Tenchi Universe: No Need for a Team-Up!
Rowan Seven
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones. The characters you do recognize are copyrighted by their respective companies. I'm not making any money off this fanfic. ^ ^ indicates thoughts. ~ ~ indicates telepathy.
Chapter 4: A New Destination
Ryouga sat cross-legged on the cold, metallic floor in one of the darkened corners of Ken-ohki's bridge, his eyes closed and breathing slow. He was trying to meditate and sort his thoughts into some sort of order. He wasn't having much success. Images of Ranma and Akane happily together sent despair coursing through his being, offset by his joy at the possibility of finally being cured of his much despised curse. Around his meditating form his blue/green ki flickered on and off, sending fluttering shadows across the room. Surrounding him at a safe distance were several floating red crystals.
~Could you stop doing that? You're beginning to make me slightly nervous.~ Ken-ohki telepathed to Ryouga.
Ryouga opened his eyes, a tired expression on his face. ~Doing what?~ he asked.
~Glowing.~ Ken-ohki answered. ~My sensors indicate that you're producing a sizeable amount of energy. Since you're on my bridge naturally I'm worried. Regeneration can be such a pain.~
Ryouga blinked and his ki dimmed. ~...I wouldn't know about that last part.~ he finally responded. ~As for the glowing, I apologize. My power is linked to my emotions, particularly anger and despair. I have a tendency to 'light up' when I'm in a bad mood.~
~Well then, at the risk of sounding like a self-help book, cheer up! Your emotions are giving me a headache.~ Ken-ohki said testily.
~You can sense my emotions?!!~ Ryouga thought back, visibly disturbed. For Ryouga, an intensely private person, the thought of someone being able to sense his feelings whenever he or she wanted to made him feel violated.
~Quiet down, will you? Now I'm really going to have a headache, and aspirin doesn't exist for cabbits.~ Ken-ohki complained. ~Anyway, to answer your question, yes but only with very strong emotions. Usually our minds are just foggy presences to each other, but when one thinks or feels something strongly enough it can be sensed by others. Ever since you started meditating you've been radiating enough sorrow to make Naru Tutan seem like Princess Sasami.~
~Who and who?~ Ryouga asked, confused.
Ken-ohki sighed. ~I can see that I'm going to have to choose my words carefully around you. Naru Tutan is the tragic main character of a famous book on Jurai. Princess Sasami is the younger sister of Princess Aeka and second-in-line to the throne of Jurai. She has a very cheerful disposition towards life, and that's putting it mildly. Now do you understand the analogy I was trying to make?~
"I guess so," Ryouga answered out loud, moving out of his seated position to stand. "What you're saying is that I have problems with despair. No offense to your observation skills or anything, but even _I_ could've told you that." He laughed bitterly, and his ki began to swell around him again as he continued in a voice laden with emotion, "You try living a life almost completely alone with a family you hardly ever see, friends that you can't trust, a love that sees you as nothing more than a friend, a rival that no matter how hard you try you never seem to able to permanently defeat, and a curse that not only changes you into a weak creature that most of the world eats but if it is ever revealed could cause the one person that means more to you than anything else to hate you, and see if _you_ come out singing 'yipide-do-da-yipide-yay, oh what a beautiful day'."
Ryouga's shoulders sagged and his ki disappeared. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "It's all just... so frustrating! Whenever I made some progress forward, whenever my hopes had a chance to be realized, fate cruelly intervened, pushing me back where I started. I've lost one precious dream now so forgive me if I'm not Mr. Sunshine! Right now...I'm just tired."
~...Well, at least you're venting.~ Ken-ohki replied after a moment's pause. ~Now, if you're done with your pity party, you might try looking on the bright side. Sure, you've lost one dream, but if I'm understanding your situation correctly you have the opportunity to achieve another. Your Jusenkyo curse, whatever it was, is gone and might be forever if we succeed. That's something to look forward to. As for being tired, it sounds like you need some sleep. I'll guide you to a bunk.~
"Thanks," Ryouga muttered, drowsily heading off in a random direction.
~Stop! That's the way to the engine room. Turn right, walk forward, and- I said FORWARD! Stop swerving! Now go left, through the door-~
"What door?" Ryouga asked. In answer, a portal in the crystalline wall in front of him irised open. Ryouga blinked. "Oh, _that_ door." Carefully and very slowly he walked through the opening. With a mechanical hiss it closed behind him, surrendering the bridge to shadows.
***
"This isn't going to work," Nagi grumbled to herself, sitting down in another crystalline white chair and looking at a holographic 3-D topographical map of the Hitno-rai system that filled the room. The planet itself was the 2nd in a 6 planet system orbiting a yellow star and was predominately blue with one large patch of green surrounded by dozens of smaller green patches. The other 5 planets were dead, the 1st a firey hell and the last 4 frozen deathtraps. An asteroid belt, the result of a 7th planet that never quite made it, separated Hitno-rai from the third world.
~What won't?~ Ken-ohki asked, suddenly popping up in Nagi's mind.
"This won't," she said, gesturing vaguely at the map before her. She let out a frustrated sigh. "Even if we get past all of Hitno-rai's planetary defenses we'll still be stopped by the planet's ground troops. My areas of expertise are stealth and one-on-one combat, not fighting armies, and I doubt Ryouga could defeat an entire Jurain guard."
~Ah, but first they'd have to find him.~ Ken-ohki spoke, amusement underlying his tone. Predicting Nagi's unsaid question he replied, ~There's a reason his sense of direction is a curse. It took me 30 minutes just to guide him to a bedroom.~
Nagi blinked. "It's really that bad?" she asked, her mouth curved downwards in a frown.
Ken-ohki gave her a mental nod. ~Yes it is. I actually find the prospect that he traveled all the way from Earth to Nieurt on foot credible now.~
A thoughtful look crossed Nagi's face as she brushed one of her silvery-blue spikes back with a hand before resting her head on her left hand. "Just thinking of the scientific improbabilities is giving me a headache," she complained. "I'll take your word for it, but regardless one terrible sense of direction isn't going to help us out here. What we need is a distraction so enormous that the planet's defenders won't have time to deal with us. What we need is..." Nagi's voice trailed off as an idea permeated through her mind, and her lips curled upwards into a cold, emotionless smile.
~I know that look Nagi. What do you have in mind?~ Ken-ohki asked, curious and slightly cautious.
~You'll find out soon enough, my friend. In the meantime, change our course. New destination: the Sanctuary. When we get within one hour of our destination wake me up. I'm going to bed.~ Nagi telepathically ordered, lithely getting out of her chair as the 3-D representation of Hitno-rai faded out of existence, revealing the square room's bare green walls.
Walking towards the portal that had just irised open with the cat-like grace that she was renowned for, her green cloak billowing about her legs, Nagi suddenly paused, a questioning look on her face. "Ken-ohki, you've spoken with our new 'partner'. What is your impression of him?"
~Hmm, well, to be perfectly honest I'd have to say he's an incredibly depressed individual with anger management problems, a melancholy outlook on life, and questionable mental stability. You two ought to get along just fine.~
Nagi raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to imply something, Ken-ohki?" she asked through grit teeth.
~Oh no, certainly not. Far be it from me to even insinuate that you have an unhealthy and obsessed fixation, a past you try to repress, and a violence problem.~
"Good," Nagi replied crossly, "because if you ever did try to allude such a thing I'd be very 'upset', and you know what I'm like when I'm angry." With what for her counted as a huff she exited the room, the door automatically shutting behind her, and leaving Ken-ohki alone with his thoughts.
******
In her lifetime Nagi had experienced many bizarre and strange things, many of them unpleasant. This of course led to some pretty odd dreams that would've given Sigmund Freud a field day. However, in all of her years of dreaming, this was the first time Nagi could remember being chased around by a mad chef with a long, menacing, and very sharp butcher's knife.
"Bwee!" Nagi shouted as she ran under a wooden table. This _body_ that she was stuck in didn't help matters much either. It had four stubby legs, was about the size of a cabbit, had a snout, and was black. About the only advantage it had was incredible speed, but against a humanoid with much longer leg strides that didn't amount to much.
The chef peeked under the table. Nagi launched herself at his head, biting and kicking with cloven feet. The chef reeled back, clutching his left eye and spewing curses. He swung wildly with his metal knife. Nagi jumped over the strike and ran as fast as she could to what she hoped was an exit. For the oddest reason she had an overwhelming urge to yell, "Ryoko, this is all your fault!!!"
******
Ryouga had absolutely no idea where he was. This was not new. What was new was that he seemed to be stuck in a 4-year old female body. He was alone in a small, cold, sterile, and cubic room. In the back right-hand corner was a cot. To the left of that was a dresser in desperate need of replacement. The only colorful part of the room was a framed picture on top of the dresser showing a young, cat-like woman with long, spikey blue hair wearing thin glasses and a white lab coat (a lab assistant?). A loving expression adorned her face, and in her arms she was craddling a baby girl with a few patches of silvery blue hair. The picture made Ryouga sadly recall his own parents and how he hadn't seen them in over 3 years.
"It is time for your next test," a cold and mechanical voice announced, breaking Ryouga out of his reverie. A door that had previously gone unnoticed slid open, and a gray robot with a basic humanoid shape strolled in with mechanical precision.
Ryouga backed up. Martial artist's instincts were telling him that he was in trouble. They were proven right when the robot reached out for him. Ryouga ducked under the robot's metallic arms and jumped into another corner of the room. He'd tested this body's strength out a while ago, and it wouldn't have even been able to dent his robotic adversary.
The robot made a note. "Speed and agility of speciman have increased. Compensating..." With blinding speed the robot lunged at Ryouga. Had he been in his normal body Ryouga might have stood a chance at dodging, but in this child's body he was pretty much helpless. With a vise-like grip, the robot grabbed him around the neck and held him far enough away that he couldn't reach his opponent with his child arms.
"Resisting is a punishable offense, 1-A. You should know better." With what could've been a sigh had it come from a human being, a humming noise quickly rose in volume from the strong automaton. Ryouga soon found out what it was when he felt electricity crackling through his body in painful amounts.
"Ooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!"
Ryouga woke up in a cold sweat. Breathing deeply he let out a sigh of relief. "It was...just a dream," he muttered. He took a look around him and immediately noticed the crystalline walls. The events of the last few days rushed to the front of his mind. "D*mn," he cursed.
******
~This is your wake-up call. I repeat, this is your wake-up call. We will arrive at the Sanctuary in approximately 59 minutes and 15 seconds. Nagi, wake up!~
Nagi groggily opened her eyes and slowly rose from her bed, still wearing her clothes from last night. Ken-ohki noticed this with slight concern. Usually Nagi was very alert when she woke up.
"Chow?" he asked.
Nagi smiled slightly. "Don't worry Ken-ohki. I'm perfectly fine. Just had a bad dream is all." Her smile froze as she remembered. Shaking her head as if to dispel the remnants of the nightmare she headed off to her bathroom. A thought occurred to her.
~Ken-ohki, tell Ryouga to meet me on the bridge in 30 minutes and then guide him there. There is something that we must discuss before we enter the Sanctuary.~
~Will do.~ Ken-ohki responded cheerfully, shuttling his consciousness to the part of the ship Ryouga was staying in. ^And then maybe you'll give me some answers, Nagi.^ he thought to himself.
End Chapter 4.