Chapter 5: Answers
Kiyone sat before Yugami's controls keeping a keen eye on the stars before her. All was silent except for the sound of the hum of Yugami's engines and the deep breath of the sleeping Mihoshi. It had long passed since they last heard anything from anyone The last they head from the others was when Mihoshi mistakenly stumbled onto a pair of shadows who took her to be a bubble headed fool they could perchance have some fun with. Although Mihoshi did not realize she was chatting with a small group of Shadow warriors.
When Kiyone found the group and Mihoshi laughing about at a karaoke bar she ranted while pulling on Mihoshi's blonde hair. The Shadow warriors were too stunned at the sight of Kiyone battering Mihoshi to retreat, leading to there arrest.
Kiyone sighed as looked over towards Mihoshi. 'If it wasn't for Mihoshi's bumbling we wouldn't have found them. And HQ might actually give us a promotion.' Kiyone's warm smile faded. 'But what those Shadows told us about Suzuka's whereabouts were wrong. Most likely they did it on propose. But why?' Kiyone wondered.
"Kiyone. Kiyone!" Mihoshi now awake called out to Mihoshi as she gently shook her to get her attention.
"Huh?" Kiyone snapped out of her thoughts. "What is it Mihoshi?" She asked.
"It's a message from Tenchi!" Mihoshi smiled pointing to the blinking screen.
Kiyone smiled. "Well turn it on." She said.
"Okay Kiyone!" Mihoshi chirped reaching out to press a button on the panel.
"Wait Mihoshi not that button!" Kiyone cried out.
Too late Mihoshi pressed down on a small yellow button, which resulted in ejecting Kiyone from her chair.
After a few moments Kiyone was back aboard. "Sorry Kiyone." Mihoshi sniffed after Kiyone clobbered her in her head.
Kiyone growled with irritation as she brought up the message from Tenchi. "Hey Tenchi." Both Kiyone and Mihoshi called.
"Mihoshi, Kiyone it's nice to see you again." Tenchi said. Ayeka appeared beside him nodding her head in greetings. "We are gathering everyone together." Tenchi went on.
"Yes, we believe that everyone but Ryoko is being lead astray." Ayeka said.
Kiyone looked out at the empty space before them, she had no doubt that they too had been lied to.
"We are on our way back to Jurai right now." Kiyone said changing the direction of the Yugami.
"Yeah!" Mihoshi cried. "Suzuka here we come!"
***
It had been almost a month since Hotsuma had left Ryoko and Katsuhito. "What a day!" Ryoko exclaimed as she walked onto the Yubori.
"Ryoko!" A voice called out. Both Ryoko and the youthful Yosho look towards each other. Then it came again. "Dammit Ryoko it's me answer!" Someone yelled.
"It's Hotsuma!" Ryoko smiled teleporting herself to the communication panel.
Ryoko quickly opened the line. "I thought I was the impatient one in this marriage." Ryoko smiled at the sight on her husband.
Hotsuma smiled back at the sight of his wife. "You spent seven hundred years trapped in a cave that had to teach you some patients."
It was then Ryoko's eyes drifted over to see a blue haired woman standing behind Hotsuma. "Who did you kidnap?" She asked trying to hide her dislike of the situation. For the first time in years she was feeling the old jealousy and hatred she use to feel for Ayeka when they fought over Tenchi.
"Midori, our new recruit." Hotsuma said motioning at Midori.
"Oh?" Katsuhito asked appearing once again in his elderly form.
"She's very...persuasive. We've found out that Suzuka has the children at A-" The line went dead filling the screen with static.
"Hotsuma?" Ryoko called. "Hotsuma? Hotsuma!" She slammed her fist into the panel. "Damn!" She shouted.
An hour passed as Ryoko fought to regain communication with Hotsuma. "This can't be happening!" She hissed crossing her legs to pout.
"I think you should give up on that for now before you make it worse than it already is." Yosho said handing Ryoko a cup of saki.
"You keep forgetting a few things Yosho. I'm the daughter of the universe's greatest mad genius, I know how to fix things, and secondly Washu created this ship, it has the best of everything according to my request." Ryoko stated. "If something doesn't work right it's because someone damaged it." Ryoko said.
"Like Midori?" Yosho asked.
"I'm only stating the facts." Ryoko said with a frown.
"Are you jealous Ryoko?" Yosho asked.
"I've fought with Ayeka over Tenchi for almost a lifetime. I know what jealousy is. That woman I just don't trust, something about she that gets under my skin." Ryoko said.
Yosho nodded his head. "We've been led around in circles in a twisted game. I think it's time we got some straight answers." He said.
"And how do you propose we do that?" Ryoko asked a malevolent smirk played across her face.
"With the help of someone who isn't known for being with us." Yosho said.
***
A man perhaps in his late twenties walked into the dank bar and grills that served more as a bar than a grill. To the man it was a squalid place, the painted walls of the lowly establishment once red now a faded orange from smoke and dust screaming to be repainted. The hanging lights casting off a violent bright glow made it seems even more slovenly.
The patrons of the bar and grill examined the newcomer from the corners of their eyes very few daring to look directly at him. Long black hair, which brought to mind the back of a raven, was tied behind his back in fashion of a mid-back long rattail. His face although seemed callous held an arrogant stare, perhaps a certain confidence that he knew in secret teasing others to guess what he held so confident. He wore something much like an eye-patch on his what use to be his right eye; leaving a piercing black cold and uncaring eye lonely on his face. He made a scoffing sound as if it was beneath him to even be seen in such a destitute place. No one could tell of his body type, for he covered himself in a long coat almost dropping to his feet. All they could see was an anomalous lead wrapped twice around his fist leading out of the curtain that acted as a door during the hot days of the planet.
"Bounty hunter no doubt." Someone mumbled from the corner of the room.
The newcomer made another sound much like that of a reluctant grunt as he tugged on the leather lead yanking a young woman to his side. The woman's hair fell just above her shoulders in an amazing color of red that resembled dried red blood. She looked weary with dark half circles under her eyes, but it was easy to see she was strong and stubborn. Her slightly dirty face held a once proud look. Her emerald green eyes hard yet distant that showed she despised the collar and lead restraining her from utmost freedom. Her gifted yet built body was hugged firmly by the dark green outfit she worn. It was easy to see that she may have been at the man's mercy but her soul wasn't broken.
The man sat down at a table in the back of the room then motioned for the woman to sit in the chair across from him. She looked around at the place as she sat giving it the same detesting look as the bounty hunter did.
As the two sat and began to look over the drink menus the bar patrons began to settle back into there carefree nature all the while keeping the two in mind. "She your slave?" A dirty orange man with missed decaying teeth asked.
"She's a bounty I decided to keep for myself." The bounty hunter said in a jagged voice.
"For your pleasure?" The man asked reaching out to comb his crooked fingers through the woman's hair.
The woman did not move but a low growl rumbled from her throat causing many of the people to observe the daring man. "Don't touch me." She said in a low foreboding tone.
The man laughed. "What did your little pet use to do before you tamed her?" He asked burying his nose in her hair inhaling deeply.
"Destroying colonies and assassination." The bounty hunter said bluntly.
The man gasped out just moments before the woman swung her fist back breaking the man's nose's causing it to gush with blood. As the man howled in pain her fingers entwined in his hair. With a swift shove she slammed his bloody face into the tabletop rendering him unconscious.
At that sudden movement all of the outlaws decided that for a bounty hunter to keep someone as tough as the deadly redhead on a leash was a person to evade.
The bounty hunter removed a large metal sphere from his coat and held it out for everyone to see.
"A sonic disrupter. But those things are banded!" The bartender and owner of the bar and grill said.
"No one moves or you all will suffer from a severe headache before your heads explode." The bounty hunter said. Everyone slowly settled back into their seats. "Now Jurai's offering a large cash reward on the rescue of Ryoko Hakubi's brats." He said. The redhead cast a glare at the bounty hunter.
He nodded his head and he both he and the redhead placed earplugs in their ears. "Now you have 15 seconds to tell me what you know." He said activating the timer on the disrupter.
Everyone wondered if the bounty hunter was bluffing until the unmistakable sound of the disrupter charging filled the room.
"11 seconds." The woman said. "10, 9, 8, 7." As she counted the charging sound became louder and louder. "6, 5-"
"Suzuka took them to Hadrin!" A man in dark clothing said.
"Everyone out! Except you." The redhead said pointing to the shadow warrior.
The bounty hunter smiled pocketing the disrupter. "Are you sure you aren't lying to us? The last shadow warrior of Suzuka led us in the wrong direction. Ashe had run paying him back for sending us to that backwater planet, didn't you Ashe?" The bounty hunter asked. The redhead nodded as her tongue ran over her teeth. "Do you wish to try again?" He asked removing the leash from Ashe's collar.
"No, I'm telling you the truth." The shadow warrior said firmly though he was full of fear.
"I don't think you are. Ashe have fun." The bounty hunter said.
"With pleasure master Quartz." Ashe hissed seconds before she released a primal growl and spring on to the table just before the shadow warrior.
The Shadow warrior drew a black sword and held it defensively before him. Ashe laughed in amusement as she whisked out a claw like hand. The silence of the room was broken for a brief second with the shrill sound of sharp nails against metal. "Back off if you don't wish to die." The shadow warrior said.
Ashe only laughed again from her perch on the tabletop as she tapped her nail to the sword. To the Shadow's shock his dark sword fell away in four large pieces. "You know the last shadow made funny little noises as Quartz allowed me to disembowel him. I wonder if you'll do the same." She said her lips twisted into an insane grin revealing her sharp fanged teeth.
"NO!" The shadow cried when he noticed he was powerless to fight Ashe. "Call her off!" He said pressing himself flat against the wall trying to maintain distance.
"Tell us what Suzuka is up to and where she is." Quartz said sitting down at the bar causally serving himself a drink.
"I won't betray Suzuka that easily." The Shadow said quickly reaching to his side removing a sword.
Ashe jumped down from her perch on the table and grabbed the shadow by the wrist and the throat. She forced him back pinning him against the wall as one hand held his wrist holding the sword above his head while the other pressed down on his windpipe. With very little effort she threw him over her shoulder sending him flying across the room to the bar. The shadow landed with a hard crack right before Quartz.
The shadow, pain stricken, managed to roll onto his back. He looked up in time to see Ashe falling from the sky with her fist squared about to land on him.
"AH!" He cried out as she fell atop him.
When the shadow opened his eyes Ashe's green eyes looked down on him in amusement. Sighing in relief his head drifted to the side. His breath became caught in his throat as he saw Ashe's fist embedded in the broken metal floorboard. "I'll talk, I'll tell you anything you wish." He said in a near sob.
"Ashe why must you toy with your victims?" Asked Quartz standing. He hooked the leash once again on Ashe's collar.
"Suzuka's at Amil." The shadow began slowly standing onto his shaky feet. "Where her planet once was! She says it will all end where it began, something about poetic justice." The shadow said.
"More like cruel irony." Ashe hissed. "Keep talking."
"S-s-she commanded us to give out false information to anyone who asked about her whereabouts except Ryoko."
"Why?" Quartz asked.
"She wants to make Ryoko suffer as she did." The shadow said.
"How?" Ashe asked.
"By abolishing all that made Ryoko happy." He said.
"How?" Quartz asked. "What does Suzuka intends to do with Ryoko's family.
"That is all I know and can tell you." The shadow said.
Quartz tied Ashe's lead to the bar table then stood. "You're in deep shit now, big boy." Ashe sneered.
"What?" The shadow asked as Quartz adjusted his ye patch then removed a sword seemingly fro no where.
"My dear master Quartz is the greatest swordsman in the universe. No man or woman is his equal. How do you think he captured me?" Ashe asked
"Ha! If he's so good how is it I never heard of him?" The shadow tired to sound brave but his words came out a nervous squeak.
"Oh but he is the greatest. He's really good with his sword. I've seen him cut a man into quarters in barely a second's time. Quartz is much more neater and quicker in his killings than I. Master you are too merciful." Ashes chuckled darkly as she finished off the bottle of liquor Quartz was drinking.
Quartz swung his sword once at the table separating him from the man. The table fell apart in two halves. "If you wish for your life to be spared tell us what Suzuka wish to do with Hotsuma Hakubi." Quartz said.
"Hotsuma?" The shadow began to laugh until Quartz placed his sword to the man's throat. "Hotsuma right now is with Manora. The greatest and most loyal of Suzuka's fighters, her champion. She is the most attractive creature in the universe. She has orders to seduce Hotsuma so that he forgets all about his demon wife and hell spawn children." He laughed.
"Is that all? I have seen Hotsuma; he is devoted to his wife." Ashe said.
"Not for long, Manora will have him; she always delivers from our mistress. And that is not it. When Ryoko faces Suzuka she will reveal to her Hotsuma's infidelity. And then she will kill them all."
There was a shocked look in both Quartz and Ashe's faces. Ashe growled in her throat about to rush towards the man if it not for the restraint of her collar. "How could you be apart of the bitch's plans?" She asked trying to get her hands on him. "How the hell can you-"
"Ashe be quiet!" Quartz shouted bringing Ashe's movements to a stop. "As for you. I should take you personally to Ryoko and let her deal with you." Quartz said.
"Let me take her place." Ashe sneered.
"No we must go. We'll have to leave him with the galaxy police." Quartz said tying the shadow's hands together with a bar towel and shoving him out the bar.
***
"I knew that woman was no good!" Ryoko shouted as she and Yosho boarded Yubori. Ryoko removed the green contact from her eyes. "Suzuka's been toying around with us from the beginning! Making us walk around in circles until we were separated enough!" Ryoko screamed in anger.
"Ryoko don't let your anger cloud your judgment." Yosho said removing the eye patch.
Ryoko removed the red wig as she closed her eyes tightly taking slow deep breaths. About seven minutes later Ryoko opened her eyes. "As I see this Suzuka have some slut seducing my husband into abandoning our family, she's trying to kill me and the rest of my family! Sorry Yosho but it's a little hard to remain calm!" Ryoko shouted storming into the bathroom in hopes that a long soak in the tub would help to relax her.
***
As Ryoko laid in the soothing hot water of the bath her mind began to wonder. Never before had Ryoko ever doubted Hotsuma's love towards her. He had fought some many just to be with her. He fought his orders from Yugi, Tenchi, Kagato, and herself when Kagato had control over her mind and body once again.
So how could she doubt Hotsuma?
::Because of what that Shadow told you.:: The small voice of doubt told her. 'The greatest and most loyal of Suzuka's fighters, her champion. She is the most attractive creature in the universe.' The Shadow had told her before.
"No Hotsuma won't abandon us." Ryoko said to herself. "He loves our children and me." Ryoko began to wonder why she doubted herself and Hotsuma so easily. He wouldn't dare let some servant slut of Suzuka win him over.
Groaning with frustration Ryoko sunk her head under the water. A song she had heard while on duty jumped into her mind as she thought her worries over.
"Here I lay all alone in the night
Beside myself tonight
So lonely which my words can't explain
Could it be I'm going mad?
And tomorrow I will wake
All alone in this world
Reaching out for no one going back to the pain
Where are you tonight my love?
In the arms of another woman
Where do I belong in your heart?
Could it be I'm going mad?
I can't go any longer
Not knowing where you are
But I can't go on no more
'Cause my love for you was true
And you can't give it all
To a girl who really care?"
Was that her case? "No!" She said to herself resurfacing. She looked at the wedding ring on her finger then touched the star pendent resting gently on her chest. "Hotsuma has nothing but love for me. This ring is a symbol of our never-ending love for each other. I believe in Hotsuma and nothing Suzuka can do will challenge that." Ryoko said to herself getting out of the lukewarm water.
Yosho waited patiently for Ryoko to step out of the bathroom. "The shadow said something about where Amil use to be. What happened to it Ryoko?" Yosho asked once she appeared wrapped in towels.
Ryoko's eyes looked beyond Yosho for a moment. Yosho was about to ask once again when Ryoko began to speak. "When I returned to Kagato empty handed that day he was furious. He sent me back." Ryoko said.
"If the Heaven's Tear was gone why would he send you back?" Yosho asked. Then comprehension kicked in.
Ryoko nodded. "Kagato wasn't pleased with the fact that the Tear was ripped right out of his hands, so to speak, so he ordered me to return to Amil. 'No survivors Ryoko.' He told me. But when I got there..." Ryoko stopped then looked out the window.
"Tell me Ryoko." Yosho said.
"When I got there everything was in ruins. I admit I did some damage before I left but not that much." Ryoko said almost to herself.
"Suzuka?" Yosho asked.
Ryoko looked at Yosho nodding her head slightly. "At first the power of the Heaven's Tear had drove her mad. She was out of control, destroying everything that got in her way. But she managed to control it by somehow embracing the dark prophecies of the Heaven's Tear. I was floating outside the planet's atmosphere about to return to Ryo-ohki and it was there that I met Suzuka again. Over such little time her powers had grown extremely. 'See how much my power has grown.' She said to me with this cold deadly look in her eyes. 'Watch this Ryoko.' Then she did it. She destroyed her own home world without the slightest hint of remorse." Ryoko finished.
Yosho was shocked at what Ryoko had just told him. Never before had he been placed against someone so heartless yet so powerful. From what he gathered so far this woman was worse, if possible, than Kagato. "Ryoko in our current level of fighting do you believe we stand a chance against Suzuka?" Yosho asked.
Ryoko slowly shook her head from side to side. "We can easily defeat her minions, that we all know, but Suzuka is another matter." Ryoko said.
"Well then we had better prepare." Yosho said heading into the training room. Ryoko smiled as she followed behind.
*** Aboard the Yugami***
Tenchi and the others all stood around Washu as she relayed the information she had 'gathered' from the feisty shadow warrior Maya they had captured.
"It took some time but we have found out Suzuka's location and the reason why she has led us all astray." Washu said. A sigh of joy escaped everyone's lips.
"So where are they?" Ayeka asked.
"Suzuka is leading Ryoko to where it all began, Amil." Washu said.
"But why did she spread us all apart?" Kiyone asked.
"Suzuka is doing as I did with Tenchi, separating everyone." Yugi said.
"I don't understand." Tenchi said.
"It seems the strength of your power is greatest when you have your family near to fight for." Yugi said. "When you were apart your power was weaken."
"Exactly." Washu said. "And seeing that Ryoko's power and that of Jurai's is similar the same goes for Ryoko. Also the fact that her emotions are in direct connection with her gems." Washu added.
"So we have to get to Ryoko quickly." Sasami said.
"I just hope we can make it to her in time." Ayeka said.