Further Adventures In Time And Space
by Ryo-Oni
Deep within the heart of all, far beyond the unnecessary confines of what is known as reality, there lies a place that encompasses everything and yet is nothing at all. It is a crossroads of infinite fates, never ending strings of a temporal tapestry where each thread is allowed only to see it self, and never the entire picture. There is no constant between the threads, no universal rule, except that of time itself. Some, able only to see their own thread, have theorized about the existence of a few other threads. Some have thought, even, that the number of threads was beyond mortal comprehension, but none could understand the beautiful image made by the overlapping and winding of the dimensions. Each dimension was completely self-contained. Some dimensions had elements in common, and that is where they overlapped. Many dimensions had common elements with only one or two others, but no dimension was completely alone, and, though they overlapped, no dimension ever touched another... Or so it was thought...
The summer sun rose lazily upon the Misaki shrine, casting long shadows of trees and small buildings, framing the kneeling form of a middle- aged man, long black hair moving unhindered in the breeze. flowing over the loose clothes of a priest. The man's mouth moved, speaking silent words of reverent prayer, that his grandson might uncover his true strength, that his sister might learn the true meaning of love with her beloved Angel, that his demon friend would prove her worth to the universe and to herself, and most importantly for the safety of his new love, so dedicated to her duties that, in the process of guarding the long lost prince of Jurai during the time of unrest, they had fallen in love. He sighed as an image of her floated through his mind, bright, energetic, and ready to do whatever it took to succeed...his beloved Mihoshi... Yosho's prayer was interrupted by the approach of a young girl, draped in a dress of soft pink and a mint-green cape. Her young cheeks were streaked with tears, her pink eyes somewhat bloodshot. "Sasami..." Yosho spoke in his gentle but strong voice, gently putting an arm around his young sister, "You've had another dream, haven't you?" Yosho asked, pulling the girl's small, frail form into a soft hug, as though she were a porcelain doll that might be broken by the Juraian prince were he not careful. The little girl, the physical equivalent of a five year-old human, nodded her head, her long blue hair blowing loosely around her face, soaking up a few teardrops. "I-it was terrible, Yosho...Jurai was on fire...the whole planet...Tenchi was trapped in the fire..." Sasami said with a sniffle. Yosho stroked the back of her head comfortingly. "Shhh...Tenchi will be fine. Don't worry. Aeka, Ryoko, and Mihoshi will protect him. If anyone can play politics, it's Aeka." "Y-you're right, Yosho...I shouldn't worry." Sasami forced a smile, and Yosho hugged her closer, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, playfully continuing a tradition he began when Sasami was a baby of kissing each of the two little green circles on her forehead. Sasami giggled softly and smiled up at her brother as he carried her inside.
A few dozen light years away, another Juraian prince kissed another forehead, smiling as he ran a finger gently along the two triangular shapes, brushing away strands of violet hair. Aeka smiled and relaxed in Tenchi's arms, laying her head against his shoulder and pulling the blanket a little further up against the cool Juraian night. Aeka's fingertips trailed along Tenchi's chest reveling in the feeling of the smooth skin beneath them, and the soft murring sound Tenchi made from deep in his throat. Tenchi smiled down at Aeka, his brown eyes sparkling with playful energy as he leaned down to kiss her. "Excuse us, Lord Tenchi." The strong voice of Azaka spoke from the doorway. The Juraian knight stepped in, followed by Kamidake, each bedecked in full battle gear. "It's Kagato. The Soja has just entered orbit. We put out a call to the Galaxy Police to send a battle fleet, but it will be hours before they arrives." "Yes...yes, of course." Tenchi sighed as he sat up, bringing Aeka with him. Azaka and Kamidake ducked out as Tenchi and Aeka pulled on their clothes. Tenchi gave a sigh as he picked up his sword, tucking it into his belt. "Lord Tenchi...Do you plan to...fight Kagato?" Aeka asked, in a frightened tone. Tenchi nodded with a sigh. "He's a dangerous revolutionary...I have to fight him." "No, Lord Tenchi...he'll kill you. He's the best swordsman in the galaxy. Send the knights, they will defeat him." Aeka suggested in a hopeful voice, but Tenchi shook his head. "If I'm going to be king, I have to stand up for Jurai. Go find Mihoshi and Ryoko. Bring them to the palace courtyard. And tell Ryoko to bring Ryo-Ohki." Tenchi instructed as he pulled on a ceremonial Juraian battle sash. Aeka opened her mouth as though to respond, but just nodded and left silently.
Within an hour, the group had boarded ships and began their ascent to space. Ryoko rode in Ryo-Ohki, Mihoshi took her Galaxy Police cruiser, while Tenchi and Aeka took Aeka's ship, Tsunami. It was a short trip, taking the three ships something to the order of a half-hour before the majestic hull of Soja came into view. The three ships approached, ready for battle, but much to their surprise, the Soja never fired a shot. Finally, they docked with the Soja's docking bay, and stepped out into the halls of the strange ship.
"With Kagato's pride, he'll be waiting for us...probably on the bridge." Mihoshi commented as she withdrew her Galaxy Police blaster. Tenchi nodded and led the group toward the center of the ship, organ music slowly becoming audible along the way. When they reached the bridge of the Soja, a room the size of a small auditorium, they immediately saw a figure draped in a dark green cloak playing a full pipe organ on the other side of the room. The man stopped playing as they entered. "I've been expecting you." He said as he stood and turned toward them, showing himself to be a young man of perhaps (seemingly) 30 years of age, looking strong and yet highly intellectual. His long, green cloak billowed around his legs as he smiled humorlessly. "Welcome to my humble ship, Lord Tenchi." Tenchi frowned and pulled his sword from his belt, looking Kagato over suspiciously. "Why are you here, Kagato?" Tenchi demanded, causing Kagato to laugh quite loudly. "The same reason you are. The universe needs a ruler, Tenchi, and I am that ruler..." "You're insane." Ryoko growled from behind Tenchi. "Oh, extremely." Kagato said, "But, then again, insanity can be an excellent character trait. Now, if you don't mind, I am a very busy man. If you want to prove your combat ability, please do, but do so quickly." Tenchi nodded and swung his sword, the luminescent blade appearing. Kagato smiled and held out his palm, his cool green light sword appearing in his hand. The two slowly approached each other, Kagato's cape billowing in an unfelt breeze. Kagato glanced over at Tenchi's little group of followers. "Oh, do go away." Kagato said, waving a hand in their general direction, and, much to Tenchi's surprise, they disappeared in a field of light. Tenchi narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?" He demanded. "They're on the lower deck. Don't want any distraction for our fight, now did we?" Kagato responded with a laugh. Tenchi rushed forward, blade ready, lashing out at Kagato. Kagato jumped back, bringing his sword to parry the strike, and grinning in a rather sadistic manner...everything was going as planned.
Somewhere beneath Tenchi's feet, deep within the belly of the Soja, Ryoko, Aeka, and Mihoshi looked around, dazed, and tried to get their bearings. Mihoshi walked cautiously forward, looking around, blaster drawn. Aeka and Ryoko followed. They walked for a hundred yards before making a sharp turn. At the end of the hall, tied to a large stone statue, was what looked like a young girl with quite a lot of bright red hair. The three ran to the bound girl and began to untie her as she shook her head and tried to say something around the gag she ware. Ryoko pulled the gag off as Aeka and Mihoshi managed to free the girl's arms. "Idiots!" The girl shouted, in a voice that sounded a bit more mature than she looked, "It's a trap!" Mihoshi's eyes went wide as she turned around. At the other end of the hall there stood three gigantic snaked, their fangs dripping with poison that burned holes in the floor plates when it hit them. Ryoko ripped the ropes from the girl's legs with a growl. "Who the hell are you?" Ryoko demanded. The red-haired girl shook her head, wagging a finger. "Explain later," She said with a smile, "Run now!" The three snakes moved quickly forward, rapidly approaching. The girl reached into a pocket in her bright green cloak, producing a small device which she slapped onto the wall next to her, pressing a button. A large hole in the wall opened, displaying the hall on the other side. "Go!" The girl ordered, an order which the others had no problem with following. Aeka jumped through first, followed by Mihoshi, then Ryoko, then the girl. The gate closed behind them. "Well, that was easy." Ryoko commented. "It's not over yet...run!" The girl commanded again as there was a huge crashing sound, combined with the whine of buckling and warping metal, a large outward dent forming on the wall. All four women took off running down the hall.
Kagato grinned as Tenchi continuously struck out, each move being blocked. Kagato seemed content to simply deflect Tenchi's blows, having yet to actually attack. "Such childish arracks, Tenchi. I had expected better from the king of Jurai." Kagato chided. Tenchi growled and rushed forward, slashing across Kagato's chest. Kagato moved back, but not quite fast enough, his cloak sliced quite neatly across the chest, leaving a large hole. Kagato grinned. "That's more like it." Kagato leapt forward, surprising Tenchi by going on the offensive. Tenchi stumbled back, blocking Kagato's swings as he went.
The group of women stopped, panting for breath as they watched the three snakes slam into a force field repeatedly. Ryoko looked over at the red-haired girl. "Now, who are you?" Ryoko demanded. The girl grinned cutely. "I'm Washu, of course! Super genius and the universe's greatest scientist!" "/You/'re the universe's greatest scientist?" Ryoko scowled, "Yeah...right...more like a member of the midget squad." "Don't be rude, Ryoko." Aeka said softly. "I am-" "Aeka Tsunami Jurai. I know." Washu interrupted. "And you're Mihoshi, and you're Ryoko." She said, pointing to each as she said their names. They nodded a bit, confused. "Well, no time to talk now! We have to go help Tenchi." Aeka nodded and Washu stepped into the middle of the group, pulling out another device. "Hope none of you get teleport sick." Washu giggled as she pressed the activation button, and all four disappeared.
Tenchi growled, desperately trying to fight back while still blocking Kagato's blows, finding that to be extremely difficult. Kagato was toying with him, striking in such a way that he knew he would be blocked, but not allowing Tenchi to get any blows in, and Tenchi was beginning to tire. The battle was quite fast-paced, Kagato's prodigious skill with the sword allowing him to attack nearly once every 2 seconds. Both Tenchi and Kagato looked over in surprise as the women appeared. Kagato grinned wide...everything was still going well...he even had the great Washu entangled in his plot. "Aeka! Get out of here, it's too dangerous!" Tenchi shouted. Aeka opened her mouth to respond, but gasped. "Lord Tenchi, look out!" Kagato had taken advantage of Tenchi's distraction, and before Tenchi could move, Kagato's sword found it's target, sliding straight through Tenchi's chest as though it were paper. Tenchi looked at Kagato in shocked, pained surprise, then down at Kagato's blade as Kagato withdrew it and Tenchi fell to the ground. "Lord Tenchi! No!" Aeka screamed as she rushed over to her lover's side. She glared up at Kagato. "You monster!" She shouted. Kagato just laughed, then raised a brow as a laser bolt bounced off an invisible force field around his body. "You're under arrest." Mihoshi growled, holding her blaster, trained on Kagato, and her identification. "Am I? Well, I welcome you to come and try to arrest me." Kagato laughed sadistically as he took a few steps away from where Aeka wept over the fallen Tenchi. Aeka closed her eyes, the two triangular marks on her forehead glowing. "Tsunami...lend me your power.." She whispered. Kagato grinned, and held out a palm, an ethereal bolt of energy shooting out and striking Aeka directly on the mark on her forehead. Aeka screamed in pain as the mark glowed brighter, then disappeared. She looked up in horror, seeing two claw- like shapes appear of Kagato's forehead. "No....Tsunami..." She gasped out as Tenchi took a final, shuddering breath, followed by a moment of silence. Mihoshi, Ryoko, and Washu watched in utter horror, silenced by their surprise. Finally, Ryoko narrowed her eyes and her light sword formed in her hand. She rushed toward Kagato. "Damn you...Damn you, Kagato! I'll kill you.!" Ryoko screamed as she lashed out, vision blurred by tears. Kagato simply stepped back, then held his palm out again, the same energy beam striking Ryoko in the forehead. She gasped and shuddered, falling to her knees, eyes glazing over for a moment before refocusing with an evil glint. "Now, now, Ryoko. You don't want to fight me, do you?" Kagato asked, in a tone that was nearly sarcastically gentle. "N-no...master..." Ryoko muttered as she stood, turning to face Aeka. "Aeka, we have to leave! Now!" Mihoshi shouted. Aeka shook her head then gave the lifeless Tenchi a kiss and stood, taking hold of Tenchi's sword. Ryoko and Kagato stood silently, watching. "Come on, princess, you can settle the score another day." Washu said, "He's got us out-gunned in here. Trust me, I built the ship...I know..." Aeka nodded and they all turned and ran out, toward Mihoshi's ship. Ryoko was about to give chase, but Kagato held up a hand. "Let them go. We'll get them later."
For days, Yosho had flown through the dark void of space after hearing of Tenchi's defeat. Sasami had spent the great majority of those days crying over her lost friend. In fact, cry was nearly all she did besides eat and sleep. Even sleep was no comfort for her, as she was tormented by nightmares of armies of zombies marching through the cities of Jurai, slaughtering everyone. Yosho did what he could to comfort his sister, but there was little he could do, as he couldn't even comfort himself. Tenchi had been everything anyone could have looked for in a king, but more importantly everything anyone could have looked for in a grandson. Yosho's heart ached with an unbearable pain which he carried with him as he stepped out of the ship that had come for him on Earth, onto the firm ground of his home planet. Immediately, Yosho and Sasami, who walked beside him, clinging to his hand, were surrounded by Juraian royal guards and escorted into the council room. The entire Juraian council was assembled there, as well as Mihoshi, Washu, and the chief of the Galaxy Police. Yosho sighed and stepped up to the platform. "Peace and prosperity to the empire, my friends." Yosho began with a traditional Juraian greeting. He cleared his throat and continued. "Following the defeat of my grandson at the hands of Kagato, there have been rumors that another power struggle will ensue. This is not true. I am the rightful heir to the throne, and, at the council's request, I have consented to take the throne as emperor, at least until the problems with Kagato have been resolved." The crowd gave Yosho applause, making a faint smile form on his lips, but it quickly faded as he looked at his sisters, Sasami leaning against Aeka, who was softly stroking the little girl's soft blue hair. Yosho sighed and continued. "As you all know, the Soja defeated the Galaxy Police's battle fleet, with the help of Ryo-Ohki and Tsunami. Since that battle, the Soja has been silent. I'm sure you are all wondering what the hell Kagato is doing up there...Miss Washu, would you please come up here and give the council your presentation?" Washu mounted the stage and smiled, standing on a step-stool behind the podium to see over the top. She picked up a pointer as a holographic image activated. "This is Ryoko." Washu began. "She is what is called a demon, created by the universe's top scientist...me!" The image changed, showing a wire-frame of Ryoko, and a similar image of Kagato. "With Tsunami's power, it is very likely that Kagato is, as we speak, building his own army of demons, using Ryoko and himself as patterns. We can expect him to begin an invasion with a full-scale army in less than a year."
Ten months later...
A holographic image of a man's face hovered over it's projector, which looked quite a lot like a coffee table, humming softly with the sounds of it's power generator. The image's mouth moved, but without sound, as a tiny icon near the man's face showed that the sound was muted. Yosho sat silently. He knew what the news broadcast was saying. He was the one who gave the damned reporters the information for it. The holographic image changed to a scene of Juraian knights battling an army of nearly a thousand demons on one of Jurai's moons. Yosho's thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of the regal- looking, yet humble forms of Azaka and Kamidake. The two approached where Yosho sat and dropped to one knee, bowing. "Your majesty," Azaka began, "The child is born. It's a son, your majesty. He is strong and healthy, as is Lady Mihoshi." "She is asking for you, your grace." Kamidake interjected. A smile spread across Yosho's face, and he nodded, standing. "Thank you, old friends." Yosho nodded, and they rose, all three Juraian swordsmen walking out together.
Mihoshi smiled up at Yosho as he entered the room. She lay on a small but very comfortable-looking bed, holding a small bundle wrapped in a blanket. Yosho walked over and smiled as he brushed a hand over the sleeping baby's head, gently running fingers through the soft blond hair, as Juraians were commonly born with nearly full heads of hair. "He's beautiful, Mihoshi.." Yosho whispered. Mihoshi nodded and smiled more. "He has your eyes..." Mihoshi whispered back and softly kissed Yosho. "Have the reporters gotten to you yet?" Yosho asked. Mihoshi nodded softly. "Took them about an hour before they were here..." Mihoshi said softly. "The Juraian people are so desperate for good news right now that I didn't complain. My old partner, Kiyone, stopped by...She was always a bit of a ditz, but she's gotten better. She's climbing the GP ladder...she's a captain now." "Good, though after all the losses the Galaxy Police have been taking, I'm surprised they're still so functional. Have you heard about the battle?" "Only a little..." Mihoshi replied. Yosho nodded. "Two thousand of our Knights and a thousand Galaxy Police troops fought with a thousand of Kagato's demons. We won, but it cost use nearly fifteen hundred of our knights and eight hundred Galaxy Police officers." Yosho sighed, "About a hundred of the demons got away, including their leader...Ryoko. Kagato is in position to take Earth, so it should be a while before he's able to concentrate his forces on Jurai again...and with the losses he's taken, too, he'll have to rebuild." Mihoshi nodded and nuzzled her baby softly. "Let's call him Merin."
"Merin!" called Mihoshi's voice from somewhere down the hall. The seven year-old boy looked up from where he was playing with a small bug native to Jurai. "Coming, mama!" He called back, getting to his feet and walking quickly down the hall. Mihoshi smiled softly to him when he stopped beside her. "Be careful, Merin. Don't go too close to the outside." Mihoshi said, "If the demons attack, you need to be as close to the center as possible so Washu can get us all out of here." "Yes, mama." Merin said softly, nodding. "Can we go see Miss Washu today?" "I suppose. Only for a few minutes, though. She's still working on her machine." Mihoshi replied with a smile. Merin grinned and they both walked, hand in hand, down the hall toward Washu's lab. When they arrived, they found Washu busily working on a large machine with quite a few large antenna-like things, and a control panel with, Merin thought, at least a hundred buttons. Washu had the casing open and was fiddling with several circuit boards. "Hi, Miss Washu." Merin called over. Washu pulled her head out of the machine and smiled. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, smudging a grease smudge even more. "Almost done." Washu said cheerfully. "I can't seem to get the targeting sensors to work right. They won't target anything more than a few feet from the machine." "How long do you think it'll take?" Mihoshi asked. Washu shrugged. "An hour, a day, a week. I don't really know." Washu sighed and stretched, relieving the tension in her back from being bent over for so long. "Lady Mihoshi," Kamidake called from the entrance to the lab. "Emperor Yosho wishes to see you...without Prince Merin." "Tell him I'll be there in a moment." Mihoshi replied. Kamidake nodded and bowed, then left. Mihoshi looked over at Merin. "Go find Sasami and play." "Yes, mama." Merin said with a bright smile, then ran out to find his friend. Mihoshi sighed a bit, then gave Washu a faint smile and left.
When Mihoshi entered the council room, she found what was left of Juraian council, something less then ten members of a group once composed of nearly fifty. Yosho sat at the head of the great table, looking tired and weary, but still regal. Mihoshi took her seat to his right, looking across the table at Aeka. Aeka had changed so much since Tenchi's death. She had grown from a somewhat spoiled princess into a skilled warrior, with the help of Tenchi's sword, and was one of the resistance's greatest assets in battle. Even with such skilled fighters as Aeka and Yosho on the battle field, though, Kagato's armies were winning, and it was only a matter of time before the resistance was crushed. "Another three resistance cells have been defeated." Yosho said, inspiring a general sigh. "It gets worse, my friends. Our scouts report that Kagato's army is quickly approaching the city. They'll be here within 2 hours. This is it, then. It's less then a thousand of us against nearly seven thousand of them. Washu has nearly completed her machine. Pray she finished it on time. If she does not, we will fight to the last man. Azaka and Kamidake are already overseeing preparations to defend the palace. The entire city's guards have returned to the palace, to shrink our front." Yosho paused and sighed. "Peace and prosperity to the Empire."
Merin grinned to himself as he peeked out of his hiding place, watching Sasami walk by, looking for him. He sat back down, listening to his confused friend. Then he heard Kamidake's voice. "Come with me, Princess Sasami." Kamidake's voice spoke. "I'm looking for Merin. We're playing hide and seek." Sasami replied. "Azaka will find him." Kamidake spoke again. "Ok." Sasami said hesitantly. Merin smiled to himself as he heard Sasami and Kamidake walk off. "Prince Merin, time to stop playing." Came Azaka's voice. Merin giggled quietly. Now he had a new playmate.
The perimeter guard was taken by surprise, falling quickly to the swift demons, only a few of the better guardsmen managing to take a demon or two down with them. More guards and knights, realizing that the enemy had arrived, rushed out to meet them. The first wave of guards fell quickly, but the second held their ground against what they thought was the whole enemy attack force. No one realized that the demons were already inside. Demons spread through the palace quickly, taking out the few knights who weren't already fighting outside.
Azaka sighed softly to himself, shaking his head. He was a trained knight, finding a child shouldn't be this hard. "Prince Merin, please, I must take you to a safer place. The demons are here." "Too late, little knight." Came a voice from behind. Azaka spun on his heel, coming face to face with a tall demon woman, her eyes glowing a wicked gold. "Ryoko." Azaka growled out, bringing his weapon to bare. Ryoko smiled, forming her light sword. "Do you really think you can beat me?" Ryoko asked with a laugh as she floated a few feet off the ground. "I will, or die trying." Azaka replied. Ryoko laughed harder. "Oh, but that's the idea." Ryoko said as she rushed forward, light sword humming as she swung it. Azaka jumped back, blocking the strike, and the next, growling. Azaka swung, but hit only air as Ryoko teleported away. Azaka growled and looked around to determine where she had reappeared. It wasn't until he felt Ryoko's sword stab him that he realized she was right behind him.
Merin gasped when he peeked out and saw a demon fighting Azaka. His first impulse was to jump from his hiding place and run for his life, but his second seemed a bit better to him: He simply remained hidden. As long as the demons didn't find him, they probably couldn't kill him...unless they had more powers than he thought they did...No, he thought to himself, don't get paranoid...He curled up in his hiding place and cringed at the sound of Azaka's defeat. Ryoko's laugh sent a chill up his spine as the demon disappeared once more, leaving Merin alone in silence. For what seemed like an eternity, Merin sat there, alone, in silence only occasionally broken by a distant sound of battle. Finally, he crawled from his hiding place, looking around carefully. His mind was numb as he walked past the fallen form of Azaka. He felt like he should cry, but somehow he couldn't. He just stood there by the fallen knight, then turned and walked away, toward the council room, where, he hoped, he would find someone...anyone.... He moved quickly, fear taking over. He had stopped actually thinking, continuing by virtue of something like a trance, driving him onward. When he got to the council chambers, he was greeted by a disturbing scent. It was like the scent of cooked meat, but it had a sickening twinge. He walked to the door, but hesitated to open it. He didn't hear any sound from inside, and with that terrible scent...burned flesh...he shuddered. The council room was where he was supposed to go when the demons attacked. His mother had told him a thousand times, they had done drills where he, Sasami, and the few other children who were in the palace would go to the council chambers for a while. He closed his eyes and reached out, opening the door. The scent of charred flesh was nearly overwhelming as he stepped inside and slowly he opened his eyes. He nearly threw up as he saw the walls streaked with blood, the bodies of several knights strewn about, some disemboweled by light swords, some decapitated, some charred by energy bolts. There were also the bodies of fallen demons, run through with swords. The cold stone floor was slick with blood, spread out thinly, in puddles around dead bodies. Merin cringed when he saw Kamidake, a hole through his chest made by an energy bolt, sword still clenched in his lifeless hand, dripping with demon blood. Merin's head spun as he walked farther into the room, nearly falling on the slippery floor. He gasped when he saw the bodies of the other children laying in the back of the room, killed similarly to the knights. He ran now, falling once but ignoring the resulting pain, getting up again and continuing to run toward his friends, tears blurring his vision now. He stopped, looking down at the crumpled form of Sasami, her green cape stained red with her blood, still dripping from the wound in her back. Merin fell to his knees and hugged his friend, crying.
Mihoshi ran through the halls, struggling not to loose her breath or her balance while carrying a heavy blast rifle. Across her chest was a Juraian battle sash to which she ad clipped spare energy cells for the rifle, and at her side was her GP blaster. She turned a corner, narrowing her eyes as she spotted three demons floating at the end of the hall. She dropped to one knee and took a second or so to aim before firing off 5 shots, each demon hit once, two shots missing. She then stood, once satisfied that the demons would not be getting up again, and continued toward the council chambers. The first thing to fail had been the palace's communication system, jammed by the demons, so no one really knew what areas of the palace had already fallen. Most of the knights from outside had already figured out that there were demons inside and fallen back, but there was no organized defense any more. Mihoshi muttered a prayer that Merin was alive. She reached the council chambers after two turning two more corners and dispatching another demon. She kicked the door open, holding the rifle ready incase there were demons inside. She gasped at the carnage, shaking her head as she walked down the center of the chambers. She reached the end of the room and gasped again when she saw the children. Her eyes came to rest on Merin, his shirt soaked through with blood, still hugging Sasami. At first, she thought he was dead until she realized the was crying. She dropped the blast rifle, hugging him. He looked back at her, eyes glazed with fear and confusion. "S-she's dead..." Merin said, in a tone of disbelief. "Don't worry, Merin...you'll see her again...I promise." Mihoshi said, strapping the rifle to her back as she gathered her son into her arms and got up, moving quickly to the door. "Hold on. We have to get to Washu's lab. She's managed to set up a force field. You'll be safe there." Merin nodded a little, closing his eyes and pretending that this was all a bad dream. It wasn't supposed to go this way...the knights were supposed to win, then everything would be ok...None of this was real. He'd wake up in his bed with his mother there to tell him it was just a dream, and his father there to make him smile with his wit. The doors to Washu's lab opened with a swish after Mihoshi entered a short access code. Once inside, she set Merin down. Yosho and Aeka were standing there with a layout of the palace, marking areas that they thought had fallen. Yosho walked quickly over when he saw Merin, kneeling and hugging him. "Thank God...I thought they'd gotten you. Are you hurt?" Yosho asked. Merin shook his head. "N-no...I'm ok." Merin replied, voice wavering. Yosho looked down at his blood-soaked shirt. "It's not his blood." Mihoshi said, "It's Sasami's." Yosho looked up in surprise, the sound of Aeka's gasp coming from across the room. Yosho closed his eyes for a moment, perfectly silent, before he slowly stood. Aeka walked past, a look of pure rage on her face, and walked out of the lab, the doors swishing open when she approached. Merin noticed a tear drip down her cheek as she walked by. Yosho stood silently for a moment, staring off at the wall, then walked over to the layout of the palace on the wall, taking a small pin- flag, placing it in the council chamber. He then turned and followed Aeka. Mihoshi watched Yosho leave and sighed. She looked down at Merin, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Stay here, Merin." Mihoshi ordered, "And be good for Washu. Don't bother her." Merin nodded and Mihoshi pulled the laser rifle from her back, walking toward the door. She glanced back at Merin, giving him a reassuring smile before walking out.
Hallways and chambers fell one by one to the demons, the number of Knights and Galaxy Police remaining slowly dwindling, the number of demons seeming endless. No matter how many were killed, the demons kept coming, passing through walls and teleporting out of nowhere to take the defenders by surprise. The upper levels fell. then the forward section of the lower levels. Finally, all that was left in Juraian control was the area immediately surrounding Washu's lab. Yosho and Aeka split up, each taking a different hall as they approached the front line of battle. All but about 100 of the defenders had already been slain, those that remained fighting valiantly against the enemy at odds of worse than ten to one. When Yosho reached the end of the hall he walked, he found that the defenders there had fallen. Five demons glared at him with evil grins, and flew forward. Yosho just clenched his jaw and pulled out his sword, crafted from the material of his ship tree, Funaho. He swung it, bringing the sword to life. It took the Juraian prince less than 30 seconds to deal with the five demons. One got stabbed through the chest, another in the back, another was sliced cleanly in half at the middle, another decapitated, and the final demon's neck was snapped by a few well-placed strikes. Yosho just sighed and moved on.
In the next hallway over, Aeka had a similar experience, dispatching four demons with the use of Tenchi-ken, her lover's sword humming almost musically as it sliced through her opponents. Once the four had fallen, she looked around cautiously. Everything seemed clear, no demons in sight. Aeka turned around, somehow sensing a presence behind her. She brought Tenchi-ken up, blocking a crimson light sword's strike. Her gaze quickly looked over her new opponent, and she narrowed her eyes as she found it to be Ryoko. "Been a while, Princess. I do hope you don't mind my friends and I making ourselves comfortable in this palace of yours. We figure, with you all dead, you won't be needing it anyway." Ryoko said with a laugh. Aeka growled low and swung her sword hard in a strike at Ryoko's midsection. Ryoko ducked back, quite nimble, and smiled. "Oh, you've gotten better." "Did Kagato really twist your mind so far, Ryoko, that you kill us. your friends?" Aeka asked, her voice something between enraged and imploring. Ryoko narrowed her eyes as well. "Friends? You were never my friend, Aeka!" Ryoko shouted, swinging her sword downward. Aeka blocked it. "You and your friends took everything from me. You took my life as a Space Pirate, you took my freedom by bringing me into your stupid politics, and you took Tenchi. First you took his love from me, then you took him from me by getting him wrapped up on your damn planet. He never wanted to be king. He just wanted to live, but you couldn't let him do that, could you? You just had to have your way." "Silence!" Aeka shouted, lashing out again. Ryoko cried out as Tenchi- ken sliced easily through her shoulder, severing her left arm. Ryoko growled, Aeka stood her ground, both women's breathing coming fast and ragged from exertion. Finally, Aeka struck out again. With her remaining arm, Ryoko defended herself, Her sword arm still intact. "You really think you can beat me, Princess?" Ryoko taunted. Aeka ignored her, keeping up the assault. Ryoko blocked several more strikes before making a high swing at Aeka's head. The Juraian princess ducked, kicking Ryoko's legs out from under her. Before the demon woman could float, she was on her back and Aeka was coming down on top of her. With a single swift motion, Ryoko brought her sword up under Aeka, who was prepared to strike. The princess's eyes went wide as the sword slid through her flesh. It took Aeka a moment to realize what had happened. As she fell to the ground, her last thought was of how ironic it was that she should die of a wound almost identical to her beloved Tenchi's...her precious Angel. Her eyes slipped closed as her mind faded away. Ryoko stood and brushed herself off, her light sword blinking out. She laughed softly to herself as she looked over at Aeka's body. Stupid princess, thinking she could win against a demon. Stupid Tenchi for picking Aeka over her. Stupid world, stupid universe. Ryoko felt a cold, hard object against the back of her head. "Forgive me, Ryoko." Came a whisper from behind her. Ryoko turned, swiftly, just in time to see Mihoshi pull the trigger twice, the Galaxy Police blaster discharging two blasts into Ryoko's forehead, finally putting Ryoko's tormented and confused mind to rest.
For a moment after killing Ryoko, Mihoshi just stood there, trying to make sense of everything. She had just killed someone she once considered a friend, and her other friends were falling all around her, and all for the twisted ambition of a maniac. She sighed. Not now, she thought to herself. She needed to concentrate, to keep going, for her own sake, for Yosho's sake, for Merin's sake. She took off down the hall, back the way she came, blaster still drawn. She turned a corner, quickly, but stopped in her tracks. Before her lay the dead body of Yosho, surrounded by a pile of mutilated demons. There was no sign of other demons around. The warrior prince had taken at least a dozen enemies down with him. A sound came from behind, and Mihoshi didn't have to turn to know what it was. She barely felt the demonic energy bolt hit her. She just smiled to herself as she looked at Yosho. She could tell by the peaceful look on his face that he had without regret. So did she.
Washu growled, slamming her fist into the cold metal of her machine's casing. "Damn it!" She shouted, startling Merin, who had taken a seat in the corner of the lab nearest Washu. "It still won't work!" All of Washu's frustration came to the surface as she repeatedly pounded her fist into the casing. Suddenly, the machine hummed softly. Washu's eyes went wide and she jumped joyously, her childish personality showing through a bit. "Ahah!" She studied the control panel and her joy quickly faded as the targeting sensors quickly scanned the palace for targets to teleport. Washu watched the monitor for a long moment before she looked over at the corner. "Merin, get over here." She said urgently. Merin got up and walked over. "What's wrong?" He asked, still dazed by everything. Washu ignored him for a moment, tapping a few buttons and looking at another monitor. "Listen to me. There's no one left outside this lab, just demons. They'll be here any second. I had the computer scan the dimensions for one containing as many common elements as possible, and I've found one that looks like it'll be a hell of a lot better than this one." "Wh-what are you talking about?" Merin asked, confused and frightened. "No time to talk." Washu said as she rapidly typed on her keyboard. She looked up for a second as the door of the lab exploded inward, a demon standing on the other side. Washu grabbed Merin's shirt shoving him toward the machine and slamming her fist on a button before she turned, holding her hand out and firing off several energy bolts. Merin wasn't sure quite what was supposed to happen, but at first he thought nothing was going to. He watched as Washu vaporized the first five demons to come through the door. He suddenly felt a wrenching feeling. It felt as though his body were being pulled a thousand directions, and his vision was quickly blurred by white light. The last thing he saw before his vision faded was Washu being hit simultaneously by eight energy bolts, then he lost sense of consciousness as the time and space machine carried him far, far away.
Deep within the heart of all, far beyond the unnecessary confines of what is known as reality, there lies a place that encompasses everything and yet is nothing at all. It is a crossroads of infinite fates, never ending strings of a temporal tapestry where each thread is allowed only to see it self, and never the entire picture. There is no constant between the threads, no universal rule, except that of time itself. Some, able only to see their own thread, have theorized about the existence of a few other threads. Some have thought, even, that the number of threads was beyond mortal comprehension, but none could understand the beautiful image made by the overlapping and winding of the dimensions. Each dimension was completely self-contained. Some dimensions had elements in common, and that is where they overlapped. Many dimensions had common elements with only one or two others, but no dimension was completely alone, and, though they overlapped, no dimension ever touched another... Or so it was thought...
The summer sun rose lazily upon the Misaki shrine, casting long shadows of trees and small buildings, framing the kneeling form of a middle- aged man, long black hair moving unhindered in the breeze. flowing over the loose clothes of a priest. The man's mouth moved, speaking silent words of reverent prayer, that his grandson might uncover his true strength, that his sister might learn the true meaning of love with her beloved Angel, that his demon friend would prove her worth to the universe and to herself, and most importantly for the safety of his new love, so dedicated to her duties that, in the process of guarding the long lost prince of Jurai during the time of unrest, they had fallen in love. He sighed as an image of her floated through his mind, bright, energetic, and ready to do whatever it took to succeed...his beloved Mihoshi... Yosho's prayer was interrupted by the approach of a young girl, draped in a dress of soft pink and a mint-green cape. Her young cheeks were streaked with tears, her pink eyes somewhat bloodshot. "Sasami..." Yosho spoke in his gentle but strong voice, gently putting an arm around his young sister, "You've had another dream, haven't you?" Yosho asked, pulling the girl's small, frail form into a soft hug, as though she were a porcelain doll that might be broken by the Juraian prince were he not careful. The little girl, the physical equivalent of a five year-old human, nodded her head, her long blue hair blowing loosely around her face, soaking up a few teardrops. "I-it was terrible, Yosho...Jurai was on fire...the whole planet...Tenchi was trapped in the fire..." Sasami said with a sniffle. Yosho stroked the back of her head comfortingly. "Shhh...Tenchi will be fine. Don't worry. Aeka, Ryoko, and Mihoshi will protect him. If anyone can play politics, it's Aeka." "Y-you're right, Yosho...I shouldn't worry." Sasami forced a smile, and Yosho hugged her closer, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, playfully continuing a tradition he began when Sasami was a baby of kissing each of the two little green circles on her forehead. Sasami giggled softly and smiled up at her brother as he carried her inside.
A few dozen light years away, another Juraian prince kissed another forehead, smiling as he ran a finger gently along the two triangular shapes, brushing away strands of violet hair. Aeka smiled and relaxed in Tenchi's arms, laying her head against his shoulder and pulling the blanket a little further up against the cool Juraian night. Aeka's fingertips trailed along Tenchi's chest reveling in the feeling of the smooth skin beneath them, and the soft murring sound Tenchi made from deep in his throat. Tenchi smiled down at Aeka, his brown eyes sparkling with playful energy as he leaned down to kiss her. "Excuse us, Lord Tenchi." The strong voice of Azaka spoke from the doorway. The Juraian knight stepped in, followed by Kamidake, each bedecked in full battle gear. "It's Kagato. The Soja has just entered orbit. We put out a call to the Galaxy Police to send a battle fleet, but it will be hours before they arrives." "Yes...yes, of course." Tenchi sighed as he sat up, bringing Aeka with him. Azaka and Kamidake ducked out as Tenchi and Aeka pulled on their clothes. Tenchi gave a sigh as he picked up his sword, tucking it into his belt. "Lord Tenchi...Do you plan to...fight Kagato?" Aeka asked, in a frightened tone. Tenchi nodded with a sigh. "He's a dangerous revolutionary...I have to fight him." "No, Lord Tenchi...he'll kill you. He's the best swordsman in the galaxy. Send the knights, they will defeat him." Aeka suggested in a hopeful voice, but Tenchi shook his head. "If I'm going to be king, I have to stand up for Jurai. Go find Mihoshi and Ryoko. Bring them to the palace courtyard. And tell Ryoko to bring Ryo-Ohki." Tenchi instructed as he pulled on a ceremonial Juraian battle sash. Aeka opened her mouth as though to respond, but just nodded and left silently.
Within an hour, the group had boarded ships and began their ascent to space. Ryoko rode in Ryo-Ohki, Mihoshi took her Galaxy Police cruiser, while Tenchi and Aeka took Aeka's ship, Tsunami. It was a short trip, taking the three ships something to the order of a half-hour before the majestic hull of Soja came into view. The three ships approached, ready for battle, but much to their surprise, the Soja never fired a shot. Finally, they docked with the Soja's docking bay, and stepped out into the halls of the strange ship.
"With Kagato's pride, he'll be waiting for us...probably on the bridge." Mihoshi commented as she withdrew her Galaxy Police blaster. Tenchi nodded and led the group toward the center of the ship, organ music slowly becoming audible along the way. When they reached the bridge of the Soja, a room the size of a small auditorium, they immediately saw a figure draped in a dark green cloak playing a full pipe organ on the other side of the room. The man stopped playing as they entered. "I've been expecting you." He said as he stood and turned toward them, showing himself to be a young man of perhaps (seemingly) 30 years of age, looking strong and yet highly intellectual. His long, green cloak billowed around his legs as he smiled humorlessly. "Welcome to my humble ship, Lord Tenchi." Tenchi frowned and pulled his sword from his belt, looking Kagato over suspiciously. "Why are you here, Kagato?" Tenchi demanded, causing Kagato to laugh quite loudly. "The same reason you are. The universe needs a ruler, Tenchi, and I am that ruler..." "You're insane." Ryoko growled from behind Tenchi. "Oh, extremely." Kagato said, "But, then again, insanity can be an excellent character trait. Now, if you don't mind, I am a very busy man. If you want to prove your combat ability, please do, but do so quickly." Tenchi nodded and swung his sword, the luminescent blade appearing. Kagato smiled and held out his palm, his cool green light sword appearing in his hand. The two slowly approached each other, Kagato's cape billowing in an unfelt breeze. Kagato glanced over at Tenchi's little group of followers. "Oh, do go away." Kagato said, waving a hand in their general direction, and, much to Tenchi's surprise, they disappeared in a field of light. Tenchi narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?" He demanded. "They're on the lower deck. Don't want any distraction for our fight, now did we?" Kagato responded with a laugh. Tenchi rushed forward, blade ready, lashing out at Kagato. Kagato jumped back, bringing his sword to parry the strike, and grinning in a rather sadistic manner...everything was going as planned.
Somewhere beneath Tenchi's feet, deep within the belly of the Soja, Ryoko, Aeka, and Mihoshi looked around, dazed, and tried to get their bearings. Mihoshi walked cautiously forward, looking around, blaster drawn. Aeka and Ryoko followed. They walked for a hundred yards before making a sharp turn. At the end of the hall, tied to a large stone statue, was what looked like a young girl with quite a lot of bright red hair. The three ran to the bound girl and began to untie her as she shook her head and tried to say something around the gag she ware. Ryoko pulled the gag off as Aeka and Mihoshi managed to free the girl's arms. "Idiots!" The girl shouted, in a voice that sounded a bit more mature than she looked, "It's a trap!" Mihoshi's eyes went wide as she turned around. At the other end of the hall there stood three gigantic snaked, their fangs dripping with poison that burned holes in the floor plates when it hit them. Ryoko ripped the ropes from the girl's legs with a growl. "Who the hell are you?" Ryoko demanded. The red-haired girl shook her head, wagging a finger. "Explain later," She said with a smile, "Run now!" The three snakes moved quickly forward, rapidly approaching. The girl reached into a pocket in her bright green cloak, producing a small device which she slapped onto the wall next to her, pressing a button. A large hole in the wall opened, displaying the hall on the other side. "Go!" The girl ordered, an order which the others had no problem with following. Aeka jumped through first, followed by Mihoshi, then Ryoko, then the girl. The gate closed behind them. "Well, that was easy." Ryoko commented. "It's not over yet...run!" The girl commanded again as there was a huge crashing sound, combined with the whine of buckling and warping metal, a large outward dent forming on the wall. All four women took off running down the hall.
Kagato grinned as Tenchi continuously struck out, each move being blocked. Kagato seemed content to simply deflect Tenchi's blows, having yet to actually attack. "Such childish arracks, Tenchi. I had expected better from the king of Jurai." Kagato chided. Tenchi growled and rushed forward, slashing across Kagato's chest. Kagato moved back, but not quite fast enough, his cloak sliced quite neatly across the chest, leaving a large hole. Kagato grinned. "That's more like it." Kagato leapt forward, surprising Tenchi by going on the offensive. Tenchi stumbled back, blocking Kagato's swings as he went.
The group of women stopped, panting for breath as they watched the three snakes slam into a force field repeatedly. Ryoko looked over at the red-haired girl. "Now, who are you?" Ryoko demanded. The girl grinned cutely. "I'm Washu, of course! Super genius and the universe's greatest scientist!" "/You/'re the universe's greatest scientist?" Ryoko scowled, "Yeah...right...more like a member of the midget squad." "Don't be rude, Ryoko." Aeka said softly. "I am-" "Aeka Tsunami Jurai. I know." Washu interrupted. "And you're Mihoshi, and you're Ryoko." She said, pointing to each as she said their names. They nodded a bit, confused. "Well, no time to talk now! We have to go help Tenchi." Aeka nodded and Washu stepped into the middle of the group, pulling out another device. "Hope none of you get teleport sick." Washu giggled as she pressed the activation button, and all four disappeared.
Tenchi growled, desperately trying to fight back while still blocking Kagato's blows, finding that to be extremely difficult. Kagato was toying with him, striking in such a way that he knew he would be blocked, but not allowing Tenchi to get any blows in, and Tenchi was beginning to tire. The battle was quite fast-paced, Kagato's prodigious skill with the sword allowing him to attack nearly once every 2 seconds. Both Tenchi and Kagato looked over in surprise as the women appeared. Kagato grinned wide...everything was still going well...he even had the great Washu entangled in his plot. "Aeka! Get out of here, it's too dangerous!" Tenchi shouted. Aeka opened her mouth to respond, but gasped. "Lord Tenchi, look out!" Kagato had taken advantage of Tenchi's distraction, and before Tenchi could move, Kagato's sword found it's target, sliding straight through Tenchi's chest as though it were paper. Tenchi looked at Kagato in shocked, pained surprise, then down at Kagato's blade as Kagato withdrew it and Tenchi fell to the ground. "Lord Tenchi! No!" Aeka screamed as she rushed over to her lover's side. She glared up at Kagato. "You monster!" She shouted. Kagato just laughed, then raised a brow as a laser bolt bounced off an invisible force field around his body. "You're under arrest." Mihoshi growled, holding her blaster, trained on Kagato, and her identification. "Am I? Well, I welcome you to come and try to arrest me." Kagato laughed sadistically as he took a few steps away from where Aeka wept over the fallen Tenchi. Aeka closed her eyes, the two triangular marks on her forehead glowing. "Tsunami...lend me your power.." She whispered. Kagato grinned, and held out a palm, an ethereal bolt of energy shooting out and striking Aeka directly on the mark on her forehead. Aeka screamed in pain as the mark glowed brighter, then disappeared. She looked up in horror, seeing two claw- like shapes appear of Kagato's forehead. "No....Tsunami..." She gasped out as Tenchi took a final, shuddering breath, followed by a moment of silence. Mihoshi, Ryoko, and Washu watched in utter horror, silenced by their surprise. Finally, Ryoko narrowed her eyes and her light sword formed in her hand. She rushed toward Kagato. "Damn you...Damn you, Kagato! I'll kill you.!" Ryoko screamed as she lashed out, vision blurred by tears. Kagato simply stepped back, then held his palm out again, the same energy beam striking Ryoko in the forehead. She gasped and shuddered, falling to her knees, eyes glazing over for a moment before refocusing with an evil glint. "Now, now, Ryoko. You don't want to fight me, do you?" Kagato asked, in a tone that was nearly sarcastically gentle. "N-no...master..." Ryoko muttered as she stood, turning to face Aeka. "Aeka, we have to leave! Now!" Mihoshi shouted. Aeka shook her head then gave the lifeless Tenchi a kiss and stood, taking hold of Tenchi's sword. Ryoko and Kagato stood silently, watching. "Come on, princess, you can settle the score another day." Washu said, "He's got us out-gunned in here. Trust me, I built the ship...I know..." Aeka nodded and they all turned and ran out, toward Mihoshi's ship. Ryoko was about to give chase, but Kagato held up a hand. "Let them go. We'll get them later."
For days, Yosho had flown through the dark void of space after hearing of Tenchi's defeat. Sasami had spent the great majority of those days crying over her lost friend. In fact, cry was nearly all she did besides eat and sleep. Even sleep was no comfort for her, as she was tormented by nightmares of armies of zombies marching through the cities of Jurai, slaughtering everyone. Yosho did what he could to comfort his sister, but there was little he could do, as he couldn't even comfort himself. Tenchi had been everything anyone could have looked for in a king, but more importantly everything anyone could have looked for in a grandson. Yosho's heart ached with an unbearable pain which he carried with him as he stepped out of the ship that had come for him on Earth, onto the firm ground of his home planet. Immediately, Yosho and Sasami, who walked beside him, clinging to his hand, were surrounded by Juraian royal guards and escorted into the council room. The entire Juraian council was assembled there, as well as Mihoshi, Washu, and the chief of the Galaxy Police. Yosho sighed and stepped up to the platform. "Peace and prosperity to the empire, my friends." Yosho began with a traditional Juraian greeting. He cleared his throat and continued. "Following the defeat of my grandson at the hands of Kagato, there have been rumors that another power struggle will ensue. This is not true. I am the rightful heir to the throne, and, at the council's request, I have consented to take the throne as emperor, at least until the problems with Kagato have been resolved." The crowd gave Yosho applause, making a faint smile form on his lips, but it quickly faded as he looked at his sisters, Sasami leaning against Aeka, who was softly stroking the little girl's soft blue hair. Yosho sighed and continued. "As you all know, the Soja defeated the Galaxy Police's battle fleet, with the help of Ryo-Ohki and Tsunami. Since that battle, the Soja has been silent. I'm sure you are all wondering what the hell Kagato is doing up there...Miss Washu, would you please come up here and give the council your presentation?" Washu mounted the stage and smiled, standing on a step-stool behind the podium to see over the top. She picked up a pointer as a holographic image activated. "This is Ryoko." Washu began. "She is what is called a demon, created by the universe's top scientist...me!" The image changed, showing a wire-frame of Ryoko, and a similar image of Kagato. "With Tsunami's power, it is very likely that Kagato is, as we speak, building his own army of demons, using Ryoko and himself as patterns. We can expect him to begin an invasion with a full-scale army in less than a year."
Ten months later...
A holographic image of a man's face hovered over it's projector, which looked quite a lot like a coffee table, humming softly with the sounds of it's power generator. The image's mouth moved, but without sound, as a tiny icon near the man's face showed that the sound was muted. Yosho sat silently. He knew what the news broadcast was saying. He was the one who gave the damned reporters the information for it. The holographic image changed to a scene of Juraian knights battling an army of nearly a thousand demons on one of Jurai's moons. Yosho's thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of the regal- looking, yet humble forms of Azaka and Kamidake. The two approached where Yosho sat and dropped to one knee, bowing. "Your majesty," Azaka began, "The child is born. It's a son, your majesty. He is strong and healthy, as is Lady Mihoshi." "She is asking for you, your grace." Kamidake interjected. A smile spread across Yosho's face, and he nodded, standing. "Thank you, old friends." Yosho nodded, and they rose, all three Juraian swordsmen walking out together.
Mihoshi smiled up at Yosho as he entered the room. She lay on a small but very comfortable-looking bed, holding a small bundle wrapped in a blanket. Yosho walked over and smiled as he brushed a hand over the sleeping baby's head, gently running fingers through the soft blond hair, as Juraians were commonly born with nearly full heads of hair. "He's beautiful, Mihoshi.." Yosho whispered. Mihoshi nodded and smiled more. "He has your eyes..." Mihoshi whispered back and softly kissed Yosho. "Have the reporters gotten to you yet?" Yosho asked. Mihoshi nodded softly. "Took them about an hour before they were here..." Mihoshi said softly. "The Juraian people are so desperate for good news right now that I didn't complain. My old partner, Kiyone, stopped by...She was always a bit of a ditz, but she's gotten better. She's climbing the GP ladder...she's a captain now." "Good, though after all the losses the Galaxy Police have been taking, I'm surprised they're still so functional. Have you heard about the battle?" "Only a little..." Mihoshi replied. Yosho nodded. "Two thousand of our Knights and a thousand Galaxy Police troops fought with a thousand of Kagato's demons. We won, but it cost use nearly fifteen hundred of our knights and eight hundred Galaxy Police officers." Yosho sighed, "About a hundred of the demons got away, including their leader...Ryoko. Kagato is in position to take Earth, so it should be a while before he's able to concentrate his forces on Jurai again...and with the losses he's taken, too, he'll have to rebuild." Mihoshi nodded and nuzzled her baby softly. "Let's call him Merin."
"Merin!" called Mihoshi's voice from somewhere down the hall. The seven year-old boy looked up from where he was playing with a small bug native to Jurai. "Coming, mama!" He called back, getting to his feet and walking quickly down the hall. Mihoshi smiled softly to him when he stopped beside her. "Be careful, Merin. Don't go too close to the outside." Mihoshi said, "If the demons attack, you need to be as close to the center as possible so Washu can get us all out of here." "Yes, mama." Merin said softly, nodding. "Can we go see Miss Washu today?" "I suppose. Only for a few minutes, though. She's still working on her machine." Mihoshi replied with a smile. Merin grinned and they both walked, hand in hand, down the hall toward Washu's lab. When they arrived, they found Washu busily working on a large machine with quite a few large antenna-like things, and a control panel with, Merin thought, at least a hundred buttons. Washu had the casing open and was fiddling with several circuit boards. "Hi, Miss Washu." Merin called over. Washu pulled her head out of the machine and smiled. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, smudging a grease smudge even more. "Almost done." Washu said cheerfully. "I can't seem to get the targeting sensors to work right. They won't target anything more than a few feet from the machine." "How long do you think it'll take?" Mihoshi asked. Washu shrugged. "An hour, a day, a week. I don't really know." Washu sighed and stretched, relieving the tension in her back from being bent over for so long. "Lady Mihoshi," Kamidake called from the entrance to the lab. "Emperor Yosho wishes to see you...without Prince Merin." "Tell him I'll be there in a moment." Mihoshi replied. Kamidake nodded and bowed, then left. Mihoshi looked over at Merin. "Go find Sasami and play." "Yes, mama." Merin said with a bright smile, then ran out to find his friend. Mihoshi sighed a bit, then gave Washu a faint smile and left.
When Mihoshi entered the council room, she found what was left of Juraian council, something less then ten members of a group once composed of nearly fifty. Yosho sat at the head of the great table, looking tired and weary, but still regal. Mihoshi took her seat to his right, looking across the table at Aeka. Aeka had changed so much since Tenchi's death. She had grown from a somewhat spoiled princess into a skilled warrior, with the help of Tenchi's sword, and was one of the resistance's greatest assets in battle. Even with such skilled fighters as Aeka and Yosho on the battle field, though, Kagato's armies were winning, and it was only a matter of time before the resistance was crushed. "Another three resistance cells have been defeated." Yosho said, inspiring a general sigh. "It gets worse, my friends. Our scouts report that Kagato's army is quickly approaching the city. They'll be here within 2 hours. This is it, then. It's less then a thousand of us against nearly seven thousand of them. Washu has nearly completed her machine. Pray she finished it on time. If she does not, we will fight to the last man. Azaka and Kamidake are already overseeing preparations to defend the palace. The entire city's guards have returned to the palace, to shrink our front." Yosho paused and sighed. "Peace and prosperity to the Empire."
Merin grinned to himself as he peeked out of his hiding place, watching Sasami walk by, looking for him. He sat back down, listening to his confused friend. Then he heard Kamidake's voice. "Come with me, Princess Sasami." Kamidake's voice spoke. "I'm looking for Merin. We're playing hide and seek." Sasami replied. "Azaka will find him." Kamidake spoke again. "Ok." Sasami said hesitantly. Merin smiled to himself as he heard Sasami and Kamidake walk off. "Prince Merin, time to stop playing." Came Azaka's voice. Merin giggled quietly. Now he had a new playmate.
The perimeter guard was taken by surprise, falling quickly to the swift demons, only a few of the better guardsmen managing to take a demon or two down with them. More guards and knights, realizing that the enemy had arrived, rushed out to meet them. The first wave of guards fell quickly, but the second held their ground against what they thought was the whole enemy attack force. No one realized that the demons were already inside. Demons spread through the palace quickly, taking out the few knights who weren't already fighting outside.
Azaka sighed softly to himself, shaking his head. He was a trained knight, finding a child shouldn't be this hard. "Prince Merin, please, I must take you to a safer place. The demons are here." "Too late, little knight." Came a voice from behind. Azaka spun on his heel, coming face to face with a tall demon woman, her eyes glowing a wicked gold. "Ryoko." Azaka growled out, bringing his weapon to bare. Ryoko smiled, forming her light sword. "Do you really think you can beat me?" Ryoko asked with a laugh as she floated a few feet off the ground. "I will, or die trying." Azaka replied. Ryoko laughed harder. "Oh, but that's the idea." Ryoko said as she rushed forward, light sword humming as she swung it. Azaka jumped back, blocking the strike, and the next, growling. Azaka swung, but hit only air as Ryoko teleported away. Azaka growled and looked around to determine where she had reappeared. It wasn't until he felt Ryoko's sword stab him that he realized she was right behind him.
Merin gasped when he peeked out and saw a demon fighting Azaka. His first impulse was to jump from his hiding place and run for his life, but his second seemed a bit better to him: He simply remained hidden. As long as the demons didn't find him, they probably couldn't kill him...unless they had more powers than he thought they did...No, he thought to himself, don't get paranoid...He curled up in his hiding place and cringed at the sound of Azaka's defeat. Ryoko's laugh sent a chill up his spine as the demon disappeared once more, leaving Merin alone in silence. For what seemed like an eternity, Merin sat there, alone, in silence only occasionally broken by a distant sound of battle. Finally, he crawled from his hiding place, looking around carefully. His mind was numb as he walked past the fallen form of Azaka. He felt like he should cry, but somehow he couldn't. He just stood there by the fallen knight, then turned and walked away, toward the council room, where, he hoped, he would find someone...anyone.... He moved quickly, fear taking over. He had stopped actually thinking, continuing by virtue of something like a trance, driving him onward. When he got to the council chambers, he was greeted by a disturbing scent. It was like the scent of cooked meat, but it had a sickening twinge. He walked to the door, but hesitated to open it. He didn't hear any sound from inside, and with that terrible scent...burned flesh...he shuddered. The council room was where he was supposed to go when the demons attacked. His mother had told him a thousand times, they had done drills where he, Sasami, and the few other children who were in the palace would go to the council chambers for a while. He closed his eyes and reached out, opening the door. The scent of charred flesh was nearly overwhelming as he stepped inside and slowly he opened his eyes. He nearly threw up as he saw the walls streaked with blood, the bodies of several knights strewn about, some disemboweled by light swords, some decapitated, some charred by energy bolts. There were also the bodies of fallen demons, run through with swords. The cold stone floor was slick with blood, spread out thinly, in puddles around dead bodies. Merin cringed when he saw Kamidake, a hole through his chest made by an energy bolt, sword still clenched in his lifeless hand, dripping with demon blood. Merin's head spun as he walked farther into the room, nearly falling on the slippery floor. He gasped when he saw the bodies of the other children laying in the back of the room, killed similarly to the knights. He ran now, falling once but ignoring the resulting pain, getting up again and continuing to run toward his friends, tears blurring his vision now. He stopped, looking down at the crumpled form of Sasami, her green cape stained red with her blood, still dripping from the wound in her back. Merin fell to his knees and hugged his friend, crying.
Mihoshi ran through the halls, struggling not to loose her breath or her balance while carrying a heavy blast rifle. Across her chest was a Juraian battle sash to which she ad clipped spare energy cells for the rifle, and at her side was her GP blaster. She turned a corner, narrowing her eyes as she spotted three demons floating at the end of the hall. She dropped to one knee and took a second or so to aim before firing off 5 shots, each demon hit once, two shots missing. She then stood, once satisfied that the demons would not be getting up again, and continued toward the council chambers. The first thing to fail had been the palace's communication system, jammed by the demons, so no one really knew what areas of the palace had already fallen. Most of the knights from outside had already figured out that there were demons inside and fallen back, but there was no organized defense any more. Mihoshi muttered a prayer that Merin was alive. She reached the council chambers after two turning two more corners and dispatching another demon. She kicked the door open, holding the rifle ready incase there were demons inside. She gasped at the carnage, shaking her head as she walked down the center of the chambers. She reached the end of the room and gasped again when she saw the children. Her eyes came to rest on Merin, his shirt soaked through with blood, still hugging Sasami. At first, she thought he was dead until she realized the was crying. She dropped the blast rifle, hugging him. He looked back at her, eyes glazed with fear and confusion. "S-she's dead..." Merin said, in a tone of disbelief. "Don't worry, Merin...you'll see her again...I promise." Mihoshi said, strapping the rifle to her back as she gathered her son into her arms and got up, moving quickly to the door. "Hold on. We have to get to Washu's lab. She's managed to set up a force field. You'll be safe there." Merin nodded a little, closing his eyes and pretending that this was all a bad dream. It wasn't supposed to go this way...the knights were supposed to win, then everything would be ok...None of this was real. He'd wake up in his bed with his mother there to tell him it was just a dream, and his father there to make him smile with his wit. The doors to Washu's lab opened with a swish after Mihoshi entered a short access code. Once inside, she set Merin down. Yosho and Aeka were standing there with a layout of the palace, marking areas that they thought had fallen. Yosho walked quickly over when he saw Merin, kneeling and hugging him. "Thank God...I thought they'd gotten you. Are you hurt?" Yosho asked. Merin shook his head. "N-no...I'm ok." Merin replied, voice wavering. Yosho looked down at his blood-soaked shirt. "It's not his blood." Mihoshi said, "It's Sasami's." Yosho looked up in surprise, the sound of Aeka's gasp coming from across the room. Yosho closed his eyes for a moment, perfectly silent, before he slowly stood. Aeka walked past, a look of pure rage on her face, and walked out of the lab, the doors swishing open when she approached. Merin noticed a tear drip down her cheek as she walked by. Yosho stood silently for a moment, staring off at the wall, then walked over to the layout of the palace on the wall, taking a small pin- flag, placing it in the council chamber. He then turned and followed Aeka. Mihoshi watched Yosho leave and sighed. She looked down at Merin, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Stay here, Merin." Mihoshi ordered, "And be good for Washu. Don't bother her." Merin nodded and Mihoshi pulled the laser rifle from her back, walking toward the door. She glanced back at Merin, giving him a reassuring smile before walking out.
Hallways and chambers fell one by one to the demons, the number of Knights and Galaxy Police remaining slowly dwindling, the number of demons seeming endless. No matter how many were killed, the demons kept coming, passing through walls and teleporting out of nowhere to take the defenders by surprise. The upper levels fell. then the forward section of the lower levels. Finally, all that was left in Juraian control was the area immediately surrounding Washu's lab. Yosho and Aeka split up, each taking a different hall as they approached the front line of battle. All but about 100 of the defenders had already been slain, those that remained fighting valiantly against the enemy at odds of worse than ten to one. When Yosho reached the end of the hall he walked, he found that the defenders there had fallen. Five demons glared at him with evil grins, and flew forward. Yosho just clenched his jaw and pulled out his sword, crafted from the material of his ship tree, Funaho. He swung it, bringing the sword to life. It took the Juraian prince less than 30 seconds to deal with the five demons. One got stabbed through the chest, another in the back, another was sliced cleanly in half at the middle, another decapitated, and the final demon's neck was snapped by a few well-placed strikes. Yosho just sighed and moved on.
In the next hallway over, Aeka had a similar experience, dispatching four demons with the use of Tenchi-ken, her lover's sword humming almost musically as it sliced through her opponents. Once the four had fallen, she looked around cautiously. Everything seemed clear, no demons in sight. Aeka turned around, somehow sensing a presence behind her. She brought Tenchi-ken up, blocking a crimson light sword's strike. Her gaze quickly looked over her new opponent, and she narrowed her eyes as she found it to be Ryoko. "Been a while, Princess. I do hope you don't mind my friends and I making ourselves comfortable in this palace of yours. We figure, with you all dead, you won't be needing it anyway." Ryoko said with a laugh. Aeka growled low and swung her sword hard in a strike at Ryoko's midsection. Ryoko ducked back, quite nimble, and smiled. "Oh, you've gotten better." "Did Kagato really twist your mind so far, Ryoko, that you kill us. your friends?" Aeka asked, her voice something between enraged and imploring. Ryoko narrowed her eyes as well. "Friends? You were never my friend, Aeka!" Ryoko shouted, swinging her sword downward. Aeka blocked it. "You and your friends took everything from me. You took my life as a Space Pirate, you took my freedom by bringing me into your stupid politics, and you took Tenchi. First you took his love from me, then you took him from me by getting him wrapped up on your damn planet. He never wanted to be king. He just wanted to live, but you couldn't let him do that, could you? You just had to have your way." "Silence!" Aeka shouted, lashing out again. Ryoko cried out as Tenchi- ken sliced easily through her shoulder, severing her left arm. Ryoko growled, Aeka stood her ground, both women's breathing coming fast and ragged from exertion. Finally, Aeka struck out again. With her remaining arm, Ryoko defended herself, Her sword arm still intact. "You really think you can beat me, Princess?" Ryoko taunted. Aeka ignored her, keeping up the assault. Ryoko blocked several more strikes before making a high swing at Aeka's head. The Juraian princess ducked, kicking Ryoko's legs out from under her. Before the demon woman could float, she was on her back and Aeka was coming down on top of her. With a single swift motion, Ryoko brought her sword up under Aeka, who was prepared to strike. The princess's eyes went wide as the sword slid through her flesh. It took Aeka a moment to realize what had happened. As she fell to the ground, her last thought was of how ironic it was that she should die of a wound almost identical to her beloved Tenchi's...her precious Angel. Her eyes slipped closed as her mind faded away. Ryoko stood and brushed herself off, her light sword blinking out. She laughed softly to herself as she looked over at Aeka's body. Stupid princess, thinking she could win against a demon. Stupid Tenchi for picking Aeka over her. Stupid world, stupid universe. Ryoko felt a cold, hard object against the back of her head. "Forgive me, Ryoko." Came a whisper from behind her. Ryoko turned, swiftly, just in time to see Mihoshi pull the trigger twice, the Galaxy Police blaster discharging two blasts into Ryoko's forehead, finally putting Ryoko's tormented and confused mind to rest.
For a moment after killing Ryoko, Mihoshi just stood there, trying to make sense of everything. She had just killed someone she once considered a friend, and her other friends were falling all around her, and all for the twisted ambition of a maniac. She sighed. Not now, she thought to herself. She needed to concentrate, to keep going, for her own sake, for Yosho's sake, for Merin's sake. She took off down the hall, back the way she came, blaster still drawn. She turned a corner, quickly, but stopped in her tracks. Before her lay the dead body of Yosho, surrounded by a pile of mutilated demons. There was no sign of other demons around. The warrior prince had taken at least a dozen enemies down with him. A sound came from behind, and Mihoshi didn't have to turn to know what it was. She barely felt the demonic energy bolt hit her. She just smiled to herself as she looked at Yosho. She could tell by the peaceful look on his face that he had without regret. So did she.
Washu growled, slamming her fist into the cold metal of her machine's casing. "Damn it!" She shouted, startling Merin, who had taken a seat in the corner of the lab nearest Washu. "It still won't work!" All of Washu's frustration came to the surface as she repeatedly pounded her fist into the casing. Suddenly, the machine hummed softly. Washu's eyes went wide and she jumped joyously, her childish personality showing through a bit. "Ahah!" She studied the control panel and her joy quickly faded as the targeting sensors quickly scanned the palace for targets to teleport. Washu watched the monitor for a long moment before she looked over at the corner. "Merin, get over here." She said urgently. Merin got up and walked over. "What's wrong?" He asked, still dazed by everything. Washu ignored him for a moment, tapping a few buttons and looking at another monitor. "Listen to me. There's no one left outside this lab, just demons. They'll be here any second. I had the computer scan the dimensions for one containing as many common elements as possible, and I've found one that looks like it'll be a hell of a lot better than this one." "Wh-what are you talking about?" Merin asked, confused and frightened. "No time to talk." Washu said as she rapidly typed on her keyboard. She looked up for a second as the door of the lab exploded inward, a demon standing on the other side. Washu grabbed Merin's shirt shoving him toward the machine and slamming her fist on a button before she turned, holding her hand out and firing off several energy bolts. Merin wasn't sure quite what was supposed to happen, but at first he thought nothing was going to. He watched as Washu vaporized the first five demons to come through the door. He suddenly felt a wrenching feeling. It felt as though his body were being pulled a thousand directions, and his vision was quickly blurred by white light. The last thing he saw before his vision faded was Washu being hit simultaneously by eight energy bolts, then he lost sense of consciousness as the time and space machine carried him far, far away.