X: No Need for a History Lesson!
Any normal spacer would be inclined to cross their eyebrows in massive confusion if they saw the small convoy of Ryo-ohki and Ken-ohki flying through space together. After all, the two ships housed a pair of the most infamous characters in all the universe, who (up until a few days ago) had been the worst of enemies. But if they found out that the two pilots of the cabbit-ships were not only on good terms but also related to each other, then there would probably be a few failing hearts here and there from the shock of it all.
Nagi and Ryoko--or as they were now calling each other, Nanette and Christina--were flying together across the galaxy for one purpose, and that was to return to the Masaki house. They had just recently began to undergo their bonding process, and so far they were becoming very close, and they probably would have spent all day in celebration and revelry if some annoying redheaded little scientist hadn't interrupted them.
Said scientist, the "universe's greatest genius" Washu, was infamous for her practical jokes, pranks, and tricks--as well as her faux naïveté when asked about such matters. But when she interrupted the two girls, she had been horribly serious about the matter--so much so that even Ryoko grew concerned (but just by a little). In fact, Washu's act had been so convincing that she had been able to tear the two girls away from their fun and thus causing them to fly towards Earth in close formation.
Of course, even if this were explained to the normal spacer, they'd still be confused.
Earth was only a small leap away from the planet where Nagi and Ryoko had spent much of their time together, so they made it in only two or so hours. The two sisters had held a friendly race as they traveled towards Earth (which would explain why they took both cabbits instead of just using one), and so far, they were both neck-in-neck. Even as they made the descent towards the blue planet, the two cabbit-vessels were dead even, and it would've taken a very skilled eye to determine who touched down first.
In any case, Ryoko and Nagi's arrival had caused only a slight stir, since Washu had told everybody else in the house about their homecoming. Ever since she made her discovery, the little scientist had been on wit's end, and perhaps if one looked closely, one would find a white hair hidden inside her vermilion locks. Her worried state led to everyone else in the Masaki house being worried as well, and so here they were, waiting outside, hoping that it wasn't just Ryoko and Nagi being their old selves again.
Ryoko emerged from her vessel first, still wearing the blue frilly dress she had bought on that other world. Nagi came out next, also with her dress, and the two women smiled the exact same Cheshire Cat grin as they saw a small horde of women and three men waiting for them. Tenchi and Ayeka both let out a sigh of air as they saw that Ryoko was safe and sound.
"Hi!" she sang. "Didja miss me?!"
"…We're glad to see that you're okay," said Tenchi. "Ever since Washu told us about you two, we've been really worried." Ryoko gave her only love a quizzical look and mutely demanded to know what he was talking about. Noticing her friend's confusion, Ayeka elaborated.
"We were worried that you and Miss Nagi would…… not get along very well… It, ah, seems as if our fears were a waste of time, I hope." Another confused look from Ryoko--and then, a weak and joyless smile.
"…Oh, I see… You thought… we were gonna…"
"Yes." A chuckle.
"Sorry we hadja worried there, princess," shrugged Ryoko. "I guess you have the right to be suspicious. But see, Nanette and I are really close now! We've buried that hatchet ages ago!" And to prove it, Ryoko floated over and gave her sister a rough hug, which was returned roughly. However, Ryoko's confused look was now passed on to the others.
"Nanette?"
"It's my real name," said Nagi smugly. "I don't know what my birth-parents named me, but the guy who adopted me called me Nanette. I guess, since I'm retired from bounty hunting, I can take on that name again." Heads nodded in slow understanding, and even a few smiles came out.
"It's a nice name," whispered Kiyone. "And how about you, Ryoko? Do you have a 'real name'?"
"Actually, yes," she said. "The guys that took me in named me Fatima Christina Marcella, but if you don't mind, I'd rather be called Christina. I really hate my first name." A pause. Ryoko's face turned red as she heard a few people trying desperately to hold back a snicker.
"C-Christina?" scoffed Mihoshi. She almost let the dam burst, but thankfully controlled herself just long enough to resume speaking. "Christina?! That's your real name?!"
"Yeah, so?!" snarled Ryoko. "You got a problem with that?!"
"Oh no, no, I'm sorry!!" spat the officer, suddenly transforming into an apologetic and serious woman. "It's, uh, it's a, uh, a very nice name! Honest!" Ryoko made a face, snorted, and crossed her arms as she glared at the officer. Thankfully, reliable Tenchi stepped in to soothe the savage beast.
"I think it's a lovely name," he said. "…And I can see you being called that in real life." Ryoko's nasty face grew gentle almost instantly, and there probably would have been a scene if Washu didn't intervene. With a wave of her hand, she separated the crowd and coolly stepped up towards the two sisters.
"Ahem! If you all don't mind, I'd like to get straight down to business!" she huffed. An aura of gravity and seriousness fogged up the air, and even Mihoshi grew attentive as Washu proceeded to explain about the situation at hand.
"So what kind of business do you mean?" asked Nagi. Her sister expressed a similar question.
"Yeah! Why did you drag us all the way out here, huh?! I'd like to know what's so frickin' important that'cha have to have us here!" Washu allowed a brief dramatic pause before she looked up at the sisters, and held up her finger to gain everyone's attention.
"I really am sorry for interrupting you like that," she said softly, "I really am. If this were any other circumstance, I'd just brush it off and let you two have your fun. But ladies, and gentlemen, this matter is so absolutely urgent that I believe even the Emperor of Jurai would drop all his business to hear it."
"So what exactly is this business you're talking about?" asked Ayeka.
"Yeah, c'mon Washu!" begged Tenchi. "Don't leave us in the dark forever!" While Washu would've normally chuckled under such words, this time even her mischief had left her. Silently, she turned around and beckoned everybody to follow her.
"Come with me to my lab," she said. "It would be better to show you there. Oh, and Ryoko? Nagi? This has to do with your parents… and yourselves… But more importantly, the fate of the entire universe just may hang in the balance."
"Oh," muttered Ryoko, "so it's one of 'those' things. Great."
With everyone cramped inside her lab, Washu had just enough room to dominate the computer and its control panel. Like the stereotypical mad genius, her fingers glided across the keyboard like a pianist playing their instrument for a concert. Indeed, it was almost humorous the way some of the keys made sounds similar to keyboard notes. Music aside, Washu's typing soon caused the screen before her to flash up several words and pictures, most of them indecipherable.
"Take a look at this," she began. "Ever since I stumbled across Nagi and Ryoko's little secret, I've been spending most of my time doing research on their family line. Up until recently, I haven't come up with a whole lot, but with a little patience, I've managed to dig up a few… rather startling clues." In accordance to her speech, several other pictures and words also erupted on the screen, most of them focusing on a lush planet.
"The world you see before you is called Tg," she pointed. "Right now, it's in a lot of turmoil and oppression, but back around the time before Nagi and Ryoko's birth, the place thrived. In fact, the change was so dramatic that many residents fled the planet and swore to never come back until things settled down. Unfortunately, it's been in this oppressive state ever since the two of you were born."
"That's bizarre!" exclaimed Kiyone. "So are you telling us that because Ryoko and Nagi left, this place was thrown into the dumps?"
"No, no, no!" spat Washu irritably. She let out a sigh to match her mood, and rubbed a very annoyed forehead. "Oy, the things I put up with! You didn't pay attention to what I was saying at all!!" A pause.
"……Sorry." Washu shrugged.
"Ehh… Anyway, from what I gathered, Tg fell into ruin before Nagi and Ryoko left. I hypothesized that they left because the place was going into ruin. Jeez! They were only babies at the time! They couldn't have possibly influenced the fall of Tg with their disappearance, no matter what the consequences!"
"I said I was sorry!" sulked Kiyone. Washu let out a grumble, but before she could go on with her lecture, it seemed as if Nagi had a question.
"Yes?"
"So that's our home, right?" A twitch of the eye…
"My my, haven't we been paying attention…" Nagi flashed Washu an exceptionally nasty look, one so vile it made the scientist sweat a little and smile. "Ah hehehe… sorry! Anyway, yeah, you two were born here, but apparently you didn't stay for very long. Something forced you to be evacuated."
"And this 'something' was why you called us over, am I right?" asked Ryoko. Washu nodded her head.
"Correct! Now, if you'll promise not to ask any more ridiculous questions, and if everybody swears that they won't suddenly piss in their pants, then I'll tell you what's the cause behind Tg's decay." Needless to say, Washu's mouth got her in trouble again, and almost everybody there glared at her for one reason or another.
"What did you just say?!"
"Hey, hey, go easy on me!" she said, holding her palms in front of her for protection. "I'm just warning you that what you're about to see and hear is so frightening that I almost soiled myself!" Once again, Washu had revealed a little too much information, and now literally everyone looked to be a little sickened. The childish scientist grinned despite her language, and resumed her lecture.
After typing in several short strokes, a terrifying image flashed up on the screen. Almost every single hair in the entire room bristled or else stood on end, and nearly everybody found themselves woozy in the stomach. The image before them was that of a dragon, as big as a whale and as frightening as a thousand vipers. It had ten wings, with ten bullish horns sprouting out of its head and four eyes on its head. The dragon had two tails, four forearms and four rear arms, a single head with a mouth full of razors, and was completely colored in the purest white hue.
"What you are looking at is a one-of-a-kind beast," said Washu after allowing a pause. "This is no ordinary dragon--in fact, it's not even an ordinary creature. There's not a whole lot of information about this thing, but I can tell you that it has enormous powers--powers so great and mighty, that it can lay waste to entire civilizations without ever having to fight. It's the Great White Dragon, Pandemonium."
An understandably long pause hovered in the conditioned air.
Only Ayeka, Nagi, Ryoko, and Washu had ever heard about such a beast, and then they had only heard the slightest wisps of rumors. Ayeka heard that the creature had the power to conquer worlds without destroying anything; Nagi heard that Pandemonium was a slayer of kingdoms; Ryoko had heard of a vicious demon that was immortal and nearly indestructible; Washu only knew what her computer told her, but that was far too much information for one person to hold. Almost all the rumors were in fact true, especially the most unbelievable ones.
"…What… is it exactly?" whispered Tenchi. Washu shrugged.
"I have no idea. Pandemonium isn't filed under any classification, except for the 'Unidentified' category. But there is something I do know about it. Nagi!"
"Hm?"
"Did you say that your adopted father claimed that Ryoko was the one who killed your parents?"
"Yeah… but I know that's not really true now."
"That's right, it's false," said Washu, holding up a finger. "You see, Nagi… Ryoko… this monster here, the white dragon you see before you…… He was the one who killed your parents!"
"No way!!!!!"
"I'm afraid so," sighed Washu. Once again, the little scientist turned around to refer to her notes she had gotten from the computer. "From what I could figure out, Pandemonium paid a little visit to your planet right around the time you two were born. Using his immeasurable powers, Pandemonium was able to stir up a civil war on Tg, and it seems as if your parents were among those who wanted to prevent such bloodshed. Normally, Pandemonium does not kill his victims, but this time he made an eager exception."
Both Nagi and Ryoko, who by this time were almost as white as the demon on the screen, took several steps back in horror. They had not only learned about their home planet's fate in such a short amount of time, but also of the truth behind the legendary White Dragon, and its involvement with their parents' true demise. To be able to handle so much information at once was overwhelming, and it was a miracle that the two women didn't faint right there on the spot.
Sensing their shell-shocked feelings, Tenchi and Ayeka caught them as they fell back. The two women barely noticed the others as they stared in horror at the dragon; they were far too mesmerized in such a grisly surprise. Nagi, especially, was in a shock, for up until a year or two ago, she had sworn that it really was Ryoko who had murdered her parents. Having Ryoko as a sister ripped that idea apart, but now that she was learning so many things at such a fast speed……… It was remarkable!
"…I'm sorry," whispered Washu, who didn't need her eyes to see just how horrified the two women were. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I know it's not much, but…"
"I want that dragon dead," snarled a voice; whom it belonged to was uncertain. Whoever it was, they caused everyone else to turn around and stare. "…I want that thing dead." Washu, understandably enough, was taking things with a little more logic.
"You're suggesting the impossible," she said. "Literally speaking, not one of us stands a chance against that thing. Besides, even if we could fight it, nobody has any idea where it could be right now…"
"I don't care!!" shouted Ryoko, and Nagi yelled almost the same thing. "I don't care! That thing destroyed my life--it destroyed our lives!!! Do you know what kind of live we could've led if that thing never came into existence??! HUH? Do you?! Do you realize that maybe--just maybe--we would've had a normal existence?! That we would've lived together as sisters should, and we wouldn't have to go through such horror and pain and hatred?! That… that monster… has caused two twin sisters to hate each other! It has done something inexcusable, and I personally don't care if it takes me all my life, or even if it does take my life, I am going to kill that beast!!!!!"
Of course, after her passionate speech, there was a thick silence.
"…Hold on just a second," said Washu, her voice making everyone in the room very annoyed. "I'm just saying that we shouldn't go out and fight Pandemonium. I never said that we won't."
"………Huh?" Washu's evil smile returned to her face, and the genius even let out a cackle.
"Yeah, you heard me! We definitely should not go out and face that monster, but that doesn't mean that we won't do it anyway! HA!" Ryoko and Nagi both gave her a surprised look.
"…You mean… You'll actually let us go?"
"Duh!" sang the scientist. "Did you honestly believe that I'd demand that you two sit here and do nothing, especially after I told you everything? HA! Hahahahaha! Oh, God, you've got to know me better than that!!" Washu then burst out into another one of her maniacal laughing fits, and for the first time ever, Ryoko was glad that she was insane.
"…So… you'll let us go after him?"
"Let you?" she parroted. "Darling, I'm going to go with you!! Why, that beast is indirectly responsible for trashing one of my colleague's labs, not to mention he scarred the planet where I grew up, plus he ravaged several academies I went to! Ryoko, hon, I've got as much reason to wanna see him dead as you or Nagi!!" Ryoko actually smiled at Washu, which in itself was a miracle, but before the genius could receive any praise for her discoveries or her aid, she held up her finger and demanded further audience.
"…But that's not all, my dears," she said. "Ho no, not in the least! You see, your parents, Armand and Anya Stohk, they were killed because… well… let's put it this way: let's say that they were… involved… with their world."
"What does that mean?" asked Tenchi. "Were they important people?" from out of nowhere, a smile attacked Washu's mouth, and not even a ravaging depression could've wiped it off.
"…You could say that," she managed. Nagi noticed the smile and asked about it. "…Oh… nothing… It's just… nothing, that's all…"
"No, tell us!" insisted the former hunter. "What do you find so amusing about our parents' deaths?"
"Oh, it's not amusing in the least!" insisted Washu. "It's just that… just that…" Up until now, Washu's efforts to prevent an outburst of laughter were met with little success, but now the dam broke and Washu was on the floor, laughing so hard that she cried. Needless to say, this annoyed even Sasami, which meant that Ryoko and Nagi were well beyond the point of being pissed.
"Shut up!!!" roared Nagi. "What the devil is wrong, you freak?!?!?"
"It's about your… your… your parents!!!" screamed Washu through her giggles. Nagi and Ryoko gave each other confused glances before glaring back down at Washu.
"Explain yourself, you freak!" snapped Ryoko. "What in Hades is so funny!?" Even after receiving bitter words, Washu was still rolling on the floor, laughing her guts out, but at least she was making an effort to calm down. She slowly grew more serious, and gradually, her laughing decreased until it was only her lack of breath that prevented her from going on.
"Ha… ha… just a second…" she wheezed. "…Ha… ha… gimme… some time… ha… ha…"
With her breath now all caught up, Washu was finally ready to clue Ryoko and Nagi in on the identities of their parents--and in turn, their own identities.
"Okay, here's the scoop in a nutshell," she began. "Your mother and father, Armand and Anya Stohk, were very powerful, very influential, and very well-respected people. They owned a lot of companies and a big piece of valuable property, and they even had a political voice. Ladies, I know this is going to be hard to believe, but get this--your parents were multi-millionaires! Yeah! Which means that, unless there's been some disloyalty in their servants, you two are the rightful inheritors of the Stohk family fortune!!"
"WHOA!!!" shrieked the two women, their faces both flung wide open in amazement. "You mean to tell us that we coulda been rich all this time!" Washu nodded her head and hummed in affirmation.
"But that's not all," she said, and once again, the snicker threatened to break out. "…Your parents were the kind of people whom even the Emperor could rub elbows with. They were very well-known and loved, and they had a very high status. They were so high up on the ladder that if Pandemonium hadn't invaded, then you two would've probably went to the same schools as Ayeka and Sasami. Your parents were nobles, and since the two of you are their offspring, then… as strange as it sounds… Ryoko, Nagi… you two are nobles as well!!!"
The end reaction was an understandable one.
Everyone in the entire room, from Tenchi to Ayeka, from Kiyone to Mihoshi, even Sasami and Ryo-ohki… every single one of them had their mouths hanging wide, wide open in ultimate shock.
In short… well… they were caught off guard.
Their mouths hung open for almost a whole minute, in which Washu kept nodding and humming to herself, almost as if to say, "Yes, I know what you're feeling, and as weird as it sounds, it's all true!". And then, after nearly sixty whole seconds of silence, someone began to snicker, and then another person, and soon the entire room was filled with people bowled over in laughter. In fact, the only ones who weren't even smiling were the two sisters, Ayeka, and Tenchi (and Washu).
"HEY!!!!" Washu shouted out loud and slapped her hands together hard so she could stop everyone from laughing. "Listen," she said once their smiles faded, "I know it sounds unbelievable, but I assure you that everything I say is true! Ryoko and Nagi--or Christina and Nanette, per se--are nobles by birth. Interpret that as you will, just make sure you understand it to be the truth." Washu's passionate glare and powerful words brought even Mihoshi to gravity; Ryoko and Nagi, meanwhile, were so shell-shocked that maybe nothing would've broken their trance.
"…Nobles… I find that hard to believe…" muttered Ayeka. She glanced over at the sisters, who were still paralyzed with shock, and sighed. If what Washu was saying was true, and at that moment Ayeka would believe anything, then there really was a possibility that she could've grown up with them, and would've been friends for life. Not only Ryoko would've been there, but Nagi as well, and maybe--just maybe--Ayeka would've had a slightly better childhood.
Of course, one certain tyrannical dragon had made that arrangement impossible, and the pure-hearted princess was soon filled with an angry justice and a pure rage. She loved Ryoko dearly and was just now starting to like Nagi, and to be denied a wonderful past with two such wonderful comrades was an inexcusable act. With her fist balled up, Ayeka stepped forward and declared her next decision.
"Miss Washu, I am going to go with you!!" Before anyone could even stare at her, she continued her passionate tirade. "That dragon has stolen so much in such a short amount of time: your life, their life, and even a part of my life! I cannot let such an evil roam around for all of eternity, and I don't care whether you approve or not--I am going to go with you and kill this beast!!!" Ayeka was a mass of anger and purity and justice, and everyone in the room had to admire her for these traits.
"Then I'll go, too," said Tenchi, smiling at the women. "If I don't do something to help, it'll be like I'm actually supporting such carnage. I can't sit by and do nothing!"
"If you're going, then let us go as well!" stated Kiyone. "As Galaxy Police Officers, it is our sworn duty to serve and protect, and what better way to do this than to help destroy a ferocious demon like this!!!"
"……Uhh… roger!" saluted Mihoshi. One by one, everyone in the room smiled as more and more volunteers joined the cause. Even Sasami begged to tag along, but wereit not for the pleading of Ryo-ohki, the girl would've stayed behind. Azaka and Kamidake volunteered to go as well, leaving Katsuhito and Nobuyuki to stay behind and keep things running normally in the house and shrine. Ryoko, more than anyone else, was beaming for joy after hearing so many people rally to her cause. She breathlessly thanked each one of them, especially Tenchi and Ayeka.
"Thanks, princess," she sighed, rubbing her cheek against the girl's shoulder. "This really means a lot to me."
"Just consider this a favor from one high-class citizen to another," smiled the princess. Ryoko chuckled a little, kissed Ayeka's cheek, then devoted her affections to Tenchi. The young man smiled back at her with the confidence of a prize fighter and the strength to match, but he still had the gentleness of a farmer boy, with the innocence to boot.
"Don't mention it," he said as she thanked him. "It was, uhh… the least I could do." Ryoko smiled cattily at her only love, pressed her finger to his chest gently, and made it very plain to him that now that she was nobility, he could very well end up marrying her and making a powerful alliance with a well-respected family, all at the same time. Of course, since the concept of marrying Ryoko was quickly becoming a reality, Tenchi blushed all the more.
Next chapter: …Sooooooo, I bet nobody saw that coming, eh! Ryoko and Nagi part of the nobility… Makes you wonder, makes you laugh, makes you say "Hmm!" By the way, I'm sorry for the delay, but I've been on a short vacation, plus I'm bogged down by other stories. No guarantees on when the next chapter will be up, but when it is, it'll be a doozy! Next chapter, "No Need for a Road Trip!" It's unquestionably adventurous!