Chapter Three
"Well, I think I'm just about ready."
Princess Sasami cast a final look around her chamber, nodding with approval as she observed the neatly packed cases and boxes which were stacked up at the foot of her bed. All around her, men and women dressed in the uniform of Jurai's imperial guard flitted like moths, gathering her belongings, and as she watched them, she felt a flare of excitement well up inside of her.
So this was it. Her first official progress across Juraian territory.
"You seem excited, Sasami-hime."
A man's voice came from the doorway, and Sasami's eyes lit up as she recognised Kamidake, one of the knights of Jurai. She hurried across to join him, grasping him playfully by the hands as she did so.
"Kamidake! So you are coming with me? Oh good! I hoped that Uncle would release both you and Azaka for my first time - after all, you are Tsunami's chosen, and all of that!"
"Lord Haru forbade you to leave without us." Amusement sparkled in Kamidake's clever violet eyes. "I'm glad that it pleases you, Princess. Your father is very anxious about this whole trip, as I'm sure you can imagine - and your Lord Uncle also. The Emperor knows that you must go, of course, but they both worry for your safety."
"I'll be fine." Sasami drew herself up to her full four foot two inches, resolution sparkling in her crimson gaze. "I'm not a baby any more, Kamidake, and I have to do things like this some time. Besides, Yousai have called for our help - or rather, for Tsunami's help. We can't exactly turn them down...and it's not as if we're going anywhere very dangerous, is it? Yousai are loyal to Jurai - that's what Father told me, when I asked him. They've always been loyal."
"Yes, so I understand." Kamidake inclined his head slightly, in answer to her question. "And it's true that Yousai require you in a spiritual capacity, so it seems unlikely that there will be anything particularly dangerous to face. The Council of Representatives have simply asked that Tsunami travel to Yousai in her human form, to bless their shrines and grant them Tsunami's protection once again. In times past, they've been unsettled by dark magics - I think they just want to ensure peace, especially as the young Lady of Yousai has now reached her own Coming of Age."
"Lady of Yousai." Sasami echoed him thoughtfully, then she grinned. "It sounds so formal, doesn't it? Just like when they call me Princess Sasami of Jurai. I wonder how she feels about all of this. She is only my age, after all - isn't that right? She's just thirteen, like me."
"That's what I understand." Kamidake agreed. "And it's becoming chaotic in here - shall we head down to Tsunami-fune's dock? Azaka is already waiting for us there, and I believe Lord Tennan will probably be wondering at our whereabouts, too."
"Seiryo-sama is coming on this trip, too?" Sasami's eyes sparkled. "Oh, good. I hoped so...Father's still so stuffy about him, even though Uncle's forgiven him everything and it's all all right now. He wasn't happy when I asked to have Seiryo as part of my retinue, so I thought he might try and stop him coming to Yousai with me. But I want someone who's strong and smart and who isn't easily swayed by all this spiritual stuff. He has his feet on the ground, and I need that. Being Tsunami in a public sense is confusing enough - since Uncle's proclamation last month, everything's been haywire."
"Not just Lord Tennan, hime-sama." Kamidake sounded amused, as he led the way through the palace halls towards the expansive docking bay where Sasami's own magnificent ship, the Tsunami-fune was currently moored. "The Emperor has also released one other to accompany us on this mission - at his own request, Lord Motonoya will be joining us."
Sasami stopped dead, staring up at her companion in undisguised dismay.
"Yurikage-sama is coming too?" She asked, distress flickering in her crimson eyes. "But why? Why, Kamidake? What was Uncle thinking?"
"Yurikage-sama is a very strong and brave young man." Kamidake said evenly. "And he is very loyal to the Emperor and to your cause, Lady Sasami. You should be glad that he is accompanying you."
"But Kamidake..." Sasami faltered, biting her lip. "Kamidake, he...he..."
She sighed, shaking her head.
"He thinks he wants to marry me." She said apprehensively. "Even though Father has said I'm not open to courtship offers until I'm eighteen, and I'm happy with that settlement. He's already been to speak to Father and Uncle about it on more than one occasion, and he's made it clear that he's willing to wait the four and a half years, if that's what it takes. I think Father likes him a little too much, to be honest - he said he wasn't going to arrange my marriage like he did Ayeka's, but...I..."
"Lord Motonoya is probably quite an eligible match, you know." Kamidake reflected, as he guided his charge gently onwards towards the waiting spaceships. "He has good morals and ethics, he's the eldest son of a high standing Juraian family, and you could certainly find a worse companion in intellect. That he is willing to wait shows he has genuine compassion for you - you should be glad of that fact."
"No, it shows he wants to marry Jurai's Goddess and he doesn't mind waiting to do it, if that's what it takes to get his way." Sasami said bitterly. "He only started showing interest in me since Uncle's proclamation about Tsunami...he's just like all the others. It's stifling and I don't want to be in that position. Please, Kamidake, can't we stop him from coming to Yousai? I really really don't want him to accompany me there."
"The decision is the Emperor's, Hime-sama. I cannot challenge his will, and nor can you. Not yet." Kamidake shook his head. "Besides, you are mistaken about Lord Motonoya's motives. I happen to know that he spoke to your father when you first came of age...I don't think his determination rests in your connection to the Goddess."
"Really?" Sasami looked doubtful. "I don't know. There's something a bit weird about a grown man who wants to marry a thirteen year old girl, don't you think so? I mean, Lord Motonoya must be about Tenchi's age, at the very least. He's a lot older than I am."
"Princesses and Princes operate on different rules to others, Hime-sama, and it would not be my place to comment on them."
"Perhaps." Sasami sighed heavily, fixing her companion with a troubled look. "So you think I should be considering his suit, then? You don't think that it's...well, you don't disapprove of his attentions towards me?"
"Hime, don't ask me questions that you know I won't answer." Kamidake told her lightly. "It isn't my business to intervene in such things, as well you know."
Sasami looked pained, but she nodded her head, falling reluctantly into step with him once more as they reached the arched doorway that led out to the docking bay. Kamidake swept his palm across the security lock, and as the light flickered green, the big wooden doors swung back, revealing the expansive bay beyond. At the furthest end, Tsunami-fune's irridescent hull gleamed with mystical energy, and alongside it, Sasami was somewhat comforted to see the smaller silver hull of the Unko, Seiryo Tennan's state of the art craft. Although the Tennan ship was one of the best in the Juraian fleet, it was nothing in comparison to the Queen of Royal Tree Ships, and despite her apprehension, Sasami felt a stab of pride as she laid eyes on her own vessel. Tsunami's ship responded to noone but her, she knew that - and in some respects she felt her ship was more like a sister and a friend than just a travelling unit.
"Sasami-hime!" As they stepped forth onto the wood-veneer walkway, they were accosted by a young man in his early twenties, thick fair hair drawn back from his face with a silver clasp as he swept low before the Princess. "Are you ready? Is everything to your satisfaction?"
"Yurikage-sama." Sasami faltered, then offered the nobleman a faint smile, discomfitted by his flamboyant greeting. "Kamidake was just telling me that you were coming too."
"It is my pleasure to travel across space with my Lady Princess on her first official voyage into Jurai's territories." Yurikage said earnestly, offering her a smile. "And your ship is quite prepared to leave. Lord Tennan and I have been ready for your word - now you are here, we can make a move to start forth for Yousai."
"Sasami-sama." Before Sasami could respond, a second man had approached them, bowing his head slightly as he greeted the Princess, and Sasami could see the amusement in his malachite eyes as he cast a fleeting glance at his young noble companion. "It seems that we're at your disposal for this trip, by Lord Azusa's will as well as your own."
Sasami hesitated for a moment, then she nodded her head, offering the nobleman a warm smile.
"Thank you, Lord Tennan." She said simply, in imitation of the manner she had seen her sister use when dealing with official matters. "I am ready to leave now."
Seiryo's amusement only grew at the formality in her young tone, but he made no demur, inclining his head once again as he gestured towards the waiting vessels.
"Azaka and Kamidake have been charged by the Emperor with the safety of your person." He said quietly, though the warmth in his tone belied the distant formality of his words. "Therefore it seems best to me that they travel with you, aboard Tsunami-fune. Yurikage-sama and I will follow on aboard the Unko."
Relief flickered in Sasami's crimson eyes, and she offered Seiryo a grin, forgetting her formality for a moment. Seiryo winked at her, casting Yurikage a sidelong glance as the young nobleman bowed his head once again.
"We will be within your reach at any time, my Lady. Please, we are at your command - do not hesitate to call us to your side." He said fervently.
Sasami glanced at him, startled, then she dimpled, nodding her head.
"Yes, of course." She agreed. "Thank you, Lord Motonoya."
"Lady Sasami, we should probably leave before night falls." Azaka stepped forward at that moment. "Before the evening patrols set out on their usual foray around Juraian space. We don't want to get caught in cross-traffic, and everything is primed for your departure. The military will escort us half way, and Yousai's own military units will greet us and convey us to the planet itself. Everything is in order."
"Then we'll go." Sasami nodded her head decidedly. "Very well, Azaka. Lead the way."
-------------
So close and yet so far away.
Haki clenched his fists, anger swirling through his body as Karasu sped through space, hurtling away from the Earth at speed. He had been so near to his goal, and had even smelt the scent of her blood, in anticipation of their encounter. But before he had been able to launch his attack, sharp forces had drawn him back from the planet's clouded atmosphere, hauling him back into the depths of space.
He muttered a dark curse, turning to fix his travel companion with a dark glare as he advanced on the small blue-feathered bird, menace in his expression.
"How long do you think you can plague me for, bird-boy?" He demanded darkly, his tone rich with resentment and hate. "I can crush you with one flick of my fingers - how dare you think you can watch my every move and spy for your witch woman?"
Rumiya lifted his head from where he had been absently preening his feathers, extending his neck out just far enough to land a neat peck against Haki's scarred skin. It was the lightest of touches, but Haki sprang back as if burnt, letting out a cry of pain and rage.
"What are you doing?"
"Reminding you that you can't touch me, so long as I am in this form." Rumiya told him calmly. "I already explained it to you. Lady Ramia has put a protective charm over my feathers, so that I can fly unmolested through space without being hindered by any force alien to her. Your magic is strong, but base and inferior to the power that she wields. She holds your life in her hands, just as she holds mine. You should make up your mind to cooperate with her, if you truly wish to be able to exact your personal vengeances at the end of this. She has given you back your life - in return, you must give her your fidelity. If you do so, then you will be rewarded by your freedom at the end of it. That is the spell that she has cast around your neck - those beads will only allow you to live and breathe so long as you are following her will. Ramia-sama has no interest in the planet Earth or this Ryoko pirate woman who you're so obsessed with. So we're going back towards Yousai, and you had better accept that. Otherwise you might find it a little more painful than just a peck of my beak. I've been preening my feathers all morning, so the magic that touched you is potent...but it's nothing compared with what Ramia-sama will do if you dare to defy her."
"I'm not afraid of this Ramia woman." Haki glowered, anger in his expression, and he grabbed at the beaded chain, struggling to remove it. As he did so, however, a bright flare of red light encompassed him, burning through his skin, and causing him to drop to the ground, still fighting to break free. Rumiya watched from his perch, waiting patiently for the pirate to recognise the futility of his actions, and at length Haki realised that it was to no avail. The more he fought, the tighter the beads clung to his skin, and he released his grasp, cursing Rumiya loudly in the foulest language he could muster.
"Let me run this by you again." The bird said levelly, flapping his wings and sending loose feathers tumbling to the floor of the Karasu, where they burned and dropped into ash. "Lady Ramia is the Lady of Yousai, but she was originally a high-born mage of Airai, who married the late Lord of Yousai when she was still young. Ten years ago, she was confined in a tower by the magic of Jurai, just as you were confined in subspace. From this tower, she has a certain amount of influence, but the charms placed around the entrance and exit prevent anyone with Arian blood from passing through. After ten years of confinement, Lady Ramia has had enough of her prison, and seeks to be free once more."
"If she's so powerful, why can't she get herself out?" Haki demanded, dropping down against Karasu's bulky units as he folded his arms across his chest. "I don't see why she needs me, little boy. I didn't ask her to free me from subspace - I'm not without power of my own, you know. I would have broken free eventually - and I'm not afraid of this woman's power. I can't be killed, because Karasu and I are connected to one another. So your threats are useless. I'm not a fool. I don't owe you or anyone anything, and I won't let that Ramia woman intervene in my quest for blood."
"You really are an ungrateful wretch, aren't you." Rumiya sighed heavily. "I'll lay it on the line for you. Without Ramia-sama, you have no life. She cannot break through the spells of Jurai that surround her own prison - she can only act from within, and her power is limited by the aura Azusa-sama and his people placed around the tower ten years ago. If she was able to wield her full magic against the people of Yousai, she would not need you or anyone else to help her. But as it is, she can only protect me so long as I take on a small, simple form such as this. And she can only give you half of your life until she is free to complete the spell."
He cocked his heads, eying the pirate with glittering, thoughtful golden eyes.
"The beads place a barrier between the spell the Juraians put on you and your body, but it's easily broken, and it won't last forever." He continued. "The spell over you can't be completely destroyed except by a great force of will. You need Ramia-sama. And in turn, she needs you...someone not of Arian blood, someone who cannot be killed by the spells or the guards. There is something else, you see - someone else in this equation that Ramia-sama seeks. Her lady daughter has come of age in the last few months, and is now old enough to have a say in Yousai's politics for herself. Ramia seeks to reunite herself with the girl - and she needs someone to rip her away from the Council's protective custody - someone willing to kill anyone who happens to be in the way. Ramia-sama and her daughter are Yousai's true governors, but to crush the will of the council and the protection of Jurai, she needs someone strong and ruthless. She needs you to break through and destroy the tower in which she has been held for the past decade, and to take her lady daughter away from Yousai, where she is still guarded by Jurai's dirty charms. It is in your interest to help her. She will help you in return, and then you will be free to roam and terrorise the universe once again."
"Terrorise..." Haki's eyes narrowed to mere slits as he pondered this. "And then I can take my revenge on Ryoko?"
"You can do as you please." Rumiya flicked his tail carelessly. "I doubt it matters, since noone will be likely to stand in your way."
"I see." Haki paused, and his grotesque faced twisted into a slight smile. "Then perhaps there is something to be gained from this alliance after all, bird-boy."
"That is what I've been trying to tell you, you stupid pirate." Rumiya sounded exasperated, and Haki glowered at him, raising a hand and shooting a bolt of white energy in the bird's direction. Despite himself, Rumiya jumped, starting on his perch, and Haki let out a low chuckle.
"Next time I won't miss. I like to barbeque as well as to carve holes in my victims." He said softly. "You can tell your Lady Ramia that I will do as she asks, but that she should be wary. Making deals with pirates is always a dangerous business, after all - she should watch her back."
"Oh, for heaven's sake." Rumiya rolled his eyes skywards.
Haki bent to the floor, retrieving a scrap of black fabric from where it had fallen beneath Karasu's control panel. It was dusty, and flecked at the edges with blood, but he rubbed it clean, looping it around his face as he covered his scarred visage from view.
"Haki the pirate cannot be killed, yet the universe still thinks it can defeat me." He said softly. "Listen to me, bird. I was the most notorious pirate there ever was. I betrayed the Daluma and slaughtered their men, when they came after me. I stole from the Dark Prince of Jurai, and sought his Jurai magic for my own ends. I would have had it, too, if not for that ingrate Ryoko - that bastard child I trained and moulded to use as a foil for Jurai's gems. Curse that woman - she is the reason I spent so long in that awful place! But I will not rest until I have taken her head. This time I will succeed - I will take Ryoko and the Dark Heart of Jurai. Freeing your Ramia is a small job indeed - barely even worth a moment of my time. But the Dark Heart holds immense power from the core of Jurai itself...and with it, I will hold influence over the whole of the universe. Then where will your mistress be then, bird-boy? I could kill her with just a single thought."
"It would be nice if you shut up, once in a while." Rumiya spread his wings, launching himself into flight. "I have to return to Yousai, and make my report. Lady Ramia is calling me. But don't forget that you are bound to her. If you can take her daughter alive, and free them both from the shackles of Yousai, she will grant you your true freedom - but you must do her bidding before you do your own. She is not a patient or forgiving woman - you might want to keep that in mind."
With that he flickered and disappeared, and Haki let out a roar of frustration.
"That creature thinks he can tell me what to do?" He raged. "Karasu, such arrogance! Do they not know who I am? Who Haki is?"
Karasu's screen blinked and flickered into life, a grainy image blurring slowly into focus and Haki paused, eying it thoughtfully.
"Yes, that is what I truly seek." He whispered, reaching out a finger to touch the woman's face. "Ryoko, I don't forget grievances. You can't destroy something you can't kill, and no prison is foolproof. However I came to be free, I will seek you out again and I will kill you and all who shield you. I haven't forgotten your betrayal, and I will make you pay for it. Karasu found Ryo Ohki's signal, and I know you and that damn living ship are never far apart. Mark my words, Ryoko...your days are truly numbered now that I am free to roam the universe once again!"
------------------
"So run this whole thing by us once again."
Sakura settled herself on the soft reddish sofa that graced the Masaki living room, taking a sip of her tea and cupping the mug in her hands as she glanced across the chamber to where an agitated pirate was pacing anxiously across the floor. "Ryoko, stop doing that, will you? You're starting to make me nervous - whatever it was went away, didn't it? I mean, nothing happened, after all."
"Damn Washu." Ryoko muttered, her eyes narrowing as she clenched her fists. "Why, of all days, did she choose today to meet with the Science Consortium? I thought her work with them was finished - why is she still pandering to their needs? I need her, damn it!"
"Ryoko-san, take a chill pill." Hiroshi held up his hands. "Sakura's right -all the pacing is starting to make my eyes go funny. Tenchi's gone to the shrine to find this Yume girl - so what's the big deal? Nothing did actually happen, and whoever this pirate is, it looks like he went away again. Right?"
"You really don't get it." Ryoko sighed heavily, settling herself atop the table and crossing her legs in front of her. "And I really hope you won't have to get it, either. This guy is bad news on a grand scale."
Ryo Ohki leapt up onto the sofa, curling up against the cushions with a mew of agreement as she began to lick the sea-salt out of her fur, and Sakura frowned, reaching across to gently ruffle the cabbit's fur.
"Well, then explain it to us." She said evenly. "There's a lot of weird things in your life, I know that. And I get that not everything you do or have done is going to immediately be obvious to either Hiroshi and I. We come from different worlds. But we are your friends too, as well as Tenchi's. And I've not seen you so wound up since that Tennan man came and attacked the nightclub in Osaka. This is obviously a big deal - is it something else like that?"
"Seiryo Tennan is a drop in the ocean in comparison." Ryoko muttered, twisting her fingers absently through the sash of her gown as she spoke. "I don't even know where to begin explaining Haki. Just that if there's anyone in the universe he'd come seeking now, it'd be me. I don't understand why, if Karasu really was overhead, he left so easily. It bothers me...it's not like him at all."
"Karasu is a...spaceship, right?" Hiroshi hazarded, and Ryoko nodded her head, uttering another sigh.
"Yes." She agreed slowly. "Well, I suppose I'll try and put you in the picture - although I'll not be happy until Washu is here and she can check all her systems personally. She's hacked so many intergalactic radars that if something has happened, she'll be able to find out in a matter of seconds. And the sooner we know, the sooner we can try and work out what we can do."
"It sounds like you and this Haki guy have a history." Sakura said astutely. "Is he jealous of your relationship with Tenchi...is that it?"
"Jealous?" Ryoko stared, then she shook her head impatiently.
"Don't be stupid." She said frankly. "Haki is a lot older than me, and even if he was interested in me for those ends, it would never have been an issue. I was his apprentice, not his lover. He took me aboard his ship when I was twelve or thirteen, and inducted me into the world of pirates. He promised me freedom outside the law, and bonded me to that life. Up until recently, I still had the scar of that bond."
"But you were just a child!" Sakura's eyes widened. "Why would you want to be a pirate?"
"Ryo Ohki and I didn't really have any other options." Ryoko exchanged glances with her spaceship, who mewed in sympathy. "We were on our own. Scraping a meal was difficult and we didn't really have anywhere safe to stay. It wasn't like I had either a mother or a father in those days - I didn't know about Washu, and even if I had, she was a long way from Jurai and well out of my reach. I liked the idea of seeing so many places and doing what I wanted, when I wanted. And in some respects, I still do - I'm not unhappy that he took me on, even if he had his own reasons for doing so."
"Which were?" Hiroshi asked curiously. "This is a story that Tenchi hasn't told me!"
"I'm the bastard daughter of Jurai's traitor Prince." Ryoko said bluntly. "He had an obsession with these gemstones from Jurai, and harnessing their power. He took me in and protected me because he intended to use me in his pursuit of them. They were tuned by my father to his bloodline, and so Haki hoped that I would be able to wield them. Then he could drain their magic from me and use it for his own ends. In the end, though, I wielded the magic against him and we used it to imprison him."
"It's almost like a movie." Sakura rested her chin in her hands. "So now you think he's got out of this prison and is coming for his revenge?"
"I think it's very odd that, if he is loose, he didn't come get it this afternoon." Ryoko said acidly. "Haki is a bloodthirsty, butchering monster, and he wouldn't mind slaying a few innocent Earthlings in his pursuit of me. He likes blood...I think he really enjoys every killing. Holding back isn't his usual technique...it bothers me."
Sakura shivered.
"I don't like the sound of that." She murmured. "You think he'd come and kill just anyone he met, if it meant he could get a hold of you?"
"I think he'd kill anyone, regardless of whether I was there or not." Ryoko said bitterly. "Before I joined up with him, he betrayed a powerful and dangerous pirate guild and slaughtered several of the members with very little trouble. I saw him do many bad things, when I was in his charge. I learnt to keep out of his way when he was angry, and I'm sure that if he hadn't needed me, he would have killed me. I'm sure there were times he held himself back. I took bruises, but he never went for me with any seriousness."
She shrugged, leaning back on her hands.
"Then there was a Galaxy Police raid, and his ship was blown to pieces." She added. "I escaped his grasp, and was able to be a pirate on my own terms for the first time. I thought he was dead. Trouble is, I didn't know that his ship had other ideas. Karasu is a Phoenix ship, and I don't understand how it works exactly, but, well, you know the legend of the Phoenix, right? The bird that rises from the ashes?"
"Yeah, sure." Hiroshi nodded, then, "Wait, are you saying that his spaceship brought him back from the dead?"
"Just that." Ryoko said grimly. "Each time Haki is slain and his ship is destroyed, Karasu brings them both back, strengthening their bond and their power, but also making him more demonic and just flat out crazy. The last time we faced him, he'd taken the Crown Princess of Jurai his prisoner, in the hopes of ransoming her for the Juraian gems. Defeating him on that occasion was the thing which got me my pardon - and means I can fly free across the universe. But as Tenchi said, it almost cost me my life. I'm not overly anxious to repeat the experience."
"What happened to the gemstones?" Sakura asked. "Could he just be looking for them again, and not you at all?"
"Well, either way, it doesn't spell good news for us." Ryoko glanced absently at her wrists. "The gems combined with my body when I used them against my father in battle. They're a part of me now. Even if he did come looking for them, he'd still find himself on my doorstep."
She looked troubled.
"I don't want to leave the Earth, and I don't want to be hunted down. I'd rather be the hunter than the prey." She added. "But right now I'd settle for knowing exactly what's going on. It sets me on edge and I don't like it...if he's free, I want to know about it, so I can work out what we need to do."
"Is this guy...more powerful than you are, Ryoko?" Hiroshi asked hesitantly. Ryoko shrugged.
"He was then. I don't know about now." She said pensively. "The gems did enhance my magic, but then again, it took three of us plus them to seal him in the first place. There's a pretty good chance that he is still stronger than me, even considering that fact."
"Wow." Sakura shook her head slowly. "I guess we kinda get this view of you being this amazingly strong alien pirate woman who can do just about anything she likes and who can kick the crap out of anyone on this planet. But I suppose in a galactic sense it's not like that. I mean, there must be others who are stronger than you are...right? We just don't see them so much here on the Earth."
"There are much stronger forces out there, sadly for me." Ryoko said ruefully. "There aren't many who can match Tenchi, however."
"Masaki? Are you kidding me?" Hiroshi snorted. "The guy fell down half a flight of steps at college the other day because he caught his foot on his bag strap and went flying. Are you telling me that he has more magic than you do? You can't be serious."
"Thanks, Ikeda. That confidence in my abilities makes me feel really well appreciated." At that moment Tenchi pushed open the door of the salon, casting his friend a wry smile as he ushered his companion inside. "It's nice to know how my friends see me."
"Well, it's a fair point though." Sakura said absently. "You do trip over your own feet most weeks. Plus there was that time in first year when that guy's dog got loose on campus and the mutt trampled you down trying to lick you to death. You didn't do so good getting him off your case...it doesn't exactly scream heroic."
Despite herself, Ryoko chuckled at her fiance's expression.
"I guess there have been a few times he's fallen off the shrine gateway and I've had to catch him." She acknowledged. "I didn't say he always knew what to do with his power. When he manages to use it, I've not seen anyone able to get past it. But most of the time he hasn't got a clue what he's doing. It's definitely a quality not quantity situation."
"Hey, I do my best." Tenchi defended himself. "I just don't need to fight evil forces on a daily basis, and there's not really any call for it here on the Earth."
"Ryoko, Tenchi says you want my help." The prince's companion spoke at that moment, casting the pirate a smile. "What's the matter? He said something about a spaceship - a Karasu?"
"You don't know about Haki - it was before you came to live with us." Ryoko said with a nod of her head. "I don't know if you can even begin to find out what I need, Yume - but Ryo Ohki picked up a signal from a very specific spaceship when we were at the beach. She thinks it's Karasu, a pirate ship with regenerative qualities...and she's not usually wrong."
"I see." Yume frowned. "And this pirate is bad news, I trust?"
"Very." Ryoko agreed grimly. Yume pursed her lips, holding out her hands to Ryo Ohki, who leapt up into her grip, raising amber eyes to her companion.
"You're sure about this, aren't you?" The droid reflected. "I can see it in your eyes. I trust your sensors, Ryo Ohki. Washu isn't here, but I'll see what I can find out for you. I can access most of her computer systems, after all - if need be, I have access to her genetic blueprint. It wouldn't be the first time I hacked her entry codes."
"Then do that, if you don't mind." Ryoko looked relieved. "I know it might seem a lot of fuss when nothing actually happened, but believe me, we need to know the truth."
"I'm feeling rather like we skipped over a couple of pages at once again." Hiroshi remarked. "What's all this about signals and genetic blueprints and sensors? I might be seeing things, but Tenchi, isn't that girl the woman who helps cook and clean your house? And that's definitely Ryoko's cat she's holding...right? Because does anyone else see a problem with this picture? Pirate ships might be massing over the horizon, but are you really so desperate that you're relying on your housekeeper and your pet to solve the mystery?"
Ryoko stared at him for a moment, bemused, and Tenchi clapped a hand on his friend's arm, amusement in his dark eyes.
"You know that Ryoko's mother Washu is a scientist. Yume is her assistant, as well as being something of a domestic whiz." He said quietly. "And Ryo Ohki is Ryoko's spaceship...she's not just a pet cat."
"A...spaceship?" Sakura's eyes almost fell out of her head. "That little creature? But she's tiny...and...and so cute! How on earth would you get inside her?"
"Both Ryo Ohki and I were built based on technology developed by Washu when she was at the Science Academy." Yume flashed the girl a smile. "We both have the ability to change our form as suits us - Ryo Ohki spends much of her time on land in this form, but when Ryoko wants to travel, she becomes a ship and one of the fastest and most versatile ships that exist, even now. I'm not a spaceship - I'm just a droid who can change her appearance - but at times my computer systems can still be put to good use."
"You...you're not human?" Hiroshi blinked. "Really? Damn it. That's just not fair. You shouldn't be allowed to look so damn pretty, if you're nothing more than nuts and bolts!"
Yume laughed.
"I'm an organic computer system, which means I have independant thoughts and feelings beyond my programming." She said with a grin. "But I choose to look this way because people on this world more easily accept what they expect to see. It's the disguise I had when I first met Tenchi and his family...and so I've kept it. That's all."
"You really do have a very weird family, Tenchi-kun." Sakura flopped back onto the sofa, closing her eyes, and Tenchi looked rueful.
"Perhaps." He admitted. "Yume, do you think you can reference what Ryo Ohki picked up, and find out if it's possible that Karasu is still out there?"
"I'll get on to it right now...and I'll also send out a signal to Washu, telling her that we need her help." Yume nodded her head. "Ryoko, try not to worry...if there's anything I can discover, I'll let you know as soon as possible!"
