Introduction and Disclaimer
Well, here it is. The
official end of the ride.
sniff
It's sort of sad,
somehow...LOL :)
This is the conclusion, I suppose. But in the
way of life, not everything can be concluded in one nice neat little
story and then tied up with a bow. So there will be a few leading
questions left, probably, at the end of this tale. Of course, some
things will be settled definitively. If my story follows the current
plan, there will probably be at least one death in this part.
There'll also be an element of betrayal between closely associated
characters, a few dark flickers from Seiryo's past - and, ultimately
- the future of the planet Earth hanging entirely in the
balance.
Shall I say more?
Well, no. If I did, noone
would read my story :P
Part One gave a hint into the life of
Kiyone, or rather her background and past. It also did the same
somewhat for Seiryo. The same is true of this part, I think. I've
never seen Seiryo as a clearcut hero character, nor do I believe that
- in my interpretation of him - he was always honourable or that he
was even really a good guy before his encounter with Tokimi's magic.
(After all, in GXP, he was set up as the villain!)
That's
not to say he didn't always have the good stuff inside of him - I've
always tried to emphasise that Tokimi didn't rewrite his personality,
it just put him more in touch with the parts of his make-up that he'd
suppressed in trying to be a son of the Tennan line. The legacy of
the Tennan family is a heavy one of blood feud, ambition, pride and
arrogance...and it's only now, thanks to Tokimi, and Kiyone, and
Sasami and Suki that he's begun to take those traits in hand and
balance them into becoming a decent member of the Juraian race.
That
said, he has some fairly unpleasant behaviour in his past. It was
mentioned in part one - and the opening of this story paints the
picture even more clearly. (We'll see if people still love him quite
as much after they've read this story...LOL. I still love him - but I
like anti-heroes and villains better than clear cut heroes most of
the time anyway - they're far, far more interesting!!)
In the
end, I think, Tokimi's pulling Seiryo into her scheme was a watershed
for both of them. And Seiryo is able to be the man he is now because
of how much he suffered then...in a sense, he's his own worst enemy
and he's caused his own bad karma and pain more than anyone else ever
has.
I wonder if this means I should give him a happy ending
or his just desserts...ponders evilly
As for Tenchi and Ryoko, I'm expecting a bevy of hate-mail at
somewhere around the mid-point of this story…smiles innocently
No, I promise, it's not that bad.
Probably.
Hehe :D
Anyhow, here is part two - the absolute end to the
wild ride that's been my Tenchi fanfiction arc.
Usual legal
regs apply...and thank you to everyone who's read over the past
year!!
Synopsis
After the death of his
mother, Seiryo has been forcibly withdrawn from Juraian politics as
he struggles to come to terms with his loss. However, even as he
prepares to bury the woman who gave him life, the political
machinations of an old enemy are starting to wheel into play.
Determined to protect her friend from more pain, Kiyone has sworn
herself to his cause, but she begins to realise that this is a much
bigger plot than at first anyone imagined.
The Earth's paranoid rampage against aliens is hotting up, causing
tension as Tenchi and Ryoko find themselves caught in the middle.
Washu deploys Yume's unique skills to find out more about Seguru
Ishida and his motivation, but her involvement has unforseen side
effects as Tenchi realises that his family are spying on his friends
behind his back.
And as the scale of Nakabito's scheme becomes clear, the Earth's
alien fear seems to be more than justified. A devastating weapon has
been unleashed against the planet Tenchi and Ryoko call their home -
is there anything which can prevent the Earth's complete destruction?
OPERATION ERADICATE: PART TWO
A TenchiMuyoFanfiction
by
VRAIEESPRIT
Chapter
One
The Galaxy Police Academy: Elite
Division
Eleven Years Earlier
Well, another wasted morning.SeiryoTennan
made his way slowly down the hallway from his morning class, his
brows knitted together in displeasure as he headed back to his
sleeping quarters. It had been six months since he had first arrived
at the Galaxy Police Elite Training Program, and it had not improved
on him over time. Surrounded by people of inferior birth and origin,
and forced to learn things which no self-respecting Lord of Jurai
would ever care about, he was both resentful and indignant that he,
of all people, should have ended up in such a place.He
clenched his fists, anger flickering across his haughty teal eyes as
he remembered his father's parting words to him.
"
It
will get you out of my hair and teach you something about being a
proper man, rather than a nusiance always in my shadow." The
cruel words echoed through his head for the thousandth time, sparking
his hot temper yet again at the derision that had marked Lord Seiji's
tones. "You don't understand what it means to be a Tennan
yet, Seiryo - but I'll make you, dammit, or kill you in the attempt!
You want to question me so badly? Then I won't have you under my roof
until you've learnt that of all noble disciplines, family pride is
the strongest!""I
hate him."
Seiryo muttered vehemently under his breath. "I
hate him...I hate him! What kind of a man does
he think he is, anyway? What kind of a role
model? I will make him pay for this, I swear it. The indignity of
sharing quarters with men of ignominious birth - of sharing classes,
and being expected to socialise with them! Of all the hells in deep
space he could have sent me, I swear he found the worst! I will never
forgive him for this...not ever!""
Hey,
Tennan!"Seiryo
paused, turning on his heel as he heard the voice of his classmate
calling him from the other end of the hallway. He frowned, his brow
furrowing in irritation as he squared himself, gathering his normal
demeanour of icy disdain as he met his companion's gaze with an
impassive one of his own."Did you want something?"
He asked quietly, injecting a note of faint boredom into his words.
"I have got better things to do than talk to you, you know -
this had better be important."
"Damn right it's
important." His companion bristled at the dismissive nature of
Seiryo's manner, launching himself forwards as he made
a wild lunge for his fellow student. "I want to know what you
think you're playing at with Yuriko, and I want the truth.
Now.""Yuriko?"Seiryo eyed him for a moment, and the
other man's eyes narrowed to near slits."Don't pretend
you don't know what I mean, you bastard!" he hissed.
"Yuriko!
Yuriko KawazakiMy fiancée!""Oh.
That Yuriko." A cold, unpleasant smile twitched at
the corners of Seiryo's mouth at this. "I had
forgotten...such things are not important to me.""Not
important...?" The young man's eyes opened wide with
incredulation. "What the hell do you mean...that
you just...what the hell did you do to her, Tennan!
Answer me! Answer me!""
As
if such things were any of your business."Seiryo
snorted, darting out of the way of the young man's grab as he did so.
"I don't waste my time over people who don't matter to me, so
leave me alone. If you're so desperate to have Yuriko's attentions,
you're welcome to her. I've explored that avenue and I've moved on.
She's all yours."He smirked.
"Although I can
imagine that if she truly was your fiancée, she was desperate
for some way out." he reflected. "To marry the son of a
known
Kanemitsu dissident, whose father's name isn't
even fully known...do you really think that this is my fault? More
likely Yuriko - if that's her name - saw me as her cry for help. You
can't blame the girl for having an element of taste. Even if she is
only the daughter of a Seniwan physician, she's still
far too well-born for an illegitimate half-breed like
yourself.""What did you call
me?"
"What you are."
Seiryo said
with a careless shrug. "There are social strata in this
universe, Nakabito - whether they exist in this dive of
a place or they don't. And you can consider this a lesson in them -
Yuriko was simply too good for you, and so she moved on. Such is
life.""So you think you can take her over now? You
can make her love you instead?"
Nakabito demanded,
and Seiryo snorted."You mistake me. I have
no interest in pursuing anything, or in making her love me." He
said derisively. "You are a
fool, sometimes...you
let your heart run away with your head.""So you'll
discard her like a useless piece of rubbish?" The other youth's
eyes widened with disbelief, and
Seiryo stared, then
let out a low chuckle."You are so melodramatic." He
said coldly.
"And so naive. Do you think that any
connection formed in a place such as this one is going to last beyond
a brief encounter? We're young men, and we're none of us within our
normal social circles. See sense. Yuriko is a pretty wench, it's
true. But she's just that - pretty. She has no noble connections, and
it would be foolhardy of me to pursue it beyond that level. Your
standards are far different from the ones I have to follow,
Nakabito-san - not all of us can be quite so generous
with our affections. I'm sure Yuriko knows this as well as I do...as
I said, if you want her so much, she's all yours. Though if
the rumours about your father are true, she may be glad of her
escape.""You stuck up creep,
I'll rearrange your face for you!" The young man was incensed by
this and he lunged once more, this time glancing a blow
off the edge of Seiryo's cheek. "You steal the
girl out from beneath my nose, you convince her she's in love with
you and then you discard her as if she was nothing more to you than
something to pass the time! I'm going to take you down a peg or
seven, I swear I am - before we graduate from this place, I'm going
to put you firmly in your place, SeiryoTennan!""I
doubt that."
Seiryo's eyes narrowed, a dangerous
flicker entering his teal eyes as he flexed his own fingers. "My
place, Junichi Nakabito, is as the blood heir of one of
Jurai's most prestigious noble families. No matter how
far you stretch that skinny arm of yours, you will never reach
there.""Shut your face or I'm going to do it for
you!" Junichi balled his fists again, aiming square for
Seiryo's
nose, but his classmate reacted too quickly, grabbing him tightly
around the wrist and pushing him away."Go away,
Nakabito." He said coldly. "I don't fight
with fists.""Then it'll be easier for me to flatten
you, won't it." Junichi's eyes narrowed to near slits and he
jumped at
Seiryo once more, pushing him up against the
wall of the hallway as he finally made contact. "You only back
away because you're a coward beneath all that stuck up noble rich boy
talk. Everyone knows that you noble types have nothing but hot air
beneath the skin...you're not a fighter, you're just a soft touch and
a womaniser who's going to spend his time here debauching and
skimming off classes because at the end of the day, you know that
your Daddy can foot the bill for any excesses and bribe your way to
getting your papers!""
What did
you say?" Indignation flooded Seiryo's features at
this, and Junichi smirked, tightening his grip."Touched
a sore point, did I?" He asked softly. "Well, Honoured Lord
of
Jurai - what are you going to do about it?""Get
your filthy hands off me, you
cretinous wretch."
Seiryo thrust his arms out, grabbing hold of Junichi's
shoulders and wrenching him forcibly away from his person. "You
will not speak so about me and walk away from it, I guarantee it. You
have no idea what I am capable of - you would do well not to offend
the noble house of the planet Jurai so easily!""I'm
not afraid of you and your tough talk!" Junichi righted himself,
an edge to his tones as he squared his body once more. "You're
scum and you treat girls like Yuriko like they're objects in your
path. You're giving me a damn good idea what you nobles are like, and
that's for sure. No wonder my mother wants
Kanemitsu'sindependance, when you're an example of what Juraians
are like! I stand by what I said. You may be rich, and you may think
you can look down on all of the rest of us who will work and actually
earn our qualifications. But I got news for you. You're nothing
special.""We'll see about that, won't
we."
Seiryo's expression darkened, and he
launched himself at the other man, striking hard and clean to
Junichi's cheek before he could react. Junichi struggled to land a
punch of his own, but Seiryo was livid now, and he
grabbed his companion by the arms, flinging him to the ground. His
hand flickered to his belt, where his sword - normally no more than
an affectation of status since his arrival at the Galaxy Police -
hung silent, and as his fingers closed around the hilt, the blade
flared into a hot white light."I am a Lord. I don't
fight with fists." He
repeated, his voice cold and
dangerously low. "I was trained to fight with the lightsword,
the chosen weapon of the noble houses of Jurai. And I
got to be quite good at it, too."He stepped forward,
placing one foot on his foe's body to immobilise him as he placed the
tip of the sword up towards the young man's throat.
"You
underestimate the fact that
Jurai is a conquering
planet, not one which sits in the shadows waiting to be assaulted."
He added softly. "And that my ancestors were at the pinnacle of
the planet's expansion. I am not a soft touch, Nakabito-san.
And I will not be insulted by the likes of you. If Yuriko had the
good sense to choose my company over yours, then that's not my fault.
She's not a foolish girl - she knows what my obligations are, and she
had no false expectations of my continued attention. If you are not
such a man that you can't satisfy a woman you consider yours, then
you should take your frustration out on yourself and leave those of
us better than you alone.""Go on. Kill me, then."
Junichi retorted. "If you're so noble, slay your fellow student
in cold blood. I dare you to. It's just like a
Juraian
to destroy and maim out of arrogant pride.""I have
no intention of killing a wretch like you."
Seiryo
said scornfully, pulling back his blade and kicking his foot
disparagingly against his fallen opponant's body. "Your
blood would taint a good weapon and I would not insult it with such a
pointless act."Junichi cursed, scrambling to his feet as
he prepared to make another assault on his classmate, but
Seiryo
had anticipated him and he drew his sword hand back, hitting the
young man square on the nose with the hard carved hilt of his blade.
Junichi let out a yell, clutching at his face as blood spurted from
the wound, and Seiryo snorted."You have so
much to learn about things." He said coolly. "No matter how
hard you try, you will never, ever equal me,
Nakabito.""
TennanNakabito!"A voice from the corridor
made Seiryo turn, sheathing his sword as he registered
the presence of his tutor in the doorway of one of the training
rooms. There was an unreadable expression on his face as he
glanced between his two students, then he sighed."
Nakabito,
go clean yourself up." He said quietly. "When you're done,
I'll see you in my office. Tennan, you'll come with me
now...I want a word with both of you, and not at the same
time."Seiryo looked mutinous, and for a
moment he debated refusing the order, but something in the man's blue
eyes persuaded him that this wouldn't be a good course of action so
he bowed his head in acknowledgement, following the fair haired tutor
along the hallway towards the chamber at the furthest end in silence.
Once inside, however, the older man turned on his student, eying him
thoughtfully."Your behaviour does not befit a noble son
of the planet
Jurai on occasion, Seiryo."
He said quietly. Seiryo started, staring at him in
surprise, and the man nodded."You are a long way from
home here." He added. "And there's a considerable amount of
freedom when you're young and without parental restraint. But
whatever is common practice on your
homeworld, you must
remember that there are rules and regulations here at the Academy
which must be obeyed. It's your decision, but you know that the board
of commanders might decide to send you home, if you choose to break
them too often. And even though I have a feeling you might relish
that idea, in practice I'm sure you realise what a disgrace it would
be to your family, to have a son sent away from the Galaxy Police
Elite Program."Seiryo pursed his lips, and
for a moment he didn't speak. Then he frowned."I was
being baited by that heathen boy,
Kuramitsu-sensei."
He said quietly. "He began the confrontation. Not I.""I
know." Mitsuru
Kuramitsu inclined his head
slightly. "I observed the entire conflict, and heard everything
that was said between you."Despite himself,
Seiryo
was discomfitted by this, and at his sudden hesitation,
his tutor smiled, sinking down in his chair and indicating for his
companion to do the same. Seiryo did so hesitantly,
wariness in his teal eyes as he wondered what was about to happen to
him."You are not a stupid young man, you know that."
Mitsuru continued evenly. "In fact, maybe you are too aware of
your abilities. But you have shortcomings also, and temper is proving
to be one of them. This isn't the first time you've allowed yourself
to be goaded into conflict with your fellow students, and it must
stop."
"I cannot take insults to my family, Lord
Kuramitsu." Seiryo said flatly. "And
if you overheard our conversation, you know what things were
said.""Yes, I know." Mitsuru nodded his head.
"But you gain no honour by acting in the way you just did."
He
smiled.
"In a way, you and I have things in common."
He added. "I am the eldest son of a noble family positioned just
as yours are, at the pinnacle of
Seniwan government,
just like the Tennans are on Jurai. I
know your family's name of old - I realise that you have a
long-standing tradition and reputation to uphold. Your father's
decision to send you here is all a part of that reputation, I imagine
- to improve and hone the potential you have, so that one day you
will inherit your family's title in a strong position."Seiryo's
lips thinned at the mention of his father, and
Mitsuru's eyes became grave."I don't know the true
reasons why you came here." He said simply. "And I know it
wasn't your choice - even if you don't say as much, it's evident in
your general attitude. But really,
Seiryo, I think this
is the best place for you to be. One day you will be a Lord of Jurai,
that's beyond dispute. You have all the genetic connections to be a
powerful force on your home planet and I've no doubt that you have
the ambition in you to do those things. But while you are here, it
would be pleasant to see that ambition directed towards other ends.
Not fighting fellow students over assignations with female
classmates. You are, I'm sure, better bred than that."Seiryofaltered, consternation in his teal eyes as for a
moment he remembered the last terrible argument he and his father had
had before he had boarded the shuttle-craft for the Galaxy Police
Academy. Brief memories of his father's illicit assignations with
young women behind his mother's back taunted his senses and he
frowned, forcing them away. Mitsuru tilted his head on one side,
eying him keenly, and he forced his composure back together,
shrugging his shoulders."I am as you say." He said
coolly.
"A noble son of Jurai, and heir to
my family's title and estate.""Mm."
Mitsuru paused for a moment, then, "But is that all you are,
Seiryo?""I beg your pardon?"
"Are
you just an heir? Or are you more than that? Are you a man in your
own right, also?"
"I..."
"Yes, I
know. You did not expect this when I called you in here."
Mitsuru nodded his head. "You expected a scolding, a fine for
breaking rules, perhaps some other sentence. You may yet get all of
those. But somehow I don't think that yelling at you is going to make
a lot of difference. You consider yourself a cut above your fellows
and in bloodline, perhaps, you are correct. Yet, in terms of
achievement...I'm not sure. You are capable of it, that I don't
doubt. But your application to your studies...you do not give a
positive view to others of what noble sons are capable of, when they
are sent to join the Galaxy Police."
"I don't
understand."
"Then let me spell it out for you."
Mitsuru rested his elbows on the table, offering his companion a
smile. "You show great potential,
Seiryo.
Certainly in encryption, if you would put your mind to it, your
natural linguistic tendancies and your superior
education make you an obvious choice for me to tutor further, if you
would only put your mind to improving your accuracy. You carry that
blade at your waist, and you are an adequate swordsman, yet if you
were to put your full focus into your training you could easily best
any one of your fellow classmates."He sighed.
"In
short, you show the most natural potential that I've seen in a long
time for a student in the Elite Corps." He said frankly. "What
will make the difference between you being the best and simply having
the possibility of it is down to you. This isn't
Jurai,
sure enough. There is no noble house of Tennan here.
And yet, you could be so much more than you are now. Which would make
your family back home more proud, Seiryo? You
graduating here with the highest marks and becoming celebrated in the
division - or being returned home with your honour tarnished by
impetuous, impulsive loss of temper?"For once,
Seiryo
found himself unable to answer, and at the sight of his
companion's speechlessness, Mitsuru laughed."It is hard
for all young lords to be to make the transition from pampered
position to steely warrior." He said wisely. "But with the
right dedication, it can be done. You may think your family has done
you no favours, sending you here. I won't pretend to know for sure.
But you aren't helping your own cause, acting the way you are. I
don't say you must befriend your classmates, or even like them, if
you don't want to. But don't sell yourself short. You have far too
much ability to waste it, simply because you can't see past the title
you will one day inherit. In the future, when your parents are no
longer there to hold sway over the
Tennan name, I'm
sure the Juraian Emperor or whoever rules your world
will then need strength and diligence among his noble body. What
better way, then, to prove your worth than by working your hardest
here? You have the opportunity to outclass your fellows on Jurai
- the opportunity to make yourself one day indispensible
to your Council and your King, with the things you
learn here. It's just up to you whether you want to be the kind of
Lord that Nakabito accused you of being, or one who's
strength and determination can truly uphold the Tennan
family name with pride."Seiryo frowned for
a moment, digesting this. Then he raised his gaze to his companion's,
new respect burning in his malachite gaze."I think I
follow your reasoning." He admitted. "And I...I'm sorry for
my conduct today,
Kuramitsu-sensei. I had not seen
things in those terms before...but perhaps...perhaps you are
right.""I've seen a lot of students, in the time
I've spent flitting in and out of this place." Mitsuru said
evenly. "But there are very few who stand out beyond the others.
The quality of our people is always
high,Seiryo...the
Elite training program is not for any other than the very best, after
all. But I have to say, in you, I see something I don't often see.
And if you waste that, you will be the fool."Seiryo
glanced at his hands, thinking this over."I had not
envisaged the Galaxy Police as a part of my life, until Father
decided I should come." He said at length. "But it doesn't
matter where I am, not really. I will still be the heir of the
Tennan
estate, regardless of where I train to be so. And I will be the best
I can be, you have my word on that. Tennan
pride does not allow for less. I have become distracted - that's all.
But I won't let it happen again."He made up his mind,
raising a resolute gaze to meet his companion's.
"And I
would like very much to persevere with encryption, if you would
choose to teach me." He added hesitantly. "I...I find I
enjoy it more than many of the other things we are forced to
learn."
"Then I shall put your name down right now,
in readiness." Mitsuru promised. "But I want no more
fighting with
Nakabito or any of your other fellow
students. Even if you do not like them, or agree with them, you must
respect them. Hard as it might be for you to accept, here you and
they exist as equals...and you must keep it in mind. Take it as
another necessary lesson towards becoming the Lord you must one day
be, if you like...but take note of it all the same. This time I have
taken you in hand myself, and I will not report the incident to
anyone else, so long as you pay the requisite fine and observe the
curfew rule about fighting for the next two weeks. But it is the last
time I can make such a concession. If I didn't have such faith in you
and the Elite you will become, Seiryo, I wouldn't do it
now - but this is truly your last chance. You must control your
temper...more than any other lesson, you must learn not to flare up
and threaten the lives of your fellows. Even if you do not intend to
hurt them, raising a blade to a fellow student's throat is an
expellable offence. Remember that."Seiryo
frowned, then, slowly, he nodded."I shall pay the fine,
and I appreciate your leniency, sensei." he said gravely. He
paused,
then slid his hand around the hilt of his
sword, pulling it from his belt and laying it down on the desk. "And
I would leave this with you, if you would take care of it for me. The
rule of Jurai is that a swordsman must earn his blade.
Father sent me here with it, and I have refused to relinquish it
until now...even the rules of the Galaxy Police cannot intervene with
the cultural laws of a planet such as my own. But I am not ready to
wield this yet, so much is clear. I must prove myself as a man of my
own making, not of my father's."Mitsuru's eyes lit up
with surprise, and then warmth as he took the carved hilt, nodding
his head.
"I will." He said gently. "And I
respect your decision.
Seiryo, I think I've made the
right call, in judging you this way. I'm sure that it won't be long
before you can and will wield this blade as a true swordsman.""Yes.
But not against my fellows."
Seiryo said grimly.
"I will not be sent away from here in
disgrace. You have my word on that, sensei. We will not need to have
this conversation again.""Then you may go, and pay
your fine." Mitsuru responded with a grin. "I won't be
naive enough to expect you and
Nakabito to apologise to
one another, but you may want to steer clear of him for a while. I
will emphasise the same things with him about fighting and the need
for mutual student respect, so I'm sure that such an incident won't
occur between the two of you again.""
Yes,
sensei."Seiryo bowed his head, then
withdrew from the room, closing the door slowly behind him. As he
turned to make his way back towards his sleeping quarters, he passed
the still fuming Junichi, his nose red and swollen, but he turned his
back, quickening his pace as he made his way resolutely back towards
the residential area."Sensei is right." He
muttered. "I am not my father's puppet here, and more, it would
spite him beyond all belief if I turned out to be good at this hell
he's sent me to endure. If I made the most of it, and learnt skills
he never did, I would one day be better than he's ever been. And I
will not be sent away in disgrace. I will not give Father the excuse
he needs to disown me! I will be the best Elite there ever was...and
then Father will regret ever sending me away from home!"