Thanks for all the reviews. I hope I will be able to write quicker now that Tenchi Muyo is back on Toonami. Oh, I made a mistake in the last chapter. Tenchi is an 8th Jurain, not a quarter like I said. I forgot that Yosho's mother, Funaho, is from Earth. Well, here is chapter three:
"So you are sure she cannot control me anymore?" Kagato's calm voice stressed the 'sure' part as he tried to make since of the computer readings on the screen before him.
"Yep, your brain gives off waves like a radio. All I did was change your frequency." Washu leaned back on her cushion and grinned. "I scrambled it up so much she cant even track you."
"Thank you."
The scientist smiled. "No problem. Lets see, all we need to do now is get you a room." She turned her attention back to the computer and in a flurry of keystrokes was pulling up a Victorian house plan.
"That wont be necessary. I prefer to sleep outside."
Washu shot him an inquisitive glance. "You prefer to sleep outside? You sure, it can get pretty cold out at night."
"I'm sure, the weather doesn't effect me." He said rising off of the examination table and stretching the sore muscles in his back.
"But why wouldn't you want to be inside."
"You wouldn't understand. On the rare occasions Tokimi let my mind out of her grasp I was always in some cell, or shielded prison bunker. I just prefer to be outside."
"Oh." She hadn't meant to open that can of worms.
"There is one thing I would like."
"What is that?"
~~~:*:~~~
Kagato leaned back in the warm waters of the onsen. He doubted he had ever taken a bath, not that he needed one, he didn't even need to breathe. The warm waters relaxed his muscles, they were still tight after Washu's reconstructive surgery, but he suspected with a little work they would be back to normal in a few days.
*Funny how fate works.* He thought dipping his head under the hot water and shaking his hair. A few days ago he was still a slave, now he was, as Sasami put it 'part of the family'. Not only part of the family, but part of a family he had been ordered to destroy. The sound of the door to the dressing rooms opening was accompanied with a greeting.
"Oh hey Kagato, didn't expect to find you here." Tenchi had his hand raised in the air with a usual dumfounded grin plastered on his face. Kagato pondered for a moment, he still couldn't see what all the women apparently had for him.
"Washu was kind enough to send me here with one of her portals."
"Let me guess, it opened up about ten feet in the air directly over the water." Tenchi laughed and kicked off his shoes.
"Exactly, you sound as if you are speaking from experience."
"Yep, that's why I walked here." Kagato chuckled, at least Misaki had a sense of humor.
"I have to admit Misaki, I never thought I would be sitting in an onsen with you." Kagato closed his eyes and leaned back into the hot water.
"Me either, at least you don't have that old body, that thing freaked me out." Tenchi said finally easing into the water, still a cautious distance away from his old enemy.
Kagato chuckled. "Yes it did have that effect on people."
"So, that's your real body?"
"It's a construct Tokimi formed, its what I really look like. However my real body wasted away eons ago."
"Do you know who you are, I mean like where you were born and stuff?" Tenchi asked. He still wasn't that sure of Kagato. But he knew he needed to give him the chance.
"Unfortunately." Kagato popped his neck about five times in succession which made Tenchi cringe.
"It sounds like theirs a story behind that."
"There is, but now is not the time nor the place for it." Kagato said curtly hoping Tenchi would drop the subject.
"Oh, uh do you think Tokimi will attack again?"
"Absolutely."
Tenchi sat the soap back on the pool's rim.
"By now she is growing suspicious. She will probably search for me, and since Washu has changed my brain patterns, will think you have destroyed me."
"Will she send another assassin, I mean, does she have anyone else like you?"
"Yes, but she will not send them."
"Why not?"
"She has slaves throughout every universe ready to die for her. I was her first, and her strongest. This time she will come herself."
"Wow that's comforting."
"I have already discussed it with Washu, she is working on a field that will block Tokimi from detecting you. If we can do that, we can wait until your ancestors are strong enough to fight."
"Hey you could at least give me a chance!"
Kagato picked up his towel and rose out of the pool. "I am sorry, you are what, nineteen, twenty? Washu, Ryoko, even the princesses' and I have lived for centuries. I know it's hard for you to look that far in the future but it is our best plan of action. If you go out there and get killed its all over, we need to bide our time."
"Sorry, its hard not being able to do anything."
"I know." He said as he turned and left.
~~~:*:~~~
"So you are saying that you want me to jeopardize my entire career by planting a bug on the Galaxy Police's computer?" Kiyone asked.
"Exactly." Washu said.
"No way!!" Kiyone yelled. One thing she hated was someone playing with her career.
"I am sure Tokimi will use her slaves to search for the Jurai power." Kagato stepped away from the railing that looked down into the bulk of Washu's lab.
"But why is she looking for it, didn't she send you here."
"The universe is a vast place. Tokimi has only been to this galaxy once. While Earthlings, and most mortals for that matter, think they are the center of everything I doubt Tokimi remembers what this planet looks like."
"So you are saying she doesn't know where Earth is?"
"Do you know where the Galaxy Police headquarters for the Beta sector is?" Washu asked hoping to make a point.
"Yea, its on Centurion." Kiyone said crossing her arms, every recruit in training had to memorize that.
"Well, can you drive me there without using any navigation equipment?"
"Himm." She pondered. "Good point."
"So, why do we have to bug the computer?" Mihoshi asked, this time at least a halfway intelligent question.
"Because she knows you and Kiyone helped Lord Tenchi get Ryoko back when Kagato first came to Earth. They will no doubt try and access your reports to discover where Earth is. Hopefully I will be able to erase all your reports before someone looks at them. Understand?" Washu explained as she handed a small crab-shaped computer remote to Kiyone.
Kiyone looked at Mihoshi who scratched her head. "No." And the other three inhabitants of Washu's lab sweat-dropped.
~~~:*:~~~
"Is this it?" Mihoshi asked retrieving the small crab from her pouch.
"Sush... Mihoshi do you want the alarms to go off?" Kiyone scolded in a hushed voice as she removed the panel to the supercomputer.
"I'm... sorry..." Mihoshi started to whine as tears filled her eyes.
*Why does this always happen to me?* Kiyone sighed. "Its okay, just give me the bug." As Kiyone hooked the bug up to the mainframe's motherboard the screen of Washu's computer came to life.
"Ok girls good going." Washu said into the small microphone that corresponded to the speaker in Kiyone's ear. "You two be careful on your way out."
"Okay." Kiyone said replacing the computer's cover. "Tell Sasami we'll be back for supper."
"Oh boy! What's she making?" The bubbly blond clapped her hands together in excitement.
"Will you be quiet!"
"Sorry."
Kagato chuckled from his vantage place behind Washu. "Do you think they will make it out alright?"
"Them? Sure, no matter how much trouble Mihoshi gets into, somehow she always comes out unscathed."
"Yes, as a matter of fact it was her that released you in the mirror world. Actually, I was worried about Kiyone."
"Well, nothing an anxiety pill and a few gray-hair repigmentations cant fix." Kagato chuckled at the chibi scientist's reply.
"Ok lets see here. First lets delete the reports." Washu's hands glided over the keys calling up and removing information on the screen faster than the eye could follow. "Ah! Here we are, report number 247563 titled: Destruction of Space Pirate Kagato, Class A1A." The scientist grinned and pressed a button and within seconds the report was gone. "Well that was easy, now just to delete the directory."
"Wait." Kagato said stopping her typing. "Before you do, can you see when the folder was last accessed?"
"Yea, just one second." Her hands went into overdrive again. "Huh, that's weird."
"What?"
"It was accessed two days ago, but there is no info on the user."
"What does that mean?" He asked, already fearing what it was.
"It was probably a hacker using a ghost program."
"Tokimi!" Kagato cursed.
"How can you be sure?"
"What would a hacker possibly want with that specific report?"
"Himm." Washu cupped her chin. "I guess that means our cover is blown. So we need to work on that shield so she cannot detect Tenchi."
"It would be worthless, she will not even check to see if he is here." He pinched his forehead in frustration.
"What do you saying?" Washu shot him an inquisitive glance.
"I'm saying that she will destroy this planet without a second thought."
"Ok ok ok, let me think a second." She couldn't believe a God would seek to destroy an entire planet just to prolong her life. If Tokimi had just left them alone no one would even have a reason to destroy her.
"There is nothing to think about, when she arrives we will just have to fight and hope for the best. I need to think right now, and come up with some way to fight her."
"Ok, I will use the GP computer to control their satellites and detect for her energy pattern. That will at least tell us where she is and give us some warning."
"Should I tell the others?" Kagato inquired on his way out.
"Not yet, lets as least wait until everyone gets back tonight."
Kagato walked into the house from Washu's lab leaving her typing on the computer as usual. *Damnit!* he cursed himself for letting his hopes rise. It looked like Tenchi would have to face her after all. The former villain was so caught up in his thoughts he walked right into two teal pigtails.
"Oww." Sasami yelped as she fell to the floor.
"Princess Sasami I'm sorry, are you alright?" This is exactly what he needed, he thought as he helped her up.
"Its okay, you just scared me." The little girl grinned as Ryo-ohki hopped back onto her head. Kagato pondered her for a second. Were all children like this? She seemed so cheerful, nothing seemed to bother her for long, she didn't seem to use the same reasoning adults did.
"Sasami." Ryoko yelled from the living room. "You okay, thought I heard a scream?"
"I'm fine Ryoko, Kagato just scared me." She giggled and left bouncing around the corner to the living room. As she passed the corner Ryoko stepped into the hall.
"Still in the habit of scaring little girls?" She spat.
"No it was an accident, I..."
"Save it." Then she walked back into the living room.
Kagato stood a moment longer, then turned and walked out the back door.
Ryoko looked at Sasami lying on the floor already glued to whatever was on the TV. "You sure you're alright kid?" she asked setting on the sofa.
"Yea, fine why?" She asked in her usual curious manner.
"No reason. Hey where is everybody?"
"Well, Kiyone and Mihoshi are still out on patrol, Washu is in her lab, and Tenchi and Ayeka went to town."
Ryoko flinched. "Sasami, have you noticed your sister and Tenchi spending more time together?"
"Yea I guess. Come to think about it, after Kagato showed up Tenchi has been acting differently around her."
Ryoko leaned back. What was going on? Had she been that surly since Kagato came back. At first she thought it was just her, but quickly realized that not only were Tenchi and Ayeka spending a lot of time together, they were getting closer.
"Miya?" Ryoko looked down at Ryo-ohki who eyed her from the coffee table.
"So I guess you saw it to huh?" She asked as the Cabbit hopped in her lap. She needed to talk to Tenchi, she hadn't even really seen him in the last few days. Try as she might she couldn't even stay in the house when Kagato was around. *Maybe tonight.* She thought as she scratched a pair of purring ears.
~~~:*:~~~
"It's nice to get away for a while." Ayeka said as the two continued their journey up the stairs to the house. "I had fun today Lord Tenchi."
"Yea, me too. We should get out more often. Seems all I do nowadays is come home from school and work in the carrot field, well and train with Grandpa."
Ayeka chuckled. "Yes, I can picture his reaction next time you two spar." Ayeka lowered her voice. "Tenchi, you have not been practicing have you my boy?"
They both burst into laughter at her impression of the older version of Yosho.
"Ayeka," Tenchi managed to say through broken chuckles. "You really seem to be coming out of your shell."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't know, just the way you acted today. In the mall and stuff, well, just like a normal girl, not the Crown Princess of Jurai. Not to mention what you just said about Grandpa."
"I guess living with you and the others has kind of rubbed off on me." She said as the two came to a landing where the stone steps turned to the right. "Lord Tenchi look." Ayeka pointed at the sight before her.
From the clearing of the landing a beautiful ball of orange glowed its true colors as it sank into the horizon. The clouds in the sky picked up numerous colors of yellow, gold, and even a deep violet.
"Its beautiful." Tenchi said as he stood next to Ayeka.
"You know Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said turning from the beautiful sunset to the young man beside her. "These last few days, hectic as they may have been, I think we have gotten a lot closer."
"Yea, Lady Ayeka I..." Tenchi turned to face her but met a pair of willing lips pressed to his. He closed his eyes as their kiss slightly deepened. Absentmindedly he reached down and held her hands. It felt so good, so right, but something nagged the back of his mind, something telling him he shouldn't be doing this.
Their first kiss broke as the two descendents of Jurai looked at each other. Tenchi would of liked to think that Kagato's little speech concerning him with a Jurain woman of pure blood had nothing to do with this. But the nagging feeling remained. *That's not it.* he thought looking into her oddly colored purple eyes. *I like her for who she is, not the fact that we need to beat Tokimi.*
"I... I am sorry Lord Tenchi.." Ayeka apologized.
"Don't be." He said wrapping his arm around her. "How about us getting to the house, I'm sure Sasami has already started dinner."
"Yes, let's go."
*What is it?* He wondered as the two continued up the stairs. It kept nagging him, something was wrong with this, but what? Then it his him like a ton of bricks. *Ryoko.* He never got the chance to tell her about his decision. *And Kagato!* He thought. *The man who did God knows what to her for all those years comes back and I just go off with Ayeka!* Tenchi mentally scolded himself. *How could I be so stupid! I need to talk to her, but when? She has barely been around since Kagato came back.* Dinner he decided, Kagato rarely ate and Ryoko wasn't one to miss a meal. *I'll find her after dinner.*
A tear fell from the woman in question as she watched Tenchi and Ayeka climb the stairs from her perch in a tree. She had seen it all, and even heard it all. Before the tear hit the earth below, she was gone.
~~~:*:~~~
Kagato leaned back onto the cool tiles of the roof. The sky seemed so clear here, the breeze so clean. Tokimi was coming, there was no mistaking it. Somewhere, out there among all those stars she was stalking. Whether she knew what had happened to her slave he didn't know, but he knew she was coming, he could feel her.
Kiyone and Mihoshi had just arrived via one of Washu's portals. He figured Washu wanted to give them all the news after dinner. Speaking of which, the smells emanating from the window below actually installed a feeling of hunger in him. *Funny for someone who doesn't require food to live.* He thought as he heard the distinct sound of someone telaporting near bye.
"I'm sorry." He stood. "I didn't realize this was your spot." Kagato apologized to the woman before him.
"No, its okay." Ryoko twisted some of her hair and looked away. "I usually sit over there anyway."
Kagato watched as she turned and went to the other end of the roof. She looked so hurt, was it him? Ever since he came back here she had been like this. It wasn't Ryoko, it wasn't the girl he had known.
*Why is it like this?* Ryoko thought. Why did all this happen. Everything was fine, they were so happy. Ryoko had long since learned to love the quiet life here, no surprises. But then Kagato came back, and it seemed like his arrival blew her away from the others, and Tenchi and Ayeka closer together. All these new emotions flooded her mind, well, not new exactly. Hurt, anger, love, Zero just made them so much stronger, and so hard to overcome.
"Why Tenchi..." She mumbled as the tears flowed. Why now? With all this already playing on her heart. Why now of all times did he choose?
Kagato heard Ryoko's sobbing voice from the other end of the roof. *What's she talking about, is she crying?* He listened to the sobs a moment longer. *Is me being around that hard on her? Of course it is you idiot, how would you feel if Tokimi came here and said it wasn't her fault?* He decided to leave when he felt her form an energy sword.
Ryoko looked through tear-filled eyes at the crimson blade in her hand. "I should just end it." She said bringing the blade almost to her wrist. *YOU IDIOT!* A voice yelled in her head. *Ayeka will surly end up with Tenchi if you die! Now get off your ass and seduce that little twit!* Ryoko sniffed away the tears. She had been hearing Zero for so long it felt good to hear the good old space pirate Ryoko. *Alright Tenchi, you better get ready, because I'm going to show you what a real woman is all about!* Both Zero and Ryoko thought in unison, and as quickly as that, the two personalities merged into one. Just as she was about to dissipate her sword, running footsteps halted her.
"RYOKO DON'T!!!!" Kagato yelled as he grabbed for her arm. He had seen her hold the sword to her wrist, heard her talking about ending it, and he'd be damned if he was going to let her get hurt again.
Ryoko jerked to get away from the man rushing her. And in a moment of confusion, the tip of her energy sword cud deep into her left wrist. Ryoko fell with her right hand squeezing where the red blood poured.
"Let me see it!" Kagato demanded as he tore a strip of cloth from his robes.
"Just get away from me!" Ryoko yelped. She was hurt, scared, and franticly trying to defend herself from the man who caused her so much pain.
"I said let me see it!" Kagato paid no attention to Ryoko's protest. He pulled her hand away and a gush of blood shot onto the roof. *Its deep.* He thought as he drew the torn cloth around the wound, desperately trying to stop the blood flow.
"GET AWAY!" She yelled striking him with an energy blast that allowed her to break free of his grip.
He looked at her eyes, they were wide with fear. She looked like a scared animal. Flashes of haunting memories shot into his mind. There he was, his old body topped with platinum white hair. Ryoko was on the floor of the Souja, a trickle of blood coming from one quarter of her mouth.
"Wh... why?" She asked, with those same scared eyes.
Kagato shook off the flashback. It was in the past, he needed to atone for that now.
"I don't care if you are scared of me, I'm not going to let you die!" He yelled as he flew to her. Ryoko tried to telaport away, but was too week from the blood loss. Kagato grabbed her bleeding wrist first, squeezing it as hard as he could without crushing her arm.
She went into a panicked struggle, scratching, clawing with her nails, trying to get away. But to no avail, she passed out. Kagato picked up her limp body and telaported away.
...Love to leave you hanging. Please Review!
"So you are sure she cannot control me anymore?" Kagato's calm voice stressed the 'sure' part as he tried to make since of the computer readings on the screen before him.
"Yep, your brain gives off waves like a radio. All I did was change your frequency." Washu leaned back on her cushion and grinned. "I scrambled it up so much she cant even track you."
"Thank you."
The scientist smiled. "No problem. Lets see, all we need to do now is get you a room." She turned her attention back to the computer and in a flurry of keystrokes was pulling up a Victorian house plan.
"That wont be necessary. I prefer to sleep outside."
Washu shot him an inquisitive glance. "You prefer to sleep outside? You sure, it can get pretty cold out at night."
"I'm sure, the weather doesn't effect me." He said rising off of the examination table and stretching the sore muscles in his back.
"But why wouldn't you want to be inside."
"You wouldn't understand. On the rare occasions Tokimi let my mind out of her grasp I was always in some cell, or shielded prison bunker. I just prefer to be outside."
"Oh." She hadn't meant to open that can of worms.
"There is one thing I would like."
"What is that?"
~~~:*:~~~
Kagato leaned back in the warm waters of the onsen. He doubted he had ever taken a bath, not that he needed one, he didn't even need to breathe. The warm waters relaxed his muscles, they were still tight after Washu's reconstructive surgery, but he suspected with a little work they would be back to normal in a few days.
*Funny how fate works.* He thought dipping his head under the hot water and shaking his hair. A few days ago he was still a slave, now he was, as Sasami put it 'part of the family'. Not only part of the family, but part of a family he had been ordered to destroy. The sound of the door to the dressing rooms opening was accompanied with a greeting.
"Oh hey Kagato, didn't expect to find you here." Tenchi had his hand raised in the air with a usual dumfounded grin plastered on his face. Kagato pondered for a moment, he still couldn't see what all the women apparently had for him.
"Washu was kind enough to send me here with one of her portals."
"Let me guess, it opened up about ten feet in the air directly over the water." Tenchi laughed and kicked off his shoes.
"Exactly, you sound as if you are speaking from experience."
"Yep, that's why I walked here." Kagato chuckled, at least Misaki had a sense of humor.
"I have to admit Misaki, I never thought I would be sitting in an onsen with you." Kagato closed his eyes and leaned back into the hot water.
"Me either, at least you don't have that old body, that thing freaked me out." Tenchi said finally easing into the water, still a cautious distance away from his old enemy.
Kagato chuckled. "Yes it did have that effect on people."
"So, that's your real body?"
"It's a construct Tokimi formed, its what I really look like. However my real body wasted away eons ago."
"Do you know who you are, I mean like where you were born and stuff?" Tenchi asked. He still wasn't that sure of Kagato. But he knew he needed to give him the chance.
"Unfortunately." Kagato popped his neck about five times in succession which made Tenchi cringe.
"It sounds like theirs a story behind that."
"There is, but now is not the time nor the place for it." Kagato said curtly hoping Tenchi would drop the subject.
"Oh, uh do you think Tokimi will attack again?"
"Absolutely."
Tenchi sat the soap back on the pool's rim.
"By now she is growing suspicious. She will probably search for me, and since Washu has changed my brain patterns, will think you have destroyed me."
"Will she send another assassin, I mean, does she have anyone else like you?"
"Yes, but she will not send them."
"Why not?"
"She has slaves throughout every universe ready to die for her. I was her first, and her strongest. This time she will come herself."
"Wow that's comforting."
"I have already discussed it with Washu, she is working on a field that will block Tokimi from detecting you. If we can do that, we can wait until your ancestors are strong enough to fight."
"Hey you could at least give me a chance!"
Kagato picked up his towel and rose out of the pool. "I am sorry, you are what, nineteen, twenty? Washu, Ryoko, even the princesses' and I have lived for centuries. I know it's hard for you to look that far in the future but it is our best plan of action. If you go out there and get killed its all over, we need to bide our time."
"Sorry, its hard not being able to do anything."
"I know." He said as he turned and left.
~~~:*:~~~
"So you are saying that you want me to jeopardize my entire career by planting a bug on the Galaxy Police's computer?" Kiyone asked.
"Exactly." Washu said.
"No way!!" Kiyone yelled. One thing she hated was someone playing with her career.
"I am sure Tokimi will use her slaves to search for the Jurai power." Kagato stepped away from the railing that looked down into the bulk of Washu's lab.
"But why is she looking for it, didn't she send you here."
"The universe is a vast place. Tokimi has only been to this galaxy once. While Earthlings, and most mortals for that matter, think they are the center of everything I doubt Tokimi remembers what this planet looks like."
"So you are saying she doesn't know where Earth is?"
"Do you know where the Galaxy Police headquarters for the Beta sector is?" Washu asked hoping to make a point.
"Yea, its on Centurion." Kiyone said crossing her arms, every recruit in training had to memorize that.
"Well, can you drive me there without using any navigation equipment?"
"Himm." She pondered. "Good point."
"So, why do we have to bug the computer?" Mihoshi asked, this time at least a halfway intelligent question.
"Because she knows you and Kiyone helped Lord Tenchi get Ryoko back when Kagato first came to Earth. They will no doubt try and access your reports to discover where Earth is. Hopefully I will be able to erase all your reports before someone looks at them. Understand?" Washu explained as she handed a small crab-shaped computer remote to Kiyone.
Kiyone looked at Mihoshi who scratched her head. "No." And the other three inhabitants of Washu's lab sweat-dropped.
~~~:*:~~~
"Is this it?" Mihoshi asked retrieving the small crab from her pouch.
"Sush... Mihoshi do you want the alarms to go off?" Kiyone scolded in a hushed voice as she removed the panel to the supercomputer.
"I'm... sorry..." Mihoshi started to whine as tears filled her eyes.
*Why does this always happen to me?* Kiyone sighed. "Its okay, just give me the bug." As Kiyone hooked the bug up to the mainframe's motherboard the screen of Washu's computer came to life.
"Ok girls good going." Washu said into the small microphone that corresponded to the speaker in Kiyone's ear. "You two be careful on your way out."
"Okay." Kiyone said replacing the computer's cover. "Tell Sasami we'll be back for supper."
"Oh boy! What's she making?" The bubbly blond clapped her hands together in excitement.
"Will you be quiet!"
"Sorry."
Kagato chuckled from his vantage place behind Washu. "Do you think they will make it out alright?"
"Them? Sure, no matter how much trouble Mihoshi gets into, somehow she always comes out unscathed."
"Yes, as a matter of fact it was her that released you in the mirror world. Actually, I was worried about Kiyone."
"Well, nothing an anxiety pill and a few gray-hair repigmentations cant fix." Kagato chuckled at the chibi scientist's reply.
"Ok lets see here. First lets delete the reports." Washu's hands glided over the keys calling up and removing information on the screen faster than the eye could follow. "Ah! Here we are, report number 247563 titled: Destruction of Space Pirate Kagato, Class A1A." The scientist grinned and pressed a button and within seconds the report was gone. "Well that was easy, now just to delete the directory."
"Wait." Kagato said stopping her typing. "Before you do, can you see when the folder was last accessed?"
"Yea, just one second." Her hands went into overdrive again. "Huh, that's weird."
"What?"
"It was accessed two days ago, but there is no info on the user."
"What does that mean?" He asked, already fearing what it was.
"It was probably a hacker using a ghost program."
"Tokimi!" Kagato cursed.
"How can you be sure?"
"What would a hacker possibly want with that specific report?"
"Himm." Washu cupped her chin. "I guess that means our cover is blown. So we need to work on that shield so she cannot detect Tenchi."
"It would be worthless, she will not even check to see if he is here." He pinched his forehead in frustration.
"What do you saying?" Washu shot him an inquisitive glance.
"I'm saying that she will destroy this planet without a second thought."
"Ok ok ok, let me think a second." She couldn't believe a God would seek to destroy an entire planet just to prolong her life. If Tokimi had just left them alone no one would even have a reason to destroy her.
"There is nothing to think about, when she arrives we will just have to fight and hope for the best. I need to think right now, and come up with some way to fight her."
"Ok, I will use the GP computer to control their satellites and detect for her energy pattern. That will at least tell us where she is and give us some warning."
"Should I tell the others?" Kagato inquired on his way out.
"Not yet, lets as least wait until everyone gets back tonight."
Kagato walked into the house from Washu's lab leaving her typing on the computer as usual. *Damnit!* he cursed himself for letting his hopes rise. It looked like Tenchi would have to face her after all. The former villain was so caught up in his thoughts he walked right into two teal pigtails.
"Oww." Sasami yelped as she fell to the floor.
"Princess Sasami I'm sorry, are you alright?" This is exactly what he needed, he thought as he helped her up.
"Its okay, you just scared me." The little girl grinned as Ryo-ohki hopped back onto her head. Kagato pondered her for a second. Were all children like this? She seemed so cheerful, nothing seemed to bother her for long, she didn't seem to use the same reasoning adults did.
"Sasami." Ryoko yelled from the living room. "You okay, thought I heard a scream?"
"I'm fine Ryoko, Kagato just scared me." She giggled and left bouncing around the corner to the living room. As she passed the corner Ryoko stepped into the hall.
"Still in the habit of scaring little girls?" She spat.
"No it was an accident, I..."
"Save it." Then she walked back into the living room.
Kagato stood a moment longer, then turned and walked out the back door.
Ryoko looked at Sasami lying on the floor already glued to whatever was on the TV. "You sure you're alright kid?" she asked setting on the sofa.
"Yea, fine why?" She asked in her usual curious manner.
"No reason. Hey where is everybody?"
"Well, Kiyone and Mihoshi are still out on patrol, Washu is in her lab, and Tenchi and Ayeka went to town."
Ryoko flinched. "Sasami, have you noticed your sister and Tenchi spending more time together?"
"Yea I guess. Come to think about it, after Kagato showed up Tenchi has been acting differently around her."
Ryoko leaned back. What was going on? Had she been that surly since Kagato came back. At first she thought it was just her, but quickly realized that not only were Tenchi and Ayeka spending a lot of time together, they were getting closer.
"Miya?" Ryoko looked down at Ryo-ohki who eyed her from the coffee table.
"So I guess you saw it to huh?" She asked as the Cabbit hopped in her lap. She needed to talk to Tenchi, she hadn't even really seen him in the last few days. Try as she might she couldn't even stay in the house when Kagato was around. *Maybe tonight.* She thought as she scratched a pair of purring ears.
~~~:*:~~~
"It's nice to get away for a while." Ayeka said as the two continued their journey up the stairs to the house. "I had fun today Lord Tenchi."
"Yea, me too. We should get out more often. Seems all I do nowadays is come home from school and work in the carrot field, well and train with Grandpa."
Ayeka chuckled. "Yes, I can picture his reaction next time you two spar." Ayeka lowered her voice. "Tenchi, you have not been practicing have you my boy?"
They both burst into laughter at her impression of the older version of Yosho.
"Ayeka," Tenchi managed to say through broken chuckles. "You really seem to be coming out of your shell."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't know, just the way you acted today. In the mall and stuff, well, just like a normal girl, not the Crown Princess of Jurai. Not to mention what you just said about Grandpa."
"I guess living with you and the others has kind of rubbed off on me." She said as the two came to a landing where the stone steps turned to the right. "Lord Tenchi look." Ayeka pointed at the sight before her.
From the clearing of the landing a beautiful ball of orange glowed its true colors as it sank into the horizon. The clouds in the sky picked up numerous colors of yellow, gold, and even a deep violet.
"Its beautiful." Tenchi said as he stood next to Ayeka.
"You know Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said turning from the beautiful sunset to the young man beside her. "These last few days, hectic as they may have been, I think we have gotten a lot closer."
"Yea, Lady Ayeka I..." Tenchi turned to face her but met a pair of willing lips pressed to his. He closed his eyes as their kiss slightly deepened. Absentmindedly he reached down and held her hands. It felt so good, so right, but something nagged the back of his mind, something telling him he shouldn't be doing this.
Their first kiss broke as the two descendents of Jurai looked at each other. Tenchi would of liked to think that Kagato's little speech concerning him with a Jurain woman of pure blood had nothing to do with this. But the nagging feeling remained. *That's not it.* he thought looking into her oddly colored purple eyes. *I like her for who she is, not the fact that we need to beat Tokimi.*
"I... I am sorry Lord Tenchi.." Ayeka apologized.
"Don't be." He said wrapping his arm around her. "How about us getting to the house, I'm sure Sasami has already started dinner."
"Yes, let's go."
*What is it?* He wondered as the two continued up the stairs. It kept nagging him, something was wrong with this, but what? Then it his him like a ton of bricks. *Ryoko.* He never got the chance to tell her about his decision. *And Kagato!* He thought. *The man who did God knows what to her for all those years comes back and I just go off with Ayeka!* Tenchi mentally scolded himself. *How could I be so stupid! I need to talk to her, but when? She has barely been around since Kagato came back.* Dinner he decided, Kagato rarely ate and Ryoko wasn't one to miss a meal. *I'll find her after dinner.*
A tear fell from the woman in question as she watched Tenchi and Ayeka climb the stairs from her perch in a tree. She had seen it all, and even heard it all. Before the tear hit the earth below, she was gone.
~~~:*:~~~
Kagato leaned back onto the cool tiles of the roof. The sky seemed so clear here, the breeze so clean. Tokimi was coming, there was no mistaking it. Somewhere, out there among all those stars she was stalking. Whether she knew what had happened to her slave he didn't know, but he knew she was coming, he could feel her.
Kiyone and Mihoshi had just arrived via one of Washu's portals. He figured Washu wanted to give them all the news after dinner. Speaking of which, the smells emanating from the window below actually installed a feeling of hunger in him. *Funny for someone who doesn't require food to live.* He thought as he heard the distinct sound of someone telaporting near bye.
"I'm sorry." He stood. "I didn't realize this was your spot." Kagato apologized to the woman before him.
"No, its okay." Ryoko twisted some of her hair and looked away. "I usually sit over there anyway."
Kagato watched as she turned and went to the other end of the roof. She looked so hurt, was it him? Ever since he came back here she had been like this. It wasn't Ryoko, it wasn't the girl he had known.
*Why is it like this?* Ryoko thought. Why did all this happen. Everything was fine, they were so happy. Ryoko had long since learned to love the quiet life here, no surprises. But then Kagato came back, and it seemed like his arrival blew her away from the others, and Tenchi and Ayeka closer together. All these new emotions flooded her mind, well, not new exactly. Hurt, anger, love, Zero just made them so much stronger, and so hard to overcome.
"Why Tenchi..." She mumbled as the tears flowed. Why now? With all this already playing on her heart. Why now of all times did he choose?
Kagato heard Ryoko's sobbing voice from the other end of the roof. *What's she talking about, is she crying?* He listened to the sobs a moment longer. *Is me being around that hard on her? Of course it is you idiot, how would you feel if Tokimi came here and said it wasn't her fault?* He decided to leave when he felt her form an energy sword.
Ryoko looked through tear-filled eyes at the crimson blade in her hand. "I should just end it." She said bringing the blade almost to her wrist. *YOU IDIOT!* A voice yelled in her head. *Ayeka will surly end up with Tenchi if you die! Now get off your ass and seduce that little twit!* Ryoko sniffed away the tears. She had been hearing Zero for so long it felt good to hear the good old space pirate Ryoko. *Alright Tenchi, you better get ready, because I'm going to show you what a real woman is all about!* Both Zero and Ryoko thought in unison, and as quickly as that, the two personalities merged into one. Just as she was about to dissipate her sword, running footsteps halted her.
"RYOKO DON'T!!!!" Kagato yelled as he grabbed for her arm. He had seen her hold the sword to her wrist, heard her talking about ending it, and he'd be damned if he was going to let her get hurt again.
Ryoko jerked to get away from the man rushing her. And in a moment of confusion, the tip of her energy sword cud deep into her left wrist. Ryoko fell with her right hand squeezing where the red blood poured.
"Let me see it!" Kagato demanded as he tore a strip of cloth from his robes.
"Just get away from me!" Ryoko yelped. She was hurt, scared, and franticly trying to defend herself from the man who caused her so much pain.
"I said let me see it!" Kagato paid no attention to Ryoko's protest. He pulled her hand away and a gush of blood shot onto the roof. *Its deep.* He thought as he drew the torn cloth around the wound, desperately trying to stop the blood flow.
"GET AWAY!" She yelled striking him with an energy blast that allowed her to break free of his grip.
He looked at her eyes, they were wide with fear. She looked like a scared animal. Flashes of haunting memories shot into his mind. There he was, his old body topped with platinum white hair. Ryoko was on the floor of the Souja, a trickle of blood coming from one quarter of her mouth.
"Wh... why?" She asked, with those same scared eyes.
Kagato shook off the flashback. It was in the past, he needed to atone for that now.
"I don't care if you are scared of me, I'm not going to let you die!" He yelled as he flew to her. Ryoko tried to telaport away, but was too week from the blood loss. Kagato grabbed her bleeding wrist first, squeezing it as hard as he could without crushing her arm.
She went into a panicked struggle, scratching, clawing with her nails, trying to get away. But to no avail, she passed out. Kagato picked up her limp body and telaported away.
...Love to leave you hanging. Please Review!