"You, after all these years, have returned. As you said you would."
"I have Ryoko. And I have been tracking you. I have harnessed our energy. I have evaded that fool Kagato. And I have become the most advanced being ever to walk the cosmos."
"You've accomplished much of what you've promised, but still, one thing is lacking..."
"And what is that?"
"You don't have me."
"But you loved... me... We made the pledge to each other..."
"But Tenchi."
"I don't care about that boy of yours! If he comes between us. I will... I will..."
"NO! If you ever try to hurt Tenchi... I will kill you, no matter how much you love me!
"SILENCE!" The thing came fully into view. It appeared a blend between a human and a large cat. He had a sweeping tail that lashed about furiously as if with a life of its own. He stood almost a full 8 feet tall, dressed in flowing robes. But his face was most definitely feline. His fangs showed white in the lights of the room and he licked his lips with a long tongue, summoning a saber to his hand not unlike Ryoko's own. "You cannot love us both... so one of us must die? That is not the Ryoko I know."
"No... No, you can't think that way... I love you both... just... I love Tenchi... more."
"NO! YOU CANNOT FORSAKE ME!" He screamed in panic. Viciously, he beat her with the hilt of the saber, sending her to slam against the opposite wall. She blacked out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
::Washu! I have visual with the ship!::
::Good. Five minutes until arrival::
::FIVE MORE MINUTES?::
::Yes Tenchi. It's the best I could do! I knew I should've put on a bit more speed::
::I'M BEING CRUSHED! I WOULD'VE BEEN CONTENT WITH SOMETHING THAT COULD OVERTAKE THE SHIP! BUT OF COURSE YOU HAD TO MAKE SOME "ADJUSTMENTS" DIDN'T YOU?::
::Yes, I did Tenchi. If you can't think of anything but yourself, why don't you come home now?:: That shut Tenchi up in a hurry
::Ryoko. Hold on. I'm coming for you!::
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ryoko. It can't be!"
"What? Who are you?" Ryoko had come to in a small cell which had a acrid smell about it, with what looked to be a large rat leaning over her. The only thing, besides its size, that distinguished it from a normal rodent was the fact that it stood upright, and wore a sort of lizard-skin kimono.
"Akan-nemo. Pleased to meet you!"
"I am not quite familiar with your species. What, may I ask, are you?"
"An Amkraen. I believe that you've researched us before."
"An Amkraen? Your species is supposedly extinct!"
"Sadly, 'tis certain to become so. I'm the last of my kind, and imprisoned as I am. There isn't any hope of that changing. Not without my technologies."
"From what I heard, you were quite an advanced race. Ability to multiply under the harshest conditions by a kind of high-speed cloning, and colonizers of hundreds of planets. Abilities to phase, create anti-matter at will, and with the technology to make your ships go faster than lightspeed in little to no time."
"All of these abilities, acquired and withheld with technology. When he took that away. we were no more than oversized earth-rodents."
"He? Reibun?"
"Yes."
"He... He changed so much..."
"He thinks of you as a lover. His feelings are one thing he does not make any attempt to hide." He made a pointed glance at her, " As I heard... you two are very different."
"I need to rest, now. Maybe I will tell my story later. It is a long one."
"I have patience."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"T-minus five seconds to impact. Putting up shields." The computer droned.
::I hope it didn't just say what I thought it did. Impact? Oh man::
"T-minus three seconds."
"slow down!"
"Negative. Maximum impact efficiency is required. Speed will remain as set."
"OH SHIIIIIT!" The small craft barreled into the larger Jurain vessel with the force of a lightspeed collision. Tenchi slowly opened his eyes.
"I'm alive! I'm really alive!" he stepped slowly out of the craft.
"Not if I can help it, you won't be!" Tenchi had crashed right into the throne room.
"Oh no." The being had activated a saber.
"That's right boy! You've come between Ryoko and myself. I made a vow to her, many years ago, that I would be free someday! Free from that bastard Kagato! And then, I would come back to her, and deliver her from his torment! But I find her with YOU!" he spat "Common filth! You will regret even having met Ryoko!"
"You stole her."
"That's right, bastard! I freed her! You, you and your false love. What could you ever feel for her? A demon? A destroyer of worlds? You could never love her as I do!"
"That's right! I'll never view her as a possession! She is not yours, nor mine, nor anyone's! She belongs to herself, and herself alone! I never told her she could not leave! I didn't imprison her! She loved me of her own free will!"
"You son of a bitch! You could never know! NEVER!" With that, the enraged beast charged him. Tenchi attempted to block and parry the blows, but it was no use. The thing had thousands of years of experience. Blow for blow, the beast wore him back toward the gaping hole. "You came here unprepared to fight for your love! You, how did you ever earn her trust! Infidel! Inferior!" Tenchi let out a bestial growl.
"EARN? FROM WHOM? YOU?" ::Tsunami! Help me now! Please. for Ryoko::
"What? Praying to your maker so soon? You weakling! Fight your own battles, or do you not have the courage?" It charged in again, "What did you expect to gain by coming here? Ryoko? Ha! You never had her! You never loved her! Only her body." His words chilled Tenchi to the bone.
"I love her more deeply than a fiend like you could EVER fathom." This earned him a fresh kick in the jaw.
"Do not speak of what you do not know, earthling!" The thing charged in for the final blow. Tenchi was brought to his knees, and held the sword above his head with all his strength.
"Hold. on. Ryoko." with that, he passed out. The beast deactivated his blade.
"Killing a worm like you is beneath me! Don't try to find us again, or you'll not have the luck of my mercy."
Suddenly, the ship was rocked by a shattering blast.
"I'll not kill you! Your mother in law will! How ironic."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suddenly Washu stepped back from the controls.
"Shit." One by one, the life-form indicators blinked out. Soon, the ship was vacated. Nothing remained, except one single, solitary, blip. ::Tenchi. Get out of there:: suddenly, Washu doubled over in pain. All of the memories that had been resurrected in Ryoko's mind from the return of Reibun hit her at once. ::Oh. shit. Tenchi:: Washu blacked out.
"Firing countdown to missile launch. T-minus 10"
"T-minus 9"
"T-minus 8"
"T-minus 7"
"T-minus 6"
"T-minus 5"
"T-minus 4"
"T-minus 3"
"T-minus 2"
"T-minus 1"
"Rocket launched." A small vidscreen popped up with Washu doing a victory dance on it "Bye bye, bastard"
"I have Ryoko. And I have been tracking you. I have harnessed our energy. I have evaded that fool Kagato. And I have become the most advanced being ever to walk the cosmos."
"You've accomplished much of what you've promised, but still, one thing is lacking..."
"And what is that?"
"You don't have me."
"But you loved... me... We made the pledge to each other..."
"But Tenchi."
"I don't care about that boy of yours! If he comes between us. I will... I will..."
"NO! If you ever try to hurt Tenchi... I will kill you, no matter how much you love me!
"SILENCE!" The thing came fully into view. It appeared a blend between a human and a large cat. He had a sweeping tail that lashed about furiously as if with a life of its own. He stood almost a full 8 feet tall, dressed in flowing robes. But his face was most definitely feline. His fangs showed white in the lights of the room and he licked his lips with a long tongue, summoning a saber to his hand not unlike Ryoko's own. "You cannot love us both... so one of us must die? That is not the Ryoko I know."
"No... No, you can't think that way... I love you both... just... I love Tenchi... more."
"NO! YOU CANNOT FORSAKE ME!" He screamed in panic. Viciously, he beat her with the hilt of the saber, sending her to slam against the opposite wall. She blacked out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
::Washu! I have visual with the ship!::
::Good. Five minutes until arrival::
::FIVE MORE MINUTES?::
::Yes Tenchi. It's the best I could do! I knew I should've put on a bit more speed::
::I'M BEING CRUSHED! I WOULD'VE BEEN CONTENT WITH SOMETHING THAT COULD OVERTAKE THE SHIP! BUT OF COURSE YOU HAD TO MAKE SOME "ADJUSTMENTS" DIDN'T YOU?::
::Yes, I did Tenchi. If you can't think of anything but yourself, why don't you come home now?:: That shut Tenchi up in a hurry
::Ryoko. Hold on. I'm coming for you!::
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ryoko. It can't be!"
"What? Who are you?" Ryoko had come to in a small cell which had a acrid smell about it, with what looked to be a large rat leaning over her. The only thing, besides its size, that distinguished it from a normal rodent was the fact that it stood upright, and wore a sort of lizard-skin kimono.
"Akan-nemo. Pleased to meet you!"
"I am not quite familiar with your species. What, may I ask, are you?"
"An Amkraen. I believe that you've researched us before."
"An Amkraen? Your species is supposedly extinct!"
"Sadly, 'tis certain to become so. I'm the last of my kind, and imprisoned as I am. There isn't any hope of that changing. Not without my technologies."
"From what I heard, you were quite an advanced race. Ability to multiply under the harshest conditions by a kind of high-speed cloning, and colonizers of hundreds of planets. Abilities to phase, create anti-matter at will, and with the technology to make your ships go faster than lightspeed in little to no time."
"All of these abilities, acquired and withheld with technology. When he took that away. we were no more than oversized earth-rodents."
"He? Reibun?"
"Yes."
"He... He changed so much..."
"He thinks of you as a lover. His feelings are one thing he does not make any attempt to hide." He made a pointed glance at her, " As I heard... you two are very different."
"I need to rest, now. Maybe I will tell my story later. It is a long one."
"I have patience."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"T-minus five seconds to impact. Putting up shields." The computer droned.
::I hope it didn't just say what I thought it did. Impact? Oh man::
"T-minus three seconds."
"slow down!"
"Negative. Maximum impact efficiency is required. Speed will remain as set."
"OH SHIIIIIT!" The small craft barreled into the larger Jurain vessel with the force of a lightspeed collision. Tenchi slowly opened his eyes.
"I'm alive! I'm really alive!" he stepped slowly out of the craft.
"Not if I can help it, you won't be!" Tenchi had crashed right into the throne room.
"Oh no." The being had activated a saber.
"That's right boy! You've come between Ryoko and myself. I made a vow to her, many years ago, that I would be free someday! Free from that bastard Kagato! And then, I would come back to her, and deliver her from his torment! But I find her with YOU!" he spat "Common filth! You will regret even having met Ryoko!"
"You stole her."
"That's right, bastard! I freed her! You, you and your false love. What could you ever feel for her? A demon? A destroyer of worlds? You could never love her as I do!"
"That's right! I'll never view her as a possession! She is not yours, nor mine, nor anyone's! She belongs to herself, and herself alone! I never told her she could not leave! I didn't imprison her! She loved me of her own free will!"
"You son of a bitch! You could never know! NEVER!" With that, the enraged beast charged him. Tenchi attempted to block and parry the blows, but it was no use. The thing had thousands of years of experience. Blow for blow, the beast wore him back toward the gaping hole. "You came here unprepared to fight for your love! You, how did you ever earn her trust! Infidel! Inferior!" Tenchi let out a bestial growl.
"EARN? FROM WHOM? YOU?" ::Tsunami! Help me now! Please. for Ryoko::
"What? Praying to your maker so soon? You weakling! Fight your own battles, or do you not have the courage?" It charged in again, "What did you expect to gain by coming here? Ryoko? Ha! You never had her! You never loved her! Only her body." His words chilled Tenchi to the bone.
"I love her more deeply than a fiend like you could EVER fathom." This earned him a fresh kick in the jaw.
"Do not speak of what you do not know, earthling!" The thing charged in for the final blow. Tenchi was brought to his knees, and held the sword above his head with all his strength.
"Hold. on. Ryoko." with that, he passed out. The beast deactivated his blade.
"Killing a worm like you is beneath me! Don't try to find us again, or you'll not have the luck of my mercy."
Suddenly, the ship was rocked by a shattering blast.
"I'll not kill you! Your mother in law will! How ironic."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suddenly Washu stepped back from the controls.
"Shit." One by one, the life-form indicators blinked out. Soon, the ship was vacated. Nothing remained, except one single, solitary, blip. ::Tenchi. Get out of there:: suddenly, Washu doubled over in pain. All of the memories that had been resurrected in Ryoko's mind from the return of Reibun hit her at once. ::Oh. shit. Tenchi:: Washu blacked out.
"Firing countdown to missile launch. T-minus 10"
"T-minus 9"
"T-minus 8"
"T-minus 7"
"T-minus 6"
"T-minus 5"
"T-minus 4"
"T-minus 3"
"T-minus 2"
"T-minus 1"
"Rocket launched." A small vidscreen popped up with Washu doing a victory dance on it "Bye bye, bastard"