A cold shiver ran down his spine as Knucks awoke to a cold, dreary room. He sat up and rubbed at his arms to get a little heat. He found his bed covers on the ground and quickly wrapped himself in them. He remembered the cold night before when Washu and himself had walked around the house a few times, exchanging past stories. He had gotten to know Washu a little more, and had some embarrassing stories of Ryoko to boot. He breathed out warm air and saw it puff in a cloud of steam before disappearing. He let the covers fall to the ground again, and noticed that he and overreacted about the cold. He guessed it at a conservative thirty degrees, but had acted like it was minus thirty. He got up to open his blinds, and he saw a good five inches of snow on the ground. It was a white paradise, and Sasami was out playing in it. She looked up to his window and waved, with that big smile of hers, he waved back and smiled himself. She had Ryo-oki almost all the way covered in a big snowball and had put her on top of a snowman's body. Knucks chuckled and closed the blinds.
He walked over to his tank top and threw it over his shoulder. He found that he enjoyed the cold; it made him feel more powerful than heat. He figured there was a reason for this, and barely gave it any thought. He sat back down on his bed and thought about Ryoko, and their date tonight. He was pretty nervous about it, and he didn't know what she expected of him. He might condemn his chances with her by screwing up once tonight. He didn't want that to happen, so he went over where he would take her tonight in his head. He figured that the best place to take her first would be dinner. He only knew bars in Okiyama, so he would have to go into town today to look around. Next, he would have to think of something fun for them to do together. Maybe a game room, or perhaps the museum. He hit himself in the head when he thought of Ryoko, or himself for that matter, being interested in going to the freaking museum. He figured that they would probably end up drinking Sake at a bar somewhere. He wasn't exactly against that since he hadn't had a drink in a week.
He heard a knock at his door and slipped into his tank top. He opened the screen, and stood in front of Ryoko. She wore an unusually big smile and held a bottle of something in her hand, " Morning! Can I come in?"
Knucks smiled at her and moved out of the doorway, " What do I owe this pleasure?"
She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head against his chest. Knucks embraced her and closed his eyes to get the full effect of her bodily warmth. She looked up at him and answered, " Like you didn't want to see me. I came up to get us ready for tonight. You want a drink?"
She held up the bottle she had been holding and shoved it towards him. He was tempted to take the bottle, but he restrained himself and moved her hand aside, " How bout we save that till a decent hour in the day? Besides, I have things to do today and they are very hard when I'm drunk."
Ryoko smiled and put the bottle on the ground. She still wanted to have a drink, but the longing for it dissipated without him. She hadn't even been drunk for two nights now, " Fair enough. You ready for tonight?"
Knucks smiled, " Of course I am. I can't wait."
Ryoko looked into his eyes and saw nothing but happiness. She felt happy just looking at them, " Good. Me too."
They took each other's hand and danced around the room a little bit. Knucks heard sizzling from the kitchen below and he knew little Sasami would be coming to get them sooner or later, " We should go downstairs before Sasami gets us."
Ryoko put on a playful frown and responded, " Alright….I get it. You don't want to hang out with me anymore. Fine, go ahead."
Her voice dripped with sarcasm and her play frown made him smile, " I never said that. I just don't want them to know about us yet. I want you all to my self."
She turned her frown upside down and leaned into his mouth. They had a long, very enjoyable, kiss. They heard footsteps coming down the hallway and froze until they passed. Yet another moment killed by their companions, " Well, so much for that."
Ryoko smiled and remained close to him. She had another flavor on her breath this morning, a sort of strawberry. He tasted his lips and noticed the same taste now on his tongue. She seemed to have something new for him everyday, " I'm gonna go down stairs and talk to Tenchi real quick."
" Alright, I'll be down in a few. Don't forget about tonight." She smiled as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
" How could I?"
---
Knucks stood on the front porch, admiring the beauty of the snow. He looked around at the snow, both falling and already on the ground. Sasami ran by him with Ryo-oki close behind. They seemed to be in the middle of a snowball fight. He smiled as he taunted Sasami to hit him with one. She rolled one up nice and tight and launched it at him, but Knucks ducked. The ball went through the open screen, over the diner table, and straight into the face of Ayeka as she was walking into the living room. Knucks stepped into the room quickly and closed the screen door behind him. Ayeka wiped the snow off her face, revealing a very, very angry face. Knucks smiled innocently at her and thought that it was better to take the blame then rat out Sasami, " I didn't mean it Ayeka. I was just throwing snow around with Sasami and one slipped away from me."
She walked a few angry steps towards him before raising her voice, " Well, I hope you get very sick for being outside with such little clothing on! You should be ashamed for hitting me with snow! I could get sick myself now-"
" Could you scream just a little louder princess?!"
Ryoko yelled in the princess's ear as she started to phase through the wooden walkway over her head, " I could only hear you from Okiyama! A little louder and they might hear you in Tokyo!"
Knucks smiled as he walked into the kitchen. They were back at each other's throats, and not a moment to soon. Tenchi jogged past the two feuding ladies, and stumbled into the kitchen. Knucks saw him and smiled, " Got through them without a scratch."
Tenchi smiled, " Yeah, on a lucky day."
Knucks took another drink of milk and handed Tenchi a glass to fill with juice, " I think we're on our own for breakfast today. Sasami is having a blast in the snow." He pointed towards the backdoor, and Sasami, who was now trying to bury Ryo-oki again, " I doubt Ryo-oki likes it, but Sasami is having a blast."
Tenchi smiled and walked over to the oven, " I know." He pointed down to a pot of soup on the oven, already simmering, "By the way, for some reason, Grandpa said that we wouldn't train today. I guess he wants us to reflect on yesterday or something."
Knucks also saw this as an unusual move for Grandpa, " Weird. I'm not complaining if he want to give us a day off though."
" Amen."
Knucks nodded towards Tenchi and walked into the living room. He ducked under Ryoko's left hook and sat down on the couch. He figured that with the day free, he would go to town early and get back at a reasonable time, and never be missed. He might have to settle for the first fancy restaurant he saw, if he hoped to make the date. He didn't want to rush his restaurant decision, but he didn't have much of a choice. He would have to leave in a few minutes to find the trail to town and start his trek early.
A loud clang knocked him from his thinking, as did the moans of pain from Ryoko and Ayeka. Sasami had come in from playing and stopped their fighting with one swift swing of a frying pan. Ayeka stumbled back and Ryoko rubbed the back of her head as they listened to Sasami preach. Both of the girls sat on either side of Knucks on the couch. He thought he heard Sasami put them in time out, or she could've just threatened their dinners.
Knucks got up and walked up the stairs to his room. He prepared himself for the journey to Okiyama. He thought about bringing his sword with him, but he didn't want him to seem threatening while there. He threw his sword on the bed and left his room. He walked down to practically the same scene as when he had left. Both of the girls were fuming on the couch while Sasami started helping Tenchi with breakfast. He wanted to make a quiet escape, but was caught by Ayeka, " Where are you going?"
He turned around to face her, " Out for a walk."
She grabbed a near by blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders, " Do you mind if I join you for a bit?"
Knucks figured that he could kill two birds with one walk. He could finally get on Ayeka's good side, and be halfway to Okiyama before she turned back, " Sounds like fun. Let's go."
Ryoko phased in front of them and held her arms up, " Hold on a minute little missy! What do you think you're doing!? Hmmmmmmmm?"
Ayeka smiled, " I'm going to get to know this young man. You are not invited, nor wanted around. Stay here and drink, or whatever you do when you're bored."
Ryoko backed up a little and put her hand in a pile of snow, " Alright then. When I get bored…..I bug you."
She lifted her hand and threw snow in Ayeka's face. Knucks backed up a little and watched Ayeka react. She took the remaining snow off her face, and threw it at Ryoko's. This continued until the snow in their hands had melted. Knucks however, had taken this opportunity to start walking towards the wooden bridge. Ayeka quickly caught on and jogged after him. Ryoko launched one more snowball her way, but she accidentally hit Grandpa as he was walking by. Knucks knew that Ryoko was in trouble, and would probably be grounded by little Sasami. Knucks laughed out loud.
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It was finally ready. Kagato now sat on his organ bench, looking out onto his creation. The machine itself wasn't much to look at, but if it got the job done, it would be his best invention yet. He had created a machine to control Ryoko, since his last battle with Tenchi some how cut his link and control over her. He didn't feel secure placing his fate in the hands of this machine, but he had made it for a reason, and that reason was entwined with his own. He would use this controller to take Ryoko's mind, and she would take the lives of her friends. Then, the power of the gods would be his to wield as he saw fit. A glorious day indeed-.
' Not good enough.'
The nagging voice returned. He would've gone insane because of it, but it helped him achieve greatness before. He tried to listen to it, but found the statements it made were a blow to his pride.
' Get over it. You think they will fall right into your trap? They will subdue Ryoko and then come to do the same to you. One of the warriors must never set foot in this ship if you hope to survive.'
Kagato thought about his failure to make a foolproof plan. He was losing his mind for this job. He needed to think of a way to keep either Knucks or Tenchi from fighting. Injury would be pointless, they would never stay behind willingly, and taking one as hostage had a bigger risk factor than fighting both head on. Just then, something slapped him on the brain, an idea. What if an event lead to one of them being banished from the Masaki household?
This question stirred in his brain as he thought of whom to target and when. The bench he was sitting upon gave a loud scraping noise of metal on metal, and Kagato noticed the, now noiseless, room he was in. He turned towards the large organ built into the wall and prepared his fingers to play his thinking music. He always turned to his passion for music as a comforting shield from his troubles. He always seemed to find the answer when music filled his head. He began playing and thinking. The answers would come to him in due time, but he was wondering if they would come in time to save his life.
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Ayeka and Knucks walked along in the falling snow. Knucks had put them on the trail to town so he could still travel there while getting to know Ayeka. He looked over at her, and smiled at the sight of her clutching a blanket with three other layers of clothes on. He glanced at his own attire, his tank top and sweat pants, and shrugged off why she was cold, " Little cold princess?"
Ayeka looked at him, and responded through chattering teeth, " Yes I am! Little crazy for wearing nothing more than a tank top?!"
Knucks smiled at her and extended his hand to catch a snowflake. He let it melt before responding, " I only dress one way."
" It's the crazy way. You're going to catch pneumonia!"
He smiled as they walked further along the trail in silence. Knucks' mind drifted from Ayeka, to the beautiful, white, covering that surrounded them. He looked at the snow that covered the trees, and barely noticed his shoulders being covered with the same substance. Despite the weather, he felt a warmth inside when he thought of the fun he used to have in the snow when he was a child. Snowball fights with his friends, building snowmen with his sister, and even ice-skating on the lake by his hometown.
Knucks shifted his attention back to Ayeka as she spoke, " It's a shame that we never got a chance to talk before today. For once, Ryoko was right. You're not as barbaric as I thought."
Knucks grinned, " I bet you say that to all the guys," He saw her smile and continued, " What else has Ryoko said about me?"
She looked at him, " Well, she told me that you were funny, and interesting, and a few things about your past."
Knucks thought of the last time he and Ryoko had talk about his past. The On-sen scene flashed through his mind, as did the warm feeling-.
Ayeka squealed suddenly and brought Knucks back to reality. Knucks saw a black blur go through Ayeka's mid-section, and felt a fist connect solidly with his cheek. He stumbled away and swung his head around to see who had delivered the blow. All he saw was Ayeka, slumping to the ground, a red blood spot beneath her growing. He quickly tied the blanket she had around the wound. Washu needed to see her, fast, but he took one more look around them to see if the attacker was still around. He knelt down again and heard something hit the ground to his left. He swiveled his head in that direction, only to see his new sword, covered in the red snow of Ayeka. He knew that he left his sword on his bed when he left the house, so, how did it get out here? He put his thoughts aside and swooped up the sword and shoved it in his tank top. He carefully lifted Ayeka and started back to the house. His questions would have to wait as he now began to run back to Washu.
---------------------------------------------------
Ryoko sat on the couch and poured herself another saucer of sake, and drank it as fast as she poured it. She didn't like the idea of Ayeka getting to know Knucks. She was a sly one, and Ryoko hadn't completely gotten Knucks yet. She just wished that Ayeka didn't want to get competitive with him like they had with Tenchi.
The screen door slid open suddenly, revealing Knucks holding Ayeka in his arms. Before she had time to ask any questions, he was opening Washu's door with his foot and bolting through it. She stood from the couch and quickly closed the screen door. She wondered what the hell that was about, but got a bad feeling when he saw a few drops of blood on the carpet. She phased her way into Washu's lab and prepared for the worst.
---
Knucks set Ayeka down on a gurney and backed up to allow Washu to work. He was a little out of breathe and covered in Ayeka's blood, but he needed to know if she was all right. Washu had everything from a stethoscope to something with drills and saws attached to it on a very large table she rolled next to the gurney Ayeka occupied. Washu unraveled the blanket and inspected the wound carefully. He passed her whatever she needed and asked her what she was doing. Washu asked him to carry Ayeka to a machine in the corner and lay her inside. He did so and noticed the machine looked like a very big oven. Washu closed the lid to the machine and started it up. He heard Ryoko land on the ground behind him and turned to acknowledge her.
Washu now faced him, " What happened to her? This is a serious injury."
" I know. I don't know what happened. We were walking and she shouted in pain, and someone punched me. Then," He pulled his sword out of his shirt, " my freakin sword appeared out of nowhere."
Washu looked at his sword and took it form his hand. She noticed blood on the blade, " Where did this come from?"
He looked a little closer at the sword and also noticed the blood again, " It probably came from the bloody snow it landed on."
She set the weapon on the table and walked back over to her machine. Knucks had a question in his mind, " Why can't you just heal her like you did me?"
" Because Ayeka isn't as strong as you are. If I used the same stuff on her, she would probably melt or disenigrate. See, you have to have a bit of power to protect you from my healing solution. Your power fights off some of the enzymes in the mixture, but it confuses some of them for white blood cells and allows my bacteria to attach to the wound and start healing. Ryoko, Tenchi, you and maybe Grandpa are the only ones I could use it on."
" Just be glad that she didn't give you the scientific explanation." Ryoko walked up next to Knucks, " Did ya see anyone?"
Knucks shook his head, " No, but I didn't have a lot of time to look. I did see something flash through her though, it was black, but it was only there for a flash."
Washu suddenly stopped typing and turned around. She said nothing, but looked hard at her daughter. Ryoko nodded and grabbed Knucks' hand, and before he could protest, they were standing in the living room, " She says her lab is off limits again."
" Does she do this a lot or is it just when I'm around?"
Ryoko smiled and put her hand on his hip, " Just you I think."
" I'm flattered. I'm gonna go take a shower and stuff."
She teleported him to the balcony in the room, " Yeah, blood isn't the best thing to be covered in. I'll tell everybody what happened."
Knucks kissed her cheek, " Alright. I'll be down when I'm done. He walked into his room to get a new shirt, and noticed his sword case lying empty on his bed. This brought on a wave of questions that needed answering. He decided to give them serious thought when he got out of the shower. He walked out of his room with a head full of questions and no answers to quell them.
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Knucks wiped the steam off of the mirror and looked himself in the eye. He had no more blood on his skin, but he still thought about the scene from wince the blood came into play. He had replayed the image of Ayeka falling in his head, seemingly a million times, but he hadn't noticed anything new. He had boiled his thinking down to finding out what had gone through her. He tried to slow down the image of it happening, but he only saw a black blur go through her, nothing more.
He leaned his head against the mirror and closed his eyes. He let his mind wander a bit, from his dreams of late, to the date he wasn't prepared for tonight. For some reason, he couldn't get the image of the monster in his dream out of his head. He studied the monster closer, and saw a red outline that encased a pitch-black sword.
Knucks' eyes snapped open at the realization. He should've known from the beginning that Kagato was behind this. Every missing piece now fell into place at the thought of him. His sword appearing with blood covering it, walking in the house with blood covering him, and showing the bloody weapon to Washu. Kagato had read him like a book.
He quickly dressed and took the stairs two at a time. The living room was void of people, but he could hear voices from the kitchen. He walked to the screen door and froze at the sound of his name. He backed against the wall and listened carefully to the conversation.
" Why would he though? Why would he hurt Ayeka?" He heard Sasami's little voice, and noticed that her voice had a bit of sadness in it.
" I don't know. I'm just saying that the evidence points to him. The sword, the cut, and the blood he was covered in." He got the point of the conversation, and it was just as he feared. Apparently, Washu had gotten the idea that he had tied to kill Ayeka.
" You've gone off the deep end Washu! Why would he bring Ayeka back here to heal her if he wanted to kill her?" Ryoko was trying to defend him. He felt the urge to bust in there and kiss her, but he kept his cool.
" I'm just showing evidence…I'm not accusing him. I'm just saying that we should watch him more closely from now on."
Knucks had heard enough and opened the screen door. He walked in as if he had heard nothing at all, " What you guys talking about?"
Tenchi walked over to him and asked, " What happened with Ayeka?"
" We were walking on one of the trails, and she screamed in pain suddenly. I turned fast enough to see something black go through her, and to catch a fist to the face. I kneeled down and tied a blanket around her, to stop the bleeding. My sword appeared out of nowhere and landed in some bloody snow. I threw it in my shirt. I picked up Ayeka and ran back to the house."
Tenchi held his eye contact with him. He was the first to drop his eye and turn to Washu. She stepped up and added, " Then how come the cut in her stomach is the same size as your sword?"
Knucks was dumbfounded by this new information, " I…don't know."
Ryoko now teleported behind Knucks, " Oh please! You guys really believe that he wounded Ayeka, saved her life, and had some type of reason for doing that? You guys are all crazy."
Sasami turned towards the group with tears in her eyes. Knucks looked at her, and felt his heart shatter at the sight. She walked up to him and asked, " You didn't really try and hurt Ayeka did you? Please tell me you didn't."
Knucks felt like crying himself when he heard the pain and sorrow filling the voice of this poor girl. He kneeled down, " Of course I didn't. I would never hurt your sister for any reason."
Sasami smiled at him and put her head on his chest. Knucks looked over her head at everybody else in the room, trying to decide whether he was trusted any more or not. He looked very closely at Washu's eyes, and saw a lot of questions. It seems that answers were in short supply everywhere, " You guys can think whatever you want to think about me, but I didn't hurt Ayeka. In fact, I think it was Kagato. Who else would have a reason for doing this?"
' Typical. Why would he blame Kagato right off the bat?' Washu thought to herself, but loud enough for Ryoko to hear it in her own head.
' I cannot believe how crazy you have gotten in a few days! He's right, Kagato must be behind this. Use that big head of yours Washu!'
Tenchi had enough of the silence outside of the two ladies head's, " The only thing we can do right now is go about our lives until Ayeka gets better. I think that Knucks is right, Kagato might've played a hand in this, so just be on your guard."
Knucks nodded his head as everybody made their way to the living room. He turned around as he heard Sasami address him, " Will you help me wash the dishes?"
He smiled, " Sure. Bring'em on."
She smiled back at him and handed him a white robe. She started running the water as he tied the strings around his waist. Knucks got the soap from under the sink and squeezed it into the warm water. She walked over and opened the backdoor, " It's to hot in here. Do you mind?"
" Not at all-." Knucks noticed the winds change suddenly outside, and didn't realize what had happened till it was too late. Sasami screamed for a short period and fell to her knees. Knucks grabbed a dirty butchers knife and threw it right above Sasami's head. A man groaned in pain and threw a sword back at him. He caught the sword and noticed the presence of someone was gone. He rushed to Sasami's side and turned her right side up. He recognized the same wound, in the same place, and probably by the same person as Ayeka.
Tenchi and Washu came bursting through the kitchen door to the scene of him holding a bleeding little girl. They both rushed to aid her as Knucks felt the looming presence once more. He jogged through the backdoor, and just as quickly as the sickening feeling had come to him, it left without a trace.
Washu instructed Tenchi to rush Sasami to her lab, but she didn't leave without giving Knucks the coldest look he had ever seen. Her laptop appeared and disappeared with Washu seconds later, leaving Knucks to think. He wondered what Kagato's motivation was for doing these heinous acts. They weren't intimidating him, they weren't going to make him lose control, and they certainly weren't gonna stop him from fighting him.
Knucks walked towards the bathroom to wash another layer of blood off himself. He splashed cold water on his face, and heard a door slam downstairs. He dried his face and tried to listen through the door, with no success. He silently opened the screen and walked slowly towards the balcony. He listened to their quiet conversation, scooting as close to the edge of the wall as he could. Washu raised her voice suddenly, calling for him.
Knucks pulled away from the wall and started the long walk down the stairs. Washu still looked at him as if he had actually hurt the girls. He didn't even think insanity would bring him to that, " What?"
A laptop appeared in front of Washu and, with the tap of a key, all of his things appeared on the ground in front of him, " Two attacks, two hurt women, but only one suspect around, you." Tenchi now emerged from Washu's lab, " All evidence points to you, so we have to ask you to leave. You're lucky we don't have Mihoshi arrest you."
Knucks stared at Washu with empty eyes, while questions resurfaced in his mind. He didn't want to leave for something he didn't do. He thought of defending himself, but he glanced around the room, and noticed that nobody was even looking in his direction. They were all turned away, actively trying to ignore him if he asked for help. Even Ryoko hovered above the wooden beams near the roof without so much as a glance.
Knucks now knew that his welcome had officially worn out. He kneeled down and put his things over his shoulder. He hesitated when he saw his sword, but shoved it in his satchel non-than less. He started the walk to the door, and noticed that everyone now took an interest in him. All eyes were on him, wondering why he was leaving without a hitch if he was innocent.
Knucks knew he needed to say something, but could only draw a blank. He decided to try and clear his name even if he wouldn't be around to enjoy it, " If you guys fight Kagato, ask him where the cut in his gut came from."
He thought that they would forget all about his request, but he had to try to clear his name. Who knows, maybe one day their paths would cross again.
-------------------------------------
Kagato threw the filthy knife across the bridge of his ship in anger. He had been to hasty in hurting Sasami and had paid for it. He bled for only a few more seconds as his new healing elixir took hold of the wound. He glanced to his computer to see how his plan was working out, and smiled widely. His sensors now told him that Knucks had left the home. He switched to the camera assigned to Knucks and laughed loudly as it showed Knucks walking off with all of his possessions. Phase one of his new plan was done, but that was the easy part. He still had to get Ryoko in his machine's range, subdue at least a few of the intruders, and overcome Tenchi's power. He had another bottle of champagne waiting for him when he won.
Kagato grew quiet and listened. He was both shocked and very happy at the absence of his inner voice. He had done things right this time, and not even that damn voice could interject. He not took a lazy seat in his chair and thought of victory again. He rubbed his hand near the wound he acquired from Knucks, and was surprised to find that it wasn't completely healed yet. He lifted his black shirt to find something he had never seen on himself before, a scar.
Kagato was outraged by this. He never, ever, thought that a weakling like Knucks could scar him. He calmed himself with the thought that Knucks had to give him something to remember him by.
Another idea crossed his mind that seemed like another good one. The first thing he would do with the new power that would bestow him was hunt down Knucks and send him to his family. Yes, the family reunion would commence after he took care of the other pests.
A loud beeping sound awoke him from his daydream, and the screen showed Ryo-oki flying right towards him. They seemed very eager to kill him, and try they would. He tapped his finger next to the button that would end their little escapade now, but he moved his other hand to the hanger door controls and tap that one instead. It wouldn't be any fun to kill them now. He wanted fun and death in one package, and nothing was going to stop him.
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Knucks threw his possessions to the side to face this thief. He had walked into town and almost been robbed by this guy. The obviously half drunk guy had challenged him to a duel, and he had accepted immediately. The guy now jogged unsteadily towards him and swung half a sword at his head. He caught the weak weapon with his sword and kicked him, softly, in the midsection. Apparently, he had kicked him harder than he thought. The thief slumped against the metal pole he had dented and looked unconscious.
' Serves him right.' Knucks thought to himself as he scooped his things up and walked towards the bar. He didn't want to go back to drinking, but desperate times called for beer.
His mind was still wrapped with questions, but now those questions were joined by images. All of his friends, turned away from him in accusation, but Ryoko was the only one that really left a mark on his heart. He hadn't expected Tenchi and Ryoko to turn their backs on him so easily. Those were the two that knew him well, but not well enough, it seemed.
He was practically alone on the mid-night streets of Okiyama. The moon was nowhere to be seen, hiding behind its blanket of clouds to pop out and surprise you with its crescent shape when the time was right. The very cool night air turned his breath to steam, yet he still didn't mind the cold. He guessed it at ten degrees outside, and was proved wrong by a thermometer on the front door of his destination. It was in fact twenty degrees, and of course, when he needed to drink the most, the bar was closed. He looked into the windows and saw a sign next to his head that said, " Closed for health reasons."
The irony of this world was astonishing. He took a seat on a bench in front of the empty bar and thought of what to do next. His life was at a dead end, and he was clueless on what to do about it. He could leave the planet and start another life somewhere else. Knucks knew that was the last thing he wanted to do, and the first was go back to his friends. He actually wasn't to sure if they considered him a friend anymore or not-.
Knucks looked towards the oncoming footsteps, and saw Ryoko wearing a neutral expression walking right towards him. His heart gave a jump when he saw her, but he kept his face straight. She smiled at him as she moved his stuff to the ground so she could sit next to him. She looked around before addressing him, " Is this where we were gonna go for our date?"
Knucks smiled, " Something like that. I was gonna feed ya first though."
Ryoko now looked at him, " Listen, I don't know if you did hurt them or not, but we're going to fight Kagato soon, and I want you to stick around," she moved closer to him on the bench and put her hand on his leg, " I want you to tell me the truth, did you hurt them?"
Knucks turned his eyes to hers. She maintained her neutral expression as he looked over her beautiful face. His eyes wandered to her hand on his leg, and he brought it up to his chest, " You feel that? That's a heart, and anyone with one would never hurt two of their own friends. I never hurt them, and never will."
Ryoko closed her eyes and sighed slowly. She opened them again and found herself believing him. She heard her mother call for her inside her head and knew that she didn't have a lot of time to talk to him, " I believe you. Please stay around. I'll find a way to convince them that you're innocent."
Knucks was touched by her concern, " Thanks, but all you have to do is ask Kagato the question. That will reveal him."
She quickly remembered the question he was talking about, " You sure?"
" Trust me, it's enough."
She now took his hand, " I better go before I'm missed. We're gonna attack him tonight. Wish us luck. Stick around and you might be able to come back to the house, and me."
Knucks had never heard a more enticing offer, " You got it. Just be careful around Kagato okay?"
" You got it."
They locked eyes and decided that a good-bye kiss was in order. They leaned in and sent electricity down each others spines with their lips connecting like conductors. Washu yelled at Ryoko through their connection again and forced Ryoko to break their lip lock.
" Washu is annoying. See ya later I guess."
Knucks just now opened his eyes from their kiss, " Can't wait."
She smiled at him and teleported back to the house, leaving Knucks, once again, alone on the street. He got up from the bench and gathered his items for another walk. He walked along the road for a few steps when he felt a strong gust of wind. He looked up in time to see Ryo-oki fly through the clouds to face Kagato. He suddenly got a bad feeling and knew they would need help. He needed to get up there, but didn't have time to go through the planetary checkpoint. He couldn't think of what to do.
A bright light rained upon him from the clouds, and restricted him form moving. He was trapped in this blinding light, wondering if he was going to die. The area around him was all white light now. He was standing in the middle of a very white, and blindingly bright, desert of emptiness. He looked around for some kind of land mark or something, and saw an outline of something. He ran towards it, but felt himself grow heavy, very heavy. He couldn't move under his weights and the new pressure. The light itself seemed to cause this pressure, and seemed to invade his body. The light over took him and removed him from consciousness.
He walked over to his tank top and threw it over his shoulder. He found that he enjoyed the cold; it made him feel more powerful than heat. He figured there was a reason for this, and barely gave it any thought. He sat back down on his bed and thought about Ryoko, and their date tonight. He was pretty nervous about it, and he didn't know what she expected of him. He might condemn his chances with her by screwing up once tonight. He didn't want that to happen, so he went over where he would take her tonight in his head. He figured that the best place to take her first would be dinner. He only knew bars in Okiyama, so he would have to go into town today to look around. Next, he would have to think of something fun for them to do together. Maybe a game room, or perhaps the museum. He hit himself in the head when he thought of Ryoko, or himself for that matter, being interested in going to the freaking museum. He figured that they would probably end up drinking Sake at a bar somewhere. He wasn't exactly against that since he hadn't had a drink in a week.
He heard a knock at his door and slipped into his tank top. He opened the screen, and stood in front of Ryoko. She wore an unusually big smile and held a bottle of something in her hand, " Morning! Can I come in?"
Knucks smiled at her and moved out of the doorway, " What do I owe this pleasure?"
She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head against his chest. Knucks embraced her and closed his eyes to get the full effect of her bodily warmth. She looked up at him and answered, " Like you didn't want to see me. I came up to get us ready for tonight. You want a drink?"
She held up the bottle she had been holding and shoved it towards him. He was tempted to take the bottle, but he restrained himself and moved her hand aside, " How bout we save that till a decent hour in the day? Besides, I have things to do today and they are very hard when I'm drunk."
Ryoko smiled and put the bottle on the ground. She still wanted to have a drink, but the longing for it dissipated without him. She hadn't even been drunk for two nights now, " Fair enough. You ready for tonight?"
Knucks smiled, " Of course I am. I can't wait."
Ryoko looked into his eyes and saw nothing but happiness. She felt happy just looking at them, " Good. Me too."
They took each other's hand and danced around the room a little bit. Knucks heard sizzling from the kitchen below and he knew little Sasami would be coming to get them sooner or later, " We should go downstairs before Sasami gets us."
Ryoko put on a playful frown and responded, " Alright….I get it. You don't want to hang out with me anymore. Fine, go ahead."
Her voice dripped with sarcasm and her play frown made him smile, " I never said that. I just don't want them to know about us yet. I want you all to my self."
She turned her frown upside down and leaned into his mouth. They had a long, very enjoyable, kiss. They heard footsteps coming down the hallway and froze until they passed. Yet another moment killed by their companions, " Well, so much for that."
Ryoko smiled and remained close to him. She had another flavor on her breath this morning, a sort of strawberry. He tasted his lips and noticed the same taste now on his tongue. She seemed to have something new for him everyday, " I'm gonna go down stairs and talk to Tenchi real quick."
" Alright, I'll be down in a few. Don't forget about tonight." She smiled as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
" How could I?"
---
Knucks stood on the front porch, admiring the beauty of the snow. He looked around at the snow, both falling and already on the ground. Sasami ran by him with Ryo-oki close behind. They seemed to be in the middle of a snowball fight. He smiled as he taunted Sasami to hit him with one. She rolled one up nice and tight and launched it at him, but Knucks ducked. The ball went through the open screen, over the diner table, and straight into the face of Ayeka as she was walking into the living room. Knucks stepped into the room quickly and closed the screen door behind him. Ayeka wiped the snow off her face, revealing a very, very angry face. Knucks smiled innocently at her and thought that it was better to take the blame then rat out Sasami, " I didn't mean it Ayeka. I was just throwing snow around with Sasami and one slipped away from me."
She walked a few angry steps towards him before raising her voice, " Well, I hope you get very sick for being outside with such little clothing on! You should be ashamed for hitting me with snow! I could get sick myself now-"
" Could you scream just a little louder princess?!"
Ryoko yelled in the princess's ear as she started to phase through the wooden walkway over her head, " I could only hear you from Okiyama! A little louder and they might hear you in Tokyo!"
Knucks smiled as he walked into the kitchen. They were back at each other's throats, and not a moment to soon. Tenchi jogged past the two feuding ladies, and stumbled into the kitchen. Knucks saw him and smiled, " Got through them without a scratch."
Tenchi smiled, " Yeah, on a lucky day."
Knucks took another drink of milk and handed Tenchi a glass to fill with juice, " I think we're on our own for breakfast today. Sasami is having a blast in the snow." He pointed towards the backdoor, and Sasami, who was now trying to bury Ryo-oki again, " I doubt Ryo-oki likes it, but Sasami is having a blast."
Tenchi smiled and walked over to the oven, " I know." He pointed down to a pot of soup on the oven, already simmering, "By the way, for some reason, Grandpa said that we wouldn't train today. I guess he wants us to reflect on yesterday or something."
Knucks also saw this as an unusual move for Grandpa, " Weird. I'm not complaining if he want to give us a day off though."
" Amen."
Knucks nodded towards Tenchi and walked into the living room. He ducked under Ryoko's left hook and sat down on the couch. He figured that with the day free, he would go to town early and get back at a reasonable time, and never be missed. He might have to settle for the first fancy restaurant he saw, if he hoped to make the date. He didn't want to rush his restaurant decision, but he didn't have much of a choice. He would have to leave in a few minutes to find the trail to town and start his trek early.
A loud clang knocked him from his thinking, as did the moans of pain from Ryoko and Ayeka. Sasami had come in from playing and stopped their fighting with one swift swing of a frying pan. Ayeka stumbled back and Ryoko rubbed the back of her head as they listened to Sasami preach. Both of the girls sat on either side of Knucks on the couch. He thought he heard Sasami put them in time out, or she could've just threatened their dinners.
Knucks got up and walked up the stairs to his room. He prepared himself for the journey to Okiyama. He thought about bringing his sword with him, but he didn't want him to seem threatening while there. He threw his sword on the bed and left his room. He walked down to practically the same scene as when he had left. Both of the girls were fuming on the couch while Sasami started helping Tenchi with breakfast. He wanted to make a quiet escape, but was caught by Ayeka, " Where are you going?"
He turned around to face her, " Out for a walk."
She grabbed a near by blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders, " Do you mind if I join you for a bit?"
Knucks figured that he could kill two birds with one walk. He could finally get on Ayeka's good side, and be halfway to Okiyama before she turned back, " Sounds like fun. Let's go."
Ryoko phased in front of them and held her arms up, " Hold on a minute little missy! What do you think you're doing!? Hmmmmmmmm?"
Ayeka smiled, " I'm going to get to know this young man. You are not invited, nor wanted around. Stay here and drink, or whatever you do when you're bored."
Ryoko backed up a little and put her hand in a pile of snow, " Alright then. When I get bored…..I bug you."
She lifted her hand and threw snow in Ayeka's face. Knucks backed up a little and watched Ayeka react. She took the remaining snow off her face, and threw it at Ryoko's. This continued until the snow in their hands had melted. Knucks however, had taken this opportunity to start walking towards the wooden bridge. Ayeka quickly caught on and jogged after him. Ryoko launched one more snowball her way, but she accidentally hit Grandpa as he was walking by. Knucks knew that Ryoko was in trouble, and would probably be grounded by little Sasami. Knucks laughed out loud.
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It was finally ready. Kagato now sat on his organ bench, looking out onto his creation. The machine itself wasn't much to look at, but if it got the job done, it would be his best invention yet. He had created a machine to control Ryoko, since his last battle with Tenchi some how cut his link and control over her. He didn't feel secure placing his fate in the hands of this machine, but he had made it for a reason, and that reason was entwined with his own. He would use this controller to take Ryoko's mind, and she would take the lives of her friends. Then, the power of the gods would be his to wield as he saw fit. A glorious day indeed-.
' Not good enough.'
The nagging voice returned. He would've gone insane because of it, but it helped him achieve greatness before. He tried to listen to it, but found the statements it made were a blow to his pride.
' Get over it. You think they will fall right into your trap? They will subdue Ryoko and then come to do the same to you. One of the warriors must never set foot in this ship if you hope to survive.'
Kagato thought about his failure to make a foolproof plan. He was losing his mind for this job. He needed to think of a way to keep either Knucks or Tenchi from fighting. Injury would be pointless, they would never stay behind willingly, and taking one as hostage had a bigger risk factor than fighting both head on. Just then, something slapped him on the brain, an idea. What if an event lead to one of them being banished from the Masaki household?
This question stirred in his brain as he thought of whom to target and when. The bench he was sitting upon gave a loud scraping noise of metal on metal, and Kagato noticed the, now noiseless, room he was in. He turned towards the large organ built into the wall and prepared his fingers to play his thinking music. He always turned to his passion for music as a comforting shield from his troubles. He always seemed to find the answer when music filled his head. He began playing and thinking. The answers would come to him in due time, but he was wondering if they would come in time to save his life.
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Ayeka and Knucks walked along in the falling snow. Knucks had put them on the trail to town so he could still travel there while getting to know Ayeka. He looked over at her, and smiled at the sight of her clutching a blanket with three other layers of clothes on. He glanced at his own attire, his tank top and sweat pants, and shrugged off why she was cold, " Little cold princess?"
Ayeka looked at him, and responded through chattering teeth, " Yes I am! Little crazy for wearing nothing more than a tank top?!"
Knucks smiled at her and extended his hand to catch a snowflake. He let it melt before responding, " I only dress one way."
" It's the crazy way. You're going to catch pneumonia!"
He smiled as they walked further along the trail in silence. Knucks' mind drifted from Ayeka, to the beautiful, white, covering that surrounded them. He looked at the snow that covered the trees, and barely noticed his shoulders being covered with the same substance. Despite the weather, he felt a warmth inside when he thought of the fun he used to have in the snow when he was a child. Snowball fights with his friends, building snowmen with his sister, and even ice-skating on the lake by his hometown.
Knucks shifted his attention back to Ayeka as she spoke, " It's a shame that we never got a chance to talk before today. For once, Ryoko was right. You're not as barbaric as I thought."
Knucks grinned, " I bet you say that to all the guys," He saw her smile and continued, " What else has Ryoko said about me?"
She looked at him, " Well, she told me that you were funny, and interesting, and a few things about your past."
Knucks thought of the last time he and Ryoko had talk about his past. The On-sen scene flashed through his mind, as did the warm feeling-.
Ayeka squealed suddenly and brought Knucks back to reality. Knucks saw a black blur go through Ayeka's mid-section, and felt a fist connect solidly with his cheek. He stumbled away and swung his head around to see who had delivered the blow. All he saw was Ayeka, slumping to the ground, a red blood spot beneath her growing. He quickly tied the blanket she had around the wound. Washu needed to see her, fast, but he took one more look around them to see if the attacker was still around. He knelt down again and heard something hit the ground to his left. He swiveled his head in that direction, only to see his new sword, covered in the red snow of Ayeka. He knew that he left his sword on his bed when he left the house, so, how did it get out here? He put his thoughts aside and swooped up the sword and shoved it in his tank top. He carefully lifted Ayeka and started back to the house. His questions would have to wait as he now began to run back to Washu.
---------------------------------------------------
Ryoko sat on the couch and poured herself another saucer of sake, and drank it as fast as she poured it. She didn't like the idea of Ayeka getting to know Knucks. She was a sly one, and Ryoko hadn't completely gotten Knucks yet. She just wished that Ayeka didn't want to get competitive with him like they had with Tenchi.
The screen door slid open suddenly, revealing Knucks holding Ayeka in his arms. Before she had time to ask any questions, he was opening Washu's door with his foot and bolting through it. She stood from the couch and quickly closed the screen door. She wondered what the hell that was about, but got a bad feeling when he saw a few drops of blood on the carpet. She phased her way into Washu's lab and prepared for the worst.
---
Knucks set Ayeka down on a gurney and backed up to allow Washu to work. He was a little out of breathe and covered in Ayeka's blood, but he needed to know if she was all right. Washu had everything from a stethoscope to something with drills and saws attached to it on a very large table she rolled next to the gurney Ayeka occupied. Washu unraveled the blanket and inspected the wound carefully. He passed her whatever she needed and asked her what she was doing. Washu asked him to carry Ayeka to a machine in the corner and lay her inside. He did so and noticed the machine looked like a very big oven. Washu closed the lid to the machine and started it up. He heard Ryoko land on the ground behind him and turned to acknowledge her.
Washu now faced him, " What happened to her? This is a serious injury."
" I know. I don't know what happened. We were walking and she shouted in pain, and someone punched me. Then," He pulled his sword out of his shirt, " my freakin sword appeared out of nowhere."
Washu looked at his sword and took it form his hand. She noticed blood on the blade, " Where did this come from?"
He looked a little closer at the sword and also noticed the blood again, " It probably came from the bloody snow it landed on."
She set the weapon on the table and walked back over to her machine. Knucks had a question in his mind, " Why can't you just heal her like you did me?"
" Because Ayeka isn't as strong as you are. If I used the same stuff on her, she would probably melt or disenigrate. See, you have to have a bit of power to protect you from my healing solution. Your power fights off some of the enzymes in the mixture, but it confuses some of them for white blood cells and allows my bacteria to attach to the wound and start healing. Ryoko, Tenchi, you and maybe Grandpa are the only ones I could use it on."
" Just be glad that she didn't give you the scientific explanation." Ryoko walked up next to Knucks, " Did ya see anyone?"
Knucks shook his head, " No, but I didn't have a lot of time to look. I did see something flash through her though, it was black, but it was only there for a flash."
Washu suddenly stopped typing and turned around. She said nothing, but looked hard at her daughter. Ryoko nodded and grabbed Knucks' hand, and before he could protest, they were standing in the living room, " She says her lab is off limits again."
" Does she do this a lot or is it just when I'm around?"
Ryoko smiled and put her hand on his hip, " Just you I think."
" I'm flattered. I'm gonna go take a shower and stuff."
She teleported him to the balcony in the room, " Yeah, blood isn't the best thing to be covered in. I'll tell everybody what happened."
Knucks kissed her cheek, " Alright. I'll be down when I'm done. He walked into his room to get a new shirt, and noticed his sword case lying empty on his bed. This brought on a wave of questions that needed answering. He decided to give them serious thought when he got out of the shower. He walked out of his room with a head full of questions and no answers to quell them.
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Knucks wiped the steam off of the mirror and looked himself in the eye. He had no more blood on his skin, but he still thought about the scene from wince the blood came into play. He had replayed the image of Ayeka falling in his head, seemingly a million times, but he hadn't noticed anything new. He had boiled his thinking down to finding out what had gone through her. He tried to slow down the image of it happening, but he only saw a black blur go through her, nothing more.
He leaned his head against the mirror and closed his eyes. He let his mind wander a bit, from his dreams of late, to the date he wasn't prepared for tonight. For some reason, he couldn't get the image of the monster in his dream out of his head. He studied the monster closer, and saw a red outline that encased a pitch-black sword.
Knucks' eyes snapped open at the realization. He should've known from the beginning that Kagato was behind this. Every missing piece now fell into place at the thought of him. His sword appearing with blood covering it, walking in the house with blood covering him, and showing the bloody weapon to Washu. Kagato had read him like a book.
He quickly dressed and took the stairs two at a time. The living room was void of people, but he could hear voices from the kitchen. He walked to the screen door and froze at the sound of his name. He backed against the wall and listened carefully to the conversation.
" Why would he though? Why would he hurt Ayeka?" He heard Sasami's little voice, and noticed that her voice had a bit of sadness in it.
" I don't know. I'm just saying that the evidence points to him. The sword, the cut, and the blood he was covered in." He got the point of the conversation, and it was just as he feared. Apparently, Washu had gotten the idea that he had tied to kill Ayeka.
" You've gone off the deep end Washu! Why would he bring Ayeka back here to heal her if he wanted to kill her?" Ryoko was trying to defend him. He felt the urge to bust in there and kiss her, but he kept his cool.
" I'm just showing evidence…I'm not accusing him. I'm just saying that we should watch him more closely from now on."
Knucks had heard enough and opened the screen door. He walked in as if he had heard nothing at all, " What you guys talking about?"
Tenchi walked over to him and asked, " What happened with Ayeka?"
" We were walking on one of the trails, and she screamed in pain suddenly. I turned fast enough to see something black go through her, and to catch a fist to the face. I kneeled down and tied a blanket around her, to stop the bleeding. My sword appeared out of nowhere and landed in some bloody snow. I threw it in my shirt. I picked up Ayeka and ran back to the house."
Tenchi held his eye contact with him. He was the first to drop his eye and turn to Washu. She stepped up and added, " Then how come the cut in her stomach is the same size as your sword?"
Knucks was dumbfounded by this new information, " I…don't know."
Ryoko now teleported behind Knucks, " Oh please! You guys really believe that he wounded Ayeka, saved her life, and had some type of reason for doing that? You guys are all crazy."
Sasami turned towards the group with tears in her eyes. Knucks looked at her, and felt his heart shatter at the sight. She walked up to him and asked, " You didn't really try and hurt Ayeka did you? Please tell me you didn't."
Knucks felt like crying himself when he heard the pain and sorrow filling the voice of this poor girl. He kneeled down, " Of course I didn't. I would never hurt your sister for any reason."
Sasami smiled at him and put her head on his chest. Knucks looked over her head at everybody else in the room, trying to decide whether he was trusted any more or not. He looked very closely at Washu's eyes, and saw a lot of questions. It seems that answers were in short supply everywhere, " You guys can think whatever you want to think about me, but I didn't hurt Ayeka. In fact, I think it was Kagato. Who else would have a reason for doing this?"
' Typical. Why would he blame Kagato right off the bat?' Washu thought to herself, but loud enough for Ryoko to hear it in her own head.
' I cannot believe how crazy you have gotten in a few days! He's right, Kagato must be behind this. Use that big head of yours Washu!'
Tenchi had enough of the silence outside of the two ladies head's, " The only thing we can do right now is go about our lives until Ayeka gets better. I think that Knucks is right, Kagato might've played a hand in this, so just be on your guard."
Knucks nodded his head as everybody made their way to the living room. He turned around as he heard Sasami address him, " Will you help me wash the dishes?"
He smiled, " Sure. Bring'em on."
She smiled back at him and handed him a white robe. She started running the water as he tied the strings around his waist. Knucks got the soap from under the sink and squeezed it into the warm water. She walked over and opened the backdoor, " It's to hot in here. Do you mind?"
" Not at all-." Knucks noticed the winds change suddenly outside, and didn't realize what had happened till it was too late. Sasami screamed for a short period and fell to her knees. Knucks grabbed a dirty butchers knife and threw it right above Sasami's head. A man groaned in pain and threw a sword back at him. He caught the sword and noticed the presence of someone was gone. He rushed to Sasami's side and turned her right side up. He recognized the same wound, in the same place, and probably by the same person as Ayeka.
Tenchi and Washu came bursting through the kitchen door to the scene of him holding a bleeding little girl. They both rushed to aid her as Knucks felt the looming presence once more. He jogged through the backdoor, and just as quickly as the sickening feeling had come to him, it left without a trace.
Washu instructed Tenchi to rush Sasami to her lab, but she didn't leave without giving Knucks the coldest look he had ever seen. Her laptop appeared and disappeared with Washu seconds later, leaving Knucks to think. He wondered what Kagato's motivation was for doing these heinous acts. They weren't intimidating him, they weren't going to make him lose control, and they certainly weren't gonna stop him from fighting him.
Knucks walked towards the bathroom to wash another layer of blood off himself. He splashed cold water on his face, and heard a door slam downstairs. He dried his face and tried to listen through the door, with no success. He silently opened the screen and walked slowly towards the balcony. He listened to their quiet conversation, scooting as close to the edge of the wall as he could. Washu raised her voice suddenly, calling for him.
Knucks pulled away from the wall and started the long walk down the stairs. Washu still looked at him as if he had actually hurt the girls. He didn't even think insanity would bring him to that, " What?"
A laptop appeared in front of Washu and, with the tap of a key, all of his things appeared on the ground in front of him, " Two attacks, two hurt women, but only one suspect around, you." Tenchi now emerged from Washu's lab, " All evidence points to you, so we have to ask you to leave. You're lucky we don't have Mihoshi arrest you."
Knucks stared at Washu with empty eyes, while questions resurfaced in his mind. He didn't want to leave for something he didn't do. He thought of defending himself, but he glanced around the room, and noticed that nobody was even looking in his direction. They were all turned away, actively trying to ignore him if he asked for help. Even Ryoko hovered above the wooden beams near the roof without so much as a glance.
Knucks now knew that his welcome had officially worn out. He kneeled down and put his things over his shoulder. He hesitated when he saw his sword, but shoved it in his satchel non-than less. He started the walk to the door, and noticed that everyone now took an interest in him. All eyes were on him, wondering why he was leaving without a hitch if he was innocent.
Knucks knew he needed to say something, but could only draw a blank. He decided to try and clear his name even if he wouldn't be around to enjoy it, " If you guys fight Kagato, ask him where the cut in his gut came from."
He thought that they would forget all about his request, but he had to try to clear his name. Who knows, maybe one day their paths would cross again.
-------------------------------------
Kagato threw the filthy knife across the bridge of his ship in anger. He had been to hasty in hurting Sasami and had paid for it. He bled for only a few more seconds as his new healing elixir took hold of the wound. He glanced to his computer to see how his plan was working out, and smiled widely. His sensors now told him that Knucks had left the home. He switched to the camera assigned to Knucks and laughed loudly as it showed Knucks walking off with all of his possessions. Phase one of his new plan was done, but that was the easy part. He still had to get Ryoko in his machine's range, subdue at least a few of the intruders, and overcome Tenchi's power. He had another bottle of champagne waiting for him when he won.
Kagato grew quiet and listened. He was both shocked and very happy at the absence of his inner voice. He had done things right this time, and not even that damn voice could interject. He not took a lazy seat in his chair and thought of victory again. He rubbed his hand near the wound he acquired from Knucks, and was surprised to find that it wasn't completely healed yet. He lifted his black shirt to find something he had never seen on himself before, a scar.
Kagato was outraged by this. He never, ever, thought that a weakling like Knucks could scar him. He calmed himself with the thought that Knucks had to give him something to remember him by.
Another idea crossed his mind that seemed like another good one. The first thing he would do with the new power that would bestow him was hunt down Knucks and send him to his family. Yes, the family reunion would commence after he took care of the other pests.
A loud beeping sound awoke him from his daydream, and the screen showed Ryo-oki flying right towards him. They seemed very eager to kill him, and try they would. He tapped his finger next to the button that would end their little escapade now, but he moved his other hand to the hanger door controls and tap that one instead. It wouldn't be any fun to kill them now. He wanted fun and death in one package, and nothing was going to stop him.
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Knucks threw his possessions to the side to face this thief. He had walked into town and almost been robbed by this guy. The obviously half drunk guy had challenged him to a duel, and he had accepted immediately. The guy now jogged unsteadily towards him and swung half a sword at his head. He caught the weak weapon with his sword and kicked him, softly, in the midsection. Apparently, he had kicked him harder than he thought. The thief slumped against the metal pole he had dented and looked unconscious.
' Serves him right.' Knucks thought to himself as he scooped his things up and walked towards the bar. He didn't want to go back to drinking, but desperate times called for beer.
His mind was still wrapped with questions, but now those questions were joined by images. All of his friends, turned away from him in accusation, but Ryoko was the only one that really left a mark on his heart. He hadn't expected Tenchi and Ryoko to turn their backs on him so easily. Those were the two that knew him well, but not well enough, it seemed.
He was practically alone on the mid-night streets of Okiyama. The moon was nowhere to be seen, hiding behind its blanket of clouds to pop out and surprise you with its crescent shape when the time was right. The very cool night air turned his breath to steam, yet he still didn't mind the cold. He guessed it at ten degrees outside, and was proved wrong by a thermometer on the front door of his destination. It was in fact twenty degrees, and of course, when he needed to drink the most, the bar was closed. He looked into the windows and saw a sign next to his head that said, " Closed for health reasons."
The irony of this world was astonishing. He took a seat on a bench in front of the empty bar and thought of what to do next. His life was at a dead end, and he was clueless on what to do about it. He could leave the planet and start another life somewhere else. Knucks knew that was the last thing he wanted to do, and the first was go back to his friends. He actually wasn't to sure if they considered him a friend anymore or not-.
Knucks looked towards the oncoming footsteps, and saw Ryoko wearing a neutral expression walking right towards him. His heart gave a jump when he saw her, but he kept his face straight. She smiled at him as she moved his stuff to the ground so she could sit next to him. She looked around before addressing him, " Is this where we were gonna go for our date?"
Knucks smiled, " Something like that. I was gonna feed ya first though."
Ryoko now looked at him, " Listen, I don't know if you did hurt them or not, but we're going to fight Kagato soon, and I want you to stick around," she moved closer to him on the bench and put her hand on his leg, " I want you to tell me the truth, did you hurt them?"
Knucks turned his eyes to hers. She maintained her neutral expression as he looked over her beautiful face. His eyes wandered to her hand on his leg, and he brought it up to his chest, " You feel that? That's a heart, and anyone with one would never hurt two of their own friends. I never hurt them, and never will."
Ryoko closed her eyes and sighed slowly. She opened them again and found herself believing him. She heard her mother call for her inside her head and knew that she didn't have a lot of time to talk to him, " I believe you. Please stay around. I'll find a way to convince them that you're innocent."
Knucks was touched by her concern, " Thanks, but all you have to do is ask Kagato the question. That will reveal him."
She quickly remembered the question he was talking about, " You sure?"
" Trust me, it's enough."
She now took his hand, " I better go before I'm missed. We're gonna attack him tonight. Wish us luck. Stick around and you might be able to come back to the house, and me."
Knucks had never heard a more enticing offer, " You got it. Just be careful around Kagato okay?"
" You got it."
They locked eyes and decided that a good-bye kiss was in order. They leaned in and sent electricity down each others spines with their lips connecting like conductors. Washu yelled at Ryoko through their connection again and forced Ryoko to break their lip lock.
" Washu is annoying. See ya later I guess."
Knucks just now opened his eyes from their kiss, " Can't wait."
She smiled at him and teleported back to the house, leaving Knucks, once again, alone on the street. He got up from the bench and gathered his items for another walk. He walked along the road for a few steps when he felt a strong gust of wind. He looked up in time to see Ryo-oki fly through the clouds to face Kagato. He suddenly got a bad feeling and knew they would need help. He needed to get up there, but didn't have time to go through the planetary checkpoint. He couldn't think of what to do.
A bright light rained upon him from the clouds, and restricted him form moving. He was trapped in this blinding light, wondering if he was going to die. The area around him was all white light now. He was standing in the middle of a very white, and blindingly bright, desert of emptiness. He looked around for some kind of land mark or something, and saw an outline of something. He ran towards it, but felt himself grow heavy, very heavy. He couldn't move under his weights and the new pressure. The light itself seemed to cause this pressure, and seemed to invade his body. The light over took him and removed him from consciousness.