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 6: A Plan Revealed
The Singing Cabbit fit the preconceived ideas of what a pirate's bar should look like down to the usual stereotypes. There were Tsunami knows how many corners, tucked away booths and curtains, a bar with dozens of stools run by a bartender with a grouchy expression and a scarred eye, attractive waitresses wearing skimpy outfits and serving drinks, and various mean-looking and shifty customers. A few card games were being played here and there, and on the stage a torchlight singer was giving a performance. Conversations were hushed and kept among the participants. The lighting was poor, and the air was cool.
Nagi and Ryouga entered, momentarily letting the light and noise from outside drift in until the door behind them irised closed. A few people looked up, saw two cloaked figures, did their versions of a shrug, and returned to what they'd been doing. Cloaked figures weren't unusual here.
Nagi, with Ryouga following her, quickly made her way to the bar where she sat down on a stool. "Bartender, a glass of Xillomusz Surpise." She set a silver coin on the bar. When the bartender, grunting at her, made a move to pick it up she grabbed his wrist tightly and stared intimidatingly at him. "And some information. Where is pirate prince Hiro?"
The bartender met Nagi's daunting stare with a dismissive one of his own. He was threatened on a regular basis and was a master at staying alive and dealing with the type of people that came into this bar. "That, missy, will cost ya extra." While making a profit, of course.
Ryouga, following Nagi's telepathic instructions, bared his fangs, started glowing, and growled.
"Not too much extra, though," the bartender hastily added. To him, Ryouga currently looked like an energy-wielding and feral alien, and the bartender had dealt with enough aliens matching that description to know that when maddened rules usually didn't stop them from destroying everything in sight.
Nagi reached into a pocket with her other hand and pulled out two more silver coins and a small crystal. "This, I think, will be enough." The bartender slowly nodded, Ryouga's glow diminished, and Nagi set the additional currency next to the first coin before letting go of the bartender's wrist.
The bartender, none the worse for wear and with his composure completely unruffled, picked up the money, grabbed a glass and bottle from behind the bar, and poured. "Hiro is over at table 19. He just returned from a successful raid on the Quonal and is in a pretty cheerful mood." He handed her the alcoholic beverage.
"Good," Nagi said, sipping her drink. Standing up, she tossed another silver coin on the table. "For the cup," she added, walking off with the glass in her right hand and taking careful sips of the wine. The bartender and Ryouga exchanged a look, the latter shrugged, and then followed Nagi to table 19.
Hiro, as Ryouga soon saw, appeared to be roughly the same age as he was, perhaps a little older, and possessed a thin but lithe frame. He had dark brown hair that was slightly rakish in appearance and cut above the neck. His eyes were a lighter shade of brown and friendly. Two green lines (tattoos? Ryouga wondered) curved down across the right side of his face on his cheek. He wore a blue tunic whose sleeves ended in white, a black belt, black pants with two strips of red circling around the top half of the right pant leg, black boots, and an orange cape that went down a little ways past his knees and appeared to be somewhat torn along the bottom. Curiously, the bottom half of his pants were covered in white bandages as were his arms, though these bandages were mostly hidden by his tunic. A white boomerang was attached to his belt along with one of the most elaborately carved wooden sticks Ryouga had ever seen. Unknown to Ryouga, this wooden stick was actually the hilt of a Jurai tree sword.
"Hello Hiro, long time no see," Nagi interrupted coolly, having snuck up on the space pirate from behind. Hiro turned his head and his brown eyes widened slightly upon recognizing Nagi. His nervousness, though, was almost immediately replaced by a friendly smile. "Greetings, Nagi. It's been awhile. If this is about the bounty on my head you know the rules of this-"
Nagi held up her right hand to stop him. "Heh, I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. You bounty isn't high enough to interest me."
Hiro shrugged good-naturedly. "Hey, is it my fault I'm so likeable that even the people I rob don't want to see me captured?" He gestured at two chairs on the other side of the circular table, offering Nagi and Ryouga a place to sit, looking at the latter with questioning eyes.
Both Nagi and Ryouga accepted, sitting down in the proffered seats. "Coming from anyone else but you I'd think that statement was an excuse, but since your record rivals Ryoko's that's the only sensible explanation other than you using all of your gains as bribes," Nagi spoke.
"Oh no, you've found me out," Hiro replied dryly before chuckling. "Anyway Nagi, who's your friend? I don't think I've ever seen you with someone else before, not counting Ken-ohki."
Nagi sighed. ~Introduce yourself.~
"Hibiki Ryouga," Ryouga started, offering his hand. "Nagi and I met on Nieurt, and we're working together on a one-case basis."
Hiro shook Ryouga's hand firmly. "Well then, I wish both of you good luck. Pray tell, if you don't mind telling me, what job could be so difficult that Nagi would consent to having a partner?" A metaphorical light bulb appeared over his head. "And, for that matter," he added, interest and caution both noticeable in his voice, "what does it have to do with me?"
"My-,…_our_ quarry," Nagi began, remembering to include Ryouga, "is on Hitno-rai."
Hiro gaped. "Hitno-rai? But that's the most secure planet in the Jurai Empire!" Remembering where they were he lowered his voice "What could motivate you to take on such a challenge?" A thought occurred to him. "This isn't about Ryoko, is it?"
Nagi's eyes darkened for a moment, as if she wasn't happy that her motivation was found out so quickly. "Ryoko is not on Hitno-rai," Nagi spoke, "but in return for turning a certain someone who is on Hitno-rai in I'll receive information on where that pirate has been hiding herself."
Now it was Hiro's turn to sigh as he looked at Nagi through saddened eyes. "Nagi, though it pains me to say this, you know as well as I do that Ryoko is dead. Ryo-ohki shouted the infamous cabbit mourning wail on every subspace frequency before losing herself to grief and running away. Cabbits only make that sound if their owner's are dead, and they never lie about that. Odds are that if Ryo-ohki hasn't flown into a sun by now she's so far past the galactic rim that she'll never be seen again along with Ryoko's body."
"I refuse to believe that until I've seen Ryoko's corpse myself, Hiro," Nagi replied evenly. "If anyone could survive a direct assault on Jurai it would be Ryoko, even with her injuries. She will not escape me, not even in death!"
Ryouga, who had been silently watching the proceedings before him with interest while also looking around the bar, blinked. Nagi's obsession with this Ryoko character was beginning to remind him of his rivalry with Ranma, disturbingly enough.
Realizing that her voice was beginning to rise, Nagi paused and calmed herself down. "At any rate, regardless of Ryoko's current state, I have accepted a job, and I always see my assignments through. The reason I have sought you ought is this: Ryouga and I need a distraction. We will not be able to capture our target if all of Hitno-rai's ground forces are concentrated on us. A pirate raid, however, would disperse the Jurai troops and generate enough chaos to allow Ryouga and me to get in, grab our quarry, and get out in one piece."
Hiro grinned sardonically. "Good plan, Nagi," he said sarcastically, "but what about the shield surrounding the planet? Not even my treeship Ruby has enough firepower to penetrate it."
"Oh ye of little faith," Nagi spoke. "Do you really think I'd come all this way and ask for your help in this matter without taking _that_ into consideration? Ryouga here has the ability to disrupt energy shields, even Hitno-rai's."
Hiro looked at Ryouga for confirmation of this. Ryouga nodded his head. This time Hiro's smile was genuine. "Well, in that case," he began, "I'll be happy to aid you in this endeavor. Just tell me when and I'll be there, cloaked and ready."
"We'll be there in precisely one week, and remember: no casualties," Nagi stressed. "Doing this will use up all the goodwill I earned with the Jurai Government for my aid in the Kagato incident, and if there are any deaths it's a safe bet to say that the Jurai Fleet will be after me for the rest of my natural life."
"Don't worry Nagi, you know how I abhor killing. My men and I will only knock the guards unconscious or incapacitate them. It's the treasure we're interested in, not the blood," Hiro reassured her.
"Good," Nagi said, beginning to rise. "Remember, we'll strike in seven days, and try to keep this a secret. Just about any security official that hears about this plan will probably dismiss it as an unfounded rumor, but better safe than sorry. Good day. Ryouga, we're leaving now."
Nagi and Ryouga then left the bar. Hiro remained sitting at the table for several more minutes, thinking, before leaving too. A few of the other pirates in the bar noticed his light step and tiny smile and grinned themselves. This could only mean one thing: Hiro was about to embark on another incredible raid that most people would write off as impossible.
"Okay folks, place your bets! Where will the Prince of Pirates, Lord Hiro J'ineran, strike next, and how much airtime will it get on the Galactic News?" the bartender shouted. Soon the bar was filled with voices. Betting pools were another popular pastime, here at the Singing Cabbit.
******
A little while later, Ryouga and Nagi were back inside Ken-ohki, their next destination Hitno-rai. Currently, they were inside a large, mostly empty room and facing each other from across a distance of several yards. Nagi had her sword out, and Ryouga was holding onto the handle of his combat umbrella.
"To activate the beam-saber technology," Nagi began, "push in the button located next to your right index finger. To deactivate it, press the button again. Try it."
Ryouga pressed the newly installed button on his umbrella. Sure enough, his entire umbrella including the red material but excluding the handle suddenly started glowing an unearthly green. He waved it around a few times, adjusting to the added weight. Pressing it again, the glow disappeared.
"Now reactivate it," Nagi ordered. Ryouga did so, and the green glow reappeared.
"Right around where your thumb should be is another button that doubles as a dial. Pressing this button will shoot a laser beam. Holding it down activates a rapid fire mode. The first setting is light stun, the second is heavy stun, and the third is penetration, capable of severely harming most organic lifeforms. Turn it to the first setting and fire at the target on that wall over there," Nagi commanded, pointing at a metallic slab attached to the wall behind her. It had what vaguely looked like a terran dartboard painted on it.
Taking aim, Ryouga brought his umbrella up to eye-level and fired. A green laser beam fired forth from it and struck the middle ring on the slab which promptly absorbed the shot. Adjusting, Ryouga fired a second shot which hit the target dead center. Nagi blinked once, impressed.
"Good. Now that you know the basics, it's time to move on." With a hum of energy, Nagi's own sword started glowing.
"When wielding an energy blade it is important to remember that practically the only thing that can deflect it is another energy weapon or shield. It can cut through just about anything with ease so you must be extremely _careful_," Nagi emphasized the last word. "Never put so much power behind a strike that you can't stop it unless you're aiming for a lethal blow. Only put your full strength behind glancing blows. That way, you won't accidentally chop your quarry in two. Any questions?"
"No, I think your lesson covered everything I need to know," Ryouga answered honestly, smiling slightly and revealing his fangs. Despite the danger inherent in his modified umbrella, he had to admit to himself that it was pretty cool. It reminded him of something he'd seen in one of the few movies he had watched but couldn't quite name. Star Siege, perhaps? It had definitely been Star something.
"Good," Nagi said, a haughty grin forming on her face. "I'm going to attack you and I want you to defend and counterattack using your umbrella until I feel you're accustomed enough not to run somebody through by accident. Prepare yourself…now!"
Nagi lunged forward with sudden speed, bringing her sword down in a simple overhead arc. Ryouga easily brought his umbrella up in front of him in time to block it and attempted to push Nagi back with his superior strength. Nagi, used to trading blows and swords with the inhumanly strong Ryoko, used the momentum Ryouga was providing her to jump backwards. Doing a backflip, she landed in a crouch and swung her glowing sword in a low sidesweep. Ryouga jumped over this and brought his umbrella down in his own overhead arc that Nagi adeptly avoided by rolling to the left and springing to her feet.
"Not bad," Nagi spoke briefly, eyeing Ryouga's momentary defensive stance, "but you're going to have to do much better if you want to stand a chance against a Jurai noble."
Nagi attacked again, moving at even greater speeds. Ryouga barely brought up his umbrella in time to block Nagi's first strike, but she didn't stop there. Launching a flurry of sword strikes at speeds even Ranma might envy, she kept pushing Ryouga back, forcing him to concentrate entirely on defense and not giving him any time at all to launch an attack of his own.
Realizing he would soon be overwhelmed if he didn't change his strategy, Ryouga jumped back halfway across the room and, using the wall as a springboard, launched himself into the air. Opening his umbrella up while still airborne, Ryouga threw it at Nagi who sidestepped and frowned, wondering what had been the point of that. She found out a second later when, to her surprise, she heard the umbrella turning around and heading straight at her. Not having expected this, she barely managed to jump out of the way. Ryouga, who had been expecting this and had anticipated Nagi's response, grabbed his returning umbrella as he landed in front of Nagi and swung it at her side.
Nagi, caught off guard, scarcely managed to raise her sword in time to block it as she leapt backwards, hoping to put some distance between them while she attempted to recover the initiative. Ryouga, however, wasn't about to give her that chance so easily and remained on the offensive, staying close to her and matching her leap for leap.
Inwardly, Nagi frowned. ^This shouldn't be happening,^ she thought, disturbed that Ryouga was doing so well against her as they continued their 'training session'. She had known by his performance back on Nieurt that he was a decent fighter but hadn't expected him to posses this much skill and talent. Most of her opponents usually relied on their innate abilities or superpowers coupled with experience to combat her. Finding a challenger with actual fighting skill on this level was exceedingly rare. For Nagi, someone who hated to lose, it wasn't entirely pleasant either, but another, darker part of her was positively enthused. This was the most difficult fight she'd been in since her last one with Ryoko, and she did appreciate a challenge.
As for Ryouga, he was actually enjoying himself for perhaps the first time since leaving Nerima. Nagi was proving to be a most difficult challenge, one that required his full concentration to hold off. Sure, he wasn't going full out, but he could tell that Nagi wasn't either. No whips and ShiShiHoukoudans were flying through the air, after all. This practice was actually…fun.
Nagi and Ryouga battled on, sword and umbrella clashing and parrying, performing an intricate dance of lunges, strikes, and blocks. For well over twenty minutes this 'waltz' lasted as Ryouga's grin grew broader and Nagi's serious look grew more serious and resolved with just possibly a hint of enjoyment showing through.
In the end though, there could only be one winner, and Nagi was determined to be the triumphant one. Having finally managed to herd Ryouga into a corner she tensed and lunged at her full blinding speed. Ryouga made the motion to block, as she had expected, but before their two weapons could connect she leapt, jumping over Ryouga and rebounding off the wall behind him. A streak to the naked eye, she turned off her weapon and watched as Ryouga attempted to sidestep her attack but he was too late. Nagi stopped her blade mere centimeters from the left side of Ryouga's neck.
A small grin of triumph appeared on Nagi's face before noticing that Ryouga was looking at something to her side. Turning her head slightly to the left, she saw that Ryouga's umbrella (also now deactivated) was about a foot from her side and was halted in a swinging motion. Had she actually decapitated him, his arm would've had enough momentum to continue its deadly side arc and separate her waist from her hips.
"Very good," Nagi finally said honestly, moving her weapon away from Ryouga's neck after a tense moment and reattaching it to her side. She wasn't sure whether she should be pleased or irritated at Ryouga's tying with her, but at least she knew that she wouldn't have to worry about protecting him as well as herself when they reached Hitno-rai.
Ryouga drew his umbrella back as well and looked at Nagi with new respect. He'd been a little preoccupied back on Nieurt with wallowing in despair and fighting for his very survival and hadn't been able to properly appreciate Nagi's level of skill during that bar fight. Now that he had a good idea of what she could truly do, his opinion of her went way up.
"You're pretty impressive yourself, Nagi, and your speed is incredible. If I hadn't had so much experience with quick opponents," Ryouga frowned briefly, remembering Ranma, "you would've beaten me within the first 5 minutes."
Nagi filed this tidbit of information away for a later day and replying with a begrudging, "You don't give yourself enough credit," left the room. She still had a few details of the plan that she wanted to go over with Ken-ohki, and now seemed like a good time.
Ryouga, after a moment's hesitation, reactivated his umbrella and began to work its new abilities into his warm-up exercises and training regimen. Practice makes perfect, after all, and Hitno-rai was a complete unknown to Ryouga. It would probably be for the best if he were in top form when they arrived.
^Just seven more days,^ Ryouga thought, beginning a complex kata. ^Seven more days until this new journey ends, one way or another.^
End Chapter 6.