Chapter 11
Night After the
Carnival
Ryoko after deciding that she wasn't going to go to Washu's lab found herself there anyway.
She was just too curious about what it was that her mother had wanted to talk to her about.
" Ok Washu I am here what do you want." She called out.
There was no answer.
She looked around but the small genius was nowhere to be found.
"Where is she?"
Ryoko was starting to get annoyed.
She was about to leave when one of the many screens in the lab caught her attention
Z Memory Scan
It said on the screen.
She walked over to closer to it.
" Well this might be interesting."
She pushed a button on the panel in front of the screen.
There were flashes of light across her golden eyes as the images went past them.
Washu held the knight tightly as he cried.
"Z listen to me."
She said her voice was soothing.
"Are you going to do your best to see that no harm comes to my daughter?"
Z rose up to meet her eyes.
"Yes of course I am..but."
"No buts."
She cut him off
" no matter what happens as long as you are doing your best then no one can ask anything more from you.
And as long as you are doing that then I have complete faith in you."
Z found that he couldn't refuse that look in her emerald eyes.
She leaned in and gently kissed him on the cheek.
His face was instantly hot.
She gave him one of her seductive smiles
" I think this was just a trick to get to hold me close."
She cooed snuggling closer to him.
Hot flashes shot through him.
" Umm.. Oh I I .. No I ."
he jumped up
" I would never do anything like that."
He said bowing low to her.
She got up
" of course not Z."
She winked.
" Come on and lets go home before the others think we have run of together."
" What??"
He stammered falling in next to her.
" You don't think they would think that really do you?"
The two headed back to the house the sounds of Washu's laughter echoing through the trees.
Ryoko yawned most of what she had seen so far was pretty boring.
It was nothing more then him and his everyday life as a knight.
His endless hours of training and his very lack of a social life made for not much to look at.
She began to wonder,
" Has he really never known the love of a woman?"
Her thought was cut short when the screen changed to a battle.
"That day."
She spoke her mind recognizing some of what she saw.
The screen flashed as explosions erupted all around him.
He had managed to dodge most of the main blast.
His body was cut and bleeding from several places where he wasn't able to escape all of the flying debris.
She caught her breath.
He was standing facing her.
She didn't remember him at the time all she knew was the faceless enemy that Kagato had ordered her to attack.
"Why didn't he attack me?" her mind questioned.
On the screen she saw him just standing there looking at her.
She had fired a couple of blast down at him but he still had not moved.
A large piece of rock had ripped through his left arm leaving behind a very nasty gash.
But all he did was power down his sword.
The next image she saw was of her leaving the spot as other knights came.
She fired down on them sending the knights scrambling for their lives.
She watched as he made his way to a ship.
" He followed me."
The surprises just kept coming one after the other.
She could hardly believe what she was seeing.
She continued to watch the screen as he was trying to keep up with her,
But Ryo-oki was to much for the ship Z was in.
He was quickly falling behind.
" Damn."
He slammed his fist on the console in front of him.
He watched helplessly as Yosho's ship raced off after her.
"Don't let them get away."
He ordered his ship.
" Yes sir."
The ship responded.
Suddenly his ship shook violently and alarms went off everywhere.
" What happened!"
he shouted out trying to stay on his feet.
" Sir we have taken fire."
On the ships main screen was the massive hull of the Soja.
Its main center gun still discharging its energy.
"Sir it is going to fire again."
His ship warned him.
"Quickly deploy the light hawk wings."
He ordered but it was to late the Soja fired.
His ship was nearly ripped in two.
The impact through him back against the central tree of his ship with such force that it knocked him out instantly.
Ryoko was glued to her seat.
She was so involved with what was happening that she didn't even care if Washu caught her any more.
Back on the screen it was black then slowly an image began to form.
Her breath stuck in her throat it was the face of Kagato.
"You are a knight I assume."
He said.
Z found himself being held upright by his arms that had been strapped up by two long cables that lead up to the ceiling.
"Who are you?"
He asked barely above a whisper.
"That is not important."
Kagato replied moving away from Z
" You have attacked a knight of the Royal Jurai court."
Kagato's laugh cut Z off.
" I have done much better then that."
He smirked
" I have just attacked the planet Jurai itself."
"You?"
Z slowly raised his head up despite the piercing pain in his brain.
"Yes Ryoko is my creation. As is this ship you are now on."
Kagato waited for this information to sink in before he continued.
" I admit she is not much to look at but she is agile."
"Ryoko?"
Z looked questionably at him.
"The one you where chasing after."
Kagato answered.
He reached up and adjusted his glasses.
"She is a lot of trouble and her many failures such as this one is beginning to be to much."
" What are you saying?"
Z demanded.
Kagato stared at him.
" I am saying that when I find her again she will die by my hand."
"NO!"
Z lunged at his restraints.
"No?"
Kagato rubbed his chin.
" But why would that matter to you?"
" I will not let you harm her."
Z glared at him.
A small line of blood began to run down his arm as he pulled so fiercely at the cables.
Kagato smiled.
" Don't tell me you have taken a fancy to her already."
Kagato cleared the room in a flash.
He reached out and took Z by the throat.
He lifted the knight up off the ground.
Z's head swam with the new flow of pain screaming through his head.
" I have searched this universe in every dusty back water planet looking for some clue to the power of the Jurai royal family.
If she has them you will tell me where she is going."
Z choked from the pressure Kagato was putting on his neck.
" I...."
Kagato lowered the knight.
It took Z few minutes to catch his breath.
Finally he stood up as straight as he could and looked Kagato straight in the eyes.
" I will die before I tell you where she went."
Kagato laughed,
" Do you think I would let you out that easy."
He lowered a deadly look at Z
" There are things far worse then death knight."
Behind Z a long slender robot appeared out from the darkness.
It hovered a few feet about the floor.
It only had one arm and a perfectly spherical head.
The robot rasied up its arm and grabbed a hold of what was left of Z's shirt and ripped it off of him.
"He is a knight so lets start with 50 lashes I think he will want to talk after that."
Kagato walked over and took a seat facing Z.
"Began."
At the end of the robots arm form a glowing red cat-o-nine tails.
It's arm raised and shot down the nine tails tiny blades tearing open his flesh.
The blood bubbled out black as it cooked from the weapons energy.
Z flinched as his body was assaulted with this new pain.
Again the weapon tore across his back Z stared death at Kagato.
He fought back everything that was in him to keep from screaming out.
Again it struck and again and again soon his back was nothing but shredded flesh.
But the robot was relentless never even slowing down.
It counted out each strike 18,19,20,21.
In his defiance to scream out Z had bitten a chuck off the side of his tongue the blood had run freely from his mouth.
22,23,24,25.
"Just tell me where she went and all this will stop."
Kagato poured himself a hot cup of tea from the small serving set that was next to his chair.
Z could not hold back any longer.
As the pain broke his pride 26,
he screamed out as only a tortured soul could.
Kagato raised his hand and the robot held its next strike.
"What will it be?"
Z could barely hear the words but he knew what he was asking.
"I.will."
his voice almost failed him.
"I.will.never."
Again he couldn't finish.
"Pity."
27.
Ryoko turned it off as his scream filled her ears once more.
"Why Z?"
She asked to herself.
"That is something you are going to have to ask him."
Ryoko spun around started that she wasn't alone.
"Washu you knew about this and didn't tell me."
She glared at the little genius.
"Yes I knew but Z made me swear not to say anything."
Ryoko looked back over at the now black screen.
"How?" she asked.
Washu walked the rest of the way into the room.
"Kagato beat him like that for seven days.
But knights hold honor above anything else and he wouldn't speak he would have died before he told him where you was."
Washu put her hand on Ryoko's shoulder
" But I didn't ask him to do that."
She tried to cover her emotions.
" He saved you."
Washu watched her daughter closely.
"Kagato looked for you for a long time he didn't know if you had taken the children of the royal family or not.
If he had found you and found out that you didn't have them he was going to kill you."
"How did Z get away?"
Ryoko asked standing up.
"Kagato grew tired of watching the beatings and just dumped him out into space.
I guess he figured that he was as good as dead."
"Well I am going to find out why and then I am telling him to leave."
She got up to go.
" Ryoko. Before you do I want you to think about this if you order him to leave ......................he will obey.
But you must know that in his mind he has failed you once already."
Washu sat down on the floating pillow that Ryoko had just got up from.
" What do you mean?"
Ryoko was getting more annoyed.
"Stop speaking in riddles and just spit it out ok."
" He knows Kagato got here before he did."
Ryoko just looked at her for a few minutes.
Then in her mind she remembered how Z had told Kagato that he would not let him hurt her.
She looked one more time at her mother then phased out of the room.
Outside of the house she found Z with Mihoshi.
He was sitting on the porch drinking a cup of tea.
Mihoshi was sitting on the other side of him.
She to had a cup of tea and a rice cake.
Ryoko phased onto the porch.
"Mihoshi I need to talk to Z." she said.
" But we where just having some tea." Mihoshi protested.
Z saw a look he had never seen in Ryoko before.
"Miss Mihoshi thank you very much for the tea I would be honored it we could do this again sometime."
He stood up and bowed to her.
"Oh ok."
She was blushing furiously.
Ryoko had walked off towards a small patch of trees.
Z followed her soon after.
Once he had reached her she was already sitting down next to one of the smaller trees.
" What is it you whish of me my lady." He asked.
She looked up and him.
"Z why are here?"
Her question was very direct.
Again that look Z knew something had changed but he was at a loss at what it was.
" As I have said when I first came I am here to be your Guardian." He answered.
"No that is not what I am asking."
She stood up and faced him.
"Z tell me."
Her eyes burned into his soul.
Now he knew.
His first reaction was to look away from her.
"I am the demon of Jurai why.."
"NO!"
he startled her with his sudden outburst and she stepped away from him.
He caught himself.
Again her eyes searched his.
He turned away from her.
"Lady Ryoko please do not ask me to do this."
" Z I want to know. I want to hear you say it."
She watched his back for a moment waiting.
"Z look at me."
She watched as his head lowered just a little.
"Please."
She said.
Slowly he turned back to her.
She was not going to let him out of this she just had to know and she had to hear it from him.
" Z I can order you."
" Yes you can and I will have no choice."
She could see the torment in his eyes and she knew that what ever he said after this it would be the truth.
"Z I order you to tell me."
That was it he was trapped by his honor.
He knew now that there was no way out.
He looked her deep in the eyes.
" I am here lady Ryoko because I love you."
Deep in the lab Washu was suddenly overcome by something very powerful that threatened to overcome her emotions.
She reached out to steady herself.
For a moment she didn't know what it was but as she regain herself.
She smiled.
" So daughter now you know.
What are you going to do?"
In the kitchen Ryo-oki was happily munching on a carrot.
When it dropped to the floor.
"What is it Ryo-oki?"
Sasami asked seeing the little cabbit staring off into space.
Ryo-oki shook her head " meow.meow."
She hopped over the kitchen counter and stared out the window behind the sink.
Sasami looked out after the cabbit
"Oh what is it?
" she asked seeing Ryoko and Z standing not far off.
Ryoko's body went numb.
Her heart started to pound in her chest.
"But how?"
She finally asked her voice was barely above a whisper.
Z reached out to steady her.
She pulled away from him.
She was angry now
"How can you say that to me." She demanded.
" I am a demon. A monster to Jurai."
"The people of Jurai may think that but I do not."
He looked down
" I never did."
" But how can you say you love me when you don't know me."
Z took some time to gather his thoughts.
"The day you attacked the planet I was there.
I had heard them say that we where under attack from a terrible demon.
I went to destroy the demon.
I followed your path of destruction.
I had managed to get behind you.
When I came out you turned around and looked at me.
I don't know what happened but I was frozen before me was not a demon."
He looked back up at her.
"I could not strike you.
At your feet lay other knights victims of your great power.
Even at that I could not harm you."
"Why?" she asked.
Her anger swept away by his words.
"Because I had never seen such beauty as you possessed.
Lady Ryoko I don't know how but you looked into my soul that day and when you done that I looked into yours.
And I knew from that point on I had to be by you.
No matter how you felt about me.
I had to be able to see you.
I had to hear your voice."
" Then why have you waited so long to tell me all this?" she asked.
"Once I got here and I saw you.
I knew it would never have been.
You have given your heart to another.
At first I was troubled.
But back then when I looked into your eyes I saw such great pain.
I wanted to take that from you.
I wanted to show you happiness.
Lord Tenchi has done that for me.
So I am ok with that.
It does not matter to me that I was not the one to do it as long as it has been done,
I can not ask for more then that."
He stopped
"lady Ryoko are you ok? Have I done something wrong?"
A single tear had ran down her cheek.
"No, no you haven't done anything wrong."
He smiled at her.
" Lady Ryoko please don't worry about me ok.
You follow your heart and I will be happy."
She walked over to him and put her arms around him.
Very gently she kissed him on the cheek.
Then she hovered up from the ground and started to drift towards the house.
He turned back towards her.
" Does this mean I have been released from your chores?"
She looked back and him and smiled
"tomorrow it is my turn to do the bathroom."
He smiled back up at her
" as you wish my lady." He bowed.
Z stood there watching her go.
"Umm Z are you ok?"
he turned to find Mihoshi standing there.
" She wasn't mean to you again was she?"
Z smiled. "No Miss Mihoshi she wasn't."
" Oh good." Z turned around to face her.
" I have an idea Miss Mihoshi."
" Oh really what is it." She said excited.
" Well I am all the sudden in the mood to play a little tune and I was wondering."
he took out his small wooden instrument
"if you would honor me with a song."
"What! Oh my."
She brought her hands up to cover her burning red cheeks.
" I do not mean to embarrass you.
But I heard you and Miss Kiyone singing on the karaoke machine.
And I must say your singing voice is enchanting."
"Oh do you really think so?"
she couldn't stop from giggling.
" Yes I really do."
He sat down on the soft grass and began to play.
She sat down next to him.
Soon her voice was carried through the trees of the ship by his music.
"Huh." Kiyone looked up as the music reached her ears.
She had been out back trimming some of the flowers.
She put her shears down and went around the house.
"Was that Mihoshi singing?"
she wondered.
As she came around the front the door slid open and Ayeka stepped out.
"Is that music I hear?" she asked Kiyone.
"Oh it is so beautiful."
Sasami chimed in coming out of the kitchen door with a basket in her hand and Ryo-oki on her head.
" Come on lets go."
It wasn't long before the others to had come out and where sitting around the wonderful picnic that Sasami had made.
Yosho had brought out some of his Sake and even Nobiyuki was feeling good enough to come out and sit with the old man.
Tenchi was sitting down eating on of Sasami's cucumber sandwiches.
Ryoko was sitting quietly next to him.
He looked over at her.
"Ryoko what is it?"
"What do you mean?"
she asked him the small of her face still there.
"Something is different about you somehow?"
She laughed and moved a little closer to him.
"Nothing is wrong at all Tenchi."
"Your weird."
Ryoko laughed.
So this brings us to the end of chapter eleven only two more to go so hang on to your seats. All I can say is the gang is about to face the biggest threat of their lives. I hope you are ready.
So any comments please send them to animal20200@hotmail.com and happy reading.
Ryoko after deciding that she wasn't going to go to Washu's lab found herself there anyway.
She was just too curious about what it was that her mother had wanted to talk to her about.
" Ok Washu I am here what do you want." She called out.
There was no answer.
She looked around but the small genius was nowhere to be found.
"Where is she?"
Ryoko was starting to get annoyed.
She was about to leave when one of the many screens in the lab caught her attention
Z Memory Scan
It said on the screen.
She walked over to closer to it.
" Well this might be interesting."
She pushed a button on the panel in front of the screen.
There were flashes of light across her golden eyes as the images went past them.
Washu held the knight tightly as he cried.
"Z listen to me."
She said her voice was soothing.
"Are you going to do your best to see that no harm comes to my daughter?"
Z rose up to meet her eyes.
"Yes of course I am..but."
"No buts."
She cut him off
" no matter what happens as long as you are doing your best then no one can ask anything more from you.
And as long as you are doing that then I have complete faith in you."
Z found that he couldn't refuse that look in her emerald eyes.
She leaned in and gently kissed him on the cheek.
His face was instantly hot.
She gave him one of her seductive smiles
" I think this was just a trick to get to hold me close."
She cooed snuggling closer to him.
Hot flashes shot through him.
" Umm.. Oh I I .. No I ."
he jumped up
" I would never do anything like that."
He said bowing low to her.
She got up
" of course not Z."
She winked.
" Come on and lets go home before the others think we have run of together."
" What??"
He stammered falling in next to her.
" You don't think they would think that really do you?"
The two headed back to the house the sounds of Washu's laughter echoing through the trees.
Ryoko yawned most of what she had seen so far was pretty boring.
It was nothing more then him and his everyday life as a knight.
His endless hours of training and his very lack of a social life made for not much to look at.
She began to wonder,
" Has he really never known the love of a woman?"
Her thought was cut short when the screen changed to a battle.
"That day."
She spoke her mind recognizing some of what she saw.
The screen flashed as explosions erupted all around him.
He had managed to dodge most of the main blast.
His body was cut and bleeding from several places where he wasn't able to escape all of the flying debris.
She caught her breath.
He was standing facing her.
She didn't remember him at the time all she knew was the faceless enemy that Kagato had ordered her to attack.
"Why didn't he attack me?" her mind questioned.
On the screen she saw him just standing there looking at her.
She had fired a couple of blast down at him but he still had not moved.
A large piece of rock had ripped through his left arm leaving behind a very nasty gash.
But all he did was power down his sword.
The next image she saw was of her leaving the spot as other knights came.
She fired down on them sending the knights scrambling for their lives.
She watched as he made his way to a ship.
" He followed me."
The surprises just kept coming one after the other.
She could hardly believe what she was seeing.
She continued to watch the screen as he was trying to keep up with her,
But Ryo-oki was to much for the ship Z was in.
He was quickly falling behind.
" Damn."
He slammed his fist on the console in front of him.
He watched helplessly as Yosho's ship raced off after her.
"Don't let them get away."
He ordered his ship.
" Yes sir."
The ship responded.
Suddenly his ship shook violently and alarms went off everywhere.
" What happened!"
he shouted out trying to stay on his feet.
" Sir we have taken fire."
On the ships main screen was the massive hull of the Soja.
Its main center gun still discharging its energy.
"Sir it is going to fire again."
His ship warned him.
"Quickly deploy the light hawk wings."
He ordered but it was to late the Soja fired.
His ship was nearly ripped in two.
The impact through him back against the central tree of his ship with such force that it knocked him out instantly.
Ryoko was glued to her seat.
She was so involved with what was happening that she didn't even care if Washu caught her any more.
Back on the screen it was black then slowly an image began to form.
Her breath stuck in her throat it was the face of Kagato.
"You are a knight I assume."
He said.
Z found himself being held upright by his arms that had been strapped up by two long cables that lead up to the ceiling.
"Who are you?"
He asked barely above a whisper.
"That is not important."
Kagato replied moving away from Z
" You have attacked a knight of the Royal Jurai court."
Kagato's laugh cut Z off.
" I have done much better then that."
He smirked
" I have just attacked the planet Jurai itself."
"You?"
Z slowly raised his head up despite the piercing pain in his brain.
"Yes Ryoko is my creation. As is this ship you are now on."
Kagato waited for this information to sink in before he continued.
" I admit she is not much to look at but she is agile."
"Ryoko?"
Z looked questionably at him.
"The one you where chasing after."
Kagato answered.
He reached up and adjusted his glasses.
"She is a lot of trouble and her many failures such as this one is beginning to be to much."
" What are you saying?"
Z demanded.
Kagato stared at him.
" I am saying that when I find her again she will die by my hand."
"NO!"
Z lunged at his restraints.
"No?"
Kagato rubbed his chin.
" But why would that matter to you?"
" I will not let you harm her."
Z glared at him.
A small line of blood began to run down his arm as he pulled so fiercely at the cables.
Kagato smiled.
" Don't tell me you have taken a fancy to her already."
Kagato cleared the room in a flash.
He reached out and took Z by the throat.
He lifted the knight up off the ground.
Z's head swam with the new flow of pain screaming through his head.
" I have searched this universe in every dusty back water planet looking for some clue to the power of the Jurai royal family.
If she has them you will tell me where she is going."
Z choked from the pressure Kagato was putting on his neck.
" I...."
Kagato lowered the knight.
It took Z few minutes to catch his breath.
Finally he stood up as straight as he could and looked Kagato straight in the eyes.
" I will die before I tell you where she went."
Kagato laughed,
" Do you think I would let you out that easy."
He lowered a deadly look at Z
" There are things far worse then death knight."
Behind Z a long slender robot appeared out from the darkness.
It hovered a few feet about the floor.
It only had one arm and a perfectly spherical head.
The robot rasied up its arm and grabbed a hold of what was left of Z's shirt and ripped it off of him.
"He is a knight so lets start with 50 lashes I think he will want to talk after that."
Kagato walked over and took a seat facing Z.
"Began."
At the end of the robots arm form a glowing red cat-o-nine tails.
It's arm raised and shot down the nine tails tiny blades tearing open his flesh.
The blood bubbled out black as it cooked from the weapons energy.
Z flinched as his body was assaulted with this new pain.
Again the weapon tore across his back Z stared death at Kagato.
He fought back everything that was in him to keep from screaming out.
Again it struck and again and again soon his back was nothing but shredded flesh.
But the robot was relentless never even slowing down.
It counted out each strike 18,19,20,21.
In his defiance to scream out Z had bitten a chuck off the side of his tongue the blood had run freely from his mouth.
22,23,24,25.
"Just tell me where she went and all this will stop."
Kagato poured himself a hot cup of tea from the small serving set that was next to his chair.
Z could not hold back any longer.
As the pain broke his pride 26,
he screamed out as only a tortured soul could.
Kagato raised his hand and the robot held its next strike.
"What will it be?"
Z could barely hear the words but he knew what he was asking.
"I.will."
his voice almost failed him.
"I.will.never."
Again he couldn't finish.
"Pity."
27.
Ryoko turned it off as his scream filled her ears once more.
"Why Z?"
She asked to herself.
"That is something you are going to have to ask him."
Ryoko spun around started that she wasn't alone.
"Washu you knew about this and didn't tell me."
She glared at the little genius.
"Yes I knew but Z made me swear not to say anything."
Ryoko looked back over at the now black screen.
"How?" she asked.
Washu walked the rest of the way into the room.
"Kagato beat him like that for seven days.
But knights hold honor above anything else and he wouldn't speak he would have died before he told him where you was."
Washu put her hand on Ryoko's shoulder
" But I didn't ask him to do that."
She tried to cover her emotions.
" He saved you."
Washu watched her daughter closely.
"Kagato looked for you for a long time he didn't know if you had taken the children of the royal family or not.
If he had found you and found out that you didn't have them he was going to kill you."
"How did Z get away?"
Ryoko asked standing up.
"Kagato grew tired of watching the beatings and just dumped him out into space.
I guess he figured that he was as good as dead."
"Well I am going to find out why and then I am telling him to leave."
She got up to go.
" Ryoko. Before you do I want you to think about this if you order him to leave ......................he will obey.
But you must know that in his mind he has failed you once already."
Washu sat down on the floating pillow that Ryoko had just got up from.
" What do you mean?"
Ryoko was getting more annoyed.
"Stop speaking in riddles and just spit it out ok."
" He knows Kagato got here before he did."
Ryoko just looked at her for a few minutes.
Then in her mind she remembered how Z had told Kagato that he would not let him hurt her.
She looked one more time at her mother then phased out of the room.
Outside of the house she found Z with Mihoshi.
He was sitting on the porch drinking a cup of tea.
Mihoshi was sitting on the other side of him.
She to had a cup of tea and a rice cake.
Ryoko phased onto the porch.
"Mihoshi I need to talk to Z." she said.
" But we where just having some tea." Mihoshi protested.
Z saw a look he had never seen in Ryoko before.
"Miss Mihoshi thank you very much for the tea I would be honored it we could do this again sometime."
He stood up and bowed to her.
"Oh ok."
She was blushing furiously.
Ryoko had walked off towards a small patch of trees.
Z followed her soon after.
Once he had reached her she was already sitting down next to one of the smaller trees.
" What is it you whish of me my lady." He asked.
She looked up and him.
"Z why are here?"
Her question was very direct.
Again that look Z knew something had changed but he was at a loss at what it was.
" As I have said when I first came I am here to be your Guardian." He answered.
"No that is not what I am asking."
She stood up and faced him.
"Z tell me."
Her eyes burned into his soul.
Now he knew.
His first reaction was to look away from her.
"I am the demon of Jurai why.."
"NO!"
he startled her with his sudden outburst and she stepped away from him.
He caught himself.
Again her eyes searched his.
He turned away from her.
"Lady Ryoko please do not ask me to do this."
" Z I want to know. I want to hear you say it."
She watched his back for a moment waiting.
"Z look at me."
She watched as his head lowered just a little.
"Please."
She said.
Slowly he turned back to her.
She was not going to let him out of this she just had to know and she had to hear it from him.
" Z I can order you."
" Yes you can and I will have no choice."
She could see the torment in his eyes and she knew that what ever he said after this it would be the truth.
"Z I order you to tell me."
That was it he was trapped by his honor.
He knew now that there was no way out.
He looked her deep in the eyes.
" I am here lady Ryoko because I love you."
Deep in the lab Washu was suddenly overcome by something very powerful that threatened to overcome her emotions.
She reached out to steady herself.
For a moment she didn't know what it was but as she regain herself.
She smiled.
" So daughter now you know.
What are you going to do?"
In the kitchen Ryo-oki was happily munching on a carrot.
When it dropped to the floor.
"What is it Ryo-oki?"
Sasami asked seeing the little cabbit staring off into space.
Ryo-oki shook her head " meow.meow."
She hopped over the kitchen counter and stared out the window behind the sink.
Sasami looked out after the cabbit
"Oh what is it?
" she asked seeing Ryoko and Z standing not far off.
Ryoko's body went numb.
Her heart started to pound in her chest.
"But how?"
She finally asked her voice was barely above a whisper.
Z reached out to steady her.
She pulled away from him.
She was angry now
"How can you say that to me." She demanded.
" I am a demon. A monster to Jurai."
"The people of Jurai may think that but I do not."
He looked down
" I never did."
" But how can you say you love me when you don't know me."
Z took some time to gather his thoughts.
"The day you attacked the planet I was there.
I had heard them say that we where under attack from a terrible demon.
I went to destroy the demon.
I followed your path of destruction.
I had managed to get behind you.
When I came out you turned around and looked at me.
I don't know what happened but I was frozen before me was not a demon."
He looked back up at her.
"I could not strike you.
At your feet lay other knights victims of your great power.
Even at that I could not harm you."
"Why?" she asked.
Her anger swept away by his words.
"Because I had never seen such beauty as you possessed.
Lady Ryoko I don't know how but you looked into my soul that day and when you done that I looked into yours.
And I knew from that point on I had to be by you.
No matter how you felt about me.
I had to be able to see you.
I had to hear your voice."
" Then why have you waited so long to tell me all this?" she asked.
"Once I got here and I saw you.
I knew it would never have been.
You have given your heart to another.
At first I was troubled.
But back then when I looked into your eyes I saw such great pain.
I wanted to take that from you.
I wanted to show you happiness.
Lord Tenchi has done that for me.
So I am ok with that.
It does not matter to me that I was not the one to do it as long as it has been done,
I can not ask for more then that."
He stopped
"lady Ryoko are you ok? Have I done something wrong?"
A single tear had ran down her cheek.
"No, no you haven't done anything wrong."
He smiled at her.
" Lady Ryoko please don't worry about me ok.
You follow your heart and I will be happy."
She walked over to him and put her arms around him.
Very gently she kissed him on the cheek.
Then she hovered up from the ground and started to drift towards the house.
He turned back towards her.
" Does this mean I have been released from your chores?"
She looked back and him and smiled
"tomorrow it is my turn to do the bathroom."
He smiled back up at her
" as you wish my lady." He bowed.
Z stood there watching her go.
"Umm Z are you ok?"
he turned to find Mihoshi standing there.
" She wasn't mean to you again was she?"
Z smiled. "No Miss Mihoshi she wasn't."
" Oh good." Z turned around to face her.
" I have an idea Miss Mihoshi."
" Oh really what is it." She said excited.
" Well I am all the sudden in the mood to play a little tune and I was wondering."
he took out his small wooden instrument
"if you would honor me with a song."
"What! Oh my."
She brought her hands up to cover her burning red cheeks.
" I do not mean to embarrass you.
But I heard you and Miss Kiyone singing on the karaoke machine.
And I must say your singing voice is enchanting."
"Oh do you really think so?"
she couldn't stop from giggling.
" Yes I really do."
He sat down on the soft grass and began to play.
She sat down next to him.
Soon her voice was carried through the trees of the ship by his music.
"Huh." Kiyone looked up as the music reached her ears.
She had been out back trimming some of the flowers.
She put her shears down and went around the house.
"Was that Mihoshi singing?"
she wondered.
As she came around the front the door slid open and Ayeka stepped out.
"Is that music I hear?" she asked Kiyone.
"Oh it is so beautiful."
Sasami chimed in coming out of the kitchen door with a basket in her hand and Ryo-oki on her head.
" Come on lets go."
It wasn't long before the others to had come out and where sitting around the wonderful picnic that Sasami had made.
Yosho had brought out some of his Sake and even Nobiyuki was feeling good enough to come out and sit with the old man.
Tenchi was sitting down eating on of Sasami's cucumber sandwiches.
Ryoko was sitting quietly next to him.
He looked over at her.
"Ryoko what is it?"
"What do you mean?"
she asked him the small of her face still there.
"Something is different about you somehow?"
She laughed and moved a little closer to him.
"Nothing is wrong at all Tenchi."
"Your weird."
Ryoko laughed.
So this brings us to the end of chapter eleven only two more to go so hang on to your seats. All I can say is the gang is about to face the biggest threat of their lives. I hope you are ready.
So any comments please send them to animal20200@hotmail.com and happy reading.
