The Return of Kagato (chapter 9)
There had been almost no small talk during tea. No one knew quite what to say. A seemingly unimportant boy from a backwoods planet had defeated the king of Jurai, the most powerfully ranking being in the universe. "It was a wonderful fight Tenchi. Tell me, how were you able to summon the wings at will this time?" Yosho decided to cut strait to the core of their thoughts.
"I don't know. I just…did." Tenchi reviewed what had happened in his mind. The anger, the fear, the utter need to prevent Earth from becoming the next Jurai, and the feeling that he was the only person who could stop it. At that moment, he had simply known he could and therefore did.
"So you have not done this before?" Azusa, while he was shamed, felt that if it was the first time, he would be able to beat Tenchi if it happened again and this time was some mistake.
"Actually, I've done it three times before. Once to defeat Kagato. Once to escape a black hole with Ayeka and Mihoshi. And once in training against Ryoko. And this time, I figured out how to use them, so they're available any time there is a need to protect the girls." Tenchi deliberately added the 'with Ayeka' and 'protect the girls' to convince the king that he was not an enemy.
"So you saved Ayeka from a black hole? And what was she doing with you near a black hole?" The king still would not accept that Tenchi had done something selfless, but before he could answer, he was being squeezed so hard that he couldn't breathe.
"You saved my little Ayeka from a black hole! How can I thank you? Would you like to be my son and the prince of Jurai? How about marrying Ayeka?" Misaki's voice spouted questions and praises in an astounding mix.
"It-was-nothing-really-ack" Tenchi worked words in when he could breathe.
"So actually, I would like to know why you were near a black hole." Lady Funaho commented evenly.
"Dr. Clay captured Ryoko and we went to save her but she was trapped and there was a duplicate and Washu fought him and he escaped and he blew up his ship and it made a black hole and Tenchi flew us out of it with the light hawk wings and I was so scared!" Mihoshi's attempt to explain did not work and after he got her to stop talking, Tenchi told the whole story.
"Actually, we already knew." Everyone stared. "It was in Mihoshi's report." Lady Funaho explained. "I just wanted a different perspective."
"I'm sure everyone is very tired." Yosho stated as he the sun had long since sunk in the west. "Washu, would you provide accommodations for everybody? The ship has rooms, but I think that it's best they stay here."
"Sure, right this way." Washu led the royal family to her door and pulled out her floating laptop. "So how many rooms do you need?"
"One for each shall be sufficient." The king spoke coldly to the small genius.
"Alright." Washu turned around to the blank wall across the hall from her lab. "Here you go." Three doors appeared in the wall. The royal family members looked at each other, shrugged and went in. (I guess I should turn in too. It's been a long day.) Around the house, everyone was feeling the same thing and were going to sleep.
*******Later that night, almost morning*******
The figure appeared in the hall.(So, more doors. I see the royal family has arrived.) He turned toward Washu's door and opened it to see her lab. (So Washu is here. I shall take her later. Best get the easy one first.) He snuck down the hall to the princesses' room; teleporting would give off too much light and wake someone up. He opened the door and grabbed Sasami. She started to try to make noise, but he clamped his hand over her mouth. "We're going on a little trip. Say goodbye to your friends." Holding Sasami, he teleported back to the bridge of the Soja. "I still don't see how this girl can be of any use to us, Lady Tokimi."
"Quiet. Enter her mind and ask her about Tsunami. She will know and will not resist as Ayeka did." Lady Tokimi gave her instructions.
"Very well, Lady Tokimi."
******On earth, just before sunrise******
"Sasami is missing! Her bed is empty and I can't find her anywhere." Ayeka woke everyone with the startling message. "Does anyone know what happened to her?"
"I have one answer, but you're not going to like it. Last night-" Washu was interrupted by a shadow over them.
"What is that?" Azusa was the first person to notice the source of the lack of light. "Does this planet have lunar eclipses often?"
"That's not an eclipse, there's a ship blocking the moon." Washu observed.
"How can any ship be that big?" Ayeka looked up along with the rest of them.
"Hey!! That's the Soja!!" Tenchi recognised the ship as it finished passing in front be the arches on the side. (But how? My lighthawk wing cut that ship in half.)
"I guess we know where Sasami is." Commented Yosho grimly. "We need to get to that ship. All of us. Washu, bring out your door."
"Her what?" The Royal family had not been present when it was last used.{chapter1-2}
"It is the method through which we knew Jurai was destroyed. It transfers people through dimentions and results in almost intsantaneous travel. We used it to get to Jurai, but there was no Jurai." Ayeka explained quickly as Washu programmed the coordinates.
"Ready to go. This should put us in the central chamber of the ship." Washu reported.
"How do we know we won't be walking into a wall?" Tenchi was always concerned with everyone's safety.
"Well, I scanned the ship and there's a wide open space in the middle. I assume it's the inner sanctum and it makes an easy target anyway." Washu explained.
"Lets go." Once again the door expanded to fit them and they went into the unknown.
********In totally black surroundings********
"Tell me where Tsunami is, Sasami."
"But Tenchi, you already know where she is."
"I know, but has she moved?"
"She can never move. She is always with me." 'Tenchi' grabbed her.
"What do you mean? Tell me." He yelled.
"No, no, Tenchi would never do this. Who are you?!?!" Sasami screamed, breaking off the link Kagato had made with her. Sasami was still uncontious on the Soja.
"You said there would be little resistance. So tell me Lady Tokimi, were you wrong?"
"The mistake was yours. You should not have used the image of the boy. She cares for him too much and will readily identify a fake. Did you get any information?" Lady Tokimi said in her omniscient tone. Kagato chose to let the berratement go and focus on the last part of the statement.
"She spoke in riddles. Saying that the boy already knew and Tsunami is always with her." He related all of the information he had gathered.
"Quiet. We have guests." Lady Tokimi faded through a wall to let Kagato fight them. (Now they won't know I'm helping him. They will underestimate him and lose. If the idiot somehow manages to lose his advantage, then I will step in.)
"KAGATO!" Tenchi shouted his challenge. "WHERE HAVE YOU TAKEN SASAMI?"
"Don't worry yourself about that. She's right here." Kagato gustured toward a cylendral clear container behind him.
"Release Sasami." Tenchi ordered. As an afterthought, he added "Or else."
"Or else what? The 'Kagato' you faced last time was but a slightly more powerful than normal shadow. You stand no chance against me at full power." Kagato taunted Tenchi and his group.
"We have been informed that Ryoko was under your control on the attack on our planet 700 years ago. I therefore hold you accoutable for all damages. Here is the bill." Funaho pulled out a list identical to the one she presented Ryoko on the previous visit.
"Quiet. I will pay no bills. I will kill you all except for the ones I have come for." Kagato unwittingly revealed part of his plan.
"So you have come to take some of us away, have you? You'll have to go through me first." Tenchi dropped into a strong stance and summoned the lighthawk wings.
"Same old thing. You need more than that to defeat me." Kagato laughed.
"He's not going to defeat you. We will. All of us." Ryoko stepped next to Tenchi on his right and Ayeka stepped up on his left.
"That's not going to stop me." Kagato laughed inwardly as he surveyed the group. Ryoko, Tenchi, and Ayeka forward ready to fight, the Royal Family behind them with Washu and Yosho, and Sasami behind him contained.(How pathetic. I won't even need Tokimi's help to bet them.) "What are you trying to do Washu?" He asked as he caught her typing furiously on her everpresent laptop.
"If you really want to know. I'm shutting down this ship so you can't use the gems." Washu was always blunt when she was busy with something.
"Do you think that I havn't changed the ship to prevent that? Even if you could, you're too late. I have everything I need right here and I have no use for that planet. Say good bye to Earth!" Kagato laughed evilly as the gems on the Soja focused their power to the front and shot a giant ball of energy toward Earth.
I didn't feel like finishing it this weekend, so I just left it at a good cliffhanger. I got NO reviews on the last chapter. Why? If you don't have anything to correct, at least point out something you liked that you want me to continue. Tomu-kun