Knight: That baka. Take my work, will ye?
::the author's running after a ninja dressed in dark blue. The author chants something and the ninja, crossing through a shadow, freezes::
Ninja: What'd you do to me? ::can't move::
Knight: Used a Shadow-Bind. Now, hand it over.
::the ninja reluctantly hands over a manuscript::
Knight: Good. Now, you may go.
::the Author releases the ninja, who speeds off across the rooftops::
Chapter 3
"Give?" he asked.
"All right. I give," said Aeka, accepting the hand Tenchi offered. I'll never be good enough at this rate, she thought sullenly. I'm not a fighter, I guess. But Achika was, and I swear, I'll fill that gap in his heart if it means my life!
"Hey," Katsuhito asked her, noticing the emotions crossing her face. "Why the long face? You're making the most progress that can be expected of a beginner."
"That's just it," she said. "I've been training here for 2 weeks solid, and I don't make much progress at all."
"Keep something in mind," said Katsuhito. "The greatest fighters on our planet have practiced for years upon years upon years. Don't think that you can catch up in the space of a month."
"But," she started. However, it did make sense. Well, that's just great: another instance of my stupidity.
"Come on, you're doing well," said Tenchi. Immediately, she went goggle eyed.
"You really think so?" she asked, hope in her voice.
"Yeah, just great!"
She blushed at the compliment. "A-arigato... Tenchi-sama."
"All right, all right, that's enough," said Katsuhito. "Back to work!"
Arkhan, aboard the ship Guilty Fortune, scowled at the report on his console. High service comes with high price, he thought to himself. Damn him! He was all talk. He looked out of the large view port and into the center of the ship. Guilty Fortune had been designed with the idea that it could be a base as well as a ship. It was because of this way that his syndicate, Jenshin, had never been caught. They were always on the move, never in one place for more then a Juraian month. Arkhan seriously hated this style of life, but it was necessary. To be caught is to be dead, said the old saying. There was a knock at his door. "Enter," he said.
A calm and cool looking soldier walked in. Judging from his turquoise armor, black pants, and the blood red stripes on his sleeves, he was from the Spec Ops division of the Jenshin Forces. "Begging your pardon, sir, but General Shino has requested reinforcements in the Sol system."
"Why does that matter? We already know, from his tracer, that Kyrin is under detainment. Apparently he let his condition get out of control."
"The General says that lately, they've been noticing a couple of Galaxy Police ships coming through the system. If the Federation becomes involved, we could have a problem maintaining our invisibility, sir," the young officer replied, a little annoyed. "Not to mention that a re-emergence from Kain would set off scanners everywhere. Shino asks that he have more troops, in the event that Kain comes again."
We don't have the time for such trivialities, he wanted to say. What he did say was, "I can't make any guarantees, but I'll see what troops I can send."
The officer nodded. "Thank you, sir. That is all we can ask." He bowed, turned, and left.
Arkhan turned his chair around so that he could stare out the view port. The sea of stars twinkled and shone with that same cold, uncaring light that was so characteristic of them. It looked as if it was time to pay another visit to another backwater. Stupid bounty hunter, he thought to himself. I should have done the job myself. That's the only way it can truly be done.
Mihoshi yawned, stretched, and opened her eyes. "Where are we?" she asked sleepily.
"Just outside Jupiter's orbit," Kiyone replied, checking through her star charts.
"Good. I'm tired of living off of GP rations." Mihoshi sighed at the thought of another meal from Sasami. "Why'd we have to come all the way out to HQ, anyway?" she asked, slightly annoyed.
"For one thing, we have to report in, seeing as it's part of our job," Kiyone replied, flatly. "For another thing, there's a bounty hunter trying to kill a few of our friends. Remember?"
"Ooooooh yeah." She paused. "What kind of info did we get, anyway?"
Now, that's scary, thought Kiyone. A semi-intelligent question, from Mihoshi! "Basically, we got the guy's life story. More or less, anyway."
"Uh, shouldn't we review the information?"
Is this an impostor or something? "Well, let's start with the obvious: his name is Kyrin Silverblade. He's pretty well renowned as a bounty hunter. He's even stood up against Nagi and lived to tell about it." She paused, to remember some more facts. "He's a Dareis," she explained.
"Dareis... Dareis..." muttered Mihoshi, looking down in thought. Then her head snapped up. "You wouldn't mean that warrior race, would you?"
"The one and the same."
"Why isn't he with them, then? They hardly ever kick out one of their own, and he seemed to be something of an elite among them."
"Yeah, well, he was proven dangerous to the people. The reasons were never disclosed, and I couldn't hack into the classified files. All I really know is that he was kicked out for reasons unknown, and he in turn started working as a bounty hunter."
Mihoshi hummed in thought. "Uh, this is probably a dumb idea, but do you think he could be linked to that crime syndicate?"
"You mean that one that we're having so much trouble with?" Kiyone replied.
"Yeah. What's it called again? Jen... Jen...."
"Jenshin."
"Right! Do you think there could be a link between them?"
"Well, gee, let's see. A skilled bounty hunter working for anyone who gives the most money, working for an unreasonably rich crime syndicate. Seems a little unlikely, eh?"
"Yeah, you're right."
Kiyone face faulted. Nope. No impostor here.
"Yes sir, that's what he said."
Shino sighed and shook his head. How can he expect me to keep winning battles for him if he can't supply more troops?
"Why does that bother you, sir? I mean, you're one of the most decorated generals known throughout the galaxy, so I'm not sure that you should be worried about this."
Shino looked at the officer bemusedly and smirked. "I may be a star strategist and general, but to fight Kain alone would be something like suicide. You know that, don't you?"
"Yes sir, sorry sir."
"Come off it now, Genjo. We're in private, so you're allowed to call me father. Remember?"
"Yes sir. I'll keep that for future reference." Shino couldn't help but grin at his son. A spy and master of the martial arts, Genjo was a valued member of the Jenshin group. He had spiky brown hair, green eyes, was of medium height, lightly tanned. 'He looks a little like me,' Shino reflected. Shino was pretty tall, with green eyes and pale blonde hair, as well as dark skin.
"Well, as for other business," Shino said, shifting through various papers on his desk. "Is there any more information on those GP ships we've been sighting lately?"
"Nothing, sir," replied Genjo. "We've been able to learn that they are connected with some of the recent goings on in Earth space."
"Really?" the General replied idly. He looked out into the lunarscape and at the blue, green, and white marble that hung in the sky. Indeed, there had been some rather strange occurrences throughout the past few days, enough to convince him that appropriate measures had to be taken. And those patrol ships had not, in any way, helped the situation.
So what to do? he asked himself. I could blow up the ships, but that would lead to an investigation from the GP. Possibly from Earth as well, if the conditions were right and our timing was off. Maybe if we got them in the asteroid belt... But that plan still had its faults. If the ships were blown in the Belt, an investigation would prove futile, and there was no way Earth could observe. But, then, what about the rest of the group on Earth? They tended to be more resourceful then the GP and they could probably figure out the truth reasonably quickly. If it came to a direct confrontation, he was sure his army could probably win. However, casualties would be high.
Genjo watched his father as Shino finally sighed and said, "There doesn't appear to be a stealthy way to solve this problem."
"Would you permit me to make a suggestion, sir?"
"Shoot."
"I could lead an assassin unit down there and pick them off."
"That doesn't seem very honorable to me."
"Maybe, but you said so yourself. There's no clean way out of this. From my view, this is about the best option we've got."
"I know." Shino sighed. "I wonder what my mom would think of me if she saw me now."
"Who knows? Maybe you will, someday."
"Thanks. You should probably get to work pulling together that unit."
"Yes sir." With that, Genjo turned around and walked away.
Shino sat down and leaned back in his chair, eyes closed. When he opened them again, he stared at the Earth again, remembering. He didn't know a whole lot about his mother. His father had had to separate from her for political reasons, and Shino hadn't been allowed to know anything about her. He hated the empty feeling that came with that. That was one of the reasons Shino had become a renegade. He absolutely despised the nobility of any race, planet, galaxy, or dimension. However, there was no nobility among thieves and murderers.
One of them was dressed in simple black hooded robe, and it spoke with a male voice that was strangely feminine. "Statistics have changed considerably since our last meeting. Logic dictates that--"
"Who gives a damn about logic?!" spoke another hooded one, this one dressed in red. This one was most definitely male, a big cannon of a voice. "We should just lose the cover and blow everything away!"
"Now, now, now," came the voice from the other figure, clad in blue. This voice was definitely female, with a slight lilt in it as well. "There's no finesse in that."
"You're as much of a fool as Logic boy over here!" shouted Red Robes.
"What's more foolish?" retorted Blue. "Blundering about wasting power blowing away indiscriminate targets? Or simply striking key points and watching it all fall apart?"
"Logic dictates that we should simply wait and observe our enemy until a better opportunity," interjected Black.
"All of them are faulty strategies." All bickering stopped. She had spoken. Cenus, she said, speaking privately to the one in red, You speak of intimidation. Why is it necessary, when we are safe with the knowledge that we are the strongest?
"Sorry, Highness."
Zisho, she said, turning to the one in blue, Skulking in the shadows takes too long and we have plans that must be implemented soon.
"Yes, Highness."
Indoran, finally turning to the one in black, If we simply watch, nothing is lost. If we simply watch, nothing is gained. That is where the fault in your plan is.
"I understand."
"I hope this means we don't just stand here idly," Cenus stated. He looked nervously at her, fully aware of the penalties that could emerge from disrespect.
"You are correct. We will not stand idle." She floated in an ethereal void, enjoying the look of attentive fear on the faces that only she could see. "The time is approaching. Now, we must start to shift things." She looked at each of them before speaking again. "Up until this point, each of you has operated separately. No longer. Gather you followers, your weapons, your strength, and meet back here."
"Finally..." muttered Zisho. "We are to see the light of day again."
Indoran simply stood there silently, but she could sense that his mind was racing.
"That is all," she said, suddenly. She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, and watched as they bowed and turned to leave. Finally, when they were all gone, she looked back down to the destiny board. On the board were lines, which seemed to shift and change as you looked. Indeed, they did. It was there to show fate, what it had been, what it could be. She looked upon it now, and she watched as a few key lines started to move a little closer to each other. They worried her. Those lines belonged to a few people who could stop her. Alone, they were nothing. And alone they had to stay.
Well, Kyrin reflected, watching the proceedings outside of his cell, this isn't the place I'd recommend to someone wanting peace and quiet.
Ryoko was staring down at Washyuu in a state that was part shock, part anger. Sasami was also watching, yet she didn't seem to be afraid at all.
"How—" Ryoko croaked, "how could you? How could you do this to me?!"
"Ryoko, I can explain," said Washyuu, "but you need to calm down."
"Calm down?! How can you ask me to do that?! I've just learned I was created to kill, and you want me to calm down?!"
"Uh, it's not that difficult—" started Kyrin, but quieted when Ryoko looked at him.
"Gr URUSAI MINNA!!" she screamed and exploded her energy outwards.
The lab had a shield around her in an instant, but it immediately began to frizzle out. Pulling up her holo-top, Washyuu discovered that the power matrix was overloading. Which meant "Ryoko! Stop! You're going to overload the prison cell!"
But either Ryoko didn't hear, or she didn't care. She screamed in rage and all the lights went dark. A strange force that burned them blew Washyuu and Sasami away, but then something stopped it.
The lights came back on. Ryoko was staring at a figure standing in front of Washyuu and Sasami, with his right hand held outward in a shielding motion. Kyrin lowered his hand and looked up piercingly at Ryoko. "You were made to kill me," he said. "No one else, you've done enough of that. Now get over it. If you're going to fight someone," here he unsheathed his sword, "you fight with me."
"Holy" said Washyuu. Sasami was still quiet. She seemed to be searching for words. The sword in Kyrin's hand was a straight blade, double edged. The grip was designed for either single-hand or double-hand use, encased in black leather. It wasn't anything too fancy, as far as designs go, but it was different from a standard blade; it had a strange, unearthly glow. This gave the sword the appearance of a shining chaos, for the glow could never seem to stay on one color too long.
Ryoko seemed a little hesitant upon seeing this blade, but grit her teeth and formed her ki-blade.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The combatants paused, and even Washyuu gave a slight jump. Sasami stood there, anger plain on her face. "Kyrin, you keep making us out to be the bad guys, but what gives you the right? Why don't you tell us tonight?" Kyrin gave a quiet nod. "Good. Now, you two, separate. Ryoko, get out of the lab. No, Kyrin, you're staying right here, got that?"
"Yes ma'am," they both replied somewhat meekly. Ryoko floated down and went out the door while Kyrin looked around to see how things looked from outside the cell.
"Wow, Sasami. I'm impressed," said Washyuu. "I didn't think you had it in you."
"Washyuu?" asked Sasami.
"Yes?"
"This might sound crazy... but that wasn't me."
Tenchi swept Aeka's support foot and ducked the block. While Aeka tottered, he took a swipe at her legs using his bokken. Aeka, having lost part of her footing, stumbled. Then, noticing the block coming back she hopped up and grabbed a hold of it. She swung over Tenchi thwacking him on the back of the head as she passed. Dropping from the block, she landed on another peg and spun, deflecting a pebble thrown by Katsuhito. So absorbed was she in this that she didn't notice Tenchi come up behind her and kick her in the back. Flying from the peg, the pole-vaulted using her bo and turned back around to face him. She took a low stance on the pegs, one foot under her and the other extended to another peg, her bo held behind her. Tenchi stood single footed on a peg opposite Aeka, leg raised and shin tucked in. His sword arm was held in a ready position, while his free hand was held high.
Katsuhito, noting the sun's position in the western part of the sky, called out, "Alright, we're done for the day. Let's head back."
Relieved, Tenchi and Aeka practically fell off the pegs. Aeka had never felt so sore. It felt like all the muscles in her body were burning and screaming at the same time. Commenting on this to Tenchi, he shrugged and replied "Don't worry too much. It's a sign you're making progress."
Tenchi, for the most part, was feeling kind of stiff. It wasn't that the training schedule was much more rigorous than usual, it was... Aeka, he realized. Aeka's the one that's been doing most of the pushing in this whole thing. Reaching the stair path leading back to the house, they started down, welcoming the shade. When they reached the bottom, they found Ryoko waiting there, leaning against a tree.
"What do you want?" asked Aeka warily, for she doubted she was in the physical shape to handle a fight.
"Can it, Princess, I got a message." With that, Ryoko filled them in on Kyrin's release, leaving out the part that she was responsible for it.
"WHAT IS WASHYUU THINKING?!" exploded Tenchi. "Doesn't she realize exactly how dangerous that is?"
"Don't worry," said Sasami as she walked up to them. "He won't do anything. I made him promise."
"Sasami, I doubt the wisdom of trusting a bounty hunter to keep a promise like that."
"Lay off already," said Ryoko in a tired voice. "Kid's had it rough today, give her a break." With that, she walked away giving no clear indication as to where she was going.
"What's up with her, anyway?" wondered Tenchi aloud.
Sasami shrugged. "I don't really know. It might just be best to leave her alone. Anyway, dinner's ready, so come on down."
All of a sudden, an earsplitting roar was heard. Everyone looked up. A small, shiny speck in the distance was coming their way. As it got closer, it took upon the shape of the Yagami.
"Aw man," muttered Tenchi.
***
"Ow! What'd you do that for?" asked Kyrin, rubbing the back of his head.
"For one thing, I've been wanting to do that all the time you've been here," Washyuu said with a smirk. "For another, it'll help you a little. It uses chemical inhibitors to help keep Kain in check."
"I see."
"But, just in case," said Washyuu, prompting the appearance of Azaka and Kamidake. A shield was around him in an instant and Kyrin sat there cross-legged, scowling.
He sighed. "This sucks."
It seems that Washyuu wanted to create a monster, a soulless killing soldier, able to obey her commands.
I never wanted that of you.
Yeah right, Washyuu! I'm just a little doll to you, that's all. You made me to kill Kyrin, and I failed. So..., here she slumped. Why does it even matter if I exist at all?
Ryoko, I lost my child. I lost him to the cruelties of space and politics. Is it so wrong for me to have made another?
Oh, what's the damn point of it? I hate your guts, you just observe me for scientific reference. I don't consider that to be a good mother-daughter relationship. There's no reason for me to continue.
Is that so? replied Washyuu. What about Tenchi?
That stopped Ryoko cold, as Washyuu continued. You've become a very significant figure in his life. Think of all the carpentry skills he'd have never learned if you'd never been here!
Funny.
He cares about you. You have no idea how much it'd tear him up to see you go. Not even I do, and if I don't know the extent of something then that's bad.
Oh leave me alone! And Washyuu left her. Still, she had a point. She had to keep living. For Tenchi. Always for Tenchi.
Kiyone, in her usual Earth outfit of white sweatshirt and blue jeans, spoke first. "The data we collected on Kyrin is pretty limited, since we couldn't hack into the advanced files. What we did find was this - his full name is Kyrin Silverblade. He's one of the Akilae Clan, of the Dareis."
"There's something I don't understand," said Tenchi. "What is it about the Dareis that everyone's afraid of?"
Mihoshi, dressed in a pink long-sleeve shirt and tan pants, answered. "Well, uh, the Dareis home world is called Dareial. It's a harsh world, with huge deserts, tornado swept plains, stormy seas, that sort of thing. The gravity is approximately," here she checked her notes, "3 times that of Earth."
"The Dareis," Kiyone added, "live in clans, whose philosophies and abilities are dependent on the region they live in. The Akilae Clan, for example, is a desert clan. The Furinax Clan, on the other hand, lives in the mountains."
"A harsh world like theirs is ideal for training warriors," said Katsuhito. "That's why they're held in such high regard."
"Fortunately," Aeka said, "they keep to themselves for the most part. We maintain a trade with them, if I remember right - we have them train our warriors in return for material support."
"In any case," said Kiyone, trying to regain control, "the political stance of the Dareis is pretty neutral. If a interstellar war breaks out, they'll maintain a neutral stance and try not to get involved. They've only taken on active roles in wars during some of the most desperate of times. Other times, it's usually pretty unclear as to why they fight."
Mihoshi interjected, "They're usually employed as freelance fighters, outside of their own armies that is. Their skills are often held in high regard."
"Is there anything else we need to know?" asked Tenchi.
"Uh, the rest is just trivial stuff."
"Then I guess there's nothing left to do but just let him in," said Ryoko quietly.
Tenchi nodded. "All right, Washyuu!" he called. "Whenever!"
Washyuu stepped out of the door to the lab while Azaka and Kamidake, with Kyrin in tow, materialized from nowhere.
"So, I'm guessing you want to hear my story?" Kyrin asked, though it didn't sound like a question.
"Yeah," said Tenchi. "Let's hear it."
"All right. How much do you know?" Tenchi told him. "I see."
Kyrin cleared his throat and started to speak. "I was born to Aras Shiningstar and Shedara Gentleheart, in the Makari Desert. I have no hometown to speak of, because my parents were nomads." He smiled in remembrance. "Luckily my mother, Shedara, was incredibly wise. She taught me the ways of civilization, while my father taught me of how to survive."
He paused, remembering. "We were stopping in once when I was the equivalent of a 13-year-old Earthian. My parents had given me free range to explore the town at my leisure. I won't bore you with details about the architectural style and that sort of thing, but I can tell you that the city was rather large. I happened across an alley, where I saw a bunch of punks getting ready to beat the stuffing out of an old man. I couldn't leave him there, so I ran to help him."
Before Kyrin could say more, Tenchi interjected, in a sarcastic tone of voice, "Let me guess. This is the part of the story where you find your hidden fighting potential and go off to join the army."
"Actually, no." Kyrin sighed. "Originally, I had the advantage of surprise and they'd no idea I was coming. But after they found out I was alone, I got my ass handed to me." He would've said more, if everyone hadn't been laughing at him so much. "Oh c'mon!" he said. "Nobody taught me how to fight, and I was young and outnumbered 3 to 1! Don't I get any credit for trying to help?"
"Yeah, but you got beat BAD!" cackled Ryoko. Eventually everyone cooled down, and Kyrin continued his story.
"Well, as it turns out, the old man had them beat in 30 seconds. He told me that he was, in fact, an Eradi Monk."
"Ah, the Eradi," said Katsuhito. "They're famous fighting monks, a galactic version of the Shaolin Monks of Earth."
"Yeah, that's right. Anyway, the Monk said that I could come and train at the temple with him, if I wanted. My family thought it was okay, so they let me come in. I trained with them for 60 years, then they gave me a pure-white belt and told me to travel without washing the belt until it turned black. I spent the next 100 years traveling all over the planet, and eventually my belt did turn black from gathering dust and exposure. I ended up back in the temple and they let me in on the last piece of my training. I had to forge a weapon for myself."
Pausing for breath, he continued, "What followed was 17 years of grueling physical and mental training. When an Eradi forges a weapon, he must put a part of his spirit inside the of it. Since one's spirit is a reflection of the self, the smith must be strong in order for the weapon to be strong."
"In other words," said Washyuu, "the strength of the weapon is dependant upon the one who forges it."
"Precisely," he said. "That's why my sword has a glow to it – because that's my spirit inside of it."
"But that didn't look like a good spirit to me," said Sasami. "Why does it go crazy like that?"
"Well, I've only told you roughly half the story," replied Kyrin. "You see, I also had a brother. His original name was Talus, and he earned the last name Powerseeker for his raw ambition."
"Just like you earned Silverblade?" asked Aeka. When Kyrin said yes, she almost sighed aloud. I wish I had the opportunity to earn my name.
"He felt a strange spite for my way of life. Instead, he enrolled in the military as soon as he was able. After making an unprecedented rise to Captain of the Fleet, he requested that I join the Marine division under his command. I joined up, and we went off to see the stars."
"It was during this time," he said, after a slight pause, "that the Galactic Science Academy began to study the applications of nanotechnology in combat. Their scientists found that nanobots, if directed towards a specific atomic make-up , could destroy anything on the atomic level. Such a weapon was deemed too dangerous to use and they gave it to our fleet to dispose of as soon as possible."
But," he said in a slightly bitter tone of voice, "we didn't get very far. The fleet had just left orbit when a powerful pirate group, simply called the Scarred Hand, intercepted us. We gave them a good fight, but they were too much for us. In desperation, Talus ordered us to launch the nanobots at the pirate fleet, but in doing so he forgot the robots hadn't been set to any particular target. The Academy had left the robots on the same destruct code as they'd been for testing – zetatronium alloy, a super metal used in the production of starships that are mechanical in nature. The pirate fleet was in close quarters with us when we released the weapon, so an equal number of bots went after them as went after us. The pirates, in desperation, started firing everywhere, just as we did when we realized our mistake. The massive exchange of energy, mixed with the atomic destruction wreaked by the nanobots, caused a hole in subspace to be opened. We were evacuating the bridge of our ship when a stray blast of energy blew it open. Talus didn't make it. He was sucked into the void. Meanwhile, the ship went crashing back to the planet."
"But what about Kain?" asked Tenchi. "That doesn't explain anything about him."
"Actually, I can explain that," said Washyuu. "When you're in subspace, your will affects your reality. Talus, being as he was, must have been seething about his lack of power. He willed that he should have the power to wreak vengeance, and subspace was able to supply it to him – to supply it to the point that Talus lost his physical form and became a manifestation of his ambition and hatred. At that point, he became Kain."
"Meanwhile, I ended up spending a long time on the planet," said Kyrin. "I eventually met Washyuu while there and, though our relationship never went towards any sort of long term basis, we became friends. After a time, though, I decided to head back to Dareial. That was when I began to undergo strange psychological changes."
"Kain, having lost his form to Tenchi and Achika would still have been a presence," remarked Washyuu. "Wanting to get back at those that hurt him, and retaining the ability to time travel, he would've made a beeline towards the one person who was both strong and had a close empathic bond to him. He could have begun to exert an influence over the possessed person and made him start to do things."
"Kain's influence made me do things that were not honest, and that's unforgivable to my people. I was banished, and I went back to the Academy. But they couldn't figure out what had gone wrong with me, and they decided that someone who's powerful and insane is a danger to society. Hence, Ryoko's creation."
Ryoko started listening very carefully to this part of the story. "Washyuu introduced me to her and we hit it off pretty well. We almost got to the point that we considered sleeping together." Here, Washyuu stared almost incredulously. "And that was when Kagato made his move. He used Ryoko to try killing Washyuu, but I was able to stall long enough that she escaped for a time. I'm not even sure how I survived, but I know that after that time I could hear Kain's voice. I'm guessing that's the time when I became possessed."
The group waited, but he didn't say anymore. "So, now that we know your story we've got to decide what we're going to do with you," said Aeka. With a wave of her hand, Azaka and Kamidake went outside.
"Kyrin is possessed by Kain," muttered Tenchi, "Kyrin becomes a bounty hunter, Kyrin targets Ryoko and Washyuu, with his own agenda in mind, and he comes to Earth, then targets me as well"
"But at the same time," said Ryoko, "if Kain hadn't come then none of this would've happened."
Washyuu added to this by saying, "In any case, it all comes back to the fact that it's Kain's fault."
"Arguing the point that this is Kain's fault won't change anything," said Kiyone. "We need to keep him contained for a time, but I can't figure out how to keep him in such a place."
"Yeah. I mean, Kain was kept in the best security we had, and he still escaped!" said Mihoshi. "It wouldn't be able to handle a being that has both Kain and Kyrin's strength!"
"But we certainly can't keep him here." Aeka shifted herself in her seat slightly, then continued. "He could do many bad things here. It'd be a bad idea to let him stay."
"But he's got nothing to go back to. If we send him away, he's at the mercy of his employer, plus whatever the Hell else is out there," said Ryoko.
"Besides, it's not really all his fault. He's been getting possessed, so he's not necessarily the one to blame here," said Sasami.
"But the fact that he is possessed is what's the most bothering, even more so since it's Kain," said Tenchi.
"Before we come to a major decision here, there's something you should know." Everyone turned to look at Washyuu. "I was able to create a skin patch, something like a nicotine patch, that's able to keep Kain in check. They're easily made, and so far they've been proven effective."
A stunned silence came over the group. "Well," said Katsuhito, a touch of amusement in his voice, "doesn't this add a whole new twist to things?"
The argument continued for well over an hour. But eventually it came down to a vote. The decision was made.
***
***
Knight: Well, it seemed like a good idea to show you readers that there are other forces at work in this story. You'll also notice an increased involvement by these forces as the story progresses.
::he thinks for a second, then shrugs::
Knight: Actually, it's not a for-sure thing that you're going to notice. Oh well.
Tenchi Muyo! And all related paraphernalia are copyrighted to Masaki Kojishima and Pioneer Animation.
If any reader notices an idea that s/he came up with first, all credit goes to you.
You may contact me at KnightOfCyril@aol.com