Changes Chapter 4: Prophecy True?, a tenchi muyo fanfic

Changes: Prophecy True?

In the previous chapter, Ryoko had made a startling discovery. Ayeka and Katsuhito studied the scrolls in the shrine to find an old Jurian prophecy. On the scroll, a prophecy of destruction was written. The mark of The Destroyer matches the scars on Tenchi's back and chest. Ryoko is now going to Washu with her discovery.

Changes: Prophecy True?

Ryoko had been able to successfully sneak into Washu's lab. Ayeka and Katsuhito were so into their debate that it was doubtful that either one of them would even think about her. The lab was enormous. Strange machines hummed and indicator lights were blinking all over the place. Vials of unknown fluids were on top of every table and desk in sight. Ryoko finally found the diminutive scientist alone at the mainframe computer in the back of her lab. Being the best thief and space pirate was still no match for a mother's intuition.

"Come to see mommy, little Ryoko?"

"I need your help."

"Humph"

"*Sigh* Little Washu"

"Okay then, wadda ya need? Love elixir for Tenchi? Face lift, body lift, conditioner...."

"I can get Tenchi on my own and there's nothing wrong with my body!! Now be serious Washu. I really need your help."

"It's about Tenchi isn't it?"

"Yes, I found something at the shrine. Maybe if you could look at it..."

"No need, I know about it already."

"But how could you, you never go near the shrine."

"You forget, I have over 20,000 years under my belt."

"I saw a scroll, it had a picture that matched Tenchi's scars."

"Ah yes, the brand of the Destroyer."

"So it's true?"

"Not officially, Ayeka and Katsuhito would have to confirm it."

"But why?"

"Simple, the Jurai royal family have been waiting for the arrival of the Destroyer for eons. It is said that they were charged with the duty by Tsunami herself. Only they know all the secrets behind the prophecy. The only problem is that if they alert Jurai, the emperor will more than likely react with force. I only fear that that would lead to more problems. I fear that if it is confirmed, it will be Ayeka's duty as a princess to sound the alarm. Her feelings for Tenchi will become a trivial matter. I just need time. The answers are in the prophecy but we need to decipher it."

"What if we could stall Ayeka?"

"No good, that would mean taking her tiara."

"That thing? But why?"

"Like the master key, it has a direct link with Jurai. Take it off her head and the whole Jurian fleet would be knocking on the door within hours."

"So what do we do?"

"The only thing we can do, wait and see how the prophecy unravels. I'll work on finding meaning in it so we have a better idea of what we're dealing with. Go get some rest, I have a feeling that the most interesting parts are still to come."

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Sleep did not come easily to the space pirate. Try as she might, she could shake the images in her head of Tenchi standing over her with his sword drawn. All through the night, she could hear Ayeka and Katsuhito debating their next course of action downstairs. The debate seemed to be rather heated. Ryoko couldn't hear all of it since the two of them kept walking back and forth from the shrine to the house. Tired of guess work, she phased onto her rafter in the living room to listen in on the two.

"Ayeka, you are acting rashly. We should wait and see how things play out before we do anything more."

"Yosho, just because you turned your back on the empire, it doesn't mean that I have to follow suite."

"What about Tenchi, do you know what will happen to him."

"Of course I know. Do you think that I'm not feeling the same things you are?!"

"Just give it a week before you send word."

"All could be lost in a week. I love Tenchi dearly, but my first duty as a princess of Jurai is to look out for the well-being of my people. If the prophecies are true, we must act quickly before the darkness possesses him."

"Tenchi is not so easy to possess. We should do everything in our power to help him. All the council will do is lock him up and banish him to the far reaches of space. There's no way of telling if that isn't what fulfills the prophecy."

"We don't even know what the prophecy means Yosho!"

"Then why don't we try and discuss it with Washu? She might have some answers."

(The door to Washu's lab swings open)

"Indeed I do. I started out looking at historical references in the Jurian libraries, then I tried looking at star patterns and intersects, then..."

"Please Miss Washu, Yosho and I are in a terrible hurry!"

"Oh, sorry about that princess. Anyway, after exhausting all of my databases it hit me. The prophecy isn't written in references, it's entirely metaphorical."

"I'm afraid I don't follow Ms. Washu."

"*Sigh* Royals can be so dense. (pulls up a copy of the prophecy on her computer) Look, I've analyzed it this far:
The seed spoken of in the prophecy would be Yosho. That would make Tenchi the warrior. Wind and Fire would represent Ayeka and Ryoko. If you read it like that, the rest begins to make sense. I still don't know who or what the four factions are and I can't figure out who it is that must defeat the evil."

"So it is true. Thank you Ms. Washu. I know what I must do now."

"Hold on princess, bringing the empire into this would be a bad idea. So far, we don't know how this prophecy will manifest itself. So far, from my scans, I have no reason to believe that Tenchi for any reason just weird out on us."

"Yosho, I don't know what I should do. Help me."

"First, we should tell Tenchi. We'll wait till morning. He deserves to hear this more than anyone else."

"Agreed"

With their meeting ended, the three went their separate ways to catch a little rest before the sun came up. Unknown to them, the catlike eyes and ears of Ryoko hadn't missed a beat. Sleep would be impossible, so she retreated to one of her few refuges. As she sat on the roof, she couldn't shake a sense of fear in the back of her mind. What would happen to Tenchi? Could all of this prophecy mumbo-jumbo be true? If the Jurian empire got involved, Tenchi and the emperor would be on a collision course for sure. The normally reassuring warmth of the day's first light gave Ryoko no comfort. In one day, her and everyone else's lives would be changed; for better or worse was still to be determined.

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From the moment Tenchi had woken up, he could feel a tension in the air. Ryoko had not been waiting for him as she normally did. The normally bustling house was deathly quiet. There was no laughter, no smells, nothing. Even the outside world seemed dead. He had walked downstairs only to find his family waiting for him in the living room. The seriousness in their faces told him that something was wrong. There was obviously something that he didn't know about. An awkward silence fell over the room. Tenchi finally mustered up his courage to break the ice.

"Good-morning everybody. What's....going on?"

"Tenchi, please sit. Ayeka and I think we have something to tell you."

"Yes grandfather. Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like what I'm about to hear."

"Lord Tenchi, none of us wanted to hear this. But it is very important that you listen. A decision is going to have to be made today concerning your future."

"I'm listening. That is unless it's about marriage.....Heh heh ^_^"

"Nothing about marriage. It's concerning the events of the past few days....and months."

Ayeka then unfurled the scroll on the coffee table and began to explain the prophecy to Tenchi. Tenchi listened but kept shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Every now and then he would look to Washu; she would sadly nod in agreement with whatever Ayeka had said. Tenchi sat with his head in his hands as Ayeka finally gave him his options.

"Lord Tenchi, we have decided to leave this decision to you. I could send word to the empire about this or we can wait here to see what happens. If I send word, you must understand. You will probably be taken into custody until they decide the best way to handle the situation. If we wait things out, we run the risk of losing control of what ever happens in the near future. Sadly, the choice is yours and yours alone."

"I-I just can't believe that I could become........the Destroyer. I need a some time to think about this if it's okay with you."

"I understand Lord Tenchi, but we must have an answer in the next couple of days."

"Thank-you, I'm........going for a walk."

"Tenchi!"

"Yes grandfather?"

"Take tenchi-ken with you. I often found that it helped me to think during difficult times. (Tosses tenchi-ken to Tenchi)

(Catches it) "Thanks."

As Tenchi disappeared through the door Ayeka turned to Yosho.

"Are we doing the right thing."

"That remains to be seen. Tenchi will do what is right in his heart. That has seemed to be the guiding light for all of us. We should trust his decision no matter what it may be."

"I don't like it."

"What don't you like Ryoko?"

"Listen princess, if this is a true prophecy, it will fulfill itself no matter what we do. We should try to find out more about it and nip it in the butt before it goes too far."

"It's not that simple, we run the risk of making things worse. We don't even know if the prophecy will fulfill itself. There have been reports of some prophecies falling just short of their outcome."

"So you're telling me all we can do is wait."

"Yes."

Before another world could be spoken there was a loud crash. It had sounded almost like a huge lightning bolt. Immediately everyone thought of Tenchi. Ryoko was the first one outside. Across the lake, she saw to figures locked in a fierce battle. The unmistakable blue glow of one sword gave Tenchi away. The other was still a mystery His blade was a light green. The both of them seemed equally matched. Ryoko pointed them out to the rest of the group that had assembled on the porch before she teleported off to help her love. In an instant she was in the thick of the battle. She summoned her energy blade but was stopped short. Tenchi held his hand up.

"Ryoko! No! This is my fight!"

"But Tenchi!"

"NO! I have to do this alone."

Seeing that his mind was made up, Ryoko deactivated her sword and floated down to a nearby rock to watch. It was more painful watching Tenchi fight alone than any punishment that Kagato had inflicted on her. This stranger was dressed completely in black. He was taller than Tenchi and a bit more muscular. His short hair spiked up and was a deep blue. He wore a scar on his right cheek from the corner of his mouth to his ear. The sword he used was a simple but effective metal blade. It was obviously no ordinary metal to be able to stand up to tenchi-ken. The two combatants almost mirrored each other's every move. It soon became clear that Tenchi had much better technique. His clean parries and thrusts aggravated his opponent more and more. Then Ryoko noticed that the style the stranger was using was very familiar. His eyes also reminded her of some one. The battle raged on as the rest of the group showed up. They were stopped by Ryoko who told them of Tenchi's wish to fight alone. They all stood in silence as Tenchi continued to battle against his unknown adversary.

Come back for Tenchi's battle. Drop me a line slayerwolf@slayerwolf.com to let me know what you think of the story so far.