A finger touched his forehead, and Knucks' head snapped up and eyes opened. He flexed his arms and legs to make sure they were still there, but felt no ground. He then became aware of his surroundings, light. He was hovering in the air, or the light, only able to move his limbs and head while his body seemed completely anchored in place. All he could see was light, but he felt a presence directly in front of him. The light dimmed slightly, seemingly in the same moment that he realized the presence, just enough for him to see a ground and roof to the monstrous room. A mysterious force lowered him to the ground and allowed him to look around. He couldn't see much through the light, and nothing more than the person controlling the light wanted him to. He turned towards the front again, and saw that the presence now had a beautiful face to go with it. A tall, serious looking woman, with deep blue eyes and the same color of hair, now stood in front of him. She had an enormous amount of power, but she looked very gentle, and had a striking resemblance to Sasami, " Who are you?"
The mystery woman took another step forward, " I am someone who wants to help your cause. My name is Tsunami, and welcome to my ship."
The lights dimmed further, and Knucks saw the extraordinary chamber in its entirety. The roof he thought he had seen before was now just a shadow hidden by more shadow. He stepped forward, and felt the ground drop away. He quickly pulled his foot back up, and felt cold water on his lower leg. He looked at the place where the ground was non-existent, only to see a small, rushing river that connected to many others. He studied the ground in the room and saw many little rivers flowing past tiny islands of glass platforms. It was as if a giant had broken his giant mirror and threw all the pieces into a raging river. He followed the rivers up to their source, a very large tree with bright white leaves. He guessed this tree as the source of light in the ship, " Nice ship."
" Thank you."
Knucks locked eyes with the elegant woman, " Why did you bring me here?"
" Straight to the point, not like you at all. You usually use humor to calm yourself down, but now you want nothing but answers."
Knucks was a bit taken back by her knowledge of his personality, " I'm in a bit of a rush today. How did you-"?
" You can't hide everything from everybody. I know a lot about you Knucks, or should I say, Charles?"
Knucks blushed immediately at the sound of the name he was born with, " Don't ever call me that again! I haven't been called that since I was born!" He wondered how she had managed to learn of his old name. She obviously knew more about him, but he didn't have time to hear his own life story again, " You've done your research obviously."
Tsunami smiled, " I told you that nothing is hidden forever." She straightened her expression and teleported herself next to the large tree. She extended her hand towards one of the small rivers and scooped up a handful of water, " This water is the life of my ship. It flows through the sacred tree, and through the rest of my ship by way of these rivers. This flow resembles that of which you have inside of your own body. The blood, the heart, and me, the brain."
Knucks hopped from glass panel to glass panel towards the tree of light. He had no idea why Tsunami was telling him this, but she seemed like a woman who always had a purpose. He reached her position and waited for her to say something else.
" Do you believe in destiny?"
She looked at him gently, but questionably, waiting for his answer, " No, I like believing that I make my own decisions in life."
" A good reason for the wrong answer." Tsunami threw the handful of water at Knucks. He attempted to cover his head in defense. The water splashed on his arms, and, simultaneously, the tree brightened, throwing light in every direction.
" Free will is what we all want, but its only purpose is to make you feel in control. Your actual fate was decided the moment you were born. Every decision you make, and every path you take was written in the heavens long before you ever make it"
Knucks tried to find her through squinted eyes in the blinding light, but suddenly, the scenery changed. He was standing on a high cliff, above Tenchi's house. A bright warm sun and beautiful autumn scenery filled his senses, and almost overwhelmed him. He turned and saw Tsunami walking up to stand next to him, " Why are we back down here? We should be up helping them."
" They haven't even reached Kagato's ship yet, and I'm trying to help you. Look." Her finger now pointed at something plummeting towards the Earth. It crashed on the surface, and made the loudest boom Knucks had ever heard. She grabbed his arm and teleported them to the crash site. A smoldering Ryo-oki lay next to an unconscious Ryoko.
Knucks was being held back by Tsunami, " This is how Ryoko came to this planet, by falling out of the sky. She was the start of a chain reaction of ladies falling from the sky, all on Tenchi's doorstep, and all coming to claim Ryoko for their own."
She flicked her hand and sent a ripple through the scenery, and sending them back to the bridge of Tsunami's ship. Knucks held his eyes closed, trying to keep them from the light. The light dimmed again, and Knucks thought he got the point of this conversation, " So, what you're saying is that I came to claim her as well?"
" For different reasons than any other. Ayeka and Mihoshi both came to capture her, Washu was released to help her daughter, and do you know why you chose this planet to start your journey? You came here to meet your destiny in Ryoko and her other friends. You are going to become very close to Ryoko's heart, but the others will care for you as well."
Knucks understood most of her speech now. His destiny was somehow entwined with Ryoko, Tenchi and his family. But, she had said nothing of Sasami yet, " What does Sasami have anything to do with this then?"
She smiled at his ignorance, " You haven't noticed our resemblance yet? She is my carrier. I harbor myself in her body until I am needed. This makes her destiny her own. She is one of the few that actually have free will." She smiled wider at his confused expression, " You aren't as bright as I originally thought."
Knucks snapped out of his confused state with that remark, " I act smart from time to time." He smiled for a few more seconds until he realized the urgency in his mind, " This is very interesting information and all, but I need to be there to help them fight that maniac."
Tsunami looked him in the eye and spoke with the most serious of tones, " You are unprepared for what Kagato can unleash. You will be watching the battle from here. You have a great deal of potential, but are very unprepared for his might."
Another serious blow to his pride, but he wouldn't give up that easy, " I'm not going to sit here and watch them suffer. Just put me on the first ship that comes by here and I'll get to his ship."
Tsunami felt his anger and anxiety rising, " If you are to go, then go when you are ready. Kagato won't kill them until he has Ryoko's power. By then, you might be ready for him, but until then," She waved her arm towards the largest river in the room, " look into the water and see what fate has in store for your friends."
Knucks couldn't believe that he could do nothing to stop Kagato until he was "ready." He knew that he wouldn't be doing anything unless she wanted him to, so he looked into the river and saw an image of Ryo-oki floating in space.
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Ryoko pulled Ryo-oki to a dead halt in the middle of space. She wasn't focused on the stars near her helm, but on the terrible feeling she had in her gut. She would never admit it to anyone, but she was frightened. She had been trying to relate the feeling to something, but she couldn't escape the fact that Kagato scared the crap out of her. She found herself wishing that Knucks was there, but not just for increasing their chances of winning. She felt the strong urge to be held by someone, or she worried that her fear wouldn't go away, and Knucks was the person she wanted for the job.
Ryoko now thought of their chances against the psycho. She had great faith in Tenchi, but with him losing to Knucks yesterday, she wasn't so sure he would win any more. She was trying to keep the possibility of Kagato not fighting fair out of her head, but she knew him better than that. She glanced over and saw Tenchi talking with Washu about something, and that momentary glance at him gave her a worse feeling than before.
Ryoko teleported over to her only two companions on this trip. Her mother walked away to try and get a decent lock on Kagato's ship now that they were in deep space. Tenchi looked at Ryoko, and noticed that her eyes had a more fierce and battle ready look to them than ever before, " You look ready to kill."
Ryoko looked at Tenchi with a blank expression and told him in a flat voice, " We all have our reasons to get back at this guy. Some more than others." She turned away from the surprised Tenchi and walked over to Washu. She glanced at her mother's laptop, but was instantly confused by all of the numbers and formulas that filled the screen.
Washu felt her daughter's presence and mentally asked, 'What's wrong with you now? I've felt you becoming angrier by the second.'
Ryoko closed her mind off so her mother couldn't read it, but still answered her, ' I just have a little more motivation in this fight against him.'
Washu stopped typing for a beat or two but continued after that, 'You really believe he was innocent don't you.'
Ryoko snapped back, ' Yes, and nothing you can say will change my mind. He told me himself that he would never harm them, and the look in his eyes told me the same thing.'
Washu didn't know how to answer that right away and felt a tremor run down her spine. She hated being unprepared for things, even something as little as what to say next. She figured that her daughter was on the edge right now, and pressing the issue wouldn't be a smart move, ' We'll discuss this again later.'
' Whatever.'
Ryo-oki jerked to life as Washu directed her towards Saturn's rings. Ryoko stared at the rocky rings, and saw a very familiar ship. She couldn't believe that Kagato had been able to salvage the Soja after Tenchi blew it up. It looked the same as before, except now he had new paintings on both sides, and not to mention the ten or so new guns that now surrounded his huge space-pulsar rifle.
Ryoko transported to Ryo-oki's controls to prepare for Kagato's attack. Her hands were hovering over the attack controls, waiting for him to make his move, but he didn't fire. They were well within range and out in the open, yet he didn't fire. She wasn't about to let her guard down, especially when dealing with a snake as Kagato.
" He won't fire on us." Ryoko turned to Washu and wondered how long her mother had been crazy, " He wants to take us head on, not kill us in space."
" Believe what you want, but I'm not letting my guard down for a second!"
Washu paid no attention to Ryoko's outburst, but noticed a hatch door opening of one side of Kagato's ship, " See, he's inviting us inside." She pointed to the half way open door.
" Well, then lets not disappoint."
Ryoko flew Ryo-oki into the landing bay, and was surprised that he actually let them into his ship. They stepped off the ship and took in the blank walls and glass floor. Ryoko phased to the top of a low rise that lead to a long hallway, " We can't stay here. Let's get going, but keep your guard up."
Tenchi and Washu ran up a few steps and then after Ryoko towards Kagato.
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Kagato knew that time was now short if he wanted his timing to be perfect. He arose from his terminal and grabbed a small screen. It reminded him of a small television screen, but served an infinitely more useful purpose. He turned the small dial on the back of the screen, and was soon viewing the same feed as his main terminal.
He kept the screen in hand as he teleported to his Organ room, and his little machine. He arrived facing the large organ, standing on the plush, blood red carpet, with the intentions of sealing his enemies fate. Kagato glanced at the screen, and found that they were now just mere footsteps away from his position. He quickly flipped the primary switches, and sighed as the machine thrummed to life. The doors gave a tremble as Ryoko was pounding on them for all she was worth.
Kagato snatched the remote control for the machine and mentally opened the doors. He looked on as Ryoko, Tenchi, and Washu stepped into his domain, " Ahh. Welcome to my lair Space Pirate Ryoko, Scientist Washu, and Prince Tenchi." He looked into each pair of eyes that now glared at him, " You seem a bit shorthanded this time around. What happened to the rest of your merry crew?"
Ryoko was a second away from rushing at him, but his last sentence reminded her of the question. She had to ask this seemingly pointless question for Knucks. She looked at his gut, and did notice blood there. This brought a little smile to her face, " Where did you get that injury?"
Kagato was stunned at this question. He tried to keep a straight face, but chuckled as he decided that it made no sense for him to lie, " This came from your little outcast Knucks. He got me when I hurt the little brat Sasami. He could protect neither Sasami or Ayeka from my power though, but you blamed it on him and cast him from your home."
Tenchi gripped his sword as hard as he could and tried his hardest to restrain himself from rushing Kagato. Washu felt guilt wash over her as she realized she had been the one to cast him out. She shook her head and rid herself of that thought for the time being.
Ryoko felt relieved, as if a little part of her sub-conscious had doubted Knucks' innocence. She felt a sudden gust of wind at her back as Tenchi was tired of talking, " You'll pay for that Kagato!"
" Then let's begin boy!"
Ryoko summoned her sword, but heard a very high-pitched noise in her head. It hurt her very much, and she let everyone in the universe know about it. She couldn't even hear herself scream over the high-pitched squealing. She felt her limbs go weak, and could do nothing to raise them.
Tenchi looked on in horror as Ryoko held her head, and was screaming to no ends. She suddenly stopped screaming, and turned to Tenchi with her eyes closed, " Ryoko, are you alright?"
Her eyes snapped open at the sound of her name. Ryoko stared at Tenchi, but her eyes had turned a deep black that seemed to reflect the emptiness in her soul, and made Tenchi feel very lonely in this fight. He summoned more of his power and tried to think of a way to take her out of the equation without hurting her. He couldn't think of any solutions, but he then saw the machine in the room. He had let his hatred for Kagato blind him from the rest of the room, but he guessed that Kagato was using that device to control Ryoko and saw the solution.
He saw Washu run past his shoulder and fly straight at Kagato, trying to subdue him, but she was knocked away. He mentally cursed Kagato for taking his allies from him. The dread in his gut grew as he saw Ryoko's sword light from her hand, and saw an unmoving Washu.
Tenchi knew what he had to do to get Ryoko back, and sat back to wait for his opening. Ryoko phased, and Tenchi shot forward at the black machine. He drew back his arm and thrust it forward, but he was stopped short of his goal. He saw Kagato blocking his blow, and felt a sharp pain as his body was forced to the ground, " You didn't think it would be that easy did you?"
Tenchi clenched his teeth to quell the pain in his left shoulder. Ryoko was sitting on his back with her sword impaled into the throbbing part of his shoulder. Ryoko withdrew the sword, and was preparing to finish Tenchi off. Tenchi looked over to Washu, seeing her as motionless as before, he knew he had to save his own life.
Tenchi felt his energy surging, just as the last time he had defeated Kagato. His power threw Ryoko from his back and healed his wound. He summoned his sword and stared down Kagato. Kagato had been having nightmares that exclusively featured Tenchi in this form. He stared at him with hatred, and summoned his own sword and battle power.
The two superpowers stared each other down, but their blades never met. Tenchi cringed and dropped his sword as he saw the red blade that was now stuck in his upper chest. Ryoko removed her sword from Tenchi and watched him fall face first to the ground.
The moment of hatred was suppressed by a longer moment of surprise as Ryoko stood where Tenchi had just seconds before. Kagato couldn't believe Tenchi hadn't felt Ryoko coming up on him, but he would take any victory he could. He saw Tenchi's hand grasp into a fist, and knew that his honor wouldn't be restored until he had killed him, " Well now, it seems that things have come full circle Tenchi. Your own ignorance handicapped you, and then destroyed you. You will receive a warrior's death. Good-bye Prince!"
Kagato raised his sword, but froze when he heard the sound of his alarms going off. He removed the viewing screen from his robs and saw the impossible. Knucks had entered his ship, and was well on his way to this location.
Kagato had never been caught without a solution, 'Damn! He's persistent, but I still have my power intact. He will fall right next to Tenchi!'
Kagato instructed Ryoko to hide in the corner, and wait for their final prey. Kagato was mere minutes from his dreams coming true, but he had a bad feeling about the approaching combatant. He thought he felt the wound on his stomach throb with pain, but he hoped it was just his imagination.
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The last vision of his friends was that of Wahsu being thrown from Kagato's sight before the image in the water flowed down the river. Knucks stood and felt desperate in the current situation. Tenchi was on his own, but Ryoko wasn't quite as helpless as Washu at the moment. His mind raced with hatred, fear, helplessness and hope. Hope was a surprising one considering the situation, but Tenchi wasn't a joke, but neither was Kagato, " You've gotta let me help them. I'm willing to do this your way, but it better be the quick way."
Tsunami opened her eyes and looked at Knucks, noticing that his emotions were running wild within his mind. She knew that he would do anything to help his friends before they were finished off. His caring for his friends astounded her, and that he was a drunken mess when she had told him herself about the "sword master" in the mountains. She smiled widely at the realization that he didn't even recognize her from that night she had met him. He must've been extra drunk that night, " Alright then, let us get started."
Knucks' mood lightened slightly at her cooperation. Tsunami raised her hand and sent a light beam into the tree. The beam hit one of the branches, and the room lit up instantly, blinding him yet again. He heard Tsunami's voice pierce the bright light, " Draw your weapon and try and attack me."
Knucks pulled his sword and tried to sense where she was. His senses felt a thousand powers like hers, but all of them seemed to be floating. They all varied in intensities, and each making it harder to find Tsunami. He calmed his mind and noticed an absence of feeling at one point in the room. He sprung forward and swung his sword, and was surprised that he made contact with something. The lights dimmed again, and revealed a beautiful sight. All the different powers he had felt were little fluff seeds. Hundreds were floating around the giant tree, just like on Earth, except the fluff was all light. He wasn't really surprised by this since he noticed that this ship had an abundance of light in it.
He was pushed back by Tsunami's power, " You surprised me with your skill, but have disappointed me with your lack of focus. You were so busy staring at my pods that I could've killed you."
" I was paying attention."
Tsunami highly doubted that, but got to the point of the conversation, " Then, I guess you noticed that your sword felt a little lighter than usual." She held up about half of his sword, and made him feel about two feet tall, " A warriors weapon is only as strong as the wielder's will. Can you tell me what that saying means?"
Knucks was in complete shock when she held up the good half of his sword. Her question caught him in the middle of his shock, and didn't receive an answer right away. He refocused and forced out an answer, " It means….that if you have enough determination, you can do anything."
Tsunami laughed, " Not even close. You've over thought the saying. It has no hidden purpose, or false meaning, but it simply gives you directions." Knucks was especially confused now, " Your sword allows you to put your life force into the blade, making it indestructible. Only after your life force, heart, and will to win are put into it will you have a true weapon. Try and pull your weapon back together with you heart."
Knucks lifted the handle of his broken sword and tightened his grip on it. Tsunami nodded at him and he cleared his mind. He felt both halves of the sword, and indeed felt a strong force between them. He poured his energy into his sword, and felt something hit the sword with tremendous force. He opened his eyes and saw the sword back to its entirety. He smiled and saw a slight blue tint to his sword that he had never seen before. He guessed that his power now enriched his sword, but the sword felt empty and incomplete still.
He looked up at Tsunami, but she spoke before he could, " You've done well, but now you must learn to complete your weapon. It will be harder for you since you don't have inner peace, but there is a way. You must make your own peace."
The familiar confusion crept back into Knucks' mind, " How? How do I create peace?"
Tsunami didn't seem to be listening to him at all. She quickly turned her head towards the tree and stared hard at it. She then turned her head slowly back to Knucks, " You must leave to help your friends now. We no longer have a choice, but remember what you have learned. Your peace will come," Tsunami raised her hand and placed it on the tree's trunk, " Go, save your friends, and Ryoko."
Knucks was ready to leave, " Alright, I will, but Ryoko's a friend too."
Tsunami smiled again and marveled at his ignorant nature, " I think you consider each other at a higher level than a friend."
Knucks blushed, and once again felt himself go blind by the light. He felt air lift him and thrust him forward swiftly. He waited for the wind gust to settle him to his destination.
---
Knucks opened his eyes after feeling the air finally settling him to a solid piece of ground. He looked around the large hanger, and realized that he had seen the same one in the river. He was standing where Tenchi and the others had been just a few minutes before. His concentration wavered and he thought of the pain Kagato had caused his friends, and felt the very strong urge to rip the very ship he stood on apart. He got his emotions back under control and used his hate to force himself forward.
Knucks climbed the small stepladder and raced down the hallway. His mind seemed to race faster than his legs, both rushing to solutions for problems they didn't totally comprehend.
Suddenly, the hallway went completely dark and Knucks stopped dead in his tracks. He noticed a little glow of light coming through the glass floor, but was more focused on the glaring eyes that appeared in the darkness. Two pairs of sharp, red eyes now moved closer to him with a sound of metal on glass. Knucks drew his sword and cleared his mind, but was surprised to find the two pairs of eyes now splitting into four single eyes. Two of the eyes came rushing at him suddenly and demanded his attention. He stood straight up and tried to feel his enemy's movements. Two swishes filled the dark hall, one of the metal menaces' swords, and the other of Knucks slicing through them with his.
The metal being fell to a heap on the floor, and Knucks felt another one of the drones trying to kill him. A sword went through a smoky image of him, and the android joined his friend on the ground. The hallway suddenly lit up and temporarily blinded Knucks. The robots took advantage and flew at him, trying to kill a blind man, but he had enough awareness to block their shots. They followed up quickly, but Knucks ducked and they struck each other's swords. He raised his sword and sliced through where their waists would've been if they had been human. The metal from their top halves fell before the legs, and he remembered the same androids from when they had attacked them on Earth.
Two confusing ends met and accused Kagato of sending those bots to kill them before. Knucks collected himself and began running down the hallway again. To him, it didn't matter if he had sent the Easter bunny to kill them, he was still going to defeat Kagato and save his friends.
Knucks stopped running when he came to a large door, and felt that he had reached his destination. The dark brown doors were the only thing that stood between him and a man he had grown to hate. He noticed that the dents Ryoko had put in the door when trying to open it were still present. He didn't know why, but he smiled when he thought of her having trouble with a little wooden door.
' Old girl is losing her touch I guess. I'll have to get her a few five pound weights to work out with.' Knucks thought this to himself and smiled again at the image of Ryoko having problems lifting five pounds.
Knucks shook away the funny images and opened the door without fear. He surveyed the room with all of his senses, except for the two cold eyes he kept locked with Kagato's. They both stared holes through each other, trying to see which would break under the pressure first. He felt that Tenchi had lost a lot of power and felt Washu still in the same place as before. Ryoko on the other hand seemed to be hiding from him, but she soon revealed herself.
" I must say that you being here is quite unexpected, but not preventable. I believe you know Ryoko, but I am willing to bet that you don't know of her very violent nature. Allow her to demonstrate it for you."
Kagato waved his hand and sent Ryoko into motion. She flew swiftly and raised her sword to strike Knucks' head. He blocked, but he couldn't bring himself to follow up with his own attack. His hesitation gave her the opportune moment to knock him away, but she to seemed to hesitate as well. They stood with their swords entwined, waiting for one another to make a move.
Knucks heard a very faint, high-pitched sound, and immediately remembered the machine in the middle of the room. He knew this was what he should be fighting, but Kagato was ever watchful of his little toy. He turned his body so that his back was to the thrumming machine.
Ryoko saw his eyes shift from her and started to gather energy. She gathered enough to blow a hole in the ship and fired it a Knucks' head. He sped out of the way and the energy met with the metal hull of the machine. The huge controlling machine was destroyed instantly, leaving only a large black spot on the, once lovely, red rug.
Ryoko's dark, fierce eyes relaxed as she fell to the ground. Knucks ran to her and turned her right side up, " Ryoko! Are you alright?"
Ryoko opened her eyes slowly, but closed them as they stung with light. She felt drained and ready to go to sleep, but she heard Knucks' voice and the worry that accompanied it, " I'm alright," she mumbled.
She brought her hand up to try and shield her eyes, but found herself struggling greatly to lift her arm. She re-opened her eyes and saw Knucks lifting her arm and putting it across her stomach, " What happened?"
Knucks looked at her and felt happy just seeing her alive again, but the ominous presence of Kagato needed to be addressed before he could be truly happy again, " Long story. Remind me to tell it to ya later, but now you just sit here and rest. I'm gonna go get a little revenge."
Ryoko felt her stomach flip-flop under her hand and thought this was the last time she would ever see him. She mustered up some strength and wrapped her arms around him, " Please come back alive."
Knucks embraced Ryoko's warmth. He reluctantly let go of her and picked up his sword, " I will."
Kagato watched with his teeth grinding as Ryoko lay in Knucks' arms after destroying his beautiful machine. He would now have to gather her energy himself, a minor setback but still very unwelcome. He felt his anger welling up and knew that Knucks would be the recipient of his rage-fueled power, " How touching. Can we get this over with now? I have a galaxy to take over."
Knucks heard Kagato's sarcastic tone and stood to meet him. He removed his tank top and dropped it to the floor with a thud. Kagato summoned his sword and full battle power to down him quickly. Knucks now let all of his power show. His muscles grew slightly, his eyes glowed a dark blue and a slight white glow formed around him.
Kagato was very surprised by the power boost Knucks had just gathered and was slightly worried. He knew that he had to finish this conflict swiftly, before Knucks surprised him one to many times.
Kagato flew at Knucks as fast as he could and engaged him. They switched from offensive to defensive positions as they tried to land a hit on each other. Knucks ducked under one of Kagato's swings and sent him flying with a kick to the chin. Kagato landed on his feet and sprung forward again, but had more success this time with a slice across Knucks' chest.
They both stood a short distance apart, gathering themselves for the next volley of attacks. Kagato felt Knucks' power ever radiant, but he had an idea that might secure his victory, " Tell me, what's it like hunting an invisible enemy? You have been hunting for a maniac, but in reality, you were hunting me all this time. Your family fell to this very sword, all foolishly trying to avenge those who had fallen before them."
Knucks' eyes widen and heart stopped as Kagato said the worst thing he had ever heard. Swirling images of his sister and mother filled his head. Every memory he had of family picnics, playground games, or fancy dinner parties came to surface as he had finally met their assailant.
Hatred the likes of which he had never felt before began to run through Knucks' body, blinding his senses and sending him forward in an attack of rage. He screamed in fury and swung his sword without care or purpose. All he wanted to do was re-pay Kagato for his evil deeds. The smile Kagato wore made him ever more angry, but no matter how much he hated him, he couldn't land a hit on the maniac.
Kagato continued to taunt him, " Out of all three of them, your sister was the most pitiful. She actually offered herself to me in exchange for her life."
Knucks stepped back and gathered his aurora into a ball of energy and threw it at Kagato. The bright white ball of energy rushed towards Kagato, but the lack of strategy made it easy for him to deflect it back at Knucks. The energy came back at him faster than his hate filled eyes could see, but his arm instinctively came up to block the blast.
A light filled the room on contact and blinded all of the occupants. It dimmed after a few seconds to show Knucks holding half of his sword in his hand and a very large hole where a wall used to be. If Knucks had put his entire power into that, they wouldn't be alive right now.
The feelings that ran through Knucks bordered on hopelessness, fatigue, and even un-willingness to live any longer, but he stood up and regained his composure. His power was drained and his sword and will were broken. He felt that he was fighting a hopeless battle, but just then, the room's vibrant rugs and white walls turned black. A light shown down on him from above, and had an eerie resemblance to his dream. The surrounding area lit up with a bright blue sky and a crystal clear lake. Trees started to fill in the missing spaces on the horizon, as did birds fill the vacant blue sky. Green grass and brown leaves covered the ground while cherry blossoms flew through the air and landed on his shoulder. The total image was the breathtaking sights of fall, the most beautiful traits of the Autumn season were right in front of him, and he felt his body relax at the sight.
While Kagato continued to look around like a lost child, Knucks heard Tsunami's voice in his head, " You doubt your own abilities this late in the game? You have every reason to keep fighting, but it has to do with you keeping your temper while fighting him. He knew he had to do something to get you off your game, so he brought out the ugly truth about your family. Remember to keep your cool and to use your power to your advantage. You've created this place out of your own mind, your peace, I just sculpted it to you mental image. Now you can unlock your potential, and only now can you save your friends."
The surrounding area turned back to that of burnt rugs and holey walls. Everybody in the room was back to normal, except the cherry blossom still remained on Knucks' shoulder. He clenched his sword handle and poured his power into his sword. The familiar thunk sounded as the blade became whole again, as did his determination. He was now under control of his emotions, and looking to his left gave him a reason to keep fighting, Ryoko. At the thought of one of their kissing moments, a shiver ran down his spine and he felt more power in his system than ever before.
The rush of strength sent goose bumps up his arms and gave Kagato the window to attack. He flew at Knucks shouting, "Die!"
Knucks was still marveling at his power when Kagato swung his sword, but was stopped by Knucks' unmanned sword. The weapon had moved on its own to block the shot, and caught both combatants by surprise. Kagato continued to hack away at different locations around Knucks, but couldn't get past the swords guard. Knucks was watching in awe, until he remembered what Tsunami had said before about putting his will and life force into his sword. He now understood all of her riddles; when he put his life into his sword, he became one with his sword. He was now able to use it as an extension of his own being.
Knucks raised his hand to test his theory, and the handle of his sword was instantly in his hand. He had found his peace and become complete, just like Tsunami with her ship, or even Kagato with his own sword. He smiled at Kagato and flew at him quicker than he had ever before. He pulled his sword back, and saw Kagato do the same. They thrust forward at the same time, that exact moment stretched into a lifetime for everyone watching.
They both landed on their feet, but Kagato had something in his stomach he didn't have before, a sword. Kagato feel to one knee and addressed Knucks, " Bravo. Give Tsunami my regards when you see her again."
Knucks turned around in time to see Kagato fall flat on the ground and clouds of smoke come from under his cape. He smiled a wide smile, but also felt a little different than when he had before. The sword in his gut disappeared as the smoke did, but blood flowed from the wound and caused his body to fall, weakly, to the ground.
Knucks heard different shouts and slurred talking from his friends. He saw Tenchi and Washu up and trying to care for him, but he was happy now. He felt at peace, as if his peace was a part of his life now. He felt as if he could die peacefully, but he heard Ryoko's voice and knew that this was not the end for him. His last thought was a mental picture of his mom and sister, but the picture looked torn in his mind and a mental image of Ryoko was added to the torn spot. The picture remained with him until his mind went dark.
The mystery woman took another step forward, " I am someone who wants to help your cause. My name is Tsunami, and welcome to my ship."
The lights dimmed further, and Knucks saw the extraordinary chamber in its entirety. The roof he thought he had seen before was now just a shadow hidden by more shadow. He stepped forward, and felt the ground drop away. He quickly pulled his foot back up, and felt cold water on his lower leg. He looked at the place where the ground was non-existent, only to see a small, rushing river that connected to many others. He studied the ground in the room and saw many little rivers flowing past tiny islands of glass platforms. It was as if a giant had broken his giant mirror and threw all the pieces into a raging river. He followed the rivers up to their source, a very large tree with bright white leaves. He guessed this tree as the source of light in the ship, " Nice ship."
" Thank you."
Knucks locked eyes with the elegant woman, " Why did you bring me here?"
" Straight to the point, not like you at all. You usually use humor to calm yourself down, but now you want nothing but answers."
Knucks was a bit taken back by her knowledge of his personality, " I'm in a bit of a rush today. How did you-"?
" You can't hide everything from everybody. I know a lot about you Knucks, or should I say, Charles?"
Knucks blushed immediately at the sound of the name he was born with, " Don't ever call me that again! I haven't been called that since I was born!" He wondered how she had managed to learn of his old name. She obviously knew more about him, but he didn't have time to hear his own life story again, " You've done your research obviously."
Tsunami smiled, " I told you that nothing is hidden forever." She straightened her expression and teleported herself next to the large tree. She extended her hand towards one of the small rivers and scooped up a handful of water, " This water is the life of my ship. It flows through the sacred tree, and through the rest of my ship by way of these rivers. This flow resembles that of which you have inside of your own body. The blood, the heart, and me, the brain."
Knucks hopped from glass panel to glass panel towards the tree of light. He had no idea why Tsunami was telling him this, but she seemed like a woman who always had a purpose. He reached her position and waited for her to say something else.
" Do you believe in destiny?"
She looked at him gently, but questionably, waiting for his answer, " No, I like believing that I make my own decisions in life."
" A good reason for the wrong answer." Tsunami threw the handful of water at Knucks. He attempted to cover his head in defense. The water splashed on his arms, and, simultaneously, the tree brightened, throwing light in every direction.
" Free will is what we all want, but its only purpose is to make you feel in control. Your actual fate was decided the moment you were born. Every decision you make, and every path you take was written in the heavens long before you ever make it"
Knucks tried to find her through squinted eyes in the blinding light, but suddenly, the scenery changed. He was standing on a high cliff, above Tenchi's house. A bright warm sun and beautiful autumn scenery filled his senses, and almost overwhelmed him. He turned and saw Tsunami walking up to stand next to him, " Why are we back down here? We should be up helping them."
" They haven't even reached Kagato's ship yet, and I'm trying to help you. Look." Her finger now pointed at something plummeting towards the Earth. It crashed on the surface, and made the loudest boom Knucks had ever heard. She grabbed his arm and teleported them to the crash site. A smoldering Ryo-oki lay next to an unconscious Ryoko.
Knucks was being held back by Tsunami, " This is how Ryoko came to this planet, by falling out of the sky. She was the start of a chain reaction of ladies falling from the sky, all on Tenchi's doorstep, and all coming to claim Ryoko for their own."
She flicked her hand and sent a ripple through the scenery, and sending them back to the bridge of Tsunami's ship. Knucks held his eyes closed, trying to keep them from the light. The light dimmed again, and Knucks thought he got the point of this conversation, " So, what you're saying is that I came to claim her as well?"
" For different reasons than any other. Ayeka and Mihoshi both came to capture her, Washu was released to help her daughter, and do you know why you chose this planet to start your journey? You came here to meet your destiny in Ryoko and her other friends. You are going to become very close to Ryoko's heart, but the others will care for you as well."
Knucks understood most of her speech now. His destiny was somehow entwined with Ryoko, Tenchi and his family. But, she had said nothing of Sasami yet, " What does Sasami have anything to do with this then?"
She smiled at his ignorance, " You haven't noticed our resemblance yet? She is my carrier. I harbor myself in her body until I am needed. This makes her destiny her own. She is one of the few that actually have free will." She smiled wider at his confused expression, " You aren't as bright as I originally thought."
Knucks snapped out of his confused state with that remark, " I act smart from time to time." He smiled for a few more seconds until he realized the urgency in his mind, " This is very interesting information and all, but I need to be there to help them fight that maniac."
Tsunami looked him in the eye and spoke with the most serious of tones, " You are unprepared for what Kagato can unleash. You will be watching the battle from here. You have a great deal of potential, but are very unprepared for his might."
Another serious blow to his pride, but he wouldn't give up that easy, " I'm not going to sit here and watch them suffer. Just put me on the first ship that comes by here and I'll get to his ship."
Tsunami felt his anger and anxiety rising, " If you are to go, then go when you are ready. Kagato won't kill them until he has Ryoko's power. By then, you might be ready for him, but until then," She waved her arm towards the largest river in the room, " look into the water and see what fate has in store for your friends."
Knucks couldn't believe that he could do nothing to stop Kagato until he was "ready." He knew that he wouldn't be doing anything unless she wanted him to, so he looked into the river and saw an image of Ryo-oki floating in space.
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Ryoko pulled Ryo-oki to a dead halt in the middle of space. She wasn't focused on the stars near her helm, but on the terrible feeling she had in her gut. She would never admit it to anyone, but she was frightened. She had been trying to relate the feeling to something, but she couldn't escape the fact that Kagato scared the crap out of her. She found herself wishing that Knucks was there, but not just for increasing their chances of winning. She felt the strong urge to be held by someone, or she worried that her fear wouldn't go away, and Knucks was the person she wanted for the job.
Ryoko now thought of their chances against the psycho. She had great faith in Tenchi, but with him losing to Knucks yesterday, she wasn't so sure he would win any more. She was trying to keep the possibility of Kagato not fighting fair out of her head, but she knew him better than that. She glanced over and saw Tenchi talking with Washu about something, and that momentary glance at him gave her a worse feeling than before.
Ryoko teleported over to her only two companions on this trip. Her mother walked away to try and get a decent lock on Kagato's ship now that they were in deep space. Tenchi looked at Ryoko, and noticed that her eyes had a more fierce and battle ready look to them than ever before, " You look ready to kill."
Ryoko looked at Tenchi with a blank expression and told him in a flat voice, " We all have our reasons to get back at this guy. Some more than others." She turned away from the surprised Tenchi and walked over to Washu. She glanced at her mother's laptop, but was instantly confused by all of the numbers and formulas that filled the screen.
Washu felt her daughter's presence and mentally asked, 'What's wrong with you now? I've felt you becoming angrier by the second.'
Ryoko closed her mind off so her mother couldn't read it, but still answered her, ' I just have a little more motivation in this fight against him.'
Washu stopped typing for a beat or two but continued after that, 'You really believe he was innocent don't you.'
Ryoko snapped back, ' Yes, and nothing you can say will change my mind. He told me himself that he would never harm them, and the look in his eyes told me the same thing.'
Washu didn't know how to answer that right away and felt a tremor run down her spine. She hated being unprepared for things, even something as little as what to say next. She figured that her daughter was on the edge right now, and pressing the issue wouldn't be a smart move, ' We'll discuss this again later.'
' Whatever.'
Ryo-oki jerked to life as Washu directed her towards Saturn's rings. Ryoko stared at the rocky rings, and saw a very familiar ship. She couldn't believe that Kagato had been able to salvage the Soja after Tenchi blew it up. It looked the same as before, except now he had new paintings on both sides, and not to mention the ten or so new guns that now surrounded his huge space-pulsar rifle.
Ryoko transported to Ryo-oki's controls to prepare for Kagato's attack. Her hands were hovering over the attack controls, waiting for him to make his move, but he didn't fire. They were well within range and out in the open, yet he didn't fire. She wasn't about to let her guard down, especially when dealing with a snake as Kagato.
" He won't fire on us." Ryoko turned to Washu and wondered how long her mother had been crazy, " He wants to take us head on, not kill us in space."
" Believe what you want, but I'm not letting my guard down for a second!"
Washu paid no attention to Ryoko's outburst, but noticed a hatch door opening of one side of Kagato's ship, " See, he's inviting us inside." She pointed to the half way open door.
" Well, then lets not disappoint."
Ryoko flew Ryo-oki into the landing bay, and was surprised that he actually let them into his ship. They stepped off the ship and took in the blank walls and glass floor. Ryoko phased to the top of a low rise that lead to a long hallway, " We can't stay here. Let's get going, but keep your guard up."
Tenchi and Washu ran up a few steps and then after Ryoko towards Kagato.
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Kagato knew that time was now short if he wanted his timing to be perfect. He arose from his terminal and grabbed a small screen. It reminded him of a small television screen, but served an infinitely more useful purpose. He turned the small dial on the back of the screen, and was soon viewing the same feed as his main terminal.
He kept the screen in hand as he teleported to his Organ room, and his little machine. He arrived facing the large organ, standing on the plush, blood red carpet, with the intentions of sealing his enemies fate. Kagato glanced at the screen, and found that they were now just mere footsteps away from his position. He quickly flipped the primary switches, and sighed as the machine thrummed to life. The doors gave a tremble as Ryoko was pounding on them for all she was worth.
Kagato snatched the remote control for the machine and mentally opened the doors. He looked on as Ryoko, Tenchi, and Washu stepped into his domain, " Ahh. Welcome to my lair Space Pirate Ryoko, Scientist Washu, and Prince Tenchi." He looked into each pair of eyes that now glared at him, " You seem a bit shorthanded this time around. What happened to the rest of your merry crew?"
Ryoko was a second away from rushing at him, but his last sentence reminded her of the question. She had to ask this seemingly pointless question for Knucks. She looked at his gut, and did notice blood there. This brought a little smile to her face, " Where did you get that injury?"
Kagato was stunned at this question. He tried to keep a straight face, but chuckled as he decided that it made no sense for him to lie, " This came from your little outcast Knucks. He got me when I hurt the little brat Sasami. He could protect neither Sasami or Ayeka from my power though, but you blamed it on him and cast him from your home."
Tenchi gripped his sword as hard as he could and tried his hardest to restrain himself from rushing Kagato. Washu felt guilt wash over her as she realized she had been the one to cast him out. She shook her head and rid herself of that thought for the time being.
Ryoko felt relieved, as if a little part of her sub-conscious had doubted Knucks' innocence. She felt a sudden gust of wind at her back as Tenchi was tired of talking, " You'll pay for that Kagato!"
" Then let's begin boy!"
Ryoko summoned her sword, but heard a very high-pitched noise in her head. It hurt her very much, and she let everyone in the universe know about it. She couldn't even hear herself scream over the high-pitched squealing. She felt her limbs go weak, and could do nothing to raise them.
Tenchi looked on in horror as Ryoko held her head, and was screaming to no ends. She suddenly stopped screaming, and turned to Tenchi with her eyes closed, " Ryoko, are you alright?"
Her eyes snapped open at the sound of her name. Ryoko stared at Tenchi, but her eyes had turned a deep black that seemed to reflect the emptiness in her soul, and made Tenchi feel very lonely in this fight. He summoned more of his power and tried to think of a way to take her out of the equation without hurting her. He couldn't think of any solutions, but he then saw the machine in the room. He had let his hatred for Kagato blind him from the rest of the room, but he guessed that Kagato was using that device to control Ryoko and saw the solution.
He saw Washu run past his shoulder and fly straight at Kagato, trying to subdue him, but she was knocked away. He mentally cursed Kagato for taking his allies from him. The dread in his gut grew as he saw Ryoko's sword light from her hand, and saw an unmoving Washu.
Tenchi knew what he had to do to get Ryoko back, and sat back to wait for his opening. Ryoko phased, and Tenchi shot forward at the black machine. He drew back his arm and thrust it forward, but he was stopped short of his goal. He saw Kagato blocking his blow, and felt a sharp pain as his body was forced to the ground, " You didn't think it would be that easy did you?"
Tenchi clenched his teeth to quell the pain in his left shoulder. Ryoko was sitting on his back with her sword impaled into the throbbing part of his shoulder. Ryoko withdrew the sword, and was preparing to finish Tenchi off. Tenchi looked over to Washu, seeing her as motionless as before, he knew he had to save his own life.
Tenchi felt his energy surging, just as the last time he had defeated Kagato. His power threw Ryoko from his back and healed his wound. He summoned his sword and stared down Kagato. Kagato had been having nightmares that exclusively featured Tenchi in this form. He stared at him with hatred, and summoned his own sword and battle power.
The two superpowers stared each other down, but their blades never met. Tenchi cringed and dropped his sword as he saw the red blade that was now stuck in his upper chest. Ryoko removed her sword from Tenchi and watched him fall face first to the ground.
The moment of hatred was suppressed by a longer moment of surprise as Ryoko stood where Tenchi had just seconds before. Kagato couldn't believe Tenchi hadn't felt Ryoko coming up on him, but he would take any victory he could. He saw Tenchi's hand grasp into a fist, and knew that his honor wouldn't be restored until he had killed him, " Well now, it seems that things have come full circle Tenchi. Your own ignorance handicapped you, and then destroyed you. You will receive a warrior's death. Good-bye Prince!"
Kagato raised his sword, but froze when he heard the sound of his alarms going off. He removed the viewing screen from his robs and saw the impossible. Knucks had entered his ship, and was well on his way to this location.
Kagato had never been caught without a solution, 'Damn! He's persistent, but I still have my power intact. He will fall right next to Tenchi!'
Kagato instructed Ryoko to hide in the corner, and wait for their final prey. Kagato was mere minutes from his dreams coming true, but he had a bad feeling about the approaching combatant. He thought he felt the wound on his stomach throb with pain, but he hoped it was just his imagination.
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The last vision of his friends was that of Wahsu being thrown from Kagato's sight before the image in the water flowed down the river. Knucks stood and felt desperate in the current situation. Tenchi was on his own, but Ryoko wasn't quite as helpless as Washu at the moment. His mind raced with hatred, fear, helplessness and hope. Hope was a surprising one considering the situation, but Tenchi wasn't a joke, but neither was Kagato, " You've gotta let me help them. I'm willing to do this your way, but it better be the quick way."
Tsunami opened her eyes and looked at Knucks, noticing that his emotions were running wild within his mind. She knew that he would do anything to help his friends before they were finished off. His caring for his friends astounded her, and that he was a drunken mess when she had told him herself about the "sword master" in the mountains. She smiled widely at the realization that he didn't even recognize her from that night she had met him. He must've been extra drunk that night, " Alright then, let us get started."
Knucks' mood lightened slightly at her cooperation. Tsunami raised her hand and sent a light beam into the tree. The beam hit one of the branches, and the room lit up instantly, blinding him yet again. He heard Tsunami's voice pierce the bright light, " Draw your weapon and try and attack me."
Knucks pulled his sword and tried to sense where she was. His senses felt a thousand powers like hers, but all of them seemed to be floating. They all varied in intensities, and each making it harder to find Tsunami. He calmed his mind and noticed an absence of feeling at one point in the room. He sprung forward and swung his sword, and was surprised that he made contact with something. The lights dimmed again, and revealed a beautiful sight. All the different powers he had felt were little fluff seeds. Hundreds were floating around the giant tree, just like on Earth, except the fluff was all light. He wasn't really surprised by this since he noticed that this ship had an abundance of light in it.
He was pushed back by Tsunami's power, " You surprised me with your skill, but have disappointed me with your lack of focus. You were so busy staring at my pods that I could've killed you."
" I was paying attention."
Tsunami highly doubted that, but got to the point of the conversation, " Then, I guess you noticed that your sword felt a little lighter than usual." She held up about half of his sword, and made him feel about two feet tall, " A warriors weapon is only as strong as the wielder's will. Can you tell me what that saying means?"
Knucks was in complete shock when she held up the good half of his sword. Her question caught him in the middle of his shock, and didn't receive an answer right away. He refocused and forced out an answer, " It means….that if you have enough determination, you can do anything."
Tsunami laughed, " Not even close. You've over thought the saying. It has no hidden purpose, or false meaning, but it simply gives you directions." Knucks was especially confused now, " Your sword allows you to put your life force into the blade, making it indestructible. Only after your life force, heart, and will to win are put into it will you have a true weapon. Try and pull your weapon back together with you heart."
Knucks lifted the handle of his broken sword and tightened his grip on it. Tsunami nodded at him and he cleared his mind. He felt both halves of the sword, and indeed felt a strong force between them. He poured his energy into his sword, and felt something hit the sword with tremendous force. He opened his eyes and saw the sword back to its entirety. He smiled and saw a slight blue tint to his sword that he had never seen before. He guessed that his power now enriched his sword, but the sword felt empty and incomplete still.
He looked up at Tsunami, but she spoke before he could, " You've done well, but now you must learn to complete your weapon. It will be harder for you since you don't have inner peace, but there is a way. You must make your own peace."
The familiar confusion crept back into Knucks' mind, " How? How do I create peace?"
Tsunami didn't seem to be listening to him at all. She quickly turned her head towards the tree and stared hard at it. She then turned her head slowly back to Knucks, " You must leave to help your friends now. We no longer have a choice, but remember what you have learned. Your peace will come," Tsunami raised her hand and placed it on the tree's trunk, " Go, save your friends, and Ryoko."
Knucks was ready to leave, " Alright, I will, but Ryoko's a friend too."
Tsunami smiled again and marveled at his ignorant nature, " I think you consider each other at a higher level than a friend."
Knucks blushed, and once again felt himself go blind by the light. He felt air lift him and thrust him forward swiftly. He waited for the wind gust to settle him to his destination.
---
Knucks opened his eyes after feeling the air finally settling him to a solid piece of ground. He looked around the large hanger, and realized that he had seen the same one in the river. He was standing where Tenchi and the others had been just a few minutes before. His concentration wavered and he thought of the pain Kagato had caused his friends, and felt the very strong urge to rip the very ship he stood on apart. He got his emotions back under control and used his hate to force himself forward.
Knucks climbed the small stepladder and raced down the hallway. His mind seemed to race faster than his legs, both rushing to solutions for problems they didn't totally comprehend.
Suddenly, the hallway went completely dark and Knucks stopped dead in his tracks. He noticed a little glow of light coming through the glass floor, but was more focused on the glaring eyes that appeared in the darkness. Two pairs of sharp, red eyes now moved closer to him with a sound of metal on glass. Knucks drew his sword and cleared his mind, but was surprised to find the two pairs of eyes now splitting into four single eyes. Two of the eyes came rushing at him suddenly and demanded his attention. He stood straight up and tried to feel his enemy's movements. Two swishes filled the dark hall, one of the metal menaces' swords, and the other of Knucks slicing through them with his.
The metal being fell to a heap on the floor, and Knucks felt another one of the drones trying to kill him. A sword went through a smoky image of him, and the android joined his friend on the ground. The hallway suddenly lit up and temporarily blinded Knucks. The robots took advantage and flew at him, trying to kill a blind man, but he had enough awareness to block their shots. They followed up quickly, but Knucks ducked and they struck each other's swords. He raised his sword and sliced through where their waists would've been if they had been human. The metal from their top halves fell before the legs, and he remembered the same androids from when they had attacked them on Earth.
Two confusing ends met and accused Kagato of sending those bots to kill them before. Knucks collected himself and began running down the hallway again. To him, it didn't matter if he had sent the Easter bunny to kill them, he was still going to defeat Kagato and save his friends.
Knucks stopped running when he came to a large door, and felt that he had reached his destination. The dark brown doors were the only thing that stood between him and a man he had grown to hate. He noticed that the dents Ryoko had put in the door when trying to open it were still present. He didn't know why, but he smiled when he thought of her having trouble with a little wooden door.
' Old girl is losing her touch I guess. I'll have to get her a few five pound weights to work out with.' Knucks thought this to himself and smiled again at the image of Ryoko having problems lifting five pounds.
Knucks shook away the funny images and opened the door without fear. He surveyed the room with all of his senses, except for the two cold eyes he kept locked with Kagato's. They both stared holes through each other, trying to see which would break under the pressure first. He felt that Tenchi had lost a lot of power and felt Washu still in the same place as before. Ryoko on the other hand seemed to be hiding from him, but she soon revealed herself.
" I must say that you being here is quite unexpected, but not preventable. I believe you know Ryoko, but I am willing to bet that you don't know of her very violent nature. Allow her to demonstrate it for you."
Kagato waved his hand and sent Ryoko into motion. She flew swiftly and raised her sword to strike Knucks' head. He blocked, but he couldn't bring himself to follow up with his own attack. His hesitation gave her the opportune moment to knock him away, but she to seemed to hesitate as well. They stood with their swords entwined, waiting for one another to make a move.
Knucks heard a very faint, high-pitched sound, and immediately remembered the machine in the middle of the room. He knew this was what he should be fighting, but Kagato was ever watchful of his little toy. He turned his body so that his back was to the thrumming machine.
Ryoko saw his eyes shift from her and started to gather energy. She gathered enough to blow a hole in the ship and fired it a Knucks' head. He sped out of the way and the energy met with the metal hull of the machine. The huge controlling machine was destroyed instantly, leaving only a large black spot on the, once lovely, red rug.
Ryoko's dark, fierce eyes relaxed as she fell to the ground. Knucks ran to her and turned her right side up, " Ryoko! Are you alright?"
Ryoko opened her eyes slowly, but closed them as they stung with light. She felt drained and ready to go to sleep, but she heard Knucks' voice and the worry that accompanied it, " I'm alright," she mumbled.
She brought her hand up to try and shield her eyes, but found herself struggling greatly to lift her arm. She re-opened her eyes and saw Knucks lifting her arm and putting it across her stomach, " What happened?"
Knucks looked at her and felt happy just seeing her alive again, but the ominous presence of Kagato needed to be addressed before he could be truly happy again, " Long story. Remind me to tell it to ya later, but now you just sit here and rest. I'm gonna go get a little revenge."
Ryoko felt her stomach flip-flop under her hand and thought this was the last time she would ever see him. She mustered up some strength and wrapped her arms around him, " Please come back alive."
Knucks embraced Ryoko's warmth. He reluctantly let go of her and picked up his sword, " I will."
Kagato watched with his teeth grinding as Ryoko lay in Knucks' arms after destroying his beautiful machine. He would now have to gather her energy himself, a minor setback but still very unwelcome. He felt his anger welling up and knew that Knucks would be the recipient of his rage-fueled power, " How touching. Can we get this over with now? I have a galaxy to take over."
Knucks heard Kagato's sarcastic tone and stood to meet him. He removed his tank top and dropped it to the floor with a thud. Kagato summoned his sword and full battle power to down him quickly. Knucks now let all of his power show. His muscles grew slightly, his eyes glowed a dark blue and a slight white glow formed around him.
Kagato was very surprised by the power boost Knucks had just gathered and was slightly worried. He knew that he had to finish this conflict swiftly, before Knucks surprised him one to many times.
Kagato flew at Knucks as fast as he could and engaged him. They switched from offensive to defensive positions as they tried to land a hit on each other. Knucks ducked under one of Kagato's swings and sent him flying with a kick to the chin. Kagato landed on his feet and sprung forward again, but had more success this time with a slice across Knucks' chest.
They both stood a short distance apart, gathering themselves for the next volley of attacks. Kagato felt Knucks' power ever radiant, but he had an idea that might secure his victory, " Tell me, what's it like hunting an invisible enemy? You have been hunting for a maniac, but in reality, you were hunting me all this time. Your family fell to this very sword, all foolishly trying to avenge those who had fallen before them."
Knucks' eyes widen and heart stopped as Kagato said the worst thing he had ever heard. Swirling images of his sister and mother filled his head. Every memory he had of family picnics, playground games, or fancy dinner parties came to surface as he had finally met their assailant.
Hatred the likes of which he had never felt before began to run through Knucks' body, blinding his senses and sending him forward in an attack of rage. He screamed in fury and swung his sword without care or purpose. All he wanted to do was re-pay Kagato for his evil deeds. The smile Kagato wore made him ever more angry, but no matter how much he hated him, he couldn't land a hit on the maniac.
Kagato continued to taunt him, " Out of all three of them, your sister was the most pitiful. She actually offered herself to me in exchange for her life."
Knucks stepped back and gathered his aurora into a ball of energy and threw it at Kagato. The bright white ball of energy rushed towards Kagato, but the lack of strategy made it easy for him to deflect it back at Knucks. The energy came back at him faster than his hate filled eyes could see, but his arm instinctively came up to block the blast.
A light filled the room on contact and blinded all of the occupants. It dimmed after a few seconds to show Knucks holding half of his sword in his hand and a very large hole where a wall used to be. If Knucks had put his entire power into that, they wouldn't be alive right now.
The feelings that ran through Knucks bordered on hopelessness, fatigue, and even un-willingness to live any longer, but he stood up and regained his composure. His power was drained and his sword and will were broken. He felt that he was fighting a hopeless battle, but just then, the room's vibrant rugs and white walls turned black. A light shown down on him from above, and had an eerie resemblance to his dream. The surrounding area lit up with a bright blue sky and a crystal clear lake. Trees started to fill in the missing spaces on the horizon, as did birds fill the vacant blue sky. Green grass and brown leaves covered the ground while cherry blossoms flew through the air and landed on his shoulder. The total image was the breathtaking sights of fall, the most beautiful traits of the Autumn season were right in front of him, and he felt his body relax at the sight.
While Kagato continued to look around like a lost child, Knucks heard Tsunami's voice in his head, " You doubt your own abilities this late in the game? You have every reason to keep fighting, but it has to do with you keeping your temper while fighting him. He knew he had to do something to get you off your game, so he brought out the ugly truth about your family. Remember to keep your cool and to use your power to your advantage. You've created this place out of your own mind, your peace, I just sculpted it to you mental image. Now you can unlock your potential, and only now can you save your friends."
The surrounding area turned back to that of burnt rugs and holey walls. Everybody in the room was back to normal, except the cherry blossom still remained on Knucks' shoulder. He clenched his sword handle and poured his power into his sword. The familiar thunk sounded as the blade became whole again, as did his determination. He was now under control of his emotions, and looking to his left gave him a reason to keep fighting, Ryoko. At the thought of one of their kissing moments, a shiver ran down his spine and he felt more power in his system than ever before.
The rush of strength sent goose bumps up his arms and gave Kagato the window to attack. He flew at Knucks shouting, "Die!"
Knucks was still marveling at his power when Kagato swung his sword, but was stopped by Knucks' unmanned sword. The weapon had moved on its own to block the shot, and caught both combatants by surprise. Kagato continued to hack away at different locations around Knucks, but couldn't get past the swords guard. Knucks was watching in awe, until he remembered what Tsunami had said before about putting his will and life force into his sword. He now understood all of her riddles; when he put his life into his sword, he became one with his sword. He was now able to use it as an extension of his own being.
Knucks raised his hand to test his theory, and the handle of his sword was instantly in his hand. He had found his peace and become complete, just like Tsunami with her ship, or even Kagato with his own sword. He smiled at Kagato and flew at him quicker than he had ever before. He pulled his sword back, and saw Kagato do the same. They thrust forward at the same time, that exact moment stretched into a lifetime for everyone watching.
They both landed on their feet, but Kagato had something in his stomach he didn't have before, a sword. Kagato feel to one knee and addressed Knucks, " Bravo. Give Tsunami my regards when you see her again."
Knucks turned around in time to see Kagato fall flat on the ground and clouds of smoke come from under his cape. He smiled a wide smile, but also felt a little different than when he had before. The sword in his gut disappeared as the smoke did, but blood flowed from the wound and caused his body to fall, weakly, to the ground.
Knucks heard different shouts and slurred talking from his friends. He saw Tenchi and Washu up and trying to care for him, but he was happy now. He felt at peace, as if his peace was a part of his life now. He felt as if he could die peacefully, but he heard Ryoko's voice and knew that this was not the end for him. His last thought was a mental picture of his mom and sister, but the picture looked torn in his mind and a mental image of Ryoko was added to the torn spot. The picture remained with him until his mind went dark.