Hey, I hope you are enjoying my series. I had so much fun writing it. This is a very good chapter, also a little longer than the rest. Kind of makes up for the last one, it was slightly shorter.
Disclamer: Tenchi Muyo! is not mine, but this story and all knew characters are.
Now...
Tenchi Muyo!--Lost Souls Ch. 5
Tenchi and his guardsmen transversed around the square where the most of the sightings of Aeka had been. They had been here for over three hours, searching and gossiping with the people. He was starting to get quite tired and he needed a break, and so he decided that he would sit at a restaurant and have something to refresh him. After he finished with his drink, he would start for home, and search for Aeka from there once again. He was not going to give-up just yet.
From a distance away, two individuals stood watching the prince. They had been watching him as he searched for the princess Aeka. They knew he would never find her though, she was dead. His determination did impress them, though.
"His determination is quite impressive, is it not brother," said the woman calmly.
"Yes," said the man beside her with a bit of annoyance.
"He looks, however, ready to head home, and search from there," the sister determined.
"We cannot allow that, her highness will have barely gotten there. She would not have had enough time. The plan would be ruined."
"You are quite right. We will have to intervene." They looked at each other and nodded as their decision was made.
Casually they walk past the prince, the sister, feigning shock, pulled on her brother towards the prince. His guards became on full alert and stopped the couple before they were within arms reach. The woman spoke up, "It is you, is it not." She turned towards her brother, "Look, brother, it is Crown Prince Tenchi. She was right, that young lady, he is very handsome. What were her words: 'He is the most handsome man to walk...'--what was that first planet she said." She turned towards the man beside her for the answer.
Annoyed at her forgetfulness, he brassly said, "the Earth."
"Oh, yes," she remembered, " I remember now. 'The most handsome man to walk the Earth, Jurai, or even the known universe'."
At the mention of Earth, Tenchi became very interested. No one really knew about Earth. It was a low-tech, backwards planet. Only a few people knew of it. He had to play this out right.
"Really," Tenchi said nonchallantly, "is that what she said." The woman saw through his facade and played the final card.
"Yes, that is what she said. It was odd though that she had no one with her, she is equally as beautiful, wouldn't you say, brother," The brother nodded. "She wore a long cloak, but we did see her face. Quite graceful and elegant, with the most intense pinkish purple eyes."
"No, I do believe it was purplish pink eyes," her brother said joining her in the con.
"You could be right, I could be mistaking her hair color with her eyes. Her hair was just as beautiful. Glossy and sleek, and a dark purple color. She had to be just as beautiful under that cloak."
"Yes, a real beauty if I ever saw one. She held her head up with the knowledge. Oh, and the way she stood, one could almost perceive that she was royalty of something. She stood as tall as a princess," the brother said with admiration.
"Well, it was nice meeting you," the woman now said turning to walk away, her brother doing the same, "but we must be off."
"Wait," the prince said behind them, "Won't you have a drink with me. This girl sounds very interesting. Maybe you could tell me more about her." The twins turned to each other, we have him.
"Of coarse, you highness," the woman said, "By the way, my name if Atena and this is my twin brother, Ares."
"Please, sit," the prince motioned for them to take the chairs opposite him. They did so with real smiles on their faces.
Across town, walking down the streets with her guardsmen that the prince insisted on, Ryoko searched for her soul sister. After three hours, she was having no luck. She was exhausted and the guards saw this.
"Perhaps this has gone on long enough, Lady Ryoko," one said.
"No, we must keep looking," Ryoko replied. She didn't want to give-up, she needed to find her. Aeka was here somewhere here, she could feel it in her bones. She knew that if she just kept on searching she would find Aeka.
"But, my lady, we have been at for three hours with no sign at all of the princess. You are tired, you could not possibly find the princess. If you rest then you can start anew," a second guardsman devised.
"Perhaps you are right," Ryoko agreed, "I shall return to the palace. We can search from there."
In the shadows stood two figures that had watched her progress. This new development was not good. The smaller figure turned to the larger one. "We must stop her from heading back to the palace just yet," said the little girl.
"You're right," he answered, "The princess has not had enough time. We must lend her our help. Then he knelt down when motioned by the girl to get closer. She begin to whisper in his ear a plan that just might give their princess some time. He nodded in agreement at what she was saying. When she finished, he stood up and looked towards the woman and her guards. "Ready," he asked the little girl. She nodded and ran off towards the group.
"Daddy, this way," a young girl shouted, "I saw her come this way." She ran blindly towards Ryoko's direction, her head turned back towards the man following her.
"Stop, don't run to fast, you'll run into something," he said, obviously her father.
As if on cue she ran straight into one of the guards, she fell to the ground crying. "I told you that would happen," the father said finally catching up to his wayward daughter. He knelt down to comfort his daughter and then he picked her up and placed her on his shoulders. With his daughter safely on his shoulders he turned towards the group.
"I'm sorry, my lady, gentlemen," he apologized, "my daughter got a bit over excited about seeing something I'm sure she must not have really seen."
"It's okay," Ryoko said. Looking first at the daughter and then her father. She looked nothing like him, she must have gotten her mother's looks. However, the way he treated her, was obviously with fatherly affection. She smiled when, in age-old daughter defiance, the girl began to speak.
"But I did see her, daddy. Just like in the pictures," the daughter interjected. "I'm not imagining it. I SAW PRINCESS AEKA.," she finished loudly.
This caught Ryoko's attention, this little girl saw Aeka. She needed to learn more about this sighting. It was a fresh trail, one that she just couldn't miss. She could rest later, if this led to no where.
She turned towards the little girl sitting atop her father's shoulders. "Really, you saw Princess Aeka. Could you tell me about it," Ryoko asked. "By the way, I'm Ryoko." she stuck out her hand to shake the little girls smaller one. The little girl grabbed it and shook it vigorously.
"My name is Aurora," she said in a shrilly voice, "And this is my dad." She had let go of Ryoko's hand and now patted her father's head.
He smiled at Ryoko. Had she really known him she might have been weary, but she didn't know him and it was her downfall. "My name is Eros," he said and then shook Ryoko's hand, albeit less vigorous than his daughter.
Both father and daughter smiled immensely at Ryoko. Hook, line, and sinker, they both thought, This should give Andromeda-hime some time.
In another part of town, Washu was typing away at her computer. As she walked around with her escort using the scanner to search for Aeka. Her guards followed amazed that she could walk and continue typing at the same time.
"Hmm," she sighed, "there does seem to be some residue around this area. She must have been her before. Does look like it is recent." She continued walking following the fresh lead that she had.
Not too far away, two figures stood watching her progress. One, a female by the voice, begin to speak with worry, "She is getting closer to the hotel that we are staying in. I did not think that she would have such a system."
"We are going to have to lead her away, but how," the other said in a male voice.
"She is focusing on the residue of magic that is left when a person has been at a place. I will have to counteract that some how," the woman said.
"You can do that," the male asked with wonder.
"I do it all the time when I cloak the ship," the female answered.
"Yes, but that does not deal with the residue left, it deals with the actual residue," he admitted.
"If I can get close enough to that computer, I could probably override it," she replied, "I can through her off that way."
"Okay, let's take that route. I might have a way of getting that close. Listen closely," the man said. Quietly he whispered his plan to her. She nodded.
A distance away, Washu begin to pick-up a residue trail, but not that of Aeka. It was Juraian, yes, but it was slightly different. This intrigued Washu. She stopped walking and begun to type furiously at her board trying to decipher what it was. He guard looked on in amazement.
They did not see two people approach and were shocked when on spoke in a loud voice. "I knew it, I told you it was her," a man said right in front of Washu. She was through off balanced by the sear decibel.
"Ahh," she screamed covering her ears; her computer disappearing because of her loss of concentration A lady beside him was doing the same as she glared at him.
"Okay, I'm glad you can identify her," the lady said, "but could you do it a little less loudly." Damn, she thought, the computer needs to be out.
Washu had to agree with her, he was louder than even Mihoshi, if that were possible.
The guards, finally regaining their composure, pushed them back.
"Hey, I'm sorry," the man said with his hands in front of him waving the guards back.
"That is what you get," the girl said.
"I was just so excited about seeing the person I envy in the whole universe," he said, "I mean come on, how would you act if you meant the smartest person in the whole universe."
So he was a fan, Washu thought, that's nice, but I have a job to do. "Excuse me, I'm glad that you are so excited to see me, but I am in the middle of something," Washu said.
"Oh, I am sorry, my lady," the woman said, "Please continue." She needed that computer out.
"Thank you," Washu said as she brought out the computer. The woman looked at the man. He nodded slightly, but Washu didn't see this for her head was bowed down at her computer screen.
"It's just that my friend, Iris, didn't think it was you," the boy said, "I mean, you don't come out of the palace, so it couldn't be you. That's what she thought, but I told her it was you. You are like our hero."
Washu was barely hearing him, something was wrong with her computer screen. "That's nice," she said with a little annoyance. What was going on with her computer screen.
"By the way, my name is Hermes," he said, "and I've studied all of your works. They are very impressive." Washu looked up at the boy. He did look extremely intelligent, however the girl wasn't speaking. Well he was talking a mile a minute how could the girl get a word in edgewise.
Keeping her computer out Washu spoke, "That really good, I'm glad to be admired, but I really am in the middle of something very important."
"Really could I see," he made his way behind her and watched the screen. Washu sighed and then looked down at the screen. What come up surprised her and the boy, which was also a surprise. Then it was gone, he computer started smoking.
She yelled and pushed it away, and the boy jumped beside his companion. Washu looked at the girl, what she had seen on her computer screen became totally clear.
"Ryo-Ohl," Washu said with wonder. The girl's eyes widened at being recognized. The boy spoke-up.
"Before the computer went out, it identified you," he said.
"This is not good," the girl said regaining her composure, "her highness, will not be happy that I was found out."
"You know where Aeka it at," Washu said, it was not a question. The boy jumped in front of Ryo-Ohl.
"I think that we should go," he said. Ryo-Ohl nodded and her white cloak begin to glow and grow. When it was complete, Ryo-Ohl had large beautiful angel wings. She grabbed a hold of the boy and begin to fly off.
"No, wait," Washu yelled after them, "Please, we just want Aeka back."
Floating high above them, Ryo-Ohl answered, "You cannot have Aeka back. Aeka is dead. Andromeda has killed her." With that said, Ryo-Ohl and the boy that she carried vanished, enveloped in the cloaking zone.
Washu turned to her fried computer trying to think why. Then it came to her, that's why they did that. It was a distraction, they were buying time. She was getting close, but why say that Aeka was dead. The others could be distracted from the search like they had been trying to do to her. She had to hurry.
"Come, guys, we must find Lady Ryoko and Prince Tenchi," she yelled as she ran to find the other two.
Above her, the two encased in the cloaking zone watched.
"We need to find the others," Hermes said.
"You are correct," Iris answered. They begun to follow Washu and her men.
In the streets, Ryoko was walking and talking with the young family. She tried to get the girl to tell her where she had seen Aeka, but the answers were always vague and unsure. That's was the way it was with little girl. However, she did sometimes swear she saw the girl smile several times at her confusion.
"Ryoko," someone called from behind her. She turned to find that it was Washu, her mother. She was running towards her, had she found Aeka.
"Yes," Ryoko said with great hope, "did you find something."
"They are...trying...to...distract us," she said between breathes.
"What? What are you talking about, mother."
Catching her breath, Washu began to explain, "We were sent on a wild goose chase. She sent people to distract us."
Suddenly, Ryo-Ohl and the boy appeared behind the father and daughter. The little girl spoke-up, "What are you two doing here?"
"We have been found out," the boy with Ryo-Ohl said. Ryoko looked at the four, anger raising in her. The girl jumped down from her perch and stood ready with pistol in hand, her 'father' also had a pistol in his hand. How did they get those. The guards stood ready to fight.
Ryo-Ohl stopped the two others from fighting, "That is not what her highness would want. Put your pistols away." The two others complied, putting their pistols in side holster that Ryoko didn't know had been there before.
"Iris, I think we should go," the little girl said, "Let us find the others." Ryo-Ohl nodded and soon they were enveloped in the cloaking. They were gone. Ryoko looked around feverishly.
"Where did they go, they can tell us where she is," Ryoko's anger was raising still.
"They would only say that she is dead," Washu said. Ryoko turned wide-eyed to her. "That's what Ryo-Ohl told me. She said that Aeka was dead, that Andromeda had killed her."
"No, it's not true," Ryoko said smashing her fist into the nearest wall.
"Come, Ryoko, we must find Tenchi. If you had distractions, no doubt he will have some of his own," she said as she ran to find Tenchi with Ryoko and the guardsmen following.
Tenchi sat with the brother and sister, having a conversation while sipping some tea. Every time he had tried to ask a question about Aeka, they would give only monosyllabic answers. Then they would turn around and ask him some questions, which he felt compelled to answer.
He tried once again to question the siblings, "So, where did you see her when you talked to her?"
"Where did we see her," the sister repeated, "Well, I can't be sure." There is that vague answer again. "You see, we are just visiting this planet, we don't know the terrain. Do you remember where it was that we saw her, Ares?"
He placed a finger to his lips for emphasis, "To be sure, I am not certain. I do believe though that it was somewhere in this square."
Tenchi was about to ask another question when he saw Washu and Ryoko running towards him. He stood-up quickly when they had reached him. The twins startled also stood up. Tenchi's guards became alert.
"Did you find something," he asked hopefully.
"We are being distracted, Tenchi," Ryoko answered. The twins took a step back away from the small group.
"What do you mean, we are being distracted," Tenchi asked. The two then turned and looked at the siblings. Ryoko narrowed her eyes and shot after them, intending to get some answers. The girl, who had been wearing a cloak, took the hood and brought it over her head, while the man just jumped away. He landed next to his sister, who had reappeared, a distance away. In his hands, he held a laser sword.
"Who are you," Tenchi said brandishing his own sword.
Behind them the other four materialized and the one with wings spoke, "I am sorry, Washu figured who I was before I could destroy her computer."
"It is alright, Iris, we have given her some time," Atena said. She turned towards her brother, "Please, Ares, put the sword away. Andromeda would not like it if you hurt anyone of them."
After a few moments, Ares put his sword away snarling, "She's the one that attacked us first." Atena put her hand up to stop his argument and surprisingly he stop.
"I think it might be wise to leave," a boy with glasses said.
"I would have to agree with that assessment, we've given her highness enough time to see her," Atena approved. Soon the were enveloped in the cloaking area and vanished without a trace, leaving behind a shocked prince and spectators.
"Who were they," Tenchi asked Washu, "How did they do that?"
"Those are the crew of the ship that the space pirate Andromeda commands. The one with the wings was Ryo-Ohl. I do believe that they call her Iris now," she paused as she debated about telling him about Aeka now or later, then decided. "Tenchi, they said that Aeka is dead."
"What?!"
Ryoko had been quietly thinking over what the boy with glasses had said. Her highness has had enough time to see her. Then it dawned on her, this pirate, Andromeda, has gone to see. She voiced her answer, "Andromeda has gone to see Sasami."
She ran as fast as she could towards the palace, Tenchi, Washu, and the guards trailing behind her.
