Disclaimer: I don't own the Tenchi cast, or any of its characters. I did however create The Ebon Shard, the two universe's, Tenchi and Ryoko's son, Yosho [boy with golden eyes] (Please note I DID NOT create Tenchi or Ryoko), Blackshire, Planet Plesruis, Captain Koreas, Sigius Meldred, The Yenvala, Commander Katiso, and Kenzar. Thank you.
* Means a note at the end of the story
Tenchi Muyo: The Final Saga:?!
Chapter 16: Dark Days are here
THE LEGEND:
The legend of the two Universes' is an ancient one. These days it is told only to calm children
with nightmares. You see, in one
dimension, called the Universe of Delight, good always triumphs in the end. Things may not be perfect, yet in the end
justice and right shall never fail. However, the other universe, The Universe of Torment, is not so
fortunate. It is a realm where evil
reigns supreme. In the end the evils
that roam that plane stand triumphant and those with pure hearts must be
prepared, in the end, to die by these monster's hands.
But, that is not the entirety of the legend. For you see, the old legend states that one
day a being of purest evil will leave The Universe of Torment, and wage a
horrible war with the Universe of Delight. This monster shall be born from love, yet be the bane of all that have
love inside themselves. His hate and
fury will lay waste entire worlds, and all of time will quake at his
passing. If the demon is defeated, then
the Universe of Torment will forever be free of its curse. The curse that evil shall always
prevail. But if the demon is not
stopped, then the Universe of Delight will fall under the same curse as it's
parallel, and every living thing in both universes shall know unending pain and
suffering for all time.
The horror of this war was but a painful memory to the Masaki family, however recent events have changed that, from dreaded nightmare, to reality.
"Where there's day, there shall come night; when there's
smoke, you will find fire; where once there was Yosho, now there is only
BLACKSHIRE!"
It was these words, which, among other things, started a war, a war of
legendary proportions. Blackshire has
returned, in the body of Kenzar,' son' of Kagato. Tenchi and his family, along with Ryoko and Yosho, from Torment,
have now arrived on Plesruis, and the epic battle is joined, as it was meant to
be.
Chapter 16 of 26:
Planet Plesruis:
On a planet, that was only a few hours ago, considered to be the greatest vacation resort in the universe, good and evil wage an unbelievable battle for dominance. Tenchi Masaki, Ryoko, from the Universe of Torment, Ayeka Jurai, Kiyone and Mihoshi, and the Galaxy Police, are the representatives of all that is right and just in this battle, while Blackshire and his minions seek to destroy and pillage everything in their path. For the past two month, Blackshire has been planning his return, and now after so very long this battle has arrived.
The Rooftop:
Yosho Masaki screamed as he landed heavily on the rooftop, sliding on his shoulder roughly, while his adversary cackled madly. "You've been slacking, prince Yosho…." The ebon knight said mockingly. "Charging me head on…. Really, I expected more really." Slowly the young man stood back on his feet.
That hurt, the young son of Tenchi thought as he held up his sword. "I'm not beaten yet, Blackshire. As a matter of fact, you just got lucky that time."
The creature with green energy smiled, a terrifying appearance when added to his unholy helmet, holding up his energy sword. "Oh really, well then, let's try this again."
Roaring loudly, the young man moved his sword behind him,
and charged straight at his foe. Just
as he appeared before his opponent, Yosho leapt, narrowly avoiding Blackshire's
emerald blade. With a swift motion,
the young man landed behind his enemy and whirled about swinging his Tenchi-ken
with all his might. It was an
impressive move, yet the black armored monster was quick on his feet, and
managed to deflect the attack. With a
hiss, Blackshire swung his weapon again, but his golden-eyed foe suddenly
vanished as the blade passed through the air he had once occupied. What? Where did he go?
"Behind you, Blackshire," a voice yelled. Yosho brought his sword across quickly, raking it across the armored man's back.
The ebon monster winced, as a small trickle of green blood ran from his open wound. Turning slowly to face his foe. "You have improved. I'm sorry for saying you were weak, but it really doesn't matter. Since you're going to die anyway." The two warriors collided, sword to sword, each pushing with all their might as they sought to find some flaw in the other's defenses. After long moments, the hideous scowl on Blackshire's face faded, replaced with a victorious smile. "Is that all?" With a last surge of strength, the vile creature flung the young man away from him.
As he looked up, Yosho's face went completely white as an emerald burst of power from Blackshire's hand smashed into him. The sheer impact of the blast causing him to be pushed back, yet for some reason his ebon foe had not placed enough power in it to do much, if any damage, to him. Opening his eyes, they youngest Masaki was quick to see why. It had been a trap. Before him, arm reaching towards him, was Blackshire, who quickly, and firmly, snared a handful of Yosho's long black hair, and lifted him off his feet. The pain shooting through his arm was just enough so that the young man dropped the Tenchi-ken.
"Like I said," the ebon monster sneered drawing his free arm back slowly, as his prey instinctively reached upwards. Before Yosho' efforts could yield any results, the body stealing monster's fist collided with his chest, full force. As his armored hand slammed into the vulnerable youth's body, Blackshire released his hair, allowing Yosho to be thrown from him. Pain racing through his battered frame, the golden-eyed youth did his best to force his eyes open. Once again Blackshire was gone, but the sudden pain shooting through his back, Blackshire's knee, told the young man where his adversary was. Landing with a thud on the ground, the young child of Ryoko did his best to stand. However just when he had managed to get on all fours, the ebon knight's foot smashed down onto his back, causing the muscular youth to cry out in pain. "Oh I'm sorry," the evil creature chuckled. "It seems I'm not giving you the time you'd need to use your pathetic powers. Maybe I should go easy on you. Or maybe…" a vile maliciousness crept into the monster's voice, "I should show you what it feels like when some one runs you through from behind." Reaching down, the evil beast grasp Yosho's head, like one would pick up a ripe melon, and held him high. This was the moment he had been preparing for, for so long. Now all past grievances shall be repaid…. Rearing back his fist again, Blackshire made one final request. "Yosho, my dear brother, please make sure you scream for me. Just so you know, I think I'll beat you a little longer, so I can enjoy your screams. Before I kill you…." With that, the ebon monster began brining his fist slamming into his young foe's back, causing the young part Jurain to cry out relentlessly. Foolish boy, thinking with your meager training you could best me! I've had years to train, and a body with more power than you could fathom, while you've been at home, crying over your mommy. I knew you were coming, I can even hear your thoughts now, as you writhe in agony, hoping Washu will save you. But your friends used that trick on my ship last time. All Washu will get for a reading is what she wants to hear. It's OVER Yosho.
A panicked look covered the writhing youth's face, Am I
going insane, or did I just hear his voice in my head, again.
At that moment, he heard the voice again, this time full of glee. I'll give you one hint to solve this mystery, boy; you're not losing your mind this time…. With a final laugh, Blackshire swung again, preparing to shatter the young man's spine.
Meanwhile:
As Yosho and Blackshire's battle began, the others did their best against his minions. Ryoko crumpled one enemy with one punch to the stomach, knocking the undead beast to the ground. "Is that these things have got?" she yelled happily flying skyward to face off against her next opponent. Two creature's, with glowing green eyes, flew at her, hoping in vain to over power her. With an easy that would beguile the imagination, Ryoko Masaki dodged her twin attackers, appearing behind them, firing two crimson power surges from her hands, obliterating her opponents. This really is too easy, I would have expected better from you, Blackshire. But I guess this is what I get for fighting a cheap copy. Too bad, I thought this might be hard, or at least take some finesse to get through. Oh well, all I want from this is my necklace back, and I will not leave here until I get it!
Taking a moments pause, the woman in the red and black battle suit took in the entire battle field, Tenchi and Ayeka seemed to be doing well against there foes, and her son was, currently, going toe to toe against Blackshire, locking in a vicious looking sword battle. Smiling to herself, Ryoko glanced about, seeing a GP officer being attacked by a few, still human, minions of the ebon monster. "Maybe this will be a little more interesting…."
On the Rooftop:
With tremendous force, the young man, named Tenchi, brought down his wooden sword, and severed an engine off an air bike ridden by a passing pirate. The now out of control vehicle slammed into the ground behind the young man, bursting into flames. Spinning to his right, the swordsman in training managed to catch a pulse blast from another man's blaster with his sword. However the brute force of the energy was enough to shatter the wooden blade, leaving the young man with nothing more than a shard of his former weapon. Oh man… he thought dismally looking quickly down at his weapon. Grandpa's gonna kill me for this! At that instant another blast grazed his head, doing little damage to him, but destroying his communicator Washu had given him. Falling down, into a roll, the young man fell into a defensive position. Looking around for anything he could use as a weapon.
"Lord Tenchi!" Ayeka yelled, her force field deflecting numerous blasts from her attackers, as she soared between several of Blackshire's undead monsters, striking them with her full force, and causing them to crumple. With a wave, the young man motioned that he was fine, and the purple-haired Jurain sighed in relief. In that moment of comfort, the vile creatures seemed to swarm her, leaping from all over the battlefield. Their ebon clad fists struck against her energy barrier with unbelievable strength. The strain of their blows continued to rack the young princess's mind, as she had to exert all her power to sustain the barrier, and keep the minions of Blackshire at bay.
Seeing the young princess in trouble, Tenchi felt completely helpless. What can I do against that many monsters? Especially with no weapon! In that moment of rage and despair, the young man remembered he still had a weapon at his disposal. The Lighthawk sword, of course! Assuming the starting stance he used when he and his grandfather went through the motions of Jurai sword fighting. As his hands reached their starting position, the young man suddenly felt a surge of power coursing through his blood, like raw electricity, closing his eyes, the young Jurain prince focused that power before him. Reaching one hand forward, Tenchi felt a strange calmness come over him, as he closed his hand around the power he felt. Opening his eyes, the young swordsman watched as the bolt of energy he clutched transformed into a sword, and the bright power flowed over him, changing his Jurain battle garb into a flowing white garment, making him look like a holy knight of Jurai. With a new determination in his eyes, the brown-haired youth charged towards the monster's swarming around Ayeka.
On Earth:
Ryoko slowly drifted through the house, unable to sleep thanks to the nightmare she had been cursed with as of late. Pausing by a window, the silver haired beauty stared into the night's sky. I wonder how they're doing. Have they reached Plesruis yet? A smile cracked the lithe woman's face. I always wanted to take Tenchi there, and I thought now that he and I are together we could go, but I never wanted to go under conditions like this, and I would rather it have been ME instead of the other Ryoko. With a heavy sigh she shook her head, causing her silver hair to shake nimbly from side to side.
"Ryoko…" a tiny voice proclaimed timidly. "Is that you?" There was a sliver of hope in that voice, as well as intense innocence, making the owner easy to identify.
"Yeah, it's me Sasami." The former space pirate replied quietly. "It's awful late, why are you still up?"
"I couldn't sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about Tenchi, and the others. Do you think they'll be alright?"
Placing her lithe hand on the small princess's shoulder, Ryoko forced herself to smile. "Just between us, I couldn't sleep either." The little girl appeared shocked.
I didn't know Ryoko slept at night, she thought excitedly. "So, do you think something bad is gonna happen to them?"
Inhaling sharply, the golden-eyed woman prepared to tell her companion her awful prediction, yet as she looked into Sasami's large pink eyes, she found she didn't have the strength. "I'm sure they'll be fine," she lied. Feeling unnerved by their topic, Ryoko decided to change the subject. "Well, since we're both up, why don't we watch a movie? We can watch my favorite show, Tenko Muyo!*"
With a twinkle in her eyes, Sasami nodded, "Really! That would be great, I haven't seen it since that time Ayeka went out on a patrol with Mihoshi and Kiyone."
"Don't remind me, that was a pain getting your sister to leave," the lithe woman said looking up at the ceiling, recalling the horrible ideal.
Laughing, the little princess pointed at her exhibitionist friend. "Yeah, you had to pretend to be passed out drunk, so we could watch it."
"I don't know why, your stuck up sister hates the show so much," the golden-eyed woman declared holding her arms out confused.
"She says the space pirate in it is annoying, and that the Space Queen should end up with the main character."
"Well, the only thing I don't like about it is that space queen, she's so proper and boring," the space pirate declared examining her finger nails, "but I never complain about it."
Sasami chuckled weakly, placing her hand behind her head, as she remembered how Ryoko nearly started a fistfight with the television every time the space queen had been on the screen. It really should have been something the little girl expected, since Ryoko had drunk heavily, to help her get into her role better. "Yeah…. Well then, Ryoko, if you go get the tape, I'll go make us some snacks. Oh and if you see Ryo-Ohki, make sure you get her to!" With a quick nod, the silver-haired woman vanished, her passing marked by the sound of dissipating matter.
Upstairs:
Appearing beside Tenchi's bed, the silver haired woman smiled faintly. She had tried her best to go to sleep, but without her beloved at home, it did not seem right to rest in his bed. Scanning the darkened room, the lithe seductress quickly noticed the video she had been looking for on the desk nearby. Picking it up, the golden-eyed woman sighed. Hurry home Tenchi, things aren't the same without you here. Besides, I've been thinking about it, and I know exactly what I want to ask you for. I hope you didn't forget that you promised me anything I wanted…. It's simple really, I want to….
The silver-haired woman suddenly paused, vanishing from her
room, and instantly appearing in Mayuka's room. There the tiny blue-haired child continued to sleep happily, her
tiny arms lying at her sides. Shaking
her head Ryoko sighed. I thought I
heard something coming from down here, must be my imagination going wild. I could have sworn I heard crying.
"Myaaaaa….." a pitiful noise came, quietly, yet distinctly, echoing not only in the golden-eyed woman's ears, but also in her mind.
Ryo-Ohki? A confused Ryoko thought, as she leaned out through the wall, searching the area for he companion. The sight she beheld was truly shocking. Laughing hysterically, the golden-eyed woman continued her path through the wall, and floated to the ground.
"Didn't I tell you not to be greedy?" Ryoko declared reaching down to pick up her companion, who now looked like a swollen beach ball, "you were off eating carrots again, weren't you?"
"Myaa…." the little creature answered looking as if she might pop at any given moment. Once again the silver-haired woman laughed, clutching the plump Ryo-Ohki firmly in one hand, and the video in the other.
"Well, I'm sure Sasami is going to be making you some carrot snacks, so if you don't want to get in trouble, you better eat it all!" The look which Ryo-Ohki cast her mistress was one of pure horror. It was obvious that despite her great love of carrots, the little cabbit could not bear the thought of eating even one more of her favorite food.
A short time later:
Back Inside:
Ryoko sat in the living room, her arms around the top of the couch, as she waited impatiently for her friend to arrive. The plumped cabbit lay sprawled on her back, looking as if she was dead.
"Hey Ryoko!" Sasami said coming into the room with some leftovers from dinner, as well as a few of her favorite snacks. At that instant, the pink-eyed princess noticed the over fed Ryo-Ohki. "What happened to my little Ryo-Ohki?!"
"She just drank too much water," the space pirate lied, a sinister smile on her face. "Feed her some carrots, and she should be fine."
"Myaaaa...." the little creature bellowed, painfully aware she was having a joke played on her, by her mistress.
"Poor Ryo-Ohki," the blue-haired girl complained. "Well don't worry, I made you a big plate of your favorite carrot dish!" Laughing rudely, the silver-haired woman reached forward, to grab the remote, and to begin the movie.
Washu's Lab:
Deep within her fantastic lab, the diminutive genius, named Washu, studied multiple screens. "Alright, let's see here, we've got Tenchi, Ryoko, Yosho, and Ayeka, on the planet, with Kiyone and Mihoshi up in space." I always knew Mihoshi had her head up in the clouds….
"Well, everything looks normal so far," she stated with a sigh. "It just doesn't seem fair, all this excitement, and I'm stuck back here watching over everyone like a mom." Pausing the little genius placed a finger on her lips, "although, with the way things have been going between my little Ryoko, and Tenchi, I might have to become a mother in law before too long…." Oh I can just picture how cute my little girl would look in a wedding dress. As thought about her daughter, a picture of Ryoko, in chibi form, wearing a long flowing white dress, popped into her mind, lost in her happy day dream Washu casually looked at the monitor containing her daughter from Torments data.
It was at that instance she noticed something odd. "Wait a minute," she screamed. "That astral pattern! It's not Ryoko's, at least not the right
one. That pattern is closer to what I
observed from Yosho, which means someone is sending me crossed signals! Well, two can play this game!" With unbelievably swift typing, the diminutive
super genius quickly made some adjustments to her transmitter. "There, no we should get a decent reading on
what's going on, on Planet Plesruis."
Planet Plesruis:
Blackshire's fist, which was about to slam into Yosho's back, and shatter his spine, suddenly met empty air. "What!"
"Still picking on kids, huh. No matter where I go, you're always the same, Blackshire, a coward to the core." Glancing up, the enraged monster's green eyes crackled with emerald lightning, showing his hate.
"So," he hissed, "Mommy Ryoko has come and broke up the fight between her two sons." Laughing, the ebon villain straightened himself, flexing his shoulders, causing his long black cape to shift in the breeze. "I always knew you like Yosho best, mother."
"Don't call me that," the cyan-haired woman growled, still holding her battered son in her arms. "You are no son of mine!" Damn it Washu! What's your problem, you should be sending him home by now! Yosho won't be any good in a fight anymore. He's too hurt!
"Gee, MOTHER, you seem mad about something. Could it be because Washu isn't following your progress?" The look on his enemies face was all the answer Blackshire needed. "Oh I know all about those pesky devices of yours. Everyone used them the last time we fought, but not this time. You see The Ebon Shard is sending an electro static pulse, which makes Washu see everyone as perfectly stable, and any communications are instantly answered by Sigius."
Laying her son at her feet, Ryoko rose. "All right then, Blackshire, I'll make you a deal. Drop the shield, so Washu can send me son for treatments, and I'll fight you." A smirk crossed over her face as she glared at her large armored foe. "You might even get lucky and hurt me."
"Well aren't you the cocky one." The ebon monster chimed. "But I don't think…"
"Blackshire!" a sinister voice crackled into the black armored creatures headset. "We've got a problem. It seems that signal we were trying to block is getting stronger. I can't keep up this battle with the Yenvala AND keep putting more power to interrupting the feed. You're the only one with the knowledge to do that, not me! Now tell me, what should I do?"
With venom on his evil voice, the dark monster hissed his reply. "You can jump in an escape pod and shoot yourself into the sun for all I care, do realize what will happen if you screw this up! I'll…" Wait, Blackshire suddenly realized. Why not let the communication blocker go down? I was going to use it to keep them from beaming away, but after how easily Yosho, the strongest one of all of them, fell, it would be fun to hunt them down like dogs if they run. "Sigius," he restarted his voice full of mock kindness, which only foreshadowed some evil terror in his dark mind. "Go ahead, let the blocker fade. Do whatever you want. But remember fail me, and we'll talk about it later."
Ryoko Masaki eyed the ebon giant cautiously, wondering what
he was doing. He's just been
standing there whispering gibberish to himself. The smile on her face grew into a smirk. This will be easier
than I thought.
"I've considered your request, Ryoko, and I agree, but let's make it interesting. A winner takes all event, you vs. me a battle to the death. If I win, then Tenchi will be mine, as a new host body, as I go on my killing spree.
"And if I win?"
Horrid laughter filled the air, "If you win, I'll be dead! But to be fair…" the evil creature emphasized the word, showing it had no real meaning to him. "I'll give you back the necklace from your dear departed Tenchi, and no tricks this time."
"I'm supposed to trust you?" she said tensing up.
Laughing the ebon monster rose to his full height, "Is that fear in your voice, Ryoko?"
"Alright, I accept your challenge." She
declared. Before she could say another word, the black armored monster
disappeared, with a hiss of dissipating matter, suddenly reforming before her,
and landing a powerful punch to her stomach, causing her to bend over, a
stunned look on her face.
"Glad to hear you want to play," the evil creature hissed grabbing her hair as he snapped her head back, to deliver yet another blow across her face, launching the dazed space pirate into the heavens. "Just don't think I'll go easy on you because you're a girl…."
Ryoko righted herself quickly, seeing her foe still perched on the ground, waiting for her. Shaking her head to focused her thoughts, the wife of Tenchi Masaki soared quickly back at her ebon foe rearing a fist back to launch her counter attack. Sadly the green eyed monster reacted too quickly, and caught her arm, using her momentum against her, and bringing his knee up into her chest,
Washu's Lab:
"What is going on?" Washu snapped looking at the data displayed on her keyboard. "One minute everyone is fine, now I have no reading from Tenchi, Yosho looks like he's nearly dead," pausing in her rant, the small genius quickly activated a subsequence on her ethereal keyboard. Second's later, a med tube filled with green liquid, and the unconscious body of Yosho materialized inside it. Having finished her retrieval, the little scientist continued her complaining, "and to top it all off, I've run out of noodles!" Reaching beside her, the young looking woman picked up a box of ramen noodles, tipping it over. "Things just can't get any worse!"
Once again, Ryoko skidded to the ground, her red and black battle suit torn in various places, showing her fatigue from the battle. Despite how poor her clothes looked, however, the lithe woman did not seem to be bleed, at least not anywhere visible.
As she lay on the ground, trying to get up using her arms, which trembled so much they looked as if they would break, she could hear the clanking of her adversary's boots on the ground coming closer. "What's wrong, Mrs. Masaki?" Blackshire asked mockingly, "did I play too rough with you? Well, don't worry. I think it's time I ended that pain. You Ryokos are nothing but a virus in my life, but it's okay. I've got the cure!"
"You wouldn't be so cocky," Ryoko said before she coughed heavily, "if I could get to my feet."
The sound of boots on rooftop stopped, replaced by the ebon monster's annoyed voice, "Oh fine! Get up, if you insist, and try to hit me! I'll just end up knocking you down again."
Rising to her feet, visibly shaken, the cyan-haired space pirate grinned evilly. "I'll give you one chance to give up now, Blackshire. Or I may have to hurt you."
Instead of replying with words, the evil monster laughed, and slammed his fist, full force into her slender face. The scream that followed would live in the hearts of those present for the rest of their natural lives; it was an unholy sound, one of surprise and loss, and above all else intense pain. Everyone, no matter where they were in the battle, stopped, now turning their attention towards the source of that noise. Ayeka and Tenchi, were quiet possibly the most shocked of all, their mouths gaping as they saw what had happened.
"You stupid wench," Blackshire roared holding his gauntleted hand tenderly in the other. "You broke my hand! But how! I…"
The black nightmare had no time to continue his furious shouting, as crimson power cascaded from Ryoko's hand, slamming into Blackshire with unparalleled force.
As the evil monster skidded across the rooftop, pain coursed through his entire being. Finally stopping, Blackshire rose quickly to his feet, scanning the skies for his opponent. His breath came in short, hot, bursts, as the ebon demon searched.
Suddenly his quest ended, as something slammed into his back quickly, and hard. "Looking for me?" a voice asked happily, mocking the fallen creature.
Spinning with intense hate in his eyes, Kenzar hastily fashioned his emerald blade, hoping to severe his adversary's head. Once again the evil beasts attack was repelled, as his lithe opponent caught his weapon in her hand.
Focusing all her strength in one place, Ryoko slammed her other hand into Blackshire's helmet, snapping it in half as if were made of brittle wood. The evil monster's breaths now came in hot, wet sounding gulps. "Yuck!" Ryoko shouted seeing Kenzar's face. "Maybe I shouldn't have hit your face, the helmet made you look better."
Once again, Ryoko breaks my helmet…. Blackshire realized. "All right, Ryoko," he began noticing the ledge was only a few feet behind him. With trembling legs, the former master of the battlefield edged his way to the edge. "You win the battle… but I shall win the war! Next time-"
"There won't be a next time, Blackshire," the golden-eyed woman stated floating ever closer to her battered enemy. "This is the end of the line."
Smiling, the ebon monster tore off the remains of his black helmet, dropping it to the ground. The pain that Kenzar's body endured was unbelievable, teeth were broken, green blood trickled from an open wound in his forehead, and his breathing seemed to be getting gradually weaker. Yet as he stood at the edge of the roof, the muscular man still managed to bellow out a few last words.
"WHERE THERE'S DAY; THERE SHALL COME NIGHT!"
Pausing the battered man held out his arms, "WHERE THERE'S SMOKE; YOU WILL FIND FIRE!" With a swift motion, the ebon monster hurled something from himself over the opposite edge of the rooftop, something small, golden, and silver. That glint of metal did not go unnoticed however; as Ryoko turned her gaze toward the prize she had leapt universes to claim.
My necklace! The cyan-haired woman realized preparing to soar after it. I can't let anything happen to it. It's a gift from my Tenchi! I refuse to lose it again! The lithe woman became so preoccupied with her lost jewelry that she was scarcely prepared for what was to come.
Stupid Wench, NOW it ends… With a sinister grin, Blackshire shook his head, "AS LONG AS THERE IS YOSHO; THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A BLACKSHIRE!" Having finished his twisted poem, twin beams of black lighting erupted from the fallen monster's eyes, heading straight at the cyan-haired woman who had beat him so badly. However his attack never made contact, despite her distracted state, the lithe woman was still able to nimbly dodged his blasts.
I'll have to get it back later. Right now I have to end this! She mentally declared charging at her attacker full force.
Blackshire swayed, the last attack seeming to have taken all his power with it. Stepping backwards, the ebon monster's eyes shot open, as he lost his balance and toppled over the edge, plummeting towards the streets below.
You aren't getting away from me that easy, Blackshire! The
woman from Torment roared as she flew over the edge, chasing the quickly
descending man.
Groggily Blackshire opened his eyes, seeing something approaching him swiftly. As his blurred vision tried to clear, the ebon monster could only make out a blur of black, red, and a cyan mane of hair. "Ryoko?" the evil creature gasped. What is she doing here, and where is here? To his horror, the falling monster suddenly noticed the ground, which was quickly approaching. What is going on here? Where is The Yenvala? It was a question that he, sadly, would never find an answer to, as he returned his clearing eyes forward to see a ball of red power glowing in Ryoko's hands.
"TAKE THIS BLACKSHIRE!" Ryoko roared firing a massive blast of crimson energy straight through the armored man's chest, increasing his speed towards the ground exponentially. With an impact so great it shock the very foundation of the building he had just fallen from, smoke and concrete shot up from the ground filling the air completely. Yet as the dust settled, one thing was obvious, the terrible night had finally ended, for embedded in the street below, with a look of pure terror on his face, was the corpse of Kenzar, host of Blackshire.
Later:
Having made proper introductions and explanations, Captain Koreas, Tenchi, and the girls on the ground, taking in the destruction and havoc around them.
"I want to thank you for your help," Captain Koreas said flatly, looking at Kiyone and Mihoshi, then to the others. "I am in your debt. Those monsters were definitely more than we could handle."
"It really wasn't anything to worry about," Ryoko said looking around, for her treasure, no longer interested in what the GP captain had to say. "I mean with Blackshire dead, his undead monsters were no longer a problem, so you guys didn't seem to have any trouble capturing the normal men."
"That's true," Koreas said, shocked that he was speaking so flippantly with the, at one time, most feared woman in the universe. "Sigius Meldred, Kenzar's number two man, did manage to escape, but we put a good bounty on his head, so it shouldn't be long before someone catches him." Looking up at the large ship looming above him, the orange-furred man sighed. "What a ship! Imagine if it was used for good, there would be no stopping it!"
"Sir," a cadet interrupted holding something in his hands delicately. "I found this on the other side of the building." In the young man's hand, rested a locket, with a silver chain, and a golden heart pendant. "I was in pursuit of one of Kenzar's men, when I saw this thing fall from the rooftop nearby. What is it?"
"IT'S MINE!" A voice thundered snatching the item in question from the young GP officer's hands. Ryoko smiled, holding her treasure close to her face, "it'll always be mine…."
"Ryoko…" Tenchi said feeling weird calling this woman by that name. "Are you sure you should touch that thing? I mean Blackshire…"
"He's dead Tenchi," the cyan-haired woman said turning to face him. Throwing her head back, causing her cyan hair to flow in the gentle breeze, she smiled. "Besides, it's been too long since I wore this." Holding out the piece of jewelry, Ryoko looked at the man who looked so much like her husband. "Do me a favor, and clasp this for me. I never was very good at putting this on."
What a shock, Ayeka drolly noted. Ryoko having trouble putting anything ON. The only thing that monster woman can do is take things off! The purple haired princess watched closely, as Tenchi nervously latched the locket around the golden-eyed woman's neck, in case she tried anything funny.
"By the way sir…" Kiyone began, not sure how to phrase what she wanted to say. "I was wondering, since you did say we were quiet a help fighting Blackshire and his minions, if you might be able to put in a good word for me, and Mihoshi," she added quickly under her breath, "when you make your report to headquarters."
The slender Priderian appeared to have not heard her, as he arched his shoulders, as if his entire back had instantly become sore, allowing a slight moan to escape his lips.
"Are you alright, sir?" Ayeka asked looking away from Tenchi and Ryoko. "Perhaps you should seek medical attention."
Looking up the GP captain shook his head. "I'm fine. I just took a couple shots to the back. Two at once, as a matter of fact," he said proudly after which his voice trailed off. "Stung like hell too, felt like I was struck by lighting…."
"Sir," the teal haired woman said, not wanting to sound disrespectful, but desperately wanting to know his answer. "About my request…."
"Your request?" Koreas hissed looking sternly at her, his voice sounding more agitated as he continued. "I'll tell you what I will do to repay my debt to you, I won't tell high command that you and Detective Mihoshi were accomplices to Kenzar, albeit unintentionally, even going so far as to give him a ship. Plus you supplied him with a device which contained a creature with enough power to annihilate the entire Science Academy!" As he finished speaking, the angered Priderian was right in the young officer's face. "Not to mention you are in the company of the infamous space pirate, Ryoko! I think you should thank me, since you'll be making out quiet well on this deal, DETECTIVE First class Kiyone."
Laughing weakly, the young woman smiled, "gee thanks… well then, I guess we should be going then…."
"Now see here!" a proud voice shouted breaking up the one sided argument. It was Ayeka, who stepped forward. "I shall tolerate your manner towards Ms Kiyone no longer! I demand that you apologize to her, and to the rest of us for your callous attitude this instance. I am Ayeka, first princess of Jurai, these people here are my family," the purple-haired woman said with a sweep of her arm, "and we shall be treated accordingly, or I shall personally speak with your superiors of this matter."
With a deep bow, the creature covering in orange fur appeared stunned even scared, by the red-eyed woman's words. "Forgive me Lady Ayeka," he began with a stutter, "but I meant no disrespect to you. I merely-"
"Well, you definitely showed us great dishonor with your language. We are sorry for the evil, which has struck both here and at the Science Academy, but none of this horror was intentional. If we had not shown up, then Blackshire would have killed you all. So the least you can do, is make sure you mention that Ms. Kiyone, and Ms. Mihoshi, are given glowing reports."
"Of course." Koreas said rising to his feet. "I am sorry for my behavior, it has been a long day, filled with terror's men were not meant to see. I shouldn't be pointing the blame at you, not after you risked your lives for this planet." Clearing his throat the young Priderian glanced at the Ebon Shard once again. "But now I think it is time I took my leave. I have orders to follow after all. Kiyone… Mihoshi… thanks…." With his pride put back in check, and feeling more than a little humbled, the lime green eyed creature walked away. This is going to take a long time to explain….
"Thanks, Ayeka," Kiyone said with a proper bow.
"Think nothing of it, Kiyone," the noble woman said smiling, "it was nothing really."
"Well then," a rude voice interrupted, "if you're all done congratulating each other, can we go home? My son IS in intensive care, and I would like to see how he's doing, you know!"
"Wait," Mihoshi said sounding puzzled, "I thought Yosho was Ryoko's son."
"I am Ryoko you twit!" the cyan haired woman from snarled.
"Really, I thought Ryoko was at home still?"
Placing his hand over his eyes, the young man named Tenchi sighed. This is gonna be a long ride home….
Far Away:
It is called The Database, a place where all knowledge exists, and where things beyond mortal comprehension occur. It is here, where a truly awe-inspiring being lives, for he could not be considered anything else, since he is beyond the mortal realm. His designation is D3. Yet even he pales in comparison to his master, Lady Tokimi.
Floating in the center of his citadel, the entity called D3
awaited further instructions from higher powers.
"D3!" a melodious, yet terrifyingly powerful voice echoed in the hollow halls
of the room.
"Yes, my lady," the being, which resembled the head of an ancient old man said respectfully. "How may I be of service to you?"
Before the entity that held jurisdiction over this realm's eyes appeared a glorious woman, one of exquisite beauty, and power. Her long robes seemed to flow from some other existence, and her eyes seemed to be composed of everything, yet nothing all at once. "There is something I require of you. There is a ship near the planet called Plesruis. Bring it to me."
"A ship?" D3 asked, unsure why such an insignificant thing as a star ship would matter to one such as Lady Tokimi. "But why do you wish that ship?"
"I don't know." She began pausing as if she had forgotten something and was on the verge of remembering it. "I merely know that there is something on board that ship, which is of great importance to me."
"More important than having Lady Washu brought here?"
"Nothing is more important than my meeting with Washu," Tokimi said, anger beginning to sound angered. "Now call that ship here, I would meet it's captain, and see what is it about that ship which calls to me."
"Yes. My lady, it shall be as you command…." And with that
command, D3 reached out his mind, observing the black vessel as it soared
through space. This must be done
with care, the intensely powerful being thought. For Lady Tokimi to hold such an interest in
something like this, there must be something grand inside it. Yet I sense nothing myself…. Shifting his attention from the ship
itself to the pilot, the creature that appeared as a giant floating head
squinted, This Koreas… there is something inside him, a spark of power,
which has potential. Perhaps I can use
that potential to gain control of that ship. I will wait, and watch him. For
I was not told to make haste, so I shall proceed with caution.
Aboard The Ebon Shard/ Yenvala:
The Control Room:
"Sir!" a young man called from his place beside a control panel, "we have a problem."
Koreas, having only arrived on the bridge mere moments ago, quickly headed to the young officer's panel. "What seems to be the problem? Are you unfamiliar with the controls? Washu said this vessel should function like any of our ships."
"It's not that," the blue-haired youth stammered motioning to his operating system. "The controls themselves are quiet basic, but every time we try to input directions, the ship says the same thing." Pushing a key, the young man paused, "just listen, the ship speaks…"
"Speaks? What do you…" however the Priderian was quickly interrupted by a quiet, yet unnerving voice.
"All engines, full thrust forward," the computerized voice proclaimed calmly.
"It always does what you command?" Koreas grinned, "Well then, lay in a course for GP headquarters."
The young man looked at the console, thoroughly confused. That wasn't what it's been saying. It kept telling me we couldn't leave until the master was here!
"Blackshire," the voice began again, "Project Omega is nearing completion."
The Priderian captain shook his head, "Look computer, I don't have a clue what this Project Omega is, but you might as well know, Blackshire is no more."
A long pause came over the bridge; finally the quiet voice spoke again. "Who is the captain?"
"My name is Captain Koreas, I am the man in charge of this ship now." The lime-eyed officer declared, rubbing his wrists, which had suddenly, began to tingle.
"Very well," the Ebon Shard's computer said quietly in it's reserved tone. "I am setting in the data to head to the Galaxy Police Head Quarters."
The Masaki house:
Ryoko, Sasami, and Ryo-Ohki all lay sound asleep in the living room, empty bottles of Saki, as well as dirty dishes, which had at one time contained a variety of snacks, included a special carrot dish, surrounded them. Lying atop the little girl's stomach was the little cabbit, who appeared even plumper than before. On occasion, the little creature groaned, letting her tongue hang from her mouth, as visions of carrots filled her mind.
Snoring loudly beside the sleeping princess, and her cabbit companion, was the former space pirate Ryoko. To say her snoring was obnoxious would be like saying Mihoshi was a little slow witted. Yet somehow the trio continued to sleep, as the tape Sasami was forbidden to watch played on.
For Ryoko this was yet another late night, but for the blue-haired princess, this had been a girl's night out. As she slept, a smile cracked the little girl's face.
Ryoko's dream:
In a dark room in the Masaki house, Ryoko moaned. It was not the type of moan one would make in pain, but rather one of exquisite pleasure. In a bed against the wall, Ryoko and Tenchi lay side by side. "Oh…Tenchi," the silver haired woman gasped, closing her eyes as she felt her entire body tingle. "This is just what I needed to ease the stress of the past few days."
As he continued his task, the young man became confused momentarily. What stress do you have? Looking at Ryoko's naked back, Tenchi smiled as she continued to whimper happily at his touch. "Well I'm glad you like me giving you a backrub, Ryoko, but could you keep it down. Nothing can feel that good."
A seductive smile crossed the golden-eyed woman's face as her mind began its usual twisted thoughts. "Trust me, Tenchi dear, it's perfect. Now go a little lower…." With yet another moan, the silver haired woman peered over her shoulder, "and f you want, in just a few more minutes I'll show you something that feels even bet-"
"Is something wrong, Ryoko?" The young man inquired casting her a confused glance, yet something about his face startled her. It wasn't his smile, but his eyes; they were glowing with an emerald light. With a swiftly thrust, Ryoko flung Tenchi away from herself as she leapt out of bed.
"You…you're not my Tenchi!" she shouted forming a blade quickly before her.
"Awww," the green-eyed creatures said with a sigh, "how'd you know? Was it my smile? Well don't worry, Ryoko. We'll be meeting again, very soon…."
End Dream:
Ryoko sat up with a start, looking around the room. What a stupid dream! To think I'm still having nightmares about that psycho, Blackshire. I'm a grown woman! Oh well, wonder what caused me to have that dream? Picking up a nearby bottle of saki, the silver-haired woman picked it up, sniffing its contents the lithe woman lurched. "WHOA!" with a shutter, the silver-haired woman dropped the bottle to the floor. That's the last time I'll mix Saki with candied Mackerel, Meso soup, and a hint of Ayeka's green tea. The young woman's rude motions did not only affect her however, as a weak yawn soon escaped Sasami's body.
"What's wrong, Ryoko?" the little girl asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Nothing," the golden-eyed woman replied laying her head back down. "I just was thinking of going to bed."
"Oh," Sasami started, sitting up to stretch her arms. Suddenly the little princess yelled, as she viewed the mess around her. "My goodness! What a mess! Ryoko will you help me…."
"Just leave it," the former space pirate moaned as she stretched her aching back. "We can clean up tomorrow morning, before your sister gets home."
"Okay…"the smaller woman said, not liking the idea. "But…" Ryoko paused in her departure, noticing that the little girl seemed to be unsure about something, as if she was trying to hide something.
"Is something wrong? You didn't have
another nightmare did you?"
"No!" the tiny princess shouted, hating when people asked about her nightmares, since it always made her feel like a baby. "I just… well, I've always slept with Ayeka, and now that she's gone…"
Being a master at this sort of broken conversation, Ryoko
smiled. "Okay, Sasami you can sleep
with me. But you better not be waking
me up early in the morning. Although
unlike Ayeka, I don't need beauty rest." That little princess could stand a 5000-year nap, to improve her
image!
Next time: Everyone goes home victorious! But what's this?! Tenchi is in
pain, massive gut wrenching, and spine tingling pain. Yet I thought the battle was over? Apparently not! No…
Tenchi's war has just begun…. However, why does Lady Tokimi want with the Ebon
Shard, and what is this spark of potential D3 senses in Koreas? Jurain Power perhaps? Or is it something more? What is Project Omega, and does it even
matter now? All this in more, as things
really start to heat up! Chapter 17:
Embraces
*Tenko was what Sasami thought Ryo-Ohki should have been called in Tenchi Universe (for those who didn't see that episode), when she still thought it was Tenchi and Ryoko's child.
