Bengali’s Dream-Come-True

By Jewel

Chapter One

Jewel

            About two months later, Mandora walked into the Lair, and stopped dead in her tracks.  Bengali and Tygra, who had been making out in the hall, pulled apart.  “Yes, Mandora?” the latter asked as if he hadn’t been caught with his hand between Bengali’s legs.

 

            She stood up straight, deciding to ignore what she had seen.  “I need to talk to Lion-O.  There’s a ship in this sector that needs to be captured.  It’s carrying a full cargo of Thundarian slaves.”

 

            Tygra and Bengali nodded.  “Go to the Meeting Room and we’ll get there as fast as we can,” Bengali said.  He and Tygra headed out of the hall in different directions.

 

            Mandora sighed as she walked towards the Meeting Room.  It seemed she was fated to spend the rest of her life without someone to love… She had had her eye on Bengali as a partner.

 

            @

 

            “– And they have a full cargo of Thundarian slaves,” Mandora concluded, leaning on the table.  “I’d go to the Big Guy but he’s too far away.  Besides, those are your people on that ship, and I think you need to do something about it.  I need help to capture that ship.  It’s a big one.”

 

            Lion-O nodded.  “I see what you mean.”  He turned to the other Thundercats.  “Bengali, Tygra, and Panthro, you come with me.  Cheetara, Pumyra, you stay here to watch the Lair.”  He stood up.  “We’ll help you with this, Mandora.  No need to worry.”

 

            She nodded.  “Thank you.”

 

            @

 

            The Feliner flew slowly towards the large slave ship, all it’s engines on “Quiet”.  Panthro had tapped into the ship’s communication system, and Bengali was listening in.

 

            All the slaves are ready, Commander, Bengali heard a woman’s voice say.  The adults have finally got it into their heads that there is no way they can escape, but that girl there, the one with the pigtails, she keeps insisting that she’s going to be freed soon because her brother would never let this happen to her.  We have no idea what’s she talking about; her only relatives were her parents, and we killed them for trying to escape.

 

            Bengali kept his mouth shut angrily.  That poor kid, she had no one left in the world now.  But something about the way the girl was talked about made Bengali curious.  Pigtails?  That sounded familiar…

 

            Well, a man’s voice said.  Put only the adults on display then.  We can beat and rape the thoughts of freedom and a brother out of the girl’s head.  It won’t take too long at all.

 

            Tygra turned around when he heard Bengali’s fingernails scratch angrily at the board next to the computer keys.

 

            There was a high-pitched squeal.  My brother’s going to make you pay for this! A young girl’s voice said.  He’s going to do you!  You’re going to wish that you were dead!

 

            Bengali smiled slightly.  That must be the girl.  She really *did* sound familiar…

 

            There was the sound of a whip being cracked over someone’s back, and a loud cry from the girl.  Shut up, you little twerp!

 

            Bengali turned to the others.  “I really want to hurt someone on that ship, now.  Most of the Thundarians on there are adults, but it appears there’s also one young girl on board the ship who’s giving them some trouble.  They’ve just whipped her and they plan on raping her to break her in.”

 

            Mandora frowned.  “That’s not right.  We’ve got to hurry.”  She turned to Panthro.  “Are you finished that readout yet, Panthro?  We have to get onto that ship fast.”

 

            “Just give me one more minute,” he replied.  He smiled as a printout came through a thin slot.  “Here we go!”  He held it up.  “We now have a map of the entire ship!”

 

            Tygra looked at it.  “Gee, you even managed to get labels on it.  Looks interesting.”  He studied it for a bit.  “So… this is where they’d keep the adults, and this must be where that girl is.”  He looked at Lion-O.  “How about you and Mandora attack the front of the ship while Panthro, Bengali, and I get those prisoners out of their cells.  If I know them correctly, the second the adults realize they’re free, they’ll want to stay that way, and fight to make sure of it.”

 

            Lion-O nodded.  “Sounds good to me.  You and Bengali can go and free the adults while Panthro gets the girl.”

 

            “And no fooling on the job,” Mandora added.

 

            “Not in a situation like this,” Tygra replied, dead serious.  “We’ve got to free those Thundarians.”

 

            @

 

            Jewel looked up at the woman with the whip, rebellion in her eyes.  “You’re going to get yours,” she said.  “When my brother gets here-“

 

            The whip cracked down on her back again, and she fell to the floor as she screamed in pain, watching in horror as blood ran off of her back onto the floor.  “You don’t have a brother,” the woman snarled, “and never will.  Your parents are dead, girl.  You watched them die yourself.”

 

            Jewel glared at her.  “I do too have a brother, and I know he’s not dead!  He’s going to come and get me, he will!”

 

            The woman raised her whip again.  “You little-“

 

            A siren went off.  “We’re under attack!” a voice said over the intercom.  “All hands on bridge.”

 

            Jewel smiled.  “See?  There’s my brother now!”

 

            The whip cracked down across her shoulders for the third time, and the woman clamped manacles attached to a heavy ball around the girl’s wrists.  “I’ll have no more of this brother nonsense!” the woman snarled.  “When I get back, I’m going to beat the living shit out of you, then let Joe have his way with you!  You won’t be thinking of ‘your brother’ then!”  She turned around, walked to the door, and then opened it.  She let out a shriek then backed off.

 

            There was a strong Thundarian there with numb-chucks in his hands.  “What was that I heard about beating the living shit out of the girl?” he said in a deep voice.  “I seem to remember hearing something about letting ‘Joe’ have his way with her, too.”  His leg shot out, kicking in the woman’s jaw.

 

            She fell to the floor, her jaw shattered and her neck broken.  Her empty eyes stared lifelessly at the wall as blood spread out on the floor around her.

 

            The Thundarian knelt beside her, then sighed.  “Damn,” he said.  “I didn’t mean to kill her.”  He got up, walked over to Jewel, and broke the chains on her wrists with his bare hands.  “Are you alright, kid?”

 

            Jewel thought about her aching back, and then decided she’d had worse.  “Yup, I’m just fine and dandy.  My name is Jewel.  Who are you?”

 

            “Just call me Panthro, Jewel.”  He picked her up, and placed her on his shoulder as if she was nothing more than a little bird.  He noticed the blood that was running down her back flow onto his arm.  “You’re sure you’re alright?”

 

            She shrugged, even though it sent spasms of pain down her spine and possibly made the blood flow get worse.  “Yup, Panthro.”

 

            “Alright then.”

 

            “Panthro?” Lion-O’s voice said over the communicator.  “We’ve captured the ship successfully.  You can bring the girl to the bridge now.”

 

            Jewel smiled happily.  “Are you going to bring me to my brother, now?”

 

            Panthro seemed to smile sadly up at her.  “I don’t know, Jewel.”

 

            She stopped smiling.  “I know he isn’t dead.  He promised me he wouldn’t die.”

 

            “Sometimes, Jewel, a promise like that is hard to keep.”

 

            @

 

            Bengali turned to the people in chains.  “What are you going to do with them, Mandora?”

 

            She turned as she took the chains off the last pair of Thundarians.  “They’re going to go in front of the head council and get convicted, that’s what.  And all of these Thundarians are going to stand witness.”

 

            The man with a badge on his chest glared at her.  “You’re never going to catch Joe or Shirley,” he said.  “They’re the best we have on this ship, and a few Thundercats and a cop aren’t going to stop them.”

 

            Tygra walked into the room, a man bound and gagged over his shoulder.  “Is this the Joe you’re talking about?” he asked, dropping the man to the floor.  “He doesn’t look like much to me, and he was easy to handle.”

 

            The man with the badge paled.  “Joe-?”

 

            Joe glanced at Tygra, and then slowly edged away.  Tygra smiled at him.  “Don’t worry,” he said softly, “you’re not my type.”  He glanced over at Bengali and winked.

 

            Bengali smiled back.

 

            Panthro walked into the room, a girl barely more that three, possibly four, perched on his shoulder like a bird.  “Mandora,” he said.  “About the woman that was watching this kid… well, I only meant to knock her out, but I seemed to have miscalculated my kick a bit.  Her… body is on the floor where I found the girl.”  He looked ashamed to admit that.

 

            Mandora nodded, her face expressionless as usual.  “I’ll take care of it.”

 

            Bengali blinked as the girl looked over at him.  She looked damned familiar.

 

            She recognized him first.  She smiled and squealed, “BENGALI!!!”  She jumped off Panthro’s shoulder and hit the floor running.  “I knew you’d come!  I knew you’d come!”

 

            Then he remembered.  He squatted down happily and caught her and she jumped into his embrace.  “JEWEL!!!  Oh my gosh, you’re alright!”  He pulled her up into the air and whirled her around a bit.  “You’re alright!  You’re alright!”

 

            Lion-O blinked.  “Uh, Bengali… who’s she?”

 

            Bengali proudly propped Jewel on his hip.  “This is my little sister, Jewel.  She’s younger than me by eighteen years.”  He glanced at her.  “Wait a minute… how old are you?”

 

            She smiled.  “I just turned four!”

 

            He turned back to Lion-O, smiling.  “Better make that twenty-eight years.  It appears she spent about ten of them in a time-capsule.”

 

            Mandora nodded, smiling slightly.  “Well, you have a shipload of Thundarians to return home, and you sister looks as if she could do with some patching up.”

 

            “It’s just a scratch,” Jewel said as Bengali noticed her back in horror.  “Nothing much.”

 

            “Just a scratch?!” Bengali asked in horror.  “Jewel, you’re bleeding all over the place!!”  He looked skeptically into her blue eyes.  “You have a mind like father when it comes to injuries…”

 

            She smiled at him, and then gave him a big hug.  “I don’t care if I bleed all over the place!  I’ve got you back!”

 

            @

 

            Pumyra ruthlessly rubbed the cream into the three large cuts on Jewel’s back.  Jewel closed her eyes tightly and squeezed Bengali’s hand tightly.  “You’re quiet for someone your age,” Pumyra said with admiration.  “Unlike a certain brother of yours.”

 

            Jewel scrunched her face up, and managed to say, “I’ve probably had worse.”  She smiled at Bengali as Pumyra paused to get bandages.  “I’m being a good girl, aren’t I?”

 

            Bengali smiled at her, patting her hair.  “Yes, Jewel, you’re being a good girl.”

 

            Pumyra carefully placed the bandages on Jewel’s back then picked her up and placed her on the floor, handing her a little green shirt and pair of green pants to replace the slave shirt that had been torn.  “Here you go,” she said.  “Snarf made these for you to replace the one that was ruined.  Now, don’t forget to some back tomorrow morning so that I can replace those bandages.”

 

            Jewel smiled happily as she put the shirt and pants on.  “I’ll remember!”  She took Bengali’s hand and happily followed as he led her out of the room.  “Am I going to get to live with you now?” she asked.  “I’ve never lived in the same house with you before!”

 

            Bengali smiled.  He remembered that he had moved out before she was born, and had let her come over to his apartment to visit, sometimes for the night.  At the time, she had really attracted girlfriends, but Bengali was worried.  He’d have to explain to her sooner or later just what he was, and what Tygra meant to him.  She was so young and small, and might not quite understand.  Or worse, she’d be afraid of him.  Wily Kit sure was, just like she was afraid of Tygra.

 

            Jewel looked up at him.  “Are you okay, Bengali?”

 

            Deciding not to tell her until much later, he smiled at her.  “I’m fine,” he said, picking her up.  “Want to meet a friend of mine?”

 

            “Okay!”  She wrapped her arms happily around his neck, allowing him to carry her to the room that Cheetara was reading a book in.  Jewel and Cheetara would easily get along together…

 

            Just in case.

 

            @

 

            Bengali lay on his side, looking out the window.  Tygra was asleep behind him, and his worries had come crashing down inside his mind with a vengeance.  What if Jewel became frightened of him?  What if she *hated* him??  Worse, what if she decided she didn’t want to acknowledge him as her brother anymore?!

 

            A hand fell on his shoulder, and he turned to see Tygra gazing at him.  “I thought you were asleep,” he said as Tygra sat up.

 

            “I was only dozing.  Bengali, you’re worried about something.  I can tell.”

 

            “How?”

 

            “Your back happens to arch a certain way, and you’ve got worry lines right… here.”  He placed his finger on a point between Bengali’s brows, his face showing concern.  “What’s wrong?”

 

            Bengali turned away.  “It’s Jewel.  I’m going to have to tell her about me… us… sooner or later, and I’m afraid of how she might take it.”  He looked at his lover.  “I don’t want to lose her again.  Once was bad enough, and I know I’ll never see Mom or Dad again.  I don’t think I could take that kind of rejection.”

 

            Tygra smoothed back Bengali’s hair lovingly.  “Bengali, if that does happen, you’ll still have me.  I could never leave you.”  He gazed deeply into Bengali’s blue eyes.  “I love you, Bengali, and nothing could ever change that.”

 

            Bengali stared into Tygra’s brown eyes.  “I… love you, too, Tygra,” he whispered, realizing it was true.  “I never want to lose you…”

 

            Tygra leaned forward and kissed his lips.  His hand gently toughed Bengali’s chest, and drifted downward to his crotch.  His hand was gentle, and it didn’t touch this time, it caressed.  Bengali’s heart began pounding, and he caressed Tygra right back.  Caress for caress, kiss for kiss, they came together in a way that was different from all the other times before.  They didn’t fuck each other; they discovered something they had never experienced before, so inexplicable they nearly died of pure joy.  It was special, and they both knew that they would never forget this night, no matter what happened.

 

            They made love to each other.

 

            @

 

            Bengali opened his eyes, and gazed into Tygra’s.  He sighed happily, and held Tygra closer.  It was still dark out, and Tygra was so warm…

 

            “Bengali,” Tygra whispered into his ear.  “No matter how Jewel takes this, I’ll be there with you.  We’re going to get through this together.”  He gently kissed Bengali’s neck, and then tightened his embrace.

 

            Bengali smiled, tears coming to his eyes.  “Thank you, Tygra,” he whispered.  “Thank you… and I love you so much.”  It was becoming so natural to say those things to his lover.

 

            “I love you, too, Bengali, and I’m not going to leave you.  Not when you need me.  Not when you’re lonely.  Not ever.”

 

            Bengali snuggled closer.  So warm; Tygra was so pleasantly warm…  He sighed again, and fell asleep in Tygra’s arms, refusing to sleep alone ever again.

 

            @

 

            Wily Kit waited until Bengali had left the room.  She smiled; personally glad when she saw he didn’t have Jewel with him.  She waited until he disappeared down the hall, and then snuck into the room.  Jewel was alone in the middle of the floor, playing with a cloth doll Snarf had found somewhere.  She looked up at Wily Kit and smiled.

 

            “Look at what the funny lizard gave me!” she said happily, holding up the doll.  “He said I could keep her!  Her name is Sapphire.”

 

            Wily Kit smiled.  “That’s nice and all, Jewel, but there’s something you ought to know about Bengali.”

 

            Jewel blinked.  “He’s my brother.”

 

            “Besides that.”  Wily Kit walked over to the child and sat on the floor next to her.  “Your brother, Jewel, happens to be gay.  You know, a homosexual.”

 

            “So?”

 

            “That means he’s not normal.”

 

            “So?”

 

            “Do you even know what ‘gay’ means?”

 

            “No.”

 

            “It means that he fucks men instead of women!”

 

            Jewel covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes widening in horror.  For a second, Wily Kit though she had finally gotten through to the kid.  Then Jewel said, “You said a bad word!  That’s naughty!”  She shook her doll at Wily Kit.  “You’re going to be in trouble when I tell the fuzzy lizard!”

 

            “No, don’t tell Snarf.  I didn’t mean to say the bad word, okay?”

 

            “Okay!”  Jewel went back to playing with her doll.

 

            Wily Kit tried one last time.  “Jewel, Bengali is gay.  That means he has… sex with Tygra.”

 

            “So?”  Jewel thought for a minute, and then asked, “What’s ‘sex’?”

 

            Wily Kit finally gave up.  She stood up and said, “Go ask your brother.”  Then she walked out of the room.

 

            @

 

            Bengali was pacing the room.  He had convinced himself that he had to tell Jewel today what he was, but he was so damned nervous.  What would her reaction be?  What if she didn’t talk to him anymore?  What if –

 

            Tygra walked into the room.  The second he noticed Bengali he walked over and pulled his lover into his arms.  “Bengali, calm down.”

 

            “I can’t.  I’m so worried.”  He clutched onto Tygra with a death grip.  “I don’t want to know what she thinks of me.”

 

            Tygra hushed him, rubbing his hand up and down Bengali’s back.  “Bengali, just calm down.  Even if she never looks at you in the same way, she’s still alive.”  He looked into Bengali’s eyes.  “Isn’t that better that nothing?”

 

            Bengali slowly nodded.  “Yes.”

 

            Tygra leaned forward and kissed him.  Their arms tightened around each other, and it made Bengali feel so special…

 

            “Bengali?”

 

            They both turned towards the door.  Jewel was standing there, staring at them with wonder in her eyes.  The doll that Snarf had given her hung limply from where she held it to her chest.

 

            “Whatcha doing, Bengali?” she asked innocently.

 

            Bengali swallowed, gently pulled himself out of Tygra’s protective embrace, and walked over to her and picked her up.  “Jewel, I think it’s about time we had a talk.”  He took her over to his bed, sat down, and placed her on his lap.  He bit his lip, and then decided that he had to be direct with her.  “Alright.  There’s something you really ought to know about me.  You see, Jewel, I’m gay.”

 

            She blinked, and he could see that she didn’t quite understand.  “So?”

 

            “What that means is that I don’t like women… I like men.”

 

            Her eyes widened a bit.  “I don’t think I understand.”

 

            “Remember how Mom and Dad always used to act?”

 

            “Yes.”

 

            “That was because they liked each other.  They liked to kiss and hug each other a lot.  Just like most men like women, and most women like men.”

 

            She nodded.  “Okay.”

 

            “But there are some men out there who don’t like women, they like other men.  These people are called gay or homosexual.”

 

            “And you’re gay.  That means you like to hug and kiss men.”

 

            He nodded, wishing she wasn’t catching on so quickly.  “Yes.”

 

            She thought about that for a minute then looked over at Tygra.  “Are you gay, too?”

 

            He nodded.  “Yes.”

 

            She looked back at Bengali.  “So you like Tygra, and Tygra likes you.”

 

            Bengali nodded.

 

            She thought for a bit again.  “Do you still love me?”

 

            “How could I not?  You’re my sister.”  He smiled at her.

 

            She smiled back.  “Okay!”  She hugged him.  “I don’t care if you like men or if you like women just as long as you still love me!”

 

            Bengali hugged her back, the reality of what just happened dawning on him.  She still loved him!  She didn’t care if he was gay!  He felt like he was going to laugh with relief, he was so happy!  He stood up and whirled her around the room.  “Thank you, Jewel!  Thank you so much!”

 

            Jewel squealed happily as he did so.  “I’m flying!” she giggled.  She latched onto Bengali when he pulled her back into his arms.

 

            Bengali looked over her shoulder at Tygra.  His lover was smiling at him.  He felt as if things couldn’t be any more perfect!

 

            @

 

            Wily Kit’s jaw dropped.  She was in the control room with her brother, and had just witnessed the entire scene between Bengali and his sister.  She just couldn’t believe it!  Jewel should have disowned Bengali by all rights!  This wasn’t fair!

 

            Wily Kat smiled.  “Isn’t that the sweetest thing?”

 

            She snarled.  “No!  She should have disowned him right them and there!”

 

            He looked at her.  “Wily Kit, she’s his sister!  You would have been despondent if I ever disowned you, right?”

 

            She didn’t answer.

 

            “Well, just imagine how Bengali would have felt if she disowned him.  But, just like Jewel, no matter what you did or were, I’d never be able to do that!”

 

            Damn him!  Why did he have to put it that way?  She leaned back into her seat and sulked.  She didn’t really know why, but she couldn’t trust Bengali!  For crying out loud, he was gay!

 

            @

 

            That night after supper, Bengali leaned back into his pillows, completely satisfied.  Jewel didn’t care that he was gay, and he and Tygra had made out to the umpteenth degree, and it had been so great.  He smiled happily, and wiped some sweat off of his forehead.  Tygra was already asleep, not dozing this time, and Bengali figured he should get some sleep as well.

 

            The door opened.  “Bengali?”

 

            He sat up.  Jewel walked into the room in a little pink nightgown.  “Jewel, what’s wrong?”  He picked her up when she stood next to the bed and placed her on his lap.  “Did you have a nightmare?”

 

            She nodded.  “Yes.  It was about Mommy and Daddy.”

 

            He frowned, holding her close.  “What about it?  You can tell me.”

 

            She sniffed, and leaned against his bare chest.  “That woman with the whip was in it, too.  I saw it all happen again.  She chained Daddy to the wall and whipped him until I couldn’t see his back; there was too much blood.  And that mean Joe, he chained Mommy to the floor and got on top of her, hurting her somehow; I could hear her screaming really loudly.  I wanted to stop them, but I was chained to that big metal ball and couldn’t move.”

 

            Bengali tightened his grip on her.  “What else happened?”

 

            “Then the woman with the whip took a bucket of salty water and threw it on Daddy’s back, causing him to scream.  She pulled a knife out of her belt and kept sticking it in him.  I was crying and begging her to stop, but she just laughed and kept doing it.  Then she unchained him, and he fell to the floor, too weak to do anything.  She laughed, then leaned forward and cut open his neck.  There was so much blood, Bengali!  It was running out all over the floor, and some of it actually came close to my feet.  And the woman was laughing; she though it was funny.”

 

            Bengali leaned forward and kissed her forehead while rubbing her back.  No wonder Jewel wasn’t acting like any other girl her age!  She really *had* had a worse wound than the whip lashes on her back!

 

            “Then that mean Joe, he stopped hurting Mommy, but he started beating her up.  She kept trying to get away, but it didn’t work.  Then the woman with the whip came over and started whipping her, too.  She kept screaming, begging for them to stop, but they only laughed and kept beating her and whipping her.  Then Joe and that woman both pulled out daggers and started stabbing Mommy.  She screamed, but they didn’t stop.  After they cut open her stomach, they unchained me from the metal ball and walked out of the room, locking it behind them.  I cried and cried.  Mommy was breathing really slowly, and Daddy wasn’t moving at all.  Mommy held my hand and told me I couldn’t let the mean woman and Joe break me in, no matter what happened.  She said that if I waited long enough, you’d come and get me.  She said she loved me and to be a big girl.  Then she stopped breathing, too.  I cried, and hugged her, promising that’s what I’d do.”

 

            Bengali picked Jewel up and cradled her like a baby.  “Mom was right, though.  I did come to get you.”

 

            Jewel smiled wanly at him.  “I guess.”  Her smile faded, and she started crying.  “I miss them!”

 

            He hushed her gently, and rocked her back and forth.  “Shush.  Don’t cry, Jewel.  I miss them, too.”  Her hand reached up and rubbed away the tears from her eyes.  Then she reached out and swept away the tears on his face as well.  He smiled at her.  “Nothing like that will ever happen to me, Jewel.  I’m not going to leave you like they were forced to do.”

 

            She wrapped her arms around his neck.  “Can I sleep with you tonight?”

 

            He thought about that.  He wasn’t wearing anything beneath the blankets, and Tygra was in a similar state of undress.  Then again, Jewel had probably slept with his parents when they were stripped down and not cared.  Besides, it would probably be fun to watch Tygra’s face the next morning.

 

            He smiled at her.  “Of course you can.”

 

            “But I can’t touch anything below the sheets, right?”  She smiled.

 

            Looks like his hunch was correct.  “That’s right.”

 

            Smiling, she got under the sheets between him and Tygra, and fell asleep.  Bengali soon followed.

 

            @ End of Chapter One

 

Continued

 

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