~~~~~
MAGARU: It's chapter seven! Almost done!
RAYANI: Almost done...I don't think so.
MAGARU: Well, you can say what you want. I don't care.
RAYANI: Fine! Be that way. Oh, and for you backstabbers that try suing
people for their mistake of not putting disclaimers, we have one!
MAGARU: Yeah! Tenchi and the others don't belong to us, they belong to
Pioneer and AIC, and Yume, Hishima, and Bizen belong to Hitoshi Okuda, or
Pioneer, or AIC, take your pick.
~~~~~
Chapter Seven: Juraian Slumber Calls
"We're getting close to Yume. She's got a jamming wave on, but we can just head to the area of concentrated energy," Washu remarked to the only person that was listening--Kiyone. Ryoko was taking care of Tenchi and the other, and Kenny was sleeping in a corner of the room. Funaho was struggling to stay awake, as was Tenchi, Ayeka, and Sasami. Rayani was trying to wake Misaki up, but the queen had bumped her head forcefully on the table while she was picking something up and was still out cold.
"Washu," Kiyone asked after a sudden thought, "shouldn't Rayani's energy be helping, like Ryoko does?" Washu laughed and put her hands on her hips, shaking her head.
"Nope. It would seem that way, but Rayani uses a completely different process than Ryoko does, and SHE actually worked and trained to be that way." Washu grinned and launched into an explanation riddled with complicated equations. When she finished, Kiyone was standing, still as a stone with a confused look plastered on her face. Washu sighed in despair and patted Kiyone's shoulder. "What I mean by that is very simple. It means that instead of drawing energy from an energy source, like gems, Rayani generates it herself and condenses the energy into a visible form, like her sword," Washu whispered in Kiyone's ear. Kiyone nodded sheepishly and smiled.
"Okay. But what about teleporting?" Kiyone mumbled, avoiding Washu's triumphant glare. The genius's smile faded a little as she led Kiyone to a chair and forced the policewoman down.
"You sit here while I explain. Rayani doesn't teleport, since she can't. It's speed, not teleportation." Washu was clenching her teeth, irritated, and walked away muttering calculations to herself. Kiyone smiled and went to get a cup of tea.
Tenchi gave Ryoko a grateful hug. "You were always such a worrier, Ryoko," Tenchi chided playfully as Ryoko fussed about them, telling them to sit down and save their strength. Ryoko had gone into the kitchen, ignoring Tenchi's comments as if she didn't hear him.
~~~~~
Jakato cast a concerned glance over Magaru, who had woken up abruptly and was getting extremely twitchy. "Maggie," Jakato said suddenly, causing her to jump in alarm. "You hungry?" Magaru smiled and nodded, clutching the blanket in her trembling hands. Jakato gave her a swift kiss on the cheek and left to prepare something to eat.
Magaru shuddered and put her back against the wall as she stared at the shimmering metallic wall opposite her. It was very shiny, much shinier than she had ever thought it was. How can a wall be so shiny? Magaru thought. The shimmering seemed to grow, threatening to blind her, to engulf her with the brightness. She wanted to shut her eyes, but her body wouldn't listen as a haze filled the room, allowing a feeling of great peacefulness to overcome her. Magaru gazed blankly at the woman that just appeared before her, gliding across a dark lake. That woman looked oddly like an older Sasami. It was like she was seeing this woman from behind the haze that had filled the room. Magaru felt a warm feeling wash over her as the woman began saying something, but didn't look at Magaru, as if she couldn't see her.
"True, you, we, are not feeling very well, but that is okay. What you have done will be forgiven. Try your hardest when the deciding moment comes, when the time to finally defeat the evil destroying us."
The haze dispersed, leaving Magaru with a nice, warm feeling in her stomach. Jakato walked back in, carrying a bowl of noodles and a jug of water. He stopped at the peaceful expression on Magaru's face and gave her an odd look. "Maggie, is something wrong?" he asked slowly. Magaru slowly turned her head to face him and gave him a bland smile.
"I saw a nice lady," she muttered absentmindedly. "She was talking." Jakato wiggled her shoulder, trying to break her from her stupor. Magaru's eyes focused and she started in alarm.
"Wha--?" Magaru saw Jakato's smiling face and gasped. "I--I just saw a vision!" Jakato handed her the bowl of noodles and a pair of chopsticks, grinning.
"Wow. You're beautiful, you're strong, and you're psychic, too!" Jakato exclaimed in playful amazement. Magaru gave him a fond shove and picked up the chopsticks.
"Oh, you..." She began feeding him noodles, as there was plenty for both of them.
Kagato swept into the room with a stethoscope draped about his shoulders. Jakato leapt off the bead, noodles still in his mouth. "Faver," Jakato sputtered through a full mouth. "Whar you doing 'ere? I fought 'ou wav in da lab!" Kagato laughed and didn't look at Jakato.
"Don't speak with a full mouth. I only came to check on her," Kagato explained, removing the stethoscope from his shoulders. "I've never used one of these on a living person yet. NO doubt that this will be very interesting." Magaru moved to the far corner of the bed; she wasn't quite sure if she wanted Kagato touching her. The space pirate laughed quietly. "Come now, it won't--" He stopped and noted the look on Jakato's face. "Have it your way, then. I'll use a computer," Kagato muttered, conjuring a holo-computer. "You seem to be in satisfactory condition. I'll be back in a few hours," Kagato said, and then stalked out of the room, not waiting for a response.
Magaru shuddered and continued eating, grateful that Kagato had refrained from touching her. Jakato though, gave Magaru a thoughtful look. "I wonder what that was about. You feel fine, right?" he asked, putting an arm around her. Magaru nodded and chewed her mouthful of noodles as she fed some more to Jakato.
~~~~~
Hishima gave his master a curious look as she raced around the deck wildly. "Master Yume, what are you doing?" he wondered aloud. Yume stopped running and grinned like a drunken child.
"This is so fun!" You should try it, Hishima!" Yume gasped, then promptly resumed her erratic running.
"What has gotten into Master lately?" Hishima muttered, rummaging about in a trunk for something to calm his master down. He pulled out an old data compressor and easily crushed it with his bare hands. Getting up, he held up the maimed technology and raised his voice. "Master Yume, your data compressor broke!" Yume skidded to a halt and leaned against Bizen's trunk, her face flushed with excitement and her hair strewn about.
"Okay, Hishima, I'll fix it!" giggled Yume as she summoned her holo- computer. "Give it to me!" Her henchman nodded and obediently brought the mass of crushed metal and wires to Yume, taking care to let a few bolts drop to the ground. The genius noticed and laughed. "Don't worry, I'll pick those up!" Yume said as a tray appeared next to her. Hishima nodded and walked around Bizen's trunk, so that his master could not see him.
"Master, what have you eaten lately?" Hishima asked slowly, trying to conceal the note of concern in his voice. He heard Yume laugh.
"I had something from our ship. It was labeled 'chocolate cake,' so I tried it. It was delicious! Oh, and there was a bowl of something labeled 'strawberries,' so I tried that too! It was really sweet!" Hishima sighed.
"I knew it," he mumbled. "Master Yume is on what Earthlings call a 'sugar high.'"
~~~~~
"I don't know what Yume is doing," Washu murmured. "She cut the jamming wave and her comm port is open. What's she doing?" Tenchi handed Washu a bowl of miso soup, smiling as he peered at her computer.
"Here. You haven't eaten yet. So, what's up?" asked Tenchi, biting down on one of Sasami's rice balls. Washu shrugged and gave him a weak smile.
"Either Yume has gone crazy, or she's got a trick up her sleeve," Washu replied as she began on her soup. Tenchi laughed while he watched Ryoko cover Kenny and Sasami, who were both taking a nap together, with a blanket. Washu fell silent as she directed all her attention to her bowl of soup. Tenchi's mind began racing as he recalled the last time Yume did anything like this.
Sasami found herself in front of Yosho's tree, Funaho. Everything, though, seemed rather misty and fogged, as if a haze was engulfing the whole place. Then she heard it. It wounded like someone familiar. Her pink eyes widened in delight. Tsunami was gliding over the smooth surface of the water around Funaho. She looked rather strained and it seemed as if she was trying very hard to keep from passing out.
"Sasami, listen to me. Your group will get help, don't worry. Your friends won't let you down."
Sasami cried out in alarm when Tsunami fell forward, but there was no splash of water. It seemed as if Tsunami simply melted away, leaving the glossy surface of the water still and undisturbed. The little princess was about to run to the water when a tight feeling seized her chest, causing her to fall to her knees. Everything dissolved, leaving her in darkness and despair.
Washu bit her lip. It looked very painful to have your energy sucked out, and Tenchi was clutching the sides of the sofa until his knuckles were white. Sasami was tossing about, and she had woken Kenny up. He was very pale, but he didn't seem to be in any pain. Misaki was still unconscious, but, judging by the beads of sweat forming on her head, she was in quite a lot of pain. Funaho was sitting next to Yosho in front of the thick glass of the window, swaying.
Curious, Washu began running a check on Misaki. "Uh oh," she murmured. "This isn't good." Rayani, who was walking by, stopped and glanced at Washu's computer.
"What's wrong, Washu?" Rayani asked, taking a swift look at the computer. The genius sighed and cast a worried glance over at Misaki.
"Misaki is going to go into a coma if we don't do something, but we can't. Any electrical shock she receives might kill her, since she's so weak already, and any chemicals I give her to help might eat away at her internal organs." Rayani cocked her head.
"Why would something that helps do that?" she inquired. Washu shuddered and blinked forcefully.
"The Juraian energy in Juraians allows them to have amazing tolerance for some chemicals. But," Washu continued before Rayani could comment, "the chemical I've got for her is one of those tolerated chemicals, and if I used it in her present condition, it might destroy some of her tissues and organs," Washu explained slowly. Rayani's eyes glistened noticeably as she looked to the floor.
"We can do nothing, then." Washu allowed a painful nod as she began analyzing something. Ryoko appeared next to Washu and gave her an odd look.
"What's wrong with you two? You're typing is really slow right now and Rayani's got a face on her like you've just run an experiment on her." Washu didn't answer and continued typing. Ryoko's expression changed from curiosity to concern. "Really, something's wrong, isn't there?" Ryoko asked quietly. Washu's computer gave a loud beep as the genius stood up and gave Ryoko a grave look.
"There's a 97 percent chance that Tenchi and the others will go into comas within two weeks," Washu said solemnly. Ryoko's eyes widened in terror.
"No!"
~~~~~
Yume laughed maliciously. She had exhausted the extra sugar supply in her body and returned to her resolute state. Sanding at the edge of the deck, she spread her arms as if embracing the stars. "Juraian slumber calls, my friends!"
~~~~~
Chapter Seven: Juraian Slumber Calls
"We're getting close to Yume. She's got a jamming wave on, but we can just head to the area of concentrated energy," Washu remarked to the only person that was listening--Kiyone. Ryoko was taking care of Tenchi and the other, and Kenny was sleeping in a corner of the room. Funaho was struggling to stay awake, as was Tenchi, Ayeka, and Sasami. Rayani was trying to wake Misaki up, but the queen had bumped her head forcefully on the table while she was picking something up and was still out cold.
"Washu," Kiyone asked after a sudden thought, "shouldn't Rayani's energy be helping, like Ryoko does?" Washu laughed and put her hands on her hips, shaking her head.
"Nope. It would seem that way, but Rayani uses a completely different process than Ryoko does, and SHE actually worked and trained to be that way." Washu grinned and launched into an explanation riddled with complicated equations. When she finished, Kiyone was standing, still as a stone with a confused look plastered on her face. Washu sighed in despair and patted Kiyone's shoulder. "What I mean by that is very simple. It means that instead of drawing energy from an energy source, like gems, Rayani generates it herself and condenses the energy into a visible form, like her sword," Washu whispered in Kiyone's ear. Kiyone nodded sheepishly and smiled.
"Okay. But what about teleporting?" Kiyone mumbled, avoiding Washu's triumphant glare. The genius's smile faded a little as she led Kiyone to a chair and forced the policewoman down.
"You sit here while I explain. Rayani doesn't teleport, since she can't. It's speed, not teleportation." Washu was clenching her teeth, irritated, and walked away muttering calculations to herself. Kiyone smiled and went to get a cup of tea.
Tenchi gave Ryoko a grateful hug. "You were always such a worrier, Ryoko," Tenchi chided playfully as Ryoko fussed about them, telling them to sit down and save their strength. Ryoko had gone into the kitchen, ignoring Tenchi's comments as if she didn't hear him.
~~~~~
Jakato cast a concerned glance over Magaru, who had woken up abruptly and was getting extremely twitchy. "Maggie," Jakato said suddenly, causing her to jump in alarm. "You hungry?" Magaru smiled and nodded, clutching the blanket in her trembling hands. Jakato gave her a swift kiss on the cheek and left to prepare something to eat.
Magaru shuddered and put her back against the wall as she stared at the shimmering metallic wall opposite her. It was very shiny, much shinier than she had ever thought it was. How can a wall be so shiny? Magaru thought. The shimmering seemed to grow, threatening to blind her, to engulf her with the brightness. She wanted to shut her eyes, but her body wouldn't listen as a haze filled the room, allowing a feeling of great peacefulness to overcome her. Magaru gazed blankly at the woman that just appeared before her, gliding across a dark lake. That woman looked oddly like an older Sasami. It was like she was seeing this woman from behind the haze that had filled the room. Magaru felt a warm feeling wash over her as the woman began saying something, but didn't look at Magaru, as if she couldn't see her.
"True, you, we, are not feeling very well, but that is okay. What you have done will be forgiven. Try your hardest when the deciding moment comes, when the time to finally defeat the evil destroying us."
The haze dispersed, leaving Magaru with a nice, warm feeling in her stomach. Jakato walked back in, carrying a bowl of noodles and a jug of water. He stopped at the peaceful expression on Magaru's face and gave her an odd look. "Maggie, is something wrong?" he asked slowly. Magaru slowly turned her head to face him and gave him a bland smile.
"I saw a nice lady," she muttered absentmindedly. "She was talking." Jakato wiggled her shoulder, trying to break her from her stupor. Magaru's eyes focused and she started in alarm.
"Wha--?" Magaru saw Jakato's smiling face and gasped. "I--I just saw a vision!" Jakato handed her the bowl of noodles and a pair of chopsticks, grinning.
"Wow. You're beautiful, you're strong, and you're psychic, too!" Jakato exclaimed in playful amazement. Magaru gave him a fond shove and picked up the chopsticks.
"Oh, you..." She began feeding him noodles, as there was plenty for both of them.
Kagato swept into the room with a stethoscope draped about his shoulders. Jakato leapt off the bead, noodles still in his mouth. "Faver," Jakato sputtered through a full mouth. "Whar you doing 'ere? I fought 'ou wav in da lab!" Kagato laughed and didn't look at Jakato.
"Don't speak with a full mouth. I only came to check on her," Kagato explained, removing the stethoscope from his shoulders. "I've never used one of these on a living person yet. NO doubt that this will be very interesting." Magaru moved to the far corner of the bed; she wasn't quite sure if she wanted Kagato touching her. The space pirate laughed quietly. "Come now, it won't--" He stopped and noted the look on Jakato's face. "Have it your way, then. I'll use a computer," Kagato muttered, conjuring a holo-computer. "You seem to be in satisfactory condition. I'll be back in a few hours," Kagato said, and then stalked out of the room, not waiting for a response.
Magaru shuddered and continued eating, grateful that Kagato had refrained from touching her. Jakato though, gave Magaru a thoughtful look. "I wonder what that was about. You feel fine, right?" he asked, putting an arm around her. Magaru nodded and chewed her mouthful of noodles as she fed some more to Jakato.
~~~~~
Hishima gave his master a curious look as she raced around the deck wildly. "Master Yume, what are you doing?" he wondered aloud. Yume stopped running and grinned like a drunken child.
"This is so fun!" You should try it, Hishima!" Yume gasped, then promptly resumed her erratic running.
"What has gotten into Master lately?" Hishima muttered, rummaging about in a trunk for something to calm his master down. He pulled out an old data compressor and easily crushed it with his bare hands. Getting up, he held up the maimed technology and raised his voice. "Master Yume, your data compressor broke!" Yume skidded to a halt and leaned against Bizen's trunk, her face flushed with excitement and her hair strewn about.
"Okay, Hishima, I'll fix it!" giggled Yume as she summoned her holo- computer. "Give it to me!" Her henchman nodded and obediently brought the mass of crushed metal and wires to Yume, taking care to let a few bolts drop to the ground. The genius noticed and laughed. "Don't worry, I'll pick those up!" Yume said as a tray appeared next to her. Hishima nodded and walked around Bizen's trunk, so that his master could not see him.
"Master, what have you eaten lately?" Hishima asked slowly, trying to conceal the note of concern in his voice. He heard Yume laugh.
"I had something from our ship. It was labeled 'chocolate cake,' so I tried it. It was delicious! Oh, and there was a bowl of something labeled 'strawberries,' so I tried that too! It was really sweet!" Hishima sighed.
"I knew it," he mumbled. "Master Yume is on what Earthlings call a 'sugar high.'"
~~~~~
"I don't know what Yume is doing," Washu murmured. "She cut the jamming wave and her comm port is open. What's she doing?" Tenchi handed Washu a bowl of miso soup, smiling as he peered at her computer.
"Here. You haven't eaten yet. So, what's up?" asked Tenchi, biting down on one of Sasami's rice balls. Washu shrugged and gave him a weak smile.
"Either Yume has gone crazy, or she's got a trick up her sleeve," Washu replied as she began on her soup. Tenchi laughed while he watched Ryoko cover Kenny and Sasami, who were both taking a nap together, with a blanket. Washu fell silent as she directed all her attention to her bowl of soup. Tenchi's mind began racing as he recalled the last time Yume did anything like this.
Sasami found herself in front of Yosho's tree, Funaho. Everything, though, seemed rather misty and fogged, as if a haze was engulfing the whole place. Then she heard it. It wounded like someone familiar. Her pink eyes widened in delight. Tsunami was gliding over the smooth surface of the water around Funaho. She looked rather strained and it seemed as if she was trying very hard to keep from passing out.
"Sasami, listen to me. Your group will get help, don't worry. Your friends won't let you down."
Sasami cried out in alarm when Tsunami fell forward, but there was no splash of water. It seemed as if Tsunami simply melted away, leaving the glossy surface of the water still and undisturbed. The little princess was about to run to the water when a tight feeling seized her chest, causing her to fall to her knees. Everything dissolved, leaving her in darkness and despair.
Washu bit her lip. It looked very painful to have your energy sucked out, and Tenchi was clutching the sides of the sofa until his knuckles were white. Sasami was tossing about, and she had woken Kenny up. He was very pale, but he didn't seem to be in any pain. Misaki was still unconscious, but, judging by the beads of sweat forming on her head, she was in quite a lot of pain. Funaho was sitting next to Yosho in front of the thick glass of the window, swaying.
Curious, Washu began running a check on Misaki. "Uh oh," she murmured. "This isn't good." Rayani, who was walking by, stopped and glanced at Washu's computer.
"What's wrong, Washu?" Rayani asked, taking a swift look at the computer. The genius sighed and cast a worried glance over at Misaki.
"Misaki is going to go into a coma if we don't do something, but we can't. Any electrical shock she receives might kill her, since she's so weak already, and any chemicals I give her to help might eat away at her internal organs." Rayani cocked her head.
"Why would something that helps do that?" she inquired. Washu shuddered and blinked forcefully.
"The Juraian energy in Juraians allows them to have amazing tolerance for some chemicals. But," Washu continued before Rayani could comment, "the chemical I've got for her is one of those tolerated chemicals, and if I used it in her present condition, it might destroy some of her tissues and organs," Washu explained slowly. Rayani's eyes glistened noticeably as she looked to the floor.
"We can do nothing, then." Washu allowed a painful nod as she began analyzing something. Ryoko appeared next to Washu and gave her an odd look.
"What's wrong with you two? You're typing is really slow right now and Rayani's got a face on her like you've just run an experiment on her." Washu didn't answer and continued typing. Ryoko's expression changed from curiosity to concern. "Really, something's wrong, isn't there?" Ryoko asked quietly. Washu's computer gave a loud beep as the genius stood up and gave Ryoko a grave look.
"There's a 97 percent chance that Tenchi and the others will go into comas within two weeks," Washu said solemnly. Ryoko's eyes widened in terror.
"No!"
~~~~~
Yume laughed maliciously. She had exhausted the extra sugar supply in her body and returned to her resolute state. Sanding at the edge of the deck, she spread her arms as if embracing the stars. "Juraian slumber calls, my friends!"