Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo and the characters in it belong to AIC and Pioneer Corp. I'm not making any profit from this fanfic.
Bang the drum slowly
Chapter 3: Clouds of confusion
As the morning sun slowly rose over the horizon, and the local wildlife emerged from it's slumbering, Ryoko sat and watched the soothing rays of sunlight spread out across the land. While she never considered herself a 'morning person', she had to admit that there was nothing quite like watching a sunrise. On Earth she rarely awoke early enough to enjoy such a sight, but due to the uncomfortably hard ground she slept on the previous night, she found it hard to get very good rest. Her eyes turned towards the small lake, and watched the sunlight dance across the rippling surface of the water. I could use a good dip in the water. she decided.
Hopping off the boulder she had been sitting upon, she bounded over to the shore of the lake and quickly tossed her dress aside. Experimentally dipping her toe into the water, the nude woman noted with a smile that while the water was chilly, it was still warm enough to swim in comfortably.
Wading out into deeper waters, she let out a sigh as she floated on the lake. I wish Tenchi were around. He was still sleeping when I got up. He'll be up soon enough, and I'll have plenty of time to be with him. She thought with a blissful sigh. The dual nature of the warming sunlight shining down from above and the cool water surrounding her combined to form a very pleasant sensation for Ryoko. Relaxing was something she could use given the current situation she and Tenchi found themselves in.
As she laid on her back, floating along the water, she gazed up at the clear skies above which seemed to epitomize the paradoxical nature of the planet. While the bright sun shining down seemed innocuous enough, the sight of it's energy being sucked away by an unseen black hole was a powerful reminder of the dangers prevelent. It's so peaceful here, yet so...I don't know, wrong. I still haven't figured out what happened to me to other day when I was flying around. Still, worrying myself sick won't accomplish anything, I just need to loosen up. she decided.
Closing her eyes, she let the world just melt away, paying heed to nothing but the feel of the water and the sounds of nature. It was while she was listening to the world around her that she caught the distant sound of something else splashing around in the lake. Quickly straightening out in the water, she swirled her head about, trying to see what was causing the noise. An ear to ear grin formed when she saw that Tenchi was the culprit. He was quite far away, and seemingly oblivious to her presence in the lake. Time to have some fun! she thought before forming a plan.
Tenchi had awoke to find the still smouldering embers of the previous nights fire, but no sign of Ryoko. Figuring that she had gone out to explore a little, he decided it would be a good time to take a little swim in the lake, to wash away some of the dust and dirt he had accumulated. With a few nervous glances to make sure Ryoko wasn't hiding behind some bush, he shed his clothing and went out into the lake.
His head twirled about anxiously, afraid that at any moment, a certain cyan haired girl would discover him in his state of undress. I need to calm down. I can't live every moment in fear of Ryoko. Making a real effort to just relax for once, he exhaled loudly and tried to just take in the serenity of the atmosphere around him.
It was at this moment that Ryoko sprung up from underneath the water, right in front of his face. "Good morning Tenchi!" she jubilantly exclaimed.
His heart promptly leapt into his throat as he gasped in fear and shock. As his stunned brain registered the fact that Ryoko was naked, and mere inches away from his nude body, he quickly began sporting a nose bleed. In his panic striken condition, he spun around and frantically swam back towards the shore. Ryoko snickered at his reaction and shook her head in amusement. I never get tired of playing with him like that. He's just so adorable when he's flustered.
***
Hiking through the underbrush, the cyan haired ex-pirate and the young shrine apprentice marched on in silence. Tenchi had his gaze fixed ahead of him, making an obvious effort to pay no attention to the girl beside him.
"I don't see what the big deal is." Ryoko said defensively.
Tenchi shot her a stern glare. "The big deal is nearly giving me a heart attack. I wish you'd stop pulling those stunts."
She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well it's not my fault that you find my naked body so stunning that you nearly faint."
"T-that's not what I meant and you know it!" he exclaimed.
"I know one part of your body liked seeing me." she remarked playfully. Tenchi turned his head away to avoid letting her see his rising blush, and chose not to make any retort, hoping the subject would drop.
The two of them were hiking along through the tree's as the morning wore on. After the little 'incident' earlier, they chose to get an early start on their exploration of the foreign planet they were on. When they first awoke on the planet the previous day, they were in gently rolling hills scattered with tree's. By now they were in a more densely packed forest, teeming with various forms of life.
"Why are you always so nervous around girls?" Ryoko asked in a curious manner.
Turning his head back over to her, his lips quirked upward into a wry smirk. "Well, maybe it's because I live with a bunch of insanely powerful women who constantly destroy my house and get me into trouble."
"We don't 'constantly' destroy your house." she protested.
He shook his head in disbelief while stepping over a fallen tree. "When was the last time that some part of my home wasn't damaged?"
Ryoko's expression became thoughtful for a moment before she frowned. "Ok, maybe me and Ayeka do fight a lot. But we're just letting off a little steam, no harm in that."
"Tell that to the walls." he muttered under his breath.
Not hearing his little remark, she continued, "Besides, our fights haven't been that bad lately."
"Yeah, I have noticed that. I guess it's been...I don't know, since that battle with Dr. Clay that things seem to have calmed down a little." he observed.
Ryoko nodded her head silently in agreement. Though she didn't like to admit it, she knew that the assimilation with Zero had helped her deal with her emotions better. She was still firey and playful, but there was another, more calming element to her psyche that aided her a lot in expressing her feelings and dealing with anger.
She was broken out of her thoughts when her right foot suddenly sunk into some very wet and slimy sludge. Her mouth quirked downward in disgusted shock as she looked down to discover that she was knee deep in some murky liquid.
"Guess we better watch our steps." Tenchi commented from the dry land behind her. Turning her slowly behind her, she leveled him a glare that instantly made him step back in fear. "I think it's a little late for that, don't ya think? She asked icely while pulling her leg out of the thick swamp sludge, the audible noise of which only seemed to emphasise her point.
Nervously gulping, he looked at her mud soaked right leg and dress. "Umm Ryoko, your shoe is kind of...gone." he timidly pointed out.
Ryoko clenched her fist and hissed through gritted teeth, finding her patience wearing thin. Anger was surging through her veins as she contemplated vaporizing a few acres of land to vent her frustration. Yet instead, she relaxed her fist and exhaled deeply, a very large, devious smile gracing her lips. "Tenchi dear, I want you to come over and get my shoe out of the swamp for me." Her voice was dripping with honey as she spoke, her eyes promising something unpleasant to any who challenged her.
"Me? Why should I? It's your shoe." he said while crossing his arms.
"Because then I'd ruin the arms of this dress. And believe me, you dont want to see that happen." She stalked over towards Tenchi as she spoke, her posture menacing.
Picking up on her not-so-subtle hints, he swallowed loudly and began to sweat as she drew nearer. "Well, I-I guess I don't want that to happen, so I'll g-go get your shoe." he stammered.
"Why that's sweet of you!" she exclaimed while clasping her hands together.
Wanting to get his task done with as soon as possible, he knelt down and began to take off his field jacket so as not to soil it. However, Ryoko's throat clearing stopped him in mid-motion. "Tenchi, leave the jacket on." she demanded.
"But it'll get..."
"Exactly. If I'm going to walk around with a ruined dress, then you're going to have a ruined jacket." she stated with a feral gleam in her eyes.
Tenchi chose not to continue his protests as he saw the look on her face and the tone of her voice. He knew she was just taking her frustration out on him, but he was willing to mess up a jacket if it meant keeping her anger from boiling over. Looking down at the thick pool of mud in front of him, he let out a sigh before slowly sinking his arm in the swamp.
Oh this is so gross! he thought while his arm was submerged up to his shoulder in the sludge. Swishing his arm around in the slimy liquid, his hand searched out for the object he desired. After grabbing a few bits of wood and some things he couldn't identify, he finally managed to find her shoe. Quickly rearing up, he pulled his arm out of the swamp with a disgusted look on his face. "I found it." he said in a less-than-enthusiastic manner.
"Good." Ryoko said simply, her smile becoming more genuine. Watching Tenchi perform that little task had done wonders in relieving her tension, but she wasn't done yet. Sitting down a nearby fallen log, she stuck her right foot out in front of her, the gesture clearly indicating she wanted him to put the shoe on for her.
Tenchi's expression of disbelief turned into a deep frown as he resigned himself to his fate. While he muttered under his breath, he strode over and knelt before her. The whole scene playing out brought to Ryoko's mind a memory of an old American fairy tale she saw a few months ago. What was it? Oh yeah, Cinderella. Well it looks like my prince charming is presenting me with my glass slipper.
With a sour look on his face, Tenchi turned her shoe upside down, allowing a large amount of mud to slide out onto the ground. So maybe it's not exactly like the fairy tale. The absurdity of the situation was quite apparent to her as she struggled to stay composed.
Taking ahold of her muddy foot, Tenchi slipped the filthy shoe onto her. "Happy now?" he asked flatly.
"Ecstatic." Ryoko replied with a grin.
***
As mid-morning turned into the afternoon, Tenchi and Ryoko treked on through the woods, continuing their exploration of the planet. They had chose to stay close to the water, figuring that if any intelligent life was around, that it'd be near a source of water. Earlier, Tenchi had found some cleaner water and managed to find some clams to eat. While not the most tasty nor satisfying of meals, it was nurishment nonetheless. It was times like this that Ryoko was quite thankful for the fact that she didn't need to eat.
"Looks like it'll rain." Tenchi commented casually.
Ryoko took a look up at the sky through the gaps in the tree's before responding, "I don't think it'll rain."
"I've always had a knack for knowing whether or not it will rain. I can tell by the way the clouds look." he said while gesturing towards the sky.
"Yeah, well I think you're gonna be wrong this time." she said while flashing him a devilish smirk.
With a smile of his own, Tenchi was about to reply, but something else caught his attention. "What was that?" he asked while turning his head around to find the source of the noise he heard.
"I didn't..." Ryoko cut herself off in mid-sentence as her ears picked up on some rustling leaves in the nearby bushes.
Both of them were silent as they carefully listened all around them. After a moment, they heard the snapping of twigs nearby. "Something's out there." Ryoko whispered.
A deafening silence hung once more, the hairs on Tenchi's neck stood on end. And then, as if a shot was fired, something burst from the bushes, charging towards the pair. They both spun around to find four creatures which resembled wolves with tusks racing at them. Their snarling faces left no doubt as to their intentions on devouring the two of them.
"TENCHI! LOOK OUT!" Ryoko screamed before leaping in front of the shocked boy. A red energy sword sprung forth from her fist as she flew towards the pack.
With a few vicious swipes, she managed to slice the head of one of the beasts clean off, the second one she cut a huge gash across its side. The two which escaped her fury seemed intent on making Tenchi their next meal. Totally unarmed, and caught off guard, Tenchi could only duck and roll out of the way to avoid the flying lunge made by one of the creatures. Looking up, his breath caught in his throat as he stared right into the red eyes of the other beast as it hurled at him, it's jaws opening for the kill.
That bite never came though, as Ryoko phased in front of Tenchi and stabbed the attacking animal right through it's throat. When Ryoko turned around to see if he was alright, Tenchi noticed something very wrong with the way she looked. She was gasping for breath, pale skinned, and sweating profusely. He had no time to inquire about her well being as she let loose a battle cry and launched herself at the last of the creatures.
With all her force, she brought her crackling and flickering energy saber down upon the back of the vicious beast. And so in a matter of a few seconds, the battle was over. Tenchi stared wide eyed at Ryoko as she hung her head while letting her sword blink out of existence.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
With her legs wobbling, she stumbled forward a few feet before falling to her knees. "I-I don't know." she mumbled in a daze.
Tenchi sprung over towards Ryoko and knelt down, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in order to steady the girl. "What's happening? Is it like what happened yesterday?" he asked with concern evident in his voice.
Rubbing her eyes, she nodded her head silently, still trying to regain her equilibrium. "Well then let's just rest here for a bit, ok?" Tenchi said while leaning her up against a tree trunk.
Beginning to catch her breath, Ryoko opened her eyes and stared up at the sky. "What the hell is going on around here?" she asked in bewilderment.
***
Light years away, the residents onboard the Yukinojo drifted through the velvety blackness of space. Deciding to remain near the site where Tenchi and Ryoko vanished, the residents onboard the ship began to settle down on the cramped space craft.
"Miss Ayeka, I suggest you hurry up and get out here, I haven't got all day you know." Washu called out in an irratated fashion.
"Very well little Washu, I'm coming."
Emerging from her bedroom, Ayeka strode over towards the red head. "Go ahead and open a communications channel to Jurai, I think I look presentable enough by now." Ayeka said with some certainty.
Washu snorted derisively. "Well I should hope so! It took you two hours to get dressed."
Ayeka scowled and crossed her arms. "I had to look decent for mother and father. My father doesn't take bad news very well." she finished the last part of her sentence quietly.
"So you're going to tell them about Tenchi's disappearance?" Washu asked neutrally.
Ayeka let out a tired sigh. "Yes, I'll do my best to explain to them what happened."
Washu stayed silent as she punched in the last few keys, connecting right into the royal palace's communications network. On the screen in front of them, a very upset looking young man appeared. "I request you immediately leave this communications channel. It is only authorized for..." he stopped in mid sentence when he saw who was standing next to the little girl on his screen.
"It is authorized only for members of the council or royal family, I know. But don't you think that the crown princess of Jurai would be authorized to use this channel?" asked Ayeka calmly.
The young man on screen went pale. "Y-yes your highness! W-what do you..."
"I wish to speak with the emperor and empresses."
"B-but they..."
"It is important. I must speak with them at once." Ayeka commanded sternly.
"Of course, right away!" the man stammered before quickly typing up a storm on his keyboard.
Washu did her best to refrain from smiling and turned towards Ayeka. "I bet you royal types get a kick out of scaring the crap out of kids like him."
Ayeka's lips quirked upward into a slight smirk as she stared straight ahead. "What would ever give you that idea?" she innocently replied.
The brown haired man on the screen looked up the two. "Alright, the emperor and empresses will be coming on now." Right after he said that, the screen instantly changed, and they were now looking into what looked like a bedroom. Azusa stood in a black robe made of the finest materials, and he was flanked by his two wives, Funaho and Misaki. By appearances, it had seemed they had just woken up.
Rubbing his eyes, Azusa stifled a yawn before he said, "Ayeka, what is the meaning of waking us up with this call?"
The violet haired princess bowed humbly. "I apologize for disturbing your rest."
"Oh I don't mind at all. I'm happy to see you, my little Ayeka." Misaki said with a bright smile.
"I am pleased to see you too...mommy." Ayeka mumbled the last word before continuing, "I wish to inform you of some terrible events which will prevent me from being able to attend this years Startica festivities."
Misaki's face fell, and she was about to reply when Azusa interrupted her. "What 'events' are you speaking of?"
"It is concerning Lord Tenchi. You see, there was an accident onboard the ship..."
"Is he alright?" Misaki interjected.
"...I don't know." Ayeka said quietly. Before anyone could respond however, Ayeka once again spoke up. "As I was saying, there was an accident on the ship. The indirect result of this accident led to Lord Tenchi being pulled into a...wormhole. Now he was able to summon the light hawk wings, so he may have managed to survive and emerge on the other side. Though at the moment we are not able to locate where he may be."
After finishing, Ayeka took a quick appraisal of her parents expressions. Misaki seemed obviously worried, Azusa had his eyebrows knitted together as he stood tall, and Funaho seemed very calm and serene for one who had just received such troubling news.
Azusa cleared his throat before speaking, "We will do what we can to aid in the effort to locate Tenchi. And though I understand your choice to skip the Startica festivities, I want you know that you may still come home to spend some time with your family in private if you wish."
"Thank you for the offer father, but I feel I must decline. Miss Washu is doing all she can to locate them, and I think I should be with her in case she makes any progress."
"Very well, that is your choice. If there is nothing else you wish to speak to me about, I would like to return to sleep."
Ayeka nodded her head. "That is all I wanted to tell you. Goodnight father."
"Goodnight Ayeka." Azusa said stiffly before the screen went black.
Exhaling in relief, Ayeka relaxed her shoulders before sitting down on a nearby cushion. She knew her father didn't exactly care much for Tenchi, but she suspected that he was nonetheless concerned about his safety. While Azusa's mannerisms seemed gruff and slightly cold, Ayeka could see the hint of worry beneath his stoic exterior.
"You know, I noticed that you didn't tell them about how Ryoko had gone out to fix the ship, and that Tenchi had left to save her." Washu observed.
"Yes, I didn't wish to bother them with the details. And...I didn't want them to blame Ryoko for Tenchi's disappearance." Ayeka said the last part of the sentence rather quietly.
Washu remained straight faced as she stared up at the princess. "I'll be in my lab." she said plainly before turning and heading back into her sub space lab. If Ayeka had paid closer attention, she may have noticed Washu's lips curving into a smile before she left.
***
A sullen mood pervaded the air as Tenchi and Ryoko wearily trudged through the wilderness. After their encounter with those vicious beasts earlier, Tenchi had insisted that Ryoko rest for awhile after seeing how drained she seemed. It didn't take a genius like Washu to conclude something was amiss, and the mystery surrounding this problem was nagging both of them.
Tenchi cast a brief glance at the silent woman walking beside him. Her eyes stared straight ahead, her thoughts obviously elsewhere. He wished he had some answers to the myriad of questions that hung in the air, but he was as confused as she was.
Ryoko's voice interrupted his contemplations. "Tenchi, what's that up ahead?"
Curiousity aroused, his dark eyes scanned the thinning forest. He was about to inquire just what she had seen when his gaze fixed upon an unusual looking object up ahead. He couldn't make out what it was from the distance he was at, but it didn't seem like it belonged in the forest.
Both of their heads turned towards one another at the same time. "Come on, let's check it out." Ryoko suggested with excitement evident in her voice.
Tenchi laid a hand on Ryoko's arm to stop her from sprinting ahead. "Wait, we don't know what it is, it could be dangerous. Let's just quietly go over and take a look."
After a moment, Ryoko nodded her head in agreement. The pair quietly made their way into the bushes and crept forward, using the utmost of stealth. Poking his head from around a rather large tree, Tenchi furrowed his brow at the sight before him. "It looks like there's a whole bunch of stuff ahead, mostly metallic."
Ryoko stuck her neck out and took a look. "It looks like there's a bunch of leaves and weeds all around it. Maybe it's safe to take a closer look."
Tenchi made a small noise of agreement before warily slipping out into the more open terrain, with Ryoko closely behind him. The nearer they got to the strange objects, the more puzzling the scene became. It seemed as if there were chunks of metal scattered all over the area, many were almost totally covered in dirt and leaves.
More confident the area was abandoned, they strode over towards a rather large object around fifteen feet in height. Forest vines covered most of the object, but a few parts of metal shone through. Silently, the pair began to tear away the forest growths that were covering the object.
"It looks like some sort of vehicle. See the wheels? Similar to the ones on tanks back on Earth. And it looks like this thing was equipped with some sort of weaponry. See, this broken part here in the front, it looks like some sort of large gun was attached at one point." Ryoko commented while climbing on top of the heap of debris.
"You're right. And I think I see the rest of it under the leaves." Tenchi said while kneeling down and digging away at the ground.
Ryoko's eyes widened when she looked around at the top of the tattered vehicle. "Well Tenchi, I think I have a pretty good idea why this thing broke."
"Really?" Tenchi asked curiously.
"Yep, namely the fact that it had a hole about the size of your bedroom ripped into it."
"Wow, what do you think happened here?" Tenchi muttered while looking around at the piles of wreckage that were littering the forest floor.
Ryoko scanned the landscape from her better vantage point, a thoughtful expression on her face. Many of the vehicles in the area where shattered beyond recognition, other had gaping holes in them. While wildlife had sprung up around the wreckage, the scene still reeked of death. "It looks like there was one hell of a battle here. Do you notice that this whole area is really sunk into the ground? Whatever destroyed these things blew some pretty damn big holes into the landscape."
Tenchi's eyes widened as he stood up. "That must have been a long time ago. Plants and tree's have grown all around it."
Ryoko nodded her head while stepping down off the massive junk pile. "Yeah, but at least we know that at some point, there was intelligent life here." she remarked.
Standing side by side, Tenchi and Ryoko silently gazed at the scene before them. They imagined what it must have been like all those ages ago, when those massive machines rumbled around, and the absolute carnage that had ensued at this place. How many lives were lost at these grounds? Neither one knew, and neither one wanted to stick around the virtual graveyard for too long.
Ryoko's contemplations were interrupted by a strange sensation coming from her stomach. Grimacing in irratation, she glanced down at herself. Why does my stomach feel so weird? A pain emanated from within her, causing her to grip her belly.
Tenchi finally picked up on his companions obvious discomfort. "Is something wrong, Ryoko?"
Knitting her brow together, she concentrated for a moment. "I don't know, my stomach hurts. And I can hear and feel this..sort of gurgling." She frowned when she felt another bit of pain shoot through her. "There it goes again. Tenchi, put your head on my stomach, see if you can hear it."
Tenchi backed up a step and shook his head. "Hey, I'm not falling for another one of your tricks." he protested.
The amber eyed woman growled and took ahold of his shirt collar. "This isn't some game. I just want you to listen."
Reluctantly nodding his head, Tenchi kneeled down and put his ear to Ryoko's stomach. She allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of his warm head pressed up against her, though she restrained herself from trying to make any advances on him. Even Ryoko knew that there was a time and a place for such things.
"There, did you hear that?" she inquired as she felt another rumbling sensation from within.
Tenchi slowly moved his head away from her stomach and looked up at her in a confused manner. "Yeah, I heard that."
"Well what do you think it is?" she asked impatiently.
Scratching the back of his head, Tenchi replied, "Now I'm not sure, but it seems like you're...hungry."
Blinking her eyes rapidly, Ryoko tilted her head to the side. "That can't be right, my gem is supposed to keep me sustained." she insisted.
Tenchi's eyes drifted towards her left wrist, and the ruby red gem on it. "Well, your powers have been pretty messed up since we arrived on this planet." he pointed out.
Ryoko's eyes widened as her gaze also turned towards the source of her powers. Doubts and fears began to well up within her, just as the first drops of rain began to fall on the two of them.
***
"What is the progress report on the operation currently underway in the Muldovai region?"
"Sir, at last report, both targets were still alive."
"Good, I was concerned about the one being tapped. How much more energy is there for our receivers to take in?"
"Analysis indicates that the source is almost totally drained. Though there are peculiar readings indicating some deeper energy potential is present. However our array system is not advanced enough to do a proper study of this."
"Do you have the report from the defense minister authorizing the next step of our plan?"
"Yes sir, I have it right here. He thinks that the targets would now be unable to mount a good resistance to the planned retrieval operation."
"Good, good. Now what about the other one, any signs of power from it?"
"I have a brief comment from the science chief which states as follows: We are detecting some interesting readings, but we will need an up-close analysis to come to a proper conclusion. Whether or not there is a greater potential hidden in that one is yet unknown."
"Very well, thank you. Now, councilmen, I suggest we take a vote on this matter. Shall we proceed to the next phase? I vote in favor."
"As do I."
"While I think it is a dangerous operation, it seems that the possible rewards are worth it. So I cast my vote in favor."
"Aye."
"I concur."
"Alright then, we have five votes in favor. I want the order given that the retrieval operation will commence in 0700 semi-cycles."
End of chapter 3