries? There, hiding behind a pitcher of juice. "Hey, what exactly are we going to do all day today?" she asked Taiki as she popped her head back out of the fridge. "Whatever. The Subspace netlink is working; you can download magazines and newspapers to read. We get free Subspace cable. We could watch a movie. Seiya brought her guitar. We're scheduled to contact Kakyuu for a status report at thirteen hundred hours. Other than that, it's just a matter of staving off boredom for today and tomorrow. It shouldn't be that difficult." "Says you." Yaten made a face. It was easy for Taiki to avoid boredom; she could become utterly engrossed and fascinated by the most boring literature ever conceived in the history of the galaxy. Yaten did not doubt that Taiki had packed a thick stack of books for the trip, all titled with words and phrases that Yaten herself couldn't ever begin to even pronounce, let alone comprehend. Yaten suddenly wondered if she had remembered to bring along her sketchbook and pencils; yes, she realized with a mental sigh of relief, she had indeed. They were sitting at the bottom of her luggage. "You know, I feel just like a kid on a long car trip," she mused aloud as she munched on her greenberries. "When is Seiya planning on getting up?" "Whenever she feels like it." "No; I think I shall go wake her myself." Yaten stepped out of the tiny kitchen. "It's not healthy to sleep for too long. She'll give herself a headache." "You know," Taiki countered from within the kitchen, "you're normally the one who sleeps more than either of the two of us." "I need my beauty sleep," Yaten sniffed defensively as she trudged down the passageway toward Seiya's quarters. The truth was that she was already feeling boredom and claustrophobia setting in. She had always counted on Seiya to perk up her spirits and provide a little spontaneous excitement in her life. Now was really no different. Unfortunately, Yaten never made it to Seiya's bedroom. A sudden flash of brilliant light caused Yaten to stop cold in her tracks. And then, less than a nanosecond later-- "WAAAAAGH! LOOK OUT!!!" Someone, or something, teleported right on top of her. Yaten knew this only because she felt herself suddenly thrown down to the floor and crushed by a terrible weight. "OOF!" she gasped with pain and surprise as her body slammed into the ground. Instantly, she began panicking and struggling to claw her way out from underneath the unexpected intruder; her lungs were being squashed, and she was gasping for air. The person on top of her, equally as panicked and startled, began trying to scramble away from her, but somehow only succeeded in ungracefully tangling her arms and legs with Yaten's limbs. "Geh offa me!" Yaten growled. The intruder paused, shifting her familiar warm weight against Yaten's back. "Yaten-chan? Is that really you?" Yaten froze, every hair on her body standing on end. The intruder's voice was . . . horribly . . . terribly . . . familiar . . . Yaten twisted her head upward. A pair of large blue eyes, framed by wildly mussed locks of golden blonde hair, met Yaten's startled gaze with a gasp of equal surprise. "Yaten-chan . . . ?" "Minako-chan . . . ?" Aino Minako suddenly thrust her feet downward and kicked herself off of Yaten's back. She turned and rolled on the floor with easy athletic grace, then stopped, stood up, brushed herself off, and turned to face Yaten, a small, indiscernible smile dancing across her lips. "Wow, I can't believe that really worked!" By this time, Yaten had also managed to collect herself and stand upright. But she wasn't smiling. In fact, she was furious. "Minako-chan . . . what . . . in . . . bloody . . . hell . . . do . . . you . . . THINK . . . YOU'RE . . . DOING?!?!?!" Yaten's scream, of course, spontaneously woke up Seiya and caused her to bolt out of her bedroom and down the passageway toward the source of the problem. Taiki, too, came rushing out of the kitchen, only to stop and stare open-mouthed at the sight before her. As the other two Lights stared, Minako cocked her head cheerfully at Yaten and answered her question. "Why, I was teleporting, silly." "YOU TELEPORTED INTO *SUBSPACE*?!?!" "Oh, is that where we are? Well, gee, I was only concentrating on YOU, Yaten-chan, and I told my heart to take me wherever YOU were." "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?!?!" "Of course not. Ara, ara, Yaten-chan, you need to calm down. I'm sorry that I fell on you, but there's no reason to be angry about it." Yaten paused, staring with wide, disbelieving eyes at Minako. She was wearing a perky yellow sundress and sandals, and over her shoulder was slung . . . a very large . . . sports bag. Yes, a very large sports bag. One that was probably filled with clothing, toiletries, a camera, dozens of rolls of film, a portable CD player, batteries, and a travel alarm clock-- "No." Yaten shook her head. "No way, Minako-chan, you are *not* going to pull this stunt now--" "EXCUSE ME," Taiki suddenly said very loudly, "but I believe that Aino-san owes us all a bit of an explanation." Seiya yawned sleepily. "Did I miss something important?" Minako blinked, turning her head around quickly, observing the faces of the three Senshi surrounding her. Her cheerful smile never faltered, not even for a moment. "Yaten-chan promised that she would take me on a spaceship someday. I figured that right now was as good of a time as any. I know that you three are supposed to fighting a new enemy, and that I'm not supposed to visit you anymore, if you say it's too dangerous . . . But I missed Yaten-chan so terribly, and I know that the enemy isn't HERE on this spaceship, so I figured this might be the only safe time I have to visit you for a long time--" "You are *not* coming along on this trip with us," Yaten stated flatly. Minako rested her hands on her hips. "And why not?!" "For one thing, we're expected to take at least a week, maybe longer, just to complete the trip," Taiki said calmly, diplomatically. "If you're gone for that long, you'll be missed on Earth." "Nope! I've got a cover story!" Minako produced a colorful paper flyer from out of thin air. She held it up for their inspection. "See? Pine Trails Summer Camp! My mother kept telling me that it would be *such* a good idea for me to go to camp this summer, but of course, I told her that I didn't want to . . . until last night, when I changed my mind, and convinced her that she had finally persuaded me at the last possible minute. The camp starts today, and ends in two weeks. So I have plenty of time free until then. And it's not like my stupid mom expects me to call or write or anything--" "What about the others?" Taiki interjected. "Huh?" "Tsukino-san. Mizuno-san. Tenou-san. Especially Tenou-san." Taiki winced, imagining Haruka Tenou's wrath. "Won't they miss you, too?" "I told Usagi-chan, Ami-chan, Rei-chan, and Mako-chan the truth. I told them that I was Aino Minako, Intergalactic Reporter Woman, and that I was going to do a special investigative report on the whereabouts and doings of the long- missing Three Lights." "I-I-Intergalactic R-R-Reporter Woman?!" Yaten stuttered incredulously. "What about Tenou-san and Kaiou-san?" Minako shrugged. "They'll find out when they find out. I'll bring them back some nice souvenirs." "What about Artemis?" Yaten snapped. "I left him with Usagi-chan." "You'll fall behind with your schoolwork." "It's our vacation season. Duh." "This is too dangerous!" "Don't lie to me, Yaten-chan! This isn't intended to be a dangerous mission, is it?" Seiya yawned again, stretching her arms above her head. "Hey, Yaten . . . did she say you *promised* to take her along on this trip?" Yaten flushed, angry and embarrassed. "No, I never said . . . I promised to take her on a spaceship during peacetime . . . sometime in the future . . . but not now . . . " She was growing flustered, struggling to form words. "We can't . . . There's no way . . . She's from a pre-Subspace planet, and we're not allowed to . . . " Taiki was eyeing Minako thoughtfully, something strange and mischievous twinkling in her violet eyes. "Miss Aino, you've never been in space before, have you?" "Not beyond the Earth or the moon, no." "Is that why you wanted to accompany us on this journey?" "YES!" Minako burst out suddenly. "You three are part of a whole WORLD that I never even imagined, and here you go blasting off in your spaceship to travel to an alien world and meet all kinds of weird space creatures, while I'M stuck back on Earth living a boring old existence as plain old terrestrian girl Aino Minako, and darnit, I just want the chance to be Aino Minako, Intergalactic Reporter Woman for once!!!!!" "You think this is *exciting*?!" Yaten asked incredulously. "You think that this is some sort of daring or adventurous space journey we're undertaking?! Minako-chan, this is nothing but a boring, dull, cut-and-dried diplomatic mission!" "Which is EXACTLY why it's perfect for me to tag along," Minako countered. "It will be my first introduction to galactic society, without having to face danger or peril. Right, Yaten-chan?" Yaten's mouth fell open, but try as she might, she could not form any words. She stood, silent and shocked, staring at Minako with impossibly wide emerald eyes. Taiki turned toward Yaten, the same mischievous twinkle still glittering in her eyes. "You know, Yaten . . . Since she *is* a Sailor Senshi, and from the Sol system at that, the normal travel restrictions on pre-Subspace citizens don't apply to her . . . It's just a matter of us downloading the proper paperwork forms off the Subspace net, and filling them out to get her travel clearance." "No . . . " Yaten shook her head with disbelief, staring at Taiki. "No, I can't believe it . . . you of all people . . . how can you let her get away with this?!" "Yaten-chan," Minako said, softly, gently, stepping toward the silver- haired girl, "You know that you're very important to me, and . . . someday, I would like for us to be able to spend, you know, a lot more time together. But to do that . . . For me to be able to travel to your planet, and to stay by your side when you are also journeying to other planets throughout the galaxy . . . If I want to be able to do that, to stay with you in your world of Subspace travel and intergalactic civilizations and alien life forms, I CAN'T just remain an ignorant girl from Earth. It's sort of like . . . um . . . like the city mouse and the country mouse. Did you ever hear of that story? Well, you're kind of like the city mouse. And right now, I'm the country mouse. I've never traveled on a spaceship, I've never met an alien other than you, and I can't even begin to imagine what living in an intergalactic society that accepts both science fiction and pure magic as actual fact must be like. You know, I've had to hide my identity as Sailor Venus all my life. We Earthlings just don't believe in magical superpowered Sailor Senshi warriors. It's because we're a planet full of naive and inexperienced country mice. But you three have been public about your identities from day one, because you live in a totally different world than the one that I live in. I'll admit that I'm a bit jealous, Yaten-chan, but more importantly . . . I want to be with you. In *your* world. I want to be a city mouse, not a country mouse. But in order for that to happen, I need to start experiencing what you experience, and I need to start spending more time at your side." She took another step forward, and grasped Yaten's trembling hands in her own. Her eyes were so loving and trusting, that it almost broke Yaten's heart. "So, Yaten-chan, will you do this with me? Will you lead me on my first journey through space? It would mean so much to me, Yaten-chan, more than you can ever imagine." Minako's eye pleaded, silently. Yaten could feel her knees trembling beneath her. Minako leaned forward, her face hovering inches away from Yaten, her eyes boring into Yaten's emerald orbs. "Yaten-chan . . . I know what you're thinking. There's always the possibility of danger, isn't there? But it's not likely. You have to admit that. And if something *does* happen . . . Remember, I'm a Sailor Senshi, just like you. I can fight, and I can protect myself. Okay?" Gazing into those eager sapphire eyes, Yaten felt the last of her will to resist evaporate into thin air. She closed her eyes, and sighed. "All right, Minako-chan. All right. You can stay with us until we return to Kinmoku. But then you absolutely MUST leave. Understood?" "HAI! WAKARU!!" Minako crushed Yaten in a joyous bear hug as she jumped up and down and squealed with delight. Her sports bag thumped and bounced against her back, and Yaten struggled and gasped for air, but she didn't care. "I'M GOING ON A SPACESHIP WITH YATEN-CHAN! I'M GOING ON A SPACESHIP WITH YATEN- CHAN!" Seiya stumbled around the two of them, finally making it to Taiki's side. "You don't object to this?!" "Absolutely not." "Good." Seiya grinned. "Neither do I." "There are even two extra rooms on board. Minako can take one of them. The passport papers will only take a few moments for her to fill out. Her name was mentioned several times in the Sol Report, so we should have no trouble getting her clearance. We must report this to the Queen, but I doubt she will object. And . . . " Taiki sucked in her breath sharply, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, dear." "What?" At that moment, Yaten finally broke free of Minako's embrace, and stumbled away from her, gasping for air. "Minako-chan, you have to calm down!" "But Yaten-chan, I'm just so excited about everything!!" Then she noticed the look on Taiki's face, and for the first time, her cheerful smile faltered. "What's wrong?" "You don't, by any chance," Taiki began slowly, "happen to be able to read or speak Galactic Standard, do you?" "Galactic what?" Yaten and Seiya's eyes met. "Translator chips," they said in unison. Taiki sighed wearily. "This is going to be painful." Seiya's hands flew to her throat, and she grimaced. "Wow, Minako. I am SO glad that I'm not you right now." Minako glanced from one pitying face to the other, confusion and fear beginning to show in her expression. "What? What are you talking about?!" Taiki turned away from them. "I shall make the necessary preparations," she said as she walked away. "Huh?" Minako grabbed Yaten's hand and pulled Yaten toward her. "Yaten- chan, tell me what's going on!" "Well," Yaten began slowly, "Minako-chan, you can only speak Japanese--" "--And English!" "Yes, and English too, but . . . nobody outside of the planet Earth speaks either of those languages. Most of us speak Galactic Standard. The Principle of Senshi Communication means that you're okay right now, but when we arrive at Turan, you won't understand a word of what anybody's saying to you, and nobody else will understand a word out of your mouth--" "Like this," Seiya interjected. The other two turned and stared at her, and saw that she was pointing to the framed emergency exit plan mounted on the wall behind her. "Minako, can you understand a word of that?" Minako squinted, peering at the strange alien symbols that danced across the sign. "Ugh, no. What *is* that?!" "That's Galactic Standard." "Oh." Minako paled. "Don't worry. It's not a problem." "How so?" Taiki suddenly appeared again, hovering over Minako's other shoulder, a stack of CDs balanced in her arms. "Lucky for you, I kept a collection of electronic encyclopedias and dictionaries from every planet that we ever visited as the Three Lights." Minako rolled her eyes, trying to hide her nervousness. "Why am I *not* surprised?!" Taiki was walking away from them again, this time in the opposite direction. "I'll just download all the data off the Japanese dictionary into the ship's computer," she called over her shoulder as she went. "It can encode a pair of translator chips in no time." "Translator chips?!" "One here," Yaten said as she laid her finger gently against Minako's throat, "in your vocal cords. And one here . . . " She lightly danced the fingers of her other hand across the base of Minako's skull, "in your brain. To control the auditory and visual input." "No way! Is that SAFE?!" Seiya and Yaten shrugged. "Well, uhm, how are they supposed to get IN there?!" "That," said Seiya ominously, "is where the really, really long needles come in." The color drained from Minako's cheeks, and her knees trembled. "Oh, Kami- sama," she gasped faintly. "Get a grip, Minako-chan," Yaten elbowed her sharply. "You said that you wanted to be a city mouse, whatever that means. Well, this is just the very first step." "How . . . how exactly does it work?" "I dunno. Ask Taiki." "TAIKI-SAAAAAN!" Minako suddenly bowled over a very startled Yaten in her mad rush in the direction that she had seen Taiki go. She pounded down the passageways of the unfamiliar spaceship, her breath catching in her throat as she ran. "TAIKI-SAAAAN, TELL ME HOW IT WORKS!!!" "How what works, Aino-san?" Minako ground to a sudden halt. She had reached a dead end, the storage room that held the main processing unit of the shipboard computer. Taiki was sitting on a stool next to a glowing monitor, her glasses perched on the edge of her nose, the paraphernalia from an opened medical supply kit neatly balanced in all the nooks and crannies of the massive computer unit surrounding her. An opened box of empty syringes, a bottle of disinfectant, cotton swabs, and a red biohazard disposal unit decorated the room. Taiki was, at the moment of Minako's entrance, carefully cleaning the tip of the longest-looking syringe needle Minako had ever seen in her life. Minako gulped, her voice growing suddenly fainter. "Um, how the translator chips work." "The two are linked electronically to the verbal, visual, and auditory centers of your brain," Taiki began explaining absentmindedly as she typed a few commands into the keyboard in front of her, and then resumed carefully cleaning her syringe. "One will be embedded in the base of your cerebrum." "How will it get there?!" "Get where?" "In my brain! I have a skull, you know." "The nanochip is probably more accurately described as a nanobot; it can navigate through the natural porous structures in your bone material, and it can burrow through your capillaries without causing any discernable damage. You realize, of course, that these particular nanochips are no larger in width than a single strand of human DNA." "Oh." "It will be programmed to receive input data from hundreds of known and recognized languages, including Galactic Standard. It will process the information from your senses as you read and listen to the languages around you, but it will convert the input data to a different set of electrochemical signals, which your brain will understand as Japanese. Another chip will be embedded near your vocal cords. It will receive electronic commands from your brain as you order yourself to speak, but it will convert the electronic signals from your brain into a different set of signals that stimulate the muscles in your vocal cords to form syllables and words consistent with Galactic Standard dialect." She paused, hesitant. "Programming the chips with Japanese, however, is a bit of an experimental procedure . . . I can't guarantee that the results will be one hundred percent effective. But that's always the risk you take, programming a language for the first time. The chips will be flawed, but they'll be better than nothing." "But . . . But can they be removed?! I mean, what about when I go home to Mom--?!" "They can't be removed, but they can be switched on and off. I can show you how." Taiki paused, lifting her eyes to peer at Minako thoughtfully through her glasses. "Aino-san, just exactly how much has Yaten told you about our current mission?" "Nothing, really. She said it was a 'business trip.' And just call me Minako." "How much as Yaten told you about what's been happening on our planet during this past month?" "A lot. She called me right after the first youma battle, remember? And a few times after that. But I haven't been updated in . . . oh, about a week." "So she didn't tell you what happened to her the day before yesterday?" "No. What happened?!" At that very moment, Kou Yaten suddenly popped her head into the room. "Minako-chan, you have to learn some better manners," she scowled sullenly. "You've single-handedly managed to knock me to the floor twice in the past five minutes." "Gee, I'm sorry, Yaten-chan." Suddenly Minako gasped, hopping toward Yaten excitedly. "Hey, what's that in your MOUTH?!" "Oh, this?" Yaten stuck out her tongue, and then quickly pulled it back in. "I pierced it." "WHEN?!" "Two days ago." "WHY?!" "Um, would you believe me if I said . . . witchcraft?" Minako squealed with delight. "Oh, Yaten-chan, you have so much that you need to share with me!!" "I think the more accurate description of the situation," Taiki murmured softly to herself, "is that Yaten has a lot of *explaining* to do." She tested the tip of the syringe needle on the ball of her thumb. Very sharp, and yet still large enough to squeeze the impossibly microscopic nanochips into Minako's body. Perfect. Taiki whirled around in her seat, holding the syringe carefully in one hand. "Oh, Minaaaako-chaaan," she called in a sing-song voice. "What?" "I have a treat for you. It's a lollipop." Minako scowled. "That's not funny." Then she sighed with resignation. "All right. But let's make it quick. I just want this to be over with." It did go quickly, and there was no blood. There was no screaming, either, which Minako was very proud of. But there was, however, a lot of pain. And afterwards, rubbing her sore throat and the sore spot at the base of her skull, Minako sat down with Yaten in the ship's lounge and had a very, very long talk with her. Now freshly showered and dressed, Seiya hovered outside the lounge and eavesdropped on the conversation. She pressed her ear against the door, listening quietly. Taiki was walking down the main passageway of the ship, her nose buried in a book, when she paused next to the lounge, eyeing Seiya curiously as she crouched near the base of the door, pressing her ear against it. "Interesting conversation?" Taiki asked nonchalantly. "Yes. They're cute when they're together." "How much is she telling Minako?" "Everything. She's coming clean about everything. Except . . . " Seiya frowned, her brow furrowing. "Except the fact that she might be PK. But that's because she herself doesn't even know it yet." Seiya turned toward Taiki, her face pale and worried. "Should we . . . ?" "No." Taiki didn't like the sound of the word as it escaped her lips, but she said it anyway. "No, we mustn't tell Minako. First, I doubt that she will be able to keep it a secret from Yaten. The two are too closely linked. Second, there's no need for her to know. She would just panic, and then she wouldn't be able to enjoy this trip. As long as there's no danger of reoccurrence, we must keep our lips sealed." Seiya slumped against the door, almost wearily. "I hate this. I hate keeping secrets like this. It's wrong." "We must obey the mandates of duty and necessity." "Yes, but . . . " "This is an order from your Queen, Seiya." "Right." Seiya closed her eyes. "I know." Taiki left her like that, slumped against the door, still eavesdropping somewhat, but her mind mostly occupied with other worries. ******************** ----Slowly . . . So slowly . . . ---- The Master was complaining again. Reynard grimaced, trying in vain to concentrate on the arcane magical text that he was pouring over. Delilah pressed a hand to her ear, as if she were really hearing the Master's voice being spoken to her verbally, instead of just echoing inside her head. She hovered over Reynard's shoulder, peering at the text curiously. "Find anything useful?" "Nothing. I can't break the link no matter how many spells I try." ----And yet, that cursed girl slowly drains me.---- "They've gone far away, haven't they?" Delilah whispered to Reynard. "I can feel it. A vast distance separates us." ----But the drain has not ceased.---- "I know, Master. I am aware." ----It *hurts*. It BURNS me!---- "I feel your pain, Master," Reynard tried vainly to soothe Malathos. ----YOU MUST WORK FASTER!---- "I'm working as fast as I can, Master." ----FASTERRRR!!!---- Delilah flinched, covering her ears and choking back a terrified sob. Reynard sighed. It was definitely going to be a long night. ******************** The hours wore on. And Aino Minako discovered Subspace television networks. "OH MY GOD, YATEN-CHAN, YOU *HAVE* TO COME LOOK AT THIS!!!" Minako squealed as she jumped up and down in front of the glowing television set. "I FOUND THE HOME SHOPPING NETWORK!!!" Yaten, who was already sitting on the couch behind Minako, and who had already been staring at the television for the past fifteen minutes while Minako tirelessly channel surfed, could not comprehend a single reason why Minako was justified in screaming at her in such a manner. "So, what? It's mostly rip- offs." "I know. But I wanna watch anyway." Minako plopped herself down on the couch beside Yaten, crossing her legs daintily. She was attempting to appear like an adult, if only for a second. During the past few hours that she had spent on the spaceship with Yaten, she had felt like a small child in a candy store. Everything that she saw and touched was something new and wondrous. The Subspace radio, the AI shipboard computer, any and all pictures of distant planets and alien civilizations in the books that Taiki had brought along . . . Everything was new and exciting, and she felt less and less like a country mouse every minute. " . . . Nineteen carat genuine carbon diamonds from the core of Algor Six, mounted on hand-carved jade studs . . . " The television blared. Of course, at least to Minako's ears, the announcer spoke dictionary-perfect Japanese. And as she squinted at the television screen, the incomprehensible alien text that glowed on it flickered for a moment, then formed into kanji and hiragana right before her eyes. "Ne, Yaten-chan . . . " Minako waved her hand in front of her eyes, still unused to the alien technology embedded in her brain. "Do the translator chips ever scare you?" "No. Why?" "Well, have *you* ever had one?" "I've never needed one." "You know what these translator chips are, really? They're like . . . a form of mind control." " . . . " "That's what it is, isn't it?" "Of course not. Don't be silly." "But the technology could be used--" "That," Yaten interjected solemnly, "would constitute a first degree felony of the Intergalactic kind. The punishments are surely severe enough to deter all but the most dedicated criminals. Lifetime banishment to the gulags in the Core worlds, or in some systems, even execution and death." "But the technology exists." "Yes, it exists. You're using it right now." Yaten paused. "It's been done before, you know. You're not the first one to come up with that idea. But it's because of past experiences that the legal consequences are so strict. And besides," she said as she shrugged, "if you *really* want to control someone's mind, it's much easier to just use magic or enchantment." "Wow. There's still so much about this galaxy that I just don't know." She reached over toward Yaten, and began playing with the mirrors dangling from Yaten's ears. "These look good on you. Have I told you that yet?" "No. But I appreciate it." Yaten closed her eyes and relaxed, leaning slightly into Minako's shoulder. " . . . It slices! It dices! It minces an entire Cheridian rock-gourd in less than fifteen seconds! . . . " The television blared on. Somewhere within the ship, a clock chimed softly. One. Two. Three . . . Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. "Sixteen hundred hours." Yaten opened her eyes, and sighed. "Time for the news." "Of course it is." From out of nowhere, Taiki appeared and gracefully sat herself down on the couch next to Minako. She snatched the remote from Minako's other hand, and began clicking backward through the channels. "Hey, I was watching that!" Minako protested. "Yes, but I watch the news every day at sixteen hundred hours," Taiki countered calmly. She finally reached the appropriate channel, and as self- important introductory music filled the lounge and the news program's title flashed across the television screen, Taiki set down the remote on a nearby coffee table, and settled herself comfortably into the couch. She turned her head toward a pouting Minako. "You should make a habit of watching the new every day," she lectured. "It's important to know what's going on the galaxy." Minako shrugged. "I guess its okay, as long as the newscasters are cute." But the face of the newscaster that suddenly filled the television screen was very much not cute. "AAAGH!" Minako shrieked. "HE HAS PURPLE SKIN!!!" "You don't say," Taiki and Yaten muttered in droll, dry unison. "But Yaten-chan said that all aliens looked like us!" "ALMOST all," Yaten corrected. The newscaster indeed would have appeared as a perfectly normal, middle- aged human male wearing a double-breasted suit and a bad toupee, had not his skin been colored a deep, rich indigo color. "The five-day hostage crisis in Liberia Edipo ended on a tragic note today," the newscaster began in his deep, solemn, serious voice, "as government terrorists executed all fourteen hostages and then detonated a suicide bomb, destroying the embassy building which had served as their base . . ." "The news is always so depressing," Yaten grumbled. "I don't know how you can stand it, Taiki." "Oh, my," Minako gasped softly. "Oh, Kami-sama. I didn't know . . . " "You didn't know what, Minako-chan?" "This may sound stupid, but . . . " Minako looked down at her hands, which were clenched into tight fists and resting on her legs. "I guess I sort of assumed that your world never had problems like that." "You have evil youma, undead creatures, and dark magic users in the galaxy," Taiki shrugged, "so why not have evil people, too?" "Oh." Minako felt naive and childish. Her logic had been based on an immature assumption; Taiki's logic, however, was horribly cold, but horribly flawless. Minako looked down at her hands, and said nothing. And then, suddenly, she felt Yaten's arm wrap around her shoulders. She looked up, and found herself staring into Yaten's emerald eyes, shining with more warmth, sympathy, and understanding than she had ever seen coming from the her before. Yaten laid her other hand gently down on top of Minako's trembling fists. "The galaxy really isn't such a bad place," she whispered softly, "as long as there are people like you in it." "Yaten-chan . . ." Minako could feel a blush creeping up her neck and across her cheeks. She was so close to Yaten's beautiful, warm, loving face . . . They were hovering just centimeters away from each other. "Do you really mean that?" "Minako-chan, that's what I *count on* every day," Yaten hissed fiercely, passionately. With her arm across Minako's back, Yaten pushed gently . . . Minako closed her eyes and relaxed into the other girl's embrace, leaning forward, her body trembling, her lips burning and tingling with anticipation-- "Hey!" Taiki snapped. "I'm trying to watch TV here." And with that, Yaten suddenly pulled herself away from Minako. "Not a romantic bone in your body," she grumbled as she glowered at Taiki. Very calmly, but very coldly, Taiki returned the glare. "When Seiya and I - and even Kakyuu now, mind you - agreed to allow Aino-san to stay onboard this ship, we did not expect there to be any . . . illicit business between you two. Really now, Yaten, I thought that you were more responsible than that." "Ara, ara, look at that!" Minako laughed nervously and pointed toward the television. "Some protestors are chaining themselves to those weird old trees! Isn't that silly?!" It was a transparent attempt to diffuse the tension in the room, but both Taiki and Yaten grudgingly allowed it to work. Their eyes met, for a brief moment; then they turned away from each other, and resumed staring sullenly at the glowing television. The news rolled on, and all three watched in uneasy silence. Technology stocks were rising through the roof. There was an epidemic increase in the youma population of the Crownin system. The Galactic Union was sending peacekeeping troops into the Forrester System. Forrester Three was trying to start a war with Forrester Two again. Sea monsters were plaguing the planetary navy on Reus One; the Sailor Senshi of the Reus system were sent to look into it. The sports scores began scrolling across the screen, but most of the games mentioned were bizarre and exotic titles that Minako had never heard of before. Then a political commentator with a bizarre orange-spiked hairstyle began lecturing in a nasal monotone voice. Minako felt her eyes beginning to glaze over . . . "In other news, from the Alpha quadrant," the purple-skinned newscaster spoke as he returned to the screen, "last week's report about Katrina Julestein's accusations of sexual harassment and assault against the Planetary Police officer that pulled her over for a speeding ticket two months ago, one former officer Danforth Hergesson, has led four other women from the Marinus system to come forward with similar stories about the same Officer Hergesson." Minako sucked in her breath sharply. "Ouch," Yaten commented. "There goes *his* career and reputation." The news broadcast switched to a live reporter, a rather normal-looking female human with carefully coifed dyed red hair, too much eye makeup, and brilliantly white, shining teeth. "Thank you, Patrik. I'm here reporting from ground zero of the scandal that has rocked the entire system, the Planetary Police headquarters at Marinus Two. With me is Gloria Snell, who is one of several women on a growing list of accusers against Hergesson." The camera panned over to Gloria - a lovely, petite young woman with sorrowful dark eyes and pale, pinched features. Her voice trembled as she told her story, while the carefully coifed reporter held out a microphone and nodded sympathetically. "He just pulled me over for a speeding ticket," Gloria began, "and I didn't have my license with me, because I had l-l-left my purse at home. He . . . He told me to get into his car, because he n-n-n-needed to t-t-take me to the s-s-s-s-station . . . " Tears began rolling down her colorless cheeks. "Instead, he drove me to this . . . p-p-p-p-place i-in the w-w-w-woods . . . Said that if I did him, there would be no ticket . . . I cried and said I would take the ticket . . . But he just l-l-l-laughed a-a-a-at m-m-m-m-me . . . And then he r-r-r-raped--" The television suddenly clicked off, and fell dark and silent. Taiki stood up quickly, the remote clenched tightly in her hand, her thumb still pressed down on the 'off' button. "Excuse me. I have to go now," she said in a strangely subdued, quiet voice. Without saying another word, she set the remote back down on the coffee table, and left, walked quickly and tensely down the passageway away from the lounge. Yaten hesitated for about a nanosecond, then suddenly jumped up off the couch. "Taiki, wait!" "Yaten-chan!" Minako reached out, wrapping both her hands around Yaten's wrist. "Yaten-chan, what's going on?!" "I don't know!" Yaten flapped her free hand uselessly in the air, frustrated, angry, and confused. "Let me go, Minako-chan! I have to go after her!" "Demo, Yaten-chan . . . " Minako paused, suddenly afraid to make eye contact with Yaten. She suddenly felt selfish, and childish. She didn't want Yaten to leave her all alone in the middle of the strange alien spaceship; she didn't want Yaten to leave her side, period. But she knew, and she understood - on some vague, instinctive, primitive level - or was it on an empathic level? - that Yaten needed to be with her friend. Minako felt her hands sliding away from Yaten's wrist, and they fell limply by her sides. "I'm sorry," she mumbled apologetically. "I'll be right back," Yaten assured her as she sprang away from the couch. "Taiki, wait!" she called out again. Aino Minako listened to Yaten's footsteps pounding down the hallway, receding away from her. She sat in contemplative silence for a moment; then, with a sigh, she picked up the remote, and switched back on the television. She clicked upward through the channels until she found the shopping network again. ******************** Taiki mentally cursed her foul luck in fifteen different languages when she stalked into the kitchen and found Seiya already there, and drinking milk from the carton, no less. Seiya took one look at Taiki's face, and before Taiki even had time to turn around and escape, slammed down the milk carton and cried out, "What's WRONG?!" "Nothing." All she had wanted was a drink of something alcoholic to clear her head; instead, now she would have to fend off Seiya's meddling questions. "Liar." "Excuse me?!" "You're lying to me!" If Seiya's voice had been merely accusatory, Taiki would have been able to handle it; but instead, Seiya sounded only hurt and confused. Seiya lowered her eyes, squeezing the milk carton between her hands. "I may not be Yaten, but I can feel it when you're hurt or in pain," she said softly. "And when you're in pain, then I feel pain, too. Because that's just the way we are, isn't it? All three of us, linked together, feeling and sharing the same things, right? I don't want . . . " Her breath caught in her throat, but she forced herself to continue. "I don't want it to be the way that it was on Earth. I don't want there to be fighting, or secrets, or misunderstandings, between us. I want us to be, you know, together. United. Because we're stronger, and *better*, that way." "Seiya . . . " Taiki turned away from her, shoulders slumping slightly. "You always were too innocent for your own good." The chiming of mirrored earrings announced Yaten's arrival. "But I, however, am *not* innocent." She stood, blocking the only exit from the tiny kitchen, her arms crossed stubbornly across her chest. "Are you going to come clean with us, or what?" Taiki stepped forward, towering over the petite silver-haired girl. "Move out of my way. I want to go." "You're mentally blocking me again, aren't you?" "That's my choice, and well within my rights." "It makes me wonder," Yaten said, idly yet coldly at the same time, "what exactly you're hiding from me." Seiya had been watching the confrontation with growing horror, and she had finally had enough. "Taiki! Yaten! Stop this right now!" The long-missing undertone of authority was back in her voice; for the first time since the youma battles had begun in earnest, Seiya could feel the familiar mantle of leadership settling back onto her shoulders. Unfortunately, both Taiki and Yaten chose to ignore her. Taiki advanced another menacing step toward Yaten. "Don't make me push you." "Ara, ara, ara," Yaten whispered softly, actually advancing a voluptuous step forward, a smug smile dancing across her face. It was Japanese, Seiya realized with mounting apprehension. She hadn't heard Yaten speak Japanese in over a year. Taiki stumbled backward, her bravado suddenly deserting her, almost cowering away from Yaten's gaze. Yaten took another step forward, skirts swishing, eyes flashing sharply, mirrored earrings chiming softly as they dangled from her ears. In that moment, Seiya had never seen Yaten look so much like a witch before. "Ima . . . Wakaru." Yaten advanced forward, another step. Now, she didn't even look human anymore. To Seiya, she looked like a cat with a mouse caught in its paws, grinning evilly as it casually batted around the terrified creature between its paws. Taiki stumbled backward again, bumping into Seiya. "Stop it!" "But, Taiki . . . you've . . . been . . ." "I SAID STOP IT!" Taiki clutched at Seiya's shoulders desperately, seeking protection. But Seiya could only stare at her, dumbfounded and horrified. "You HAVE to admit it, Taiki! You HAVE to tell us the truth!" And, just like that, Yaten dropped her confident facade, and her face almost shattered with grief and anger. The smug, knowing smile vanished completely, and tears were spilling from the corners of her eyes. "You just CAN'T keep something like that A SECRET from us!!" "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Taiki was still clutching at Seiya's shoulders, her eyes wide and panicked, her frantic gaze darting from side to side and up and down across the entire kitchen, desperately searching for an escape. She was like a cornered animal in her last extremity, still blindly and mindlessly denying the truth in front of her. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Yaten's face changed, yet again. Anger melted into curious horror; her eyes widened and her voice grew soft, almost frightened. "Who was it, Taiki? Who did that to you? Was it . . . Was it Hideaki?" Her fists clenched at her sides, trembling with fury. "If he hurt you . . . I'll never forgive him . . . I'll kill him with my own two hands--" Taiki's head suddenly snapped upward, and her eyes grew narrow and angry. "How dare you . . . Hideaki would NEVER hurt me! He loves me!" "Are you sure about that?" Without warning, Taiki stood fully upright, pushed Seiya violently aside, lunged forward, grabbed Yaten's small bony shoulders in her hands, and thrust the other girl backward, slamming her against a nearby wall. "IS IT SO HARD FOR YOU TO BELIEVE THAT A MAN ACTUALLY LOVES ME?!" she roared. "No, I--" "Well, TOUGH!" Taiki pulled Yaten forward and then slammed her back into the wall again. It was easy. She was small and light in Taiki's hands. She made no sound, no gasp, and gave no sign of pain, no cry of protest. "I love Hideaki and he loves me!!" Forward and back again; another slam into the wall. "When this is all over, we're to live HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!!!" Another slam. "And EVERYTHING--" slam! "--is GOING--" slam! "--to BE--" slam! "--JUST--" SLAM! "--FINE!!!!!" "STOP IT!!!" Seiya was pounding against Taiki's back with her powerful fists, angrily, desperately. "TAIKI, YOU HAVE TO STOP THIS!!!" "Stop . . . this . . . ?" Taiki's hands slowly slid away from Yaten's shoulders. She took one step backward, her eyes widening with horror. And another step. And another. Seiya pulled back her fists, and backed up behind Taiki, one step at a time. Yaten stumbled away from the wall, wincing with pain. "Ouch," she gasped, softly. "That hurt." "Oh, Mother of Maresuu," Taiki moaned as she backed away from Yaten, trembling. "Yaten, I'm so sorry . . . I never, ever meant to hurt you . . . I just . . . I don't know . . . I'm so sorry . . . " "So, that must have been it, then." Yaten breathed in and out slowly, rubbing her sore shoulders, her eyes fixed squarely on Taiki. "Three nights ago . . . when you and Hideaki were attacked in your bedroom." Taiki stopped, her arms hanging limply at her sides, her eyes lowered. And then she simply slumped to the floor, letting herself fall forward and her knees slam into the ground painfully. She felt the brief flare of pain, but she didn't care. She was defeated, more so than she had ever been in her entire life. She had tried to cope with her ordeal as best as she could; and she had failed. So she sat, staring at nothing, feeling her heart finally shatter like fragile glass. She had been betrayed and discovered by someone that she loved and trusted. And then, lashing out in fear and panic, she had hurt that person. She just couldn't sink any lower. She felt cold and numb all over. And then, a new sensation. Something warm and soft, suddenly pressing against her back. It was Seiya, kneeling behind her. Seiya's arms wrapped around Taiki's waist, and her head rested gently against Taiki's shoulder. "See? I told you so," she whispered into Taiki's ear. "What?" "If we don't have each other, then we fall apart." "Oh." Taiki closed her eyes, and relaxed into Seiya's embrace. She felt Yaten's small hand reach out and gently touch her face; she sensed, more than saw, Yaten kneeling in front of her. Yaten's other hand gently enfolded Taiki's limp hand into itself. They knelt silently, waiting. Taiki opened her eyes, and felt the first tears spilling down her cheeks. She found herself looking into Yaten's eyes, warm and loving and trusting enough to send yet another stab of pain through her heart. "Gomen ne," Taiki whispered, thinking of Mizuno Ami and how disappointed she would be in her decisions. "Gomen ne, Yaten. Seiya. I never meant to cause you any pain or trouble." "It's never pain or trouble," Seiya murmured soothingly. "Because we love our Taiki, and because she means everything to us," Yaten said, her voice soft and gentle, full of uncharacteristic tenderness, love, and . . . worry. Yes, worry. Yaten's shimmering emerald eyes stabbed Taiki in the heart yet again. Taiki took a deep, shuddering breath. No tears. She couldn't have tears while she was speaking. It would be unbecoming, after all. "That night that we were attacked," she began softly, "the one called Reynard entered my bedroom disguised as Hideaki. He looked like Hideaki, he acted like Hideaki, he spoke like Hideaki, he tasted and touched and smelled like Hideaki. I didn't suspect a thing. We . . . We made love. It was nice, too. He was gentle with me. It felt good. I enjoyed it. That's the most horrible part, but at the time, I didn't know . . . I was so stupid, I never suspected a thing. So we laid in bed together, for a while, and then . . . he started to touch me again. I was tired, so I told him to stop. But then he grabbed me and held me down. He was so strong, I couldn't believe it. And he started to insult me . . . " She shuddered at the memory. "That's when I knew that he wasn't really Hideaki. I told him to show me his face. He . . . He did. He told me his name was Reynard. He said that he had taken Hideaki already, and that if I ever wanted to see Hideaki again, I would have to obey Reynard's orders. By this time, he had already pulled me through to the enemy's dimension. I'm still not even sure how or when the transfer occurred. But I was trapped, and Hideaki was in danger. Reynard wanted another fuck, so I . . . I let h-h-h-him . . . " "No . . . " Seiya squeezed her arms tightly around Taiki's body, burying her face in Taiki's shoulder. Taiki could feel tears - Seiya's tears - warm and salty, smearing into her clothing. "Oh, my God, Taiki . . . I'm so sorry . . . " Yaten's eyes were wide and horrified, and she was clutching Taiki's hand tightly, but forcing herself to keep her voice calm, level, and soothing. "Keep going," she urged gently. "Let it all out." "It was painful, the second time. He did everything possible to make it hurt for me. He bit me and clawed at me and, you know, did it hard enough to make me bleed . . . When it was over, he just sort of got up off me and told me to follow him. So I did, and he took me straight to Hideaki. The rest is exactly like what I told you and the Queen." "Do you . . . " Seiya hesitated. Her question felt lame and stupid; but it was important, nonetheless. "Do you need to see a doctor?" "I did a self-examination. More with my Sailor Crystal than with anything else. Nothing is damaged too badly; it will all heal quickly. And I'm not pregnant, thank the Goddess. Not that I could have been, anyway." She made a face. "If he really is a vampyre, then as an undead creature, his sperm is like . . . Well, it's like shooting blanks." "Shooting . . . blanks?" There was a moment of expectant silence. And then, in unison, the three of them chuckled softly. Yaten wiped the last of her tears from her eyes. "Oh, my. Taiki, you're so amazing. You're so strong. I can't believe you went through all of that, and you managed to deal with it on your own." "No, I didn't. I didn't deal with it at all. I was collapsing under the weight of it. You saw what just happened." "But it was because I goaded you into it, remember?" "You're terrible, Yaten." "I know. I kind of figured it out when you turned off the TV, but . . . I figured that if I didn't force it out of you now, it was going to cause a breakdown like this sooner or later." "Don't EVER keep a secret from us again!" Seiya pleaded, still embracing Taiki tightly. Taiki closed her eyes, relaxing into Seiya's embrace once again. It felt good, so very good. Seiya's pure, unconditional love was beginning to fill some of the cold, dark void left in her heart. She felt warm and safe . . . protected . . . in Seiya's arms. But not now. Not at the moment. Taiki had an important decision to make. After a moment's reflection, she decided. No more secrets. Taiki opened her eyes. "Yaten, you're pyrokinetic." Yaten's jaw dropped. "What?!" "That night in the library, and in Kakyuu's room, when you destroyed the light bulbs. You vaporized the tungsten filaments. You literally caused them to spontaneously combust. You were using pyrokinetic abilities. Kakyuu knows. Seiya and I know. But just us three, and only us three. We were sworn to secrecy. No other living being in the galaxy was to be told, including you." Yaten's jaw still hung open. "WHAT?!" Seiya loosened her grip around Taiki's waist and pulled slightly away from Taiki, cocking her ear in the air. "Say, is that Minako that I hear calling you?" "WHAT?!" "You can go brag to Minako about it, if you want. No more secrets, remember?" "WHAT?!" "You're cute when you're surprised," Taiki grinned. "WHAT?!" Seiya stood up, slowly, pulling Taiki up along with her. "If *you're* not going to check on Minako, then we are." Yaten was still kneeling on the kitchen floor. "WHAT?!" Leaving her like that, Seiya and Taiki returned to the lounge. Minako was huddled at one corner of the couch, forcing herself to keep her eyes fixed on the glowing television screen. When she heard Seiya and Taiki enter, she suddenly gasped and jerked upright, staring at them with wide, frightened eyes. "Are you all right?! I heard shouting--" "We're fine, now." "No more problems." "Well, not exactly, but at least we're better off than we were five minutes ago." Minako's nervous eyes darted from one smiling face to the other. She returned their smiles, wanly. "Ano . . . Where's Yaten?" "In the kitchen." "She's *waiting* for you." "She has something important to tell you." Minako jumped off the couch and bolted past them. "YATEN-CHAAAAN!" She pounded down the passageways, away from them. Taiki reached for the remote, and clicked off the television. She flicked her eyes over to meet Seiya's. She was grinning. And Seiya, despite herself, was returning the grin. "This isn't funny, but I still feel like I should be laughing." "Maybe it's just relief." Taiki stifled a giggle. "You know what? I spent ALL of yesterday praying to the Goddess, I was SO SURE that Yaten was going to cause this entire ship to spontaneously combust--" She giggled again, half joyously, half hysterically. "Now it's like, she's back to normal, and I almost feel like we have nothing more to worry about. Which isn't true - we still have to find a way to BREAK that link - but I'm relieved, nevertheless. So immensely relieved." "But that's not the only thing that you're relieved about, is it?" "No." The grin vanished; Taiki's face suddenly became very solemn, and serious. "I love you guys. You know that, right?" "Of course." Seiya marveled silently at how much Taiki had changed, to be able to make that statement so openly. Neither of them heard what Yaten said to Minako from within the faraway kitchen, but they DID hear Minako's screaming exclamation reverberating throughout the entire ship. "AAAAGH! NO WAY! THAT IS SOOO COOL!" "It's *not* cool," Taiki muttered under her breath. "It's dangerous and life-threatening, that's what it is." "Let her think that." Seiya was still grinning, helplessly, like a maniac. She herself wasn't exactly sure how much of her grin was genuine relief, and how much of it was borderline hysteria. "You know what, Taiki? Someday we're going to look back on this - on ALL of this - and laugh." "Why wait for someday? I feel like laughing, now." And they laughed, together. The rest of the day passed without incident. After dinner, the lights on board the ship dimmed and artificial night descended. Our heroes retired to a much-needed and much-deserved sleep. ******************** In the earliest hours of the next morning, when the ship was still bathed in darkness and (most of) its passengers were still sound asleep in their beds, Aino Minako quietly slid out of her bedsheets, sneaked out of her quarters, padded across the hallway, and slid through the door to Kou Yaten's room. She paused for a moment, her back against the closed door behind her, straining her eyes to carefully observe Yaten through the darkness of the room. She was beautiful, even asleep. She slept on her side, with only a lacy shift to clothe her body, and only one sheet to cover herself with. Silver strands of hair, even mussed with sleep, still fell prettily around her pale face and shoulders. Minako fidgeted nervously with her own hair. It was horribly tangled and knotted; she had been tossing and turning in her bed for hours, unable to grasp even a moment of relaxing sleep, kept awake by her persistent, gnawing worries. She was clothed, of course, in an old T-shirt and a pair of boxers. When she traveled, she never slept in anything as elegant as lace or silk. Minako stepped forward, and slowly laid herself down on the bed beside Yaten, turning herself so that she was on her side and facing Yaten's back. Then she pulled herself close to the other girl, wrapping her arms around Yaten's waist and snuggling her face into the soft, warm place where Yaten's neck and shoulder met. Yaten stirred in her arms. "Minako . . . chan?" She blinked, sleepily. "Hai. It's me." "Mmmmm. What are you doing?" There was no protest, or indignation, in Yaten's voice. Merely . . . curiosity. She was curious, but not angry about it. In fact, she was shifting slightly in Minako's arms, pressing her body against Minako's, snuggling toward the warm touch of Minako's breasts, stomach, and legs against her back. "I couldn't sleep. I was worried about you." "I'm fine, Minako-chan. In fact, I'm worried about you." "No, don't do that." Minako sighed, closing her eyes, relaxing her head against Yaten's shoulder. "I just . . . I just thought it would be nice to touch you. You know. Nothing naughty, just . . . I know that if I can hold you close to me, then I can protect you." "Protect me from what?" "Does it really matter?" "No . . . it doesn't." Minako finally felt her exhaustion catching up to her. It was warm, peaceful, and relaxing, being so close to Yaten and touching her in such a way. Minako felt herself drifting away. "Yaten-chan, can we lie like this tonight?" she murmured dreamily. Yaten, too, was relaxing into Minako's embrace. "I like this, Minako-chan . . . It feels good . . . It feels nice. I love you, Minako-chan." But she was already asleep. A moment later, Yaten followed her. Several hours later, an alarm buzzed loudly and lights suddenly flooded the room. Yaten was unpleasantly jarred awake. "What in the name of Maresuu--?" She blinked, groggily. Her ears and eyes were being assaulted with unpleasant sensations. It was morning already, and such a revelation immediately cast Yaten into a sour mood. But then her other senses began coming back to her, and she felt Minako's arms around her waist, and her soft, warm body pressing against her back. Yaten's mood suddenly improved drastically. Minako lifted her head from Yaten's shoulder. "Good morning, sleepy-head. Hey, is the alarm going to turn itself off, or what?" It did, and they both breathed a sigh of relief. Yaten didn't move away from Minako's touch; she didn't want to. "We should get out of bed," she suggested half-heartedly, "or Seiya and Taiki will eat breakfast without us." "Let them. I like it here with you." "I know. I like it here with you, too. But when I miss my breakfast, I tend to get . . . grumpy." Minako giggled. "What a shame, Yaten-chan. We spent the entire night in bed together, and never got around to doing a single naughty thing." "Maybe it's best that we--** HEY!" Yaten gasped with surprise as a devilishly grinning Minako suddenly pulled her hands away from Yaten's waist and thrust two fingers between Yaten's legs, goosing her. Yaten rolled away from Minako and clamped her legs tightly together. "You GOOSED me!" "What can I say? I'm a closet hentai." Minako held her hands in the air and feigned innocence. "Didn't you say that we needed to get out of bed, now? We should change and get ready for breakfast, don't you think?" "I am soooo going to get back at you for that," Yaten grinned, half cute, half mischievous. Minako loved it when she was cute like that. "Just you wait. When you least expect it, I'm going to get you!" Minako laughed, and threw a pillow at her. The two of them eventually did make it to breakfast, but barely in time to grab some scrambled eggs. Taiki scolded them soundly. Seiya had already eaten and left; Minako found her sitting on the couch in the lounge, her guitar balanced on her knees, strumming softly and humming to herself. Minako's eyes widened when she saw the guitar. "Hey, that's from--" "--Earth." Seiya grinned. "We have nearly identical instruments on Kinmoku, but I wanted to keep this one anyway. For sentimentality, I guess." Minako sat herself down on the floor next to Seiya, and cocked her head expectantly. "Will you play me a song?" "Um . . . " "Pleeeeeeease?" "Like . . . What kind of song?" "Oh, I don't know." Minako shrugged. "Something peppy. Lively." Seiya's hand flew across the guitar strings, producing a succession of perky harmonizing chords. "Like that?" "That's nice. What is it?" "The planetary anthem of my home colony, Kinmoku One. Taiki called it the 'Planet of the Cheerleaders Song.' " Seiya made a face. "Taiki isn't a very nice music critic." "That's because I have high standards," Taiki responded sharply as she entered the room, dragging Yaten behind her. "You're not exposing the poor girl to that nationalistic propaganda nonsense, are you?" "It's not propaganda, it's a *song*." "Propaganda," Yaten coughed. She sat herself down on the couch next to Seiya, and Taiki sat beside her. "Play something a bit more . . . classic, will you?" "Like 'Sweet Home Altair Four'?" "I didn't mean classic *rock*, but if that's what you want, then--" Seiya rolled her eyes, pretending to be aghast. "How can you NOT like Lenard Skenard?" She strummed her guitar strings, testing the chords. And then, she began pounding out the chords, rhythmic and throbbing. "Are you two going to sing with me, or what?" "Do we have a choice?" Taiki was already tapping her foot against the floor, finding the rhythm. "No, you don't." Seiya's hand flew across the guitar strings. "Ready? Three - two - one - " As one, the three of them began singing. It was almost too easy, falling into the same patterns of harmonization that they had rehearsed over and over again while on Earth. " 'Sweet home Altair Four, Where the skies are so red, Sweet home Altair Four, Tonight I sleep in my own bed . . . .' " Minako nodded her head along to the infectious rhythm, loosing herself in the extraordinary vocalizations of the three girls. They sounded different than the Three Lights that she remembered - different in pitch and tone quality, of course - and the song was more raw and passionate, almost folksy, and the rhythmic, pounding waves of their voices fit it perfectly. It wasn't smooth or cool like she was used to, but the three voices still blended in perfect harmony, and Minako found herself being swept away by the beauty and power of the music they were singing . . . "Uh, Minako-chan?" Minako blinked, shaking her head, snapping herself out of her reverie. "Huh, what?" Why were all three of them staring at her like that? "The song ended. One minute ago." "Oh." Minako closed her eyes. "Could you sing some more? Please?" "I suppose . . . " Seiya's reluctance was a thin mask to cover her eagerness. She had forgotten how much fun it was, singing with her friends. "Shall we do 'Kinmoku Pie'?" "Finally. An intellectual song." Although Taiki couldn't hide her enthusiasm either. "Oh, bother. I can never remember all the words," Yaten complained. But she, too, sounded eager and excited. "Just follow my lead," Seiya said, already strumming the opening chords. " 'Long, long time ago / I can still remember, how that music--' " " '--used to make me--' " " '--smile . . . ' " The three voices blended together, and Minako felt herself swept away, riding the gentle wave of their song. And thus, the hours passed. Even confined to the tiny spaceship, Minako saw and experienced enough new and exciting things to fill a lifetime. Another night, and another day again. And then, at the end of the third day, the ship suddenly shuddered and rumbled ominously. "Oh, my. We're finally pulling out of Subspace." Yaten pulled at Minako's hand. "Come on, let's go to the cockpit! There's a window there." The two of them raced toward the fore of the ship. Minako was surprised to find herself in what appeared to be a room almost identical to the cockpit of an Earth airplane, only with two empty seats in front of the glowing, flashing controls - of course, because the shipboard AI was taking care of everything - and in front of her was a clear window, through which she could see only creamy white nothingness. "Yaten-chan, I don't see--" "Hold on. Any minute now." The entire ship shuddered violently. Minako gasped and clutched at Yaten's shoulder. And then, the whiteness covering the window suddenly dissolved. And the view that filled Minako's vision was enough to make her knees tremble with awe. "Oh . . . my . . . " Nestled in the black darkness of space, a swirling blue globe glowed with light reflected off a nearby star, which flashed a brilliant white as it passed just above the horizon of the spinning blue planet. "That's Turan," Yaten breathed, her voice uncharacteristically soft, almost reverent. "Isn't it beautiful?" "It's . . ." Minako trailed off. "I don't have words for it. It's too amazing. I'm sorry, but it's my first time seeing something like this." "Mine, too." Minako started. "You, too, Yaten-chan?!" "Yes." Yaten grinned, sheepishly. "I was born on Kinmoku Three, and when I was twelve, I rode a shuttle to the main planet, and after that . . . " She shrugged. "I've never traveled by spaceship before. When we . . . When we were running from Galaxia, we always teleported directly to and from the surfaces of different planets. I haven't seen a planet approached from space since I was twelve years old. And that was Kinmoku itself, which I could see pretty well through any lousy old telescope from Kinmoku Three anyway . . ." The control panels in front of them began flashing frantically. "The AI is hailing the spaceports on the surface," Yaten explained. "They'll direct us to whichever one is closest to the planetary capital." Minako could already see the swirling blue planet looming larger and larger in the window. "How much longer until we land?" "Maybe ten minutes." Yaten began tugging at Minako's hand, pulling her away from the cockpit. "Come on. Let's get away from here. We're traveling at several thousand kilometers per hour. You don't want to be anywhere near this window once we get close enough to the planet to start seeing surface features zooming past us." "Good idea," Minako agreed as she gulped nervously. The two left the cockpit. And ten minutes later, the rumbling of the ship's engines crescendoed to a terrifying roar, the shipboard lights flashed on and off, once, twice-- Abruptly, the engines shut off. All was quiet. "We seem to have landed," Taiki observed. "We've stopped?!" Minako couldn't believe it. "But, I didn't feel anything. I mean, it doesn't even feel like we slowed down or anything--" "The ship has gravity field adjusters. What, you *want* to experience a thousand kilometer per hour deceleration occurring in two point five seconds?!" "No." Minako slung her sports bag, already repacked, over her shoulder. "So, what do we do now?" "We get off the ship." They did. - end part thirteen -