******
Author's notes:
After a long, long, long time, I've finally given this story another shot. You may not like where I'm taking it, but I want to explore something….a terrible change in the characters. I hope it will become clear as the story progresses just why I'm doing it. As the title suggests, this is the turning point in their lives, a change and a journey albeit dark, that they have to complete.
*******
Chapter 9:
"What do you mean, there's nothing there!" Ayeka fumed and paced back and forth creating a nice path on the plush carpet.
"Just as I said….Ryoko's memory showed me nothing but a section of hull, no Tenchi, thank goodness, and no sword…." Washu put her hands on her hips to confront the princess.
"So we are here for nothing?" Ayeka plopped herself down upon one of the enormous beds in the expensive hotel suite.
"Mmpph! Mmph!" A muffled sound emanated from a covered form on the far bed.
"What's that?" Sasami strolled over to the bed and pulled back the covers. There, a human figure, covered strategically with white bandages, twisted and contorted. "Ryoko? Let me move this for you…" Sasami pulled a section of bandages off of the pirate's mouth. "There!"
"I said," she mumbled. "I said it wasn't for nothing….was it Washu?"
"Sasami! How dare you unplug that mummy!" Ayeka marched over to Ryoko.
"Hey!" The pirate sneered just before the princess snapped the bandage over her mouth again.
"Actually, our little Jaques Cousteau here did bring back some valuable information…." Washu produced her handy laptop and showed the opaque screen and holographic imagery to the girls.
"Ohhh! Like, watch out for sharks?" Smirked the princess.
"No, but that's an important safety tip – Little Ryoko….anyway, I've actually amassed a database of all known debris from the ship that we've investigated and based on our newest findings…"
"Mmphh!"
"Ahem, thanks to Ryoko, of course, we now know that without a doubt, that Tenchi's escape pod, if not destroyed……would have landed on either of the three moons in this system."
"Miss Washu? They are still very big….how, how do we find him?"
"Yes, Washu, how……"
"Ayeka, Sasami….that's all I've got….what brought us here to begin with was a strange energy pattern that seems to envelope the three moons alone. Whatever it is….whoever made it….is keeping me from detecting the gems. I'm certain that if we find the gems and the sword tenchi, the boy would be close by.
"But, but how can we search an entire planet?" Ayeka pleaded.
"Again, I'm working on that." She shut the laptop and it disappeared. "In the meantime….why don't you girls relax a bit." She smiled and was about to elaborate when Mihoshi burst into the room.
"Oh my god! You have to see this hotel's baths!" Clad only in a plush bathrobe, Mihoshi pranced into the room. "They are just amazing….and the gift shop…is out of this world!"
"What are you babbling about?" Ayeka cut her off.
"I mean…I mean…this seems to be a resort of some sorts." She turned to Washu and whispered. "Is it alright for us to have….fun…now?" She honestly pleaded with the red-haired scientist.
"Oh, Mihoshi…..that's just what I'm trying to get Ayeka to do. Ayeka?"
"You people are the worst!" She stomped to the other side of the room next to bandaged Ryoko. "We are on a mission….a mission to find Tenchi. How do you expect me to have fun?" She plopped down on the bed.
"Sister." Sasami sat next to her and put her hand on Ayeka's shoulder. "It's alright to try to live again….Tenchi would want it this way."
"Does Tsunami tell you that?" She glared at the child.
"Ayeka?" Sasami's eyes welled up with tears.
"…Oh….Sasami….I'm so sorry." She realized she awakened the terrible memories of her interrogation of the child. She knew that Sasami really didn't know anything. She hugged her sister.
"It's alright." The child replied.
"It's ok to try to be yourself again, Ayeka." Ryoko removed her bandage and spoke softly from her bed.
"We will find out what happened to Tenchi, Ayeka. But we also need to try to be happy. That's all there is to do." Mihoshi answered.
"Well?" Washu asked.
"You all are right. So right." She sniffed back a tear. "Let's do something."
"Well, I don't know about you…." Ryoko slowly stood up. "But I'm itching to see what kind of night life this place has to offer." She unwrapped the bandages around her face to reveal fresh, undamaged skin. "What say you, Princess?"
"Well, I guess we can see a show….or this planet's equivalent to a movie…."
"Oooooh. There's a night club across the street….." Mihoshi's eyes bobbled.
"Mihoshi….you are a girl after my own heart…..I think I'm going to drink you under the table tonight!" Ryoko tore the bandages from her left arm.
"Wha, wha, what? Alcohol and dancing?" Ayeka looked frightened.
"C'mon, Ayeka….it will be fun, girls night out." The police officer cheered.
"But someone needs to watch Sasami…."
"That will be me…this hotel has amusement rides and arcade games for the tykes…..I think I'll fit right in….don't you Sasami?"
"Hai!" Sasami giggled.
"Oh! I'm so glad I packed my favorite dress! Ayeka, what are you going to wear?" Mihoshi put her hand in her pocket and produced an opaque cube. This Galaxy Police issued device, her control cube, opened a sort of subspace store room for anything she desired. The problem the blonde often had, however, was finding the right combination to extract what she needed.
"If I could just find where my clothes are…." She twisted and turned the sides of the cube. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, objects started falling on the floor. A blow dryer. Some books. Apples. A coat. All objects she had stored in her cube for later use. "I can't find it!"
"Hand it over." Washu held out her palm. Mihoshi gave her the cube and the scientist twisted it until a slinky red dress fell into her hands. "Is this it?"
"Yes! Oh thank you little Washu!" Mihoshi grabbed the dress and dropped her robe to put it on.
"Well the only limit to my wardrobe is my imagination…." Ryoko unwrapped her body and stood naked before them.
"Do you two have any modestly whatsoever?" Ayeka fumed.
"Huh?" Mihoshi responded as she tugged for the zipper in the back of the dress.
"Oh, come off it, Ayeka. Anyway, just what are you going to wear?" As she spoke a yellow spark flew down her body and as it traveled, a dazzling garment appeared. It was golden, the color of her eyes. The top, nothing more than a golden metallic halter, had a plunging neckline and the waist came to a point in the front and was high on the sides. Her pants were low on her waist, revealing much of her hips. She waltzed over to the mirror to admire her handy work.
"How slutty….er appropriate, Ryoko." Ayeka smirked and opened her own wooden suitcase. She removed a white garment. "If you don't mind, I'll change in Mihoshi's room." She opened the door that adjoined the suites and exited.
"Wow, Ryoko….is that real gold?" Mihoshi examined the fabric of Ryoko's outfit.
"I don't know…what's gold?" She looked puzzled as Ayeka came back into the room wearing a luminous dress of white.
"Ayeka. That's lovely." Sasami uttered.
"Well, I guess we are all ready." Ayeka demurely strolled over to the mirror to admire her attire. She was wearing a white lace tee with cap sleeves. It was lined with nude fabric so as to just give the illusion of something racy, but true to her character, very tasteful. The matching skirt lay just above her knees with a tiny slit in the front. She was utterly luminous.
"Watch out for the males!" Washu laughed and handed Ayeka a small pouch of money.
"Hey! Why does Ayeka get to hold the money?" Ryoko fumed.
"You really need to ask….little Ryoko?"
"Well…"
"Come on, it's getting late….I want to see if they have karaoke!" Mihoshi pulled Ayeka out of the room as Ryoko smiled and followed.
"Do you think they will be alright?" Sasami looked concerned.
"Yeah, consider it self medication….it's been a rough six months, Sasami." Washu sighed. "Wanna see if this place has a rollercoaster?"
"Yeah! Come on Ryo-Ohki!"
The cabbit poked her head out from under Ryoko's covers and hopped onto the child's head as Sasami and Ryoko exited the room.
***
"You will find two guards outside Edo's compound. Once inside, the master's room is on the south wing beyond the courtyard. He will have it with him. Do you understand?"
"Hai," Tak answered his master as their hovercraft silently came to a halt outside Edo's gates. He was not nervous. He knew what he needed to do and he came prepared to handle this dangerous weapon he was ordered to steal. With a sudden leap, he threw his body out of the craft and he gazed for a moment upon the clear midnight sky at the blue moon/planet above.
"You will have to make it to the sand trees alone….we will wait for you there. Do you understand?"
"Yes Gento."
"Oh, and one last thing….I have already reported you have run away. The sentries will be looking for you on the western end of the city. If you are caught I will disavow any participation in this, so don't get any ideas about running off for real." He turned to face the driver. "Get the sword and return to the trees and I will cancel the alert for your arrest. Am I clear."
"Clear as this night's sky…"Tak ground his teeth in hate for the old man. He promised right then, under the bright moon Celeste that he would make Gento pay, make him beg for mercy…one day. Tak adjusted the black cowl over his head. Gento outfitted him in an outfit of pure black so the night would conceal his theft. The only color emanating from his form was the mask. In a flash, the young warrior darted off down the wall and toward the entry and the two guards. Gento's craft sped away.
***
"Here's to the men that we love!" Mihoshi waived a glass containing a glowing blue liquid.
"Here' to the men that we lust!" "The words fell from Ryoko's lips like a low growl from a caged animal. She waived not a small glass of blue liquor, but the whole bottle.
"And if the men that we love aren't the men that we lust….."
"Then to hell with the men…here's to us!" Ryoko clashed her bottle in toast against Mihoshi's glass.
"Savages." Ayeka screamed over the loud thumping of the club's music just so her companions could hear her.
"Lighten up, Princess…..hey barkeep!" She smacked some money down on the bar. "Give my purple haired friend here a double of this blue stuff." The muscled man complied and handed the princess a hefty glass of liquor.
"Come on, Ayeka….try it…it's good!" Mihoshi downed hers.
"Ayeka! Ayeka! Ayeka!" Ryoko chanted, urging her on.
"Well," she sighed as he delicately raised the glass to her lips, "when in Rome…." She took a sip and instantly enjoyed the fruity taste and the cool feel of the liquid as it slid down her throat. "My….this is good." The people dancing, the room thumping with music suddenly appealed to her. Her head began to swim and images of happiness overcame her.
"It packs quite a punch too," stated a man standing next to her.
"Huh?" Ayeka took another sip as Ryoko and Mihoshi peered at the stranger at the bar.
"I said, it is quite potent….I'd be careful, they almost outlawed Blue Devils on Celeste, you know." He took out what appeared to be a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. "Do you ladies have a light?" Ryoko answered him by shooting a tiny speck of orange energy at his face, igniting his cigarette but leaving the whole thing a black cinder against his ivory skin. "Well," He spat the ruined cigarette out, "not exactly what I had in mind, but thanks."
"No one invited you into our conversation." Ryoko fumed.
"Ok, I get the point….sorry." He turned from them.
"Ryoko, you animal, don't be so rude!" Ayeka turned to him. "I apologize for her behavior."
"Hey, stuff like that makes life interesting, don't you agree….." He turned to her.
"Ayeka, my name is Ayeka." She smiled.
"He's trying to pick you up Ayeka!' Ryoko teased. "Come on, Mihoshi, let's dance!" The pirate grabbed the blonde and drug her out onto the dance floor leaving Ayeka at the bar.
"She is definitely a strange one." He chuckled. "By the way, my name is Amatsu Mikaboshi."
"That is an odd name….August Star of Heaven." Ayeka pondered its Japanese translation and tried to remember some earth mythology she knew existed that seemed relevant to that name. She couldn't remember. "Oh, well," she thought. "It is nice to meet you." She smiled and took another sip of her drink, the effects of the narcotic within the liquor pulsed through her veins making her suddenly giddy. She regarded this stranger with pale skin and luminous blue eyes. His light brown hair was long and pulled back by a leather cord, but not without leaving errant strands falling into his deep eyes. He wore a dark blue jacket with matching pants. She smiled at him as he pulled another cigarette from his pocket.
"You don't mind?" he winked as he rifled through his coat for a match.
"Uh, no…" She fidgeted.
"So," He lit his cigarette, "What's a normal person like you doing in a dive like this….geesh, that sounding so phoney." He laughed.
"Normal," she thought, "If he only knew." Ayeka smiled again. "Well, we are on vacation, of sorts. And you?"
"Business. Its always business." He returned her smile and watched her down her drink. "Would you like another?"
"Yes, it was delicious."
"Bartender, two of the same, please." He gave the man some money and handed Ayeka her drink. "A toast, to meeting someone new." He clinked his glass to hers as she blushed.
***
Tak hid in a bush just beyond the line of sight of the two guards. From within the folds of his black tunic, he withdrew a small dagger, the only weapon he could conceal. "Now or never." He thought as he leapt upon the guards. The boy kicked one man to the ground and he spun midair and slashed the throat of the second, the man clutching his throat as blood flowed through his fingers. Tak turned to the first guard as he rushed to his friend's aid, his silver dagger imbedding in his hip, instantly severing a main artery. The second man fell to the ground. The warrior sheathed his bloodied weapon and quietly stole his way down the courtyard. The two guards were slain in a matter of seconds.
"I have to find Edo's chambers." He thought as he caught sight of an open doorway. Wispy white fabric billowed out of the entry so that he had to brush it aside to enter. The room inside was decorated with such opulence Tak had never seen before. Gold encrusted every carving and rich fabrics draped every piece of furniture. He overcame the stunning affect the room caused and he began to pilfer through things in an attempt to find the ornate box which held the sword. He didn't hear the quiet footsteps behind him.
"Thief!" A female voice rang out as a heavy object struck his head. Tak turned around, stunned but unharmed. He drew his dagger.
"Step aside!" His eyes came to rest upon the angry form before him. It was a girl, about his age. She was definitely Thean, with her pale gray skin and purple eyes, she was also terribly beautiful. This would be difficult.
"Did you come for my father?" She raised the heavy metal candle stick over her shoulders for another strike. She lunged at him, he dodged out of her way but not without grasping her arm and wrenching the weapon from it. "Ow!" She yelled.
"Be quiet!" He twisted her arm behind her back and forced her down on the bed. Tak didn't relish killing a girl, but she could also be a witness to his entry. He was thankful that the dark hood covered his mask as he tried to decide what to do.
"Kill me. Get it over with!" She struggled against his weight as he held her tightly.
"Bad timing." He whispered to her as she struggled beneath him. "Something familiar about this, something arousing," he thought as a singular memory flashed through his head, this time it was someone holding his body down on a bed. This memory, a brief but crystal clear one of a woman, a lovely blue haired woman sitting on his chest, holding him down and trying to get a sword from his hands…..a sword? The sword, the very same sword he came to steal. "What was going on?" He thought.
"I said kill me!" She kicked her right leg back, hitting him squarely in the balls. The brief twang of pain ended the memory grew into a wave of torture as all he could do was to continue to hold her down.
Whack!
He took the hilt of his dagger and in one swift thrust, struck her across the back of her head, knocking her out cold. Tak stood up from the bed and grasped his injuries. After he felt he could walk without aid, he knelt to the woman and felt her pulse. She hadn't gotten a good look at him, so there was no point in killing her. He obviously was in the wrong room, though. The boy jolted out the door to find Lord Edo
***
Ryoko was out of her mind. "Those Blue Devils sure are potent." She thought as wisps of imaginary lights and swirls floated before her and through Mihoshi who wiggled and danced to the thumping rhythm of the techno music. "It must be…something…more than alcohol." She kept up the pace with her dance partner as she noticed her visions throbbed with the music. "This is cool." She hoped Ayeka wouldn't drink anymore, the thought of carrying her back to the room made her groan. Then, there was Mihoshi. The blonde seemed to have an inextinguishable supply of energy despite drinking as much as the pirate.
"This is so much fun!" Mihoshi giggled as she thumped her hip against Ryoko's. "I wish we all would have gone out dancing back on Earth."
"Tenchi wouldn't have lasted two seconds in a place like this…" Ryoko caught herself off guard at mentioning his name. No, he would not have fit in at all, he would have probably moped with a stunned look on his face like a deer caught in a car's headlights. She smiled. It would be just like him to be nervous around so many women…and alcohol. Pure torture. Then she remembered everything and decided not to think about him for once.
"What?" Mihoshi yelled, not quite hearing Ryoko through the loud music.
"Nothing!"
***
Four guards patrolled the hall outside Edo's room. Only four. He steadied his bloodied weapon and slowly crept closer. He had to separate them. Passing an ornately carved display table, Tak grabbed a golden paperweight and tossed it down the hall.
"What was that?" A man asked stepping forward to pick up the object.
"How did that get here?" His companion asked.
With the skill of an assassin, the boy stepped from around the corner. His dagger fining its mark in the chest of the first guard. The man fell to the floor with a thud as a growing pool of blood formed beneath his body.
***
"Amatsu?"
"Yes?"
"Would you like to dance?" Ayeka averted her eyes as the slow song started.
"I would be honored." He extended his hand to her and she accepted it. The two left the bar side and passed exhausted and sweating Mihoshi and Ryoko.
"Hey! I told you he was trying to pick you up!" Ryoko cackled as she plopped down on the barstool. Ayeka countered with a look of murder toward the pirate as Amatsu led her to the dancefloor.
***
"Ahhhh!" The fourth guard let lose a guttural moan as a dagger was removed from his stomach.
"Now, Edo." Tak wiped the blood from his dagger onto his sleeve and then he grasped the golden door knob. His heart raced and adrenaline pumped through his veins. So many murdered this night at his hands and Edo could not escape him now that he was in this state. He turned the knob and slowly opened the door. Before him, he gazed upon another opulent room. The boy stepped carefully inside. Darkness. Not a sound.
"Do you think me a fool."
"Huh?" That voice. He was expected.
"You just waltz in here killing my guards…not very mannered." From out of the shadows, the stout form of Lord Edo appeared. He held the ornate box Tak knew contained the sword. "Mek!"
From around the corner a slender figure appeared. Dressed in black, this man approached carrying a golden sword. Tak recognized him as Edo's strong arm.
"You should not have come here." Mek's voice cackled like the hiss of a thousand snakes. He lunged at Tak who could only defend himself with the small dagger.
***
Ayeka held his warm hand in hers as they danced to a slow but foreign song. Suddenly, he pulled her closer, her head now on his chest and her arms around his neck. She could smell the piquant and subtly floral odor of his cologne, a scent that did, in face, remind her of the woody forest in August-part of his namesake. "What would Tenchi think?" She hushed that thought right out of her head. Tenchi was not here. Besides, it was only a dance with a stranger, nothing more.
***
The two warriors fought in the dark under Edo's supervision. Tak was not making any ground with his tiny dagger. His opponent slashed at the boy's right side, causing him to dash to the other side. Tak took this opportunity to leap into the air, landing squarely behind Mek. He grasped the fighter from behind, wedging the man's head in the crook of his left arm as he readied his dagger in his right. Tak smiled as he prepared his strike.
Wack!
"Knock me out, will you." Edo's daughter lowered a much bigger brass candlestick as Tak fell to the floor unconscious.
***
"He's making me nervous."
"He seems nice….let her have some fun while she can, Ryoko."
"I don't know…something about him….I'm always right about my gut feelings." She knocked her head back and slammed down a shot.
"Well, we will probably be leaving this planet soon, I guess if we both watch him, it can't hurt to let her have some fun with him…." Mihoshi slammed back her own drink.
"Mihoshi, you've drank enough to kill an elephant, where do you put it?" Ryoko was amazed.
"I don't know what you mean?" The blond blinked.
***
"Wake up murderer!" A powerful slap across his face delivered from Edo's beautiful daughter woke Tak up with a start.
"You are Gento's Krta are you not?" Edo hovered next to him.
"Does it matter?" Tak answered. He was now aware that he was restrained in a chair, his arms and legs held securely by think ropes.
"Well, I'm two clicks away from calling the sentries. But, I thought it would be more fun to send a message to my dear friend, Gento. Do you want to hear it?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Ha!" Edo laughed as he opened the box he held. Tak caught a glimpse of two brilliant red jewels of that ancient blade as it rest within the velvet lining. "Mek, I open his hand."
"What?" Tak suddenly became aware of his fate. He knew what would happen if he touched the sword.
"First it will be your right hand, then your left." Edo produced a similar scrap of the same sand plant material Tak had stolen from the cook and he used it to shield his hand as he picked up the sword. Mek pried the boy's fingers open to accept the sword. "Do you know what happens if you don't let go?" He smiled as he held the hilt before him. "Your hand will explode. And if you are still alive when this is over, I think I'll let my daughter, Lexi be the one to finish you off." He lowered the sword to Tak's hand which Mek kept forced open.
"No, don't!' the boy protested, but to no avail. In a matter of seconds, he felt the warm wood of the sword in his hand as Mek forced him to hold it.
***
"Ayeka, would you care to join me on a walk on the beach?" Amatasu asked as the music died down and returned to the thumping beat of techno.
"Well, I don't know…." She hoped her nervousness didn't show.
"Please? The moons are full, would you care to share them with me?"
"But, my friends?" She was unsure of it all. This man, this handsome man was nothing but a gentleman, but he was a stranger.
"If you follow me, I'm sure we could dodge them for a few minutes." He tugged at her hand and led her to the other side of the dance floor toward the exit.
This was not what Ayeka had in mind. However, her head swam with visions and lights caused by whatever drug was in her drink and she could not think clearly. Before she knew it, she was outside, her body enjoying the cool breeze and her shoes sinking in the sand.
"Wow, this is beautiful." She whispered as she took off her shoes so she could walk better in the sand.
"It truly is." Amatasu held her hand as they strolled down the beach.
Back in the club, Ryoko and Mihoshi battled over a pile of empty liquor bottles. Ryoko slammed down her last drink and eyeballed the blond to ascertain just how her body reacted to this much alcohol.
"That was good!" Mihoshi smiled as her cheeks turned red. She obviously could keep up with the pirate's drinking.
"I can't believe you! No one can keep up with me, no one!" She tossed the empty glass from her hand and for the first time she noticed that Ayeka and her suitor were missing.
"Mihoshi? They gave us the slip." She stood up from the barstool, immediately swaying as the effects of the alcohol finally seized her body. "Oh my."
"Ryoko, are you alright?" Mihoshi stood and steadied the pirate with her arms.
"Fine, fine," Her stomach churned and her head spun. "We need to make sure Ayeka is ok, let's go!" She drug Mihoshi from the bar and out the exit door onto the beach.
"Ayeka, you are a vision of beauty." He cooed as he turned her to him. Before she could react, before she could protest, he kissed her.
Ayeka never felt a kiss like this. His lips met hers in warm ecstasy and before she knew it, she felt his tongue attempt to enter her mouth. That was too much. She pulled away from him.
"I think…I think we should head back."
"Why?" He pulled her close again and moved in to resume the kiss.
"Amatasu….stop." She tore away from him, hoping his passion had subsided and he would walk her back. He would not let her go.
"I don't think you want me to let you go, do you Ayeka?"
"I most certainly do!" She reached up and scratched his face, causing him to release her. She could no longer contain her anger. Her key glowed brightly as her powers, her many wooden cylinders appeared to keep this Cassanova at bay.
"What?" He was thrown to the ground.
"I think I should teach you some manners!" Her ruby eyes glowed like coals as she began to power up to finish him.
"Ayeka! Wait!" Mihoshi came barreling down the beach as Ryoko floated beside her.
"Don't kill him, he's not worth it." Mihoshi tried to calm the princess down. "Look, you've both had too much to drink, let Ryoko and I take you home…." She wrapped her arm around Ayeka.
"Oh, Mihoshi." Ayeka relented and her tiara stopped glowing and her wooden cylinders disappeared. She leaned on the police officer and let her lead her away from this upsetting scene.
"You would have had fun!" Amatasu sneered as he stood and wiped the blood from the cut on his face.
"Mihoshi, take the princess home, I think I'll have my own fun with this creep." Ryoko's eye's glared with evil intent as she slowly strolled up to the man.
"Ryoko?"
"Don't worry, Mihoshi, go, I'll catch up with you later."
"Alright, just be back soon." Mihoshi supported Ayeka as the two returned to the hotel.
"Now, you have something I want." She cornered Amatasu as he smiled.
"Perhaps I chose the wrong woman to dance with tonight." He snickered as Ryoko leapt upon him, sending both of their bodies to the sand. Ryoko landing on top of him, holding him down. With her right hand she ripped his shirt open, causing buttons to fly across the sand.
"You still want to have fun?" She growled and leaned in to kiss him roughly.
"Have you ever seen the devil?" he smiled and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her to him.
"You are looking at her." She replied and then everything went black
Author's notes:
After a long, long, long time, I've finally given this story another shot. You may not like where I'm taking it, but I want to explore something….a terrible change in the characters. I hope it will become clear as the story progresses just why I'm doing it. As the title suggests, this is the turning point in their lives, a change and a journey albeit dark, that they have to complete.
*******
Chapter 9:
"What do you mean, there's nothing there!" Ayeka fumed and paced back and forth creating a nice path on the plush carpet.
"Just as I said….Ryoko's memory showed me nothing but a section of hull, no Tenchi, thank goodness, and no sword…." Washu put her hands on her hips to confront the princess.
"So we are here for nothing?" Ayeka plopped herself down upon one of the enormous beds in the expensive hotel suite.
"Mmpph! Mmph!" A muffled sound emanated from a covered form on the far bed.
"What's that?" Sasami strolled over to the bed and pulled back the covers. There, a human figure, covered strategically with white bandages, twisted and contorted. "Ryoko? Let me move this for you…" Sasami pulled a section of bandages off of the pirate's mouth. "There!"
"I said," she mumbled. "I said it wasn't for nothing….was it Washu?"
"Sasami! How dare you unplug that mummy!" Ayeka marched over to Ryoko.
"Hey!" The pirate sneered just before the princess snapped the bandage over her mouth again.
"Actually, our little Jaques Cousteau here did bring back some valuable information…." Washu produced her handy laptop and showed the opaque screen and holographic imagery to the girls.
"Ohhh! Like, watch out for sharks?" Smirked the princess.
"No, but that's an important safety tip – Little Ryoko….anyway, I've actually amassed a database of all known debris from the ship that we've investigated and based on our newest findings…"
"Mmphh!"
"Ahem, thanks to Ryoko, of course, we now know that without a doubt, that Tenchi's escape pod, if not destroyed……would have landed on either of the three moons in this system."
"Miss Washu? They are still very big….how, how do we find him?"
"Yes, Washu, how……"
"Ayeka, Sasami….that's all I've got….what brought us here to begin with was a strange energy pattern that seems to envelope the three moons alone. Whatever it is….whoever made it….is keeping me from detecting the gems. I'm certain that if we find the gems and the sword tenchi, the boy would be close by.
"But, but how can we search an entire planet?" Ayeka pleaded.
"Again, I'm working on that." She shut the laptop and it disappeared. "In the meantime….why don't you girls relax a bit." She smiled and was about to elaborate when Mihoshi burst into the room.
"Oh my god! You have to see this hotel's baths!" Clad only in a plush bathrobe, Mihoshi pranced into the room. "They are just amazing….and the gift shop…is out of this world!"
"What are you babbling about?" Ayeka cut her off.
"I mean…I mean…this seems to be a resort of some sorts." She turned to Washu and whispered. "Is it alright for us to have….fun…now?" She honestly pleaded with the red-haired scientist.
"Oh, Mihoshi…..that's just what I'm trying to get Ayeka to do. Ayeka?"
"You people are the worst!" She stomped to the other side of the room next to bandaged Ryoko. "We are on a mission….a mission to find Tenchi. How do you expect me to have fun?" She plopped down on the bed.
"Sister." Sasami sat next to her and put her hand on Ayeka's shoulder. "It's alright to try to live again….Tenchi would want it this way."
"Does Tsunami tell you that?" She glared at the child.
"Ayeka?" Sasami's eyes welled up with tears.
"…Oh….Sasami….I'm so sorry." She realized she awakened the terrible memories of her interrogation of the child. She knew that Sasami really didn't know anything. She hugged her sister.
"It's alright." The child replied.
"It's ok to try to be yourself again, Ayeka." Ryoko removed her bandage and spoke softly from her bed.
"We will find out what happened to Tenchi, Ayeka. But we also need to try to be happy. That's all there is to do." Mihoshi answered.
"Well?" Washu asked.
"You all are right. So right." She sniffed back a tear. "Let's do something."
"Well, I don't know about you…." Ryoko slowly stood up. "But I'm itching to see what kind of night life this place has to offer." She unwrapped the bandages around her face to reveal fresh, undamaged skin. "What say you, Princess?"
"Well, I guess we can see a show….or this planet's equivalent to a movie…."
"Oooooh. There's a night club across the street….." Mihoshi's eyes bobbled.
"Mihoshi….you are a girl after my own heart…..I think I'm going to drink you under the table tonight!" Ryoko tore the bandages from her left arm.
"Wha, wha, what? Alcohol and dancing?" Ayeka looked frightened.
"C'mon, Ayeka….it will be fun, girls night out." The police officer cheered.
"But someone needs to watch Sasami…."
"That will be me…this hotel has amusement rides and arcade games for the tykes…..I think I'll fit right in….don't you Sasami?"
"Hai!" Sasami giggled.
"Oh! I'm so glad I packed my favorite dress! Ayeka, what are you going to wear?" Mihoshi put her hand in her pocket and produced an opaque cube. This Galaxy Police issued device, her control cube, opened a sort of subspace store room for anything she desired. The problem the blonde often had, however, was finding the right combination to extract what she needed.
"If I could just find where my clothes are…." She twisted and turned the sides of the cube. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, objects started falling on the floor. A blow dryer. Some books. Apples. A coat. All objects she had stored in her cube for later use. "I can't find it!"
"Hand it over." Washu held out her palm. Mihoshi gave her the cube and the scientist twisted it until a slinky red dress fell into her hands. "Is this it?"
"Yes! Oh thank you little Washu!" Mihoshi grabbed the dress and dropped her robe to put it on.
"Well the only limit to my wardrobe is my imagination…." Ryoko unwrapped her body and stood naked before them.
"Do you two have any modestly whatsoever?" Ayeka fumed.
"Huh?" Mihoshi responded as she tugged for the zipper in the back of the dress.
"Oh, come off it, Ayeka. Anyway, just what are you going to wear?" As she spoke a yellow spark flew down her body and as it traveled, a dazzling garment appeared. It was golden, the color of her eyes. The top, nothing more than a golden metallic halter, had a plunging neckline and the waist came to a point in the front and was high on the sides. Her pants were low on her waist, revealing much of her hips. She waltzed over to the mirror to admire her handy work.
"How slutty….er appropriate, Ryoko." Ayeka smirked and opened her own wooden suitcase. She removed a white garment. "If you don't mind, I'll change in Mihoshi's room." She opened the door that adjoined the suites and exited.
"Wow, Ryoko….is that real gold?" Mihoshi examined the fabric of Ryoko's outfit.
"I don't know…what's gold?" She looked puzzled as Ayeka came back into the room wearing a luminous dress of white.
"Ayeka. That's lovely." Sasami uttered.
"Well, I guess we are all ready." Ayeka demurely strolled over to the mirror to admire her attire. She was wearing a white lace tee with cap sleeves. It was lined with nude fabric so as to just give the illusion of something racy, but true to her character, very tasteful. The matching skirt lay just above her knees with a tiny slit in the front. She was utterly luminous.
"Watch out for the males!" Washu laughed and handed Ayeka a small pouch of money.
"Hey! Why does Ayeka get to hold the money?" Ryoko fumed.
"You really need to ask….little Ryoko?"
"Well…"
"Come on, it's getting late….I want to see if they have karaoke!" Mihoshi pulled Ayeka out of the room as Ryoko smiled and followed.
"Do you think they will be alright?" Sasami looked concerned.
"Yeah, consider it self medication….it's been a rough six months, Sasami." Washu sighed. "Wanna see if this place has a rollercoaster?"
"Yeah! Come on Ryo-Ohki!"
The cabbit poked her head out from under Ryoko's covers and hopped onto the child's head as Sasami and Ryoko exited the room.
***
"You will find two guards outside Edo's compound. Once inside, the master's room is on the south wing beyond the courtyard. He will have it with him. Do you understand?"
"Hai," Tak answered his master as their hovercraft silently came to a halt outside Edo's gates. He was not nervous. He knew what he needed to do and he came prepared to handle this dangerous weapon he was ordered to steal. With a sudden leap, he threw his body out of the craft and he gazed for a moment upon the clear midnight sky at the blue moon/planet above.
"You will have to make it to the sand trees alone….we will wait for you there. Do you understand?"
"Yes Gento."
"Oh, and one last thing….I have already reported you have run away. The sentries will be looking for you on the western end of the city. If you are caught I will disavow any participation in this, so don't get any ideas about running off for real." He turned to face the driver. "Get the sword and return to the trees and I will cancel the alert for your arrest. Am I clear."
"Clear as this night's sky…"Tak ground his teeth in hate for the old man. He promised right then, under the bright moon Celeste that he would make Gento pay, make him beg for mercy…one day. Tak adjusted the black cowl over his head. Gento outfitted him in an outfit of pure black so the night would conceal his theft. The only color emanating from his form was the mask. In a flash, the young warrior darted off down the wall and toward the entry and the two guards. Gento's craft sped away.
***
"Here's to the men that we love!" Mihoshi waived a glass containing a glowing blue liquid.
"Here' to the men that we lust!" "The words fell from Ryoko's lips like a low growl from a caged animal. She waived not a small glass of blue liquor, but the whole bottle.
"And if the men that we love aren't the men that we lust….."
"Then to hell with the men…here's to us!" Ryoko clashed her bottle in toast against Mihoshi's glass.
"Savages." Ayeka screamed over the loud thumping of the club's music just so her companions could hear her.
"Lighten up, Princess…..hey barkeep!" She smacked some money down on the bar. "Give my purple haired friend here a double of this blue stuff." The muscled man complied and handed the princess a hefty glass of liquor.
"Come on, Ayeka….try it…it's good!" Mihoshi downed hers.
"Ayeka! Ayeka! Ayeka!" Ryoko chanted, urging her on.
"Well," she sighed as he delicately raised the glass to her lips, "when in Rome…." She took a sip and instantly enjoyed the fruity taste and the cool feel of the liquid as it slid down her throat. "My….this is good." The people dancing, the room thumping with music suddenly appealed to her. Her head began to swim and images of happiness overcame her.
"It packs quite a punch too," stated a man standing next to her.
"Huh?" Ayeka took another sip as Ryoko and Mihoshi peered at the stranger at the bar.
"I said, it is quite potent….I'd be careful, they almost outlawed Blue Devils on Celeste, you know." He took out what appeared to be a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. "Do you ladies have a light?" Ryoko answered him by shooting a tiny speck of orange energy at his face, igniting his cigarette but leaving the whole thing a black cinder against his ivory skin. "Well," He spat the ruined cigarette out, "not exactly what I had in mind, but thanks."
"No one invited you into our conversation." Ryoko fumed.
"Ok, I get the point….sorry." He turned from them.
"Ryoko, you animal, don't be so rude!" Ayeka turned to him. "I apologize for her behavior."
"Hey, stuff like that makes life interesting, don't you agree….." He turned to her.
"Ayeka, my name is Ayeka." She smiled.
"He's trying to pick you up Ayeka!' Ryoko teased. "Come on, Mihoshi, let's dance!" The pirate grabbed the blonde and drug her out onto the dance floor leaving Ayeka at the bar.
"She is definitely a strange one." He chuckled. "By the way, my name is Amatsu Mikaboshi."
"That is an odd name….August Star of Heaven." Ayeka pondered its Japanese translation and tried to remember some earth mythology she knew existed that seemed relevant to that name. She couldn't remember. "Oh, well," she thought. "It is nice to meet you." She smiled and took another sip of her drink, the effects of the narcotic within the liquor pulsed through her veins making her suddenly giddy. She regarded this stranger with pale skin and luminous blue eyes. His light brown hair was long and pulled back by a leather cord, but not without leaving errant strands falling into his deep eyes. He wore a dark blue jacket with matching pants. She smiled at him as he pulled another cigarette from his pocket.
"You don't mind?" he winked as he rifled through his coat for a match.
"Uh, no…" She fidgeted.
"So," He lit his cigarette, "What's a normal person like you doing in a dive like this….geesh, that sounding so phoney." He laughed.
"Normal," she thought, "If he only knew." Ayeka smiled again. "Well, we are on vacation, of sorts. And you?"
"Business. Its always business." He returned her smile and watched her down her drink. "Would you like another?"
"Yes, it was delicious."
"Bartender, two of the same, please." He gave the man some money and handed Ayeka her drink. "A toast, to meeting someone new." He clinked his glass to hers as she blushed.
***
Tak hid in a bush just beyond the line of sight of the two guards. From within the folds of his black tunic, he withdrew a small dagger, the only weapon he could conceal. "Now or never." He thought as he leapt upon the guards. The boy kicked one man to the ground and he spun midair and slashed the throat of the second, the man clutching his throat as blood flowed through his fingers. Tak turned to the first guard as he rushed to his friend's aid, his silver dagger imbedding in his hip, instantly severing a main artery. The second man fell to the ground. The warrior sheathed his bloodied weapon and quietly stole his way down the courtyard. The two guards were slain in a matter of seconds.
"I have to find Edo's chambers." He thought as he caught sight of an open doorway. Wispy white fabric billowed out of the entry so that he had to brush it aside to enter. The room inside was decorated with such opulence Tak had never seen before. Gold encrusted every carving and rich fabrics draped every piece of furniture. He overcame the stunning affect the room caused and he began to pilfer through things in an attempt to find the ornate box which held the sword. He didn't hear the quiet footsteps behind him.
"Thief!" A female voice rang out as a heavy object struck his head. Tak turned around, stunned but unharmed. He drew his dagger.
"Step aside!" His eyes came to rest upon the angry form before him. It was a girl, about his age. She was definitely Thean, with her pale gray skin and purple eyes, she was also terribly beautiful. This would be difficult.
"Did you come for my father?" She raised the heavy metal candle stick over her shoulders for another strike. She lunged at him, he dodged out of her way but not without grasping her arm and wrenching the weapon from it. "Ow!" She yelled.
"Be quiet!" He twisted her arm behind her back and forced her down on the bed. Tak didn't relish killing a girl, but she could also be a witness to his entry. He was thankful that the dark hood covered his mask as he tried to decide what to do.
"Kill me. Get it over with!" She struggled against his weight as he held her tightly.
"Bad timing." He whispered to her as she struggled beneath him. "Something familiar about this, something arousing," he thought as a singular memory flashed through his head, this time it was someone holding his body down on a bed. This memory, a brief but crystal clear one of a woman, a lovely blue haired woman sitting on his chest, holding him down and trying to get a sword from his hands…..a sword? The sword, the very same sword he came to steal. "What was going on?" He thought.
"I said kill me!" She kicked her right leg back, hitting him squarely in the balls. The brief twang of pain ended the memory grew into a wave of torture as all he could do was to continue to hold her down.
Whack!
He took the hilt of his dagger and in one swift thrust, struck her across the back of her head, knocking her out cold. Tak stood up from the bed and grasped his injuries. After he felt he could walk without aid, he knelt to the woman and felt her pulse. She hadn't gotten a good look at him, so there was no point in killing her. He obviously was in the wrong room, though. The boy jolted out the door to find Lord Edo
***
Ryoko was out of her mind. "Those Blue Devils sure are potent." She thought as wisps of imaginary lights and swirls floated before her and through Mihoshi who wiggled and danced to the thumping rhythm of the techno music. "It must be…something…more than alcohol." She kept up the pace with her dance partner as she noticed her visions throbbed with the music. "This is cool." She hoped Ayeka wouldn't drink anymore, the thought of carrying her back to the room made her groan. Then, there was Mihoshi. The blonde seemed to have an inextinguishable supply of energy despite drinking as much as the pirate.
"This is so much fun!" Mihoshi giggled as she thumped her hip against Ryoko's. "I wish we all would have gone out dancing back on Earth."
"Tenchi wouldn't have lasted two seconds in a place like this…" Ryoko caught herself off guard at mentioning his name. No, he would not have fit in at all, he would have probably moped with a stunned look on his face like a deer caught in a car's headlights. She smiled. It would be just like him to be nervous around so many women…and alcohol. Pure torture. Then she remembered everything and decided not to think about him for once.
"What?" Mihoshi yelled, not quite hearing Ryoko through the loud music.
"Nothing!"
***
Four guards patrolled the hall outside Edo's room. Only four. He steadied his bloodied weapon and slowly crept closer. He had to separate them. Passing an ornately carved display table, Tak grabbed a golden paperweight and tossed it down the hall.
"What was that?" A man asked stepping forward to pick up the object.
"How did that get here?" His companion asked.
With the skill of an assassin, the boy stepped from around the corner. His dagger fining its mark in the chest of the first guard. The man fell to the floor with a thud as a growing pool of blood formed beneath his body.
***
"Amatsu?"
"Yes?"
"Would you like to dance?" Ayeka averted her eyes as the slow song started.
"I would be honored." He extended his hand to her and she accepted it. The two left the bar side and passed exhausted and sweating Mihoshi and Ryoko.
"Hey! I told you he was trying to pick you up!" Ryoko cackled as she plopped down on the barstool. Ayeka countered with a look of murder toward the pirate as Amatsu led her to the dancefloor.
***
"Ahhhh!" The fourth guard let lose a guttural moan as a dagger was removed from his stomach.
"Now, Edo." Tak wiped the blood from his dagger onto his sleeve and then he grasped the golden door knob. His heart raced and adrenaline pumped through his veins. So many murdered this night at his hands and Edo could not escape him now that he was in this state. He turned the knob and slowly opened the door. Before him, he gazed upon another opulent room. The boy stepped carefully inside. Darkness. Not a sound.
"Do you think me a fool."
"Huh?" That voice. He was expected.
"You just waltz in here killing my guards…not very mannered." From out of the shadows, the stout form of Lord Edo appeared. He held the ornate box Tak knew contained the sword. "Mek!"
From around the corner a slender figure appeared. Dressed in black, this man approached carrying a golden sword. Tak recognized him as Edo's strong arm.
"You should not have come here." Mek's voice cackled like the hiss of a thousand snakes. He lunged at Tak who could only defend himself with the small dagger.
***
Ayeka held his warm hand in hers as they danced to a slow but foreign song. Suddenly, he pulled her closer, her head now on his chest and her arms around his neck. She could smell the piquant and subtly floral odor of his cologne, a scent that did, in face, remind her of the woody forest in August-part of his namesake. "What would Tenchi think?" She hushed that thought right out of her head. Tenchi was not here. Besides, it was only a dance with a stranger, nothing more.
***
The two warriors fought in the dark under Edo's supervision. Tak was not making any ground with his tiny dagger. His opponent slashed at the boy's right side, causing him to dash to the other side. Tak took this opportunity to leap into the air, landing squarely behind Mek. He grasped the fighter from behind, wedging the man's head in the crook of his left arm as he readied his dagger in his right. Tak smiled as he prepared his strike.
Wack!
"Knock me out, will you." Edo's daughter lowered a much bigger brass candlestick as Tak fell to the floor unconscious.
***
"He's making me nervous."
"He seems nice….let her have some fun while she can, Ryoko."
"I don't know…something about him….I'm always right about my gut feelings." She knocked her head back and slammed down a shot.
"Well, we will probably be leaving this planet soon, I guess if we both watch him, it can't hurt to let her have some fun with him…." Mihoshi slammed back her own drink.
"Mihoshi, you've drank enough to kill an elephant, where do you put it?" Ryoko was amazed.
"I don't know what you mean?" The blond blinked.
***
"Wake up murderer!" A powerful slap across his face delivered from Edo's beautiful daughter woke Tak up with a start.
"You are Gento's Krta are you not?" Edo hovered next to him.
"Does it matter?" Tak answered. He was now aware that he was restrained in a chair, his arms and legs held securely by think ropes.
"Well, I'm two clicks away from calling the sentries. But, I thought it would be more fun to send a message to my dear friend, Gento. Do you want to hear it?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Ha!" Edo laughed as he opened the box he held. Tak caught a glimpse of two brilliant red jewels of that ancient blade as it rest within the velvet lining. "Mek, I open his hand."
"What?" Tak suddenly became aware of his fate. He knew what would happen if he touched the sword.
"First it will be your right hand, then your left." Edo produced a similar scrap of the same sand plant material Tak had stolen from the cook and he used it to shield his hand as he picked up the sword. Mek pried the boy's fingers open to accept the sword. "Do you know what happens if you don't let go?" He smiled as he held the hilt before him. "Your hand will explode. And if you are still alive when this is over, I think I'll let my daughter, Lexi be the one to finish you off." He lowered the sword to Tak's hand which Mek kept forced open.
"No, don't!' the boy protested, but to no avail. In a matter of seconds, he felt the warm wood of the sword in his hand as Mek forced him to hold it.
***
"Ayeka, would you care to join me on a walk on the beach?" Amatasu asked as the music died down and returned to the thumping beat of techno.
"Well, I don't know…." She hoped her nervousness didn't show.
"Please? The moons are full, would you care to share them with me?"
"But, my friends?" She was unsure of it all. This man, this handsome man was nothing but a gentleman, but he was a stranger.
"If you follow me, I'm sure we could dodge them for a few minutes." He tugged at her hand and led her to the other side of the dance floor toward the exit.
This was not what Ayeka had in mind. However, her head swam with visions and lights caused by whatever drug was in her drink and she could not think clearly. Before she knew it, she was outside, her body enjoying the cool breeze and her shoes sinking in the sand.
"Wow, this is beautiful." She whispered as she took off her shoes so she could walk better in the sand.
"It truly is." Amatasu held her hand as they strolled down the beach.
Back in the club, Ryoko and Mihoshi battled over a pile of empty liquor bottles. Ryoko slammed down her last drink and eyeballed the blond to ascertain just how her body reacted to this much alcohol.
"That was good!" Mihoshi smiled as her cheeks turned red. She obviously could keep up with the pirate's drinking.
"I can't believe you! No one can keep up with me, no one!" She tossed the empty glass from her hand and for the first time she noticed that Ayeka and her suitor were missing.
"Mihoshi? They gave us the slip." She stood up from the barstool, immediately swaying as the effects of the alcohol finally seized her body. "Oh my."
"Ryoko, are you alright?" Mihoshi stood and steadied the pirate with her arms.
"Fine, fine," Her stomach churned and her head spun. "We need to make sure Ayeka is ok, let's go!" She drug Mihoshi from the bar and out the exit door onto the beach.
"Ayeka, you are a vision of beauty." He cooed as he turned her to him. Before she could react, before she could protest, he kissed her.
Ayeka never felt a kiss like this. His lips met hers in warm ecstasy and before she knew it, she felt his tongue attempt to enter her mouth. That was too much. She pulled away from him.
"I think…I think we should head back."
"Why?" He pulled her close again and moved in to resume the kiss.
"Amatasu….stop." She tore away from him, hoping his passion had subsided and he would walk her back. He would not let her go.
"I don't think you want me to let you go, do you Ayeka?"
"I most certainly do!" She reached up and scratched his face, causing him to release her. She could no longer contain her anger. Her key glowed brightly as her powers, her many wooden cylinders appeared to keep this Cassanova at bay.
"What?" He was thrown to the ground.
"I think I should teach you some manners!" Her ruby eyes glowed like coals as she began to power up to finish him.
"Ayeka! Wait!" Mihoshi came barreling down the beach as Ryoko floated beside her.
"Don't kill him, he's not worth it." Mihoshi tried to calm the princess down. "Look, you've both had too much to drink, let Ryoko and I take you home…." She wrapped her arm around Ayeka.
"Oh, Mihoshi." Ayeka relented and her tiara stopped glowing and her wooden cylinders disappeared. She leaned on the police officer and let her lead her away from this upsetting scene.
"You would have had fun!" Amatasu sneered as he stood and wiped the blood from the cut on his face.
"Mihoshi, take the princess home, I think I'll have my own fun with this creep." Ryoko's eye's glared with evil intent as she slowly strolled up to the man.
"Ryoko?"
"Don't worry, Mihoshi, go, I'll catch up with you later."
"Alright, just be back soon." Mihoshi supported Ayeka as the two returned to the hotel.
"Now, you have something I want." She cornered Amatasu as he smiled.
"Perhaps I chose the wrong woman to dance with tonight." He snickered as Ryoko leapt upon him, sending both of their bodies to the sand. Ryoko landing on top of him, holding him down. With her right hand she ripped his shirt open, causing buttons to fly across the sand.
"You still want to have fun?" She growled and leaned in to kiss him roughly.
"Have you ever seen the devil?" he smiled and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her to him.
"You are looking at her." She replied and then everything went black