Changes: Set the Pieces
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In the previous chapter, the wheels of fate were set into motion. A Ryoko from the future came back to finish the job that Kagi had failed. It looked like she had succeeded after a furious battle with her past self. The dark power seized Tenchi again and Ryoko was about to talk him out of it when another player entered the scene. She called herself Orchid. She fueled the dark flames in Tenchi's heart and took control of him. It would seem that she has plans to harness the dark power within him. She says she's acting on orders from her master, but refuses to say who that is.
Changes: Set the Pieces
A flash of light and a drop of blood. Two figures battled in the distance. Sasami could not see who they were. All around her, the sound of battle echoed. She could see her family lying battered and beaten all around her. She turned around to see a huge shadowy figure towering over her. It was about to engulf her in its wings when a blinding light appeared, four of them actually. They surrounded the shadow and shined as brightly as they could. All but one of them faded. The one that remained changed form a white color to red before it exploded and all that remained was the sound of crying in the distance.
Sasami woke with a start. It had been one day since Tenchi disappeared. She had been told by Ryoko that a woman named Orchid took him. She was obviously a warrior with great skill. She had tranquilized everyone in the house including herself. She had also been able to subdue Yosho. She was even more surprised to meet the Ryoko from the future. She decided to call her Ryo, in order to tell her apart from Ryoko. She felt around and noticed that Ayeka was not in the room with her. She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at the clock. It was 2:00 am. Sasami knew that sleep would be impossible now. She put on a robe and headed downstairs.
It soon became apparent that nobody in the house was sleeping. The usually quiet night was bustling with activity. The Masakis' living room had now been turned into a war room. Maps and scrolls were spread all over the tables and counters. Washu had busied herself in her lab fixing Ryo's cybernetic arm. Ayeka and Katsuhito were studying numerous scrolls. They read the prophecy over and over, trying to find the meaning in the part about the four factions. Ayeka's theory was the most solid; she thought it might represent some of the Royal Houses on Jurai. The trouble was, there have always been hundreds of different houses. Finding a specific four would be a major task. Ryoko, Kagi, Kiyone and Ryo were looking over star charts. Using the combined information of the present and future, they were trying to figure out where an attack on Jurai would most likely come from. If they couldn't find Tenchi, they could try to head him off. Mihoshi was not as clumsy and flighty as she normally was. She was just taking information back and forth between people, but she did it with all the focus she could muster. Noboyuki had taken over the duties at the shrine seeing as how he really didn't have anything to offer. This way, Katsuhito could give his undivided attention to the task at hand. Everyone knew the stakes of this game were the highest they had ever been.
Sasami quietly weaved her way in and out of the way on her way to her sister's side. She meekly tugged at Ayeka's sleeve to get her attention. Ayeka acknowledged her sibling's presence without turning to look at her.
Ayeka: "Sasami, you shouldn't be up so late. What's wrong."
Sasami: "Sorry, I had another bad dream."
Ayeka: "Can we talk about it later. Yosho, look at this record on the Asuva house...."
Sasami: "But it wasn't a normal nightmare Ayeka."
Ayeka: ".....you see what I mean. Hm? Oh sorry, how do you mean?"
Sasami: "It's like when Kagato attacked."
Sasami now had Ayeka and Katsuhito's attention. They both looked up at each other from the scrolls and then to Sasami. Sasami was looking down at the floor with Ryo-oki cuddled in her arms.
Katsuhito: "You mean a premonition?"
Sasami: "Well, I guess you could call it that."
Ayeka: "Tell us about it. It could be Tsunami trying to help us."
Sasami: "Well it starts out with....."
When Sasami was finished, Ayeka and Katsuhito both sat down to try and make sense of the dream itself. They were still in the dark about the four factions. There was also no mention of a child in the prophecy. It seemed that Sasami's dream had only added to the mystery at hand. Seeing how stressed everyone was getting, Sasami went into the kitchen to make some tea.
Tempers were already beginning to flare on the other side of the room. It seemed that having two Ryoko's was having one too many. Each couldn't help but blame the other for letting the situation get out of control. Kagi and Kiyone had tried there best, but it was no use in trying to contain a fury like Ryoko's. They just decided to sit to the side seeing as how the only person who was ever capable of such a feat had been taken away by the forces of darkness.
Ryoko: "This never would have happened if you had just listened to us!"
Ryo: "I did what I did because it was the only solution at the time!"
Ryoko: "Well then you did a great job! You just made it easier for that bitch to grab him. We had him under control."
Ryo: "What you had was a breaking dam. It was all going to break out eventually."
Ryoko: "You don't know that. I could have protected him."
Ryo: "Not from himself you couldn't have. Whatever has a hold of him, isn't going to let go just because you want it to."
Ryoko: "They why not help us instead of just trying to kill him?"
Ryo: "Because I've seen what he's capable of. Soon he won't care about anything any more. Not you, not anyone in this house. In my time, he's taken great joy in hunting us down."
Ryoko: "I still think there's hope for him."
Ryo: "Naive fool."
Ryoko: "What was that!"
Ryo: "You heard me. That kind of attitude is going to get a lot of people killed."
Ryoko: "And yours is going to get you killed a lot sooner than you think."
Ryo: "Any time you wanna go little girl. I can still kick your ass, with or without the gems."
Voice: "ENOUGH!!!!"
The two of them tore away from their glares to find Washu standing at the door to her lab. She was now in her adult form with a set of reading glasses riding low on her nose. In her hand she held Ryo's arm. It looked much different than it had before. It was obvious that she had made some changes to the hastily constructed design. It was now smooth to the touch and much lighter. Her glare made both Ryokos back down. It must've been a motherly thing. She sighed and walked over to the both of them.
Washu: sigh "Now I know why I didn't create twins."
Ryo & Ryoko: "She started it."
Washu: "I don't care. This needless bickering isn't going to find Tenchi any faster. Here's you arm. I made a couple improvements."
Ryo: Locking the arm back into place "Like what? I had this thing rigged just how I liked it."
Washu: "I thought you had made it. You always work too fast on things."
Ryo: "Well the construction was interrupted when we were attacked."
Washu: "Anyway, I kept the basic frame. However, I replaced the all the servos and the power source. You should get a stronger and faster reaction from it now. I also added a few goodies of my own in there. I added a full-size deflector shield and I boosted the energy output of your blade. I also added a communication device. It should be able to intercept and send messages across every signal in space. The shell is also stronger now. I constructed it out of an experimental alloy of mine. On a more serious note. If you open the palm panel, you'll notice a small glass panel. That is the activation switch for a self destruction device implanted into the unit. To activate it, just touch the ring finger to the panel. There's no timer. It is meant as a last resort. Understand?"
Ryo: "Perfectly. Thank-you Washu. You've done more than I could ask for."
Washu: "I know. Now, what have we got here?"
==================================
Elsewhere in the galaxy, Orchid and another shadowy figure
watched over the progress of Tenchi's new training. He had been set to
work almost immediately. The Wings of Darkness were becoming stronger and
stronger everyday. Slowly, the kindness and caring that he was so well
known for was beginning to leave his eyes only to be replaced by suffering and
rage. His days no longer consisted of tending his fields and carefree
dinners. Instead, he spent hours dispatching the hapless minions of his
new masters. The sound of screams and the smell of blood became as
familiar as eating breakfast. It wasn't a chore or a joy, it was just
something he did. When he was done, an invisible master would take over
the task of retraining his mind. Everything was a blur. Now and
again, he would hear familiar voices in his sleep, but he couldn't make out what
they were saying. He thought he might have a friend. She seemed kind
enough, her long black hair and green eyes were captivating. They were the
only thing that could stop his wrath at it's peak. She called herself
Orchid. In the beginning, she had healed his wounds and reassured him of
his growing strength. She would help him learn new techniques that he had
never heard of before. They seemed much more savage that what he had
already known. They used to train together until he almost killed
her. Now she just brought him his meals and talked with him after his
lessons were done. Once she had even offered herself to him and for some
strange reason, he couldn't bring himself to it. She was the only friend
he could remember. She held him close at night when the voices would
come. So many voices; who were they?
Orchid and her master talked as they watched life after life extinguished by the future emperor.
Orchid: "He's almost ready."
Voice: "Yes, but not enough. He still remembers them. A part of his soul still clings to his home."
Orchid: "I know, I've tried everything. It would seem that the bonds he formed are very strong. It doesn't help that they know of our plans."
Voice: "It is inconvenient, but manageable. The will not inform Jurai just yet. It would raise too many questions from the Holy Council. If their past has taught me anything, they will try to handle it themselves."
Orchid: "Little do they know what is in store for them. Tenchi is fast becoming the most deadly warrior you have ever created."
Voice: "Yes, but he is useless until he completely under my control. I want you to begin training him with the gauntlets."
Orchid: "Are you sure that is wise? We still don't have all three gems. Such power could burn him out."
Voice: "He is strong enough. They will help me further my control. Now stop questioning my orders and go!"
Orchid: "As you wish."
==================================
Back on Earth, three weeks had already passed. With Washu's help, the Ryoko-Ryo duo and Kiyone had narrowed the possible points of attack on Jurai to three places. The only downside was that they were spread very far apart. Ayeka and Katsuhito believed that they had also made considerable progress. They had narrowed down the list of possible Royal Houses to the ten oldest that had existed at the time the scrolls were written. The House of Jurai was of course, at the top of the list. Kagi had taken any of Katsuhito's free time in order to train. He had learned very fast how to control his Jurian power with greater efficiency. He hadn't had much time to learn in the future. Even Mihoshi had taken time to try and work on her marksmanship. Even though she still had her share of accidents, they were becoming far less frequent. It had taken Noboyuki a little while, but he soon remembered how to care for the shrine. He had taken time off from work due to a "family emergency". Sasami spent many nights praying for Tsunami to help them find the answers they needed, but to no avail. If Tsunami could still hear her, she wasn't answering.
The nights at the big house were not as light-hearted as they used to be. Ryoko often tried to cheer everyone up, but it was little use. They were either too tired, or just plain down in the dumps. At night, when she thought nobody was awake, she would steal away to the fields. She knew that if they ever found Tenchi and brought him back, he would have a heart attack to see his fields in such disarray. One warm night, she wasn't alone. She tensed up at the sudden presence of another. She whirled around to see her future counterpart sitting the rock she usually used while watching Tenchi.
Ryo: "I was wondering where you kept sneaking off to everynight."
Ryoko: "Must've taken you awhile to check all old hiding places."
Ryo: "Yeah, I had trouble remembering all of them. That's when I remembered the fields."
Ryoko: "Well, I don't want Tenchi to have to work too hard when he comes back."
Ryo: "Yeah, I guess he would be pretty bummed out."
Ryoko: "I just never knew how much work this took. He did it everyday and still came home with a smile on his face. There's something about the soil I guess. It's been helping me relax also."
Ryo: "I never knew we had that much in common with Tenchi."
Ryoko: "Neither did I. Can I ask you a couple questions?"
Ryo: "Seems fair, I know all about you. What's on your mind?"
Ryoko: "In the future, Tenchi took all the gems didn't he?"
Ryo: "Yeah, that was one of the nastier bouts we had."
Ryoko: "Is that why you couldn't regenerate the arm?"
Ryo: "Yup. I lost a lot of power when he got a hold of those. It all went downhill from there. After he got all the gems, he was invincible."
Ryoko: "Was there ever any hope of brining him back?"
Ryo: "In the beginning, but we couldn't get to him. Jurai and GP took over. We could only stand back and watch. By the time we confronted him, it was too late."
Ryoko: "So you didn't know about Orchid then?"
Ryo: "Didn't have a clue, we couldn't figure out what happened to him."
Ryoko: "So where do you think she came from?"
Ryo: "I don't know, but I have a feeling we'll find out soon."
The two of them spent the rest of the night staring out at the stars. Both shared the vain hope of seeing Tenchi return to them just the way he was. Back at the house, the lights burned as brightly as ever. Sasami's dreams were coming tormenting her more and more. Unfortunately they failed to reveal any new answers. Kagi trained with a vengeance. His mission was no longer to slay the emperor. Instead, he was trying to save the man he knew to be his true father. Ayeka was becoming more and more inpatient everyday, it was taking more and more from Katsuhito to keep her from informing her father about what had been happening. Kiyone spent more and more time making sure that Yagami was ready for battle. She upgraded all the tactical systems and kept volunteering to take experimental weapons from the GP armory. Everyone could feel it, the time was soon approaching when Tenchi would appear again to steal the throne of Jurai. What they didn't know, was that Tenchi was almost ready himself. His progress was moving along faster than expected thanks to his masters.
=================================
Tenchi had completed the physical part of his training
already. He could have gone longer, but he had exhausted his supply of
victims sooner than anyone had planned for. So he continued on to the dark
chambers where his invisible master sharpened his mind into a deadly
weapon. He discarded his armor at the door but kept tenchi-ken
close. He knelt in the middle of the room and began to meditate.
This would open the doorway for his master into his mind. He had realized
long ago that it was easier this way than having her force her way in. In
the moments before he was completely in his trance, he would often hear a soft
voice calling to him. He could never hear it, but it was soothing,
familiar. Then, like always, it would be replaced by sharp pains in the
depths of his consciousness. After the pain subsided, the lesson would
begin.
Voice: "Who are you?"
Tenchi: "I am The Destroyer."
Voice: "What is your mission in this life?"
Tenchi: "To see that the House of Jurai falls."
Voice: "And?"
Tenchi: "To rule in it's place."
Voice: "And how will you rule?"
Tenchi: "In your name with absolute power."
Voice: "Very good. Now tell me, who is your family?"
Tenchi: "You master, you and Orchid are my family."
Voice: "Is there anyone else?"
Tenchi: "I-I don't think so. But I do think I remember others."
Voice: "NO! Those that haunt your dreams are your enemies. They are trying to fool you. They only want to stop us from fulfilling our destiny."
Tenchi: "But they don't seem like enemies."
Voice: "FOOLISH BOY! How many times must I remind you? They are the ones who scarred you. Maybe you need another reminder of what they did to you."
Tenchi: "Please, master. Not aga...AAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Tenchi's mind was once again flooded with pain. He could hear blood-chilling screams all around him. Two figures stood before him. One of them was made of fire, the other seemed to be the wind itself. They lifted him up and began pulling in every direction. They seemed to be fighting over him like a scrap of food. Each of them seized an arm and began to pull with all their might. Tenchi screamed as the wounds on his chest an back opened again spilling his blood on the ground. His rage boiled to the surface. With a mighty roar, he summoned the Wings of Darkness. The wings cleaved through the demons with ease and healed his wounds. Then, he awoke from his nightmare.
Voice: "Very good. You are passing this test with increasing ease. Soon you will be able to destroy the demons that almost killed you. The you can repay us for saving you and teaching you how to defeat them."
Tenchi: panting "Yes........yes master.....it....... will be done."
Voice: "Now then, I have a gift for you my brave warrior. Behold, the Gauntlets of Power. They will increase your newfound strength over a hundred-fold. These weapons are infused with my own power. You almost have all they keys to your destiny as ruler of this universe. You already possess tenchi-ken and now my gauntlets. All that is needed now is the last gem. Then, our enemies will bow before your awesome power and no one will be able to oppose you."
Orchid: "That's right love, then we can shape it to our own desires."
Tenchi: "I will fulfill my destiny. Then I will have rightfully returned my debt to you for saving my life."
Orchid: "Are you forgetting what you will take for yourself?"
Tenchi: "Of course not, I will take my vengeance on those that tried to kill me. All of them."
Voice: "Very well, now go and rest. I have matters to discuss with Orchid."
Tenchi: "Yes master."
Without another word, Tenchi rose and left the room. When he was safely out of earshot, Orchid spoke to her master once again.
Orchid: "Master, can we really do this?"
Voice: "You are worried?"
Orchid: "Well, yes master. What will happen if....they....appear."
Voice: "You need not worry about my sisters. They have weakened themselves beyond their limits. Even if they do intervene, it will be a small task to remove them. Now go and rest. Tomorrow you will take Tenchi to claim the last gem so we can complete our mission."
Orchid: "Yes."
Voice: "Yes, what?"
Orchid: "Yes Lady Tokimi."
To be continued............
