Disclaimer: Within this story, there will be the mentioning of characters created by someone who is fact, not me. So just to be clear on this, I am using them for my own personal enjoyment in writing, and if some other people enjoy reading it, all the better. The point is, don't sue me, because it would simply be a waste of time and money, and it really wouldn't be worth it. Author's Notes: I guess I'd like to thank my friends and prereaders, (who in actuality are one and the same) for egging me on and getting me to finish this project. (I'm working on it, so leave me the hell alone already!) Also, I'd like to thank you, the reader. It means a lot that you've taken some time to read this, and if you enjoy it, well then I'm happy. Of course, I'd be even happier if you emailed me and let me know that you liked it. Quote of the Day: "Do you want to know what the greatest and also the worst device that humans ever invented is? It's television. Television controls people by bombarding them with information until they lose their sense of reality. Now television itself has become the new religion. Television has created a race of people who can believe instantly in dramatic fantasies and can be controlled by tiny dots of light." - Ronny Spangen. (Cowboy Bebop) Though you try to drain my mind With all your foolish lies I am fragile but powerful No need to deny Listen to my deed I know your scheme Is just a constant bluff I need to get away From this game you like to play To be free As free as a bird can be Got a goal to reach Be free As free as a bird can be Though you may not believe it "Come and going as you please" Was never in the line Wining, dining, and amplifying Need to go and shine Destined to complete My endless need Before the dawn erupts I'm gonna hide away Got a creed that beats my greed To be free As free as a bird can be Got a goal to reach Be free As free as a bird can be You better believe it I am free As free as a bird can be Got a goal to reach Be free As free as a bird can be Although you may not believe it If you try to drain my mind You'll wind up hypnotized I am fragile yet powerful Don't think otherwise I'm free to make it I'm free to make it I'm free to make it I'm free to make it -- "To be Free" -- from 'Sol Bianca' ********** JUNE MERMAID Chapter 2: Judas Cradle ********** The interior of the ship itself was very difficult to describe using words. It was as if it was an eternal vast space of nothingness, while at the same time, there was an overwhelming sense of benevolent existence spreading forth from the boundless darkness. In the center of all this, sat Tsunami on her throne, waiting. She didn't have to wait very long. The air in front of her swirled and conjured into a ghostly ethereal embodiment, and Tsunami frowned as Tokimi stood before here. "Well? I trust you have a reason for coming here?" Tsunami said rather harshly. Tokimi smirked. "Why, that is a rather cold reception. How could you say such a thing to your older sister?" Tsunami frowned. "Why have you come?" Tokimi sighed. "Poor Tsunami. Never one for discussing the old days, are you? Oh well. I guess I'm here to tell you about the benefactor we discussed." Tsunami face became puzzled. "Benefactor? Oh, you mean our sister?" Tokimi nodded. "Yes. It seems that all of my attempts to contact her have resulted in failure." Tsunami scoffed. "That is because not everyone is privy to being kidnapped without knowledge of the reason." "Possibly." Tokimi chuckled to herself. "So how is your boy doing? Is he coming along properly?" Tsunami closed her eyes. "Yes...he is ever more growing accustomed to his power." "That wasn't what I was talking about, sister." Tokimi scoffed. Tsunami sighed. "...yes, it has finally awakened. There? Are you satisfied now?" "Not quite. You speak to me as if I am heartless goddess who is glorified in the pain of others." Tokimi said with an obvious smirk on her face. Tsunami growled and crossed her arms. "Well? Aren't you? This is all your fault, anyway. Had you simply left my children alone." Tokimi shook her head. "How long are you going to complain about that? That was over 30,000 years ago! You certainly are one for old grudges." Tsunami huffed, "Well, you *did* endanger all existence itself, including ours because of it, so I just want to make certain that it never happens again." "Whatever. Enough about the past. I'm only helping you *now* because I'm also in danger because of this." Tsunami stood up and looked at Tokimi, her face a wrathful scowl. "And I'm only letting you assist us because I have to. Otherwise, sister or not..." Tokimi couldn't resist laughing. "I'd like to see you try, *sis*." Tsunami didn't have a response, so she simply growled at her sister. Tokimi just smiled. "Anyway, how about we have a civilized conversation, like normal sisters?" Tsunami slowly nodded, and sat back in her throne. "Very well. What do you want to talk about?" Tokimi smiled. "Meddling." Tsunami's face flared in anger, but she quickly regained herself. "What about...meddling?" Tokimi smiled. "I just was interested in how much you've been interfering with the lives of our sister and her daughter. Not to mention your child. I'm...interested. How many elaborate fabrications have you woven in their lives?" "No more than I have to." "How much would that be?" Tsunami suppressed every urge in her being to strike out at Tokimi. Such thoughts she was unaccostomed to having, her thoughts mostly being of love, understanding and forgiveness. Tokimi was reveling in the way she was making her sister angry. "Tell me...do you whisper in their sleep? Do you let their 'other selves' take control when they are confused? Do you?" "I told you I do it only because it's necessary!" Tsunami snapped. "Of course. You love and cherish *all* of your children so much." Tokimi sarcastically cooed. "Look, I thought you wanted to have a civilized conversation? If all you came here to do is irritate me, we both could be doing more productive things." Tsunami calmly answered. Tokimi waved her hands, and sighed. "Fine, fine. I was just curious." Her face then became totally serious. "But tell me this, sister...do you think that this child will be able to do what your last one couldn't?" Tsunami's anger washed away. "I certainly hope so. I don't think we have another 20,000 years to wait if he can't." "I'm not really all that excited about leaving my own fate in the hands of some mortal, Tsunami." Tokimi said in all seriousness. Tsunami shook her head. "He is not a mortal, sister. I have told you that before. He is already like us, one of the endless." Tokimi frowned. "Well if he's so magnificent, why does he have such a problem with his wings? Only three? There's no way that my...or, should I say...your 'other' child would lose to someone with only three wings. He has five, remember?" Tsunami nodded. "I haven't forgotten. His berserk rage that YOU induced increased his power, and tore him away from me. How could I forget?" Tokimi smiled. "We all make mistakes, Tsunami." "Not everyone makes a mistake that threatens existence itself." Tsunami bit back. Tokimi crossed her arms. "Speaking of existence..." "Yes...I have located it." "That's good. Took you a long time this time, huh?" Tsunami sighed. "Yes, well, when the circle is destroyed, the wave existence is flung in any which direction, over any which dimension. It is a difficult task to find it." Tokimi's eyes widened as she considered something. "What if He doesn't want to...you know...in favor of returning?" Tsunami sighed. "Then we'll all die, that's what. Let us pray that doesn't happen." Tokimi nodded. "Right...I want this dimension for myself before I die." Tsunami glared daggers at Tokimi, and she just smiled an annoying smile back at her. The two of them stayed like that for a few moments before proceeding with the conversation. Tokimi waved her hand, and an image of a shadowed man with 5 light hawk wings appeared above her beautiful appendage. "I was thinking...who will we take into the crystalis when we finally move against him?" Tsunami put her hand to her chin as she thought about that. "Well...You, myself, Washu, Washu's child, and the boy...and the wave existence, hopefully. I really don't know of anyone else." Tokimi vanquished the image. "What of that other girl?" "I really don't know. I don't think she possess adequate power in order to even stand in the presence of him." Tsunami sighed. Tokimi nodded. "But...she isn't weak. I've seen her fight myself. At the very least...she could offer some sort of distraction." Tsunami glared back at Tokimi, but Tokimi stood her ground. "No, no. I'm serious. I know you don't want to throw away the life of your children, and I can understand that, but...what's that saying? The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? If she sacrifices herself and it helps us win..." she left that last bit hanging. "No. There is no sense in needlessly sacrificing my children. I could not bear it. And those who are closest to me couldn't either." She sighed. Tokimi smiled again. "My my, I never realized how selfish you are, Tsunami." "What?" "It's because you know one day your going to become one with that girl...Sasami, wasn't it? Anyway, when you do, you'll feel her emotions, so it will be as if *your* sister had been sacrificed." Tokimi stated proudly. "I could never be so shallow, sister. That is not it at all." "Really?" Tokimi said, casting indiscribable doubt on Tsunami. Tsunami sighed, and leaned further back into her throne. "Fine. I don't want that pain. But I don't want anyone else to feel it either. Understood?" Tokimi said nothing, but simply smiled. "Anyway, we've digressed. Let us return to the matter at hand, shall we?" Tsunami said, not bothering to remove the annoyance held within her voice. Tokimi nodded. "Alright then. What do you think we should do now?" "Well...I'll continue to watch over the 'family'. I think that it needs guidance in order for it to be ready for our purposes. Further, I think that from now on, I'll handle Washu. Agreed?" Tokimi closed her eyes. "Fine, we'll do it your way. What do you think I should do?" "I suppose it would be best if you kept a close eye on him. We still don't know when the crystalis will shatter, and we still want the strike against him to be pre-emptive." Tsunami declared. Tokimi sighed. "Oh sure, give me the boring job." "Tokimi..." Tsunami said, a little bit of danger entering her normally sweet voice. Tokimi put her hands up. "Alright, alright! I'll watch over the damn bubble!" Tsunami nodded. "Good. So until we meet again...take care of yourself." She managed to force herself to say. Tokimi nodded. "One last thing." "What is it, NOW?" "Why did you decide to integrate yourself with Sasami?" Tsunami looked puzzled. "I told you before. It was to save her life." Tokimi shook her head. "No it wasn't." Tsunami blinked. "Pardon?" "I don't doubt that you desired to save her life, not one bit. But I hardly doubt that you would have left your tree after you fought so long and hard to get it back, all to save the life of *one* little girl." Tokimi stated. Tsunami sighed. "What are you getting at, exactly?" Tokimi crossed her arms and smiled. "My point is this. Even though you are one of the endless, you are still a woman." Tsunami cocked an eyebrow. "And what does that mean exactly?" "You desired him. So you needed a physical body to get him." "What? Preposterous! Where did you get such an idea?" Tokimi chuckled. "You desired him alright. You became infatuated with him after his many incarnations. And you knew that he'd be born before the end of the millenium. So you wanted him, before the 'Eve' child managed to take your 'Adam', as she always had in all the other lives." Tsunami shook her head. "Ridiculous. I could never do such a thing. I am of the endless. I could never feel desire for another, and I could never feel love beyond what I feel for my children." "Exactly." "W...what?" Tokimi nodded. "That's my point. That's why you fused with the mortal. Because you *want* to feel those emotions. Isn't that right?" "I...I..." "You *did* desire him. After all, he was created by you to be the ideal human, isn't THAT right?" "...s...stop it..." "And every time you tried to think of a way, your 'Adam' would be taken away by Washu's 'Eve', isn't THAT right?" "......" "And that's why you wanted me to send Clay after Washu. Because you knew that he'd remove 'Eve' in the process. Isn't THAT right?" "Silence! Stop it! Stop it!" Tsunami sobbed. Tokimi smiled. "It's just too bad that yet again, 'Eve' got there first, hmm? And now that your mortal counterpart is far too young, the only way to get them apart is to directly interfere. And you couldn't possibly do that, now could you? It goes against your precious 'code of honor', or whatever foolish revelry you and your children concocted. Not to mention that Sasami has absolutely no feelings of the sort for the child...and even if she did, she is way too kind to hurt her sister and 'Eve' by stealing away their man." Tsunami was weeping into her hands. "Please, sister...enough..." Tokimi snorted in disgust. "Pathetic, Tsunami. Pathetic. Who would have thought all this time, you were nothing but a desperate maiden?" "I SAID *STOP IT*!!!!" Tsunami screamed. "It's true, isn't it." Tsunami looked at her sister through her tear filled eyes, and said nothing. The silence passed, and Tokimi nodded. Tsunami simply buried her beautiful face into her gentle hands, and began to weep again. Tokimi turned. "Very well then. I will keep a safe vigilance of the crystalis, so you keep watching over your 'family', Tsunami. And before I go, one piece of advice." Tsunami removed her face from her hands, and looked up at Tokimi. Tokimi looked back over her shoulder. "Meddling may be fun, but it isn't always for the best. Looking to the future may be fun, but it isn't always for the best." She paused, then finished. "And...helping people may be fun...but it isn't always for the best." With that, Tokimi dissippeared into nothingness, leaving behind a slight apparitional residue for a few moments, which eventually faded into the emptiness that covered Tsunami's ship. Tsunami wiped at her eyes. "I'm so sorry...Sasami." Washu managed to slowly pry herself off of the chair in Nobuyuki's study, and rubbed her back as she did. This time...it wouldn't be so easy to win back Ryoko's trust...if she ever could. Could she? Probably not. Washu sighed, and made for the doorway. Each step felt heavier and heavier, her entire body being weighed down by the emotional consequences of her totally blatant and unacceptable actions. Washu rolled her shoulders, then opened the doorway. She closed the door gently behind herself, and trudged down the long hallway to the staircase at the end. As she walked, there seemed to be an overwhelming sense of gloom in the air. Although the hallway was completely empty, it seemed as though the very essence of misery had manifested itself in the walls and floors that stood in Washu's bath, which beckoned her. A symphony of gloom, playing their melodies which causes those who listen to fall further and further into the throes of despair. Washu shook her head fiercely for a moment, then quickened her pace away from the hallway towards the stairs. There wasn't anything there, Washu knew, but she wanted to get away from it nonetheless. This one incident had made Washu think about things in ways she never had. And she didn't necessarily like it. Washu descended the steps, to be greeted by Sasami. "Hello, Washu-san! Breakfast is ready!" she greeted cheerfully. Washu shook her head. "If it's all the same to you Sasami-chan, I'm not very hungry today. Just...save mine for later, okay?" Sasami sighed. "Only Mihoshi and Aeka are eating today. Where is everyone?" she wondered to herself as she walked off back into the kitchen. Washu sighed. There, she did it again. She knew that Sasami took it as a personal insult whenever someone didn't want to eat her cooking, but Washu declined anyway. Washu was about to make her way into her lab, but decided against it. There was no way she wanted to go back in there just yet. The very sight of the black metal of the floor to her monsterous laboritory was right now a sight that she really had no desire to see. The black metal reminded her of the blackness that had been slowly gaining a dominion over her actions. A creeping necrosis which was beginning to consume the depths of her very soul. Washu shook her head. she decided. Washu plopped down in front of the couch, and turned on the television, hoping that it would distract her from her pains. The program appeared to be near the end, due to the time. Washu watched with an attempted interest. The clouds were black and thunderous, as they hung luminously over a chapel, which was swarmed by ravens, all crowing incesently. A song played in the background, heavy with organ, and english lyrics. Washu continued to watch as a cloaked individual crested a stone cobbled hill, and ascended towards the chapel, as the singer continued. "I don't feel a thing, and I stop remembering, days are just like moments, turned to hours..." The man in the trench coat walked into the large chapel, with his hands in his pockets. The camera quickly showed a view of another man's face, which was held in a sneer. The man continued to walk unabated into the chapel, with pink, iridiscent light protruding through the stained glass window, as the song continued. "Mother used to say, if you want you'll find a way, But mother never danced to fire showers... Walk! In the Rain! In the Rain! In the Rain!..." The man came to a stop at the end of the row of pews, and looked at his surroundings. The man wore a blue suit underneath his trench coat. His hair was frizzy and somewhat spiky. His attention became fixed on the other man who was walking towards him at the other end of the pews, the sounds of his boots resounding throughout the chapel. When he spoke, it was in a deep raspy voice. "When angels are forced out of heaven...they become devils." Suddenly, Washu became very interested in this program. "You agree, don't you Spike?" he said as a large bird flew down from the rafters, and landed on his shoulder. The man called Spike sneered. "I'm just watching a bad dream I'll never wake up from." "I'll wake you up right now." "What's your rush, Viscous? After all, it's been a long time." The man called Viscous chuckled. "Are you pleading for your life?" "Hardly. Begging doesn't work on you, remember? Even if it's coming from a man who took you in and made you what you are." "Perhaps. Be he was a beast who lost his fangs, Spike. That's why he had to die. And that's why you have to die." Their conversation was interupted by the sound of a woman struggling. Spike pulled his gun out of his jacket and pointed it straight at another man holding a similar pistol to the girl's head. He smirked. "Now...we'd like you to drop the gun slowly." Spike didn't move even in the slightest. "What's wrong? If you don't comply..." The camera zoomed in on Spike's eye just as the song was ending. The moment the last note ended, Spike pulled the trigger, the bullet flying straight into the man's head, killing him. Washu watched as a great gun fight ensued between Spike and other men. She sighed, as her distraction started to lose it grip, and her thoughts went back to that of what she done earlier. Washu shook her head, and tried to think of something else, to act as a supplement to the violent gunfight on television as a distraction. Thoughts of basically anything would be a certain welcome from the repose Washu was feeling. Washu grinned a little when she realized she was on to something. Washu watched and pondered as the two men who were speaking earlier were now on a catwalk in front of a large stained glass window having somewhat of a duel. Washu sighed and crossed her arms, wracking her brain for anyone she'd pissed off in the last 20,000 years. Washu was interupted from her thoughts as the couch bounced a little, the exact resonance of someone sitting down. Washu looked to her left to see Aeka sitting down, looking at the television. Washu couldn't decide whether or not Aeka was purposely ignoring Washu, so she returned her gaze to the television. "Oh my...!" Aeka gasped, putting her hand to her mouth, as Viscous stabbed Spike in the arm, then grabbed his face, and with a look of sheer lunacy began to crush it with his hand...and then he threw him through the stained glass window. Aeka shook her head, and grabbed the remote, and turned the television off. Taking a deep breath, she looked over at Washu. "I didn't know that you were a fan of those kind of shows, Washu-san." She said. Washu shook her head. "It was on when I turned it on." "Uh huh. I'm sure." Aeka said somewhat skeptically. Washu sighed. "Look, I've got better things to worry about than what you think about my taste in television." Aeka nodded. "I understand. Do you...want to talk about it, maybe?" Washu became slightly puzzled. "Umm..." Aeka shook her head. "If you don't wish to, I'll understand. I just thought maybe voicing your concerns might help you." Washu sighed. "I don't know. I really just want to stop thinking about it. I have no idea what in the hell came over me, and I have no idea why I actually care so much about it. I never used to act or think like this before. It's...confusing. And if there is anything I hate, it's not knowing exactly what is going on." Aeka nodded, and folded her hands in her lap. "I see. Why is that?" "Why is what?" "Why is it that you have to know exactly what is going on all the time? Surely there must be some reason?" Aeka asked the scientist. Washu frowned. "Why do you love Tenchi? Why do you cling to duty? Why do you not get along with Ryoko?" Aeka sighed. Washu nodded. "That's who you are, and no one questions that. So this is how I am, so don't question me, all right?" Aeka shook her head. "What *is* happening to you, Washu? You are acting so cold and callous." Washu screamed and grabbed her head in anger. "I DON'T KNOW! I can't figure out what is happening to me, and I *hate* it! There is no way for me to know, and it really pisses me off!!" Aeka recoiled as Washu shouted, but then reached over to her and put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Washu tensed at the physical contact, and turned to look at Aeka with a look of absolute bewilderment. Aeka smiled. "I don't have the answers, Washu. Not everyone can know everything. Maybe you just need a break?" Washu looked at Aeka skeptically. "A break?" "Yes. Maybe try to avoid your lab for a little while. Maybe that would help. I don't know for sure, but it is simply a suggestion." Washu sighed, and fell back into the couch, as she rubbed her temples. "Maybe that's a good idea." Aeka smiled, and picked up the remote. "Do you wish to watch television?" Washu closed her eyes. "Yeah." Sometimes people have the ability to be patient. Patience is a virtue that not many are blessed with, but those that have it are truly the greatest of men. But even those people have the ability to be tested. Yoko was such a person. Listening to Sydney sing in his obnoxious voice got old fairly quick, and was capable of causing a severe migraine. He hadn't let up in three hours. Sydney lay on his back, wearing a white muscle shirt, and black shorts with a wrench in hand as he pried and jimmied at various mechanical parts of the Beowulf's engine. Covered in grease and dirt, he sung as if he was the only one there, even though he knew that Yoko was only 20 feet away, and very annoyed. "...as we head down for the self destructive edge! Sayonara to the intrusive noise! No more childish games and no more toys!..." Sydney was even tapping his foot along to his self induced song, as he was putting a great deal of his strength into tightening a bolt on the blasting cap. Yoko had finally reached the end of her string. She whirled around from her computer system and stomped over to Sydney's prone form. "WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?!?" she screamed at him. Sydney smiled as he continued to work. "What seems to be the problem, Red?" The grinding of Yoko's teeth was very audible. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!" Sydney chuckled as he slid out from under the dirty machinery, and wiped the sweat off of his brow. He shook his head, and looked up at the red head. "So, any calls today?" Yoko sighed. "Nope. Nothing." Sydney groaned a bit as he stood up. "Too bad. We've been without work for almost a month, now." Yoko nodded, and leaned against the large engine. She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "I know...clients seem to be fairly reluctant to come to us now." Sydney was wiping his hands with a white cloth. "Why is that?" "Probably because they prefer to keep it *discreet*." Yoko said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. Sydney shrugged. "Hey, I'm the kind of guy who likes to have fun at his job. Sue me." Yoko sighed. "Maybe I should. Maybe then we could get some money around here." Sydney leaned forward into the engine, resting his head on his crossed arms while looking at the floor below. "Say, where's Raven?" "Shopping." "I thought we didn't have any money...?" "Yeah, enough money for us to waste on this hunk a tin. We have enough to *eat*." Yoko said harshly. "Hey, now. Don't bite my head off." Sydney said, still looking at the ground. He sighed. Yoko turned her head over to look at him. "What is it?" "It's nothing." Yoko cleared her throat. "You DO know who you're talking to, correct?" "Yeah. What about it?" "If you don't tell me, I may decide to renew my attempts at retrieving a certain *sample* from you, understand?" Yoko said, a little bit of mischief creeping into her nasally voice. Sydney began to sweat even moreso. "That's...that's not funny, Yoko!" "Oh, it's Yoko now, is it? And why not? I think it would be great fun." She said, mischief dripping from her words. Sydney turned around and leaned against the engine in the same fashion as Yoko. "No way, there's no way. Raven would kill me." "Oh, so it's because of her? I won't tell." She said smiled wryly at him. Sydney shook his head, his normally confident eyes starting to fill with a twinge of fear. "Forget it. I don't want to." "Hey, either tell me, or I'll FORCE you. And your little blond cousin won't walk in at the last second to save you this time!" Yoko said, materializing a holo-pad in front of her fingers, her digits itching to press the buttons. Sydney rapidly shook his head. "Alright, alright! I give! I'll tell!" Yoko sighed. "Damn, I almost had him this time..." she said under her breath. Her face became cheery again. "So what was it, hmm?" Sydney sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm just thinking about Raven. I'm not really sure that it's right having her here with us." Yoko shook her head. "You've been going on about that for almost a *year* now. Don't you think it's getting a little old?" "Hey, you asked *me*, remember?" he retorted. "That's not what I meant." Yoko thought about it for a moment. "I mean, if she didn't want to be here, she would have left by now. That's the kind of girl she is." "I know that! That's not what I'm talking about, though." Yoko huffed. "Well, what is it, then?" "I mean...don't you remember what happened when she broke it to her family that she was coming with us?" he said in a somewhat weak voice. Yoko nodded. "I haven't forgotten." "I just don't think it's right that we created a rift in their family because of us." Yoko shook her head. "If you remember correctly, they aren't family anymore. And her father is a stubborn one. There is really no way to mend that wound. And besides, Raven doesn't want to go back. So stop worrying about it already." Sydney shook his head. "I suppose so. I just feel bad for ruining her life like that." "On the contrary, Sydney. You didn't ruin her life. You helped her discover the path she wanted." Sydney closed his eyes, and tilted his head back, and let out a long sigh. "But the funny thing is, that wasn't the reason I asked her to join us." "It wasn't?" "Nope. See...you know that...I...well..." Sydney was choking on the words, he couldn't really say them. "You love her. We all know." Sydney blushed. "A...anyway, that was the reason. I wanted to be with her." Yoko looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean?" "Well, it would have been better for us to go on without another mouth to feed, and it would have been better for her to continue to live with her family. But...I *wanted* to be with her." Sydney explained. "So...you did it for yourself?" "Well...I suppose. It sounds selfish, I guess. But I thought that it was okay to be like that at first. But then...then..." Sydney opened his eyes and looked up at the metal cieling above. Yoko looked over at him. "Then...what?" "Then...when she lived with us...it just didn't feel right. I wanted her to be here so badly, and I know that she wanted the same...but at the same time, it was like we were both lying to ourselves. Telling ourselves that this is what was *best* for her." Sydney confessed. "You can't decide that." Sydney looked at Yoko. "What do you mean?" Yoko shook her head. "You can't decide what's best for Raven. Only she can." "But, it seems to me..." "No, no." Yoko interrupted. "Maybe for her benefit, you can see what's best, but only Raven knows what she wants. And that's what's best for the girl." "I know. I just..." "Oh, stop that already!" Yoko snapped. Sydney looked over at the small red head with a puzzled expression. "Stop feeling so sorry for yourself and the crappy decisions you've made. If Raven didn't want to stay, she'd leave. It's that simple. And I know as well as you do that neither one of you want her to leave, so enough with the angst!" Sydney chuckled. "Whatever you say, Red." "I TOLD you, stop calling me that!" Yoko snarled. Sydney laughed, and Yoko yelled at him. The two of them were interrupted by the sound of someone calling to them. "Excuse me?" They stopped their little argument, and turned to face the person. He seemed to be a farily elegant man, and he brought about a very distinguishable air of chivalry and command with him. He was clothed in nobleman's attire from head to toe, and his hair was long, but well kept. He screamed authority. He spoke in a deep audible voice. "Excuse me, but might you be the mercenary known as 'Sydney'?" Sydney managed to release himself from Yoko's death grip around his neck, and he turned to face the man. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, that's me. And who might you be?" The man crossed his arms. "I am Nezeer De'tak. I am here as a representation of the house of Jurai." "*Jurai*?!" both Sydney and Yoko sang in a dazed unison. Nezeer cleared his throat. "Yes. It would seem that the emperor has a job that requires someone of your station and capabilities." Yoko waved her hand. "Hold on. If we're going to talk buisness, let's wait until Raven gets here." Sydney nodded. "Agreed." Nezeer looked around the ship. His cleanliness and somewhat dignified serenity was clearly out of place, and he made little effort to hide that from his facial expression. "So..." he began, "...when is this 'Raven' of yours returning?" Yoko shrugged. "Dunno. She's out shopping, but she has a knack for procrastinating when she isn't being supervised." "I...see." Nezeer stated. It was extremely obvious that he had no desire to hang around people such as Sydney or Yoko...and that he was only there because the emperor had ordered him to. Sydney saw this and smiled. He chuckled, and handed a wrench over to the nobleman. Nezeer just stared at it as if it was something that he had never seen before. Sydney put on a half smile. "So Nez, you any good at repairs?" Raven walked down the nearly empty street with a grocery bag slung casually over her shoulder. She was staring up at the blue sky through her beautiful golden eyes, looking through the clouds, not really concentrating on anything. She sighed, partially out of contentness, partially out of worry. It had been over a year now. A year since she discarded absolutely any semblance of a normal life to run away with Sydney and Yoko, and join their rag tag little mercenary group, on Sydney's old ship. Regrets? Was that what it was? ...maybe. Only because of what it had done to her family. Raven sighed again. Family. What it was like to have one. What it was like to laugh and cry with those who truely loved you. Raven shook her head. She turned around a corner, and started heading closer to the paddock where they kept the Beowulf. Raven loved being a mercenary. The thrill of shooting down other ships, flying quickly after her prey, and narrowly evading capture or death were memories that Raven would always remember and hold dear. And then there was Sydney... Raven blushed. Sydney was the whole reason why she had left everything behind to join this life. Everything... "What! How can you even *think* such a thing!" the man yelled. "Father! Please, listen! I love him!" Raven cried. He glared at her. "*Love* him? You love a filthy depraved mercenary? Why? Why would you want to live that life?" "Because...I love being with him. And I love to fight for what I believe in!" Raven retorted. Her father shook his head in disgust. "And on virtue of that you'll turn your back on your family and live in self ordained ignorance? Have you even stopped to consider what this will do to us? To your brother? To your *mother*?" Raven shook her head, and wiped away a tear. "But...you always said that whatever I wanted to do with my life...you'd always support me!" "We want to support you! And this path will *destroy* you, Raven! Can't you see that? Can't you see that if you do this, you'll get killed? How could we possibly support your *death*?!" he nearly screamed. Raven shook her head, and stood up from her chair, and looked at her father, face to face. "Listen to me. I love him. And I'm going to be with him. And I don't CARE if that kills me. Do you understand?" "How can you possibly do this to yourself? Have you gone insane?" her father asked incredulously. Raven glared at him. "All I want in my life is to be with the one man I love. And if you want to call that insanity, fine. But it won't change my mind. I'm going. Nothing you can say or do will change that. So you can either complain and argue about it, or you can support me!" Raven's father closed his eyes, as he tried his best to hold in his outright rage. "Get out." Raven's eyes opened wide. "W...What?" He looked her in the eye. "I said GET OUT! I never want to see you again!" "Father..." "OUT! We are no longer family, Raven! It hurts to *look* at you!" Raven fought back the tears by applying rage. "FINE! Good riddance!" Raven shook her head. She said that she'd do anything to be with Sydney, so there was no use in fretting over it. It had come to a decision between Sydney and her family, and she had chosen Sydney. And she wouldn't let herself regret it. Not for a second. She repeatedly told herself this as she walked up the opened ramp of the Beowulf, and into the hallway. She remembered that Sydney had decided he was going to work on the engine today, so he'd probably be in the engine room. Raven floated off the ground, and began to fly quickly down the halls of the Beowulf. After reflecting on her past a little, she had a very strong desire to see Sydney. A desire to *be* with Sydney. She phased through the last doorway blocking herself from the engine room, and was greeted by a very large blast of heat. She she shook her head. She spotted Sydney with his back to her talking to Yoko, pointing at and discussing different parts of the engine. She began to fly towards them, when she caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of her eye. A Juraian nobleman was sitting in a chair going over some sort of data chart with a look of obvious disgust on his face. Raven was about to ask what was going on, but the thought of being with Sydney overroad any thing else. She flew as fast as she could at Sydney, and then dropped to her feet just behind him. He noticed, and turned around. "Oh, hey there, Raven!" Raven dropped the groceries, and pounced. Sydney was usually a fairly outgoing guy. He enjoyed getting a rise out of people, and he liked to talk. He also never really cared about what people thought of him or his actions. But when it came to Raven, he was like a small child, embarassed by the prospect of even looking at a girl, let alone being affectionate with one. Raven however, felt no such fear when it came to showing her affections for Sydney. Raven threw her arms around his neck, and knocked him back onto the floor. She began to kiss him passionately, as his face became very flustered from the obvious embarassment of Yoko and a Juraian nobleman watching them. Yoko smirked, and Nezeer turned his face away in disgust. "Rav...mmph!...We have...aclimmphmmm..ent!" Sydney tried to say. Raven pulled back from the kiss, and looked him in the eyes. "What did you say?" she asked with a hint of mischief in her voice. Sydney took a moment to collect back the necessary amounts of oxygen into his lungs to breathe properly, and then spoke again. "We have a client, Raven." Sydney pointed out. "So what?" she kissed him again. "He can wait." Sydney shook his head. "No, I mean, yes, I mean..." he smacked himself in the head. "Let's just talk to him first, okay? We can do this later." Raven pouted. "Tch, FINE." She stood up. "But I'm expecting something *extra* good for this, Sydney." She winked. "You're going to have to do that thing I like." Sydney began to blush furiously as he managed to prop himself back onto his feet. He shook his head, and then managed to turn his attention away from the curvy figure of Raven to Nezeer. "Umm...so let's talk." "Are you sure? I don't really think that we need *that* much, Aeka." Sasami pointed out. Sasami, Aeka, Mihoshi and Nobuyuki had decided to go shopping, and Washu had volenteered to go along with them, although her contribution to any form of discussion was little to nil. "Hmmm....perhaps. But I think that Ryoko is going to be extra hungry tonight, Sasami." Aeka pointed out. Sasami shrugged and picked the meat out of the fridge in the supermarket, and dropped it into their bag. "How come you think that Ryoko is going to be extra hungry, Aeka?" Sasami asked as they began to walk away from the meat section. Washu winced at the reminder of what had happened, but kept to herself. "Well, you see..." Aeka thought for a moment. "Ryoko told me that she and Tenchi-sama were going to do something today that required a large amount of labor, so she'll probably work up an appetite." Sasami giggled. "What are they going to do? I can't believe that you aren't jealous, Aeka!" Aeka sighed. She was just a little jealous that Ryoko was getting to spend some time in private with Tenchi, but she needed it. She needed to be comforted, and she needed it right away. And Tenchi was without a doubt the best person to provide that comfort. "She didn't say what they would be doing, Sasami." Sasami shrugged. "Where have Father and Mihoshi gone to? It shouldn't take this long to get some fruit juice." Washu just kept alongside Aeka and Sasami as they bantered on about completely inane and boring topics. Washu was thinking back to that program she had watched earlier. "When angels are forced out of Heaven, they become devils. You agree, don't you Spike?" the cold man had said. There was something about that phrase that really hit home with Washu. She felt as though she had once been in heaven. A time so long ago. When she was married, and she had a child. It was so happy then...nothing else could possibly interfere with that happiness, as long as her husband and son were there. But it was not to be. That happiness had been torn away. She had been cast down from Heaven. So then...had she become a devil? Was Washu now a being that couldn't feel love, a being that felt enjoyment only when others around her suffered? Did Washu wish the suffering and pain that she had been exposed to on her only daughter? Ryoko... Washu gagged for a slight instant, and brought her hand up to cover her mouth. She stumbled a little, and put her hand out to brace herself from falling. She knocked over some boxes lined on the shelf as she steadied herself, as she continued to breathe into her hand. "Washu-san!" Aeka and Sasami cried in unison as they rushed to her side. Washu batted her free arm at them as if to shoo them away. She pulled her other arm off of the shelf, and bent down and began to pick up the boxes. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." Washu said in a fairly silent, monotonous voice. Aeka and Sasami shared a concerned look, and then bent down to help Washu pick up the boxes. TO BE CONTINUED Author's Notes: Hey again. As always, C&C will be extremely appreciated. So, where is this story going, exactly? Well, stay tuned to find out! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.) Thanks for listening, and keep reading! Side note: The clip from the show that Washu was watching, for those of you who don't know, was from Cowboy Bebop, Session #5: Ballad of Fallen Angels. (For those of you who haven't seen Bebop, do so now! It's an awesome show! Not as good as Tenchi, but still...) MUSIC: Tsunami and Tokimi Conversation: "Densho", from 'Gasaraki'. Sydney Fixin' the engine: "Asuka Strikes", from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'. Raven's Introspection: "Epitaph - Hidden Shadow", from 'Rurouni Kenshin'. Raven's Return to the Beowulf: "Ryoko's Theme", from 'Tenchi Muyo!'. Washu's Collapse: "Yuuki to ui na no kagi o teni", from 'Slayers NEXT'. email: bhoffer7@home.com The_Entry_Plug