Mai's softly shod feet made quiet shush shush noises as she trotted down the hall. The rustle of her clothes mingled with the muted sounds of occasional explosions outside. Her eyes darted about the luminous hall, barely taking in the vividly painted panels decorated with precious gems and sunk into shallow depressions in the creamy stone walls. She brushed past exotic potted plants in their polished ceramic holders.

Her ears were pricked for any sounds of returning rebels. She knew she should go more slowly, more carefully, but she had already lost sight of Brussi. Worry that she might be too late to prevent her friend from doing something extremely foolish spurred her on.

Mai squeezed along the wall as she came to a bend and looked around the corner. Tips of wild looking hair disappeared below the landing of the stairway leading to the first floor. Mai bit her lip to keep from swearing again. At least Brussi wasn't making any sound.

The Namek resumed her journey, going a little more slowly now, until she reached the two navy leaved potted trees that flanked the stairs. Inching around them, she put her hand on the edge of a translucent drape tied back to the wall. It's mate was tied back on the other side. At night, they would usually be loosed and allowed to flow across the top of the stairs. A ritual she had never understood.

Peering down the stairs, she didn't see her friend. Carefully, slowly, she shuffled to the top step, then placed her foot down on the next one. Then her other foot on the next... and the next. Each time frazzled her nerves more, an urge was growing to fling aside caution and race down. The fear that Brussi had already left the seraglio was gnawing at her gut.

If she has... will I be able to find her again? Mai pushed aside the thought and kept her eyes and ears open.

Finally, her foot touched the floor of the main hall of the first floor. She resisted the relieved breath that wanted to rush out. She kept her breathing even, quiet. A familiar sensation drew her attention to her left and she saw Brussi squatting behind a portly plant. The Saiyan appeared to be watching something intently through the leaves.

Mai crouched and sidled along the wall until she was bare inches behind her friend. She whispered very low, "Brussi..."

"Geh... quiet!" Brussi admonished in the same, low voice, not once glancing back at Mai. She pointed at something on the other side.

Mai slipped between Brussi and the wall. Stretching her neck a bit, she peaked through the foliage. Two rebels had been set to guard the entrance. They didn't appear very concerned with their mission. Both of them leaned against opposite sides of the doorframe, their weapons cradled carelessly in their arms and talked, though not loudly.

Brussi motioned to get Mai's attention again. She pointed at the Namek's eyes, then to her own chest. Mai looked at her, slightly confused, but gathered the woman wanted her to wait and watch.

A strangled little cry nearly escaped Mai's throat when Brussi began to creep around the plant. The Saiyan didn't hear or didn't think it necessary to scold at the moment. Instead, she kept going. Switching to a less crouched position, she silently moved toward the men. Her hair almost seemed to react to the new excitement by standing up a little more.

A feral smirk broke out on Brussi's face. Her brows were low and together, eyes sparking with the electric feeling that was running through her. A tiny, savage voice demanded kill... kill...

Brussi leapt. A base growl rumbled down the hall as she attacked the men. Unprepared to bring their weapons to bear quickly and lacking any true protective armor, the guards felt the full fury of the strike.

The unleashed warrior drove her palm into one guard's chin, breaking several of his teeth as his jaws jammed together, and smashed his head into the corner of the stone door post. She whirled about, sending her foot into the other guard's stomach. She felt a delightful give, a mushy feeling where there had been solid flesh before.

The guard doubled over, a gush of blood spewing from his gaping mouth, eyes wide with pain and surprise.

He didn't get much time to mull over how a harem woman managed to attack so effectively, if he could think at all. Brussi quickly withdrew that leg, dropped back into a stance, then whipped out the leg again, catching the side of his head. His neck snapped audibly and the limp body skimmed past the corner of the door frame, arched across to the opposite wall, bouncing off slightly when it hit, then coming to rest as a crumpled heap on the floor.

Brussi quickly took stock of her work. Breathing heavily, mostly from the surge of killing, she thought it wasn't a bad first fight to have after so long. She drew her long, muscled body into an attentive posture.

Mai didn't see things quite the same. The sight of the growing pools of blood under the dead guards brought to mind another times she had witnessed such carnage. Neither were memories she cared to revisit. She didn't think this one would be any different.

"Did you have to kill them?"

Brussi looked over her shoulder, her expression making it clear what a naive question that was. The woman stalked over to her still hiding friend. "Come on. We have to get out of here before someone tries to contact them for a report or something."

Mai hesitated a moment. She hadn't really feared the Saiyan for a long while. In the beginning, Brussi had been intimidating. A spike haired Amazon with a smoldering blood lust buried deep inside her sable eyes. Only time and circumstance had eased away the trepidation she had felt at first.

She couldn't deny it was back and warring with the positives that she knew about Brussi.

The Saiyan grabbed the front of Mai's dress, twisting the fabric in her fist and hauling Mai to her feet. She growled, pulling the Namek's face so close to her own that the other could feel each warm exhalation.

"I swear I will leave you behind with the rest of those KuRash," Brussi spat. Her face was contorted, foreboding. There was no hint that she didn't mean it, no softness to smooth away the fierce wildness emanating from her.

But Mai's deepest heart couldn't be touched by it. She stared back into Brussi's dark eyes. "What about them, Brussi? We can't just leave them behind!"

"Aaagh!" Brussi pushed Mai away violently. The Namek landed hard on her backside. The shock of it splintered up her spine, stealing her breath. She grit her teeth against the pain.

"You want to go back? You want to risk the chance of escaping? Choose them over freedom?" Brussi's hard voice demanded.

Choose them over me?

The unspoken question hung in the air. The two locked gazes, each knowing the thought was there, neither wanting to bring it out into the open.

Mai took a deep breath, using her natural ability to quiet the aching in her body. She couldn't do much for the aching in her soul. "I couldn't live with myself... if I didn't try."

"Shit!" Brussi sent her foot into the pot they had hidden behind. The object exploded from the impact sending porcelain shards, dirt and plant bits flying in all directions. She didn't blink as the debris pelted her. The woman's chest heaved, physical evidence of the emotions churning inside. Only her breathing, the tinkle of the ceramic pieces and the rain like sound of the dirt falling on tile echoed in the hall for several seconds.

Brussi's body stilled then. She turned away and walked toward the entrance. Stopping before the portal, she said, without looking back, "You have five minutes to convince those fools to join us."

A smile spread on Mai's face. She pushed up off of the floor, ignoring the small twitches in her lower back. "I'll return as quickly as I can."

Brussi didn't answer as Mai trotted back up the stairs.

Mai didn't take as much care being silent this time. She doubted that the noise they had made during their short argument would have gone unnoticed if any rebels had been near enough to hear it. The slap of her feet against the hard floor could hardly attract more attention.

She almost slid on the slick ceramic as she took the corner a bit fast. Another catching pain stabbed the right side of her lower back, but she shoved it out of her mind. Her single concern at the moment was getting to the others. Panting a little, she burst back into the common room.

The scene was chaotic at best. Dorei was threatening one of the still crying women. She was brandishing a carved hand rest that had broken off a chaise, her shrill voice demanding the woman be silent.

Several sat slumped against the walls or huddled together. A slim, lavender haired woman was busily chewing on each of her six fingers. Rivulets of peach blood snaked down her arms. Others were wandering around, picking up broken pieces of the many statues and bowls that had been scattered about on tables. Some were righting the furniture, brushing torn fabric and scratched wood lovingly as if merely by touch they could repair the damage.

They looked so confused... afraid... lost...

Mai swallowed the tears that wanted to be shed. This wasn't the time for grieving. She strode over to the lavender haired woman and gently forced her fingers from her mouth. Calling on her healing ability, she soothed the self-inflicted wounds and stroked the woman's soft locks. "It will be all right."

"All right? All right?" Dorei whipped around, abandoning the current target of her ire and fixed her scathing gaze on Mai. "How can you say it's going to be all right?"

Each word was punctuated with an agitated step forward, continuing until she was half a foot away. She raised her wooden stick and rendered a stunning blow to the side of Mai's head.

The Namek dropped to the floor. She hadn't expected Dorei to come across the floor so quickly or to attack. Her head throbbed on one side, a ringing settled into her ear. A warm, sticky fluid coursed down her temple, tickling its way over cheek and jaw.

Bile rose up in her throat and was nearly expelled when Dorei kicked Mai in the side. Mai choked down the vile liquid. Shaking her head to try and banish the lightness, she gasped, "Dorei... we can't... fight each other... not now..."

Dorei answered that with another kick, this one hitting Mai on the right side of her lower back. She repeated the attack, again and again, shrieking, "Freak! Don't tell me what to do! You can't tell me what to do! Nobody tells me what to do!"

Pain washed over Mai with every hit, coming in unending waves, harkening back to the day she was whipped with the ferengor for the tragic death of a beaten girl.

Mai's mind blanked out. A demonic roar ripped out of her throat and she surged upwards. She flung out a hand, raking her nails over Dorei's face. The razor claws normally kept so well controlled sliced through soft skin.

Dorei screamed in rage and agony. Blinded by the blood dripping from the scratches, she responded with a wild strike. Mai caught the arm and twisted it, pushing it into Dorei's back. She sank her fangs into shoulder and neck. Dorei screamed and sobbed, then dropped to her knees.

One trembling hand came up to trace the long, thin wounds on her face. They weren't too deep, but they would leave scars. Another sob broke from her lips. Finally, she slumped forward.

Mai released Dorei's unconscious form and ran her tongue over her bloodied teeth. The metallic taste seeped into her mind, waking her from the trance she had fallen into. She raised her fingers to her mouth only to stare at the flesh embedded under her nails.

Oh gods... what have I... done? Mai knelt and retched on the debris littered floor.

Quiet sobs and frightened whimpers swirled around her, reminding her that she wasn't alone. She spat out as much of the lingering sourness in her mouth as she could. Her stomach still clenched spasmodically, her back ached more now, too. But she knew she couldn't spend any more time indulging her upset senses. Brussi had given her five minutes and she didn't know if the Saiyan's patience would keep her longer.

Mai ground her teeth and pushed up from the floor. She took a few deep breaths, looking around at the others. Her lips trembled a little as she observed the stark terror in some of their eyes. "I... We have to leave... escape."

The whimpers and sobs increased. Many looked away from her, shuddering and huddling closer together. Others continued to stare in shock.

"Please... come!" Mai reached out to the nearest woman.

The reaction was instant. The woman shrieked in horror and scuttled backwards, cutting her hands and legs on the sharp debris scattered on the floor. Wails rang out, rebounding off the walls.

A piece of broken stone whizzed through the air and struck Mai on the shoulder. She winced, turning to the direction it had come from.

Kaisui shuffled back. Her blue-green skin pale from dust and dryness. The fins on the sides of her head quivered. Cracked lips worked themselves into different shapes, but no sound emerged from them.

Before Mai could plead again, another stone, larger and sharp edged, lashed her upper arm. Her hand came up quickly, covering the gash. She swiveled her head and looked at her second attacker.

It was Bachi this time. The Konchuu-jin didn't back down. Instead, she picked up another chunk of marble from a pile of rubble. She threw it hard, aiming for Mai's head.

Mai blocked the projectile easily, though another hit her in the spine. Her breath hissed as it sent fingers of pain downward. Another stone quickly followed, then a bit of wood, another stone, more and more debris began raining on her from all sides.

"Demon!" shouted Bachi.

"Hell spawn!" joined in Kaisui's husky voice. "Wants to kill us, eat us, sacrifice us!"

"Monster!" another voice.

"Fiend!"

"Devil god!"

The attacks became stronger with each invective, bruising and tearing Mai's skin. Worse, it bruised and tore her soul. She began to back away, stumbling toward the door while trying to fend off the debris that kept striking her.

"Please! Come with us!" she begged through tears. The answer was more objects hurled at her, growls and insults.

Soon, she was pressed against the hallway wall. With a sob, she pleaded one more time, "Please, escape with us, you don't have to stay here!"

The broken frame of a chair crashed into the wall beside her. A few more inches and it would have smashed into her head and torso.

Mai cried out, then fled down the hall. She skirted the corner and tripped on the top step. Her body tumbled down the stairs, her head struck the walls a few times, her lower back hit one of the marble edges. Sharp pain cut through her. Finally, she came to rest on the floor below.

Footsteps thumped towards her. Mai opened her eyes, her vision blurry. She tried to focus on the scowling face that lowered itself to look at her.

"My guess is that they said no," a hard voice sneered.

Mai shivered as pain still shuddered through her. She tried to answer, to nod or speak, but she found herself being closed in by misty darkness. The thought that she had failed miserably was the last coherent thing she knew.

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