The vision ended, and Sasami collapsed. Minagi caught her before she hit the ground. Bakari didn't move or look up. After a moment, Washu strode forwards and grabbed the woman by the back of the cloak. "You, missy, are coming with me." she said, pulling Bakari behind her easily, "And you take care of Sasami." The diminutive scientist dragged the pirate out of the room, leaving everyone to contemplate what the hell had just happened. "So everything you've been yapping about is true." Washu murmured, "I don't know if I can say I'm sorry for you." "Don't be." Bakari said disinterestedly, "I don't deserve pity. Do me a favor. Get Ryoko to come slit my throat." "SHUT UP ALREADY, DAMMIT!" Washu screamed angrily. After opening a door to a room, she threw the woman into a chair and charged up to her, slamming her hands on either arm of the chair. "I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU PITY, AND I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU DEATH! LEARN TO DEAL WITH LOSS, YOU STUPID FOOL!" Washu panted for breath, having shouted at the top of her lungs in one go. Bakari blinked at her, surprised out of the pity she was in. "We've all lost something at sometime." the pink-haired woman sighed, "You aren't the only one that's lost a loved one." Bakari recognized the look in Washu's eyes as one she had worn for many a millennia. "Yume?" she asked gently, "The woman Kagato kidnapped?" "Yes." Washu said, taking a deep breath, "She's as good as dead." "Are you sure she is? Maybe she's still alive." "Why would Kagato keep her alive?" Washu's voice cracked. "Knowledge." Bakari shrugged, "Didn't Yume always boast that SHE was the greatest scientific genius in the universe? I suppose, if you're counting normal people and not goddesses, she would be." "Hey!" Washu groused, "I'm a normal person! A really cute one, but normal!" "You have a problem with denial." Bakari teased a bit, "You heard what Tsunami said. You're a goddess. The goddess of knowledge, if I can remember with this alcohol-addled head of mine." "How could I be...a goddess?" Washu summoned her floating cushion and flopped down, "I can barely believe that Tsunami is real." "Haven't you noticed all the similarities between your daughters and me? The energy swords, the teleportation, the flight. The same attraction to booze." "And women." Washu had to laugh, "Good grief, is that a trait of a goddess?" "No. There just seem to be a lot more women in the universe than men." "True." The two lapsed into silence for a long while. "You became a pirate to get revenge, didn't you?" "Yes. Even though I had already killed the man, I wanted everyone to pay. Didn't you want revenge on everything when Yume was kidnapped?" "Oh yeah. But I couldn't stand the idea that Kagato had her. I just gave up." "I'm sure Yume appreciates that." "Yeah, and I'm sure Useni's so glad that you became a space pirate." Washu clapped a hand over her mouth at her statement. That was the worst thing she had ever said to Bakari, and it hit home hard. Bakari closed her eyes, her bruised eyes, and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." Washu whispered, "I never should have said that. It was wrong." "Do you know why I started drinking, Washu? I wanted to forget. I wanted to forget that I had lost Useni. I wanted to forget that I had a duty to Tsunami. I wanted to forget everything, even who I was. And every night, every fucking night after Useni was murdered, I dreamed that she wasn't. I dreamed that we were just the two of us, never growing old, never having to worry about death or war or corruption. And every morning, I go get drunk again to forget it. I haven't had a taste of liquor since I met Sasami." "Bakari, why WERE you there that night? It's stupid and reckless to try and steal from the royal family, even if it was you and you had your darn drunk luck." "I had taken a job that morning. It was an assassination call on Sasami. When I got there, I found that Tsunami had assimilated with her. I cancelled the job and decided to rob the place instead." "Who put the call out?" "...Kagato. Kagato put the call out, and I was too drunk to realize it." "But why? Why would Kagato try to kill Sasami?" "I don't know, but I'm not going to let anyone kill her." "One more question, please. How did Sasami become merged with Tsunami?" "It happened when Sasami was very young. She had snuck away to look at the treeships, and slipped. She fell for a very long time before hitting the ground where Tsunami lay dormant. Tsunami had given me time to grieve and avoided merging with anyone for thousands of years. Sasami was going to die if Tsunami hadn't saved her. It was very hard for Sasami to tell me this. She cried for a long time. Afterwards, I taught her how to pick pockets to cheer her up." Washu sweatdropped at the strange method of cheer Bakari had, and said, "So are you mad at Tsunami for doing that?" "I think if I had found out, I would have been angrier. Sasami's a sweetheart. Minagi certainly knows it." "Yes, well, Minagi's a sweetie, too. And Ryoko's good in her own way. A bit rough around the edges, but she's a softy." "Washu, do you understand that you're a goddess?" "...I suppose. And the three gems in Ryoko's wrists and throat. Do you know what those are?" "Trinkets that you liked playing with while you were pregnant with them. One day you couldn't find them, and Ryoko was born with them. Minagi doesn't have them because Ryoko's such a little thief. They don't mean anything, except for a small symbol. Ryoko and Minagi are your daughters by blood, and your weapons by blood. I guess you could call me Tsunami's daughter, if you want." "Does that make us relatives?" "Yes, it does indeed, Aunty Washu." "Call me that again and I will break your nose." "Fair enough." ---------- Ryoko stared out the translucent crystal face of the red center Ryo-oh-ki had. The visions of Bakari's past were obviously traumatic, and the pirate understood, if just a little, how the black-haired woman had turned out so badly. "Ryoko?" The cyan-haired pirate looked up to see Ayeka standing at her side. Ryoko stood from her chair to give Ayeka better eye contact, and discovered that the princess was blushing, tears in her amethyst eyes. "What's wrong, Ayeka?" Ryoko asked one second before Ayeka leaned against her, wrapping her arms around her. "I don't want to loose this moment." Ayeka murmured waveringly, "I don't want to miss this chance." She lifted her head from under Ryoko's chin and gave the pirate a soft, hesitant kiss. Ryoko knew that Ayeka had stirred up her courage and was letting every defense down. The visions had pushed her to move, warning the princess not to let any moment that love could be found escape. And Ryoko didn't want the moment to escape either. She responded in kind to the princess' kiss by carefully drawing her closer. Ryoko slipped her long fingers through Ayeka's hair, her other hand resting on the shorter woman's waist. The kiss lasted for about a minute, but a glorious eternity for Ryoko and Ayeka. "First kiss?" Ryoko questioned. "Yes. How did you know?" Ayeka replied. "The technique was a little off." Ryoko smiled with a wink, "But it was wonderful." "May I try again?" Ayeka blushed with a happy smile, "Or perhaps you could teach me?" "With pleasure." ---------- Minagi held Sasami gently as the princess grasped her for comfort. It had been a strenuous day for everyone. Sasami was disheartened by the visions, by the way her friend had to suffer in the past. Minagi felt sad and disturbed as well. She understood a bit more about Bakari. "Minagi, thank you." Sasami sniffed slightly, "I'm being such a baby." "It's all right." Minagi smiled at her charmingly, "I like you. You're cute." Sasami blushed and glanced down, considering something. After a moment of thought, she leaned up and gave Minagi a quick kiss before turning red from neck to hair, including her ears. Minagi turned a slight pink, but smiled anyway. "I like you, too." Sasami smiled embarrassedly. "Good. I can tickle you then." Sasami didn't have a chance to ask what she meant before Minagi descended on her, tickling her madly. Sasami shrieked with giggles, barely able to breath. The visions were driven from their minds, and all that Minagi and Sasami thought of was each other. ---------- "Hey, Bakari?" "...yes?" "Sorry about giving you that black eye. And don't say you deserved it." "Don't worry about it. And I'm sick of self-pity." "People shouldn't be ruled by their memories." The two women stood side by side, staring out at the vast expanse of space. They had retreated to the God's Arm to have privacy and give some to the others. There was no horizon in space, no defining line of where it ended. There really was no end, and no one could ever know if there was. Washu heaved a sigh. "Yume was kidnapped about three months ago." she murmured, "Do you really think she's still alive?" "I think it's definite possibility." Bakari replied, placing a gentle hand on Washu's shoulder. Washu gave a soft pat to Bakari's hand, and the pirate let her hand fall. "We're almost to Jurai, aren't we?" Bakari asked, "It was only a two and a half day trip at the most." "Bakari, have you ever thought of just leaving? Just escaping right now?" Bakari laughed softly and patted Washu on the head. The scientist turned red with anger and embarrassment, slapping Bakari's hand away swiftly and turning to her with a glare. "No, I haven't." Bakari had turned to look at a distant star, "I really haven't. I'm tired of pity, but I'm tired of running, too. The only people that can really kill me are you, Ryoko, and Minagi, and I don't think you'll do it. I can spend the rest of my time in jail." "This isn't fair." Washu frowned, her brows knitted, "Ryoko and Minagi have killed people. Sure, not as many as you, but death is death. And Tsunami herself said that everyone you killed was corrupted. Can't you ask Ayeka to absolve your crimes?" "I haven't done anything to merit a pardon." Bakari gave a small, sad smile, "Ryoko and Minagi got Sasami back, as well as the emperor's liquor and treasure. And those two detectives are probably going to get a huge promotion for bringing me to justice. Even if I did give myself up." "Why don't you do anything to save yourself from what's going to happen?" Washu shook her head in confusion, "You've just made mistakes. It doesn't if you made a lot of them, they were mistakes." "Washu, I'm learning from my mistakes. That's what this is." "No it isn't! You're playing the martyr for all the awful people that blame you for everything wrong!" "Then I would be a person like Kagato." "You're different from him! You know that you've done something wrong--" "And I'm willing to repent." Washu's bright green eyes widened, and she closed them almost immediately after. There was nothing to do to change Bakari's mind. The pirate was right. The willingness to repent set her apart from villains like Kagato and common thugs. It was no longer pity or angst that drove Bakari to let herself be captured. She had regained her spirit and knew that mistakes, no matter how few or many, had to be learned from. And for Bakari, the lesson came with the cost of her freedom. All at once, as the group of ships rounded one of Jurai's moons, alarm klaxons blared. A massive ship hovered over Jurai, explosions visible from near the moon. Washu let a gasp out. "The Souja!" she stared at the silver ship, "That's Kagato! Kagato's attacking Jurai!" "Looks like we can see if Yume is still alive. Call the others. I've got an idea." ----------- "You want to wage war on Kagato? That's the basic idea?" "No, Ryoko, I mean to defeat him." The ships were connected with video screens, and Bakari was explaining what her idea was. "Are you stupid or just insane?" Ryoko snapped, whirling a finger around her ear in the universal gesture, "Kagato's one mean S.O.B., and he'll find a way to kill you, semi-immortality or not!" "I don't believe that." Bakari replied in turn, "Listen, I think this'll work. Just listen, all right?" Ryoko gave her another withering look but nodded. "Good. Washu and I will storm the Souja, and Kiyone will search for Yume. Washu, you have the location of where a prisoner might be held?" Washu nodded grimly. "Perfect. Ryoko, Minagi, I want you to take Sasami and Ayeka back to the palace. Minagi, I'm putting Sasami's protection in your hands. Don't let her out of your sight. "Mihoshi, you go with them. There's a fight going on down there, and I think you can give them a good bit of hell." Mihoshi saluted with a steady smile. "When this is over, you know what's going to happen." The remark made Sasami's face fall, but she kept from crying. "Let's move. Kagato's waiting." ---------- The troops of the Jurai army were holding their own in the fires that spread from the battle. Civilians had been evacuated to temples of the goddesses, where more soldiers stood guard to strike down the machines Kagato had sent to slay them all. Most of the attack had been directed at the royal palace, and guards had fallen in protection. It wouldn't be long before the guards were overrun and the empresses and the emperor would have to fight. Mihoshi had been left with the temple in the royal city to fend off the swarms of machines and robots with the army. She was doing a spectacular job. Ryo-oh-ki had been left so the cabbit could reign hell down on the larger machines that decided to advance on the temples and other places. Ryoko, Minagi, Ayeka, and Sasami teleported to the palace and rushed inside. At once, the two pirates took up stances, swords blazing, to protect the princesses. "No, Ryoko, keep moving!" Ayeka called as the machines came to fight, "You need only to worry of Sasami!" Ryoko turned to look and found Ayeka crushing the robots and mechanical weapons with the power of a force field. Both were wearing their battle armor, and Minagi was cutting down any machine that got in a ten-foot radius of Sasami. "Ryoko, our parents are probably swarmed already!" Ayeka shouted over the sound of crushing metal and small explosions, "We must aid them!" "Got it, lady love!" Ryoko replied with a smile, "Minagi! Grab Sasami and come on!" Minagi gathered Sasami in one arm, sword in the other, and followed her sister after Ayeka. All three flew as quickly as possible, Ayeka in the lead, Ryoko next, and Minagi close behind. The group rushed in through an already shattered door to find the rulers of Jurai locked in combat with the machines. Ayeka saw one machine sneaking up towards her mother, Misaki, and hurried to her aid. Ryoko took her sword up beside emperor Azusa, slashing through one that attacked his side. Minagi carried Sasami into the group and placed her between all the warriors. "It's wonderful to see you again so soon." Funaho said calmly, her light blade handling as effective as her husband's. Misaki looked up at the words and saw Sasami. Tears erupted from her eyes as if from a waterfall, and she grabbed Sasami in a bone-cracking hug, dropping her light blade. "My Sasami!" the empress cried joyfully, "Oh, my Sasami, you're safe!" She whirled the princess around, forgetting entirely about the battle at hand. "Empress, look out!" Minagi shouted in warning. Misaki looked up from her hug and found a machine ready to pounce at her and her daughter. With skill not commonly associated with the somewhat zany empress, Misaki slipped her toe under the hilt of her blade and kicked up. She caught the hilt and activated the blade, cutting down the machine easily. "You stay away from my Sasami!" she shouted at all the machines. ---------- Washu strode through the hallways quickly, Bakari taking easy, loping steps behind her. The scientist's hands were clenched tightly at her sides, a look of calm anger on her face. It was a difficult thing to pull off, but Washu always managed it. "Blow this wall up." she stopped abruptly and pointed. "One dramatic explosion, coming up." Bakari lifted her hands. "Bakari, what do you plan to do when you defeat Kagato?" The question threw Bakari for a loop and she paused. "Are you going to kill him? Are you going to kill one last person?" "I might have to." Bakari's eyes were hidden under the hood of her cloak, "I don't think any prison could hold him." "No prison can hold you, but you'll still stay." "Because I have to." Bakari cut the conversation short and fired a shot of energy into the stonewall. It exploded in a cloud of dust, and the two women walked into the darkness that followed. ----------- Kiyone pressed herself against the wall, peering around the corner carefully. There was no telling what kind of traps Kagato had set to keep rescuers out and prisoners in. So far, nothing had gone wrong. Kiyone waited for the moment where everything would go down the hole, but it never came. The detective let out a sigh of silly relief. Mihoshi wasn't there. No wonder nothing had gone wrong. Mihoshi was an admitted klutz, but a sweetheart. That was why Kiyone loved her. At the next corner, Kiyone spotted the universally used bars of a cell. Glancing around swiftly, she scurried up to the cell and peered through the bars. A small shape sat on the floor, and Kiyone watched intently for breathing. A moment later, the shape turned to reveal a face. The face of the second greatest scientific genius in the universe, Yume, in fact. "Yume?" Kiyone asked gently, "You're Yume, right?" "Figure that out on your own?" Yume said bitingly, "Who're you? Kagato's new model of robot?" "I'm detective first class Kiyone from the GP." Kiyone aimed her pistol at the door of the cell, "I'm here with Washu to rescue you." Yume visibly brightened at the name. She stood shakily from the floor, her eyes wide in hope. Kiyone fired a shot and the door swung open. "Washu's really here to rescue me?" the smaller of the women asked. Kiyone nodded. Yume smiled, and said, "Took her long enough." Kiyone just sweatdropped. ---------- "Tell me, Kagato, is it some stupid requirement to have a ridiculously huge organ if you want to be a villain?" The most wanted criminal Kagato looked up from the keyboard to find his old teacher, Washu, and the space pirate Bakari standing on a walkway. "I'm surprised to see you're still alive, Bakari." Kagato murmured in his irritating way, "Instead of killing the princess like I told you to, you kidnapped her instead." "I didn't do either, but what do you care?" Bakari summoned her sword, "All I'm here for is you." "What, no long-winded speech of who you're fighting for?" Kagato called forth his own green blade, "No proclamation of my downfall? What a strange anti-hero you are." "I'm not a hero." Bakari shook her head, "I don't give speeches. I'm just a servant of Tsunami, and I know that I need to do the universe a giant favor and get rid of you." "The universe?" Kagato laughed scornfully, "What has the universe done for you? Despised you, hated you, put a price upon your head. You have no reason to do anything for all those filthy creatures." "No, I really don't." Bakari smiled in that sad way she had, "But it's the right thing. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to kill you today." "Go ahead and try." --to be continued--
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