Galaxy 1001D presents:
Bram Stoker's Kagato
Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker
Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra
Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu
Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray
Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris
Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield
Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward
Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato
Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way.
Based on "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima
Chapter Thirty-six: The True Heir
Kagato laughed as he threw Tenchi across the chamber with a casual flick of his wrist. Tenchi hit the stone wall and sank to his knees. Kagato was only toying with them! They only lived as long as they were amusing to the ancient vampire, then he would finish them. How could they hope to defeat something so powerful?
"No," Tenchi gasped as knelt in shock. "This can't be the end…"
"Do something brilliant!" Ayeka demanded as she towered over Washu. "You're the leading expert on the supernatural aren't you?"
"She's right!" Kiyone said as she conferred with the heiress and the redhead. "There's got to be something you haven't thought of!"
"Well there's still one thing we can try," Washu offered.
"What is it?" Ayeka asked.
"We can all pray really hard," the ingenious carrot top clasped her hands and bowed her head as Kiyone and Ayeka swooned backwards in shock. Washu started chanting a strange mantra.
"I pray really hard in Sunday School!" Mihoshi smiled cheerfully as she reloaded Kiyone's crossbow.
Sasami dashed across to the room to reach Tenchi's side. "Tenchi!" the child squeaked. "What's the matter?"
"I'm sorry to fail you," he said as he looked away from the child, but whether he was speaking to Sasami or Saint Tsunami was debatable. "I'm not strong enough to rescue Ryoko…"
"Of course you're not, silly!" Sasami frowned. "None of us are!"
"What?" That was the last thing he expected her to say.
"Tenchi, only the Lord is powerful enough to defeat the Devil!" Sasami explained. She seemed exasperated, as if what she said should be obvious. "All this time, have you ever tried praying really, really hard?"
Tenchi's eyes widened in realization. He hadn't! Even after his near death experience and receiving a holy sword from an angel from Heaven he never once gave thanks to the Lord for saving his life! He was treating the entire ordeal as some kind of dream because if he fully believed what was happening he afraid he would panic and run away. Didn't Tsunami say that the sword she had given him was only as powerful as his faith in God and his devotion to justice?
Tenchi bowed pressed the hilt of the sword to his forehead. "Heavenly Father give me the strength and the ability to do Your Will. Forgive me for my sins and allow me to save these women. Lend me Your Power and the power of my ancestors."
In the meantime, Azaka and Kamadake had tried to attack Kagato. The ancient vampire threw the two logs across the chamber where they thundered like an avalanche. Ayeka winced as her two ancestors bounced and rolled helplessly like a couple of toy blocks thrown by an angry child.
Kagato rose to his full height and red lightning bolts crackled in his hands. Ryoko screamed as crimson bolts of lightning arced across her body. Apparently the elder vampire was drawing strength from his progeny without even touching her. Sasami ran across the room to Ryoko's side. Somehow the child's proximity broke the connection between the two vampires and Ryoko collapsed in exhaustion in the little girl's arms.
Kagato glanced over at the two. "I was going to dispose of you later but why not now?" he muttered. He extended his hand in Sasami's direction, but his view was obstructed by a determined Tenchi who stepped in between the vampire and his target. "You must be made of iron," Kagato sneered. "You really are a glutton for punishment aren't you boy?"
"Tenchi! Run! Get away!" Ryoko cried as Sasami walked away from her to approach the solicitor and his foe. Sadly, as soon as the child left Ryoko's presence the blood red lightning bolts started to course along her body once again. "Ah! Please… please don't…" she moaned weakly as she flopped on the floor in an attempt to painfully crawl forward. "You've got the rest of us… please… spare him…" she gasped.
"Can this boy mean that much to you?" Kagato sneered as his stricken progeny. "Well not to worry…" he mused as he extended his hand towards Tenchi and took aim. "Very soon you and 'Princess' Ayeka will join him. Very soon indeed. He won't be alone in death."
"NO…!" Ryoko painful cry drowned out the sound of Kagato's laughter as tears ran down her cheeks.
A green burst of energy erupted from the ancient vampire's hand. Tenchi made no move to get away. On the contrary, his head was bowed in prayer as he held the hilt of the sword up to his closed eyes. Sasami clasped her hands as she crouched behind him with her head bowed and eyes closed.
An emerald explosion sent bits of stone flying as black clouds of dust obscured vision. "Now it's your turn," Kagato said as he turned back to Washu, Ayeka, Mihoshi and Kiyone. In his peripheral vision, the vampire spied a glowing cross of white light appear in the cloud of smoke where Tenchi and Sasami had been standing. "Huh? Impossible! How could…?"
He trailed off when he saw Tenchi and Sasami standing behind a glowing cross projected by the glowing sword in the lawyer's hand.
"That sword!" Kagato gasped. "It can't be! That means…!"
The glowing cross moved backwards over Tenchi and his clothing changed. Rather than the bedraggled country tweed suit he had been wearing he was now wearing a poufy blue shirt, short red breeches, a red cape, blue stockings, red boots and a blue tabard emblazoned with a coat of arms depicting three gold crowns arranged vertically over each other. A thick gold belt was around his waist and a golden circlet covered his brow.
"It's you!" Kagato growled. "You're the last son of Pendragon! You're the heir to King Arthur! The one with the royal bloodline is you!"
"Tenchi's… nosebleed," Ryoko gasped as she remembered the corset incident. "I tasted Tenchi's blood before Ayeka's…"
Tenchi held the sword so that the blade was pointing at the ceiling. Before everyone's eyes, the small Roman gladius lengthened into a medieval longsword.
"The legendary sword Excalibur!" Washu gushed. "I never thought I'd see it…!"
With an animal cry, Kagato let loose a blaze of emerald energy. Tenchi blocked it with a shining kite shield that appeared magically in his off hand. "No!" the elder vampire cried as he telekinetically hurled boulder sized debris at the lawyer. "Get him!" They harmlessly bounced off Tenchi's shield or were batted out of the air by Tenchi's sword. "I've got you!" Kagato growled as he telekinetically recovered the sword he had threatened Ryoko with and lunged across the chamber at Tenchi in one spectacular leap!
"Hiyah!" Tenchi cried as his shield vanished and he swung Excalibur with both hands. Kagato blocked it with his sword and the two of them grimaced as they tried to overpower each other. Somehow, the smaller Tenchi was able to push the vampire back. Kagato staggered backwards separating himself from his foe when…
Thunk! A crossbow bolt hit Kagato almost square in the chest. The wooden projectile was just off to the right, exactly over the vampire's heart.
"Oh no!" a teary eyed Mihoshi dropped the crossbow and staggered backwards while clutching the sides of her head. "Master! I am so! Sorry!"
"Renfield!" Kagato growled as he dropped his sword and fell to his knees. "You… idiot…" he hissed in a hoarse whisper.
"Tenchi!" Washu snapped. "Now's your chance!"
"That's right!" Ayeka squeaked. "End this nightmare!"
"You're right," Tenchi smiled as he glanced at Ryoko. "Ryoko herself is more than we can handle! There's not enough room for two vampires!" He held Excalibur with both hands like a samurai warrior. "There can be only one!" he cried as he swung the sword like an American baseball player.
The blade took Kagato's head off without resistance and black energy burned out of the stump of his neck. Tenchi yelped and scurried backwards as the vampire's body writhed on the ground and burned to a crisp under the black flames emanating from its head and body.
Ryoko screamed and convulsed as her body was wracked with unbearable agony. Eventually she collapsed and whined pitifully before Ayeka, Tenchi, Sasami, and Washu scampered over to her. "Ow…" she sniveled as Tenchi and Ayeka pulled her to a sitting position. Tenchi dropped his sword as his clothing changed back into the bedraggled 19th century country tweeds and Excalibur once again resembled a smaller Roman gladius.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi gasped. "Your face, it's different!"
"What's wrong with my face?" the young vampire groaned. "Don't tell me that with Kagato destroyed I look even older!"
"No! Younger!" Ayeka smiled. "Even though your hair is still silver and your eyes are still golden you look like a twenty-year old again! Don't you see? You're getting better!"
"Now that the progenitor is dead we can cure you!" Washu grinned. "Now we can cure the disease instead of merely treating the symptoms!"
"Hooray!" Sasami cheered. "You're getting better!"
"Yeah!" Ryoko smiled radiantly as they helped her to her feet.
The ceiling rumbled ominously overhead. "Uh-oh!" Washu frowned. "Now that Kagato is destroyed there's nothing to keep this collection of rocks from falling apart and tumbling into the sea! Ayeka, you've got a connection with the land. See if you and your guardians can keep the chi flowing through this place until we're safely out of here!"
"Azaka! Kamadake!" Ayeka called out to her wooden guardians. "Lend me your power until we can leave this place!"
"Yes ma'am!" the logs chorused. Ayeka closed her eyes and spread her arms. Little wooden cylinders appeared in air above them to float as if suspended on invisible wires. Before Tenchi's unbelieving eyes, the entire chamber was filled with tiny logs.
"Oh… Master!" a heartbroken Mihoshi wept by the pile of ashes and charred bones that was once the ancient vampire Kagato. "I'm so sorry! I tried to hit the vampire… and I got you by mistake! Please get better! Please-please-please!"
"Mihoshi," Kiyone put her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "It's alright. Count Kagato was the vampire. He was controlling your mind. He cast a spell on you."
"He did?" Mihoshi blinked in confusion. "He was?"
"Yes," Kiyone nodded. "But it's over now. He's gone. You're free! Don't you see? You don't ever have to follow anyone's orders again!"
"I'm… I'm free," Mihoshi gasped quietly before her voice rose in a shrill cheer.
"I'm free! I'm really free! This is wonderful! I'm actually free! Huh?" She looked around to see her friends and two logs at the far end of the chamber.
"Quick Mihoshi! Hurry up!" Kiyone shouted as she gestured to the clueless blonde. "We don't know how long Ayeka can hold this place together!"
"Ooh! Yezzz Master! I'm coming!" the demented blonde rasped sinisterly while shambling like a limping hunchback.
A few days later outside Ayeka's country house Ryoko was putting laundry on a clothesline to dry. "I don't get this!" the young vampire growled. "How come I got to do all the work around here? Don't you have servants to do this, Ayeka?"
"What are you complaining about?" Ayeka swatted Ryoko with a boom. "Sasami's been having to cook nonstop ever since you got your appetite back. Besides, it's part of your therapy. Industry is a Christian virtue. Housework won't kill you anymore. You're just lazy. After you finish with this it's on to Bible Study." She gave her friend another swat with the broom.
"Ow!" Ryoko vanished to reappear behind Ayeka and rub her head. "Will you stop that? I'm not immune to getting hurt anymore! Mops and brooms don't kill me, but now I get hurt just like anyone else! When are you going to lay off?"
"When you stop flying and disappearing for starters," Ayeka retorted. "Don't forget, as long as I remain in Glastonbury, Azaka and Kamadake recharge my energy. I can remain a witch as long as you remain a vampire, and somebody has to instill a little discipline in you."
"You're enjoying this way too much, Ayeka!" Ryoko growled as she picked up a rake and held it like a quarterstaff. "I think you're the one who needs a little discipline!"
"Now put down that rake!" Ayeka screeched as the heiress readied herself with her broom. "Giving in to your negative impulses will just make it take longer for you to get back to normal!"
"Quit your whining!" Ryoko snarled. "You heal faster than anyone these days! As long as your stupid logs are you supplying energy, you could probably heal broken bones in less than a day!" Her golden eyes narrowed evilly. "I think I'll conduct a little experiment…"
"You just try it!" Ayeka threatened as she brandished her broom. "You still heal pretty quick too so I won't hold back!"
Watching the dueling duo were two massive logs. "So how long do think we're going to remain here on Earth, Azaka?" the log with the red glyph chirped.
"As long as Lady Ayeka is threatened by the supernatural," the log with the blue glyph rumbled. "We might as well make ourselves comfortable Kamadake. It looks like we're going to be here for some time."
As the sounds of battle echoed in the distance Tenchi looked out at the lake while glancing momentarily at the short sword in his hand.
Washu walked over to him. "Penny for your thoughts, Tenchi?" the little genius asked. "You've been pretty quiet for the last few days."
"I just can't believe I'm a descendant of King Arthur," he replied. "That after one and a half millennia my bloodline was strong enough to allow me to wield Excalibur, the legendary Excalibur! You'd think there would be too many peasants in my background for that to happen."
"Well technically, there are too many peasants in your background for your royal blood to manifest without a little help," Washu admitted. "If it wasn't for an equally weak royal bloodline you got from Japan you probably couldn't hold that sword, let alone wield it."
"Wait a minute, von Washu, are you saying that the only reason I was British enough to be King Arthur is because I'm half Japanese?"
"Yep," Washu smiled. "Never be ashamed of your exotic background Tenchi. Thanks to your foreign mother you're as British as bangers and mash! So what are you going to do now? Overthrow Queen Victoria and claim your throne?"
"No," Tenchi shook his head. "King Arthur got this sword because he deserved it. This is a Celestial object, not of this Earth. If I keep it I run the risk of causing a holy war or starting a new religion. I should send it back where it came from and trust that it will be given to a worthy champion the next time the supernatural threatens England."
"Humble and cute," Washu nodded. "I can see why the girls fight over you all the time. I might throw my hat into the ring myself."
Tenchi blushed before taking an athletic stance and throwing the sword over the lake as far as he could. Before the sword hit the water, a hand poked out of the lake and caught it by the hilt. Emerging from the lake was the robed and smiling form of Tsunami, standing on the surface of the water as if it was a solid floor. Perfectly dry, the angel waved and smiled at the duo.
"Hey everyone!" Tenchi called. "It's an angel! It's Saint Tsunami herself! Come and see!"
"What?" Kiyone said as she jogged over to the shore. "An angel? I don't believe it! Mihoshi, you've got to see this!"
"Oh boy!" Mihoshi cheered as she dashed out of the house. "A real angel! Where? I wanna see!"
"I knew you were real Saint Tsunami!" Sasami gushed as she jogged to the lake. "I prayed real hard, and you always came through for me!"
"Meow!" smiled little Ryo-ohki who was running beside her. "Meow! Meow!"
"An angel!" Ryoko paled as she floated over to the shore. "I don't believe it!"
"This must be the angel that Sasami prayed to!" Ayeka cried as she caught up with the others. "She must be the reason you're still alive!"
"Can we go home now?" Azaka rumbled. "I'm sure that Lady Ayeka is finally safe from the supernatural."
"Yes," Kamadake chirped. "I'm sure Ryoko won't hurt her. We'd really like to go back to Heaven now. Please…?"
"A full corporal celestial manifestation!" Washu gasped. "The lady of the lake no less! Of course! King Arthur was England's first Christian king! The lady of the lake was an angel of the Lord the entire time!"
"Thanks for everything, Tsumani," Tenchi smiled as the girls assembled around him. "Thanks for restoring Ryoko and restoring our faith in the Lord. And thank you for having faith in us."
Giggling girlishly, Tsunami spread her wings as the sun created a halo behind her. She made a square with her fingers in order to frame Tenchi and the others. While standing between Azaka and Kamadake, they were all in a bunch by the lakeshore as if they were posing for a group photo. Even though it was the middle of autumn here in Glastonbury, for Tenchi and the girls it was the beginning of a whole new spring.
END