Kishi: Well, a week away from life in general can work wonders on the mind. It did for me. I just hope it shows….
***
Jikoken'o Muyo!
Chapter 13
***
"You can't win," said Kain. Kyrin had to admit: it wasn't looking good. Men or demons in gold armor, their faces covered in a sinister fashion, were running and flying towards the city from all directions. Some had already reached the walls and were being shot at by the defensive laser emplacements. Some were knocked down, some were killed, and others just shrugged it off and kept climbing.
"For shame, Kain!" shouted Kyrin. "Since when do you need others to do your dirty work?"
"If I had my way, I'd have all the fun to myself," said Kain. "But such wasn't to be, so here I am."
Great, thought Kyrin, idly noticing that the enemy soldiers seemed to take pains to make sure they didn't come between himself and Kain. "Ryoko," he said quietly, "Take Genjo and get out of here."
"Forget that!" said Ryoko. "I'm staying here with you!"
"I appreciate that as much as is possible," he replied, "but you've got to get back to the city with Genjo."
"You aren't the boss of me! I'll stay here if I damn well –"
"He's right," said Genjo. "We have to get out of here."
"Now don't tell me you're giving out," snarled Ryoko.
"I wouldn't if it were me. But it's tactical sense. I'm no good here, and chances are the defenders are going to need all the help they can get."
"But what about Kyrin?" she asked.
"I've got all my strength back," said Kyrin. "I can hold him here a while. Just get back to the city to help the others."
Ryoko growled, but she picked Genjo up. "This really sucks, you know."
"I know," said Kyrin quietly. "I know."
***
Washyuu grimaced with the effort of holding herself steady. This new comer, Asrael, was too strong to be taken lightly. But how could that be? The spirit hadn't been made who could stand up to either her or Tsunami or Tokimi. With two on one, the odds should have favored Tsunami and myself, she thought, but Tokimi had proven stronger than she should have been. Then some other being showed up who could have matched them both evenly. How could this be?
Then it hit her: They're tapping into a higher power source!
"Very good, Washyuu," said Tokimi in a cold voice. "I'm surprised you didn't realize it sooner."
"But there isn't anything higher than us! Even the Devil, if he exists, isn't as great as we are!"
"I'd doubt that, if I were you," remarked Asrael.
***
The final frontier was racked with explosions. As the Enemy, bolstered by their numbers, rushed forward, the Jenshin fought a desperate defense. Their ships fell back again and again, their weapons having good effect but being too few to seriously dent the enemy numbers. Fighter craft fell on the wayside, but those that were still in existence fought and flew as bravely and as well as they could.
Relatively above the battle, Tsunami floated, making no independent movements of its own, but slowly descending towards the planet below. Inside the main core, Sasami floated, weeping as her deepest darkest fears were given a voice.
Indoran smirked in satisfaction as the priests chanted in the background. No way would Tsunami be able to move. And as the Jenshin were slowly whittled down, the sense of impending victory naturally grew greater. He remembered the response he'd received from that foolish commander – I have not yet begun to fight.
"Well," said Indoran in a satisfied tone, "you'd best start, then."
*
"Can we get any reading on what's happening with Tsunami?"
"Sir," said the Science Officer, "my scanners are registering a massive negative energy field around the Tsunami."
"Could it be weapons fire?" asked Shino.
"Negative," replied Tactical. "The space around Tsunami is clear… except for a group of ships positioned off Tsunami's lower starboard."
"Enemy ships close to Tsunami, which happens to be caught in a negative energy field… wait a minute. Is there a chance the enemy ships are generating this field?"
"It looks that way," said the Science Officer. "Everything within a few miles of the ship is caught in that field, but there's some sort of clearing at their location."
"OK. Have they made any moves since that field sprang up?" Shino looked on as the officers gave him negatives. "Well then, gentlemen, they're the source of Tsunami's immobility. Destroying them may dissipate the field."
"But how are we going to do that?" asked the Science Officer. "This field is along the same base wavelength as Kain, so there's no telling what it'd do to us. It might immobilize us or worse."
"There's got to be a way to get through. Something has to be able to resist that. But who or what could it be?"
***
"C'mon, Shino, think!"
"Ah, ah, ah," said Tokimi, waggling her finger in an admonishing fashion. "Can't have you inspiring anyone, now." More power rushed against Washyuu, and she couldn't speak for the sake of concentration.
***
While Kyrin and Kain were having it out in front of the city gates, the psychic shield repelled the invaders time and time again. Some of them flew up, but couldn't find any weakness and were subsequently shot down.
When this report reached the ears of the enemy commander, he barked a harsh laugh. His bald, pale head shone in the sunlight, which glinted off his golden armor and the blood red claws on his hands. He glared at the city with pale, off yellow eyes. "So, we can't break the shield?"
"No, O Exalted One."
"But those trees are the source of it. If we disabled them…." A dark smirk appeared on his face. "Ready a detachment of Plague-Soldiers. While we draw their fire, you will use the underground transit tunnels we found in that port city. Once inside the city, you will disable those trees at all cost."
"Yes, sir." An hour or so later found a detachment of wheezing soldiers covered in dark, pitted armor shooting along the subway tunnels. They had commandeered a magnetically powered train and the guards that tried to stop them were soon hunched over, coughing blood. In fifteen minutes, they were at an underground station. It was basically a pair of wooden platforms on both sides of the railing, with lighted maps showing train routes. The Plague-Soldiers emerged from the station somewhere in the middle of the city.
No guards were present, being busy at the frontline of the battle, so the Plague-Soldiers ran straight towards the Palace. Passing ruined structures and rubble-lined streets they approached, and subsequently scaled, the walls surrounding the Palace.
Jogging towards the base of the tree, they removed the gauntlets from their hands, revealing them to be pallid, sore-covered things that leaked pus and acid. Touching the tree with their collective hands, they gleefully watched as the bark immediately surrounding turned a noxious shade of gray.
*
"Oh no!" shouted Aeka in dismay as the shield dome began to dissipate.
"What's happening!" shouted Ryoko
"I don't know! The tree is in perfect health, so the shield shouldn't be disappearing!"
Ryoko sped towards the palace, then stopped, gazing in horror. Dark brown-gray blotches were rapidly consuming the trunk. As more and more went dark, the shield continued to dissipate further. "But… how…" Ryoko snarled ferally as she saw a group of 6 dark figures running away.
Forming a sword in her hands, she flew downwards, slashing through one at the rear and blasting another. They turned, bringing strange weapons to bear on her that resembled an Earth-made rifle, with a sickle magazine sticking out of the bottom. They opened fire, but the bullets hit nothing as Ryoko phase-shifted and reappeared right next to one. Shooting her sword through its side, she caught a massive fist in her jaw that knocked her back a few feet. She recovered just in time to dodge another spray of bullets, but not without taking some herself. Splitting in two, she and the double engaged the remaining soldiers, and soon it was over.
She hummed in thought as the double disappeared. "They're a little stronger than I thought. And if there's so many of them…" shouts arose all along the walls of the city. "Well, this will be fun," she grinned sardonically to herself as she flew off towards the walls.
***
"She wants some fun, eh?" muttered Asrael bemusedly. "Oh, she'll get it."
***
In space, the Jenshin were scrambling madly, attacking at the edge of the enemy formations then falling back, then attacking someplace else. Weapons fire exchanged rapidly between the two fleets, and the casualties were mounting. Shino's mind raced desperately to figure out how to reach Tsunami and, subsequently, shake Sasami from her funk. Unmanned attack drones had failed against the overwhelming defense of the enemy ships.
"There has to be a ship available, somewhere," he mused. "A ship that can outmaneuver and outfight the fleet, and doesn't require a present crew. It'd be ideal, but where would we get one?"
Then it hit him. My God! How blind am I? Turning to the comm. officer, he said, "Patch me through to Ryoko."
A moment later, Ryoko's voice spoke through an intercom. "Whatever it is, make it short," she said tersely.
"I need to borrow Ryo-Oh-Ki."
"What? Why?"
"Look, Sasami's in danger, and Ryo-oh-ki's the only one with any chance at getting through to her."
"Then what are you wasting time for!" shouted Ryoko. "Get Ryo-oh-ki and get her out of there!"
"We just lost contact," said the comm. officer.
"And that was a yes if I ever heard one," replied Shino. Quite suddenly, Ryo-oh-ki danced into view and began ducking and dodging through the fleet. Firing off plasma wherever she could, she raced through the ranks. Occasionally, a random blast hit her, but such were only glancing blows, and quite harmless. Spinning and deflecting, she sped through the forces of the enemy, finally coming to rest behind the line, right in the immediate vicinity of Tsunami.
*
"How did she get through?"
"Knew it. The allies are less help than we hoped."
"Regardless, she must not break us." Indoran felt his hands flex instinctively. As the priests continued to chant, he turned to the tactical officer. "I want all weapons fire trained on that ship," he said.
He got his wish, as testaments of ballistic skill exploded outward from the fleet. They were not very good testaments, however, since they missed. Ryo-oh-ki was everywhere and nowhere, moving constantly, spinning one way or the other in any attempt at evasion. She fired back as well, red beams thundering against shields.
"MYAAAAAAAA!" Ryo-oh-ki screamed in defiance.
*
"Sir," said the Science Officer, "I'm reading signs of activity from Tsunami."
"Are they any different from before?" asked Shino.
"Yes. I'm picking up a general flare-up of psychic energy. It appears that Ryo-oh-ki is somehow breaking through the barrier on her own."
*
Huh? Slowly, just slightly, Sasami raised her head her face red from crying. Who... who is it? She listened intently.
You see? Now you're hearing things. Small wonder the others would abandon you.
Why? Why do they hate me so much?
You are never enough to help them. While Tenchi fought Kagato, you were busy cowering as the shadow of a megami.
They hate me because of that?
Tenchi nearly died! While everyone else was putting their lives on the line, you were busy praying to a tree!
But what else could I do?
Precisely! How could you be of any use to them? They're better off without you!
*
"Good," said Indoran as the Tsunami began to power down again. The chants of the priests rose in an eerie wail.
"Sir," said the Tactical Officer, "Ryo-oh-ki is still evading our gunners."
"Zisho," he called out from his throne, and her face appeared on a holographic display.
"You called, o Sire?" she asked in a mildly sarcastic voice.
"Do you have any ships to spare?"
"More than enough."
"Good. We need some back up against Ryo-oh-ki."
"A single ship is able to match you and all your forces?"
"The ship that brought Jurai to its knees," Indoran reminded.
"True," she said. "You need us to confront her directly?"
"Your disruptors should be enough to immobilize her. We'll take the rest." He was interrupted by a series of explosions. Apparently, a few ships had lost their shields and had fallen. The resistance, thought Indoran, has become difficult in such a tedious way.
*
"Sir, Tsunami is powering back down."
Shino cursed to himself and thought for a split second. "Tsunami seemed to respond to Ryo-oh-ki's communication. Can we patch through?"
"Just a moment," said the Comm. officer.
*
"Sasami!"
What?
See? There you go again! Such incompetence—
"Sasami!"
That… that's Shino!
He's just going to use you….
"Sasami! Sasami, can you hear me!"
"Ye… yes… Yes! Yes I can! Shino, where are you?" The Voice roared in her mind.
"Oh, thank the Fates you're safe! I thought you were dead!"
"I wish I was. Everyone would be better off."
"Sasami, what – what do you mean?"
"Everyone's always trying to use me. I'm always the cook, or I'm always the maid, or I'm always there for someone to lean on. Whenever I'm in need, who's there for me? And yet, though I wouldn't mind, I can never really help whenever they really need me!"
"Well, we really need you right now."
"Why? So you can use me?"
"Yeah."
Sasami looked up, startled.
"I'm going to be frank about it," said Shino. "If you want to be useful, you've got to get this straight – you're going to be used. This is war, Sasami. War uses everything. I'll use you, while Whomever in charge is using the both of us. The trick is in understanding what you're being used for. Now, I tell you: you are going to be used to save the lives of your people. Isn't that worth anything to you?"
"I want them to live," said Sasami softly, as though she were entranced.
Is that something you want? Couldn't it be Tsunami?
No… no. It isn't her.
Why couldn't it be? What have these people done for you? Why do they deserve to live?
They have never done a thing for me. Sasami sensed certain smugness in the Voice. But let me ask you – what did they do to deserve this?
Feh. This is war. People die. It's just that this time, there'll be so much more.
And you would have me do nothing?
Why do they deserve to live? It's not your problem.
That's wrong! They deserve to live because they deserve nothing else! Sasami felt her strength starting to return. None of us are perfect! No race is perfect! But why does that warrant their destruction? It doesn't! I'm going to fight for them!
You'll die most certainly! Why die for them?
Because I love them! I love them all!
What is love? What is it but a superficial non-truth? Who would possibly die for love?
Sasami couldn't come up with an answer that wouldn't lead to further argument. That is, not until she remembered, of all things, a Bible quote that Kyrin had spouted off once. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that those who believed in Him would have eternal life.
God! God died for love! And He came back to tell about it too! And the Voice roared in anger. Suddenly, in a moment of clarity, she could see. She knew the source of this Voice, this embodiment of hatred and loathing.
*
Back on the Night Runner, the Science Officer was monitoring readings. "Sir, the negative energy field appears to be weakening."
"Now we're getting somewhere," said Shino. "All remaining ships converge on Tsunami's position."
*
"O Lord," prayed Sasami. "I've never tried talking to someone else aside from Tsunami before. It was just she, Washyuu and Tokimi, which was all that had ever been. But somehow, in battling the Darkness, I've seen a light. The Light. Your Light. In fighting the Darkness inside me, I've seen the Truth."
She stopped for a moment. The Voice of the Darkness still roared, screaming obscenities and oaths at the very mention of God. "I… I'm scared," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm not strong like everybody else. What difference can I make in all this?" She stared out across space, staring at the explosions of ships. "Only You know," she said. "Only You can save us." She broke down and wept again. She was overcome with emotion and fear and anguish, and the Voice still screamed, louder with every word she spoke.
"Please Lord," she whispered. "Save us! Save me!"
Suddenly, the Voice howled in anger and despair. Sasami held her head in pain. And then, it was gone. Sasami looked up, her eyes darting first one way, then the other. But all was still and quiet. Somehow, deep down in the depths of her soul, she knew God had heard.
*
"What?" Indoran was not one given over to anger easily, but when Tokimi's priests shouted and fell, he wished he were.
*
"What happened?" asked Tsunami in wonder. Sasami's soul, which moments before had been the same struggling scarred spirit as most others, suddenly became a brilliant glowing white. It was now clean, and strong, made better and more holy than anything she had seen before.
"Oh no," growled Asrael.
*
"Sasami!"
"Yes, Shino?"
"Good to have you back with us." Shino smiled through the screen. "Now listen. After we take care of those ships nearby, I think I've got a plan to get us out of this mess."
Sasami stared at the enemy ships. Somehow, maybe because of her mix with Tsunami, she saw the ships differently. They looked… darker. More foreboding. More evil.
"I'd be glad to help with that," she said, reconnecting with the ship systems in her mind.
*
A volley of fire opened up between Tsunami and the fleets. Psi-lasers of incredible power pounded against shields, cracked some, and broke others.
Indoran cursed himself for a fool. Why did he rely so much on Tokimi?
Cenus appeared on a comm. screen near him. "We're taking a mighty beating out here!" he shouted angrily.
"Indeed," said Indoran.
Zisho's head appeared as well. "The rest of their fleet is coming. With our current numbers here, we can't hold. I advise pulling back and biding our time."
"Agreed."
"No, not agreed!" roared Cenus. "It's your idiocy that got us into this mess! Forget you! I'm taking them down!"
"Cenus," said Indoran in a voice that spoke out of controlled anger, "you forget your place. Tokimi made me the leader."
"Tokimi be damned! You be damned! Zisho be damned! TO HELL WITH YOU ALL!" With that, Cenus' face disappeared.
"Cenus!" shouted Indoran.
"Indoran," said Zisho, as Indoran's ships heaved forward. "We can't change his mind. He's not in a mood for listening now, only for dying. That's no reason for the rest of us to die too."
"I know," he said, his cold mind reestablishing its dominance. "We must not lose ourselves for his sake. Very well. Let him die." With that, the rest of Tokimi's fleet moved away.
*
Sasami looked out into space, fully in control again. She couldn't help but notice a group of 6 ships moving towards her at all possible speed. She stared for an instant and immediately sensed that there was something fundamentally wrong with these opponents. They were being driven onwards by madness, by darkness, by oblivion… by the Voice. She felt a great pity rise up in her for these people, these poor deluded people who gave themselves up for a cause that would forsake them to no end.
Can't You speak to them? Sasami asked in her mind. She didn't hear a voice, but she suddenly had the realization that their hearts were hardened. They had lost their sanity, their lives, and their very souls. Death was all that awaited them.
Sadly, she raised her hand against them.
*
Two huge Wings appeared from nowhere. Cenus' ships continued forward, firing in blind rage, but to no avail. The two Wings closed in on the ships, collapsing closer and closer and closer.
Six explosions illuminated inside them.
***
"How in the universe has she gotten so powerful?" whispered Tsunami in awe.
"You still don't realize it?" asked Tokimi incredulously.
"Shush," said Asrael. "Don't give them any ideas."
***
Tenchi stepped away from a huge gold-plated fist, then stepped back in and slashed it off. The warrior who stood against him howled in rage, which was OK – it was just enough time for Tenchi to step in and stab Tenchiken through the warrior's heart.
He heaved a quick breath and took a look around. Demonic hordes were overtaking the walls as far as he could see, and probably in places he couldn't see as well. The blue light of Jurai defensive cannon flashed into the enemy ranks yet couldn't dent the mass of demons enough to stop it.
He looked up to see Ryoko flying and fighting with the winged demons, ducking and dodging through groups and leaving body parts and blood falling in her wake. Her face held a look of grim concentration.
Kyrin, meanwhile, hadn't killed a single demon. Kain was his opponent, and it was as fierce a struggle as anything seen. Kain was easily the more powerful between the two, although he had yet to lay a single blow on Kyrin. Kyrin, meanwhile, was using all his skill to stay alive, dancing a fine line with Kain on one hand and the demon horde on the other.
He couldn't see Nobuyuki anywhere, but he saw demons just fall over for no apparent reason. There was just one other he couldn't see. "Aeka!" he shouted.
*
Aeka was quite concerned with her own troubles. Having led a detachment of troops along the ground roads to assist an in-trouble squad, the wall they were running next to quite suddenly blew inward. Five of the thirty with her fell immediately in the blast, and the rest had fallen one by one as demons poured through.
Windmilling her staff, she deflected blows off to the side, trying to angle one side or the other. Finally hopping back, she sent a bolt of Jurai energy into the swarm, scattering the demons. Running back in, she swung her staff in a wide arc and knocked two away. Stepping forward in a rear cross, she jabbed the staff into the chest plate of another demon. Glaring, she sent a wave of telekinetic energy at the emerging soldiers, sending them sprawling.
Five more times the same basic sequence was repeated. Her muscles screamed from lack of rest. She was losing her ability to focus. Her technique grew steadily worse, but she pressed on. But it didn't matter when a giant gauntleted fist smashed into her body.
Flying backwards, she skipped off the ground, flew, and slammed into pavement, rolling to a stop. She slowly reached for her staff. Finding it, she raised herself up to her feet, every breath a pain in her chest. She could feel a wet rattling sensation inside her lungs whenever she inhaled, and exhaling brought a strong urge to cough. Gasping, she watched the enemy come at her. In spite of her body's agony, she windmilled her staff in defiance as the demons charged at her.
That was when a bolt of orange light made itself known and smashed into the ranks. Warriors flew left and right and up and landed in a general downward motion that looked rather painful in the end. Then Tenchi was amongst them, slashing and hacking. Ducking a blade, he slashed through a waist, used the inertia to turn and deflect a blade behind him, cut the blade in two, and stabbed into the middle of the chest. He and the sword were no longer separate entities, but rather the sword was an extension of him.
Finally, the surge of warriors was turned back. Panting slightly, Tenchi turned back to Aeka. "Are you ok?" he asked.
"I believe so," said Aeka. She took a few shuddering breaths just to be sure.
"Tenchi," said Ryoko, "I think we might have an opportunity."
"How so?"
"Well, it looks like this was going to be a major break-through point. They had a lot of force concentrated here. I think we might have thrown them off enough that we can launch a counter-attack."
"Good idea," said Tenchi. "Are there any fliers left?"
"I've beaten 'em down enough. They realize by now that flying the unfriendly skies is a bad idea," said Ryoko, grinning ferally.
"OK. Aeka and I will hold them here. Get any spare men you can and have them meet here."
"Got it." With that, she flew away.
Meanwhile, Aeka saw fit to gain a faint feeling and begin to sway. "Ack! Aeka, are you ok?" asked Tenchi, stepping over to catch her quickly.
"Just tired," said Aeka, wincing as she decisively rammed her staff into the ground. As they stood there, she looked around, taking in the battle. She sighed knowingly. Unless they could get a break, they weren't going to get any soldiers or Knights. Which meant it would be just the three of them. She felt faint again, and steeled herself in her mind.
Tenchi, meanwhile, was staring at the sky through the missing section of wall. Dozens of spots of light appeared on the horizon. "What're those?" asked Tenchi. They were approaching rapidly, and darkening as their features became clear. Suddenly, their collective spirits rose. Could it be?
*
Kyrin noticed the dots over the top of his brother's head. He could hardly pay them any more heed when he deflected a strike, and chopped at the hand that had tried to smash him.
*
"Looks like we're late, Kiyone!"
"You're the one who had to use the bathroom, not me."
"Begging your pardon," interrupted Azaka, "but I'm afraid this is hardly the time to discuss the frailty of Mihoshi's bowels."
"With that said, I heavily advocate dropping us off so we can help," said Kamidake.
"No problem," said Kiyone. Pressing a few buttons, she opened up the cargo doors at the stern of the Yagami. Hundreds of troops poured out of her as thousands of others leapt from Jurai transports. Yukinojo, meanwhile, raced through the skies, shooting down demon warriors that thought the skies were safe again.
Landing next to the hole in the wall, Azaka and Kamidake bowed to the Prince and Princess. The hundred that landed soon after formed into ranks. Meanwhile, Ryoko flew up. "Sorry guys," she said. "I couldn't… eh…." She sweatdropped.
*
Kain continued to smash the land surrounding him as he fought Kyrin. He slammed his right hand into the ground, as Kyrin leapt up to strike it. Kain's left hand rushed at Kyrin, who noticed at the last second and slashed at it. The right hand came up, but Kyrin spun in the air and tried to pierce the hand. A wave of telekinetic force swept up and knocked him away.
Kyrin flipped and landed a few feet away. The hands came at him from both sides. Taking a chance, he dashed forward and slashed at Kain's face – and connected! A long gash appeared down the left side of his face. Kain roared in anger, his center eye flashing in blinding brilliance. Unfortunately for Kyrin, he didn't hide his eyes, and was temporarily blinded. But he didn't recover soon enough, as Kain's hands wrapped around him in a crushing grip.
*
"No!" Ryoko, who was flying above and helping in the counterattack, noticed this sudden turn of events. She raced forward, only to be intercepted by a massive group of flying demons. "Damn it, let me through!" she yelled, her chi blade meeting blades and armor in an attempt to help her friend.
*
Kyrin felt a massive debilitating pain engulf his body. He grit his teeth and glared at Kain defiantly. Kain just smiled a smug and evil smile. "And now, you die." That was when Kyrin felt himself disintegrating.
Screaming in rage, he forced his own power against that of his brother, but the silver aura couldn't best him. His power simply wasn't enough to stop what was happening, and he screamed in helpless anger as he disappeared.
***
Kishi: Wow, took me long enough.
::the author grins semi-ashamedly, as the battle continues on a nearby rampart::
Kishi: I finally figured out why people don't set deadlines for themselves. They just can't keep it. And between college-level courses, writer's block, and a new online game, I just couldn't do a thing. So, to ye precious few who read my work, I offer thanks for your patience. And now: a few notes.
::the author starts ticking them off on his right hand::
Kishi: First, on Kiyone and Mihoshi's absence – an accident that turned into an idea.
::the author sweat-drops::
Kishi: Whoops. Guess that was the only point…
::the rampart he sits upon is blown up in a tribute to pyrotechnic fury. When the smoke clears, he's gone::
Tenchi Muyo and all related paraphernalia are copyrighted to AIC and Pioneer.
The only things that are mine are those things that I perceive as original, and thusly are mine. If you recognize an idea that you came up with first, all credit goes to you.
You can contact me at: Kirisutono_Kishi@robofan.com