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 9: A Perilous Struggle
In all of its history as a dominion of the Jurai Empire, Hitno-rai had never been invaded.
"Hi ho, hi ho! Off to plunder we go!"
Hitno-rai was considered to be the safest and most secure planet in the entire empire, possibly in the entire universe.
"Look mom, pirates!"
"Don't pay them any attention, dear. If we ignore them maybe they'll leave us alone."
"Not bloody likely, madame. Now please hand over your jewelry."
Thanks to its reputation, Hitno-rai was, in addition to being the vacation spot of choice for most of the Jurai nobility, also home to many of Jurai's most valuable and precious treasures. Museums were stocked with historical and ancient relics, banks contained vaults laden with riches, and mansions held famous family heirlooms.
"What beautiful paintings! Being the art connoisseur that I am, I just have to add them to my collection!"
"What collection? Until today the only things you collected were Orion wine bottles."
"Oh shaddup! It's never too late to start a new hobby!"
"Say, don't those jewels look so lonely, being locked up and all? I think I'll go and 'liberate' them."
"Hey guys! Jiko and Takanisha are raiding the Manor of Family Jurai! We're not going to let them have all the fun, are we?"
Of course, this reputation wasn't without merit. In addition to the famous forceshield surrounding the planet, Hitno-rai boasted one of the largest and best-armed security forces in the universe.
"12…13…14…that makes 15 officers I've knocked out! How 'bout you?"
"17. Tsunami, this is pathetic. I've seen Stormtroopers with better aim than these folks."
"Yeah, well, you know what they say about letting your guard down. Besides, if you worked here would you ever expect that pirates would pull off a successful raid?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. Regardless, I don't envy these people the reprisals they'll receive once the Jurai Holy Council hears about this."
As a matter of fact, not even the powerful and persistent press, with all of its vast resources and vaunted cleverness, had managed to sneak onto Hitno-rai. The only television program that had permission to station people on the planet was Lifestyles of the Jurai Nobility, and that was only so that the Jurai aristocracy could show off to the universe how much better than everyone else they lived.
"And today on Lifestyles, we're touring the lavish and illustrious Manor of Family Kitona which is, rather surprisingly, being ransacked by pirates! How exciting! With us to supply commentary is Lord Kitona himself. What do you have to say about today's current happenings?"
"Well Ami, I will admit that this is a rather…unconventional occurrence which I'll be sure to _thank_ our famed security forces for later. As you can see-, Hey! Put that down pirate scum! That sword's been in my family for 12 generations! Return that painting you dirty Oknarid! Grr, don't think I can't see you trying to sneak away with that crystal sphere, you lowly cur! –these pirates are obviously well trained and know what they're doing. I'd surmise that they belong to one of the major pirate guilds-, That plant your stealing isn't a Mitonius veraci you idiot! It's a Mitonius gerdani which, without proper care that I doubt you can provide, will wilt in less than a week. It's also quite poisonous. Get your rare plant species right! –and probably one of the more esteemed ones to boot since they're not going around murdering people."
"Fascinating! Hey, one of them is approaching us right now! As a matter of fact-"
"Hi! I'm Aoishi the Pirate, proud member of Lord Hiro J'ineran's pirate crew and card-carrying member of the Red Dragon Pirate Clan! I would like to kindly insist that the two of you hand over any valuables you might be carrying as I'm a selfish and greedy person currently holding a rather sharp and nasty knife!"
"Wow. How amazing! I'm actually being mugged, here on Hitno-rai! This is utterly astounding, viewers! Words can barely describe what I'm feeling right now!"
"Note to self: don't ever leave your tree sword at home again. End note."
******
Hiro, speeding from place to place on top of a hover disk and grinning widely, was having a great time. Orange cape fluttering in the wind behind him and green tree sword ignited, he easily dodged the lasers that were being shot at him and casually took out defenders and defenses with an ease that had earned him the title pirate prince.
"Oh, if Dad could see me now," Hiro chuckled to himself, imagining his father's reaction to the news of this raid as he deflected an energy beam with his sword. Lord J'ineran would probably bang his head against a marble pillar for several minutes and then disown him, the accidental and bastard son, again for the seventh time. His younger half-sister, though, would likely brag about having a brother that had made off with more riches than even those stolen during the legendary raid of X'initha to her schoolmates.
"Speaking of riches," Hiro muttered to himself, spying a heavily guarded mansion not too far away and changing his course, "I think I've found my next target. Manor of Family whoever you are, here I come!"
******
"Alas, am I to forever be a prisoner of my own station? Will I ever know true freedom and happiness, or will I spend the rest of my days a slave of this aristocratic echelon?" lamented Lucia L'unar, a beautiful young woman of average height and graceful build with long, silky blue hair down past her waist and emerald green eyes, currently clothed in an ornate red gown that complimented her exquisite frame. Her mother was the sister of the late Emperor Azusa (murdered when Kagato assumed power), and as such she was third in line to throne, right after Princesses Aeka and Sasami. To be blunt, it was a lonely, demanding existence that she wasn't very fond of.
"Tis the price of nobility, my dear," Lucia's assigned teacher, an ancient pedant named Gwyn, reminded her, not unsympathetically. "For the ruling power to remain in the capable hands of the Masaki/Jurai House rather than a less…savory one, certain sacrifices must be made. It may not be fair nor desirable, but it's necessary."
Lucia sighed. "Is it, Gwyn? This isolated existence I'm forced to live, not permitted to freely walk among the public and trapped behind closed doors, only allowed to go out to participate in a few upper-class galas and balls and even then forced to adhere to strict and rigid rules, is choking me, Lucia the individual, to death. Is it wrong for me to want more out of life? I wish someone would take me away from all this."
Hiro, with remarkable timing, flew through the window at that very moment. Shards of glass cascading down around him, cape fluttering, and tree sword ignited, he gazed down at Lucia and Gwyn and began, "Greetings Jurai citizens. I am Pirate Prince Hiro of the pirate ship Ruby and…"
Kind brown eyes locked onto innocent green eyes. Birds sang, cherry blossoms fell, somewhere an orchestra struck up a romantic tune, Cupid congratulated himself on a job well done, and Gwyn took out a bottle of wine and began drinking, knowing with an air of inevitably what was going to happen next. It was love at first sight for Lucia and Hiro.
"…" Hiro breathed.
"…" Lucia replied.
"…and I'm here to appropriate your er valuables and um treasures," Hiro finally finished, albeit a tad nervously. He gulped and began to look a tad disconcerted.
Working at warp speed despite the sudden overwhelming attraction Lucia was feeling for Hiro, her mind analyzed this request and began churning out ideas on how to make it work to her advantage. After a short moment, her mind supplied her with one.
"I'm afraid that I can't er let you do that," Lucia replied at last. "The treasures contained within these walls are precious to my family and sacred to the Houses of Jurai and L'unar. I beseech thee to take um me in their place. Nobles may come and go, but these heirlooms must always remain in the family," Lucia finished, blushing nervously.
Hiro's mind was working at warp speed as well, trying to make some sense out of this situation. Until now he'd never believed in love at first sight, but experience had just made a convert out of him.
"Are you saying that you're offering yourself in place of your house's riches?" Hiro finally asked, a tad incredulously. "Surely such a beautiful woman as yourself is worth more than that, and I ah don't even know your er name."
Lucia's blush deepened at Hiro's compliment. "My name is Lucia L'unar, and as you well know in Jurai culture the House comes before the people. I would be derelict in my responsibilities if I let you take my house's possessions. For the sake of my family and honor, I urge you to accept my proposition."
Hiro grinned charmingly. "Well, in that case Lucia, you've got yourself a deal. Hop on board and I'll give my crew orders to leave this manor untouched. I just hope you don't end up regretting this bargain." He leaned down and offered Lucia his right hand.
"I don't think I will," Lucia replied, smiling back. Taking one last look at the legacy she was abandoning, Lucia accepted Hiro's hand and jumped onto his hover disk, taking her first steps into a brave new world and of self-discovery. Gazing into each other's eyes shyly and adoringly, together they flew out the window and into destiny.
"It was time for me to get a new job anyway," Gwyn remarked to himself after a long moment of silence spent staring at Lucia and Hiro's vanishing forms. He turned around and began to walk out of the room. "I believe the Galactic Science Academy has a few positions available, and it would be nice to be part of a union for a change. Or maybe I could start another career. I've always been interested in archaeology, after all. Still, before I make any permanent decisions, I'll go on vacation. Sunny beaches and cool ocean breezes here I come! Hmm, for some strange reason I suddenly have an overpowering urge to say something profound. I hope 'today is the first day of the rest of our lives' will suffice." He closed the door behind him and left.
******
"Grrr. Prepare to die!" Ryouga shouted in his typical fashion, swinging his glowing umbrella down in a hard arc capable of shattering stone.
"I have been for the past 500 years," Kenji retorted grimly, easily sidestepping Ryouga's powerful downward strike and casually deflecting Nagi's quick whip lash by creating a forceshield with his Jurai power. Not wasting a moment, Ryouga converted his momentum into a forward lunge that, though Kenji brought his blade up in time to block it, still pushed him back a ways due to Ryouga's superhuman strength. Meanwhile, Nagi continued to assault his protected backside from behind with her whip and sword blasts, forcing Kenji to divide his concentration and grit his teeth from the effort of keeping his forceshield up while dealing with Ryouga.
Kenji suddenly and disturbingly smiled sardonically. "Only the good die young, though, and death apparently has no interest in seeing my suffering end," he spoke bitterly, parrying Ryouga's next strike and, with sudden speed, brought his right arm up in an uppercut which Ryouga barely managed to evade by falling back. Taking advantage of this momentary let up, Kenji spun around, caught Nagi's whip with his sword, and, temporarily augmenting his strength with his Jurai power, pulled very hard.
Nagi was swept off her feet but, being the quick-witted fighter that she is, converted her unexpected forward leap into a solid kick. Kenji, smiling in amusement, sidestepped this. Nagi and Ryouga, however, having learned how to work together during their training sessions, countered with Ryouga catching Nagi's foot and swinging her around in a full circle with her sword outstretched. Not having expected this level of coordination, Kenji didn't back up enough and Nagi's sword tip grazed his stomach, leaving a stretch of scorched skin.
Not giving Kenji a chance to recover, Ryouga tossed Nagi high up into the air and cupped his hands together in a familiar stance.
"ShiShiHoukoudan!"
Kenji, focusing past his momentary pain, hastily erected a forceshield around him to deflect the acidic ball of greenish blue ki. Speaking through grit teeth, he said, "Not bad. But you'll have to do better than-"
"Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ryouga added, bringing his fist into contact with Kenji's forceshield and, to the latter's great shock, shattering it. Not stopping there, Ryouga swung his umbrella, now deactivated so as not to cleave Kenji in two, at Kenji's right side with his other hand. Spittle flew from the surprised Kenji's mouth and he let out a cry of pain as Ryouga's umbrella painfully connected.
The next sight to greet Kenji's eyes was that of Nagi descending upon him like a vengeful demon. Boosted by the force of gravity, her boots made an unpleasant indentation on Kenji's head. Kenji slumped to the floor and Nagi, with a leap and quick flick of her left wrist, wrapped her whip around his neck as she landed on the ground next to Ryouga.
"Eh, looks like our job is done," Ryouga said to Nagi, gazing down at the fallen prince of Jurai.
To disprove this statement, Kenji swung his left arm outwards towards Nagi and Ryouga, releasing a gray shockwave of Jurai power that pushed them back several yards, as he grabbed the whip with his now glowing right hand and tore it apart. Eyes flashing, Kenji stood back up proudly and turned to face his adversaries. "You're beginning to annoy me," he intoned dangerously.
Nagi snorted as she got back onto her feet. "We'll have done a lot more than that by the time we're through with you, Prince Kenji," she replied confidently, smiling predatorily.
Ryouga, preferring not to let Kenji take the offensive, leapt to his feet and charged, reactivated umbrella held before him. "Yeah, you're going to finally face justice for what you did on Arcadia!"
Kenji winced, as if the mere word "Arcadia" was a physical assault. "Do you think I don't regret the consequences of my actions on that planet?" he asked Ryouga as their blades met. "I hear the shouts and screams of my victims every night in my dreams. I see their corpses whenever I close my eyes! No one can punish me anymore than I've already punished myself!"
Picking up on the fact that Arcadia was obviously a sensitive topic for Kenji and hoping to make him act recklessly, Nagi added her own sword strikes to Ryouga's umbrella attacks and asked, "Then why did you do it?"
Kenji's eyes widened in anger as he parried two sets of attacks at once, his own sword leaving afterimages as a result. "It was never my intention to kill them! The virus was only supposed to weaken the Arcadians!"
Nagi smiled viciously as she increased the speed of her own assault. "But you had to know that death was a possibility. Viruses were and still are a rather unpredictable weapon."
Kenji unexpectedly took the offensive, moving with blinding speed and forcing both Nagi and Ryouga back. "I did what I had to do! No other option was available to me! The Arcadians refused to yield or compromise, and the fate of the Jurai Empire was resting on my shoulders! My duty to throne takes precedence over everything else, including my honor and conscience! That is why I did what I did and refuse to allow myself to be tried by the GP! I have my orders and I shall execute them! Such is the will of Jurai!" It was hard to tell who he was trying to justify his actions to: Nagi and Ryouga or himself.
Regardless, Kenji overextended himself – a mistake that both Ryouga and Nagi capitalized on. The latter pushed Kenji's sword down and away while Ryouga slammed his right fist into the aristocrat's face. Neither one stopping there, Nagi twisted her sword so that it connected painfully with Kenji's left wrist, forcing him to drop his blade to avoid losing his hand, as Ryouga released a barrage of chaotic and unpredictable fierce punches. Kenji never had a chance to raise another forcefield.
"Die!!!" Then again, maybe he didn't need one.
Freeing himself from the current onslaught with yet another burst of speed, Kenji glared angrily at his would be captors from across a distance of several yards. His Jurai aura once again took shape around him, but now it was reflecting Prince Kenji's anger, roiling, twisting, and contorting madly about him. Blood was running down his face and dripping to the floor, but he seemed unaware of this, his ancient face now a rictus of pain and rage.
He soon regained a facsimile of calmness, though, and actually seemed to grin pleasantly. "My compliments to the both of you. I haven't had such a good…workout in decades. But alas, like all good things, it must soon come to an end. Tsunami will judge my soul when the time comes, but until that day I must follow the wishes and orders of my sovereign. That doesn't bode well for the two of you, I'm afraid. I pray that the next world is kinder to you than this one."
"Save your prayers, old man," Nagi retorted, holding her blade in a careful defensive position. "I won't permit myself to die until I've brought in Ryoko, and this is neither that day nor time. I'll beat you through sheer stubbornness if I have to. Nagi the Bounty Hunter never fails to bring in her quarry, and I'm not about to start now."
Ryouga assumed his own defensive stance, cold determination present on his face. "I'm not about to quit either. I may not have much to live for right now, but I still don't plan on dying just yet. This is my best and now perhaps only chance to achieve the one dream of mine that this cruel, cold universe hasn't ripped to shreds, and I will not lose it like I lost Akane. You're going down, Prince Kenji."
Kenji at last wiped the blood off his chin. "So you say, Hibiki Ryouga and Nagi, but I have my own duties and determination. Your dreams, I'm sad to say, are about to become dust. Now, at the risk of sounding terribly clichéd, feel the true power of Jurai!"
Not letting something as insignificant as missing his sword stop him, Kenji, gray aura still visible, resumed the battle with earnest. Lunging at Ryouga, Kenji, moving faster than Ryouga had ever seen him, ducked beneath Ryouga's counter umbrella swing and landed a successful uppercut against the earthling's face that launched him off his feet. Not stopping there and moving so fast his actions were a blur, Kenji raised his right hand before him, aimed his palm at Ryouga, and released an enormous blast of gray energy. Colliding with the still in the air Ryouga, the energy blast sent him flying through the air and crashing into the bookshelves, the gray energy strangely not dissipating and continuing to crackle painfully around Ryouga's convulsing frame as if it were electrocuting him.
Without so much as pausing for a breath of air, Kenji immediately turned and attacked Nagi. Being faster than Ryouga, Nagi was able to block Kenji's first strike with her sword. Unexpectedly though, Kenji reached out and grabbed Nagi's charged sword with his bare hand and then headbutted her. Wincing slightly from the pain, Nagi countered with a swift kick which Kenji blocked with his other hand before he struck back with a rapid spin kick that sent Nagi reeling. Neither one having let go of the sword however, Nagi didn't go far and tapped a slightly depressed area of her hilt before letting go of it.
Kenji suddenly cried out in pain as Nagi's sword did its best impersonation of an electric chair. Wisely letting go of the sword, Kenji didn't get a moment of respite as Nagi used his momentary distraction to kick him hard in the stomach. However, Kenji once again fell back on his Jurai power and used it to stop in mid-air. Immediately grabbing Nagi's legs, he slammed her viciously into the floor and then, picking her up again, threw her with all his might at the mirror which shattered upon Nagi's brutal collision with it. Nagi, still managing to weakly glower at Kenji, slumped to the floor.
"Victory," the battered Kenji announced tiredly as his aura died down, "belongs to me." He held out his left hand and his tree sword, picking itself off the floor and floating, returned to it. He grinned once, victoriously, but his smile didn't reach his eyes.
******
"Victory…belongs to me."
^I've…failed again,^ Ryouga thought to himself, barely managed to form coherent thoughts in between the spasms of pain he was experiencing. ^I…always fail, don't I? Ranma beat me, Akane doesn't love me, and now I've lost my cure. Damn it! Why can't I ever do anything right?!! I can't even blame this one on Ranma. This is…my fault. My…fault. I've…failed…I'm a…failure…My fault…A…ka…ne…^
Ryouga's struggles ceased and he felt his despair, stronger than ever before, overtake him. He laughed once, voice ridden with pain and full of a lifetime's bitterness. ^Figures. I guess I was…never meant for a happy…ending, was I? Only heroes…live happily ever after…and I'm…no hero…just a second-class martial artist…who doesn't know…when to quit.^
With the despair, though, came power. Ryouga's body began to glow a brilliant green as fractures appeared in the floor around him. He chuckled weakly to himself as he woozily climbed to his feet, body still convulsing from Kenji's attack. ^Only…one thing left…to do now…^
Kenji, hearing the sound of books hitting the floor, turned around and saw Ryouga standing, his own gray energy disappearing as Ryouga's green aura swelled and then contracted about him.
"Still standing?" Kenji asked, calm voice belying his surprise. "Looks like I declared victory a tad prematurely." Sensing Ryouga's rising energy levels and having no idea what they heralded, Kenji summoned his own power and began fashioning it into the strongest shield he was capable of creating. Better safe than sorry, he reflected.
Ignoring Kenji and now enmeshed in a world of his own overwhelming despair and sadness, Ryouga clenched his fists and concentrated. Hair and clothing blowing in an unseen and unfelt wind, Ryouga unleashed his most powerful attack.
"SHISHIHOUKOUDAN!!!" Ryouga shouted, voice almost drowned out by the deafening roar his ki made as it blasted through the ceiling and rose high into sky in the shape of a cylinder. Sighing, Ryouga's head fell and his shoulders sagged in defeat, his posture now one of abject misery, as a new star took its place in the heavens.
Kenji blinked, surprised and worried. ^What was the point of that?^ he wondered. He would soon find out.
The star began its downward plummet, succumbing to the irresistible force of gravity. Not taking its banishment from the skies with grace, Ryouga's ki attack became a vengeful and destructive tempest, growing ever more powerful and larger as it fell. The room was soon bathed in an oppressive green light and overcome with a dreadful howl as the green column drew nearer. This was the Perfect ShiShiHoukoudan, the physical manifestation of Ryouga's sorrow and his ultimate attack.
Kenji's eyes widened even further as it collided with him, grunting with effort to keep his forcefield up against the full weight of Ryouga's melancholic spirit. The ground around him cracked and for a moment it looked like the entire floor might buckle, but Kenji, dredging up every last iota of power he possessed, reinforced his shield and miraculously held the Perfect ShiShiHoukoudan at bay. Unnoticed, Nagi started crawling toward an unseen objective.
One man's unending despair met and battled another's unyielding determination. Ryouga's tragedy personified warred with Kenji's manifested will. The ground shook, dust and various other small objects were tossed about by the forces generated by this tremendous collision, energy crackled, and Ryouga and Kenji relentlessly continued their titanic struggle.
^Akane!^
Despair can destroy a man.
^Brother!^
Determination can keep a man going.
^My turn!^ Nagi thought, grabbing her now de-electrified sword and firing an energy blast at Kenji.
Teamwork, though, can make the impossible possible.
The energy blast struck Kenji's shield which automatically redirected energy to the segment under attack, weakening Kenji's defense against Ryouga's Perfect ShiShiHoukoudan. Kenji's shield crumpled a microsecond later, there was a flash of light, a loud and haunting shout of denial, and then the prince fallen from grace fell once more under Ryouga's endless sorrow.
Supporting herself with her sword, Nagi carefully walked toward Kenji's prone and unconscious form and lightly prodded it with her foot. No reaction. Just to be on the safe side though, she set her sword to heavy stun and shot him again. After that, she smiled, pleased by this victory.
THUMP.
Her smile turning into a frown, she focused her gaze on the unconscious form of her partner and sighed. "He's really got to learn how to stop doing that," she muttered to herself, walking over to him to make sure that exhaustion was the most of his worries.
CLICK.
Nagi turned, wincing as her injuries made themselves known, at the sound of automatic laser pistols being aimed at her and saw an entire squad of Jurai security officers. Her frown know a genuine scowl, she tightened her grip on her sword and prepared for the worst.
"Bounty Hunter Nagi, you're under arrest for assault on a prince of Jurai and abetting-"
"CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!" What was left of the ceiling was vaporized by Ken-ohki as the cabbit ship came flying down to rescue his mistress. Not giving the Jurai soldiers below a chance to react, Ken-ohki immediately emitted a high-intensity stun beam, knocking them out.
"Took you long enough," Nagi grunted as Ken-ohki opened his airlock and released a tractor beam to bring her, Kenji, and Ryouga onboard.
"Chow?"
"Yes, Ryouga's unconscious again."
"Chow?"
"Yes, that was what that green beam of light was."
"Chow?"
"Yes, do prep the medical facilities."
"Chow?"
"Yes, this feels familiar to me too. Heh, I guess we've come full circle," Nagi suggested, chuckling once in sardonic amusement as she and company entered Ken-ohki's interior and the airlock irised closed.
"Chow!" With that said, Ken-ohki flew up and away.
End Chapter 9.