Nenai woke quickly, in the manner of those who know as soon as they first stop sleeping that they were not supposed to have been sleeping at all.  She was pressed uncomfortably against the wall of the flightsim pod by Vejiita's dense muscularity; he was still holding her into submission.

    I must have been crying, the girl thought in dismay.  I have dried tears on my face...

    Vejiita did not realize she was awake, apparently, because he made no move to effectively hold her captive.  Taking a slim chance, Nenai kicked backwards into the man's groin, then braced her feet against the wall and pushed away from it hard, shoving Vejiita backwards.  The Saiyajin had the wind knocked out of him and was too slow to catch the Amon girl as she leapt up and over him, heading for the locker room.

    "Damn!" Vejiita snarled.  He stood slowly and stretched, suddenly smiling.  He was positive that, even though she had been frightened, Nenai had enjoyed their little...encounter.  She would never admit it, but Vejiita knew he was right.

    Stretching again languidly, the Saiyajin left the pod and walked quietly to his quarters.  It was 0100 hours, and he would have to be up at 0600.  A little sleep would certainly be beneficial, considering the storms that would follow in the next day.

    Vejiita actually shivered as he entered his room.  He kept seeing Nenai's soft violet eyes, first wide in fear, then pleading silently, and finally closing in resignation.

    What have I done...  Wearily, he started to undress, trying to think about nothing.  He was actually quite...satisfied, having subdued Nenai and managing to keep her off of Cooler's crew.  Certainly she had no idea how dangerous such a mission would be for her.  He told himself he had pulled her out of that tangle for her sake, and not his.  One day, she'd realize how great a favor he had done her.

    And then what?  He snorted softly and went to take a shower.  Do I expect her to leap happily into my arms?  I'm not going to challenge Taurus over a female, but she is going to cause problems!

    He impatiently waited for the water to heat up.  Taurus is totally gone over her, and I suspect Zarbon is as well.  A smirk flickered briefly over his face.  That blue freak...

    But what about Cooler?  What is his game here?  He never takes rookies onto his crew; he wants only seasoned veterans!  Nenai is powerful, but...

    The water finally was hot.  Vejiita sighed and stepped into the tub, feeling his tension dissolve under the steaming spray.  As he turned around slowly, a bright spot of color caught his eye.  He looked down and saw a long form banded in black, red, and purple:  one of Nenai's little pets.

    The little snake raised its head and seemed to regard the Saiyajin for a long moment, then reared up into what looked like a striking position.  Vejiita took a breath and pointed a finger at the serpent, ready to kill it if it struck.

    "Did Nenai send you to me, I wonder?  She really should have known better," he said to the snake, who was still poised to attack.  "I didn't think she'd be so desperate as to--"

    The snake feinted to the side.  Vejiita, not wanting to take a chance of the feint turning into a strike, shot the creature with a narrow bolt of energy.  He took a step back from the little animal's death throes, and felt a hot pricking near his ankle.  Whirling, he saw the other snake trying to scale the side of the deep tub to escape.  The admiral growled and shot it, then nearly collapsed.

    What the hell?  It took him a dizzy moment to remember that the snakes were lethally venomous.

    "Damn it, Nenai!" he said out loud, imagining he saw spots across his field of vision.  "What a stupid way to die..."  He slowly stepped out of the shower and all but fell to the floor.  The edges of his vision were starting to gray out, and the snakebite wound throbbed.  Only a vague feeling of being watched made him look up and try to focus.

    Nenai stood in front of him, and he recoiled slightly from her absolutely poisonous glare.  Wrapped in a dark blue robe, she looked like a demon, her eyes green and blazing.

    "Did you come to finish me off?" Vejiita said softly, closing his eyes.  He didn't think he could move to get away if he had to.

    "Murderer," the girl said in a whisper, staring disconcertingly at him.

    "What?"

    She slowly walked towards him and picked up the lifeless bodies of the snakes.  Tears stood out in her eyes as her lips moved again.  "Murderer."

    Vejiita tried to keep his eyes open.  "I kill two snakes that you sent after me, in self-defense, and you call me a murderer?"

    "Do not think me so cowardly as to send defenseless animals to kill you," she replied in a voice chill as Death itself.  "They came here on their own."

    The anger in her tone made him believe her.  "So...you came to watch me die?"  He closed his eyes again.  "It might take a while; I hope you're patient."

    "Actually, I thought I'd hurry it on a little."  Vejiita felt a cool blade against his throat.  "Anything you'd like to say?" the girl hissed.

    The Saiyajin tried to think of some message to leave his sister, but could not.  He sighed.  "Do I get a last request?"

    "What is it!"

    Vejiita almost smiled.  Her accent grew very thick when she was upset.  "Marry me."  He opened his eyes and met Nenai's emerald stare.

    "What?!"  The end of the word actually came out as a click, she was so surprised.

    "Isn't that what it's called when you life-bond with a mate?"  He was starting to feel very tired; how much time did he have left?

    "What are you talking about?" the girl demanded in a trembling voice.

    "Look, Nenais'u, I'd love to explain, but I...I don't think I have enough time.  If you've got some way to cure me, do it; if not, I guess you'll never find out..." his voice grew quieter and quieter.

    "Damn you, Vejiita, if I find out you're toying with me, so help me, I'll gut you with a pair of scissors..."

    The Saiyajin smiled faintly as Nenai lowered her knife and took his hands in her own.  She closed her eyes and began to sing softly, in harmony with herself.  Vejiita was so entranced by her voice that he barely felt the electricity coursing through his body.  He didn't care if she was burning the poison away or just killing him mercifully; she was singing.
 
    Gradually, the Saiyajin felt the lethargy of the poison fade away.  Nenai was curing him, if only to question him sharply about what he had said before.  She closed her eyes tightly, trying to burn away the last traces of venom in Vejiita's blood.  The man felt almost completely healed, but he dared not break the subtle spell the girl was casting over him.

    The flow of electricity gradually lessened, and finally Vejiita felt it stop completely.  He still held onto Nenai's hands, but she made no move to pull away.  Her eyes were still closed, so the man leaned forward slightly and kissed her cheek softly.  Her eyes flew open, but they were no longer icy emerald, but soft, secretive amethyst once again.

    The last note of Nenai's song echoed in the small room for a long time after she stopped singing.  Wordlessly, Vejiita stood and picked her up in his arms, carrying her out of the bathroom and into the bedroom and gently laying her on the bed as he quickly dressed himself, resisting the urge to force himself upon her again.  Shaking himself a little, he picked her up again and carried her down the corridors to her room.  She leaned her head on his shoulder, rather trustingly, considering...

    Do I love this little bird? he wondered.  He never really thought he would love anyone in such a way, but she had a chain around his heart.  He thought about it silently as he walked down the barren halls.  How could it have happened?  It was one thing to lust after the girl--one merely had to look at her to get all kinds of ideas--but love?  Maybe he was just the effect of her voice distorting his feelings.  Maybe he was still weak from the poison.  He was still so disoriented it was hard to tell...

    They finally reached Nenai's door.  She quietly murmured the password and Vejiita carried her in to her bed and laid her down gently.  Her robe fell open; she was naked underneath, but she made no move to cover herself.  Indeed, she seemed even more drained than Vejiita felt.

    The Saiyajin’s eyes flickered down her body, and he suddenly felt hot.  Restraining himself, he bent to kiss her lips softly.  She kissed him back, then reached up to touch his cheek with one hand.  Neither of them spoke, but something happened when their eyes met. They looked at each other for a long moment until Vejiita slowly closed his eyes and turned away to leave.  He looked back and saw her lying there, and felt even more strongly drawn than before, but his fierce natural self-control finally won over.  He murmured a "good night", then left to return to his own rooms.  As he fell into his own bed, an odd sort of peace crept over him, and he slept as he had not slept since he was a child.