and Pioneer. I just came up with the story, not the people. Don't sue me. Especially
Pioneer since I've already bought over a thousand dollars worth of electrical equipment
and anime from you this year. What more do you want from me?
Now a little side note this story uses the Christian religion as a background. Any
and all changes made that differ with Christian doctrine were made on purpose so that
the story could be told. Any changes or mistakes about the Shinto religion were done
accidentally, though.
Heart and Soul:
Act 3: The Needs of a Soul.
Here's what happened so far. Our hero, a Mr. Tenchi Masaki, is a poor orphan,
more like well off too rich one, living with his adopted Aunt, little Washu, a scientist girl
over three hundred years old. As part of his inheritance Tenchi takes care of the Tsunami
Shrine.
On the way to a date with his fair lady, Kiyone of the Orange Headband, a
spaceship arrives popping out a little princess, Kawaii Sasami-Chan, who informed
Tenchi, Mr. Nose Bleed himself, that he was the next king of Jurai and had to marry her.
Tenchi refused but the alien princess told him that he had one day to prepare for the
wedding and left. Auntie Washu, then informed Tenchi that his grandfather had been an
alien. That night Tenchi rescued a half drowned woman, unknown to him the demon
Ryoko, from his pond. The next morning he met up with another young woman, the
angel Aeka, as they were getting to know each other the alien princess arrives and
forcibly tries to rewrite Tenchi's soul after he refused her wedding plans again. A battle
ensues between the Guardians of Jurai, Aeka, and Ryoko. That is finally finished by the
princess crying. The rewrite of Tenchi's soul being partially successful he comforts her.
Oh, yea... Mihoshi's in there somewhere too.
And now onto Act 3: The Needs of a Soul.
***
The morning light drifted through the sliding glass doors setting the dust alight in
an intricate little dance of warmth and light. Aeka slowly opened her eyes staring into
the light awake from the healing sleep. Carefully, she flexed the wing that had been
injured just yesterday. Still slightly sore, but the bones had knitted. She could use the
wing and that was what mattered.
Yesterday's battle had ended, just as suddenly as it had begun. The angels
version of adrenaline, a sort of hyped up energy output, had washed out of her body in
seconds leaving her bruised, tired, and in pain. She had collapsed next to Ryoko with an
uncertain future.
Someone must have carried her into this room. Her spear and shield were neatly
resting against a wall. *It wasn't Ryoko, she couldn't have moved them if she had
wanted too. It must have been Tenchi.* She flexed her wing again to full extension,
feeling something holding it preventing it from moving past a certain point. Craning her
head back she saw a splint holding it in place. Smiling at such a simple act of goodness,
the angel stood and willed the piece of cloth to untangle. Watching the splint fall to the
ground.
She morphed herself back into the Kimono wearing form, that she had used
before when she first met Tenchi. Her wings disappearing in a twinkle of light and dust.
Aeka walking around the room gathering up her weapons and hiding them as she
had her wings. Then with an air of resolution she opened the sliding wooden door and
looked out into the hallway. Down the left side of the hall led a stair way. The right a
number of doors probably a bathroom and the master bed room.
Almost floating, like a bird choosing each step and trying to leave the least mark,
she walked towards the stairs. Trying to get a feel for the occupants by the condition of
the house. There was an almost over welling feeling of love associated with it that
brought a slight smile to her face. This house had been built to commemorate a love.
Aeka paused on the landing examining the huge family room with its rafters
ceiling. The light smell of breakfast blew through the empty room along with the sound
of voices and laughter coming from somewhere not visible from the landing.
It was like a dream. Something out of a legend. A happy family sharing a
peaceful breakfast together. It was a good feeling. A nice peaceful relaxation that made
all of yesterday's pain and fighting drift away into a dream. And the dream of a normal
peaceful place reality. This was the best of foods for her. Even from this distance she
could feel herself absorbing their love and growing stronger. There was all so something
deeply wrong with it Ryoko was down there. To have that much goodness surrounding
her to the point that the stench of her evil was completely drowned out was amazing.
The little red line attaching her to that human led directly towards the sound of
laughter and the smell of food. She followed it down the remaining stairs and across the
huge living room to the kitchen. A counter divided the room she was in from the kitchen
allowing her to finally see the kitchen's occupants. Ryoko was there, the boy, that girl
who had almost banished her was watching the boy cook fascinated, a blond, and a red
headed child she didn't recognize.
The boy was once again a black pool from which it was impossible to gage his
soul by her second sight. A large number of life threads left the darkness including one
to her, Ryoko, the princess, the red headed kid though of a different color and intensity
then the previous three, two or three of the threads that were faint and a few that were
black and tied off in knots signifying a love one who had passed away.
The demon, looking entirely too smug with herself, was the first to notice Aeka
giving her a lopsided smile. "So your finally awake, Aeka." As the rest of the people in
the kitchen turned to see how their injured guest was doing.
"Ms. Ryoko was just telling us what old friends you are." Tenchi told Aeka
giving her a cheerful smile.
"I can imagine." Aeka gritted her teeth, to readying herself for the inevitable
battle. If only she had more energy.
"Its amazing, two different species of aliens visiting us in two days." The red
headed girl said examining her closely as Ryoko had the good graces to look a little
chagrin. "You will let me run a few experiments on you?"
"Um... maybe another time. Ryoko can I have a few words with you outside?"
Aeka asked as calmly as she could. Then she did one of the hardest things ever in her
life. She turned her back to Ryoko and walked out of the house and waited for the
demon.
Her enemy walked out behind Aeka and closed the sliding glass door giving her a
cocky grin. It took all of her will power but Aeka stopped herself from grabbing up her
spear and attacking the evil before her.
"Demon, leave now and I won't banish you."
"Aeka, poor dear little Aeka, you barely have the energy to hold your human
form. Do you really think you can banish me. Any ways, I don't want to fight at least
not here. If you would care to go somewhere more private..." She pointed at the glass
doors and the curious observers who were setting the table watching them.
"You will not seduce his heart demon."
"And what will stop me, you, that little girl, or his girlfriend? You know that they
have not the experience or presence I have." She smiled at Aeka letting her human form
slip enough to show fangs.
"I just have to tell him *The Truth.* After that he would never want you."
"*The Truth* little girl do you have any idea what *The Truth* is? *The Truth*
is betrayal, hate, envy, lust and greed. Those are *The Truths* things created by
humans." Ryoko fired back beginning to shake in anger.
"Demon you will not confuse me with your words. Your kind hasn't spoken a
word of truth since they tossed away their vows of loyalty to Him." Aeka's hand
clenched into a fist. She could almost feel the comforting weight of her spear in her
hand.
"Don't talk to me about something you know nothing about." Ryoko yelled at
her.
The sliding door opened startling both of them as Tenchi walked out onto the
patio. Her little red thread tightened around Aeka's heart and she gasped at the feelings
that rolled off of him and into her.
"Ms. Aeka, Ryoko, we're ready to eat breakfast now. If you would care to join
us." He looked ready to close the door but paused when Ryoko started walking towards
him smiling.
"We were finished any ways." Ryoko grabbed onto one of the boys arms
snuggling up close to him and causing him to blush.
Aeka found herself left frowning at the two as Tenchi escorted the demon into his
home. He turned around and smiled at her again. "Ms. Aeka are you feeling better?"
Ryoko hidden from Tenchi's sight grimaced slightly that he had even remembered her
rival.
"Much better, thank you for asking." Aeka told him following the two in front of
her feeling unsure about herself and slightly jealous. She felt out of place in this large
house full of people she didn't know. None of them had one single tie to her lord. What
was she doing her? What she should do is attack Ryoko. That was the only thing that
could justify her being here. But to attack was against her nature. That left her so few
options, all of which conflicted with other instructions. Some of which even Ryoko
couldn't get out of like revealing their true existence.
Gracefully she sat down at the low table and accepted a bowl of rice from the red
headed girl trying to focus on what was going on around her. She could read so little
about these people. The blond was the easiest. A worshiper of a false religion but a
good person with no evil intentions and yet she seemed to lack any strong emotional ties
for one of such goodness. The red hair girl was almost as much a mystery as the boy but
for different reasons. Goodness and evil seemed to swirl around her soul. For a child she
had experienced too much, made to many good and evil decisions. A tangle of threads
left her only to be cut short and tied off in knots by death. Only one thread out of at least
20 was still alive and that one was connected to the boy. Which only increased her
confusion for the string when examined was one a mother would have for a son. Not a
younger child's attachment to an older.
That only left the little girl sitting across from her, the one who had only
yesterday tried to kill her. The second sight of the girl just left Aeka even more
bewildered. At times their was nothing like Tenchi but every so often it changed for an
instant revealing... She didn't know what it revealed but it wasn't... It wasn't what
should be. That was the only way she could phrase it. Even more peculiar this princess
was studying her just as much, with a mournful look on her face.
"I... no we apologize for injuring you." The ten year old told her looking
solemnly up at Aeka.
"Ugh.... thank you."
"It was... we did not mean to... I'm sorry." She told Aeka once again.
"No need to worry." The angel sipped on her tea. "I am completely recovered."
She felt better too. Some of her strength was returning at being so close to Tenchi. She
would have to talk to him alone later as well as report back to heaven soon. But for right
now she was going to absorb this rooms goodness, like laying in a pool of morning
sunlight, and regain her strength.
***
Staring out the windows of the bus, Kiyone tried to organize her mind once more
into a coherent state. Trying to gather what remained of the fierce courage that everyone
had always respected her for. The spirit that had scared her parents witless imagining
that she would fall out of some tree she had climbed to high or challenge a bully that was
more then a match for her. She had lived for that adrenaline rush as she pushed herself
beyond what any rational person would say was more then enough. She was
unstoppable, unbeatable, and not afraid of anyone or anything. Until two days ago.
That little girl had showed her something that she wasn't ready to handle.
Insanity, things that didn't fit in her tightly ordered little world and she coolly admitted to
herself, mind. She was suppose to be the leader. It was suppose to be her world to
choose what thrill to seek. Nothing was suppose to change that. And a huge space ship
did not fit into her plans. She could get over that experience. It was what had happened
yesterday that was much worse. She had seen the exact same space ship hovering over
the Masaki Shrine and had turned away, frightened, and gone home.
Kiyone removed her headband and stared at it. Lovingly fingering the old piece
of material that was so much a part of herself and contemplated throwing it away. This
was what had been her courage for so long. A gift and a few words of wisdom from her
father when she had broken her arm for the first time. He had wiped the eyes of that little
four year old girl, smiling proudly at his daughter hiding his concern behind that look of
fierce pride.
"Don't cry." He had told her tied this brilliant orange headband around her hair.
"You showed great courage today, let it be part of your strength." Her left arm had rose
to finger the material. For a few seconds forgetting the pain in the right. Then in a truly
great hug had squashed herself to her father in happy delight that removed any thoughts
of pain from her mind.
She had used those same memories to block out the pain of her fathers death a
month later. The tears stopped by a bright orange headband looking gaily out of place
amongst the black and grays that surrounded her at the funeral.
Kiyone replaced her headband tightly wrapping it in place against her hair and
picked up the naginata that she had retrieved from her school, carefully sheifed and
covered. With an air of determination she exited the bus staring up at the hill that held
the Masaki residence. Nothing looked unusual today just blue sky and green trees.
Released she let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. Today would not
be a repeat of yesterday. She was not a coward. She had the courage to make of life
whatever she wanted it to be.
She walked around the lake listening to the sound of birds chirping happily and
wondered with mild annoyance what they were so happy about. The rain from yesterday
had knocked all the dust off the surrounding plants next to the country road giving them a
bright fresh scrubbed feeling.
*Why does anyone live this far out anyways?* The road had bottomed out
leaving an area for car parking and a small quarter mile trail that led the rest of the
distance around the dark blue lake. This place seemed to peaceful, to normal, for what
had happened yesterday she thought tiredly as the house finally came into sight.
Steeling herself, Kiyone walked onto the porch and knocked hard on the front
door with more bravo then she felt shifting the naginata into her right hand.
***
The doorbell chimed calling the table's occupants attention to a new visitor.
Rising from his kneeling position Tenchi put down his chopsticks and went to answer the
door. Curious who would be visiting them so early on a Sunday morning. It was actually
a bit of a relief to be away from the table and the aura of suppressed tension that hung in
the air carefully covered by all with happiness and laughter. So many things that had
happened in the past few days confused him. He knew that something important had
happened when he blacked out. There had been a fight, he was sure of that, but who
against who was something he still couldn't figure out and then he had awakened to see
this little girl crying. Some instinct be it that of a man seeing a women crying or that of
an adult seeing a child crying had awoken and he had gone to confront her.
Behind him Aeka had crumpled to the ground falling hard on her broken wing
and damaging it further. The little girl had hurriedly wiped away her tears running over
to the fallen woman trying to move her to a more conformable position. Tenchi still
dazed from whatever had attacked him, had helped carry the woman to his home helping
the princess put a splint on the broken wing. Watched the entire time by a completely
uninterested Ryoko and an overly helpful Mihoshi.
The chimes rang out again as he opened the door. Sunlight leaking into the
darkened hallway and with it Kiyone dressed in her normal pants and T-shirt, carrying a
long pole wrapped in cloth.
"Kiyone, I thought you were coming by yesterday?" He glanced uneasily at the
pole sure of what was contained in the cloth and hoping she didn't plan to use it against
him. She just looked closely at him once and started to say something.
"Tenchi, Tenchi, look what I found. Its a Jurain sword." Princess Sasami called
rushing around the corner carrying an old family heirloom that might have one been the
hilt of a sword. Kiyone backed away slightly, her stance shifting as the top half of the
pole dropped low and the rear raised behind her.
"Calm down, Kiyone!" Tenchi yelled at her standing in-between the princess and
Kiyone. He motioned the princess to back away out of Kiyone's sight but the girl ignored
him.
"It's ok, every things fine." Kiyone's face was like stone, not giving any
expression that he could read.
"I thought... I thought that she had taken you..." She whispered staring at the little
girl. The princess stared back as time began to slow down. The little girl screamed a
shriek that seemed to resonate to the very soul and grabbed her head falling hard onto the
ground. Kiyone jumped back and in a second had her naginata out of its cloth shief
preparing to defend against an attacker. Tenchi ran towards the princess protecting her
with his own body from Kiyone, cradling her to his chest.
The other ladies who had been sitting around the table rushed into the hall behind
Tenchi and the princess. All staring confusedly at the woman outlined in sunlight and
holding a long pike.
A blackness engulfed Tenchi and for a long moment there was nothing and then
he stood on a wooden ship.
***
The ragtag group of F.T.L. freighters, two ex-mothballed warships that had been
in a lagrange point hopefully never too be used again, and two commercial liners, were
all that remained of the once proud fleet. With the "Tsunami" in low earth orbit Admiral
Strelar was in charge of the supposedly newly commissioned Jurain First Fleet. It hadn't
worked out like that though. With the princess away the newly commissioned captains
of the other ships were agreeing with everything she said and then doing whatever they
wanted to when comms were broken.
She didn't really blamed them. She had not been trained for leadership. All of
her training had been in space engineering. Strelar had been out supervising construction
of a new experimental astroid smelting factory when the attack had occurred. By the
time the radio waves had reached the factory, it was to small to rate a priestess, the
attackers had already destroyed Jurai, the surrounding fleet, and space stations and had
reentered F.T.L.
Strelar had lost two sons, a husband, and a large number of extended family in
that fierce battle. She looked out upon her ragtag crew watching them struggle to
perform duties they had no training in. This ship wasn't even a modern tree ship but a
hunk of metal, from the old war days. When tree ships were still to new and valuable to
be risked in the final war.
She should have been there with her family when the attack occurred. The time
spent in space away from them hadn't been worth not knowing them better. Even if it
had sounded like a good idea at the time for her to avoid the last of the heretic wars and
the exile.
"Admiral, we are detecting an F.T.L. ripple, calculating!" One of her officers
called out from the comm station. She had enough time to look at the newly promoted
officer before her ship depreasurized. The air pressure differential throwing her towards
the new hole that had been hull a moment before. Air ripped from her lungs as she
frantically tried to hold onto anything as the ship shuddered again and she lost her
balance smashing her head smashed against the side of the hull thankfully knocking her
passed out as she was blown into space along with the rest of the bridge crew.
***
Things were getting interesting. The boy's girlfriend had shown up and maybe
wounded the alien. Who had started screaming a high pitch wale that cut to the very
soul. To Ryoko's second sight the insanity of her nothingness was fluctuating a riot of
color as other souls rushed towards that blackness. Hundreds of souls, newly dead,
crying their first scream as they were born into a new world.
The world shifted as if she had teleported and became one made of wood.
Ryoko's second sight left instantly. She could feel her power draining away until it
became hard just to mimic breathing. This was a shrine to a god. Unlike her saintly
sister, Ryoko had fought besides the followers of false gods and knew the power of their
existence in a sort of clinical sense. But in a deeper part, her center, she still failed to
believe in them.
This shrine was powerful, a symbol among symbols of the alien's religion.
Ryoko's human guise flickered and then failed altogether before the power that was
contained in this room. Aeka stood behind her in even worse shape using her spear as a
cane to keep her feet. Her proud wings drooping slightly at the loss of power.
The little girl wasn't there any more in her place was a goddess. Standing
Proudly in front of a huge tree. Twin streams of water flowed around the tree connecting
to small ponds and then cascading down a pair of waterfalls into one large pond at the
base. The princess glowed with spiritual power. It was like trying to look at Him using
only normal human sight. She blocked out any hope of Ryoko using second sight. Her
power acting like static on that sense. The humans blinked focusing as the room shook
and the weight inside the room increased pressing Ryoko down towards the floor. She
saw Aeka lose her precarious balance and tumble to the floor. Ryoko grinned slightly
and then as the weight increased gratefully sat down on the floor. She was going into
space. Not the first of her kind to follow a human into the unknown darkness, but a first
for her. The pressure eased gradually allowing Ryoko, Aeka, and behind her out of view
at first, the three other women to stand.
The girl that she had seen earlier with Tenchi was in the midst of hysterics at one
time waving her pike angrily and the next second looking completely out of it. Uncertain
exactly which was the correct response in this situation.
Lights flared on behind Ryoko and she turned around to confront a new enemy.
Only to realize that it was a screen displaying a large bland ship.
The ship displayed was round in shape with what was obviously an engine added
to the rear in a box design creating an overall look of a round fish. It was ugly, but
functional, nothing compared to the graceful beauty of the "Tsunami." The image of the
ship disappeared on the screen replaced by a young woman who looked infinitely older.
"Tsunami, it has been awhile." The woman grinned at everyone on the ship. She
was wearing some sort of odd red head dress in her gold hair. Her grin was knowing as if
she had some secret that she didn't want to share.
"Tokimi." The Goddess whispered in reply.
"You remember me. I'm so honored, sister." The young woman on the screens
face changed to that of disdain at the other occupants of the wooden ship. Her eyes cold
as steel as she gazed at each person on the "Tsunami."
"I am not your sister, oath breaker!" The little girl sneered back at the tall lady.
Their two expressions remarkably similar even with the disparity between their ages.
The woman on the display chuckled slightly.
"Oath breaker? Is that what you call me now? After what you did? After the
promises you broke?"
"How dare you!" The little princess interrupted beginning to shake in anger.
"Enjoy the sweet pleasure that is the death of you followers." The woman began
to laugh a high cackle that set everyone's nerves on edge. Ryoko finally knew what was
wrong with this goddess. She had seen it a few times as false gods who had power at one
time lost the last of their followers to death and other gods. Their stability, their mind,
begins to lose balance as the carefully arranged hierarchy of their religion was rearranged
to fit the views of a few followers that used to have the support of thousands.
"For now I am going to add these people to the ranks of the dead." Tokimi
smiled once before her face disappeared revealing the circular ship.
"The target ship matches information given about the attacker of Jurai. It also
matches the records of the..." He stopped talking as Tsunami held up one hand.
"I know."
The ship on the screen began to accelerate towards Earth. Avoiding the
"Tsunami" as it spun around the planet heading for a low orbit.
"Stop her!" Tenchi yelled at the goddess. "You can't let her attack Earth."
"It doesn't matter." She failed to even look away from the screen. "Tokimi will
be at her weakest after she has destroyed the planets population and think me weaker
then too. That will be the time to attack."
"Do what Tenchi says!" The girlfriend had regained her balance and some clarity
of action. She positioned her pike for a change. Tip slightly lowered pointing at the
ground. To her left Aeka weakly followed her example.
"How can you sacrifice so many?" Aeka asked as her spear began to dimly glow.
Startling Ryoko *Where is she getting that much power that she can charge the spear in
this shrine?*
"They are only heretic followers of false gods. It is better that they all die then
remain living in their lie." The girl calmly replied watching the screen. Both Aeka and
Kiyone charged her in almost perfect unison only to be stopped after one step held
perfectly still.
Ryoko chuckled at the two woman's foolishness to attack a goddess on her own
sacred ground was sure lunacy. That only a fool would even dare try. This was her
sanctuary only by defaming it in some way or destroying her followers would it be
otherwise.
The little girls body began to shake as a long tear trickling down the side of her
face. But the control of the body remained firmly with the higher being who calmly
watched the other ship descend towards Earth conferring softly with the long wooden
stumps.
Ryoko could almost see the thoughts traveling in the goddess' head. It was so
simple. She was waiting for her opponent to tire herself out on the non-combatants and
then Tsunami would descend on her opponent when Tokimi was at her weakest having
used the power to destroy the population and her ability to retreat cut off by the planet.
Tokimi's ship descended into the Earth's atmosphere before slowing in the upper
Troposphere. Somewhere above South East Asia. Then a bright continuos flash of white
burning light. Everyone except for Aeka and the goddess turned away from the flash.
The entire atmosphere of Earth seemed to be alive reflecting the light that spread across
the clouds. Ryoko closed her eyes and then when she could no longer see her eye lids
reopened them blinking back floating spots on her retinas.
She remembered the days when she could look into light that bright and not even
blink. When light was a warm glow that cradled her when she rested. When light had
never harmed her. Later when the cool white light turned to the darker more painful red
her eyes had adapted to the flickering shadows that light gave off.
The ship reappeared out of the light slowly drifting north towards China. Its
shiny black surface catching the sun light making it easy to spot even from here.
The blond priestess that had been her roommate for the last two nights fell to her
knees crying as she slowly chanted for the souls of the dead. The little red hair girl
patting her shoulder looking uncertain but trying to be strong for the young woman.
Bright flashes exploded on the sides of Tokimi's ship. As bright as the first but
infinitely smaller. Everyone from the planet below, even Ryoko, held their breath hoping
that Earth had somehow defended itself. The glows disappearing seconds later leaving
behind an unharmed enemy that continued on its stately course destroying the most
heavily populated areas of the world it orbited.
"Please, let us make a deal!" Tenchi yelled at the girl standing in front of the
huge old tree.
"A deal?" She looked intrigued at him. Two steady streams of tears leaked out
the sides of her eyes a mirror to the two streams that flowed together into the pond at the
base of the tree. Ryoko looked at her in shock, how could the girl look intrigued and yet
continue to cry it was unnerving.
"If you stop that ship. I'll agree to marry you." The room was suddenly dead
quiet all background sounds fading into nothingness as the goddess smiled at him.
"It is a good marriage gift. Nothing so vulgar as a deal." The room remained still
as the two main players stared at each other.
"By your word as a Jurain Prince do you promise to marry this host." The
goddess asked a slight smile on her lips.
"By my word as Tenchi Masaki, I will marry the princess." The girl gave him a
huge smile as the tears that she had been shedding stopping suddenly.
The bond that held Tenchi to Ryoko thinned just a little along with everyone
else's in the room, as the one that held Tenchi to the goddess suddenly became thicker
and then disappeared altogether as the goddess wove some new knots on his soul. And
she couldn't stop it this time. It wasn't the forced rewrite of before this was an oath
bonding. It wasn't impossible to remove though if both agreed to null the oath or if one
should die... Ryoko smiled it was an obvious answer that she could solve in a more
appropriate location.
The same weight that had pressed them to the floor returned again but gentler
then before as the "Tsunami" moved back towards Earth. Its large ion engines sending
them on their way with out even a rumble of sound.
A brilliant flash of light enveloped the Earth again as the southern China coast
was destroyed. The weight in the "Tsunami" intensified as it rushed towards the source
of the light throwing everyone across the chamber. Ryoko found herself in one of the
lower lakes much to her displeasure.
Something about the air in the "Tsunami" changed. A scent of ozone filled the
room as it began to darken framing Princess Sasami's face in the only light. The tears on
her cheeks highlighted to a sparkle that was visible across the room.
Struggling with the water and her loss of powers Ryoko climbed out of the pond
for the first time in her existence uncomfortably wet. The room was so dark now that her
eyes had to switch to the higher levels of the infrared band just to see the other occupants
of the room, except for the girl who was controlling the ship. Her face now ablaze in
light.
The smell of ozone suddenly disappeared as outside ten pedals of white light
unfolded in front of the ship. Each of the pedals looking as if they were part of some
delicate flower sparkling with morning dew. Then the top pedal began to change color
first to red and then black leaving a glowing ball of energy at the center of the ten pedals.
The pedal that had shed its energy slowly turning back to white. By the time the first had
changed to red the pedal to its right began to change and then another until all the pedals
had given their energy to the center creating a huge ball of glowing white light.
The "Tsunami" began to brush up against Earth's atmosphere. Everyone who
hadn't already found some sort of hand hold was being violently tossed around the ship.
With out any choice Ryoko fell to the floor and hugged it in an attempt not to be thrown
back into one of the ponds.
The main screen was now alive with power as the huge ball of energy pulsed.
The power held in check was blasted by atmosphere and heat as they fell towards the
Earth acting like a heat shields for the "Tsunami" as they fell at a steep angle towards the
enemy ship. Sasami expression had changed in the past few seconds her eyes were now
hidden in the darkness that had descended in the ship even though the rest of her face
was still aglow. A slight smile on her lips framed by the glistening cheeks.
The enemy ship suddenly reappeared on the screen slowly trying to flip over like
a beached turtle to point its weapon at the "Tsunami." Their ship shuddered as its
forward momentum was suddenly slowed by the release of the energy ball. The ball of
light descended on the slowly turning enemy ship impacting on one side of the sphere but
missing the engines and weapons. Everything turned white again in a brilliant display of
pyrotechnics before fading to a soft black and an empty screen. Showing a slowly
rotating Earth in the background. Already a number of huge dust clouds could be seen on
the planet as the effects of the previous attacks had its impact on the planets ecosystem.
"Incoming transmission." The log with the blue writing announced again. As the
display changed showing once more Tokimi's smiling face.
"So sister it looks as if the game is just beginning. I had thought to play a little
more in this arena, but it looks like the prize here is not the one I was searching for. So
until we meet again." The woman grinned at them and disappeared replaced once more
by the Earth.
"What did she mean?" Tenchi demanded.
"She... she realized that this planet does not have any of my followers. She is
going to somewhere... somewhere that my people still live." The girls face had turned
white and her body started to shake.
The petals disappeared one by one as the ship turned away from Earth the screen
displaying only stars. A deep rumbling echoed through the entire ship as something was
changed and then the screen went blank.
On her dais the princess collapsing once again onto the ground in a disheveled
heap. This time Tenchi only stared at her.
***
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