Tada! Yea, I finally completed this fic. I'm sooo sorry it took so long. I never wanted to be one of those authors who waited months in between posts. But then school got hectic, and I just got soooooo busy, blah blah blah. Anyway, I hope it was worth the wait!
"Ayeka!" Ryoko sobbed weakly, still feeling drained. Her sister lay unconscious, bleeding to death, and her father was as good as dead, too exhausted to continue fighting. Then a flicker of movement caught her eye, and she turned her head in time to see Tenchi, Kiyone, and a strange pink-haired child burst into the room. Kagato, who had been advancing on the fatigued king, sword in hand, paused to glance at the newcomers.
"Ah Prince Tenchi, officer Kiyone - Lady Washu!" Kagato gasped, almost dropping his sword. Ryoko pressed her face and hands against her shield - bubble and peered around the room eagerly. The pink-haired girl stepped forward, hands on hips.
"You there, are you the owner of this ship, boy?" Washu demanded sternly. Kagato squirmed uncomfortably.
"Uh, I guess you could um, say that, Miss Washu," he stammered.
"Then you will release us at once," she said matter-of-factly.
"Well, erm, I would, but uh…"
"Washu?" King Azusa called in amazement.
"It can't be," Ryoko murmured, confused. "Don't be fooled, Tenchi," she said more loudly. "That's not mom." Tenchi jerked his head in her direction.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi glanced at Kagato and, seeing that he was still occupied fending off Washu, hurried over to Ryoko.
"Don't be fooled Tenchi," she repeated as he jogged up. "She must be some sort of decoy - "
"It's Washu, Ryoko," Tenchi insisted softly. "But well, obviously they did something to her appearance, and also…"
"What?"
"She doesn't remember you." Silence. "She doesn't remember Ayeka either, or being married to King Azusa - "
"It's not her." Ryoko said suddenly.
"Ryoko, they obviously did something to her memory - "
"She wouldn't forget me, Tenchi!" Before he could respond, the sound of the transference of matter was accompanied by a powerful kick to his gut. Tenchi stumbled backwards, doubled over, but as he straightened Kagato raised the tip of his sword to his neck.
"Please cooperate, dear cousin," Kagato said smugly. "I've already taken care of the others." Tenchi risked a glance over his shoulder, and saw Kiyone crumbled on the ground, holding her leg. Washu was at her side, and Azusa was a little ways off, unconscious. "Now, in the containment bubble if you please," Kagato directed. Tenchi obediently edged into the bubble with Ryoko. But just as he stepped inside, Kagato reached in and dragged Ryoko out. She immediately made a fist and formed an energy sword, but it fizzled out in a couple of seconds. Kagato chuckled. "Your powers are useless, princess Ryoko. The electricity was set at an exact frequency to temporarily 'short-circuit' your energy patterns, thus leaving you completely helpless." Ryoko paused, staring at the arrogant villain, then pulled back her free arm and punched him in the jaw hard. He released her and fell back, rubbing his chin. Ryoko instantly began to run, but in a few moments, bumped into a very pissed Kagato. He gripped her wrist tightly and teleported to a metallic table. Ryoko struggled fiercely, but Kagato was able to chain her to the table with manacles wrapped in electrical wires. The inside of the manacles was covered with short, sharp spikes which dug into her flesh painfully. Ryoko could feel three particularly long spikes encircling the gem on each wrist. Kagato fitted a metal band around her neck that sparked uncomfortably with the gem nestled there. Humming tunelessly, Kagato calmly flipped a switch on the panel of machinery before him. The wires on Ryoko's manacles lit up and began to flash brightly, and the metal band vibrated faintly, like the purring of a cat.
"And now, Miss Ryoko, we begin the operation," Kagato said, pulling on white gloves with a loud snap. Ryoko inwardly cringed but let nothing show on her face.
"I will kill you." Kagato snorted and smiled slightly, but said nothing. He picked up a wickedly sharp needle and leaned over her, probing one of her gems through a hole in the manacle. Each time it touched, a jolt seared through her arm. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out loud, but then she felt the needle jab into her wrist and released a bloodcurdling scream. Instantly the pain vanished, and through the roar in her ears, she detected the clash of swords. Gathering her strength, she was able to lift her head slightly and view her father and Kagato once again engaged in battle.
"If only you had stayed down, you might have escaped alive," Kagato said pityingly. Azusa didn't respond, breathing heavily and one arm hanging uselessly at his side. But his face was set with determination and his attacks swift and sure. Kagato was steadily pushed backwards and his own attacks became panicked. Finally, King Azusa struck Kagato's sword out of his hands and lifted his sword to Kagato's neck. Kagato raised his hands slowly, seemingly admitting defeat, then suddenly slammed a fist into the row of buttons behind him. Before King Azusa could react, a bolt of electricity shot from one of the metal pillars and caught him in the stomach, throwing him backwards.
"Father!" Ryoko screamed hoarsely. Kagato swaggered over to the fallen king and kicked him viciously. Azusa didn't move.
"Well, there you have it, princess," Kagato laughed nastily, as a pool of blood puddle around his feet. "Thus ends the pathetic life of a man too weak to save his own daughter. But why should you care? He gave up on you and your mother years ago. He was a lazy, greedy, selfish, coward!" Ryoko closed her eyes, letting the warm, salty tears course down her cheeks. At Kagato's words, she felt something gather at the pit of her stomach - an intense ball of pure rage, growing and engulfing, heightening her senses. From across the room she heard Kiyone curse, the pink-haired stranger gasp, and Ayeka begin to stir awake. Tenchi was pounding on his shield, yelling, and Kagato was whispering over and over, "It can't be!" She could even hear the whir of machinery in the background, and beyond that, the silence of space.
Ryoko vaguely noticed the manacles that bound her hands and neck were being completely dissolved by the soft gold-green glow, emanating from her gems. The glow strengthened and began to slowly move along her body, burning with freezing pain. But Ryoko welcomed the pain, gloried in it, because she could feel her power returning ten fold, and all her cuts, bruises, and aches disappearing instantaneously. She rose into the air and tilted her head back slightly, as two feathery, transparent wings erupted from the gem nestled on her collarbone. Three gleaming, teal dots, matching her hair, adorned her forehead and arranged themselves into a triangle.
"The mark of Funaho!" Kagato's faint murmur reached Ryoko as loudly as if he'd shouted it. As the transformation entered completion, the burning subsided to a dull, warm flame, feeding off her rage and desire for revenge. Ryoko floated to the ground serenely, her feet gently touching the ground. Then suddenly her head snapped forward to gaze at Kagato.
"Is this the power you spoke of?" she asked coldly, her voice echoing eerily. "Is this Funaho's power?" Kagato nodded his head in awe. "Well by all means, you can have it!" She lifted her arms, her palms facing outwards, and released an immense amount of pure energy. Kagato could only stare silently as the blast engulfed him, eating away his skin, tissue, and bone until no one cell remained. He died instantly.
But energy continued to flow from Ryoko's palms, quickly boring a hole through the side of the ship. With a sickening lurch, the Soja began to drift downwards, picking up speed. Debris hurled across the room as the gang fought to keep from being sucked into the icy blackness of space. Ryoko sank to her knees as her energy drained and she lost control of her blast. She struggled to keep her arms raised, but they gradually lowered, causing the agonizing scream of twisting metal when her beam ripped through the floor of the Soja. Ryoko groaned, sobbing, realizing that her blast was only intensifying and brightening, ready to consume the whole ship. 'I'm sorry!' she cried silently. 'This is all my fault…I've killed us all. God - Kiyone, Tenchi, Ayeka - I wanted so much for you to live… And suddenly, like a candle being snuffed out, Ryoko's amazing power faded. She collapsed facedown, barely conscious and unable to move.
Ryoko distantly felt a cool hand close over her wrist.
"Ouch!" she heard dimly. "Her skin burns…like ice!"
"That's a contradiction," Ryoko distinguished Kiyone's brusque tone.
"Well, in any case, she's alive."
"She won't be much longer if we don't get out of here. It's already getting hard to breathe, and I don't think Ayeka can hold her shield much longer."
"Ryoko!" This new voice sounded familiar, and much closer…
"Ryo-ohki?" Ryoko responded telepathically. "Is that really you?"
"Yes."
"You've never sounded so clear before!"
"It is the new energy you used…it's very powerful." Ryoko detected a slight shudder in the cabbit's words. "Ryoko, you must get up. I cannot transform while you are this weak."
"I can't move!"
"You have to! Ayeka's almost at her limit, Tenchi's still contained within the shield, and we're completely helpless!"
"But I have no energy left…I'm completely drained."
"That's impossible. Otherwise how could we communicate like this? Come on Ryoko, I can sense some of that strange power left in you…find it!" Ryoko let the muffled voices of Kiyone and the stranger fade completely and sank into a black void. Using the same ability that let her talk to Ryo-ohki telepathically, Ryoko explored her surroundings carefully. She soon discovered a small pocket of gold-green energy, and dipped into it eagerly.
"And I'm telling you that there is no way the Soja can land in this condition!" the miniature Washu yelled, then stopped when Ryoko sat up grimacing. She clamored to her feet, stretching.
"Ryo-ohki, now!" Ryoko called loudly. The little brown cabbit scrambled into view and leapt into mid-air near the gaping hole, transforming to her ship form. Ayeka, who was only a few feet away, almost lost control of the shield she'd formed around herself and King Azusa. "Ryo-ohki, get Ayeka and…father," Ryoko ordered, her voice faltering for a moment. "You too," Ryoko said turning to Kiyone, without looking at Washu. Without waiting for a reply, she started for Tenchi's containment shield. He was unconscious, slumped against one side of the shield. Hesitating at first, Ryoko closed her fist tightly and produced a green energy sword. This one was longer than her usual red-orange blade, and had an ornate hilt. She raised it high above her head and brought it down with a jarring force on the shield. The shield flickered twice, then disappeared. Tenchi sagged to the floor. Ryoko released her sword and hurried over to kneel beside the prince.
"Tenchi," she murmured, shaking him gently. "Come on, wake up." He didn't move. "Tenchi," she said more loudly, "the ship is falling apart! Please wake-up!" Ryoko swallowed fearfully, frantically checking for a pulse. As her two fingers slid under the boy's chin, he opened his eyes, groaning loudly. Ryoko sat back on her heels, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Ryoko! What happened?" He asked her groggily. "Last thing I remember you'd lost control of your energy beam and the ship was about to blow up."
"I'm not exactly sure what happened," Ryoko said softly. "But I'll have to figure it out later. Ryo-ohki, beam us aboard!" The cabbit meowed in agreement and sent out an orange beam to collect the pirate and prince.
Onboard, Kiyone rested on the floor, clutching a bloodstained rag to her leg. Self-proclaimed Washu perched on a floating cushion, typing rapidly on her holo-top. Ayeka knelt beside Azusa, but at Ryoko's appearance, she leapt up and flung herself into her sister's arms. Ryoko clung to Ayeka tightly, burying her face in her shoulder. Ayeka pulled away gently.
"Father's still alive, Ryoko," Ayeka told her softly. "But I don't think he can make to back to Jurai." Ryoko stared at her in wide-eyed disbelief.
"He's still alive!" she breathed. Ayeka led Ryoko over to their father by the wrist, pulling her down to his side. Azusa lay with his eyes squeezed shut, breathing shallowly and faint wheezing sounds emanating from his throat. But he seemed to sense his daughters' presence, and cracked one eye open.
"Ayeka, Ryoko," he gasped out. "I'm so proud of you both. Look after Balsi for me. Ayeka - put your happiness before duty once in a while. Ryoko - I now how much you love your freedom, but remember that sacrifice can set others free." Tears rolled down the two princess' faces.
"Father, please," Ryoko whispered brokenly, bending down closer. "Kagato told me that I wasn't…that I'm not your…Please tell me he was lying!" Azusa's eyes closed again, and Ryoko was afraid that he'd gone already. But after a moment, he spoke up again.
"Oh Ryoko, I love you so much. The day I first held you in my arms, I knew you were my daughter and that I would love you forever. Nothing anyone said could change my mind about that. Both of you are more important to me than anything else in this world." With that final sentence, the king closed his eyes and drifted peacefully into death.
One week later, when everyone had fully recovered and news of the fantastic fight had spread throughout the galaxy, King Azusa's funeral was held on the beaches of Balsi. Complete with his gold crown and purple robes, the great king was placed upon a wooden pyre and pushed out to sea. As the first crown princess, Ayeka read the traditional farewell chants. The rich, the poor, the respectable, the not so respectable - all gathered to mourn the galaxy's loss.
Sasami wept in her mother's skirts, and Misaki gripped a damp handkerchief. Kiyone and Mihoshi stood motionlessly side-by-side, staring straight. Ryoko clutched Ryo-ohki, petting her mechanically and gazing out at the blue ocean listlessly. Tenchi and his parents had also attended. As Tenchi glanced around, his gaze fell on Washu, standing off at a distance. The young prince slipped through the crowd quietly, making his way to the short figure.
"She won't even look at me anymore," Washu jerked her head towards Ryoko as Tenchi strolled up. Tenchi snorted.
"That won't last long," he responded. "She's so determined to make you remember your past." Once it had been proved that Washu was the real deal, Ryoko had become obsessed with helping her regain her memories.
"Ayeka absolutely hates me. She thinks I'm a fraud."
"No she doesn't. Not really."
"I know something is missing!" Washu cried in frustration. "It's like an itch I just can't scratch."
"It will come to you eventually," Tenchi said soothingly. Washu turned her attention to the funeral.
"He was supposed to be my husband, and yet I feel no remorse," she said softly. "I feel nothing at all…he was a stranger." But her voice cracked and tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. "He was a stranger…" she whispered.
Ryoko strolled along the beach barefooted, the moon striking her spiky hair and making it glow silver. The soft, white sand squished between her toes, massaging the soles of her feet. From behind the palm trees, a single shadow glided over to meet her.
"Tenchi," she greeted without looking at him.
"Ryoko," he replied. They walked in silence for a few moments before Tenchi spoke up. "So, what will you do now? Is it the pirate or the princess?"
"Does it have to be either?"
"Do you know how to be anything else?"
"No."
"Well then…" There was a long silence.
"My father wished me to be Queen of Balsi," she said finally.
"And that's what you want?"
"Of course not."
"Why, then - "
"One of the last things father said to me was, 'You have to make sacrifices to set others free.'"
"Who would you set free by making that sacrifice?"
"Well, Ayeka…"
"At one time you thought Ayeka marrying me was a fate worse than death!"
"That was before…" Ryoko hesitated, then whirled around angrily, bringing her face close to Tenchi's. "Look, I've come to realize that I have certain responsibilities, obligations. You have responsibilities too - marry Ayeka and forge an alliance between Balsi and Jurai." Tenchi gazed at her silently. "I chose princess," she said softly, painfully. "Would you have rather I chose pirate?" Tenchi lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"Ryoko, I…" he started, then realized he stood alone.
Well, that's it! Sorry if the ending's a little abrupt. Oh, and don't worry, I will make a sequel (if I get a lot of positive reviews, that is). I know I left a lot of loose ends, but I promise I'll wrap 'em up next time. BTW, I got a review that kinda upset me. This person said I was 'unjust' to Ayeka, and belittled her in my story. I'd like to remind everyone that this is a RYOKO fic., first of all, but also…I felt like I was nice to Ayeka and made her really likable. The whole sister thing was suppose to turn Ryoko and Ayeka's quarreling into friendly sibling rivalry, and place a more obvious bond between the two. Anyway, I'd really like to know what other people think - was I mean to Ayeka?
