Author's Note: For those of you who are expecting a Mihoshi/Kiyone relationship, I gotta say that you'll be disappointed. That's all I can mention. Oh, and fasten your safety belts, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!
No Need For Chaos!
Ayeka sighed, pacing to one side of the bedroom. The ship lurched and tossed a little more, and an announcement came over the P. A., warning passengers to stay indoors, or at least find shelter from the storm. The captain assured everyone that the worst would be over soon and the S. S. Shangri-La would be out of danger in about fifty minutes or so. This did little to comfort everyone else.
"I'm getting dizzy from watching this," said Noboyuki, his head turning with Ayeka. She had almost paced a little path in the floor.
"I really don't blame her, though," said Sasami. She sighed, the worried look bright on her face. "I can't help but feel concerned for the others."
"Ah, they'll be fine!" assured Washu. "I wouldn't worry about Ryoko at all, and Tenchi will be able to take care of himself." She let everyone else use their imaginations, concerning the two police officer's fate. Ayeka mumbled, still pacing around like a father-to-be during his wife's labor. A fierce knock on the door jarred her out of her trance.
"Who could that be at such a time?" asked Tenchi's grandfather. He decided to check up on it, and prepared for the worst. The two people on the other end of the door lifted everyone's spirit's a notch.
"Quin! Farrah!" exclaimed Ayeka. The young couple staggered through the door, heaving great gasps of wind. After a blanket had been used to dry their soaked bodies, they were able to talk.
"What a night," wheezed Quin, his arm around his fiancée. He shivered, shaking the water out of his hair like a dog. Suddenly noticing his surroundings, he let out a smile. "Wow, imagine the odds! I sure am glad we found you guys!"
"What has happened?" asked Ayeka. "What were you two doing?!"
"We wanted to make sure that all the other passengers were all right," answered Farrah. "So far, everyone's been cooperating well. As far as we know, everyone has taken refuge inside their rooms."
"That is good, at least," said Tenchi's grandfather. He sighed, lips pursed in thought. "Tell me now," he said, "have you seen anyone else while you were out there? Ryoko, Kiyone, Mihoshi, my grandson?"
"I think I spotted Tenchi running into the dining room," replied Quin. "He was with a woman with wild turquoise hair, and they were both screaming about something."
"Ryoko," growled Ayeka, putting as much bitterness into the name as she could. After a brief inward rage, she calmed down enough to ask if they were all right.
"They appeared so," said Farrah. "But we couldn't get a good look at them." Ayeka sighed, glad that Tenchi was well and disappointed that Ryoko shared his condition. She thanked her new friends, and together they continued to weather the storm inside Noboyuki's room.
"AAAHHHH!!!!!" Mihoshi screamed, burying herself in Kiyone's arms. The other woman initially wanted to scorn her partner for such cowardice, but given the current situation, fear was understandable.
"What in the world--" she cursed, feeling a fierce breeze cut at her body. With an arm raised to protect herself, Kiyone slowly advanced to the broken window. Apparently, the storm was so bad that it had shattered the glass, and bits and pieces of it had been strewn across the room. With a grunt, Kiyone managed to cover the gaping hole with a small table.
"Kiyone," whined her partner, "I'm frightened!" Kiyone sighed, noticing that Mihoshi was grabbing hold of her legs. Even now, even as her mind continued to advance, she was still the little lost puppy who had to depend on others 99.9% of the time. Kiyone, sympathizing with her friend, kneeled down and did her best to comfort her.
"It's okay," she whispered, rubbing Mihoshi's quivering back. "It's just a storm. The captain said that we'd be out of it within the hour, so all we need to do is weather it til' then. Okay?" She kindly looked into the quivering face of Mihoshi, and gave her brightest smile. The other woman, the craven genius, sniffled.
"Okay." Mihoshi smiled, and gasped as she noticed that Kiyone's face had been cut by a flying piece of glass. Casting her fear aside, Mihoshi managed to get up and waddle her way towards a medicine cabinet. The ship lurched like a sickly old man, spilling the contents of the cabinet all across the bathroom. Kiyone sighed, reasoned that the scar she had gotten was too minor to bother with, and went into the bathroom to help her comrade.
"You okay?" she asked dully. Mihoshi chuckled weakly, and held up a Band-aid. Kiyone obediently took it and applied the adhesive to her face. The P. A. System began sizzling from static, but a cryptic message still managed to make it through.
"--eat, all passen… …ired to man a lifeboat. This is… …mergency!"
"I guess we should get to a lifeboat," said Kiyone softly. The situation must've gotten more severe than we thought. He must believe that we'll sink. Didn't he just say that we'd be out of the storm soon? Ignoring the questions tickling her mind, Kiyone helped her partner up and went to examine the broken window. A few small cracks allowed her to see portions of the outside world.
"Oh, that's just nice," she muttered, observing the exterior of the ship. "The storm blew us off course and now we're in the middle of that typhoon." Well, we probably stand a better chance out in the open ocean anyway… Of course, we're screwed no matter what we do.
"Kiyone?"
"Yes?" A pause.
"I'm still scared." A smile.
"No worries. I'm scared too. But we'd better go outside and get on a lifeboat, okay?" A pause. Mihoshi sniffled, despite her newfound reasoning.
"Okay." Kiyone smiled and helped Mihoshi open the outside door. The girls screamed as the terrifying wind and stinging rain pelted their bodies, and searched around in desperation for a lifeboat.
"Things sure have gotten exciting now!" squealed Washu. Despite the dangerous predicament, Ayeka couldn't help but growl.
"Are you actually enjoying yourself?!" she demanded. The cute little genius gave her best smile.
"Of course I am! I've seen much worse than this little breeze!" Ayeka sneered, her eyes twitching and her veins bulging out. She felt like clobbering the psychopath right then and there.
"This is no time to fight, ladies!" barked Quin. "My father's doing all he can, but if I know him, he'll give out the abandon ship order. I hate doing this, but we've got to forget about your friends and hustle onto a lifeboat." The girls and two men in the room looked at him as if he had just turned into a rat.
"But Tenchi's still out there!" whined Sasami.
"And he's probably heard the evacuation order too, no doubt!"
"But what about Kiyone and Mihoshi?" asked Noboyuki.
"They're police officers! They can take care of themselves!" A long, dense pause hung in the air. Finally, the wisest of the bunch stood up and cleared his throat.
"We should wait a little while longer," he said, his voice as calm as always. "I trust Tenchi. He won't disappoint."
"If we wait any longer, all the lifeboats will be taken!" insisted Quin.
"And if we go now, won't other people be left behind as well?" retorted the older man. Quin blanched, sighed, and reluctantly stayed behind.
"All right," he said, crossing his arms. "Ten minutes, and not a second more. I'm sure that leaves plenty of time for Tenchi to find everyone."
"Oh! But what if he's injured?" squeaked Sasami. She apologized the second she saw the concern on Ayeka's face. His father, strangely enough, smiled confidently.
"I wouldn't worry about him," he said. "Tenchi's tougher than he looks. Besides, he's got Ryoko with him."
"That's not very reassuring," spat Ayeka quietly.
"WAAAAAAAAAAIIIITTTT!!!" Several passengers stopped and stared, seeing an aqua-haired woman lead a golden-haired woman by the hand. The former held her hand up despite the storm, and was yelling at the top of her lungs.
"Hey, over here!!" waved one of the passengers. Several people scooted over to make room for the two ladies.
"OH, MAN!!!!" exclaimed the green-haired girl. "I thought we'd never make it! Come ON, Mihoshi, get on!!"
"I'm too scared, Kiyone!" screamed the golden-haired lady. Kiyone snarled and practically forced Mihoshi onto the lifeboat.
"Sorry about that," she said, and hopped into the boat herself. It lowered into the sea, and soon joined others in a massive convoy of frightened people and crew. They sailed away, watching as the storm beat against the J. S. S. Shangri-La. Kiyone sighed, glad to be moving away from the chaos, and slumped down in the crowded boat.
"Are you okay, Mihoshi?" she asked. Other than a noticeable bump on the other girl's head, there were no injuries.
"I don't seem to have any perilous conditions," replied Mihoshi, rubbing her temple. Kiyone smiled, glad that the intelligence potion hadn't worn off, and laid her hand on the other woman's shoulder.
"Sorry about that," she said, her mouth curled upward in a smile. "I didn't mean to be so aggressive, but there was no other way for me to get you to safety."
"I realize that," moaned the other girl. She eyed her partner weakly. "Thank you for being my friend, Kiyone." Kiyone smiled, sighed, and for once in her life, depended on Mihoshi to look after her as she laid her head on the other girl's lap.
"Anytime, Mish. Anytime."
Tenchi practically broke the door down as he stormed into the room, an amused Ryoko in tow. Everyone yelled out his name and rushed to embrace him; even Ryoko got a hug from Sasami and Quin.
"Tenchi, my son! I never doubted that you'd come back!!" cried his father. Tenchi managed a smile.
"Oh… Lord Tenchi…" Ayeka smiled weakly, holding onto the dear, sweet man tighter than normally. They both shared a smile, and Tenchi allowed her to briefly peck him on the cheek.
"TENCHI, my man!!! You're the bravest dude ever!!!" Tenchi groaned as Quin crushed his body in his arms, and nearly died from lack of oxygen. He managed a weak smile before his face turned blue.
"Tenchi is brave, all right," purred Ryoko. Tenchi's blue face quickly became red as the space pirate trailed her finger across his shoulder. To say that Ayeka was infuriated would be as obvious as saying the sun was hot.
"Grrr… LEAVE LORD TENCHI ALONE, YOU HAG!!!"
"Come on, Ayeka," sighed Ryoko coolly. "You were being mushy with him too."
"I, I was not!!!"
"Don't deny it, princess!" sang Ryoko playfully. Ayeka's face turned red, but whether it was from anger or embarrassment was debatable. Thankfully, before a storm-within-a-storm could occur, Farrah wisely separated the two.
"Now is not the time," she said, pushing the girls apart. "As are all of you, I am glad that sir Tenchi has returned with another friend in tow. But were there not two others in your company?" Everyone paused and looked at Tenchi, hoping that he had not missed the galaxy police officers. Anticipating their questions, the youngest Masaki could only apologize.
"Sorry," he sighed, "I couldn't find them. Ryoko and I looked everywhere, and we even got help from the captain, but we found no trace." A very tense and somewhat sad pause drifted through the air, and a brittle moment of silence passed across the room as the storm continued raging outside.
"There's nothing we can do for them now," sighed Quin, breaking the silence. He turned and nodded his head at his friends. "We'd better go find some lifeboats and make sure everyone else is safe. Mr. Masaki, you go and scout for empty lifeboats. Lady Ayeka, Washu, you help him. The rest of you come with Farrah and myself. We'll try and round up any stray passengers that might not have heard the announcement."
"Right." Everyone nodded their heads, and split up to go about their individual duties. The storm surrounding them blazed on, bright and deadly as ever, and even now the lifeboats were being manned and sent out into the open sea.
Ayeka, Washu, and Tenchi's grandfather quickly ran to the port side of the battered ship, scanning for any leftover boats they could use. Nearly all of them had left, and only a few still remained. What was left had been filled up with people, and only a few spots were left open. The passengers aboard the lifeboats urged the trio to get on, but Ayeka insisted that they hold a few positions open for friends.
"There's no time!" shouted a man. "If you don't get on now, somebody else will! There's only a handful of boats left!"
"Just a few more seconds!" screamed Ayeka. Suddenly, the shouting of human voices could be heard, and her heart flew as she saw Farrah leading several stray passengers into the boats.
"Here's some I found," she said, guiding the frightened people into the boats. One more plopped into the sea and began sailing away, only leaving about five or so to go. Farrah gave Ayeka and Washu a frightening look once the boat had left, one that would scar their minds for the rest of their days.
"I'm going back for more," she said hastily. "Now that I know how many boats are left, you three can go ahead of us. Quin will be back with more people, and Tenchi and Ryoko might have found a few as well!"
"Are you sure?!" shouted Washu, her voice being lost over the gnashing waves and thunderous lightning. Farrah nodded her head.
"Yes, now go!!" Without further instruction, Washu scrambled onto another boat. Ayeka and Tenchi's grandfather remained.
"I think I'll come along," said the elderly man. "I can't just leave without knowing my family is in jeopardy." Farrah paused, and allowed the older man to accompany her.
"I shall come along as well!" blurted Ayeka.
"But why?" A pause. The princess sighed, knowing that it was foolishness to stay behind… but still…
"I have to make sure my friends are safe," she replied. Farrah smiled warmly.
"You're a good person," she said, her face wet. Whether it was from tears or the pounding rain was left up to debate. Ayeka returned the smile, hid a blush, and ran off to search for more of her friends. Inwardly, her heart fluttered as she heard Farrah's final words to her.
You're a good person.
Well, thought the princess with a snicker, maybe I am.
Quin nearly coughed his lungs out as he yelled for the other passengers to leave. Already, Noboyuki and Farrah had followed his advice, and were right now in boats that would sail away to the closest mainland. His father, without a doubt, would probably go down with his ship. There was a certain aura of respect and dignity about this duty, and even though he felt sad that his father would be dead within the next day, Quin couldn't control the bubbling pride that welled up in his heart.
With Ryoko hugging his neck and feigning terror, Tenchi managed to secure several more people onto lifeboats. After what seemed like hours, he had managed to fill up all the spare boats, leaving no person unchecked. With few exceptions, he was now alone on the weather-worn vessel.
"Kind of romantic, isn't it?" whispered Ryoko huskily. Tenchi easily fought off the blush.
"Now's not the time, Ryoko!" he insisted. Ryoko sighed and let go of his neck.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hey, if all the boats are gone, how will we get out?" Tenchi paused, a cold feeling already knotting up in his stomach. To be frank, he had no idea.
"To be frank, I have no idea," he said. Ryoko pursed her lips.
"Oh, great." Just then, as if to make matters more complicated, Ayeka appeared on the scene.
"Oh, Lord Tenchi! I found you! Are you all right?!" The princess quickly scampered forward and gave the soaked man a tight hug, earning a wolf whistle from Ryoko.
"I think I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," she teased. Ayeka batted back the comment with enough civility to sink a continent.
"Now, now, miss Ryoko," she sang, "I'm just giving Lord Tenchi a widdle huggy-poo."
"Grrrr… How dare you!!" The rage in Ryoko's voice was unmistakable, and her balled-up hand only accented her fury. Ayeka laughed triumphantly, and prepared to attack the other lady.
"Hey, stop it you two!" shouted Tenchi. "This is no place to fight!" As usual, the girls ignored him and prepared to duke it out to death on the ship. Tenchi sighed, and tried separating the girls, but all was in vain. Ryoko fired the first shot, missing Ayeka by a meter and hitting the ship instead.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! What lousy aim!" leered the princess. Her naginata (which apparently had came out of nowhere) sliced downward on the vessel, missing Ryoko's nose by no more than a hand's width. Tenchi moaned out in horror, unable to believe that the two women were actually helping the vessel collapse. Ryoko and Ayeka charged at each other, and in a flash of light and power, finally broke the ship apart. With a scream, the girls fell overboard, shattering in the water which was thankfully warm. The last thing that Ryoko saw was a terrified Tenchi still onboard, and then, darkness. Ayeka managed to stay afloat a little longer, and observed Quin and Sasami leaping aboard the very last lifeboat. She smiled as her friends sailed away to safety, and didn't even notice herself slipping into unconsciousness.