"Ryoko, has Mom sent any new leads yet? It's been at least a week and a half." "No, but she did send us something really interesting. You know Princess Sasami from Jurai? She just got kidnapped, and Princess Ayeka is asking for us specifically." "...What?" Minagi stared blankly at her sister. The two were identical in looks except for the crescent scars on Minagi's cheeks. Though alike in appearance, the two were polar opposites in attitude. Minagi had only convinced her sister to not tread the path of--in her gentle, silly words--bad by saying that the world would benefit more from the end of corruption. That and their mother Washu had sworn that if Ryoko acted the way the infamous space pirate Bakari did, there would be hell to pay. "I'm serious." Ryoko's golden eyes gleamed with laughter, a fang caught on her lip in an effort not to giggle madly, "I don't know why, but the crown princess of Jurai is asking us for help." Minagi walked to where her sister sat on her favorite hovering chair before a holo-computer and looked over her shoulder. Washu had sent e-mail showing a video clip of a news conference with the Jurai royal family. The clip began to play with a single tap from Minagi's finger. Ayeka, first crown princess of Jurai, appeared on the screen, anger evident even on her calm face. 'This kidnapping is a direct attack on the Jurai royal family, and we do not intend to stand for it.' Ayeka's voice trembled, 'That is why I am personally calling upon the space pirates Ryoko and Minagi to come forth and assist the Galaxy Police in tracking down and capturing the space pirate Bakari. I am offering Ryoko and Minagi an absolution for their numerous, if slightly justly, crimes, as well as generous compensation for their services. And as of this moment, the space pirate Bakari has a fifty billion credit bounty on her head, dead or alive, and for the safe return of my sister, Sasami.' The clip ended, and Ryoko was howling with laughter. Minagi just gaped in shock. Fifty billion credits? It was an unheard of sum, even in the darker parts of the underworld. What Bakari had done was obviously something terrible. Of course, Bakari wasn't one to go for the small prizes. But still, to kidnap a princess of Jurai? It was stupid, if not completely insane. She would never get out of it alive, even if Sasami was returned unharmed. "I can't believe it!" Ryoko chuckled, "She actually wants our help! Wow!" "Ryoko, aren't we going to help her?" Minagi asked, her bright gold eyes still wide. "Hell no!" Ryoko grew serious, "We might not like Bakari in the slightest, but that doesn't mean we'll go after her! It's suicide to even get involved with her." "But still." Minagi protested, "We shouldn't just let her kidnap someone." "What's the royal family done for us except hound our butts for the past four or five hundred years?" Ryoko frowned, "What do we care if Bakari kidnapped someone, even if it is a princess?" "I'll tell you why you should care!" Minagi and Ryoko jumped and looked to the computer. Washu's face was there on the screen, her trademark evil grin on her face. In the body of a child, Washu was older than most would think possible--over twenty thousand years. "Mom!" Ryoko snapped, "Stop hacking into Ryo-oh-ki!" The cabbit ship meowed loudly in response, a system crystal popping into the angry form of the cabbit for just a moment. "Sorry." Washu said without regret, "Listen, we have a reason to go after Bakari and Sasami, and it's something other than money." "What, a death wish?" Ryoko quipped. "Ryoko, have you hit your head?" Washu raised a brow into her pink, crab-styled hair, "Don't you remember three hundred years ago? Bakari stole my best ship next to Ryo-oh-ki, a hyper-dimensional pocket bag, and gave your sister those scars." A muscle in Ryoko's face twitched as Minagi looked away. It had been a bad night, that one. ----------- "That's just great!" Washu snarled as sirens rang out, "It never fails! Have your daughters home for a nice day, and someone decides to try and break in!" She summoned three holo-computers and typed faster than anyone could see, glaring at the images that appeared from her front walk. Ryoko and Minagi stood at their mother's shoulder, staring in shock as a cloaked figure stumbled about the stoned walkway, dodging everything thrown at them. A spiked ball flew by their head, and the person fell backwards, rising back up without ever hitting the ground. "That's Bakari!" Minagi murmured worriedly, remembering the dozens of wanted posters she had seen in every bar Ryoko took her to. "What in the hell is she doing here?" Ryoko growled. "I don't believe this!" Washu shrieked, "She's DRUNK! She's coming here to steal, and she's DRUNK!" She frowned as Bakari staggered to one wall and a blade of dark blue energy appeared in her hands. Bakari swung erratically, cutting a hole through the wall and crawling through it. "She's gone in through the hanger," Washu watched as Bakari suddenly began to jog with purpose, "and she's headed for...the lab. She's trying to break into my lab. GET HER!" Ryoko and Minagi teleported into their mother's laboratory, gleaming red energy swords blazing. The door opened and vanished into the ceiling, and Bakari swaggered in, sword still in hand. She looked blearily at the two women and shook her head. "I guess I'm seeing double." she hiccupped, walking in a lazy, limp way towards the finished inventions. "You ain't seeing double, lady!" Ryoko rushed in for a strike, "Now get out of here!" Bakari dodged with barely a movement and Ryoko suddenly felt a knee in her stomach. She coughed, the air rushing out of her lungs. The cyan-haired pirate fell to one knee, her eyes wide in pain as she gasped for breath. Minagi took up the fight for her sister, sword against Bakari's. The black-haired pirate smiled slightly at Minagi's raged expression. "I've heard that you and your sister are the two fastest pirates around." she chuckled, "Want to test that against me?" "Why not?" Minagi growled. The energy blades parted for a moment, crashing together again a second later in a different place. Minagi took the offensive, taking swift strikes at every spot she could think of. Bakari moved just as fast, if not faster, blocking every slash with her own blade. "You're pretty quick!" Bakari laughed, her gray eyes narrow with mirth and the joy of battle, "But how's your footwork?" She lashed out with a hard kick from her right foot, Minagi leaping into the air and vaulting over her. Minagi swung hard at Bakari's exposed back. The block needed was a rare one and difficult to execute. Very few people actually knew the sword style it came from. Despite all her praying, Minagi was blocked. Bakari held her sword over her shoulder, blocking the two-handed strike with just one hand. It seemed so impossible. Bakari smiled over her shoulder and suddenly twisted. Minagi jerked, fire abruptly in her chest. She looked down and turned pale. Bakari's sword lay stabbed just below her breasts, blood running down her beige clothing. Bakari smirked, releasing the sword to let the energy fade away. Minagi felt her legs give way at the pain and Bakari let her fall against her. The black-haired pirate grinned, flashing sharp teeth, and put her thumbs against Minagi's cheeks. Energy flared through Bakari's fingers and burned Minagi's skin. Bakari dragged her fingers down slowly, tearing crescent wounds onto Minagi's face. "A way to tell you and your sister apart." Bakari chuckled. She threw the bleeding pirate over her shoulder to crash into Ryoko, who had just recovered from the first blow of the battle. Ryoko caught Minagi carefully, glaring in rage at Bakari. If she didn't leave and get Washu that second, Minagi would bleed to death. It didn't matter if Ryoko managed to defeat Bakari, it wouldn't keep Minagi from dying. "You BITCH." Ryoko swore before teleporting Minagi away. Bakari gave a sardonic salute to the cameras that were obviously hidden and looked around the lab. A limp bag caught her eye and she went to it. A grin appeared on her face when she realized what it was. "A pocket-bag." she snickered, "How useful. Now let's see if our dear old scientist has a ship for me to steal." She folded the bag and slid it into her pocket, jogging out of the room and back to the hanger. One ship in particular immediately caught her eye. It wasn't a very large ship, as Washu didn't believe that size meant power. It was black, and would hide very well in space. A strange, crystalline shape, it was a ship that made Bakari grin. "Perfect." ---------- Ryoko came out of her thoughts to realize that her hands were clenched into shaking fists, and Minagi had turned pale and trembling. "You know what?" she turned to her computer, Washu still linked, "We'll do it. I'll personally get even with Bakari." "Good!" Washu grinned evilly, "I'll meet you at Jurai. Don't you dare think I'm going to miss out on a chance to get the lady that hurt my daughter. Are you up for it, Minagi?" "Someone has to make sure the princess doesn't get blown up in all that fighting!" Minagi joked, her face still a bit pale, "Let's get moving!" ---------- Bakari sat silently in the hovering chair surrounded by control crystals. It had been just a day and a half, a few hours since she had woken up and remembered that Sasami was going to accompany her for a while. And for the first time in a very, very, VERY long time, she was sober. She hadn't had a single drink since the night before. After enjoying a good meal for the first time in another very long time, Bakari went to the main control room, where the system crystals listened for engine and gun commands from her. It was a room that Sasami had been told to stay out of unless need arise. The pirate glanced sideways once to look again at the fresh bounty on her head. Ayeka, not the Jurai royal family, had put the fifty billion credit mark on her head, and had called in everyone from the GP to Ryoko and Minagi. Bakari lifted the still closed bottle of high quality whiskey, staring at the dark liquid inside the amber glass. Her eyes slid off the bottle and onto her hand, where a dark blue circle was permanently embossed in her palm. A second circle lay in her other hand, and the same pattern of the twin marks was on her back. It was a possessive mark, to show she was someone's something. Bakari knew what they meant, and she never thought she would have to remember it. She sighed and tossed the bottle away. It landed with a heavy clunk on the floor. Bakari looked to the clear view port, staring at the stars through the translucent crystal. "Fate doesn't like me." she murmured softly. ---------- Washu, the greatest scientific genius in the universe, carefully watched the sky. Ryo-oh-ki was a fast ship, and it wouldn't be too long before... The red-haired woman smiled as a gleam appeared in the blue sky, growing larger to reveal the brown, crystalline ship. It hovered silently over where she stood, and she raised a hand to wave at her daughters. Ryoko and Minagi appeared outside the ship, flying down to stand next to their mother. Ryoko waved at the ship, and in a puff of smoke, it shrank into a fuzzy, dark brown cabbit. Minagi let the cute little cabbit land on her hand, and the four began to walk up the path to the Jurai palace. Guards snapped to attention, swords flaring to life and closing in an 'x' before the doorway. "We're here for Princess Ayeka's offer." Ryoko said firmly, "So move." The guards gave each other a fierce look, but moved aside for the women and cabbit to enter. Once inside, Ryo-oh-ki pulled her eyelid down and stuck out her tongue at the guards. A servant hurried off to fetch the princess, and the group was left in the entrance. "What is it with royalty and big rooms?" Washu put her hands on her hips and frowned, "Bigger isn't better, and we have little Ryo-oh-ki to prove it." "Think they're compensating for something?" Ryoko chuckled. Washu laughed as well, and even Minagi gave a guilty giggle. "Are you the space pirates Ryoko and Minagi?" Ryoko glanced at the stairway where the voice came from and froze. Though she never thought she would think such a way about another woman, Ryoko found herself thinking, "Holy shit...what a hottie." The princess wore luxurious robes, the same as all nobility, but they looked spectacular on her. Her long violet hair, pulled mostly back into two tails, hung slightly over her deep red-purple eyes. Though less...ahem...endowed than Ryoko, the pirate still felt very attracted. "Close your mouth before you start drooling." Washu said in an undertone to her daughter before addressing Ayeka, "Yes, they are. I'm their mother, Washu. We're here about your offer." "Wonderful." Ayeka smiled and walked swiftly to stand before Ryoko, "Let us depart immediately." "Come again?" Minagi questioned, as her sister was still a bit stunned. "You're taking me with you, aren't you?" Ayeka asked in reply. "You want us to do WHAT?" Ryoko demanded, snapping out of her trance. "I suppose I should have mentioned this," Ayeka sighed, "but I didn't want anyone to know. My parents will be furious." "Will?" Ryoko stuttered, "No, they would have been mad. Who said you're going with us?" "Please, I need to come with you. Sasami is my sister. I don't know what I'd do if she was hurt. That, and if you don't take me with you..." Guards appeared from every doorway and surrounded the women. "I'll have you all arrested right now and put you into jail for each and every one of your crimes." Ryoko glared, and Washu, Minagi, and Ryo-oh-ki jumped on her arms to keep her from striking Ayeka. However, Ryoko started to laugh, her gold eyes gleaming with mirth. "You're just as bad as me!" the pirate laughed, "I would do just the same thing if I were you!" As she laughed, Minagi, Washu, and Ryo-oh-ki relaxed, letting her go. Once all hands were off her, Ryoko grabbed Ayeka by the collar and lifted her clear off the ground. She smiled darkly, her eyes closed. "You can come with us." she said softly, "However, if you act the least bit hoity-toity, I will personally give you to Bakari. We'll do this our way, or no way. All right?" "V-very well." Ayeka said, her voice strained from the air restriction, "Can you put me down now? Please?" "OK." Ryoko put her down with another smile, "Shall we get moving?" She and her family led Ayeka out of the palace, and the princess grew confused. "In what?" she asked. Ryoko smirked and plucked Ryo-oh-ki from Minagi's head, throwing the girl cabbit high into the air. Ayeka gasped, but stopped when an echoing cry of 'MEOW!' rang out. The cabbit suddenly erupted into a spaceship, and Ayeka stood dumbfounded. "Come on, we've got to get moving!" Ryoko wrapped her arm around Ayeka as Minagi took her mother's wrist. Ayeka blushed crimson, and the four were teleported into the cabbit. ---------- "GAH-HA-HA-OOOW!" Sasami blinked. She had gone into the training room Bakari had shown her, and couldn't understand why Bakari had just let a very hard, very solid round of billiard-sized balls hit her. The pirate lay on the floor, coughing slightly and groaning. "Goddess, I hate these f-ing warm-up hits." Bakari coughed, standing up and rubbing her chest, "One of these days, my ribs won't break." "What just happened?" Sasami asked. "That would be my warm-up beating." Bakari sighed, "I do this every day to get my bones used to being broken for the day." "You said your ribs were broken?" Sasami turned a bit blue. "They heal after a few seconds." Bakari smirked, "Don't worry about it. Besides, it makes me used to healing my bones quickly. It's kind of weird, feeling a rib snap and heal a second later." "Have you ever been hit somewhere other than your chest?" "Everywhere below and including my neck. But not my head." At that exact moment, the cannon that had been firing the balls decided to malfunction and fire one shot. The shot hit Bakari smack in the forehead, the force knocking her straight to the floor. "Bakari? Are you all right?" "NO, I'M NOT F-ING ALL RIGHT!" --to be continued--
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