My world turned upside down.
Flame coursed through my body.
I've hidden in the shadows
Cast by the blue moon,
Searching for many nights
For what was lost so long ago.
I will track you down.
I will find you…
The prince and pirate stared upwards at a tall, black shadow that was hidden in one of the higher branches of a particularly large Japanese oak tree. They stood there staring at each other. The creature never moved. Time stood still.
Then, suddenly, the shape disappeared.
"What? What happened?" Tenchi asked, perplexed.
"Tenchi! Behind you!" Ryoko screamed as she turned around. The figure charged silently, and Tenchi barely had time to back off. He just managed to dodge a large, silver point coming at him.
Ryoko formed her sword, but because she had little energy, the red weapon was very feeble. All the same, she was willing to protect the one she loved, even if it cost her life itself.
Seeing she had little protection, the successor summoned forth the Tenchi-ken. The bright blue blade almost dazzled him. He flew towards the figure, and realized that it was a human. A girl. He saw her black dress ruffle in the cold night wind. She stepped back and watched him as his feet hit the trunk of the tree. Tenchi jumped off of it, his sandals using the rough bark as a stable ground. He charged at the girl. She raised her hand and shot a fluorescent blue energy ball at him. He knocked it away, but saw she had vanished again. Then he heard Ryoko gasp as the wind was knocked out of her a meter away from him.
He whipped around, and had to stable himself. His head spun with his body, and he stumbled slightly. When his head cleared, Tenchi saw the space pirate down on the ground. Her arms were pinned under the girl's knees, and there was a silver bow and arrow pointing directly at her neck.
A silver bow and arrow!
Tenchi suddenly realized what was happening. He walked forward slowly, letting the light from his sword crawl across the grass. He walked until the light illuminated the girl. He saw long, flowing blood red hair with black tips, and a black silk under suit with a black dress. He gasped.
Ryoko was fed up. How dare this girl attack the greatest space pirate in the universe? She summoned all her energy, and created a blast likely to blow her attacker's brains out. She was about to fire it when Tenchi called her name.
"Ryoko, no!"
The angry pirate stopped, and the girl got off and backed up in shock.
"Ry…Ryoko?!" Her voice was alive and full of surprise.
"Who are you?" Ryoko shouted, intending on intimidating the girl.
"Ryoko, it's me," she said, a note of pleading in her tone. "Kyoko."
The day was bright and sunny. The Jurain sky was cloudless. A little cyan- haired girl of 687 stalked out of her school. She had just gotten in a fight with her teacher about whether or not there were reasons behind why space pirates do what they do. She had said yes, there were deeper reasons, her teacher had said no. But little did that stupid teacher (or anyone else, for that matter) know, it was Ryoko's ambition to become one of those pirates; to fly freely among the stars; to feel the adrenaline rush through her body at the thought of successfully robbing a bank. Of course, it wouldn't surprise anyone. She was, after all, the school's juvenile delinquent.
"Hey! Wait up!" Ryoko turned around to see one of the girls from her class sprinting across the grass towards her. She had on a black under suit with silver gloves and a black skirt, and her dark red and black hair was tied up in pigtails. Her eyes were a deep shade of purple, and they were full of laughter. Of course, she also happened to be the school's biggest pyromaniac.
"What do you want?" Ryoko sneered. She really didn't want to be pestered by anyone at the moment.
"That was so cool!" she said. "The way you fought with that teacher! I've never seen anyone do that!"
"Uh, gee, thanks," the cyan-haired girl said, while thoughts like How am I going to ditch this girl? kept floating through her head.
"Dude, do you…uh…" the girl began.
"Do I want what? And I'm not a dude," she said in annoyance.
"Oh, sorry. Do you…do you WANT to be a space pirate?" the red head asked, emphasizing the "want" part.
"Why does it matter?"
"I was just curious. I mean, seeing you're the…well…you know."
"I'm the delinquent, and you're the pyro, so what?" Ryoko was liking this girl less and less every second.
"I was wondering 'cuz I think it'd be so cool, to be a pirate. Especially a feared one." A dreamy look passed in her eyes as she thought about it.
"So I want to be a space pirate. Big deal."
"Awesome! Do you, like, have any weapons or anything?" she asked, eagerness rising.
Oh, this'll be good. Do I have any weapons, ha! Everyone knew Ryoko had weapons and was prone to using them. This was sure to get rid of the little pest.
"Oh, yeah. I've got weapons," she said, malicious laughter in her voice.
"Like…?"
Ryoko summoned her energy and formed a long, reddish sword and slashed it across the air towards the girl. She stopped a centimeter from her neck. Ryoko was sure this would scare her. Man, was she wrong.
"Woah…coooool…" she was in no way intimidated. "I've got a bow and arrow! Wanna see?"
Despite the fact Ryoko didn't like the girl, she had always been interested in the bow and arrow. So she replied, "All right. Let's see."
The girl slashed her arm across her chest, and produced a silver bow almost as tall as her, and she waved her hand, forming the arrow. "Give me something to shoot. Anything."
"Anything?" The demon summoner was going to find the smallest, hardest thing to hit. She looked up at her school, and saw, on the top level, a window with something yellow in the center. There was no way the girl could hit it. "How about that?"
"That?" The annoying red head pointed up at the window. Ryoko nodded. "All right." Carefully, she aimed, and fired. It swerved to the left. Ryoko was just basking in her own knowledge when the wind took the arrow right through the glass, directly through the target.
"Holy…nice shot! Did you mean to make it swerve?"
"Yeah, you gotta take into consideration the way the wind is blowing when firing an arrow with the weight of mine."
"Which is…?" The summoner couldn't help but be curious.
"Next to nothing."
"Oh, I see." Okay, maybe the little brat wasn't so annoying. In fact, Ryoko was beginning to wonder if she could cooperate with her. She's just like me!
And, in a way, she was. She thought it'd be cool to be a space pirate; she was good with weapons; she had the guts to shatter one of the school's windows. She was basically Ryoko in a different body…with a few exceptions, of course.
"So, what was your name?" the yellow-eyed girl asked.
"My name's Kyoko."
"Kyoko? Okay. Wanna take a walk? I'm tired of standing here." Ryoko tossed her head towards the school, indicating she didn't want to stay in view of everyone inside it.
"Yeah, sure!" With that said, the two girls walked off the school grounds, discussing what other powers they had. And the next day, when they came to school, everyone there got the first glimpse of the soon to be youngest and most wanted criminals in the universe.
"Ky…Kyoko?" Ryoko squinted in the darkness. From what she could tell, it sure looked like her friend. But there was something else. Something was different. Something was wrong.
"Yeah. It's me. I…I've been looking for you for days now!"
"Impossible," Ryoko shouted. She wanted to keep her voice strong, especially considering she had wasted her energy on the blast she never fired. "Kyoko died over a thousand years ago!"
"No! I didn't! That's why I've been trying to find you!" Kyoko's voice became desperate.
Ryoko, still on the ground, tried to get up, but was extremely shaky. Tenchi walked over to her and knelt down behind her, placing his hand on the front of her shoulder.
"Oh, really?" She wasn't going to believe her that easily. "So what really happened, then?"
"Well, it's all kind of unclear to me. I remember I had just finished setting up the bomb, and I was walking away, when the next thing I know, half my upper body was on fire." Her story wasn't very convincing, but the summoner couldn't help but begin to believe it. Still, there was that feeling that something was totally wrong.
She's not alone, Ryoko thought to herself, and she began to look around for signs of someone else.
"You do believe me…don't you?" Kyoko asked, knowing her friend was having a hard time accepting her story.
"Huh?" The cyan-hared pirate jerked her attention away from her surroundings to look at the red head that claimed to be the dead girl. She knew what Kyoko had said. The "Huh?" was an automatic reaction.
"I said…"
"I know what you said," Ryoko cut her off. "Truth be told, I don't know." As she said this, she noticed an extremely large mark running up the left side of Kyoko's neck and face. What the hell is that?
Tenchi, who had been nodding off, jerked his head when Ryoko's tired shoulder muscle began to twitch violently under his fingers. He let the blue sword fade, and brought his other arm under her right shoulder. She looked back at him with a part confused, part tired, part "Don't bother me I'm busy" look. He ignored it and pulled her to a standing position. As soon as he let her go, she began to massage her jerking shoulder.
"Well, I don't know about you two," he began, trying to cover a yawn, "but I'm beat. Why don't we continue this little pow wow tomorrow."
"Tenchi, stop!" Ryoko said, slapping him playfully on the arm. He had caused her to yawn too. Her mouth opened large enough to stuff an entire grapefruit inside, exposing her whitish fangs. Tenchi couldn't help but wonder if she had any relation to a python (who can unhook their jaw).
Kyoko, stifling a yawn herself, backed into the shadows. The sky on the eastern horizon had turned from black to gray, and there was a thin line of pink and orange.
"What do you think you're doing?" Tenchi said, harsher than he intended. He was a bit sleep deprived. "We've got room. You don't have to stay out here."
Kyoko bowed, saying thanks. She was extremely grateful for his generosity. She didn't feel much like sleeping in another tree or on the ground again.
The trio walked slowly back to the house. Ryoko still had the feeling something was off, but she concluded it had something to do with the sleep she had not yet gotten. She walked by Tenchi's side, lazily attempting to synchronize her steps with his. It failed, so she slowed her pace and walked behind him, wrapping her arms around his upper torso. His skin was warm under her cheek when she laid it on his neck.
His body went rigid for a second, before he realized what she wanted. He rolled his brown eyes and bent his knees. Next thing he felt was her jump and twist her legs around his waist. Her head came to rest on the top of his black strands of hair.
I can't believe I'm doing this for her.
When Kyoko, Ryoko, and Tenchi reached the front entrance of the house, Tenchi let Ryoko down and turned to Kyoko.
"There's a spare room up the stairs, last door on the right. You're welcome to it."
Instead of replying, she bowed. When she came up, she yawned once more, then began walking up the stairs.
The prince then turned to face the other space pirate, who was leaning against the wall. She looked up at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it and shook his head. He pointed up the stairs and began to walk. He could tell she was following him, and he was slightly relieved to reach his room.
He walked to the royal blue and forest green blanket on the floor, and gathered it in his arms. It's furry material felt soft. It reminded him of dreams woven into material. His mother, Achika, had given it to him when he was born.
Tenchi turned around and stumbled back when he came face to face with a pair of almost lifeless golden eyes.
"Ry-Ryoko!" he stuttered. "What are you doing in here?"
"Couldn't sleep," she lied.
"Humph. Very funny, you haven't tried," he spat. She looked hurt. He threw down the blanket and stared at the pirate. Her head hung low, and she had her hands clasped in front of her body. Much to Tenchi's displeasure, she walked past him and got into his bed.
Tenchi looked at his clock. It read 4:32 AM. "Ryoko, don't do this to me. It's four freaking thirty in the morning." When she didn't move, he sighed. "Fine, be that way. I'll go sleep in your…right here." He couldn't stay awake much longer. He threw his hands up in defeat, grabbed his mother's blanket, and lay back on the floor. He'd deal with the persistent woman when he woke up. Which he hoped wouldn't happen until at least three in the afternoon.
~*~
Tenchi groaned. If it was still dark out he swore his was going to knock himself out with a hammer. He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes. Well…it wasn't dark out. The sunlight streamed into his windows, making him squint. He lay his arm exactly where it had been. This posed a bit of a problem.
"Woah!" he yelled as he looked down to see locks of cyan hair. Ryoko lay right beside him, her body pressed up against his. Her hands were up against his chest, and she was sleeping peacefully.
"You're gonna die for this one, Ryoko." He said as he tried to back away from her. It was then that he realized his other arm was underneath her body. At least she wasn't under the blanket. She was lying on top of it.
Ryoko curled up farther into the heat consuming her body. It was strange, but she never remembered the wall being on the right side of the bed.
It's…not. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and her eyes snapped open. What she saw wasn't the wall. It was Tenchi. She slowly turned her eyes up to look at him. His eyes were boring into her. Oh, God. He thinks I did this.
"What the hell…?" she began.
"Ryoko, you could have at least stayed on the futon," he said. His voice was cold, and she knew she was going to get it if she didn't do some fast- talking. So she got up, and tried to reason with him.
"Tenchi, I know what you're thinking. I am a wild sleeper. For all I know, I fell off in the middle of the night. I swear!" Oh crap, he ain't buyin' this! She thought. C'mon, Ryoko, think!
She didn't have much time to do that. He stared her down and said, "You are never sleeping in here again."
The comment stung. She bowed quickly. When she rose, she had one final word. "Tenchi, I am truly sorry. I know you don't believe me. I'll go now." The demon summoner walked towards the door.
"Ryoko, you're serious."
Ryoko smiled to herself. It worked! She really had no idea how she had managed to roll off the mattress, but at least she won him over. "Yeah, I am." Her hand reached for the handle of the door when the door opened, almost smacking the pirate in the face. On the other side stood the very last woman either person in the room wanted to see in this situation.
"Lord Tenchi, it's almost three…o…clock." Aeka's face faltered when she saw Ryoko in nothing but her tight, low-cut, red under suit. Behind her stood Tenchi in his white T-shirt and blue pants. She inhaled deeply, trying to keep her cool, and pushed the shocked demon summoner aside. "Lord Tenchi, what is going on here?"
"Miss Aeka, I know what you're thinking. It's nothing like that. Ryoko just came to wake me up, that's all," he quickly lied.
Aeka eyed the cyan-hared woman's ensemble. "I really don't believe that story, but I refuse to let my good mood be spoiled by HER!" Aeka turned back to Tenchi. Ryoko took the opportunity to quietly slip out of the room. She walked down the hall, through her door, and into her room. She went over to her dresser and looked at the picture of her and Kyoko, and she couldn't help but smiling.
Well, well, well, Kyoko. Maybe I was wrong, she thought. You survived.
As she stood there, her red cat suit disappeared and her blue and green striped dress replaced it. The night hadn't gone uneventful, that's for damn sure. She took one last look at the photo and smiled. Then, she teleported downstairs.
As soon as Ryoko appeared, she was hit with a force like that of a bullet. Only, this particular bullet had long, light blue hair, fair skin, and pink eyes.
"Oh, Ryoko! You're okay! I was so worried!" Sasami shrieked as she embraced the pirate's midsection.
Ryoko gasped as the little girl's arms tightened around her stomach. She patted Sasami on the back.
"Yeah, Sasami-chan," she choked out. "It's…good to see you, too. Now, uh, sweetheart?"
"I'm so happy you're all right!"
"Uh, hun? Ryoko…can't…breathe!"
"Huh?" The princess turned her eyes up to look at Ryoko's face.
"I…can't…breathe!"
"Oh! Sorry!" She released her grip and backed up. Ryoko relaxed.
"I don't know! I don't know!" came Mihoshi's strangled cry.
"Well, you have to be the one who lost it!" Kiyone screamed. Soon, the bouncy blonde came running into the room, closely followed by an exceptionally pissed teal hared woman.
"Would you mind keeping it down?" Washuu said as she poked her head out of her lab.
"Mihoshi! What have you done with it?! That has some extremely valuable information on it!" Kiyone screamed.
"Kiyone, would you happen to be looking for a large, orangish memory crystal?" the mad scientist asked, an evil smile curling on her lips.
"Yes, how did…you…Washuu!"
Washuu waved a circular, peach crystal tauntingly at Kiyone. It had many wires dangling from around it, each a different color. A green wire and a tan wire at the top were standing straight up and white electricity jumped between them.
"What are you doing with that! I have to send that to HQ!" the angry woman shrieked.
"Oh, you can have it, as soon as I've extracted the information from it, made a complete copy, and run a few experiments on it!"
"Damn it, Washuu!"
"You know, that particular phrase tends to be directed at me quite a bit," Washuu said, eyeing her daughter, who looked around and whistled, pretending not to notice her mother's comment.
Tenchi walked down the stairs and all attention turned towards him.
"Hi, everyone!" he said cheerfully.
"Konnichi-wa, Tenchi!" all the women said, stars in their eyes.
"Oh yeah, Ryoko?" The pirate blushed heavily at being addressed by him. "I never asked you, how's your hand?"
Ryoko had almost forgotten about her injury. She raised her hand in front of face and looked at it. There was a deep purple and black gash, and it was pretty badly bruised. It looked rather nasty, but it didn't hurt at all. She turned her hand so her palm was facing Tenchi, and he grimaced.
"That looks like it hurts," Sasami said.
"Not really," she assured the little princess.
Tenchi finished walking down the stairs, and not a moment too soon. From the top level of the house came a loud, piercing scream. Soon, Aeka came bounding down the stairs, screaming.
"I can explain!" Kyoko ran down the stairs in close pursuit of the purple hared princess. She no longer had on her battle suit. Instead, she was wearing a pair of short denim shorts that were frayed at the bottom, and a black, short sleeved T-shirt with fire around the bottom. From the fire rose a red dragon that wound itself around the shirt. On the sleeves, there was a weird looking sign. It looked like writing, but none that anyone knew. A long black ribbon tied up her red and black hair. Now that it was fully light out, the black mark up the left side of her face could be clearly seen. It looked exactly like flames.
All downstairs went totally silent when they caught sight of the girl they all believed to be dead.
"What the…" Kiyone tried to think about the situation logically, but there was no logical explanation. There was a ghost walking around!
"Wow! A real live ghost!" Mihoshi clapped her hands in delight. She didn't fully understand what was going on. Everyone looked at her, eyebrow raised. "What?"
"That ghost happens to be one of the most wanted criminals in the universe, Mihoshi," Kiyone said.
"Really?" Mihoshi said, a look of confusion on her face. Then, as the situation finally sunk in, she burst out crying.
"No, you've got it all wrong," Kyoko tried to explain. "I'm not a ghost."
"Azaka! Kamidake! Attack!" Aeka called to the guardians.
"Yes ma'am!" was the response.
"Huh?" Kyoko turned around to see the two barrels flying straight towards her. She ducked and they flew right over her head, turned around, and charged again.
"Aeka! Stop it!" Ryoko called to her rival.
"C'mon, Aeka! Call them off!" Tenchi backed up the cyan pirate.
The heat of the situation rose as the barrels charged for a third time. But everything turned upside down…when Kyoko began to laugh uncontrollably. The two guardians stopped in midair and sweatdropped.
"What…are…those?!" Kyoko gasped.
"We are guardians of the planet Jurai," Azaka answered.
"Unbelievable! You are the famous guardians?!"
"Yes. I am Kamidake, and he is Azaka," The red one explained.
This just sent Kyoko into another fit of laughter.
"What is her problem?" Aeka asked Ryoko.
"No clue. Hey, Kyoko?! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Ryoko!" Sasami hissed.
Everyone waited for a minute before the hysterical pirate could answer. Finally, she settled down just enough to say, "Man, Jurai must be desperate for protection, if they're consulting possessed and flying barrels!!"
All but Aeka, Azaka, and Kamidake laughed.
"Besides," Kyoko continued, "I thought Jurai had humans for protection. Knights, I mean."
"You mean," Aeka pulled out a picture of Azaka and Kamidake (the knights), "them?"
Kyoko's dark eyes went from Azaka on the right, to Kamidake on the left. When she saw the young man, her jaw hit the ground and her eyes bugged out.
"They Azaka and Kamidake," Aeka said.
Kyoko pulled her jaw up. "But I thought they were Azaka and Kamidake," she said, pointing to the two she had just finished laughing at.
"They are, but the two in the picture are the originals."
"Originals? You mean to tell me that instead of sticking with the hot guy, you went to chopped up trees that talk? My Lord, its desperation."
Again, everyone but those three laughed.
"So, uh, Kyoko?" Kiyone began. She still didn't know what was going on, but she at least knew Kyoko didn't pose as an immediate threat, seeing that she had a sense of humor.
"Yes?"
"What is going on? You're supposed to be dead."
"Yeah, I know. I'll explain it in a little bit. But first, can I get some grub? I'm starving!"
As Sasami lead Kyoko into the kitchen, Ryoko, Tenchi, and Mihoshi followed. Washuu stepped out of her lab, and turned to Aeka and Kiyone, the only two left in the room.
"Well, we can now be sure she's not dead."
"What makes you say that, Washuu?" Kiyone asked.
"Ghosts don't eat." With that, Washuu walked into the kitchen with the rest.
When Kyoko, Ryoko, and Tenchi had been fed, everyone at the table turned to the new comer.
"You ready to tell us?" Kiyone asked.
"Ah, what the hell. Yeah sure." Kyoko took a deep breath. "It all began on May 21, many years ago. I'm really not sure how many any more. Just under a thousand, I know that much. Ryoko and I decided to rob the First Universal Bank of Jurai, and then bomb them when we were finished. We hadn't exactly had the greatest record with them. The robbery went smoothly, as usual. Ryoko took our loot back to my ship, the Sureiyaa. It was my job to set up the bomb. I suppose that's where this story begins…"
"Kyoko, can you hear me?" A voice came over a black radio.
"Yeah, Ryoko, I hear ya," was the reply. The girl who answered appeared to be thirteen years old. Her real age, however, was about 1,087. She was wearing black, hipster pants that flared out at the bottom, and a tight, black, long sleeved shirt that stopped above the hem of the pants. About three inches of her flat, pale skinned stomach showed. She wore a black utility belt around her waist, and black boots. It was the perfect getup for sneaking around a bank after hours. Since there was no light, she blended right in. In her left hand, she held a flashlight that gave off a bright whitish blue light. In her left, a radio, through which she kept in contact with her partner.
"Good. Walk down to the end of the hall. It's a dead end, but it's right in the center of the building." Ryoko's voice came through the static, but Kyoko had no trouble understanding her orders.
"Gotcha."
"You remember the plan, don't you?"
"Yeah, I remember. This is where I go alone. Don't forget, don't detonate…"
"…until you come back," Ryoko finished her friend's sentence for her. "I know. I'll see you when you're done."
"Right. I'm out." Kyoko finished her transmission and put the radio back in her utility belt. "I really don't trust that girl," she whispered. Though the two girls had grown up together and were practically sisters, Ryoko had a tendency to play some pretty evil jokes on her. Deep down, she did trust her, but there was always that feeling…
Kyoko reached her designated point and quietly set down her flashlight. She reached into her belt and pulled out the many pieces of the bomb she was supposed to set up. She wasn't much of a bomb expert, so she had to do a lot of reading to figure out how to assemble one of these things.
"All right. Let's get down to business."
For five minutes, she worked in silence, connecting this, setting that. It was a complicated process. Finally, after connecting the final wire to the main section, she stood up and cracked her back. She picked up her flashlight and turned to leave, but turned back around when she heard a beep.
The timer had started. Kyoko had thirty seconds to get out of there.
"Oh, Jesus," Kyoko said, and she began to run.
She was running so fast, and she had no idea where she was going. So when the hallway split, she had to quickly decide which way to go. She took the right path. Dead-end. She spun around and headed back to where the hall split. That's when the bomb detonated.
"Oh shiiiiiiit!" the pirate screamed as she ran down the left passage. Flames and debris raced down the hall after her. This would be the worst time to trip. So, of course, being the clumsy girl she was, she did. The worst part was it was over herself. She hit the ground and her flashlight flew out of her hand. The glass and the bulb shattered, and the only light in the hallway came from the fire that was quickly spreading along the walls, floor, and ceiling. She scrambled up and continued to run, but it was no use. The fire caught up with her, and before she knew it, the left half of her upper torso, neck, and face were burning.
Instead of continuing to run, Kyoko's feet left the ground, and she began to fly. She was running to fast and concentrating on escaping the flames earlier, she hadn't thought about flying. Of course the idea had to come when she was on fire. The air that rushed along in the other direction quickly put out the flames on her body, but the cloth had been burned off, and she had a large burn from the middle of her chest to her hairline by her ear. That was going to be there a while. Soon, she had out flown the fire and reached a window in the main hallway. She could see the Sureiyaa zooming out of sight.
"Ryoko! Where the hell are you going?!"
She had to find the docking bay and fast. She at least knew where she was now. Kyoko took a right and flew down the hallway, straight to the end.
There was only one ship in the bay, but at least it was a ship. It was flat, had six points, and looked like one of those stars you'd put on top of a Christmas tree, except it was neon pink. The name written on the side of the ship read Hoshiakari.
Lucky for Kyoko, the door was open, and she was able to get the ship started. She just barely managed to get far enough away from the bank before it totally blew up…
"Oh…" Kiyone said as Kyoko finished her story. "Well, that explains the black mark."
"Yeah, that's what happened," Kyoko replied, running her fingers along the scar on her face.
"Wow, I'm sure that hurt," Tenchi said.
"No, Tenchi, it felt great," Kyoko said sarcastically.
Tenchi snorted. "I suppose that was a stupid statement."
"Kyoko!" Ryoko suddenly shouted, startling everyone at the table. "I have something for you!"
Everyone watched confused as Ryoko disappeared, then soon reappeared, holding something in her uninjured hand. Kyoko stood up and walked over to her.
"I've been keeping it since that day. I almost forgot about it," the demon summoner said as she handed over what looked like a black crystal connected to a silver chain.
"The Sureiyaa," the red headed space pirate said in a hushed voice. She wrapped the chain around her neck and clasped the two ends together. Then, the two pirates embraced like sisters.
"You know, now that I've found you, I ain't leaving again," Kyoko told her partner when they broke the hug.
"Meaning..." Ryoko said with an evil grin.
"You people are stuck with me."
"Wonderful," Tenchi said, unenthusiastically. "Just what I need." Everyone laughed.
Notes from Minagi:
Well, this chapter didn't go at all how I wanted, but it did go at least. I hope you liked it. I'm hoping to be done with the fifth chapter by the end of Spring Break. Thanks a lot to all who reviewed! Keep em coming! ^.^ Buh- BYE!!!!!
P.S. Kyoko is listed in two different places as two different ages. Her GP file says she 1112, the flashback says she's 1087. There is a reason for that which will be explained in a future chapter (a.k.a. chapter five). I figured I should mention that before someone got confused.
Flame coursed through my body.
I've hidden in the shadows
Cast by the blue moon,
Searching for many nights
For what was lost so long ago.
I will track you down.
I will find you…
The prince and pirate stared upwards at a tall, black shadow that was hidden in one of the higher branches of a particularly large Japanese oak tree. They stood there staring at each other. The creature never moved. Time stood still.
Then, suddenly, the shape disappeared.
"What? What happened?" Tenchi asked, perplexed.
"Tenchi! Behind you!" Ryoko screamed as she turned around. The figure charged silently, and Tenchi barely had time to back off. He just managed to dodge a large, silver point coming at him.
Ryoko formed her sword, but because she had little energy, the red weapon was very feeble. All the same, she was willing to protect the one she loved, even if it cost her life itself.
Seeing she had little protection, the successor summoned forth the Tenchi-ken. The bright blue blade almost dazzled him. He flew towards the figure, and realized that it was a human. A girl. He saw her black dress ruffle in the cold night wind. She stepped back and watched him as his feet hit the trunk of the tree. Tenchi jumped off of it, his sandals using the rough bark as a stable ground. He charged at the girl. She raised her hand and shot a fluorescent blue energy ball at him. He knocked it away, but saw she had vanished again. Then he heard Ryoko gasp as the wind was knocked out of her a meter away from him.
He whipped around, and had to stable himself. His head spun with his body, and he stumbled slightly. When his head cleared, Tenchi saw the space pirate down on the ground. Her arms were pinned under the girl's knees, and there was a silver bow and arrow pointing directly at her neck.
A silver bow and arrow!
Tenchi suddenly realized what was happening. He walked forward slowly, letting the light from his sword crawl across the grass. He walked until the light illuminated the girl. He saw long, flowing blood red hair with black tips, and a black silk under suit with a black dress. He gasped.
Ryoko was fed up. How dare this girl attack the greatest space pirate in the universe? She summoned all her energy, and created a blast likely to blow her attacker's brains out. She was about to fire it when Tenchi called her name.
"Ryoko, no!"
The angry pirate stopped, and the girl got off and backed up in shock.
"Ry…Ryoko?!" Her voice was alive and full of surprise.
"Who are you?" Ryoko shouted, intending on intimidating the girl.
"Ryoko, it's me," she said, a note of pleading in her tone. "Kyoko."
The day was bright and sunny. The Jurain sky was cloudless. A little cyan- haired girl of 687 stalked out of her school. She had just gotten in a fight with her teacher about whether or not there were reasons behind why space pirates do what they do. She had said yes, there were deeper reasons, her teacher had said no. But little did that stupid teacher (or anyone else, for that matter) know, it was Ryoko's ambition to become one of those pirates; to fly freely among the stars; to feel the adrenaline rush through her body at the thought of successfully robbing a bank. Of course, it wouldn't surprise anyone. She was, after all, the school's juvenile delinquent.
"Hey! Wait up!" Ryoko turned around to see one of the girls from her class sprinting across the grass towards her. She had on a black under suit with silver gloves and a black skirt, and her dark red and black hair was tied up in pigtails. Her eyes were a deep shade of purple, and they were full of laughter. Of course, she also happened to be the school's biggest pyromaniac.
"What do you want?" Ryoko sneered. She really didn't want to be pestered by anyone at the moment.
"That was so cool!" she said. "The way you fought with that teacher! I've never seen anyone do that!"
"Uh, gee, thanks," the cyan-haired girl said, while thoughts like How am I going to ditch this girl? kept floating through her head.
"Dude, do you…uh…" the girl began.
"Do I want what? And I'm not a dude," she said in annoyance.
"Oh, sorry. Do you…do you WANT to be a space pirate?" the red head asked, emphasizing the "want" part.
"Why does it matter?"
"I was just curious. I mean, seeing you're the…well…you know."
"I'm the delinquent, and you're the pyro, so what?" Ryoko was liking this girl less and less every second.
"I was wondering 'cuz I think it'd be so cool, to be a pirate. Especially a feared one." A dreamy look passed in her eyes as she thought about it.
"So I want to be a space pirate. Big deal."
"Awesome! Do you, like, have any weapons or anything?" she asked, eagerness rising.
Oh, this'll be good. Do I have any weapons, ha! Everyone knew Ryoko had weapons and was prone to using them. This was sure to get rid of the little pest.
"Oh, yeah. I've got weapons," she said, malicious laughter in her voice.
"Like…?"
Ryoko summoned her energy and formed a long, reddish sword and slashed it across the air towards the girl. She stopped a centimeter from her neck. Ryoko was sure this would scare her. Man, was she wrong.
"Woah…coooool…" she was in no way intimidated. "I've got a bow and arrow! Wanna see?"
Despite the fact Ryoko didn't like the girl, she had always been interested in the bow and arrow. So she replied, "All right. Let's see."
The girl slashed her arm across her chest, and produced a silver bow almost as tall as her, and she waved her hand, forming the arrow. "Give me something to shoot. Anything."
"Anything?" The demon summoner was going to find the smallest, hardest thing to hit. She looked up at her school, and saw, on the top level, a window with something yellow in the center. There was no way the girl could hit it. "How about that?"
"That?" The annoying red head pointed up at the window. Ryoko nodded. "All right." Carefully, she aimed, and fired. It swerved to the left. Ryoko was just basking in her own knowledge when the wind took the arrow right through the glass, directly through the target.
"Holy…nice shot! Did you mean to make it swerve?"
"Yeah, you gotta take into consideration the way the wind is blowing when firing an arrow with the weight of mine."
"Which is…?" The summoner couldn't help but be curious.
"Next to nothing."
"Oh, I see." Okay, maybe the little brat wasn't so annoying. In fact, Ryoko was beginning to wonder if she could cooperate with her. She's just like me!
And, in a way, she was. She thought it'd be cool to be a space pirate; she was good with weapons; she had the guts to shatter one of the school's windows. She was basically Ryoko in a different body…with a few exceptions, of course.
"So, what was your name?" the yellow-eyed girl asked.
"My name's Kyoko."
"Kyoko? Okay. Wanna take a walk? I'm tired of standing here." Ryoko tossed her head towards the school, indicating she didn't want to stay in view of everyone inside it.
"Yeah, sure!" With that said, the two girls walked off the school grounds, discussing what other powers they had. And the next day, when they came to school, everyone there got the first glimpse of the soon to be youngest and most wanted criminals in the universe.
"Ky…Kyoko?" Ryoko squinted in the darkness. From what she could tell, it sure looked like her friend. But there was something else. Something was different. Something was wrong.
"Yeah. It's me. I…I've been looking for you for days now!"
"Impossible," Ryoko shouted. She wanted to keep her voice strong, especially considering she had wasted her energy on the blast she never fired. "Kyoko died over a thousand years ago!"
"No! I didn't! That's why I've been trying to find you!" Kyoko's voice became desperate.
Ryoko, still on the ground, tried to get up, but was extremely shaky. Tenchi walked over to her and knelt down behind her, placing his hand on the front of her shoulder.
"Oh, really?" She wasn't going to believe her that easily. "So what really happened, then?"
"Well, it's all kind of unclear to me. I remember I had just finished setting up the bomb, and I was walking away, when the next thing I know, half my upper body was on fire." Her story wasn't very convincing, but the summoner couldn't help but begin to believe it. Still, there was that feeling that something was totally wrong.
She's not alone, Ryoko thought to herself, and she began to look around for signs of someone else.
"You do believe me…don't you?" Kyoko asked, knowing her friend was having a hard time accepting her story.
"Huh?" The cyan-hared pirate jerked her attention away from her surroundings to look at the red head that claimed to be the dead girl. She knew what Kyoko had said. The "Huh?" was an automatic reaction.
"I said…"
"I know what you said," Ryoko cut her off. "Truth be told, I don't know." As she said this, she noticed an extremely large mark running up the left side of Kyoko's neck and face. What the hell is that?
Tenchi, who had been nodding off, jerked his head when Ryoko's tired shoulder muscle began to twitch violently under his fingers. He let the blue sword fade, and brought his other arm under her right shoulder. She looked back at him with a part confused, part tired, part "Don't bother me I'm busy" look. He ignored it and pulled her to a standing position. As soon as he let her go, she began to massage her jerking shoulder.
"Well, I don't know about you two," he began, trying to cover a yawn, "but I'm beat. Why don't we continue this little pow wow tomorrow."
"Tenchi, stop!" Ryoko said, slapping him playfully on the arm. He had caused her to yawn too. Her mouth opened large enough to stuff an entire grapefruit inside, exposing her whitish fangs. Tenchi couldn't help but wonder if she had any relation to a python (who can unhook their jaw).
Kyoko, stifling a yawn herself, backed into the shadows. The sky on the eastern horizon had turned from black to gray, and there was a thin line of pink and orange.
"What do you think you're doing?" Tenchi said, harsher than he intended. He was a bit sleep deprived. "We've got room. You don't have to stay out here."
Kyoko bowed, saying thanks. She was extremely grateful for his generosity. She didn't feel much like sleeping in another tree or on the ground again.
The trio walked slowly back to the house. Ryoko still had the feeling something was off, but she concluded it had something to do with the sleep she had not yet gotten. She walked by Tenchi's side, lazily attempting to synchronize her steps with his. It failed, so she slowed her pace and walked behind him, wrapping her arms around his upper torso. His skin was warm under her cheek when she laid it on his neck.
His body went rigid for a second, before he realized what she wanted. He rolled his brown eyes and bent his knees. Next thing he felt was her jump and twist her legs around his waist. Her head came to rest on the top of his black strands of hair.
I can't believe I'm doing this for her.
When Kyoko, Ryoko, and Tenchi reached the front entrance of the house, Tenchi let Ryoko down and turned to Kyoko.
"There's a spare room up the stairs, last door on the right. You're welcome to it."
Instead of replying, she bowed. When she came up, she yawned once more, then began walking up the stairs.
The prince then turned to face the other space pirate, who was leaning against the wall. She looked up at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it and shook his head. He pointed up the stairs and began to walk. He could tell she was following him, and he was slightly relieved to reach his room.
He walked to the royal blue and forest green blanket on the floor, and gathered it in his arms. It's furry material felt soft. It reminded him of dreams woven into material. His mother, Achika, had given it to him when he was born.
Tenchi turned around and stumbled back when he came face to face with a pair of almost lifeless golden eyes.
"Ry-Ryoko!" he stuttered. "What are you doing in here?"
"Couldn't sleep," she lied.
"Humph. Very funny, you haven't tried," he spat. She looked hurt. He threw down the blanket and stared at the pirate. Her head hung low, and she had her hands clasped in front of her body. Much to Tenchi's displeasure, she walked past him and got into his bed.
Tenchi looked at his clock. It read 4:32 AM. "Ryoko, don't do this to me. It's four freaking thirty in the morning." When she didn't move, he sighed. "Fine, be that way. I'll go sleep in your…right here." He couldn't stay awake much longer. He threw his hands up in defeat, grabbed his mother's blanket, and lay back on the floor. He'd deal with the persistent woman when he woke up. Which he hoped wouldn't happen until at least three in the afternoon.
~*~
Tenchi groaned. If it was still dark out he swore his was going to knock himself out with a hammer. He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes. Well…it wasn't dark out. The sunlight streamed into his windows, making him squint. He lay his arm exactly where it had been. This posed a bit of a problem.
"Woah!" he yelled as he looked down to see locks of cyan hair. Ryoko lay right beside him, her body pressed up against his. Her hands were up against his chest, and she was sleeping peacefully.
"You're gonna die for this one, Ryoko." He said as he tried to back away from her. It was then that he realized his other arm was underneath her body. At least she wasn't under the blanket. She was lying on top of it.
Ryoko curled up farther into the heat consuming her body. It was strange, but she never remembered the wall being on the right side of the bed.
It's…not. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and her eyes snapped open. What she saw wasn't the wall. It was Tenchi. She slowly turned her eyes up to look at him. His eyes were boring into her. Oh, God. He thinks I did this.
"What the hell…?" she began.
"Ryoko, you could have at least stayed on the futon," he said. His voice was cold, and she knew she was going to get it if she didn't do some fast- talking. So she got up, and tried to reason with him.
"Tenchi, I know what you're thinking. I am a wild sleeper. For all I know, I fell off in the middle of the night. I swear!" Oh crap, he ain't buyin' this! She thought. C'mon, Ryoko, think!
She didn't have much time to do that. He stared her down and said, "You are never sleeping in here again."
The comment stung. She bowed quickly. When she rose, she had one final word. "Tenchi, I am truly sorry. I know you don't believe me. I'll go now." The demon summoner walked towards the door.
"Ryoko, you're serious."
Ryoko smiled to herself. It worked! She really had no idea how she had managed to roll off the mattress, but at least she won him over. "Yeah, I am." Her hand reached for the handle of the door when the door opened, almost smacking the pirate in the face. On the other side stood the very last woman either person in the room wanted to see in this situation.
"Lord Tenchi, it's almost three…o…clock." Aeka's face faltered when she saw Ryoko in nothing but her tight, low-cut, red under suit. Behind her stood Tenchi in his white T-shirt and blue pants. She inhaled deeply, trying to keep her cool, and pushed the shocked demon summoner aside. "Lord Tenchi, what is going on here?"
"Miss Aeka, I know what you're thinking. It's nothing like that. Ryoko just came to wake me up, that's all," he quickly lied.
Aeka eyed the cyan-hared woman's ensemble. "I really don't believe that story, but I refuse to let my good mood be spoiled by HER!" Aeka turned back to Tenchi. Ryoko took the opportunity to quietly slip out of the room. She walked down the hall, through her door, and into her room. She went over to her dresser and looked at the picture of her and Kyoko, and she couldn't help but smiling.
Well, well, well, Kyoko. Maybe I was wrong, she thought. You survived.
As she stood there, her red cat suit disappeared and her blue and green striped dress replaced it. The night hadn't gone uneventful, that's for damn sure. She took one last look at the photo and smiled. Then, she teleported downstairs.
As soon as Ryoko appeared, she was hit with a force like that of a bullet. Only, this particular bullet had long, light blue hair, fair skin, and pink eyes.
"Oh, Ryoko! You're okay! I was so worried!" Sasami shrieked as she embraced the pirate's midsection.
Ryoko gasped as the little girl's arms tightened around her stomach. She patted Sasami on the back.
"Yeah, Sasami-chan," she choked out. "It's…good to see you, too. Now, uh, sweetheart?"
"I'm so happy you're all right!"
"Uh, hun? Ryoko…can't…breathe!"
"Huh?" The princess turned her eyes up to look at Ryoko's face.
"I…can't…breathe!"
"Oh! Sorry!" She released her grip and backed up. Ryoko relaxed.
"I don't know! I don't know!" came Mihoshi's strangled cry.
"Well, you have to be the one who lost it!" Kiyone screamed. Soon, the bouncy blonde came running into the room, closely followed by an exceptionally pissed teal hared woman.
"Would you mind keeping it down?" Washuu said as she poked her head out of her lab.
"Mihoshi! What have you done with it?! That has some extremely valuable information on it!" Kiyone screamed.
"Kiyone, would you happen to be looking for a large, orangish memory crystal?" the mad scientist asked, an evil smile curling on her lips.
"Yes, how did…you…Washuu!"
Washuu waved a circular, peach crystal tauntingly at Kiyone. It had many wires dangling from around it, each a different color. A green wire and a tan wire at the top were standing straight up and white electricity jumped between them.
"What are you doing with that! I have to send that to HQ!" the angry woman shrieked.
"Oh, you can have it, as soon as I've extracted the information from it, made a complete copy, and run a few experiments on it!"
"Damn it, Washuu!"
"You know, that particular phrase tends to be directed at me quite a bit," Washuu said, eyeing her daughter, who looked around and whistled, pretending not to notice her mother's comment.
Tenchi walked down the stairs and all attention turned towards him.
"Hi, everyone!" he said cheerfully.
"Konnichi-wa, Tenchi!" all the women said, stars in their eyes.
"Oh yeah, Ryoko?" The pirate blushed heavily at being addressed by him. "I never asked you, how's your hand?"
Ryoko had almost forgotten about her injury. She raised her hand in front of face and looked at it. There was a deep purple and black gash, and it was pretty badly bruised. It looked rather nasty, but it didn't hurt at all. She turned her hand so her palm was facing Tenchi, and he grimaced.
"That looks like it hurts," Sasami said.
"Not really," she assured the little princess.
Tenchi finished walking down the stairs, and not a moment too soon. From the top level of the house came a loud, piercing scream. Soon, Aeka came bounding down the stairs, screaming.
"I can explain!" Kyoko ran down the stairs in close pursuit of the purple hared princess. She no longer had on her battle suit. Instead, she was wearing a pair of short denim shorts that were frayed at the bottom, and a black, short sleeved T-shirt with fire around the bottom. From the fire rose a red dragon that wound itself around the shirt. On the sleeves, there was a weird looking sign. It looked like writing, but none that anyone knew. A long black ribbon tied up her red and black hair. Now that it was fully light out, the black mark up the left side of her face could be clearly seen. It looked exactly like flames.
All downstairs went totally silent when they caught sight of the girl they all believed to be dead.
"What the…" Kiyone tried to think about the situation logically, but there was no logical explanation. There was a ghost walking around!
"Wow! A real live ghost!" Mihoshi clapped her hands in delight. She didn't fully understand what was going on. Everyone looked at her, eyebrow raised. "What?"
"That ghost happens to be one of the most wanted criminals in the universe, Mihoshi," Kiyone said.
"Really?" Mihoshi said, a look of confusion on her face. Then, as the situation finally sunk in, she burst out crying.
"No, you've got it all wrong," Kyoko tried to explain. "I'm not a ghost."
"Azaka! Kamidake! Attack!" Aeka called to the guardians.
"Yes ma'am!" was the response.
"Huh?" Kyoko turned around to see the two barrels flying straight towards her. She ducked and they flew right over her head, turned around, and charged again.
"Aeka! Stop it!" Ryoko called to her rival.
"C'mon, Aeka! Call them off!" Tenchi backed up the cyan pirate.
The heat of the situation rose as the barrels charged for a third time. But everything turned upside down…when Kyoko began to laugh uncontrollably. The two guardians stopped in midair and sweatdropped.
"What…are…those?!" Kyoko gasped.
"We are guardians of the planet Jurai," Azaka answered.
"Unbelievable! You are the famous guardians?!"
"Yes. I am Kamidake, and he is Azaka," The red one explained.
This just sent Kyoko into another fit of laughter.
"What is her problem?" Aeka asked Ryoko.
"No clue. Hey, Kyoko?! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Ryoko!" Sasami hissed.
Everyone waited for a minute before the hysterical pirate could answer. Finally, she settled down just enough to say, "Man, Jurai must be desperate for protection, if they're consulting possessed and flying barrels!!"
All but Aeka, Azaka, and Kamidake laughed.
"Besides," Kyoko continued, "I thought Jurai had humans for protection. Knights, I mean."
"You mean," Aeka pulled out a picture of Azaka and Kamidake (the knights), "them?"
Kyoko's dark eyes went from Azaka on the right, to Kamidake on the left. When she saw the young man, her jaw hit the ground and her eyes bugged out.
"They Azaka and Kamidake," Aeka said.
Kyoko pulled her jaw up. "But I thought they were Azaka and Kamidake," she said, pointing to the two she had just finished laughing at.
"They are, but the two in the picture are the originals."
"Originals? You mean to tell me that instead of sticking with the hot guy, you went to chopped up trees that talk? My Lord, its desperation."
Again, everyone but those three laughed.
"So, uh, Kyoko?" Kiyone began. She still didn't know what was going on, but she at least knew Kyoko didn't pose as an immediate threat, seeing that she had a sense of humor.
"Yes?"
"What is going on? You're supposed to be dead."
"Yeah, I know. I'll explain it in a little bit. But first, can I get some grub? I'm starving!"
As Sasami lead Kyoko into the kitchen, Ryoko, Tenchi, and Mihoshi followed. Washuu stepped out of her lab, and turned to Aeka and Kiyone, the only two left in the room.
"Well, we can now be sure she's not dead."
"What makes you say that, Washuu?" Kiyone asked.
"Ghosts don't eat." With that, Washuu walked into the kitchen with the rest.
When Kyoko, Ryoko, and Tenchi had been fed, everyone at the table turned to the new comer.
"You ready to tell us?" Kiyone asked.
"Ah, what the hell. Yeah sure." Kyoko took a deep breath. "It all began on May 21, many years ago. I'm really not sure how many any more. Just under a thousand, I know that much. Ryoko and I decided to rob the First Universal Bank of Jurai, and then bomb them when we were finished. We hadn't exactly had the greatest record with them. The robbery went smoothly, as usual. Ryoko took our loot back to my ship, the Sureiyaa. It was my job to set up the bomb. I suppose that's where this story begins…"
"Kyoko, can you hear me?" A voice came over a black radio.
"Yeah, Ryoko, I hear ya," was the reply. The girl who answered appeared to be thirteen years old. Her real age, however, was about 1,087. She was wearing black, hipster pants that flared out at the bottom, and a tight, black, long sleeved shirt that stopped above the hem of the pants. About three inches of her flat, pale skinned stomach showed. She wore a black utility belt around her waist, and black boots. It was the perfect getup for sneaking around a bank after hours. Since there was no light, she blended right in. In her left hand, she held a flashlight that gave off a bright whitish blue light. In her left, a radio, through which she kept in contact with her partner.
"Good. Walk down to the end of the hall. It's a dead end, but it's right in the center of the building." Ryoko's voice came through the static, but Kyoko had no trouble understanding her orders.
"Gotcha."
"You remember the plan, don't you?"
"Yeah, I remember. This is where I go alone. Don't forget, don't detonate…"
"…until you come back," Ryoko finished her friend's sentence for her. "I know. I'll see you when you're done."
"Right. I'm out." Kyoko finished her transmission and put the radio back in her utility belt. "I really don't trust that girl," she whispered. Though the two girls had grown up together and were practically sisters, Ryoko had a tendency to play some pretty evil jokes on her. Deep down, she did trust her, but there was always that feeling…
Kyoko reached her designated point and quietly set down her flashlight. She reached into her belt and pulled out the many pieces of the bomb she was supposed to set up. She wasn't much of a bomb expert, so she had to do a lot of reading to figure out how to assemble one of these things.
"All right. Let's get down to business."
For five minutes, she worked in silence, connecting this, setting that. It was a complicated process. Finally, after connecting the final wire to the main section, she stood up and cracked her back. She picked up her flashlight and turned to leave, but turned back around when she heard a beep.
The timer had started. Kyoko had thirty seconds to get out of there.
"Oh, Jesus," Kyoko said, and she began to run.
She was running so fast, and she had no idea where she was going. So when the hallway split, she had to quickly decide which way to go. She took the right path. Dead-end. She spun around and headed back to where the hall split. That's when the bomb detonated.
"Oh shiiiiiiit!" the pirate screamed as she ran down the left passage. Flames and debris raced down the hall after her. This would be the worst time to trip. So, of course, being the clumsy girl she was, she did. The worst part was it was over herself. She hit the ground and her flashlight flew out of her hand. The glass and the bulb shattered, and the only light in the hallway came from the fire that was quickly spreading along the walls, floor, and ceiling. She scrambled up and continued to run, but it was no use. The fire caught up with her, and before she knew it, the left half of her upper torso, neck, and face were burning.
Instead of continuing to run, Kyoko's feet left the ground, and she began to fly. She was running to fast and concentrating on escaping the flames earlier, she hadn't thought about flying. Of course the idea had to come when she was on fire. The air that rushed along in the other direction quickly put out the flames on her body, but the cloth had been burned off, and she had a large burn from the middle of her chest to her hairline by her ear. That was going to be there a while. Soon, she had out flown the fire and reached a window in the main hallway. She could see the Sureiyaa zooming out of sight.
"Ryoko! Where the hell are you going?!"
She had to find the docking bay and fast. She at least knew where she was now. Kyoko took a right and flew down the hallway, straight to the end.
There was only one ship in the bay, but at least it was a ship. It was flat, had six points, and looked like one of those stars you'd put on top of a Christmas tree, except it was neon pink. The name written on the side of the ship read Hoshiakari.
Lucky for Kyoko, the door was open, and she was able to get the ship started. She just barely managed to get far enough away from the bank before it totally blew up…
"Oh…" Kiyone said as Kyoko finished her story. "Well, that explains the black mark."
"Yeah, that's what happened," Kyoko replied, running her fingers along the scar on her face.
"Wow, I'm sure that hurt," Tenchi said.
"No, Tenchi, it felt great," Kyoko said sarcastically.
Tenchi snorted. "I suppose that was a stupid statement."
"Kyoko!" Ryoko suddenly shouted, startling everyone at the table. "I have something for you!"
Everyone watched confused as Ryoko disappeared, then soon reappeared, holding something in her uninjured hand. Kyoko stood up and walked over to her.
"I've been keeping it since that day. I almost forgot about it," the demon summoner said as she handed over what looked like a black crystal connected to a silver chain.
"The Sureiyaa," the red headed space pirate said in a hushed voice. She wrapped the chain around her neck and clasped the two ends together. Then, the two pirates embraced like sisters.
"You know, now that I've found you, I ain't leaving again," Kyoko told her partner when they broke the hug.
"Meaning..." Ryoko said with an evil grin.
"You people are stuck with me."
"Wonderful," Tenchi said, unenthusiastically. "Just what I need." Everyone laughed.
Notes from Minagi:
Well, this chapter didn't go at all how I wanted, but it did go at least. I hope you liked it. I'm hoping to be done with the fifth chapter by the end of Spring Break. Thanks a lot to all who reviewed! Keep em coming! ^.^ Buh- BYE!!!!!
P.S. Kyoko is listed in two different places as two different ages. Her GP file says she 1112, the flashback says she's 1087. There is a reason for that which will be explained in a future chapter (a.k.a. chapter five). I figured I should mention that before someone got confused.