A Soul's Balance
A Tenchi Muyo Fan fiction
By Damien
Disclaimer: The characters of Tenchi Muyo belong to AIC and Pioneer LDC. They are used without permission.
Prologue:
Love is the master key, which opens the gates of happiness.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes ~
It was difficult for her to describe the sensations she was feeling, having felt nothing for so long, but in her heart she knew what it was. The seal to her prison had been broken. She could smell the fresh spring air seeping in to replace the stagnant dank of seven hundred years, warmth to replace the gloom, radiant light to replace the intransigent dark, and hope to replace centuries of despair. * FREE *, after seven hundred years, she would be free again. Freedom from her physical prison was only part of her joy. She was free to love now too.
Surely, it was Tenchi who had broken the seal. Even now, she could hear him sliding down the path towards her chamber. He must have slipped and fallen; the slope was rather steep. She would have laughed in if her vocal chords had been in condition to do so. Her first laugh in seven... No, it would be her first real laugh ever. Tenchi had taught her so many things; finally it was her turn to repay him. She would show him the universe.
She was thinking these thoughts when it hit her. Again, it was difficult for to describe the sensation. If she had to put the feeling into words, it was like having your breasts attached to the output terminals of a dimensional drive reactor running at one hundred and ten percent. To put it in simpler terms: it hurt... it hurt a lot. She was dazed by the influx of power.
Unsteadily she stood, trying to focus her vision and her thoughts. Although, she really didn't need to see or think to understand what had happened, she knew instantly that she had her three gems back. Having had to scrape and scrounge for energy for so long, the return of her gems so quickly was like feeding a near death-starved man a full course steak dinner. Her system could not handle the shock. Ryoko doubled over in pain.
"Sorry," said a man's voice, cutting through the din of her agony.
She lifted her head, the hope of seeing Tenchi... of being able to touch him, eclipsing any pain.
She was to be disappointed however.
'Yosho...'
The First Crown Princess of Jurai sat forlornly in front of a small holographic projection of her half-brother and fiancé as she ran lifelessly through the motions of preparing for bed.
"...And when I come back," the recording said.
"And when you came back; I was to become your bride," Aeka finished, not bothering to wipe away her tears. Shakily, she stood and went over to her bed. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling for a time. Wondering...
'Why did you not take me with you?'
"Because, he did not wish to risk my safety," she answered her own question. More questions followed. These were harder to answer.
'Then... Why haven't you contacted anyone?'
'Why haven't you returned to Jurai?'
'Where are you Yosho?'
Slowly, the calm breeze flowing through the open space of the room and the quiet peaceful sounds of night on Ryu-Oh brought sleep to the troubled princess...
...And a dream, or was it a nightmare. She couldn't tell.
Aeka looked around the smoldering bridge of her once proud Ryu-Oh for a sign of her enemy. All about her was flames and the billowing smoke made it difficult to see.
"AEKA! AEKA, HELP ME!" a voice screamed.
"SASAMI! Where are you, Sasami? SASAMI!" Aeka yelled. An explosion ripped through the ship tossing Aeka to the floor. Blood ran unchecked from a gash to her forehead and the pain in her side was excruciating, still she ignored it. She had to find Sasami.
The ship began to list to one side, making it difficult for her to stand, but she did. Sasami was out there somewhere.
"SASAMI! WHERE ARE YOU, SASAMI!"
It was when total despair began to overcome her that she heard it: a laugh, a horridly wicked laugh.
"Haha, why your lovely sister is with me, Princess Aeka. We were discussing the secret of the universe, Tsunami. Perhaps you care to join the discussion?"
Aeka turned toward the direction of the voice. A tall man, Aeka had never seen before, held Sasami in the air, her throat in the crook of his arm. The look of total fear on Sasami's face was more than enough to enrage Aeka.
"You *will* release my sister or so help me, I will..." Aeka said, forcing the words through her clenched teeth.
"Or you will what?" the man asked calmly.
"Enough!" Aeka screamed, and focused her will. "Restrain him!"
Nothing
The man laughed.
'What is wrong,' Aeka thought confusedly. "Ryu-Oh! I said to restrain him!" Then she realized... it was gone, her link to Ryu-Oh was gone. Her eyes widened in disbelief, as she turned to look at her tree. It stood majestically for a moment and then as if in slow motion, it fell, cleaved in two vertically down the middle.
"It looks as though you have more pressing concerns than your sister, Princess Aeka. Haha," the stranger got out between laughs and adjusted his small-rimmed glasses. "May I introduce you to a new associate of mine. First Crowned Princess of Jurai's Royal Family, meet... your death."
A figure stepped over the broken stump of Ryu-Oh and took slow, determined steps towards Aeka. Whoever it was, was lean in shape and dressed rather simply, although Aeka had never seen his like of clothing before. Strangely, she could not make out his face.
"YOU! YOU KILLED MY RYU-OH!" Aeka seethed, pointing at the figure, who stopped his advance. "AZAKA, KAMIDAKE, put that man to *DEATH*!"
The two guardians materialized next to her, one on either side.
"Yes, Ma'am," they chimed, and sped forth.
The figure once again began his advance, as the two guardians approached.
Both Azaka and Kamidake fired energy blast after energy blast at the figure, but the seemed to bend around him. Seeing as that attack had no effect, the two decided a more direct approach was necessary and moved to capture the intruder between them.
Again, the man who held Sasami began to laugh... quietly at first.
Azaka positioned himself to the figure's right, and Kamidake to the left. They were about to activate an electrical field and obey their mistress's command to kill the stranger, when the young man reached out both of his hands and placed one on Azaka and the other on Kamidake.
Aeka looked over to the man holding Sasami, an evil grin spreading across her face. "Watch fiend, you will share a similar fate!"
"No, Princess, it is you who should watch!" the man holding Sasami quipped.
Aeka turned back to the young man between her two guardians and gaped.
One moment, Azaka and Kamidake were there, the next moment they were gone.
Both Azaka and Kamidake held their shape for a moment that seemed frozen in time, before guardian-sized amounts of sand and water came crashing to the floor.
Aeka fell to her knees in disbelief and terror.
"This can not be," she said quietly.
Laughter rang throughout the ship, as the one holding Sasami could no longer contain his mirth. "Now, Princess, unless you too would like to feel his touch, you will tell me the secret..."
The other figure resumed his advance toward Aeka.
"How?" Aeka whispered. How had her life come to this?
'All is not lost, Princess Aeka' a voice chimed in her mind.
The laughter continued. The stranger's footsteps continued.
"Why is this happening? All I wanted was to find my brother." Aeka asked, slipping further into hopelessness.
'There is a purpose to all things, Princess, and you *will* find your brother. It may not be the reunion you wish it to be, but it will happen,' the feminine voice again answered.
"What am I supposed to do? That thing is going to kill me!" Aeka said, pointing at the figure. He stopped just in front of her, and drawing an arm across his chest, formed a brilliant white sword. Aeka closed her eyes, not wanting to know when death would come.
'He has the power to manipulate matter to the point of transforming it into other forms and he has other gifts, but he will not kill you. You will not die, Princess Aeka. Remember, this is only a dream.'
"A... a dream?"
'Yes'
Aeka opened her eyes. The burning bridge of Ryu-Oh was gone, as were Sasami and the man who was holding her and demanding to know of Tsunami. All was dark. The only thing she could see was herself and the young man with the sword to her throat, but she was no longer afraid.
She squinted her eyes, but still could not make out his face.
"Who is he?" Aeka asked staring at the unmoving man.
'The key to your happiness.'
"Aeka... Aeka, wake up. Aeka!"
Aeka sat bolt upright in her bed. A gentle breeze blew through the large open windows of Aeka's room and all was quiet and still. Aeka rubbed her sleep heavy eyes, and looked about herself with growing relief. Ryu-Oh hadn't been destroyed. She felt a tugging at her arm. It was her little sister, Sasami.
'Thank goodness,' Aeka thought at seeing her sister well and placed a hand over her quickly beating heart. Completely calm now, Aeka smiled down at her sniffling sibling. "What's wrong, Sasami?"
"I had a scary dream, Can I sleep with you?"
"Of course."
1
A Tenchi Muyo Fan fiction
By Damien
Disclaimer: The characters of Tenchi Muyo belong to AIC and Pioneer LDC. They are used without permission.
Prologue:
Love is the master key, which opens the gates of happiness.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes ~
It was difficult for her to describe the sensations she was feeling, having felt nothing for so long, but in her heart she knew what it was. The seal to her prison had been broken. She could smell the fresh spring air seeping in to replace the stagnant dank of seven hundred years, warmth to replace the gloom, radiant light to replace the intransigent dark, and hope to replace centuries of despair. * FREE *, after seven hundred years, she would be free again. Freedom from her physical prison was only part of her joy. She was free to love now too.
Surely, it was Tenchi who had broken the seal. Even now, she could hear him sliding down the path towards her chamber. He must have slipped and fallen; the slope was rather steep. She would have laughed in if her vocal chords had been in condition to do so. Her first laugh in seven... No, it would be her first real laugh ever. Tenchi had taught her so many things; finally it was her turn to repay him. She would show him the universe.
She was thinking these thoughts when it hit her. Again, it was difficult for to describe the sensation. If she had to put the feeling into words, it was like having your breasts attached to the output terminals of a dimensional drive reactor running at one hundred and ten percent. To put it in simpler terms: it hurt... it hurt a lot. She was dazed by the influx of power.
Unsteadily she stood, trying to focus her vision and her thoughts. Although, she really didn't need to see or think to understand what had happened, she knew instantly that she had her three gems back. Having had to scrape and scrounge for energy for so long, the return of her gems so quickly was like feeding a near death-starved man a full course steak dinner. Her system could not handle the shock. Ryoko doubled over in pain.
"Sorry," said a man's voice, cutting through the din of her agony.
She lifted her head, the hope of seeing Tenchi... of being able to touch him, eclipsing any pain.
She was to be disappointed however.
'Yosho...'
The First Crown Princess of Jurai sat forlornly in front of a small holographic projection of her half-brother and fiancé as she ran lifelessly through the motions of preparing for bed.
"...And when I come back," the recording said.
"And when you came back; I was to become your bride," Aeka finished, not bothering to wipe away her tears. Shakily, she stood and went over to her bed. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling for a time. Wondering...
'Why did you not take me with you?'
"Because, he did not wish to risk my safety," she answered her own question. More questions followed. These were harder to answer.
'Then... Why haven't you contacted anyone?'
'Why haven't you returned to Jurai?'
'Where are you Yosho?'
Slowly, the calm breeze flowing through the open space of the room and the quiet peaceful sounds of night on Ryu-Oh brought sleep to the troubled princess...
...And a dream, or was it a nightmare. She couldn't tell.
Aeka looked around the smoldering bridge of her once proud Ryu-Oh for a sign of her enemy. All about her was flames and the billowing smoke made it difficult to see.
"AEKA! AEKA, HELP ME!" a voice screamed.
"SASAMI! Where are you, Sasami? SASAMI!" Aeka yelled. An explosion ripped through the ship tossing Aeka to the floor. Blood ran unchecked from a gash to her forehead and the pain in her side was excruciating, still she ignored it. She had to find Sasami.
The ship began to list to one side, making it difficult for her to stand, but she did. Sasami was out there somewhere.
"SASAMI! WHERE ARE YOU, SASAMI!"
It was when total despair began to overcome her that she heard it: a laugh, a horridly wicked laugh.
"Haha, why your lovely sister is with me, Princess Aeka. We were discussing the secret of the universe, Tsunami. Perhaps you care to join the discussion?"
Aeka turned toward the direction of the voice. A tall man, Aeka had never seen before, held Sasami in the air, her throat in the crook of his arm. The look of total fear on Sasami's face was more than enough to enrage Aeka.
"You *will* release my sister or so help me, I will..." Aeka said, forcing the words through her clenched teeth.
"Or you will what?" the man asked calmly.
"Enough!" Aeka screamed, and focused her will. "Restrain him!"
Nothing
The man laughed.
'What is wrong,' Aeka thought confusedly. "Ryu-Oh! I said to restrain him!" Then she realized... it was gone, her link to Ryu-Oh was gone. Her eyes widened in disbelief, as she turned to look at her tree. It stood majestically for a moment and then as if in slow motion, it fell, cleaved in two vertically down the middle.
"It looks as though you have more pressing concerns than your sister, Princess Aeka. Haha," the stranger got out between laughs and adjusted his small-rimmed glasses. "May I introduce you to a new associate of mine. First Crowned Princess of Jurai's Royal Family, meet... your death."
A figure stepped over the broken stump of Ryu-Oh and took slow, determined steps towards Aeka. Whoever it was, was lean in shape and dressed rather simply, although Aeka had never seen his like of clothing before. Strangely, she could not make out his face.
"YOU! YOU KILLED MY RYU-OH!" Aeka seethed, pointing at the figure, who stopped his advance. "AZAKA, KAMIDAKE, put that man to *DEATH*!"
The two guardians materialized next to her, one on either side.
"Yes, Ma'am," they chimed, and sped forth.
The figure once again began his advance, as the two guardians approached.
Both Azaka and Kamidake fired energy blast after energy blast at the figure, but the seemed to bend around him. Seeing as that attack had no effect, the two decided a more direct approach was necessary and moved to capture the intruder between them.
Again, the man who held Sasami began to laugh... quietly at first.
Azaka positioned himself to the figure's right, and Kamidake to the left. They were about to activate an electrical field and obey their mistress's command to kill the stranger, when the young man reached out both of his hands and placed one on Azaka and the other on Kamidake.
Aeka looked over to the man holding Sasami, an evil grin spreading across her face. "Watch fiend, you will share a similar fate!"
"No, Princess, it is you who should watch!" the man holding Sasami quipped.
Aeka turned back to the young man between her two guardians and gaped.
One moment, Azaka and Kamidake were there, the next moment they were gone.
Both Azaka and Kamidake held their shape for a moment that seemed frozen in time, before guardian-sized amounts of sand and water came crashing to the floor.
Aeka fell to her knees in disbelief and terror.
"This can not be," she said quietly.
Laughter rang throughout the ship, as the one holding Sasami could no longer contain his mirth. "Now, Princess, unless you too would like to feel his touch, you will tell me the secret..."
The other figure resumed his advance toward Aeka.
"How?" Aeka whispered. How had her life come to this?
'All is not lost, Princess Aeka' a voice chimed in her mind.
The laughter continued. The stranger's footsteps continued.
"Why is this happening? All I wanted was to find my brother." Aeka asked, slipping further into hopelessness.
'There is a purpose to all things, Princess, and you *will* find your brother. It may not be the reunion you wish it to be, but it will happen,' the feminine voice again answered.
"What am I supposed to do? That thing is going to kill me!" Aeka said, pointing at the figure. He stopped just in front of her, and drawing an arm across his chest, formed a brilliant white sword. Aeka closed her eyes, not wanting to know when death would come.
'He has the power to manipulate matter to the point of transforming it into other forms and he has other gifts, but he will not kill you. You will not die, Princess Aeka. Remember, this is only a dream.'
"A... a dream?"
'Yes'
Aeka opened her eyes. The burning bridge of Ryu-Oh was gone, as were Sasami and the man who was holding her and demanding to know of Tsunami. All was dark. The only thing she could see was herself and the young man with the sword to her throat, but she was no longer afraid.
She squinted her eyes, but still could not make out his face.
"Who is he?" Aeka asked staring at the unmoving man.
'The key to your happiness.'
"Aeka... Aeka, wake up. Aeka!"
Aeka sat bolt upright in her bed. A gentle breeze blew through the large open windows of Aeka's room and all was quiet and still. Aeka rubbed her sleep heavy eyes, and looked about herself with growing relief. Ryu-Oh hadn't been destroyed. She felt a tugging at her arm. It was her little sister, Sasami.
'Thank goodness,' Aeka thought at seeing her sister well and placed a hand over her quickly beating heart. Completely calm now, Aeka smiled down at her sniffling sibling. "What's wrong, Sasami?"
"I had a scary dream, Can I sleep with you?"
"Of course."
1