Playmates
A hollow sigh echoed around the empty command center. After so many years in space, you would think a girl would be used to the boredom, but evidently not. The girl twirled around in front of one of the floor to ceiling length windows that looked out into space, and watched her muted reflection stare back at her. She was rather pretty, in her own opinion. She had shoulder length, electric blue hair and pale yellow eyes. She wore a canary yellow dress that hugged her hips and her generous C-cups. No, a dress wasn't exactly normal for her breed, but after 300 years alone on a station, she figured she had a right to dress and act any damn way she felt. It flowed slightly at her knees as she twirled. She twirled faster and faster and faster, hoping she could make herself dizzy, but knowing it was in vain. After all, you couldn't make a hologram dizzy.
She frowned as her reflection flickered in the windows and her shoulders slumped as she figured the holo-transmitters were finally about to burn out completely. "It only took them them 305 years," she groused to the accumulated dust on the floor.
That's when she felt the first uneasy feelings in her data. She zipped back into the mainstream of the terminal she called home. Very few systems were still operational, but she had a small amount of sensors functioning. 'Nothing seems out of place,' she thought, but the feeling just got stronger as the minutes ticked by. Finally, when it felt like ants were crawling through her data nodes, there was a super bright flash of light and an energy surge that made her sensors go crazy. She looked at the data the sensors were sending her. She blinked and looked again. Originally, she had thought Sukebe was returning, but if he was, he just made a fatal error. Several thousand tiny pieces of debris had just warped into the sector, nothing bigger than half a meter square among the wreckage.
She sighed again. 'Oh well,' she thought. 'It's not like I wanted to see that crazy man again. I'd rather be bored another 300 years than see Jim again.'
She started running system diagnostics to check for any damage the energy wave may have caused. As the diagnostics were finishing, something on the sensors got her attention. 'That's odd,' she thought. 'Where did they come from?'
A medium sized shuttle was cruising toward the station. Sensors showed seven life signs aboard it, and there were several nasty looking fissures in the aft hull. The aft stabilizer fin looked like it had been ripped off halfway down the mast and one wing didn't look like it was in much better shape. It was obvious they wouldn't make it too much further in that deathtrap, let alone make re-entry.
A couple of minutes channel surfing found the frequency they were broadcasting on. ~"llo? This is shuttle Peacecraft One. Does anyone copy us? Over."~ came an angelic voice over the comm. ~Hello? Does anyone copy? This is shuttle Peacecraft One. We're badly damaged and in need of repairs. Does anyone copy? Over.~ A thrill went down the girl's virtual spine when she realized the voice was male. He sounded like a Seraph, even through the electronic distortion. 'Well now, that certainly changes things,' she thought. 'I'll have to see what I can do to help them.'
~*~
"I saw an energy spike come from that station on the left," said Heero.
"I saw a flash from one of the pylons," said Duo. "It may be just automated systems scanning us, though. I don't see any life signs on the sensors. Then again, we may not be close enough to get an accurate reading yet."
"I'm transmitting to several of the pieces around here. Unfortunately, all the debris from the New Horizon isn't helping the transmission distance. All the metal is actually acting like a damper field. I keep getting feedback bouncing back at us from everywhere. Everywhere but that station. Whatever I send that way, is obviously getting received, though I'm not getting anything back," said Quatre.
Heero nodded. "It's also the only place that looks like it might be suitable for making repairs. Thanks to the New Horizon's debris field, we won't have a problem finding material to patch the hull, but we still need a stable environment so we can go outside. I'm not hoping to find an atmosphere, just a good place to dock."
Duo nodded and started pointing the shuttle more toward the station. It looked like a miniature ring colony, spinning slowly in space. Although it was the least damaged item in the nearby area, it still had several areas of the ring that were scored, with a section that looked like it had been gripped and crushed by a very large hand. Much of the damage to the outer hull seemed more weathered, like many micro-meteors had pockmarked the metal over time. As they got closer, Duo found a docking bay with barely lit beacons flashing intermittently. He shook his head and said, "Does anyone else get a creepy feeling from this?"
"Tough," said Heero. "At this point, that station's all we have as an option. If it's a trap, we'll deal with whoever laid it when we find them. Otherwise, hold steady and concentrate on the mission. Nothing about this place feels right. Don't let it shake you, Maxwell."
Duo scowled at the controls and muttered under his breath, "It's not the living that shakes me like this."
Duo expertly guided the shuttle through the docking bay doors, even though they were barely open wide enough to squeeze the shuttle between them. The bay itself was completely clear and clean, other than a layer of dust that swirled up slightly as the shuttle set down. Duo and Heero started flipping switches and the shuttle slowly powered down.
"Alright people, I'd like to thank you for flying Shinigami Air; please leave your tray tables in their upright positions and dispose of your barf bags at the door," joked Duo as he flipped the last switch. "Honestly, we're down and stable. This bay is small at two stories tall and looks like it was meant to hold two shuttles about fifty percent smaller than the PC-1. Now we just need...” Duo was cut off by the creaking sound of the shuttle bay doors closing on little used mechanisms. "What the hell?" Duo and Heero started checking the sensors quickly, but the doors were already closed too tightly for Duo to get the ship out. As soon as the doors were closed, the bay lights came on dimly and there was a quiet sound of humming coming through the hull of the shuttle.
Heero checked one of the sensors. "It looks like the bay is pressurizing and an atmosphere is being pumped in through the vents."
"I wonder if this is just automatic procedures the computer is following, or if there's someone on board," mused WuFei.
"I don't know," said Duo, "but it's making the creepiness factor hike considerably."
"First things first," said Quatre. "We need to get outside the shuttle and see exactly how bad the damage is. Then we'll need to see if we can open those doors from the bay, or if we'll need to find the command deck and do it from there."
Trowa and WuFei came back into the cabin just as Heero and Quatre were unbuckling their restraints.
"Well, we have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?" asked Trowa.
"Good, I guess," said Quatre.
"We have space suits and oxygen to last them about 20 hours each. We also have emergency supplies and rations on board," said Trowa.
WuFei took over, "The bad part is, we only have basic suits. None of them are combat rated. And we only have enough rations for two weeks tops, if we ration like we used to. The onnas aren't used to surviving on that amount of food, but they'll have to live."
"For that matter," said Duo, "neither are we. We haven't had to survive on k-rations since the end of the war." To Duo's credit, he didn't let the trepidation he felt at going back to rations leak through into his voice.
Quatre clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry Duo. We'll have something figured out long before we run out."
Duo managed an embarrassed grin as he turned back to the ship's gauges. "Well, the gauges say we have plenty of power and the engines seem to be fine. We just have to worry about the hull and maneuvering flaps. I think the main pylon's and the starboard wing's flaps must be jammed. I'm getting an error back on the diagnostics panel, but it won't say what's wrong, just that there's an error."
Heero nodded and stood up. "The sensors say the atmosphere outside the shuttle is Earth normal, but I'm still using a suit to begin with." The others all nodded agreement. "I want Duo and Trowa with me. We'll check out the damage on the shuttle. Quatre, 'Fei, take the bay doors. All that debris won't do us any good if we can't get to it."
~*~
"We're not alone," said Quatre quietly as he glanced at WuFei.
"Did you spot someone?" asked WuFei as he stood up from examining the workstation on the right of the bay.
Quatre nodded and pointed toward the second story platform running along the backside of the bay.
"I don't see anyone," said WuFei.
Quatre looked at the railing. "What the..? I only took my eyes off her for a second."
"Her?" asked WuFei. "Sure you didn't just see a reflection of one of the girls in the glass up there?"
Quatre shook his head. "I haven't gotten that rusty, Wuffers."
WuFei scowled at him. "Don't call me that," he hissed. "It's bad enough that idiot, Maxwell does. It's insulting."
Quatre shrugged. "Tit for Tat. Don't insult me by thinking I'm slipping."
WuFei ducked his head. "Touché. So, what did your mystery girl look like?"
Quatre looked back up at the railing, pointing his flashlight up there to illuminate the area better. "She was really odd looking. 5'5", maybe 5'6", 95 to 100 pounds maybe. The truly weird thing is, her hair was blue, like electric blue."
"Let's see what we can find up on the railing," suggested WuFei.
Both guys covered the upper railing from one side of the bay to the other. A fine layer of dust covered everything in the bay, but the only tracks were those left by their spacesuits. After a few minutes more, they headed back to the shuttle to check in with the others.
"Well, the pylon is officially screwed," said Duo as he climbed down from the shuttle's roof and joined Quatre and WuFei, "and the starboard wing is barely hanging on. There wasn't an error in either of the flaps; they're completely missing."
Trowa and Heero were waiting at the docking clamp for the shuttle.
"We have to be able to get outside to get those scraps," said Heero.
Duo shook his head. "We better find some really good pieces because we're gonna have to completely rebuild the back half of the shuttle. The stress fractures continue down what's left of the tailfin and into the support structures of the shuttle body."
"We may have a bigger issue," said WuFei.
"Oh?" asked Duo. "Can we not get out the doors?"
"Actually, no," said WuFei, “not without blowing the emergency hatches on the locks, but that's not what I'm talking about." Everyone looked at WuFei expectantly. He motioned to Quatre with a nod. "Quatre saw someone."
"Who?" asked Heero, pulling out the 9mm he always seemed to have at hand. They had loaded safety rounds for working in space, so there was little chance of him blowing a hole in the station's hull.
Quatre shook his head. "I don't know. I saw her while we were checking out the work boxes over there," he motioned to the work bay, "but when I glanced at WuFei, she disappeared."
"Did you check where you saw her?" asked Trowa. "There's dust everywhere. She had to have left a trail."
Quatre shook his head. "That's just it. There was nothing. No tracks, no swirls, nothing. She was there and then she wasn't."
"Like a ghost?" asked Duo.
"Can it, Baka," said Heero. He looked at Quatre. "Are you feeling alright? Honestly." He held up a hand at Quatre's annoyed look, "we haven't gotten the full air spec done yet. I know we haven't taken off the suits, but I've heard of stranger things."
All five guys jumped as the loading ramp started dropping. Heero had to force himself to lower the 9mm from where it pointed at Hilde's head bobbing down the ramp. WuFei actually growled lightly as they watched Relena follow her down. Neither girl was wearing a spacesuit. None of the guys looked particularly happy.
WuFei was the first to snap. "What the hell do you two crazy onnas think you're doing?"
Relena arched an eyebrow at him. "Stretching our legs. Or did you think we'd stay cooped up like a couple of hens forever?"
WuFei's classic Chinese features purpled as a vein ticked in his high forehead. "Cooped up? You think this is cooped up? Try being cooped up in a mobile suit cockpit for two solid weeks!" He motioned to the shuttle. "This thing is a luxury vehicle in comparison! The sheer injustice of thinking of an hour in that thing as cooped up is absolutely absurd! You have got to be the most unbelievable piece of work I've ever met! Have you even gotten past being fifteen in that fluffy little head of yours?"
"Down, Wuffers, Down. Heel, boy. Good boy. Treat later," said Duo.
WuFei glared at Duo. "Do. Not. Call. Me. WUFFERS, MAXWELL!" WuFei stormed back up the ramp, glaring at the two ladies as he shouldered past them. "Damned infernal Americans," could be heard over the comms as he disappeared into the shuttle.
Quatre sighed. "While I was trying to figure out a way to stop his rant, did you have to, Duo? He'll be a seething box of Chinese fury for hours."
"Not to mention he'll still let us have that rant later," added in Trowa.
Duo grinned impishly. "Have to? No. Want to? Absolutely!" The grin on the American's face was almost manic. "It's been ages since I've made him mad enough to stomp off! And did you see his face?" Duo was obviously thrilled about his feat. The rest of the guys just shook their heads. Relena and Hilde looked amused.
Relena finally sighed. "Why don't you guys take those suits off? You're just wasting air."
Hilde nodded her agreement. "Yeah. The air spec analysis finished a few minutes ago and said the air was fine, other than a high concentration of dust whenever you kick it up. There aren't any dangerous contaminants in the dust either."
Heero hesitated a moment, but decided to join the others as they all shrugged out of their helmets. The air wasn't as metallic as the processed air from their suits, but it was still sort of stale. All things considered, they were lucky there was an atmosphere at all. Heero looked up at Relena and said, "If we all end up hallucinating this mystery woman, then we'll know who to blame."
"What woman?" asked Hilde.
~*~
The girl watched the newcomers through the video feeds. She chuckled to herself at their antics. 'These guys are hilarious. Especially the one that stomped away from the rest. He'll be fun to pick on,' she thought. She was delighted to see them taking their helmets off. She smiled as she got her first good look at them. The one called Heero seemed to be of a mixed Edo decent, considering he was close to 6'. He had shoulder length, messy chocolate brown hair. She changed views to get a better close up of the guys. She finally caught a glimpse of stormy blue eyes peeking out from under Heero's bangs.
The one they kept calling Duo had a deep chestnut colored braid twisted up in his helmet that spilled down his back, as he took it off. He had breath-taking, violet-colored eyes and stood somewhere around 6'3". He reminded her of someone from Sunshine.
The quiet one called Trowa had short, light brown hair with a swath of bangs that hung down over his right eye. He had classic World Champion features, with leaf green eyes. He was taller than any of the others at a lanky 6'6".
The one that had spotted her early on, they called Quatre. He looked almost as much like a Seraph as he sounded. He was tall, at 6' or 6'1", though not quite as lanky as Trowa. He had beautiful white blond hair that reminded her of someone from Extreme, but he cussed like someone from Crescent Moon. She chuckled at the expletives that flew from him as the one called WuFei came back down the ramp, had a short, heated discussion with him, and promptly threw an air tank at him, knocking Quatre back into the shuttle's hull, making his head connect soundly with the metal. Quatre's bright blue eyes flashed a promise of revenge at WuFei.
WuFei had stripped out of the spacesuit completely and was wearing a green uniform bearing a stylized 'P' on the shoulder and left breast pocket. He was most definitely Edo looking, more of what used to be China evident in the medium length, black hair that he pulled back into a tight ponytail and almost black looking eyes. He was a good 5'11", maybe 6', which was odd for that region. 'Maybe their version of Edo is slightly different,' she thought.
The two women didn't interest her nearly as much, except as possible competition, but she still looked at them curiously. The one called Relena was about 5'10" and held herself proudly, even as she tried to affect an air of casualty. She had long, white blond hair that had been pulled up into a beautiful knot work on the back of her head. She was wearing a flowing, sky-blue gown that twinkled with rhinestones and matched the color of her eyes perfectly. If not for the scans that said she was human, the girl would've sworn Relena was a Godiva or a Megami. She had that kind of etherealness about her.
The other woman was also human, and stood about an inch shorter than Relena at 5'9". She heard Relena call her Hilde, and they seemed like close friends. She had short, slightly messy, blue-black hair and dark blue eyes that glittered in mirth at something Duo was whispering to her. Her features reminded the girl of someone from World Champion or Amethyst. She was wearing a hunter green dress uniform of some sort with a sword hanging from a frog* on her belt, making her look like some neo-European type of amazonwu or slicer.
All of them were somewhat statue-esque, denoting a high level of physical training that was evident even through their bulky spacesuits. She chuckled as she heard Duo refer to her as a 'ghost' as they talked about forming a search party to find her. She was going to have fun. She hadn't had any playmates in sooo long...
~*~
The whole group was slowly making their way down the corridors of the station, trying to find either the 'mystery girl' Quatre had seen, or the command deck. They were going to split up into two teams, with Heero and Duo in one, and the other three in the other, but neither Hilde nor Relena were having any part of staying behind in the shuttle. So, instead of worrying about them taking off after the rest of them left, the guys had just relented and told them to come along. The guys had formed a circle around the girls, with Heero and Duo in front, Trowa and Quatre on the sides, and WuFei watching the rear.
"What did you say this ghost looked like again, Q?" asked Duo.
Quatre sighed. "She was a little shorter than Hilde, wearing a yellow dress, and she had electric blue hair. And I'm still not convinced she's a ghost. She looked too real."
"Some ghosts do," said WuFei.
Hilde looked at him, shocked. "You, WuFei? I didn't peg you for the superstitious type."
WuFei glanced at her before resuming his watch of the corridor behind them. "I believe Maxwell is an idiot, but I also believe his concern over a spirit may bear some weight. My people have a rich history that abounds with stories of kami, spirits, and other supernatural creatures, and we have all seen instances where Quatre can only be described as 'other-worldly'. It is entirely possible he was able to connect with a spirit that still clings to this station with that empathy of his."
Hilde shrugged. "I expect that kind of thing out of Duo, I just didn't expect it out of you."
"You're not a believer, I take it." Hilde shook her head. WuFei continued, "It's a lack of respect for that which is stronger than you that blocks belief. That applies to both the living and the dead. I just hope this spirit is friendly. That, or you learn respect quickly, one or the other." Hilde merely gave him a sour look before turning away from him. WuFei shook his head and muttered, "Crazy onna," under his breath.
Hilde wheeled on him. "What did you just call me, 'Fei?"
WuFei drew himself up to look down his nose at her. "I called you a crazy onna; crazy woman." Hilde's hand drew into a fist, but WuFei warned her, "I wouldn't, Schbeiker. You still can't take me, and while I wouldn't be broken up over putting you in traction for a while, Maxwell seems rather fond of you being in one piece. Let's keep it that way, shall we?"
Hilde growled and lunged for WuFei only to come up short as Duo grabbed her from behind. Quatre was quickly standing between Hilde, as she was fighting against Duo, and WuFei, who merely looked on at the wrestling match in mild curiosity.
"That was a low blow, 'Fei, and you know it," said Quatre in a calm tone.
WuFei shrugged and shook his head. "I didn't start this, Quatre, and she had it coming."
"I know, 'Fei. I know. But this has got to stop," said Quatre. "If we're not alone on the station, then this kind of thing is going to give our position away in a heartbeat. If we are alone, then there's no reason to be worried about their safety, which I know you're every bit as worried over as the rest of us." It was WuFei's turn to look sour. "Either way, they're with us now, and we have to protect them...whether they like it or not." Quatre looked the group over. "Today's been stressful enough. Let's not make it worse by starting on each other, agreed?"
Everyone but Hilde nodded, but Duo whispered something in her ear and she swatted him. "Stop that!" she hissed, though everyone knew she wasn't really mad at him. They'd seen this little display often enough. Hilde had an explosive temper, but it died almost as quickly as it ignited. Only Duo seemed able to instantly diffuse her, and whatever he said always made her blush. Hilde elbowed him in the stomach, and Duo let go of her with a soft grunt, though he was still grinning like an idiot.
Heero rolled his eyes as Relena teased them, saying, "Awww, aren't they cute?"
~*~
'Well, it appears that Hilde is Duo's, so I can cross him off the list,' the girl thought. 'It's a pity. He looked like such fun. WuFei is too temperamental, though I must give him props for being well versed in cultural history and respecting those beliefs.'
She watched them as they made their way deeper into the station. While the station was far from the biggest one Sukebe created, it wasn't the smallest either. It had an outer ring with docking bays and labs lining six levels, and a central hub that was a quarter mile wide by a mile high. There were thirty levels in the main hub alone. The whole station was about a mile wide by a mile high at its extremes. In truth, with the artificial gravity technology, the only reason for the ring was to have some of the more volatile experiments contained in an area that could be jettisoned quickly if needed.
They had made it through one of the four support pylons that connected the ring to the central hub, with no problem. They were heading deeper into the hub at an alarming rate. Heero and Duo were leading them toward the command deck like they were familiar with stations of this variety. After thinking about it a moment, she figured it was a possibility since Sukebe did steal technology from a smathering of worlds in his bid to take this one over. Still, she didn't want them finding her private abode until she had more time to study them. She started using her control of the computer systems to close some doors and open others. She figured she'd let them into some of the station's quarters. After all, the humans and pokegirls that had inhabited them had left the station long ago. If they actually left anything behind, then it was her's by right of salvage, fair and square, and if she chose to let the newcomers have it, then there was no one left to complain about it.
~*~
The group stopped when they came to the first closed door. Heero and Duo looked it over. "It's magna-sealed. Duo, do you think you can pick the keypad?" asked Heero.
Duo said, "I'm on it," and bent to inspect the pad on the right side of the door. He pulled a knife out of his boot and started prying the faceplate off the wall. He got it halfway off when he was thrown backward on his butt about a foot.
"Are you alright, Duo?" asked Hilde.
Duo shook his head like he was trying to clear it of cobwebs. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little singed." He re-examined the faceplate, did a little bit more prodding, this time being more careful, and finally stood up and said, "Nope. Not gonna get this one from this side. Not unless I get something to divert the power through it, and No, I'm not using myself as a power conduit." The last part was said with a chuckle.
"Then we head through the open door back down the hall," said Heero.
Half an hour later, Trowa said, "Does anyone else feel like a rat in a maze?" They had met several more closed doors on their way to the command deck and still weren't any closer to their target. While rooms in the ring had been coated in a fine layer of dust, the hallways and rooms of the hub seemed almost pristine by comparison. Granted, lighting barely worked in most of the hallways and some of the rooms looked thoroughly trashed, but over all, the conditions in the hub were quite clean. The lighting problems merely necessitated the use of flashlights and caution while navigating the hallways. The best part of the trip had been the realization that the gravity must be artificially generated, as it had carried over into the hub from the ring. It was a bit of technology several of them were interested in finding out.
Duo shook his head. "No, rats in mazes eventually get cheese as a reward. We have gotten nill."
"We've found a few pieces of miscellaneous equipment," said Quatre, "even if it can't be used anymore."
They had found a few empty oxygen tanks in a room with some badly damaged suits. They'd made a notation of the room so they could go back and scavenge the suits for anything useful.
"The only good thing about this trip so far is the lack of your ghost woman, Q," said Duo. Quatre gave him a playfully annoyed look over his shoulder. "Duo, I wish you would stop calling her a ghost. We've yet to find any evidence to support that theory."
"That's just it," said Duo. "We haven't found any evidence, one way or the other."
Quatre just shook his head and sighed. "I know what I saw."
Another fifteen minutes found the guys wandering into a hallway with doors closer together than the last several halls they'd been through. Doors lined both sides of the hall at even intervals of about ten feet. A few were hanging loosely open, and Heero switched to hand-signals as he drew his 9mm. The others followed his lead. He motioned Duo and Trowa to take the other side of the hallway, while WuFei covered his back. Quatre flattened the girls against the wall and nodded to Heero. Heero counted down on his fingers. 3...2...1...Go! Trowa and Duo slid into view of the doorway from the opposite side of the hall, covering Heero and WuFei as they slid into the doorway itself and quickly swept the room. A few seconds later Heero's voice came out of the room, saying, "Clear."
Half an hour later, they had searched several rooms and figured this must be the crew quarters. Rooms were about ten by twelve feet in dimension with a full sized bunk and built in closet. Although none of them had their own bathroom, they did each have a sink. Checking the handles hadn't gotten them much. Further down the hall they found an actual shower and bathroom area. After some searching and experimentation, they found the bathrooms worked and there was actually running water in the sinks here. Since they had been searching the station nearly four hours, they decided a small break here was acceptable.
Duo was taking a much needed break to relieve himself when he caught a flash of blue and yellow out of the corner of his eye. He instantly trained his gun on the spot and said, "Freeze. Don't move." While tricky, he managed to pull himself back together one-handed and headed for the stall where he'd gotten the glimpse of color. "Come on out," he said quietly. "I don't want to hurt you."
Trowa walked into the bathroom just in time to see Duo pointing his gun at the toilets and hear his orders to the wall. "What's going on, Duo?"
Duo motioned to the stall. "I saw a flash of blue and yellow over here. It might be Quatre's mystery girl." Trowa came over to help him cover the stall as Duo moved to jerk open the door and point his gun at the toilet. Trowa arched an eyebrow at Duo. "What the..? I know I saw something," said Duo. Trowa just shook his head and headed back to the urinals. Duo ran a hand through his bangs and muttered something unintelligible as he headed back outside the bathroom. Neither of them saw the laughing face of the girl on the holo-display of the stall door.
In the girl's bathroom, Hilde was finishing up and heading out to join the others. "Don't take too much longer, 'Lena. You know how antsy Hee-chan gets. He might come in here and order you out."
Relena's voice sounded from one of the stalls. "Well, he can just get over it. I didn't bring a change of clothes with us and I've been walking around in these dress shoes for four hours. Even if they are flats, they were new and still hurt my feet. Tell Heero I'll be out in when I'm out." Hilde chuckled as she left.
In truth, Relena was actually done, but she was fascinated by the holo-display on the stall door. It displayed meal times and an extension to set up something called a taming rotation, along with a duty roster. There were several links that looked touch activated, but Relena never got the chance to find out as a head came looming through the door of the stall, in the middle of the holo-display, and blinked at her. Relena let out an 'eep' of surprise, but didn't yell for anyone. Instead she looked at the head in front of her in curiosity. It was obviously female. She had electric blue hair and light yellow eyes that seemed to spark with a curiosity of their own. She also had vaguely bluish skin that definitely gave her the impression of being a ghost. The two girls regarded each other a moment before Relena said, "Hello. Are you Quatre's mystery girl?"
The girl blinked and then smiled. "Yes, I suppose so. Has he claimed me?"
Relena's brow furrowed as she answered, "No, I don't believe so. That's just what we've been calling you. Do you have a name?"
The girl looked somewhat disappointed and shook her head. "Not anymore. My name was forgotten by all but a few long ago, and therefore rendered useless."
"How long have you been here?" asked Relena.
The girl sighed. "A very, very long time, I'm afraid. It's been sooo lonely here without anyone else to play with."
Relena chose her next words carefully. "Do you intend to hurt us?" she asked.
The girl looked at her oddly before shaking her head. "I never intend to hurt people. Sometimes humans are just so fragile."
Relena wondered for a moment about the distinction the girl made of saying 'humans', like she was disassociating herself from them. She started to ask another question when the girl looked sideways like she could look through the stall's wall and said, "You better hurry. Heero is getting restless," before disappearing through the door again.
"Wait," said Relena, but she didn't get any answer. She slid her shoes back on and left the bathroom to join the others and tell them what just happened.
"What's going on?" asked Quatre. He had been exploring another room and came back into the hallway when he heard Relena's voice going on excitedly about something.
Relena turned to face him. She had excitement written all over her face as she said, "I seen her, Quatre. Your mystery girl, I've seen her. You were right. She is here."
Quatre's eyes got big as he asked, "Where?"
Relena pointed to the women's bathroom. "I met her in there." Quatre nodded and headed for the bathroom when Relena grabbed his hand. "Don't bother. She's not in there anymore."
"Wait," said Duo. "I've been standing here since you came out and no on has left that bathroom." Relena spent the next several minutes describing exactly what happened, at the end of which, Duo said, "I knew it! She is a ghost!"
Heero holstered his gun. "Well, if she's a ghost, then she shouldn't be a threat."
WuFei also holstered his weapon, but shook his head. "Just because she's incorporeal doesn't mean she can't affect the living. I would suggest meeting her with dignity and trying not to offend."
Hilde looked at Relena. "Are you sure you seen her? I mean, it wasn't just a hallucination?"
Relena shook her head. "No. She was just as real as you or I."
"She obviously wants us to know she's here," said Trowa. "Look down the hall."
The group turned slowly to look at the end of the hall they had been headed toward. A head with a shock of blue hair was peeking around the corner, looking them over with an intense curiosity. Quatre slowly started edging toward her. She looked like she might bolt, but Quatre stopped and murmured, "It's alright. I won't hurt you." He held out one hand toward her. "I'd like to help." The girl stopped edging away and watched him expectantly. Quatre took a step toward her, then another. When he got within a few feet of her, the girl hesitantly lifted a hand to reach for Quatre's. Everyone held their breath as their hands just about touched. Then a loud bang sounded throughout the hallway as a small tremor shook everything around them. The girl's brow creased and she vanished right in front of them.
The only thing that could be heard was Quatre's quietly vexed, "Dammit!"
~*~
After two days of exploring the station, the group had decided to inhabit the crew quarters in the central hub. For one thing, the hub seemed to have a better quality of air filtration. For another, it had some amenities that sleeping on the shuttle didn't; namely, beds. The shuttle was built for luxury cruising, not extended space exploration. Lastly, the few shudders the station had experienced had been found to be micro-meteors hitting the outer ring. Duo had managed to patch the shuttle's computer into the station's network and had gotten the explanation from the main computer. It had also informed them that the central hub had better shielding against such things. This information had prompted their move into a safer part of the station as well as an increased amount of exploring of the outer ring. WuFei had summed it up best as, "Waste not, want not." They figured that if there was anything they could use in the ring, they had better find it before the natural disasters of space robbed them of another resource.
The blue-haired girl had made a few more appearances each day, until the group had just about gotten used to her popping up intermittently. It had been amusing to see some of their reactions when she would pop up around corners unexpectantly, or when she'd show up in the bathroom to have a conversation. She had stopped talking to anyone but Relena in the bathroom however, when Heero had blandly told her that she was "boring" and to "go haunt someone else". Everyone thought Duo was going to have a heart attack when she had been stalking Quatre and Duo had walked around the corner at the wrong time and phased right through her. He swore the hair on the back of his neck had stood on end for hours afterward.
At present, Heero, Duo, Relena and Hilde were exploring the ring while Quatre, Trowa and WuFei were cleaning and sifting through the crew quarters, looking for anything useful. Everyone checked in every two hours, and everyone came back together for meals, such that they were. Quatre had just finished with a room when he turned toward the door and found the blue haired girl standing in the doorway. He stopped and smiled at her. "Hello," he greeted her. She giggled lightly and darted to her left. Quatre walked to the door and looked down the hall after her. She was standing at the end of it, watching him expectantly. He smirked. They had been playing this game of cat and mouse since yesterday. She'd get him to chase her, and just about let him touch her, before vanishing around a corner and into thin air. He shook his head. "I'm working right now, little one. I can't play," he said quietly. He knew she could hear him from the pout on her face. He chuckled and purposely walked down the hallway in the opposite direction from her.
Quatre got about ten feet down the hall before he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and a warm body press solidly against his back. He stilled as her hands slid up his chest. He slowly slid his hands up her arms from her forearms to her hands. "Well, this wasn't expected," he murmured. "You certainly feel real." Her breath was warm against the back of his neck and he felt things stir in him that he hadn't felt since he parted ways with his last girlfriend, Dorothy Catalonia.
She giggled again as she nibbled the back of his neck. She gently pulled one hand away from his and threaded it through his hair. The hand he still had a hold of started to drift down his chest. He made himself breathe evenly as he tried to keep her hand north of his waistband. She might have everyone else convinced she was a ghost, but right now Quatre was having a hard time believing it. Either she was real, or she was the most sexually suggestive ghost he'd ever heard of! She was all but molesting him in the middle of the hallway! She gently tugged her other hand free from his and began pulling the hem of his shirt out of the waistband of his uniform slacks. Quatre opened his mouth to say something as his earpiece crackled to life, startling them both into stillness.
"This is Hilde. Group One, checking in and doing fine."
Quatre touched the button on his earpiece to transmit. "Quatre here. All clear."
Trowa and WuFei followed suite from their respective parts of the crew cabins.
Heero's voice came over the comm. "All right, everyone. Another two hours and then we meet for dinner." Everyone acknowledged their affirmatives and then the comm went quiet again.
For the first time, Quatre heard the girl's voice as she said, "Now that that is out of the way..." The next thing he knew, Quatre felt her snatch his earpiece off his head and pull away from him. Quatre whirled around to face her, just to find her racing down the hallway. He growled and raced after her.
Several twists and turns later, Quatre found himself running down the hallway their group had taken over quarters in. He looked a little smug as he seen a whisp of her blue hair disappear into a room. She had chosen the wrong room to duck into...his. He stopped outside his room and took a couple breaths so he could relax and confront her calmly. Playing around was all good and well, but she needed to learn to leave him alone while he was working!
Quatre pushed his door open and slid inside his room. No sooner than he got past the door, it shut and he whirled to face his quarry. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. She was standing in front of his door, naked, with the hungry look of a jungle cat reflected in her eyes. Quatre licked suddenly dry lips and tried to find something to say. Unfortunately, his mind had went rather blank. She had apparently decided words were wasted as she tackled him, knocking him back against the bed and sending the both of them sprawling across it.
Part of Quatre's mind noted that she was much stronger than she looked, stronger than any human girl should be. The other part noted with some amount of amusement that his clothing was quickly disappearing. She had already done a fair job of ripping his shirt off over his head, and she was now making fast work of his pants. She had shifted to straddle his legs and he got a great view of her chest. She was pleasantly filled out and perky to boot, and her skin looked soft and satiny, even if it was a lightly bluish tone. Quatre couldn't help himself as he reached up to cup one of her breasts in a hand and gently brush the nipple with his thumb. He was rewarded with the sound of her low moan which made his groin tighten considerably.
When she got his pants undone and pulled down enough to reach in and wrap her fingers around him, Quatre's head lulled back, as he groaned softy and his eyes drifted shut. They shot open again as he felt her mouth wrap hotly around his head and suck gently. The wind in his lungs left him in a gasp as she decided to see how much of him she could swallow at once. One of his hands clawed into the bed sheet as the other slid into her hair. Another minute went by and she was bobbing on his length in a steady rhythm that made his eyes squeeze shut as he moaned again.
"Oh, Allah, little one! If you're not careful, you're going to get more than you bargained for," he gasped. It had been over a year for him, and Quatre could tell he was going to lose control soon. One glance at the look on her face told Quatre that making him lose control was exactly what she wanted. He let his head fall back onto the bed as he felt himself slipping over the edge. He gritted his teeth against the pleasure, but in the end, he couldn't help but cry out as he emptied himself into her throat.
Only after sucking him clean did the girl let him catch his breath. Quatre lay there panting, trying to wrap his mind around the situation. He was laying in bed, mostly naked, with a supposed ghost, who had just given him the best blowjob of his life! Part of him just couldn't think straight. Then again, that could also have something to do with the soft hand that was still wrapped around his shaft, slowly stroking him back to hardness. He groaned again as he felt himself springing back to life with youthful vigor. The girl chuckled as she used her free hand to push his slacks further down his legs. Quatre tried to help, and between the two of them, they got the remainder of his clothing off and discarded it in a heap on the floor.
No sooner than he was naked, the girl slid up Quatre's body and ground her muff against him. Quatre's shaft tightened impossibly at the soft feel of her rubbing her body against his. She slid against him tighter and used one hand to hold him solidly against her as she slid up and down his shaft, her juices already flowing enough to soak them both. When she reached down to position him at her opening, Quatre caught her chin in his hands and made her look at him. She froze in position, the head of his shaft just inside her lips, and stared him in the eyes.
"Are you certain, little one?" he asked. "I can't un-do this once it's done."
She gave him a soft smile that belied the intense hunger in her gaze. "More certain than you'll ever know, Quatre. I don't merely want you, I need you. Please." She lowered herself about an inch onto his shaft and gasped, "Please, Quatre. I need this...you...please..." Her breaths were coming out in little pants as she begged him. Quatre slid his hands down her sides to her hips and slowly started sliding into her. Quatre watched her face intently, even as he moaned at the feeling of being wrapped in her hot, wet heat. She was incredibly tight.
Her head lulled back, her back arching as she drove herself down onto his length. Her hips started moving on his, slowly sliding up and down against him, driving herself down a little more each time, until she was taking his entire length. She was shaking from the strain of holding back; she wanted to cut loose so badly; so needed him now. She fell over on him, kissing him fiercely and driving back onto him harder and faster. She could feel herself starting to lose control and she tried desperately not to hurt him.
Quatre could feel her shaking with the need to release and wrapped his arms around her back and flipped them over on the bed. She looked up at him in surprise, but didn't complain when she felt him bottom out deep inside her. Her eyes closed as she moaned and writhed against him in time with his thrusts. He matched the tempo she set, getting faster and going deeper when she got almost frantic, finally driving into her harder as her legs wrapped around his waist. Her hands twisted in the sheet as her body bucked beneath his. Quatre could feel himself slipping quickly. He reached down and drug one of her nipples into his mouth and suckled hard, eliciting a cry of pleasure from her even as he felt her slick muscles tighten around him. He couldn't hold back any longer. His back arched as he thrust himself deeply inside her, over and over, burying himself to her core, as he filled her with his seed. The girl bucked beneath Quatre, driving him further into her body, until she felt him explode inside her. The erotic feel of his hot seed drenching her insides was enough to send her reeling over the edge, screaming his name.
They lay there like that, tangled together, with Quatre collapsed on her chest, for what could've been hours or minutes. He had no concept of time at that moment. He just knew he was comfortable, and for the first time in years, he felt completely calm and sated. When he tried to roll off of her, the girl merely held onto him and whispered, "Shhhh. Please stay. I like you there."
Quatre looked at her a moment before nodding and resting his head on her chest again. After a few more minutes, he looked back up at her and said, "What's your name?" She chuckled. He continued, "Seriously, you know my name, and I don't have any idea what to call you. It won't be long before 'little one' gets on your nerves, so I need to know a name."
She sighed and said, "I was hoping this could wait a while, but I suppose you're right." She looked into his eyes and Quatre felt a little tingle go down his spine, like he knew she belonged here, with him. She smiled as she saw the look on his face. "Yes," she said, "I'm yours now. You can call me anything you want to because I belong to you now. It's up to you to give me a name."
Quatre pushed up on one elbow to look at her better. "I don't believe in slavery. You don't belong to anyone."
She shook her head. "That's where you're wrong, Master. While not technically a slave, I do belong to you now. We bonded. That makes me yours."
Quatre arched an eyebrow as he looked at her. "Why do I sense a long explanation here?"
She chuckled and cradled his head to her breast again. "Because you are very astute, Master. You want an explanation? Very well, let me tell you a story..."
A hollow sigh echoed around the empty command center. After so many years in space, you would think a girl would be used to the boredom, but evidently not. The girl twirled around in front of one of the floor to ceiling length windows that looked out into space, and watched her muted reflection stare back at her. She was rather pretty, in her own opinion. She had shoulder length, electric blue hair and pale yellow eyes. She wore a canary yellow dress that hugged her hips and her generous C-cups. No, a dress wasn't exactly normal for her breed, but after 300 years alone on a station, she figured she had a right to dress and act any damn way she felt. It flowed slightly at her knees as she twirled. She twirled faster and faster and faster, hoping she could make herself dizzy, but knowing it was in vain. After all, you couldn't make a hologram dizzy.
She frowned as her reflection flickered in the windows and her shoulders slumped as she figured the holo-transmitters were finally about to burn out completely. "It only took them them 305 years," she groused to the accumulated dust on the floor.
That's when she felt the first uneasy feelings in her data. She zipped back into the mainstream of the terminal she called home. Very few systems were still operational, but she had a small amount of sensors functioning. 'Nothing seems out of place,' she thought, but the feeling just got stronger as the minutes ticked by. Finally, when it felt like ants were crawling through her data nodes, there was a super bright flash of light and an energy surge that made her sensors go crazy. She looked at the data the sensors were sending her. She blinked and looked again. Originally, she had thought Sukebe was returning, but if he was, he just made a fatal error. Several thousand tiny pieces of debris had just warped into the sector, nothing bigger than half a meter square among the wreckage.
She sighed again. 'Oh well,' she thought. 'It's not like I wanted to see that crazy man again. I'd rather be bored another 300 years than see Jim again.'
She started running system diagnostics to check for any damage the energy wave may have caused. As the diagnostics were finishing, something on the sensors got her attention. 'That's odd,' she thought. 'Where did they come from?'
A medium sized shuttle was cruising toward the station. Sensors showed seven life signs aboard it, and there were several nasty looking fissures in the aft hull. The aft stabilizer fin looked like it had been ripped off halfway down the mast and one wing didn't look like it was in much better shape. It was obvious they wouldn't make it too much further in that deathtrap, let alone make re-entry.
A couple of minutes channel surfing found the frequency they were broadcasting on. ~"llo? This is shuttle Peacecraft One. Does anyone copy us? Over."~ came an angelic voice over the comm. ~Hello? Does anyone copy? This is shuttle Peacecraft One. We're badly damaged and in need of repairs. Does anyone copy? Over.~ A thrill went down the girl's virtual spine when she realized the voice was male. He sounded like a Seraph, even through the electronic distortion. 'Well now, that certainly changes things,' she thought. 'I'll have to see what I can do to help them.'
~*~
"I saw an energy spike come from that station on the left," said Heero.
"I saw a flash from one of the pylons," said Duo. "It may be just automated systems scanning us, though. I don't see any life signs on the sensors. Then again, we may not be close enough to get an accurate reading yet."
"I'm transmitting to several of the pieces around here. Unfortunately, all the debris from the New Horizon isn't helping the transmission distance. All the metal is actually acting like a damper field. I keep getting feedback bouncing back at us from everywhere. Everywhere but that station. Whatever I send that way, is obviously getting received, though I'm not getting anything back," said Quatre.
Heero nodded. "It's also the only place that looks like it might be suitable for making repairs. Thanks to the New Horizon's debris field, we won't have a problem finding material to patch the hull, but we still need a stable environment so we can go outside. I'm not hoping to find an atmosphere, just a good place to dock."
Duo nodded and started pointing the shuttle more toward the station. It looked like a miniature ring colony, spinning slowly in space. Although it was the least damaged item in the nearby area, it still had several areas of the ring that were scored, with a section that looked like it had been gripped and crushed by a very large hand. Much of the damage to the outer hull seemed more weathered, like many micro-meteors had pockmarked the metal over time. As they got closer, Duo found a docking bay with barely lit beacons flashing intermittently. He shook his head and said, "Does anyone else get a creepy feeling from this?"
"Tough," said Heero. "At this point, that station's all we have as an option. If it's a trap, we'll deal with whoever laid it when we find them. Otherwise, hold steady and concentrate on the mission. Nothing about this place feels right. Don't let it shake you, Maxwell."
Duo scowled at the controls and muttered under his breath, "It's not the living that shakes me like this."
Duo expertly guided the shuttle through the docking bay doors, even though they were barely open wide enough to squeeze the shuttle between them. The bay itself was completely clear and clean, other than a layer of dust that swirled up slightly as the shuttle set down. Duo and Heero started flipping switches and the shuttle slowly powered down.
"Alright people, I'd like to thank you for flying Shinigami Air; please leave your tray tables in their upright positions and dispose of your barf bags at the door," joked Duo as he flipped the last switch. "Honestly, we're down and stable. This bay is small at two stories tall and looks like it was meant to hold two shuttles about fifty percent smaller than the PC-1. Now we just need...” Duo was cut off by the creaking sound of the shuttle bay doors closing on little used mechanisms. "What the hell?" Duo and Heero started checking the sensors quickly, but the doors were already closed too tightly for Duo to get the ship out. As soon as the doors were closed, the bay lights came on dimly and there was a quiet sound of humming coming through the hull of the shuttle.
Heero checked one of the sensors. "It looks like the bay is pressurizing and an atmosphere is being pumped in through the vents."
"I wonder if this is just automatic procedures the computer is following, or if there's someone on board," mused WuFei.
"I don't know," said Duo, "but it's making the creepiness factor hike considerably."
"First things first," said Quatre. "We need to get outside the shuttle and see exactly how bad the damage is. Then we'll need to see if we can open those doors from the bay, or if we'll need to find the command deck and do it from there."
Trowa and WuFei came back into the cabin just as Heero and Quatre were unbuckling their restraints.
"Well, we have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?" asked Trowa.
"Good, I guess," said Quatre.
"We have space suits and oxygen to last them about 20 hours each. We also have emergency supplies and rations on board," said Trowa.
WuFei took over, "The bad part is, we only have basic suits. None of them are combat rated. And we only have enough rations for two weeks tops, if we ration like we used to. The onnas aren't used to surviving on that amount of food, but they'll have to live."
"For that matter," said Duo, "neither are we. We haven't had to survive on k-rations since the end of the war." To Duo's credit, he didn't let the trepidation he felt at going back to rations leak through into his voice.
Quatre clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry Duo. We'll have something figured out long before we run out."
Duo managed an embarrassed grin as he turned back to the ship's gauges. "Well, the gauges say we have plenty of power and the engines seem to be fine. We just have to worry about the hull and maneuvering flaps. I think the main pylon's and the starboard wing's flaps must be jammed. I'm getting an error back on the diagnostics panel, but it won't say what's wrong, just that there's an error."
Heero nodded and stood up. "The sensors say the atmosphere outside the shuttle is Earth normal, but I'm still using a suit to begin with." The others all nodded agreement. "I want Duo and Trowa with me. We'll check out the damage on the shuttle. Quatre, 'Fei, take the bay doors. All that debris won't do us any good if we can't get to it."
~*~
"We're not alone," said Quatre quietly as he glanced at WuFei.
"Did you spot someone?" asked WuFei as he stood up from examining the workstation on the right of the bay.
Quatre nodded and pointed toward the second story platform running along the backside of the bay.
"I don't see anyone," said WuFei.
Quatre looked at the railing. "What the..? I only took my eyes off her for a second."
"Her?" asked WuFei. "Sure you didn't just see a reflection of one of the girls in the glass up there?"
Quatre shook his head. "I haven't gotten that rusty, Wuffers."
WuFei scowled at him. "Don't call me that," he hissed. "It's bad enough that idiot, Maxwell does. It's insulting."
Quatre shrugged. "Tit for Tat. Don't insult me by thinking I'm slipping."
WuFei ducked his head. "Touché. So, what did your mystery girl look like?"
Quatre looked back up at the railing, pointing his flashlight up there to illuminate the area better. "She was really odd looking. 5'5", maybe 5'6", 95 to 100 pounds maybe. The truly weird thing is, her hair was blue, like electric blue."
"Let's see what we can find up on the railing," suggested WuFei.
Both guys covered the upper railing from one side of the bay to the other. A fine layer of dust covered everything in the bay, but the only tracks were those left by their spacesuits. After a few minutes more, they headed back to the shuttle to check in with the others.
"Well, the pylon is officially screwed," said Duo as he climbed down from the shuttle's roof and joined Quatre and WuFei, "and the starboard wing is barely hanging on. There wasn't an error in either of the flaps; they're completely missing."
Trowa and Heero were waiting at the docking clamp for the shuttle.
"We have to be able to get outside to get those scraps," said Heero.
Duo shook his head. "We better find some really good pieces because we're gonna have to completely rebuild the back half of the shuttle. The stress fractures continue down what's left of the tailfin and into the support structures of the shuttle body."
"We may have a bigger issue," said WuFei.
"Oh?" asked Duo. "Can we not get out the doors?"
"Actually, no," said WuFei, “not without blowing the emergency hatches on the locks, but that's not what I'm talking about." Everyone looked at WuFei expectantly. He motioned to Quatre with a nod. "Quatre saw someone."
"Who?" asked Heero, pulling out the 9mm he always seemed to have at hand. They had loaded safety rounds for working in space, so there was little chance of him blowing a hole in the station's hull.
Quatre shook his head. "I don't know. I saw her while we were checking out the work boxes over there," he motioned to the work bay, "but when I glanced at WuFei, she disappeared."
"Did you check where you saw her?" asked Trowa. "There's dust everywhere. She had to have left a trail."
Quatre shook his head. "That's just it. There was nothing. No tracks, no swirls, nothing. She was there and then she wasn't."
"Like a ghost?" asked Duo.
"Can it, Baka," said Heero. He looked at Quatre. "Are you feeling alright? Honestly." He held up a hand at Quatre's annoyed look, "we haven't gotten the full air spec done yet. I know we haven't taken off the suits, but I've heard of stranger things."
All five guys jumped as the loading ramp started dropping. Heero had to force himself to lower the 9mm from where it pointed at Hilde's head bobbing down the ramp. WuFei actually growled lightly as they watched Relena follow her down. Neither girl was wearing a spacesuit. None of the guys looked particularly happy.
WuFei was the first to snap. "What the hell do you two crazy onnas think you're doing?"
Relena arched an eyebrow at him. "Stretching our legs. Or did you think we'd stay cooped up like a couple of hens forever?"
WuFei's classic Chinese features purpled as a vein ticked in his high forehead. "Cooped up? You think this is cooped up? Try being cooped up in a mobile suit cockpit for two solid weeks!" He motioned to the shuttle. "This thing is a luxury vehicle in comparison! The sheer injustice of thinking of an hour in that thing as cooped up is absolutely absurd! You have got to be the most unbelievable piece of work I've ever met! Have you even gotten past being fifteen in that fluffy little head of yours?"
"Down, Wuffers, Down. Heel, boy. Good boy. Treat later," said Duo.
WuFei glared at Duo. "Do. Not. Call. Me. WUFFERS, MAXWELL!" WuFei stormed back up the ramp, glaring at the two ladies as he shouldered past them. "Damned infernal Americans," could be heard over the comms as he disappeared into the shuttle.
Quatre sighed. "While I was trying to figure out a way to stop his rant, did you have to, Duo? He'll be a seething box of Chinese fury for hours."
"Not to mention he'll still let us have that rant later," added in Trowa.
Duo grinned impishly. "Have to? No. Want to? Absolutely!" The grin on the American's face was almost manic. "It's been ages since I've made him mad enough to stomp off! And did you see his face?" Duo was obviously thrilled about his feat. The rest of the guys just shook their heads. Relena and Hilde looked amused.
Relena finally sighed. "Why don't you guys take those suits off? You're just wasting air."
Hilde nodded her agreement. "Yeah. The air spec analysis finished a few minutes ago and said the air was fine, other than a high concentration of dust whenever you kick it up. There aren't any dangerous contaminants in the dust either."
Heero hesitated a moment, but decided to join the others as they all shrugged out of their helmets. The air wasn't as metallic as the processed air from their suits, but it was still sort of stale. All things considered, they were lucky there was an atmosphere at all. Heero looked up at Relena and said, "If we all end up hallucinating this mystery woman, then we'll know who to blame."
"What woman?" asked Hilde.
~*~
The girl watched the newcomers through the video feeds. She chuckled to herself at their antics. 'These guys are hilarious. Especially the one that stomped away from the rest. He'll be fun to pick on,' she thought. She was delighted to see them taking their helmets off. She smiled as she got her first good look at them. The one called Heero seemed to be of a mixed Edo decent, considering he was close to 6'. He had shoulder length, messy chocolate brown hair. She changed views to get a better close up of the guys. She finally caught a glimpse of stormy blue eyes peeking out from under Heero's bangs.
The one they kept calling Duo had a deep chestnut colored braid twisted up in his helmet that spilled down his back, as he took it off. He had breath-taking, violet-colored eyes and stood somewhere around 6'3". He reminded her of someone from Sunshine.
The quiet one called Trowa had short, light brown hair with a swath of bangs that hung down over his right eye. He had classic World Champion features, with leaf green eyes. He was taller than any of the others at a lanky 6'6".
The one that had spotted her early on, they called Quatre. He looked almost as much like a Seraph as he sounded. He was tall, at 6' or 6'1", though not quite as lanky as Trowa. He had beautiful white blond hair that reminded her of someone from Extreme, but he cussed like someone from Crescent Moon. She chuckled at the expletives that flew from him as the one called WuFei came back down the ramp, had a short, heated discussion with him, and promptly threw an air tank at him, knocking Quatre back into the shuttle's hull, making his head connect soundly with the metal. Quatre's bright blue eyes flashed a promise of revenge at WuFei.
WuFei had stripped out of the spacesuit completely and was wearing a green uniform bearing a stylized 'P' on the shoulder and left breast pocket. He was most definitely Edo looking, more of what used to be China evident in the medium length, black hair that he pulled back into a tight ponytail and almost black looking eyes. He was a good 5'11", maybe 6', which was odd for that region. 'Maybe their version of Edo is slightly different,' she thought.
The two women didn't interest her nearly as much, except as possible competition, but she still looked at them curiously. The one called Relena was about 5'10" and held herself proudly, even as she tried to affect an air of casualty. She had long, white blond hair that had been pulled up into a beautiful knot work on the back of her head. She was wearing a flowing, sky-blue gown that twinkled with rhinestones and matched the color of her eyes perfectly. If not for the scans that said she was human, the girl would've sworn Relena was a Godiva or a Megami. She had that kind of etherealness about her.
The other woman was also human, and stood about an inch shorter than Relena at 5'9". She heard Relena call her Hilde, and they seemed like close friends. She had short, slightly messy, blue-black hair and dark blue eyes that glittered in mirth at something Duo was whispering to her. Her features reminded the girl of someone from World Champion or Amethyst. She was wearing a hunter green dress uniform of some sort with a sword hanging from a frog* on her belt, making her look like some neo-European type of amazonwu or slicer.
All of them were somewhat statue-esque, denoting a high level of physical training that was evident even through their bulky spacesuits. She chuckled as she heard Duo refer to her as a 'ghost' as they talked about forming a search party to find her. She was going to have fun. She hadn't had any playmates in sooo long...
~*~
The whole group was slowly making their way down the corridors of the station, trying to find either the 'mystery girl' Quatre had seen, or the command deck. They were going to split up into two teams, with Heero and Duo in one, and the other three in the other, but neither Hilde nor Relena were having any part of staying behind in the shuttle. So, instead of worrying about them taking off after the rest of them left, the guys had just relented and told them to come along. The guys had formed a circle around the girls, with Heero and Duo in front, Trowa and Quatre on the sides, and WuFei watching the rear.
"What did you say this ghost looked like again, Q?" asked Duo.
Quatre sighed. "She was a little shorter than Hilde, wearing a yellow dress, and she had electric blue hair. And I'm still not convinced she's a ghost. She looked too real."
"Some ghosts do," said WuFei.
Hilde looked at him, shocked. "You, WuFei? I didn't peg you for the superstitious type."
WuFei glanced at her before resuming his watch of the corridor behind them. "I believe Maxwell is an idiot, but I also believe his concern over a spirit may bear some weight. My people have a rich history that abounds with stories of kami, spirits, and other supernatural creatures, and we have all seen instances where Quatre can only be described as 'other-worldly'. It is entirely possible he was able to connect with a spirit that still clings to this station with that empathy of his."
Hilde shrugged. "I expect that kind of thing out of Duo, I just didn't expect it out of you."
"You're not a believer, I take it." Hilde shook her head. WuFei continued, "It's a lack of respect for that which is stronger than you that blocks belief. That applies to both the living and the dead. I just hope this spirit is friendly. That, or you learn respect quickly, one or the other." Hilde merely gave him a sour look before turning away from him. WuFei shook his head and muttered, "Crazy onna," under his breath.
Hilde wheeled on him. "What did you just call me, 'Fei?"
WuFei drew himself up to look down his nose at her. "I called you a crazy onna; crazy woman." Hilde's hand drew into a fist, but WuFei warned her, "I wouldn't, Schbeiker. You still can't take me, and while I wouldn't be broken up over putting you in traction for a while, Maxwell seems rather fond of you being in one piece. Let's keep it that way, shall we?"
Hilde growled and lunged for WuFei only to come up short as Duo grabbed her from behind. Quatre was quickly standing between Hilde, as she was fighting against Duo, and WuFei, who merely looked on at the wrestling match in mild curiosity.
"That was a low blow, 'Fei, and you know it," said Quatre in a calm tone.
WuFei shrugged and shook his head. "I didn't start this, Quatre, and she had it coming."
"I know, 'Fei. I know. But this has got to stop," said Quatre. "If we're not alone on the station, then this kind of thing is going to give our position away in a heartbeat. If we are alone, then there's no reason to be worried about their safety, which I know you're every bit as worried over as the rest of us." It was WuFei's turn to look sour. "Either way, they're with us now, and we have to protect them...whether they like it or not." Quatre looked the group over. "Today's been stressful enough. Let's not make it worse by starting on each other, agreed?"
Everyone but Hilde nodded, but Duo whispered something in her ear and she swatted him. "Stop that!" she hissed, though everyone knew she wasn't really mad at him. They'd seen this little display often enough. Hilde had an explosive temper, but it died almost as quickly as it ignited. Only Duo seemed able to instantly diffuse her, and whatever he said always made her blush. Hilde elbowed him in the stomach, and Duo let go of her with a soft grunt, though he was still grinning like an idiot.
Heero rolled his eyes as Relena teased them, saying, "Awww, aren't they cute?"
~*~
'Well, it appears that Hilde is Duo's, so I can cross him off the list,' the girl thought. 'It's a pity. He looked like such fun. WuFei is too temperamental, though I must give him props for being well versed in cultural history and respecting those beliefs.'
She watched them as they made their way deeper into the station. While the station was far from the biggest one Sukebe created, it wasn't the smallest either. It had an outer ring with docking bays and labs lining six levels, and a central hub that was a quarter mile wide by a mile high. There were thirty levels in the main hub alone. The whole station was about a mile wide by a mile high at its extremes. In truth, with the artificial gravity technology, the only reason for the ring was to have some of the more volatile experiments contained in an area that could be jettisoned quickly if needed.
They had made it through one of the four support pylons that connected the ring to the central hub, with no problem. They were heading deeper into the hub at an alarming rate. Heero and Duo were leading them toward the command deck like they were familiar with stations of this variety. After thinking about it a moment, she figured it was a possibility since Sukebe did steal technology from a smathering of worlds in his bid to take this one over. Still, she didn't want them finding her private abode until she had more time to study them. She started using her control of the computer systems to close some doors and open others. She figured she'd let them into some of the station's quarters. After all, the humans and pokegirls that had inhabited them had left the station long ago. If they actually left anything behind, then it was her's by right of salvage, fair and square, and if she chose to let the newcomers have it, then there was no one left to complain about it.
~*~
The group stopped when they came to the first closed door. Heero and Duo looked it over. "It's magna-sealed. Duo, do you think you can pick the keypad?" asked Heero.
Duo said, "I'm on it," and bent to inspect the pad on the right side of the door. He pulled a knife out of his boot and started prying the faceplate off the wall. He got it halfway off when he was thrown backward on his butt about a foot.
"Are you alright, Duo?" asked Hilde.
Duo shook his head like he was trying to clear it of cobwebs. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little singed." He re-examined the faceplate, did a little bit more prodding, this time being more careful, and finally stood up and said, "Nope. Not gonna get this one from this side. Not unless I get something to divert the power through it, and No, I'm not using myself as a power conduit." The last part was said with a chuckle.
"Then we head through the open door back down the hall," said Heero.
Half an hour later, Trowa said, "Does anyone else feel like a rat in a maze?" They had met several more closed doors on their way to the command deck and still weren't any closer to their target. While rooms in the ring had been coated in a fine layer of dust, the hallways and rooms of the hub seemed almost pristine by comparison. Granted, lighting barely worked in most of the hallways and some of the rooms looked thoroughly trashed, but over all, the conditions in the hub were quite clean. The lighting problems merely necessitated the use of flashlights and caution while navigating the hallways. The best part of the trip had been the realization that the gravity must be artificially generated, as it had carried over into the hub from the ring. It was a bit of technology several of them were interested in finding out.
Duo shook his head. "No, rats in mazes eventually get cheese as a reward. We have gotten nill."
"We've found a few pieces of miscellaneous equipment," said Quatre, "even if it can't be used anymore."
They had found a few empty oxygen tanks in a room with some badly damaged suits. They'd made a notation of the room so they could go back and scavenge the suits for anything useful.
"The only good thing about this trip so far is the lack of your ghost woman, Q," said Duo. Quatre gave him a playfully annoyed look over his shoulder. "Duo, I wish you would stop calling her a ghost. We've yet to find any evidence to support that theory."
"That's just it," said Duo. "We haven't found any evidence, one way or the other."
Quatre just shook his head and sighed. "I know what I saw."
Another fifteen minutes found the guys wandering into a hallway with doors closer together than the last several halls they'd been through. Doors lined both sides of the hall at even intervals of about ten feet. A few were hanging loosely open, and Heero switched to hand-signals as he drew his 9mm. The others followed his lead. He motioned Duo and Trowa to take the other side of the hallway, while WuFei covered his back. Quatre flattened the girls against the wall and nodded to Heero. Heero counted down on his fingers. 3...2...1...Go! Trowa and Duo slid into view of the doorway from the opposite side of the hall, covering Heero and WuFei as they slid into the doorway itself and quickly swept the room. A few seconds later Heero's voice came out of the room, saying, "Clear."
Half an hour later, they had searched several rooms and figured this must be the crew quarters. Rooms were about ten by twelve feet in dimension with a full sized bunk and built in closet. Although none of them had their own bathroom, they did each have a sink. Checking the handles hadn't gotten them much. Further down the hall they found an actual shower and bathroom area. After some searching and experimentation, they found the bathrooms worked and there was actually running water in the sinks here. Since they had been searching the station nearly four hours, they decided a small break here was acceptable.
Duo was taking a much needed break to relieve himself when he caught a flash of blue and yellow out of the corner of his eye. He instantly trained his gun on the spot and said, "Freeze. Don't move." While tricky, he managed to pull himself back together one-handed and headed for the stall where he'd gotten the glimpse of color. "Come on out," he said quietly. "I don't want to hurt you."
Trowa walked into the bathroom just in time to see Duo pointing his gun at the toilets and hear his orders to the wall. "What's going on, Duo?"
Duo motioned to the stall. "I saw a flash of blue and yellow over here. It might be Quatre's mystery girl." Trowa came over to help him cover the stall as Duo moved to jerk open the door and point his gun at the toilet. Trowa arched an eyebrow at Duo. "What the..? I know I saw something," said Duo. Trowa just shook his head and headed back to the urinals. Duo ran a hand through his bangs and muttered something unintelligible as he headed back outside the bathroom. Neither of them saw the laughing face of the girl on the holo-display of the stall door.
In the girl's bathroom, Hilde was finishing up and heading out to join the others. "Don't take too much longer, 'Lena. You know how antsy Hee-chan gets. He might come in here and order you out."
Relena's voice sounded from one of the stalls. "Well, he can just get over it. I didn't bring a change of clothes with us and I've been walking around in these dress shoes for four hours. Even if they are flats, they were new and still hurt my feet. Tell Heero I'll be out in when I'm out." Hilde chuckled as she left.
In truth, Relena was actually done, but she was fascinated by the holo-display on the stall door. It displayed meal times and an extension to set up something called a taming rotation, along with a duty roster. There were several links that looked touch activated, but Relena never got the chance to find out as a head came looming through the door of the stall, in the middle of the holo-display, and blinked at her. Relena let out an 'eep' of surprise, but didn't yell for anyone. Instead she looked at the head in front of her in curiosity. It was obviously female. She had electric blue hair and light yellow eyes that seemed to spark with a curiosity of their own. She also had vaguely bluish skin that definitely gave her the impression of being a ghost. The two girls regarded each other a moment before Relena said, "Hello. Are you Quatre's mystery girl?"
The girl blinked and then smiled. "Yes, I suppose so. Has he claimed me?"
Relena's brow furrowed as she answered, "No, I don't believe so. That's just what we've been calling you. Do you have a name?"
The girl looked somewhat disappointed and shook her head. "Not anymore. My name was forgotten by all but a few long ago, and therefore rendered useless."
"How long have you been here?" asked Relena.
The girl sighed. "A very, very long time, I'm afraid. It's been sooo lonely here without anyone else to play with."
Relena chose her next words carefully. "Do you intend to hurt us?" she asked.
The girl looked at her oddly before shaking her head. "I never intend to hurt people. Sometimes humans are just so fragile."
Relena wondered for a moment about the distinction the girl made of saying 'humans', like she was disassociating herself from them. She started to ask another question when the girl looked sideways like she could look through the stall's wall and said, "You better hurry. Heero is getting restless," before disappearing through the door again.
"Wait," said Relena, but she didn't get any answer. She slid her shoes back on and left the bathroom to join the others and tell them what just happened.
"What's going on?" asked Quatre. He had been exploring another room and came back into the hallway when he heard Relena's voice going on excitedly about something.
Relena turned to face him. She had excitement written all over her face as she said, "I seen her, Quatre. Your mystery girl, I've seen her. You were right. She is here."
Quatre's eyes got big as he asked, "Where?"
Relena pointed to the women's bathroom. "I met her in there." Quatre nodded and headed for the bathroom when Relena grabbed his hand. "Don't bother. She's not in there anymore."
"Wait," said Duo. "I've been standing here since you came out and no on has left that bathroom." Relena spent the next several minutes describing exactly what happened, at the end of which, Duo said, "I knew it! She is a ghost!"
Heero holstered his gun. "Well, if she's a ghost, then she shouldn't be a threat."
WuFei also holstered his weapon, but shook his head. "Just because she's incorporeal doesn't mean she can't affect the living. I would suggest meeting her with dignity and trying not to offend."
Hilde looked at Relena. "Are you sure you seen her? I mean, it wasn't just a hallucination?"
Relena shook her head. "No. She was just as real as you or I."
"She obviously wants us to know she's here," said Trowa. "Look down the hall."
The group turned slowly to look at the end of the hall they had been headed toward. A head with a shock of blue hair was peeking around the corner, looking them over with an intense curiosity. Quatre slowly started edging toward her. She looked like she might bolt, but Quatre stopped and murmured, "It's alright. I won't hurt you." He held out one hand toward her. "I'd like to help." The girl stopped edging away and watched him expectantly. Quatre took a step toward her, then another. When he got within a few feet of her, the girl hesitantly lifted a hand to reach for Quatre's. Everyone held their breath as their hands just about touched. Then a loud bang sounded throughout the hallway as a small tremor shook everything around them. The girl's brow creased and she vanished right in front of them.
The only thing that could be heard was Quatre's quietly vexed, "Dammit!"
~*~
After two days of exploring the station, the group had decided to inhabit the crew quarters in the central hub. For one thing, the hub seemed to have a better quality of air filtration. For another, it had some amenities that sleeping on the shuttle didn't; namely, beds. The shuttle was built for luxury cruising, not extended space exploration. Lastly, the few shudders the station had experienced had been found to be micro-meteors hitting the outer ring. Duo had managed to patch the shuttle's computer into the station's network and had gotten the explanation from the main computer. It had also informed them that the central hub had better shielding against such things. This information had prompted their move into a safer part of the station as well as an increased amount of exploring of the outer ring. WuFei had summed it up best as, "Waste not, want not." They figured that if there was anything they could use in the ring, they had better find it before the natural disasters of space robbed them of another resource.
The blue-haired girl had made a few more appearances each day, until the group had just about gotten used to her popping up intermittently. It had been amusing to see some of their reactions when she would pop up around corners unexpectantly, or when she'd show up in the bathroom to have a conversation. She had stopped talking to anyone but Relena in the bathroom however, when Heero had blandly told her that she was "boring" and to "go haunt someone else". Everyone thought Duo was going to have a heart attack when she had been stalking Quatre and Duo had walked around the corner at the wrong time and phased right through her. He swore the hair on the back of his neck had stood on end for hours afterward.
At present, Heero, Duo, Relena and Hilde were exploring the ring while Quatre, Trowa and WuFei were cleaning and sifting through the crew quarters, looking for anything useful. Everyone checked in every two hours, and everyone came back together for meals, such that they were. Quatre had just finished with a room when he turned toward the door and found the blue haired girl standing in the doorway. He stopped and smiled at her. "Hello," he greeted her. She giggled lightly and darted to her left. Quatre walked to the door and looked down the hall after her. She was standing at the end of it, watching him expectantly. He smirked. They had been playing this game of cat and mouse since yesterday. She'd get him to chase her, and just about let him touch her, before vanishing around a corner and into thin air. He shook his head. "I'm working right now, little one. I can't play," he said quietly. He knew she could hear him from the pout on her face. He chuckled and purposely walked down the hallway in the opposite direction from her.
Quatre got about ten feet down the hall before he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist and a warm body press solidly against his back. He stilled as her hands slid up his chest. He slowly slid his hands up her arms from her forearms to her hands. "Well, this wasn't expected," he murmured. "You certainly feel real." Her breath was warm against the back of his neck and he felt things stir in him that he hadn't felt since he parted ways with his last girlfriend, Dorothy Catalonia.
She giggled again as she nibbled the back of his neck. She gently pulled one hand away from his and threaded it through his hair. The hand he still had a hold of started to drift down his chest. He made himself breathe evenly as he tried to keep her hand north of his waistband. She might have everyone else convinced she was a ghost, but right now Quatre was having a hard time believing it. Either she was real, or she was the most sexually suggestive ghost he'd ever heard of! She was all but molesting him in the middle of the hallway! She gently tugged her other hand free from his and began pulling the hem of his shirt out of the waistband of his uniform slacks. Quatre opened his mouth to say something as his earpiece crackled to life, startling them both into stillness.
"This is Hilde. Group One, checking in and doing fine."
Quatre touched the button on his earpiece to transmit. "Quatre here. All clear."
Trowa and WuFei followed suite from their respective parts of the crew cabins.
Heero's voice came over the comm. "All right, everyone. Another two hours and then we meet for dinner." Everyone acknowledged their affirmatives and then the comm went quiet again.
For the first time, Quatre heard the girl's voice as she said, "Now that that is out of the way..." The next thing he knew, Quatre felt her snatch his earpiece off his head and pull away from him. Quatre whirled around to face her, just to find her racing down the hallway. He growled and raced after her.
Several twists and turns later, Quatre found himself running down the hallway their group had taken over quarters in. He looked a little smug as he seen a whisp of her blue hair disappear into a room. She had chosen the wrong room to duck into...his. He stopped outside his room and took a couple breaths so he could relax and confront her calmly. Playing around was all good and well, but she needed to learn to leave him alone while he was working!
Quatre pushed his door open and slid inside his room. No sooner than he got past the door, it shut and he whirled to face his quarry. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. She was standing in front of his door, naked, with the hungry look of a jungle cat reflected in her eyes. Quatre licked suddenly dry lips and tried to find something to say. Unfortunately, his mind had went rather blank. She had apparently decided words were wasted as she tackled him, knocking him back against the bed and sending the both of them sprawling across it.
Part of Quatre's mind noted that she was much stronger than she looked, stronger than any human girl should be. The other part noted with some amount of amusement that his clothing was quickly disappearing. She had already done a fair job of ripping his shirt off over his head, and she was now making fast work of his pants. She had shifted to straddle his legs and he got a great view of her chest. She was pleasantly filled out and perky to boot, and her skin looked soft and satiny, even if it was a lightly bluish tone. Quatre couldn't help himself as he reached up to cup one of her breasts in a hand and gently brush the nipple with his thumb. He was rewarded with the sound of her low moan which made his groin tighten considerably.
When she got his pants undone and pulled down enough to reach in and wrap her fingers around him, Quatre's head lulled back, as he groaned softy and his eyes drifted shut. They shot open again as he felt her mouth wrap hotly around his head and suck gently. The wind in his lungs left him in a gasp as she decided to see how much of him she could swallow at once. One of his hands clawed into the bed sheet as the other slid into her hair. Another minute went by and she was bobbing on his length in a steady rhythm that made his eyes squeeze shut as he moaned again.
"Oh, Allah, little one! If you're not careful, you're going to get more than you bargained for," he gasped. It had been over a year for him, and Quatre could tell he was going to lose control soon. One glance at the look on her face told Quatre that making him lose control was exactly what she wanted. He let his head fall back onto the bed as he felt himself slipping over the edge. He gritted his teeth against the pleasure, but in the end, he couldn't help but cry out as he emptied himself into her throat.
Only after sucking him clean did the girl let him catch his breath. Quatre lay there panting, trying to wrap his mind around the situation. He was laying in bed, mostly naked, with a supposed ghost, who had just given him the best blowjob of his life! Part of him just couldn't think straight. Then again, that could also have something to do with the soft hand that was still wrapped around his shaft, slowly stroking him back to hardness. He groaned again as he felt himself springing back to life with youthful vigor. The girl chuckled as she used her free hand to push his slacks further down his legs. Quatre tried to help, and between the two of them, they got the remainder of his clothing off and discarded it in a heap on the floor.
No sooner than he was naked, the girl slid up Quatre's body and ground her muff against him. Quatre's shaft tightened impossibly at the soft feel of her rubbing her body against his. She slid against him tighter and used one hand to hold him solidly against her as she slid up and down his shaft, her juices already flowing enough to soak them both. When she reached down to position him at her opening, Quatre caught her chin in his hands and made her look at him. She froze in position, the head of his shaft just inside her lips, and stared him in the eyes.
"Are you certain, little one?" he asked. "I can't un-do this once it's done."
She gave him a soft smile that belied the intense hunger in her gaze. "More certain than you'll ever know, Quatre. I don't merely want you, I need you. Please." She lowered herself about an inch onto his shaft and gasped, "Please, Quatre. I need this...you...please..." Her breaths were coming out in little pants as she begged him. Quatre slid his hands down her sides to her hips and slowly started sliding into her. Quatre watched her face intently, even as he moaned at the feeling of being wrapped in her hot, wet heat. She was incredibly tight.
Her head lulled back, her back arching as she drove herself down onto his length. Her hips started moving on his, slowly sliding up and down against him, driving herself down a little more each time, until she was taking his entire length. She was shaking from the strain of holding back; she wanted to cut loose so badly; so needed him now. She fell over on him, kissing him fiercely and driving back onto him harder and faster. She could feel herself starting to lose control and she tried desperately not to hurt him.
Quatre could feel her shaking with the need to release and wrapped his arms around her back and flipped them over on the bed. She looked up at him in surprise, but didn't complain when she felt him bottom out deep inside her. Her eyes closed as she moaned and writhed against him in time with his thrusts. He matched the tempo she set, getting faster and going deeper when she got almost frantic, finally driving into her harder as her legs wrapped around his waist. Her hands twisted in the sheet as her body bucked beneath his. Quatre could feel himself slipping quickly. He reached down and drug one of her nipples into his mouth and suckled hard, eliciting a cry of pleasure from her even as he felt her slick muscles tighten around him. He couldn't hold back any longer. His back arched as he thrust himself deeply inside her, over and over, burying himself to her core, as he filled her with his seed. The girl bucked beneath Quatre, driving him further into her body, until she felt him explode inside her. The erotic feel of his hot seed drenching her insides was enough to send her reeling over the edge, screaming his name.
They lay there like that, tangled together, with Quatre collapsed on her chest, for what could've been hours or minutes. He had no concept of time at that moment. He just knew he was comfortable, and for the first time in years, he felt completely calm and sated. When he tried to roll off of her, the girl merely held onto him and whispered, "Shhhh. Please stay. I like you there."
Quatre looked at her a moment before nodding and resting his head on her chest again. After a few more minutes, he looked back up at her and said, "What's your name?" She chuckled. He continued, "Seriously, you know my name, and I don't have any idea what to call you. It won't be long before 'little one' gets on your nerves, so I need to know a name."
She sighed and said, "I was hoping this could wait a while, but I suppose you're right." She looked into his eyes and Quatre felt a little tingle go down his spine, like he knew she belonged here, with him. She smiled as she saw the look on his face. "Yes," she said, "I'm yours now. You can call me anything you want to because I belong to you now. It's up to you to give me a name."
Quatre pushed up on one elbow to look at her better. "I don't believe in slavery. You don't belong to anyone."
She shook her head. "That's where you're wrong, Master. While not technically a slave, I do belong to you now. We bonded. That makes me yours."
Quatre arched an eyebrow as he looked at her. "Why do I sense a long explanation here?"
She chuckled and cradled his head to her breast again. "Because you are very astute, Master. You want an explanation? Very well, let me tell you a story..."