Look! A second chapter! Huh, not many reviews but hey, I'll continue writing until the story's finished. Thanks Inuyasha Daw for your review! As for the questions you asked, I'll answer them now(Well, at least some of them). 1) Unfortunately in Book I, only Sesshoumaru and one other character will show up, since this story will only be four to five chapters long. But don't fret, for in Book II will be when the true story begins. Not only will I bring Inuyasha and the gang in the mix, but I'll bring a few others as well. 2) Will Tenchi decide? Well, not in this book, but I'll certainly focus on relationships in the next one. 3) Can't give away plot for old Sesshoumaru! By the way, mine grammar still doth sucketh, so pardon it please.

Ferocious Battle, the Youkai Lord vs. the Space Pirate!

Ryoko merely giggled at the prospect that she would soon meet up with Tenchi. In fact, she was so excited, that she didn't really pay attention to the speed she was traveling. She wasn't really paying attention to the altitude she was in either. Going at mach one only twelve feet from building tops didn't exactly bode well for the construction. Eventually, in nearly no time at all, really, she found Onigashima High and went to a full stop. Of course, she wasn't prepared for her little sonic boom, and well, let's just say her experience with a few trees wasn't a pleasant one. After picking a few leaves out of her cyan colored hair, she scanned the area for her prize.

After a few minutes, she noticed that the school let out a few minutes ago. "Damn! He must be going towards the bus stop! I better step to it!" Ryoko instantly flew off, a little slower this time, of course. She prowled the area, scanning for any signs of her prey. She slowly started to give up hope and was actually thinking that she may have arrived to late, until she heard a familiar voice. She instantly zoomed in on the voice, hoping to find it in time. Then she came upon a deserted street, and spotted Tenchi talking to a strange man. The man's hand appeared to be glowing, and then heard words that would instantly get her pissed.

"Yes. I am here to kill you."

Ryoko's rage went to instant horror as she saw the boy of her affections become engulfed in a green jet stream.

A few minutes earlier…

Tenchi studied this strange man who knew his name. This man easily looked like trouble, plus the fact that he knew his name. Tenchi mentally cursed himself for forgetting the Tenchi-ken. "Why didn't I learn from the last time? Mental note: Never forget Tenchi-ken as long as I live. Well, if I live through this that is."  Tenchi then saw a green substance come towards him, and did the only thing that anybody would do. He raised his arms to his face, and kept them there as if he was blocking it. He knew it was futile, but he also didn't really care. I mean, the guy was going to die. Yet, along with the reaction to the assault, his body also did something else. Something unexpected.

Three markings appeared on his forehead and glowed a bright blue.

Currently…

After the boy was engulfed in his poison, Sesshoumaru merely stared at the pile of goo. He stared at it intently, as if he was expecting the boy to merely pop up from pile. No movement. His task done, he turned around and silently walked away, all the while pondering to himself. "The boy's scent, it, carried a familiarity to it, but from where?" He then shook his head at that thought, forgetting as the boy was now dead. "Hmph. Just a normal human." As he said those words, he instantly detected the scent of another. He quickly jumped and did a full 180 degree turn and faced his new opponent. What he saw before him was an enraged woman with wild hair, coming towards him with a light sword.

"You will pay, you bastard! You killed the only one important to me! For this, you will pay with your life!!" Ryoko instantly took another swing with her sword, and Sesshoumaru lazily dodged her advances. He then extended his right index finger, and a yellow energy whip extended from it. He swung his arm in a downwards motion and parried with Ryoko's energy blade.

The energy weapons crackled as they made contact, bright lights reflecting and covering the entire street area. A few people did come out to investigate, but once they got peek at the fight, they instantly fled for their lives. Then again, it's not like the combatants noticed the civilians anyway. Ryoko shot an energy blast at Sesshoumaru, but then saw the youkai disappear in a blur. A few seconds later she saw golden eyes staring strait at her, then a cruel smirk appearing on his face. "Heh, too slow." He then followed up his comment by socking Ryoko in the stomach and then performed a kick to the face. Ryoko flew twenty feet into the local wall, easily making a hole in it.

Ryoko slowly got up, rage apparent on her face, she then teleported. Sesshoumaru saw her flicker out of existence, and was slightly surprised by this ability. He then quickly scanned for her scent, and quickly took a jump backward. He did the jump just in time too, for Ryoko reappeared, slashing at the spot he was formerly standing. Sesshoumaru merely smirked, it's been a long time since he had a real fight. Ryoko teleported again, this time above him, and fired a spray of energy shots. Sesshoumaru easily dodged the shots, and even batted away some of them.

Ryoko then flew towards him at full speed, blade fully extended. Sesshoumaru took a leap back, and swung his reformed energy whip. Both weapons clashed each other just as before, but this time the intensity was great. As the two weapons collided, an explosion came forth, catching both combatants off guard and blowing them a few feet back. Both stood, twenty feet apart, staring intently at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Ryoko took these few quick moments to study her opponent, sizing him up, to try and find an advantage. This guy was good, she'll give him that. The fact that he was able to somehow sense where she was going to teleport didn't really tilt things in her favor. He was fast, extremely fast. Not to mention the fact that he seemed to be intelligent, and wouldn't easily be tricked. He had cunning too, not to mention brute strength. She definitely felt his strength when he socked her in the gut and booted her in the face. All these factors weren't exactly what one wanted in an opponent. But then again, why was she smiling?

Sesshoumaru in turn studied this strange woman. She was fast, but not as fast a he, and could also fly. The teleportation was an annoyance, but one he could easily compensate for. She seemed very capable in combat, but then again she could easily be blinded with rage. He'll have to consider that. Then again, he could finish all of this and use the Toukijin, but he wanted this fight to last long. It has been a long while since he had someone near the worth of actually fighting. He then returned her feral smile with a confident smirk of his own.

More tense seconds passed, the opponents staring coldly at one another. One reflected hate, the other amusement. They then charged towards each other, each with their respective weapons drawn. Blade against whip, speed against teleportation, the onslaughts continued.

Ryoko continued throwing energy shots, and every one of them Sesshoumaru would either dodge or bat away. She knew she couldn't keep this up any longer, fatigue was starting to settle in, and the problem was her opponent. He didn't even look the least bit winded.

Sesshoumaru was growing tired of this, and the fact that the local authorities would be coming soon might complicate things. So he decided to step things up a notch. His right hand began to glow a dull green, with a mist rising from it. He then leapt towards Ryoko's spot, and let out a stream of poison.  "Dokkasou(Toxic Flower Claws)!"  Ryoko barely managed to teleport away in time as the poison streamed towards her. What appeared to be an explosion followed by green mist appeared, and one could actually here something hiss, as if it was melting.

Ryoko looked down at the spot she was formerly standing, and saw that street just got a new pothole. A big pothole, one large enough to swallow two or even three cars, covered the street. Ryoko then quickly turned her attention to Sesshoumaru, who was flying towards her at incredible speed. Ryoko was sort of shocked at this guy's ability, because she was pretty high in the air, but she then teleported away again, narrowly avoiding another blast.

Sesshoumaru slowly floated to the ground, lightly landing without a problem. He scanned the area for her scent, and barely ducked out of the way in time. Sesshoumaru leapt away, all the while hiding his arm behind his tail. "Damn! Almost got his head." Ryoko merely cursed at her luck, until she received a nasty little surprise.

Sesshoumaru flung his right hand out, it glowing a familiar green. Ryoko eyes widened in surprise to this. Big mistake. "Dokkasou!" The stream flew towards her, intent on making her a very dead pile of goo. Barely dodging, the blast lightly glazed her side, the mist trailing behind and along with it coming in contact with her eyes. She screamed in agony as the mist hit her eyes, temporarily blinding her. Ryoko frantically teleported high into the air, while rubbing her eyes, trying to escape her opponent. Ryoko eventually opened her eyes, but saw nothing but colored blurs.

Sesshoumaru saw this as his opportunity, and leapt up towards her. He then reached for her foot, and pulled her down forcibly. He then threw her towards the ground, following himself shortly afterwards. Ryoko hit the ground hard, and you could actually see some of the parked cars vibrate from the impact. Sesshoumaru lightly landed on the ground, flexing his claws as he slowly closed in for the kill. Sesshoumaru then abruptly stopped, and stared on at the pile of goo that used to be the boy.

The pile moved some more, and then the boy actually rose from it. The whole time he was coughing and wheezing, making comments on how it was "disgusting" in it. Ryoko shot up, and turned in the direction Tenchi was. She strained to confirm if it was really Tenchi's voice, since all she could see right now was just a blur.

Tenchi continued to complain of his predicament, until he saw the man responsible for the mess standing only a few feet away from him. He then saw Ryoko staring him, she looked like she was injured, and that her eyes looked a little dull. But in the dullness, he could actually see joy in them. Her eyes instantly filled with tears, and she flew towards at a rapid rate.

"Tenchi! I thought you were dead! I…I thought I had lost you!" She clung to him like there was no tomorrow, afraid that she would lose him again. He gently wrapped his arms around her, knowing full well that she thought that he was dead. Tears continued to stream down her face, as she was completely relieved and overjoyed that he was alive. They eventually let each other go, and Ryoko turned and faced the man responsible for this. "Bastard. You tried to kill my Tenchi. My eyes are much better now, so now I can easily kill you now. Come on, try your attack again, but before you do, know that your now facing Ryoko, the dreaded space pirate. My name struck fear in those who heard it in the past, and you've only been added to the list."

Sesshoumaru merely gave her his famous expressionless stare. He decided to return this with a taunt of his own. "Why do I need to fear human trash, wench?" He could see that this partially annoyed Ryoko, but she still kept her rage in check. He was about to deliver another assault, until his sensitive hearing heard sirens of in the distance. Sesshoumaru looked on, and then looked back to his quarry, and then gave them a smirk. "Heh, it appears that this will have to be postponed for now." He then took a leap backward, and easily cleared a wall.

Ryoko was just about to go in pursuit, until Tenchi put a hand on her shoulder. "Stop Ryoko, there's no need to chase the guy." Ryoko began to protest, until Tenchi stopped her. "The local police are arriving, and I don't really want to stick around to answer questions. Besides, from what I've seen, the guy's pretty fast." Ryoko, defeated, dissipated her sword and sighed. "Alright, Tenchi, you win. Let's get out of here."

She then picked him up and floated off. While they were flying towards home, Tenchi decided to confront Ryoko about her little "breakout". "Ryoko, you know you're not supposed to come to the school." Ryoko instantly froze at that statement. "Damn! I thought he'd forget about that!"  Ryoko cleared her throat. "Well, uh, you see Tenchi I-!"

"It's okay Ryoko, despite the fact you weren't supposed to be here," He said those last words a with a little pressure, "I'm glad you were. Thank you Ryoko, for saving me."

Ryoko was instantly overjoyed at his appraisal, but composed herself. "Well, uh, you're welcome. But Tenchi…?" Tenchi turned his attention to Ryoko. "Yes?" Ryoko continued. "There's no need to thank me. I would do it anytime. I-it's the least I could do, for all you've done for me." This put a smile on Tenchi's lips, and the two flew towards home.

**********

Sesshoumaru, traveling on a strange mist, slowly flew threw a small forest near Okayama. The youkai lord, allowing the mist to do the piloting, silently pondered to himself. "Hmm, so it appears the boy was special after all. Did he put up a warding shield, or was it a part of the boy's power? The woman who interfered, she appeared to be one of the companions Tokimi spoke of."  Sesshoumaru clearly remembered the conversation between the goddess and himself earlier.

*FLASHBACK*

"Following the boy are a few companions. They are women, five in all. If you make an attempt on Tenchi's life, any one of them will defend him with great ferocity. You may kill all but two if they get in your way." Tokimi looked down at the youkai, waiting for the expected question.

Sesshoumaru hated being antagonized, but he didn't really have a choice in this matter. "Well? Will tell me the two or will I kill them in the process also?" Tokimi smirked at his scrutiny, and showed two images before him.

The first image was of a twelve-year old girl, with a pink hair-style that would remind one of a crab. The girl had long spiky hair, and she looked cocky for her age. She had a menacing smile that showed that she was either insane or maniacal. "Probably both."  Sesshoumaru commented to himself on that assumption. "This, is Lady Washu, a very important part to me. She may appear twelve, but in reality she is beyond 20,000 years of age. She is also extremely intelligent, so beware of her devices. Do not harm her despite of whatever she may do."

The second image was of a young girl with blue hair pulled back in two pigtails. She had pinkish-red eyes and has a few freckles on her face. She wore an expression of innocence, one that showed that she could look into your heart and find purity. A twinge of emotion appeared on Sesshoumaru's face, but any evidence of it quickly disappeared for all eternity. "This, Sasami, she is the second princess of a royal family. She is around 900 years of age, and very fragile, so make sure she is not harmed in any way."

Sesshoumaru continued to stare at the images, thinking on a possible problem. "What will I do if they are in my way?" Lady Tokimi chuckled at his question, then gave him a bemused smirk. "Make sure that they don't get in your way, or the contract will be void."

Sesshoumaru accepted this answer, then returned to the task at hand. "What are the others like?"

She waved her hand, and willed three other images into existence. The first showed a woman with spiky cyan colored hair. She had golden eyes, and they took on appearance of a cat. She had a mischievous look on her face, and appeared to be…giving the finger?

"Ryoko the space pirate is the visage of the woman whom you are observing. She has the ability to fly, along with teleportation. She also has various energy weapons in her arsenal, so be on your guard when you go against her."

He turned to the next image, showing a young woman with a regal bearing emanating from her. She had blood red eyes, accompanied by hair that was a dark shade of purple. Her smile was a warm, but looked like it held restraint. "This is Princess Ayeka, first princess of the royal family I mentioned earlier. She relies on her powers, but also calls upon the aide of her royal guardians."

The third image showed a woman who appeared to have a limitless supply of energy. She skin was deeply tanned, and her face was framed with blond hair. She had sky blue eyes, and in these eyes reflected innocence, much like the girl Sasami from before. "This is Galaxy Police officer Mihoshi Kiramitsu, she at times may seem incompetent, but can be very determined. Do not underestimate her for she can easily stop any plans you have."

Sesshoumaru looked back at Tokimi, with his usual look. "Anyone else I should know of?"

*END FLASHBACK*

"Whatever the case may be, next time I must not waste time with her."  He then smirked at the woman's interference. "Of course, if it wasn't for her, I may not have known that the boy had lived."  Sesshoumaru contemplated on another revelation that had approached him. "The boy's scent was familiar. I wonder from where I recognize it from…"  Sesshoumaru continued to dwell on the new development as he approached his destination.

*************

Ryoko continued to rub her eyes, as the blurriness was slowly fading away. It was a good thing she put on a convincing poker face, or else she wouldn't have known what to do. "Then again, that guy constantly kept on a strait face. Damn, he didn't even look worried once!" As Ryoko thought about this, her attention turned to Ayeka. It was really weird what happened. She first thought that as soon as they got home, Ayeka would begin another argument for her act, which was pretty much close to the truth, until Tenchi stepped in. After hearing the initial shock of some unknown assassin trying to kill her "Lord Tenchi", she quickly rushed the two inside and asked for Sasami's help on treating them for any injuries.

Afterwards, Ayeka wanted to be alone with Ryoko, so she could have a private talk. Expecting the worse, Tenchi and Sasami(with Ryo-Ohki in tow) quickly ran out of the room. When they were alone, Ayeka instantly bowed in front of Ryoko. " Ryoko, despite the fact that we always fight, and the fact that at times we may appear to despise one another, I…" Ayeka struggled this part of the sentence out. "…I, would like to thank you. I thank you, Ryoko, for risking your life to save Tenchi's."  Whoa. Ryoko was speechless at that one.

Ryoko cleared her throat, nervousness clearly shown at the awkward moment. "Uh, thanks Pri-, er, Ayeka." Another moment of silence between the two. "Heh, but don't start going soft on me now, Prissy Princess." Ryoko gave a light smirk at this. Ayeka was at first enraged, but then saw Ryoko's sincerity. She merely smirked back. "I wouldn't dream of it mummy woman."  They both shared a laugh at that one.

Ryoko continued to ponder the situation, until she heard the familiar yell that dinner was ready. She got up, and floated on over to the dining room. Tenchi, Sasami, Ryo-Ohki, and Ayeka were already seated at the table when she arrived. Ryoko took her usual spot on left side of Tenchi, while Ayeka sat on his right. Dinner was silent for a while, until Ryoko decided to break the ice. "Hey, Ayeka." All participants at the table were preparing for an insult of some kind and then the beginning of the usual fight.

Ayeka swallowed her tea that she took a sip of, and cleared her throat. "Yes, what is it Miss Ryoko?" She then turned her eyes towards Ryoko, expecting a jeer of some kind. "Do you think that the guy who attacked us could have been hired by a noblemen?" This question not only caused everyone to be shocked at the subject of the matter, but the also caused them to be shocked at how Ryoko wasn't going to start a fight.

After Ayeka got over the initial shock, she then pondered silently to the space pirate's question. "Maybe, it is a possibility. Although most of the nobles have gotten over they're disgust of "mixing of blood", there are still some who protest against the act. Father has declared that those who would attack Lord Tenchi or Yosho would be tried for treason and then severely punished by the Holy Council of Jurai."

Ryoko gave Ayeka a skeptical look. "What, you actually think that would stop them?"

Ayeka returned with a look of her own. "Of course not! But that does not mean that nothing has been done about it. I'll contact father the next chance I get and inform him of the recent developments. He'll dispatch an investigation team and find out which one is after Lord Tenchi."

Ryoko shook her head and sighed at the answer. "Well, then, tell me this. What will we do when that guy comes again later?" Ayeka merely chuckled at Ryoko's statement while she took another sip of her tea. "We'll just beat him back. It's not like he's invincible or anything." Ryoko sighed at Ayeka's confidence. "Listen closely Princess. I had trouble with this guy. Tenchi was almost killed by this guy. He's not really someone we can just push aside and expect to give up."

Tenchi cleared his throat to catch the two girl's attention. "Well Ryoko, while I didn't exactly get a chance to fight him, I do believe your right. We need to be on our guard for a while, and start preparing for another possible confrontation." Both girls let the conversation subside for the time being.

Sasami, who was quiet the whole evening, decided to find out more about this man. "Um, Tenchi, Ryoko? What exactly was this man like?" The question caught both off guard, making them actually think about their opponent's personality.

Tenchi thought for a few minutes, and slowly imagined the man in his mind. "Well, for starters, the guy was dressed all weird. He kinda looked like he was from the warring states era, or kind of like an old samurai without the heavy armor. He had two swords by his sides, and weird fluffy thing on his right shoulder. He had long white hair, golden eyes, and weird markings on his face. Although the thing that disturb me the most was his cold stare. It was like he had no emotions, but also kept an air of superiority about him." Tenchi visibly shuddered at the cold stare that the man gave him.

Ryoko too took a few minutes to think of her enemy, trying to think of anything Tenchi left out. "Yeah, that guy was pretty cold, but he also looked kind of cocky too. He's a fierce fighter, not to mention those attacks of his. Especially that green poison, my eyes have finally recovered from the initial shock." Tenchi looked surprised at Ryoko's statement. "You were bluffing?" Ryoko nodded at his answer. "Yeah, I don't think it worked too well. Good thing you had the sword on you though." Tenchi looked a little perplexed and then put his hand behind his head. "Um, I didn't have the Tenchi-ken on me." Tenchi was laughing nervously as the girls looked at him in surprise.

Ayeka then contemplated these developments and then surmised a solution. "Perhaps the Lighthawk Wings were activated?" Tenchi and Ryoko's eyes widen in understanding at this new revelation. "Well, it's a good thing that Washu still in her lab doing god knows what, or else she would be poking and prodding Tenchi for all he's worth!" Ryoko was laughing at her statement, while Tenchi's face went blue. Ayeka merely coughed signaling the end of that joke. Sasami had a sweatdrop on her expression. Ryo-Ohki was busy munching on carrots.

The house then shuddered violently as the residents of the Masaki household were preparing to eat their meal again. Tenchi shot up at the mini-quake as another after shock came. "What was that?!"

"Maybe it was Mihoshi?" Sasami offered her family a helpful suggestion. Ryoko shook her head at that one. "No, Mihoshi usually crashes in the lake. This is something vibrating on the ground." The four occupants ran outside and saw one of the strangest sights before them.

What they saw was what appeared to be the upper torso of a giant oni. It crushed another tree that was near it, banging its fist on the ground. On its shoulder sat a man with long white hair sitting in a cross-legged position. Sesshoumaru looked on impassively at the five individuals. "Smash them." The oni raised its arm and brought it down towards its targets.

To be continued

You know the drill kids, read and review. Constructive criticism welcomed.