Sylvia's Apartment:
In the apartment of a certain pink and purple haired officer, a strange aroma filled the air, causing the sleeping woman to rouse from her tormented state of unconsciousness. With a groan, she prepared to open her eyes wondering what could be making such a strange smell. Unlike other days her room did not reek of empty sake bottles, but of disinfectant. It reminds me, she realized with a mental gasp, of home. I mean, of Tenchi's house. This is my home now. The city and my job are my life now. No matter how much it sucks. It's what I deserve after… wait… once again she gasped this time with a feeling of both hope and dread. Hoping it was truly a dream-come true. However, at the same time fear clutched her heart, as it would mean she'd only have to repeat the past. Maybe I dreamed all this; maybe I didn't leave Tenchi. I bet if I open my eyes right now he'll be there, waiting for me. Smiling at me as I wake up, just like I always dreamed he would be. Well, what am I waiting for? She almost grinned, and would have had her fear not clutched her heart, as she opened her eyes and saw the man standing over her.
Meanwhile: The Masaki House Kitchen:
In the quiet lakeside home Sasami Jurai chopped carrots slowly into small pieces, her mind wondering about all the things that had happened since her best friend, next to Ryo-Ohki, had left. Life at the Masaki house had proceeded mostly as normal, but without any excitement. "It's just like I always thought Ayeka's perfect life would be like uneventful."
At her side, the small cabbit, who still did not understand why carrots had to be sliced when they were perfect fresh out of the ground, meowed her confusion. Giggling playfully, the blue-haired girl waved off Ryo-Ohki's concern. "No, I don't hate Ayeka. I love my sister, silly. It's just she's so… so… boring… at least when Ryoko was here things happened, fun things. I had to always be on my toes or I might get tricked into doing something I shouldn't." Once again, the golden-eyed creature meowed this time with sympathy. "I bet you really miss Ryoko, huh Ryo-Ohki?"
"Mya! Mya…" Ryo-Chan answered, her long ears drooping down at the thought of her lost mistress. She hadn't felt this lonely since those 700 years when her and Ryoko had been imprisoned on earth. Yet at least then she had known where her master was. Now, she had no clue.
"Well, maybe if we ask really nice, after dinner Tenchi will let us to go look for her. Maybe she's nearby." Sasami suggested excitedly, turning to sip some of her soup, and subconsciously adding a few spices before stirring it more. "Or…" she whispered leaning close with a mischievous look in her pink eyes, "we could tell him we need to go shopping, and then go look for her while he get us some supplies." The little cabbit merely meowed, turning her head sideways to stare at her friend unable to comprehend the sneakiness that the youngest Jurai princess was concocting in her sometime troublesome mind. "I know, I know," the child with the long ponytails said shushing her companion, "but we won't get caught, besides it's been a long time since we had an adventure or anything to do. It might be fun."
"What might be fun, Sasami," a noble voice called out behind her. "What are you two up to?"
Spinning around swiftly, Sasami found herself standing face to face with her sister, the first princess of Jurai, Ayeka. "Nothing, sister," she whined in a lie. "I just was telling Ryo-Ohki it would be nice to go to town with Tenchi. It would be like old times."
The purple haired woman merely stared at her sister with skeptism. Since her rival's removal her sister had grown more unruly, which was the opposite of Ayeka's vision of the perfect reality. Also to her dismay it felt as if Tenchi and her had grown further apart as if the young man was drifting away instead of closer. She had to imagine it was not just her that the young man was folding in on himself, taking full blame of the disappearance of her uncivilized counterpart on himself.
"I do not relish the 'old times,' Sasami." She regally answered, coming forward to sample some of Sasami's soup, which was delicious as always. "It those days, Ryoko terrorized Lord Tenchi at every moment, ruining his life on a continual basis. Things are better now, in this wonderful new age, where she is gone." Looking at the ceiling, the red-eyed woman looked ready to cry, from what Sasami knew was joy. "Still, an outing might be a good idea. I shall tell Lord Tenchi of your wishes, when we meet to continue our discussion on Jurain codes of conduct and how they have influenced trade relations with other planets over the past three thousand years. "
Pitying the young man's future, the pink-eyed girl spun, disguising her smirk at Tenchi's doom as joy for her sister's permission. "Hear that, Ryo-Ohki? Well get to spend a whole day with Tenchi shopping! Just the three of us."
"Three of you," Ayeka echoed coming out of the daydream she had just began. "I feel you are mistaken Sasami, I will be attending this trip with you." With that the younger sister's smile faded from her eyes as she continued to force a grin. "After all it would not be proper for a Jurain princess to walk about unescorted in such a savage world, especially not when Ryoko is out there unchecked."
"Oh… great, Ayeka…" she answered. "I can't wait."
"Neither can I," the purple-haired woman smiled appearing oblivious to the downtrodden voice of her sister. "This will most certainly be a wonderful day." Saying nothing more, the slender princess gracefully walked out of the small kitchen on her quest to find her beloved prince, Tenchi.
Stepping out of the kitchen, the first princess swallowed hard as she looked toward the stairwell leading to all the rooms. Poor Sasami, still so innocent and naïve... I truly wish I could find so much joy in simply going shopping. However, I must confess, if only to myself, that there is an ulterior motive to this trip. Squeezing her hands into balls, the red-eyed woman steadied herself against the door as she composed her thoughts. That damn demon woman, even when she is nowhere to be found she ruins my life. She was not supposed to run away like that. If she were serious about Lord Tenchi, and cared about his feelings one bit, she would have properly admitted defeat like a true lady, then nothing would stop Lord Tenchi and I from being happy. This all has to be some plot of hers. She always was one for making grand entrances. I am certain that is what she is playing at.
Yet… without her here I feel as if part of my soul is missing. I need to find you, Ryoko. Damn you, where are you when we need you? This is so like you to be selfish! Well, I will not stand for this any longer. I will find you and bring you back home, so you can be exiled properly, but only after you say I am the better woman. Pausing as she reached the staircase, Ayeka realized something that made her shiver. Did I just say, this was Ryoko's home?
Tenchi's Room:
Still shaken after her revelation, Ayeka Jurai stood before the room to her most cherished one. Holding up a dainty hand she hesitated before knocking. What is wrong with me? Surely I am not afraid to speak to Lord Tenchi, not about something as simple as going into town. After all, the chances that I would see Ryoko are nearly non-existent. Still, Lord Tenchi is concerned about that monster. He no longer mentions it, but every time he returns from the fields I can see it in his eyes. He misses her… as we all do. Am I so conceded that I would place my own happiness above the Lord Tenchi's? No! This is not how a true princess of Jurai would act. I must-
"Is something wrong, Ayeka?" Tenchi asked sliding open his door with confusion. He had just opened the door to use the restroom when he saw the purple-haired princess standing in front of him, one hand held in a fist parallel to the door, while she looked to the floor in deep thought and confusion. Not that her or Ryoko acting weird is new, but this is strange even for her… sighing he repeated the demoness' name. Ryoko…. "Is it time to discuss the Jurain code of conduct? I didn't know it had become so late. I was just about to-"
"No," she interrupted, before realizing her behavior was unbecoming. Coming fully out of her stupor, Ayeka blushed. "Forgive my rudeness, Lord Tenchi, but Sasami, Ryo-Ohki, and I were wondering if we might go to market for a time. Her and Ryo-Ohki had planned to run off alone, but I recalled your rules about it since Ryoko's disappearance and felt I had best come to you for guidance."
Nodding, Tenchi winced at the words 'Ryoko's disappearance.' Though not meant to be a bad tiding, it made the Jurain prince think that perhaps his first alien friend may have been kidnapped, as she had been a few times before. Finally he managed to find words to speak. "Sure Ayeka," he nervously laughed trying to shoo his angst. "We can go to the market. I just need a few minutes to get my things together, then we'll head out."
As the purple-haired woman left his room, the young man sat down on his bed sighing loudly. It had been so long since he had yelled at Ryoko. It wasn't as if such a thing was anything new, but still the way he had done it was not like him. Yet Tenchi couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt that all of this could have been avoided if he had just listened to her while she was here. I guess I'll never know if that's true. Rising the brown-haired Jurain prince stretched his arms as if he had just awoke. Swinging them wildly, he tried to rid himself of his mental weariness by physically means. Nothing he did helped. Finally, in defeat, he stopped at his desk to examine a ruined ship in a bottle; one that he was sure had started the entire incident. Why? Why did I have to loose my temper? I know school was tough, and my extra training sessions with grandpa have put a lot of stress on me, but I shouldn't have snapped at her. I really shouldn't have thrown her out either. No matter what happens, Ryoko will always be the best friend I ever had. Pausing, he turned the large glass container in his fingertips swiftly, watching the ruined pieces tumbled about with a twinge of pain in his heart. I… I guess I never thought about it. All the girls are my family, and I love them all, but… but really Ryoko was my only friend. The only one who knew me completely. Even thought I've only known her a day longer than Ayeka and Sasami, it feels like we've known each other forever. I guess it's like Washu told me once, Ryoko used to watch me as a kid, but then that only explains why she knows me, not why I feel so at ease around her. Setting his ruined project down, he cleared his throat as his fingers felt a piece of paper nearby. Picking it up, the brown-eyed youth read the words upon it as he had numerous times since he had originally written it. I wonder if this would be enough? I mean a letter of apology is pretty lame and old-fashioned I know, but still Ryoko always told me I was a bit too uptight, plus the guys at school call me lame, so I guess an old-fashioned apology letter is all I could do. If I do see her, Tenchi's heart then skipped a beat as hope entered his heart at the thought of seeing the beloved space pirate once again. Then if Ayeka and Sasami are with me I know I won't have a chance to talk to her, to really say what I'm thinking. Besides I'd probably just lose my nerve anyway. Folding his hope into a small square, the brown-haired young man tucked it into his pocket, and taking one last cleansing breath, head out of his room to meet his friends. As he did, Tenchi couldn't help but wonder if one small scrap of paper could heal the scar he had put on Ryoko's heart.
Sylvia's Apartment:
With her usual charm and grace, Sylvia glared at the man standing over her as her senses realized his image. "What the hell are you doing here?" Sitting up, the purple and pink haired woman felt the world spin as a painful headache hit her. "I thought I told you to leave?" Wincing as sunlight met eyes that were normally concealed behind sunglasses, the golden-eyed woman seemed to be growing more irritable by the moment.
"Sorry, partner, I can't do that. You were down, so I had to stay with you. It's what good cops do." Steven said with a slight smile, trying to lighten the mood between him and the sobering space pirate.
"Well, I don't give a da-" stopping the weary cop held her head in one hand as she looked around, seeing that her apartment, which had previously been a mess of empty saki bottles, had not only been cleaned, but straightened. "Did you clean this place?"
Shrugging, the newcomer into her life seemed slightly embarrassed by her comment. "I had nothing else to do. You've been out for nearly twelve hours. Did you sleep well?"
"I never sleep, too many nightmares," she groaned, standing on unsteady legs. "It's just a long period of passing out." Sniffing loudly, Sylvia wiped her nose in a rather unladylike manner. "Being awake isn't much better, suffering is suffering."
"Have you thought about professional help?" Miller asked, his humorous grin fading. "I mean a lot of cops-"
Holding up her hands she stopped his offer. "No… just… no. Wait, what is that I smell? I recognized the cleaner, but now I smell something. " Taking a deep breath nasally, the golden eyed woman turned her blurred vision to the table, locating the new aroma making item. "And it doesn't smell that bad."
"Oh," the young man said, some joy returning to his voice, "that. Well, since you didn't have any food in your house, I took the liberty of ordering out. I hope you don't mind," cracking open the large cardboard box, he pulled out a slice of some cheese covered bread with various toppings. Through a mouthful of the odd concoction, he managed to utter a phrase while pulling out an additional piece. "You want some?"
Looking at him with disgust, the lithe woman plopped back down on the couch. "No thanks, I don't eat." Folding her arms over her ample chest, she looked away in a sulking manner. Suddenly, a slice of food appeared held point first toward her mouth.
"Are you afraid to get dirty? Come on partner, I'll even hold the pizza for you."
Scowling, the slender woman took the offered item, "I am not a baby!" Yet now that she held it, she felt a sickness in her stomach. In all her life, in all the universes she had been to, she had never seen a food so… so… gross. However, the young man's stare proved to be too much for her and soon she closed her eyes and slowly opened her mouth. With creeping speed, she moved the new food to her mouth, bringing her teeth down like a creaking gate to sever off a morsel. Chewing for a moment, her eyes suddenly shot open. "Hey, this doesn't suck!" She lied realizing she couldn't actually taste it, but feeling the way the item felt inside her mouth. To prove her point Sylvia swallowed the remainder of the slice in one bite. "What is this stuff?"
"Pizza," Steven replied. "I see a pizzeria had opened just a few blocks away. I thought I'd try it out, seems to be worth the trip. If you want, I could show you were it is. That is if you think you can walk after all that sake."
Standing up quick, the brightly colored haired woman shrugged. "You won't leave anyway, will you?"
"Nope," he answered.
"Fine…" Sylvia groaned. "Then let's go. I guess nothing bad can happen, and it'll get you out of my place." Without another word she headed to the door.
"Before we go…" Miller began.
"What is it now?"
"Are you seriously going out in your uniform? I mean wouldn't you rather wear something more comfortable?"
"Hentai," she snapped, before looking at herself. As she removed her police shirt, Steven shielded his eyes in embarrassment. "What isn't this better?"
"If you go out in public like that, I'd have to arrest you for exposure. Most women wear a bra under their undershirt you know."
Shaking her head in frustration the golden-eyed woman threw her hands up. "Men. All you think about is taking my clothes off and bondage. Fine, wait here!" Without another room Sylvia stormed into her small bedroom and slammed the door loudly behind her. From within Steven heard bits and pieces of the ranting woman's slurs. The most notable being how she compared him to her mom, however the young man had no clue what that meant.
Peering around the room he decided to explore. It didn't take long before he found something to catch his attention. On a far table rested a small package, wrapped in brown paper. Wonder what this is? He began as he prodder the wrapping gently. Maybe I can…
Suddenly a hand appeared, grabbing his probing finger. "Do you mind, that's private." Hakubi shouted, now donning an orange t-shirt and a torn paid of jean shorts. Over her exhausted eyes she still bore her sunglasses from work, figuring it was best not to let anyone outside see how hurt she truly was. "Now let's go. I want to get this over with."
"But what is-" Steven could not finish, as a might jerk from the lithe woman's arm drug him away. In an instant they were on their way, heading out to enjoy the day.
The Streets:
Staggering down the cluttered streets, Sylvia's legs slammed hard on the pavement as she struggled through each step. I'm beat. She thought stating the obvious. I need my gems. I'd make my own, but I don't think it would really help. The ones I make only help me prolong my power and everything, they do jack for recharging me. Maybe… maybe this is the best. Without my gems I have a limited life, like everyone else on Earth. I'm always hearing that addictions are bad; maybe I'm addicted to living forever. I should… should…should… stopping the purple-haired woman looked in a window at her sagging frame. "Oh no," she gasped.
"What's wrong," Steven asked dread in his voice.
"I can't believe how bad I look," she added. Flipping up her sunglasses the ex-Ryoko finally saw the bags under her eyes. "Is that really me?" Spinning about the lithe woman scanned the street, having walked them many times before she quickly found what she needed. With blinding speed that bedazzled her weary body Sylvia headed off on her quest.
An Hour Later:
"Much better," the now orange-eyed woman noted as she looked at her new contacts in the window of the optometrists office. "Don't you think so Steven?"
"I guess," he muttered examining his wallet sadly. "But-"
"But what?"
"Why did you have to get them now, and why did I have to pay for them? Shouldn't our insurance cover things like this?"
Whirling to face him the orange-eyed woman held up __- fingers. "One, I didn't bring my wallet, someone sprung this outing on me. Two, it was supposed to be a simple where is the pizzeria. Three, my insurance hasn't come in yet. Four, Tenchi always said I was an expensive da-"
"Who is that?" Steven asked without looking up.
"Who's who?"
"Tenchi, who is that?" He amended now gazing into her fresh orange eyes. "If he's your boyfriend, I don't want to make any trouble for you."
"No, no, no," Sylvia said shaking her hand in a dismissive manner. "Tenchi and I have nothing going on," she hesitated for a moment as she heard herself. "He was the guy for Ryoko." Stopping she trailed off quickly putting her glasses down and doing her best not to cry. It was the hardest fight of Sylvia or Ryoko's life.
"Oh," he noted. "Uh…" pausing he waited for the red to fade from her face before he continued. "Who is Ryoko? Is that a friend of yours?"
Crap… she groaned still unsure if her voice would crack. Why did I have to bring up Tenchi? I wasn't thinking. This could be trouble. Well I better say something before this gets weird. "She's not my friend. As a matter of fact I can't stand her. See she's my… my… she's… well you see… she's… my sister. That's who she is, Ryoko my baby sister."
"Oh… okay," Steven nodded coming to a quick conclusion. Sylvia is weird. Yet a moment later he came to another conclusion. There's something going on here. But to get to the bottom of it I have to find him. I have to find this Tenchi.
The Other side of town:
In the wonders of the small town's bizarre, a small pink-eyed girl wandered about like a ninja. Occasionally she would peek into the sunlit streets to wave at companions further down the path, pretending to be examining fruits, vegetables, and meat for morning dishes, but her true motives were far less innocent.
"Okay Ryo-Ohki," she whispered to her furry companion as they ducked beneath a table. "Operation: Find Ryoko is underway. I just saw Ayeka and Tenchi stop at a shop a few doors down to window shop, so while they're gone you go out scouting. I'll tell them I lost you and then we'll both be able to Ryoko hunt."
"Mya…" the brown cabbit said in a sly whisper. Things were working according to plan for a change. Darting off, the little creature wasted no time in vanishing.
"Sasami!" Ayeka's voice rang out. "Sasami are you in there?"
3…2…1… the blue-haired girl counted spinning just as her sister was behind her. In that short time the youngest heir had managed to generate tears and buried her face in the older siblings robes. "Ayeka…!" She sobbed loudly.
Embarrassed to be causing a scene, the purple-haired noble patted her sister on the head, trying to sooth Sasami's nerves. "It is alright, Sasami. I am not angry. I was merely looking for you, and-"
"I lost Ryo-Ohki!" the azure-haired child cried. "I can't find her anywhere! You gotta help me find her."
"Don't worry Sasami, we'll find her," Tenchi offered hesitantly entering the area where the two sisters hugged. "Just calm down and try to remember where you last seen her. "
"I don't know," Sasami sniffed, rubbing her eyes in what appeared an attempt to dry them. "I think we were over there…" Pointing back where they had come, the little Jurai headed out the adults in tow. Smiling inwardly the plotting princess could only think one thing; perfect.
Twenty
Minutes later:
As the mood between Sylvia
and Steven became less weird the duo crossed towards the market portion of
town. "Well, well, well," a familiar
voice called, causing the multi-colored haired woman to freeze. "If it ain't
Miss Hakubi."
"Tarant," she hissed clenching her fists. How'd he get out? Don't tell me someone actually made his bail! Oh well, a fight right now would do me good. "All right buddy, you want some, come… get … some…!" As she turned the lithe woman lost her voice at the sight before her. Expecting to see a street thug with his gang, what the orange-eyed officer saw was a burly man, still every bit as powerful as before, but now he wore an apron with frills. "Tarant…" she gasped, "you're working in a … a um…."
"A flower shop," he said through teeth that truly needed braces. "I know dis seems weird, but after you beat me up… well… I… uh was feelin' kinda down so I was walkin by dis place and I-"
"Tarant!" a high-pitched voice called. "Are you sweeping? I don't hear anything." At that moment a young woman popped out, her hair was neatly cropped and a beautiful blonde, her eyes twinkled in the afternoon sun, making everything seem so comfortable. "Oh, hello and welcome to The Mizakuzi Flower Shop. Is there something I can help you two love birds with?"
"Kazumi, I is just tellin' them about how-"
Nudging him in the stomach Sylvia grinned. This was more the kind of action she wanted. "This find young boy was just telling us about your beautiful roses. I told him no one could get roses that smelled that good this time of year."
"Tarant said that," she said with a friendly smile. "I guess you are a fast learner." Suddenly she stopped and gazed at Sylvia intensely. "Say don't I know you from somewhere?"
Panic filled the young officer as she felt her cover might be blown. "Probably not, I get that a lot these days."
"I've got it," Kazumi giggled, "you're that Hakubi woman! The one on TV! Oh wow! Here," reaching to one of the bushes beside her the young shopkeeper plucked a flower free. "Take this! It would be great for business if people saw you with one of our flowers."
"Thanks," Sylvia sighed feeling her confidence return. After a few more words of pleasantries, the officer duo excused themselves and began to walk off. In the distance, Kazumi patted Tarant gently on the shoulder, causing the former gangster to blush as he resumed his cleaning duties.
The day had truly changed for the multi-colored haired woman when suddenly her good fortune came to a grinding halt as she rounded a corner and ran face to face into her greatest fear.
That Night: An Abandoned Warehouse: Tokyo:As events unraveled that would threat to destroy Sylvia's new life, big things were happening in the capital city. Despite the daylight hours, darkness seemed to have found a place to amass in the great city of Tokyo.
Inside a group of men, some wearing nice clothes and others street garb, stood at attention as a figure in the shadows listened patiently.
"What was that…?" the shadowy man asked. "Tell me that one more time."
"Well Boss," the small criminal said with a shiver. "It's like I said before, this chick cop in Okayawa took out Tarant. When we wired the money to spring him, he said he's not going to have any part of us, or our plans anymore."
Saying nothing, the master of this crime ring sneered, his glasses glistening with a yellow hue in the pale moonlight. "A woman? No girl could physically beat Tarant. He was too strong. I imagine he's probably just whipped. Find out who this woman is, I want to know." Stepping forward, his head still cloaked in darkness, it was now obvious that the mysterious leader was someone of wealth as he wore an emerald green suit, with a nice white under shirt and matching green tie. "Who is this supposed woman?" Instead of answering, the beaten youth merely handed up a news clipping from an Okayawa paper.
"We got this here as soon as we could, figured you'd like to know about her. Her name is Sylvia, Sylvia Hakubi."
The crime-lord seemed to be taken aback by this news. Growling he crumpled the paper in his hand. "I'll deal with this woman, personally."
"But boss, are you sure, she's supposed to be really tough, and-" Yet it was a concern that was never finished as the tall master stuck out one hand, and emerald power flared outward consuming his henchman.
"Don't tell me what to do, boy." A twisted smile crossed his lips as he stepped into the shadows calling out to his men. "We needed an excuse to field test some of our new gear. Now's a good time, make preparations to visit Okayawa. I want to personally see how good this Sylvia is." With that the tall man vanished into the shadows, as if he were whisked away by some unseen god or goddess.
"I haven't seen the boss this happy since we met up with him a year ago. He sure has done a lot since then, rising up in the underworld to be who he is and all." A large thug whispered in fear to his companion as they examined the charred remains of a failing member of their organization.
"Yeah, he really seemed to perk up when he saw that chick, maybe he likes her. He isn't exactly the type to have hordes of women around him. He's always working on science stuff and all. I wonder if he'll let us all have a turn with this broad when he's done."
"Don't know," the black haired man echoed with a perverted laugh. "If we're lucky, and if there's anything left."
Across Town:
In a Penthouse Suit:
Standing before a great plate glass window, the crime-lord of Tokyo paused a moment from his new joy to light a small cigar, using a strange flame he made by snapping his fingers, chuckling all the while. "Sylvia Hakubi is it?" He asked to himself aloud. "New name, same old girl." Pulling out the wrinkled newspaper clipping, his eyes glistened a slight green appearing on the verge of crying as he studied her features hungrily.
"You never had any brains did you? I guess that means you took after your father, and not mother. Still, we've both changed. I had to alter myself after our last encounter," pausing in his narrative to no one, the evil man rolled up one sleeve revealing some strange markings on his pale skinned arm. Presenting them to the photo he took great joy in speaking. "Now I'll pay you back. You know, I actually thought I'd lost you, but now I see you are too dumb to stay dead. It's really very sad, you see I lost everything because of you the last time we met. But this time… this time I'll be the one who walks away with the prize, Ryoko." Taking his cigar from his lips, he set it over the officer's face, watching as it slowly ignited until her portrait. "This time, things will be different. I'll take everything from you." Throwing his head back the sinister schemer laughed loudly as he enjoyed himself. Sylvia Hakubi was soon going to be much worse.
Next time: Prison time, old friends, other people, handcuffs, jail cells, and fighting! This one will have it all! Chapter 06: Busted