Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and all other characters pertaining to TM! are the sole property of Pioneer and their subsidiaries. I do not own them, so don't sue me. However, this particular work is my own creation, so if you feel that you must copy it (for MST or otherwise), please give credit where credit is due.
WARNING!!!!! This Fanfic may contain vulgar language, nudity and/or sexual content. If you are not of legal age to view such material, please turn back now. I will not be held responsible for the actions (or any actions incurred) from those who choose to freely read this fic.
With that said, let us continue...
Of Dreams And Reality
Chapter 2
"Consequences"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ryoko tried to halt the pain that was now coursing through her skull as she scanned the area, trying to find out who, or what, had hurt the young princess and was trying to kill her as well. She lunged toward the island in the middle of the kitchen next to where Sasami lay as another shot struck the wall nearby, creating a massive hole that allowed the frigid autumn air to blow in.
"You BITCH!!! You won't be satisfied until you've destroyed everything and everyone that I love!"
Ryoko heard the familiar voice screaming at her with such vehemence that she couldn't believe it had come from such a slender, cultivated woman. She had to admit that some of the time, if not most, she would purposely get Aeka so upset that the royal autocrat would lose her composure usually to the point of 'friendly fire'. But never, in all of Ryoko's exchanges with the young woman, had she ever heard her scream with such abhorrence and determination, even when she had been captured by her shortly after her release from the cave.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Aeka? Have you lost your fucking mind?!"
Ryoko, now dressed in her form fitting black and red battle gear, grabbed the child and summoned her force feild just as a third powerful blast shattered the entire cabinet, causing a cloud of ceramic missles and wooden splinters to fall around them.
"What's the matter you demon cur? It's no longer amusing to mistreat someone your own size, so you terrorize innocent children for your own sick and perverted pleasure?"
Aeka advanced on her enemy, every word filled with malice as it fell from her rosey lips.
For two years she had resided inside this quaint little home with the vile demon, and all that time she had insisted to Tenchi that Ryoko was nothing more than that. However, the young man would hear none of it, and expressed his own opinions regarding his rather unique houseguest. She was a complicated woman he would explain, and defend her actions as if she were a victim of circumstances that were beyond her control. The Crown Princess stood by and watched as Ryoko interacted with his family and friends as time passed, taking credence to the possibility that Tenchi could actually have been right after all. She seemed to genuinly care about those around her, even Aeka herself from time to time. They formed a strange bond through the years, coming together when faced with a crisis no matter how small.
But now she felt the fool. To be taken in by the acts of a lowly space pirate and actually pity her was too much to bear. She had questioned Ryoko's sincerity numberous times, but never had she suspected that even she could be trapped by her outrageous lies. But she had, and now Tenchi would see Ryoko for the monster she truely was.
The older princess stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Ryoko holding her sister, blood dripping from a deep gash on her forehead.
"Aeka, please..."
Before Ryoko could finish pleading for Sasami's safety and well-being, Aeka concentrated her own bulwark of dwarfling guardians to surround her arch rival, not realizing that her own hasty actions had caused her sister's injury.
Ryoko gently placed Sasami back on the floor and ever so slowly backed away from her, keeping as much distance as possible from the smallest princess all the while keeping her eyes on Aeka. Hopefully if she kept away from the little girl, Aeka would see it as a sign of surrender and at least take Sasami to where she could be helped.
She stared into Aeka's eyes, anxious to find out if the princess had taken the bait. Ryoko watched closely as Aeka ventured further toward them, her expression one full of vengence. There was no way in hell this was going to end peacefully.
Of course the ex-criminal could have easily teleported her and Sasami to safety, but she found that no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't leave Aeka in such a state. Ryoko tried to telepathically scream for Washu through their shared mental link, but found that the young scientist's end was sealed rather tightly, apparently wanting to be completely alone to relax in the onsen.
'The one time I really need her and she does this,' the pirate silently scolded. Deciding to risk getting the older princess even more irate, Ryoko tried to teleport Sasami out of the area before things got worse. There was no way she was going to get to the bottom of this if she had to worry about Sasami at the same time.
Aeka's sheilding hummed to life, spinning the small cylinders in oposite directions around her prey.
Before Ryoko was able to put her plan into action, she was suddenly being bombarded with such a substantial surge of power that even with all of her strength she couldn't maintain her own defenses as her own shield collapsed. The pirate screamed in agony as pain surged through her body, the onslaught continuing to a fevered pitch.
The spikey-haired woman's mind was filled with thoughts of Sasami and her sister as the attack subsided. What had she done that was so wrong to warrant the Juraian woman's acerbity of temper, to cause Aeka so much pain that she would even overlook Sasami's presence as she lashed out physically? Was she so blinded by her own hysteria that she couldn't even comprehend that it was her own doing that had caused her little sister to be hurt, her delusion so great that Aeka had actually thought Ryoko herself could be capable of intentionally harming one so innocent as Sasami?
Ryoko gathered every ounce of inner strength she could muster, suprisingly weakened by the voltage that Aeka's attack was capable of, and crawled over to the young princess. Using her much larger frame as a defense sheild of it's own, she leaned over Sasami, determined to protect her small friend from her sister's misdirected rage.
The droning of Aeka's aegis became deafening as she prepared to fire once more.
-----------------------------
Tenchi was at the shrine with Grandpa sweeping and chatting away, using this time to take a much needed break from his unsuccessful attempts at his studies as Mihoshi sat nearby on the shrine steps, feeding Ryo-ohki from a neary basket of carrots.
"You're so cute." the blond officer grinned playfully, the cool air nipping at her skin. "It must be great not having a care in the world."
Katsuhito gazed skyward, taking in the natural beauty of the nearly leafless trees when a loud eruption shook the serenity of the countryside, making everything and everyone stop, like time itself had ceased to exist.
The young man beside him instantly knew there was trouble, quickly turning his head in the direction of the disturbance.
"What was that?!" he said loudly, his breath creating a small haze of crystalized moisture. The feeling that rippled through his body told him that this wasn't like all the other times he had heard that same sound. This felt more urgent, like the screaming of someone's soul.
"It sounded like it came from the house." answered Mihoshi, confirming what Tenchi had suspected. The young woman quickly shed her bubbly persona and reached for her service pistol which she kept conveniently straped to her backside.
The furry cabbit ran as fast as it could to the house with Tenchi and the other two close behind. The crisp breezes stung their faces as they followed the ship, their minds filled with visions of two women engaging in a small war of wills as they raced past the trees.
The family dwelling came into view as two more loud explosions were heard and a large puff of smoke could be seen emanating from the back yard.
Katsuhito directed the blond detective to go through the front door while he and Tenchi went to investigate behind his home. As the two men rounded the corner, they noticed chunks of drywall, housing shingles and pieces of what looked like were once two-by-four's littered all over the cold, hard ground.
Tenchi's attention was then focused on the horrible things being said from inside the kitchen. Aeka, who's voice was usually calm and lilting, was almost unrecognizable as she spat hatred and revenge on whomever had incurred her wrath.
Being extra careful not to get in the path of another missle attack, Tenchi peeked into the kitchen through the rather large hollow where the wall once stood, expecting to find both the princess and Ryoko engrossed in one of their long awaited battles. What he saw made his heart almost jump out of his chest.
There, lying on the kitchen floor was little Sasami, unmoving in a puddle of water mixed with some of the child's own blood. Ryoko on the other hand was slumped over the young princess, still conscious, her eyes closed in expectation.
Not far from them stood Aeka, the proud jewel of the Jurian Royal family, her face a mask of tears and pale despair, preparing one last strike on her intended target.
"AEKA, NO!" Tenchi shouted, his hands in front of him as he sprinted towards her, regardless of the slick tiles threatening his traction.
"Stand back, Lord Tenchi. This is no affair of yours." she shouted back at him, determined to carry out her own brand of justice as the memories of long before were still fresh in her mind.
"Do as she says Tenchi! Just take Sasami and go!" Ryoko pleaded with him. There was no way that she was going to place him in danger, afraid that his attempts to save her would become his own downfall. At least he could help Sasami before it was too late.
Katsuhito stood in the opening of the decimated wall, watching the exchange closely with tentative, wine-colored eyes. The old shrine keeper patiently stood by, waiting for a sign that let him know he was needed by his grandson who stood mere inches from Aeka.
From behind the princess Mihoshi emerged, blaster in hand, ready for anything, the small cabbit at her side. She surveyed the damage, not noticing the two crumpled forms in front of the plum-tressed woman.
"Aeka..." the officer wispered softly, just as much in the dark about the situation as everyone else present. She gave Tenchi a quizical expression as he motioned for Mihoshi to lower her gun and stand back.
Tenchi calmly took two more steps, signaling for his grandfather to tend to Sasami and Ryoko. Carefully trying not to upset her anymore than she already was, he stood firmly between Aeka and her quarry.
"Tenchi! Get away!" the space pirate implored, tears cascading down her cheeks, fearing that Aeka would kill him while in her state of temperary insanity. Katsuhito simply reassured Ryoko that his young protege knew what he was doing, trying to calm the almost hysterical woman as he checked Sasami for signs of life.
Ryo-ohki bounded towards her master, yowling at the site of it's favorite perch laying there. Instinctively, the creature arched her back, hissing a Aeka, a futile attempt to stop the princess from lashing out.
Ryoko turned her attention away from the shinto priest and back to Tenchi, still standing between the older princess and herself, and prayed that his grandfather was right.
"Please Lord Tenchi, don't come any closer!" the princess warned.
Her eyes, although hazed over with tears, watched intently as Tenchi held his ground, unwavered by the presage she had just given him. His expression wasn't that of judgement and loathing as she had expected, rather it was filled with understanding and compassion.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to follow up with her intention to fire upon Ryoko again, even if by some twist of fate the young man looking at her had allowed her to.
The young man placed a gentle hand on the princess as her powers subsided, letting the flood gates that were her emotions spill out into the open, recalling the vision of her wounded sister lying quiescently in the arms of her adversary.
"Sasami..." Aeka wispered with forced breath, almost fainting at the sight of Sasami as Tenchi grabbed her by the waist to steady her.
"She'll be alright," the elder said, after a very brief examination. "But I think that we should get her down to Washu's lab so she can receive proper care."
As if summoned by the thoughts of all present rather than the commotion, Washu entered onto the scene through the hallway were Mihoshi stood. The genius, wrapped in nothing but a white bathrobe decorated with little red crabs and holding a towel adorned in the same motif, glimpsed at the detective who was still holding her weapon at her side.
"Mihoshi, put that thing away before you accidentally shoot yourself in the foot," Washu stated, a furrowed brow accentuating her supercilious remark.
Her dislike for the blond woman was shortly lived, however, as the reality of the situation became noticably clear. Part of the room was missing, dust and chunks of wood littered the entire space and there was Tenchi, right in the middle of it all, holding a very distraught Aeka in his dark, masculine arms.
Washu had seen this coming for a while now. It wasn't likely for two people such as Aeka and Ryoko to go so long without as much as a nasty verbal argument between them, considering that both individuals shared such a sorted past as well as a common factor; that being of course, Tenchi.
But something about this crisis didn't seem right. It didn't feel like all the other times she had seen or heard of the two woman fighting. Someone was missing from this equation, and from the glom in Tenchi's eyes, it didn't look good.
Washu hesitantly walked around Mihoshi, trying to get a good assessment of what exactly was going on. The little genius's mouth went wide with shock, unable to ask or say anything as she watched Katsuhito cradle an unconscious Sasami in his arms.
Without a word, Washu hurried over to the older man's side as he stood up, still holding the precious youth, and directed him to the entrance to her lab without giving Ryoko so much as a second glance.
Washu was quite aware of the pirate's ability to regenerate quickly, and so she left her there to take care of herself.
Katsuhito noticed the intellectual woman's lack of concern but said nothing as he continued to follow, Ryo-ohki closely at his heels.
Ryoko on the other hand, hadn't noticed Washu's disinterest in her, she was too wrapped up in the issue of what had just happened.
Regaining some of her energy, the pirate carefully got to her feet and checked herself over to make sure nothing was broken, with the exception of the fixture that once existed where a small crater now stood.
Resisting the urge to fly over to Tenchi and protect him from Aeka's erratic behavior, Ryoko just stood back, a twinge of jealousy growing in her soul. But she knew better. Tenchi was a caring, nurturing soul who only wanted to comfort the royal maiden, just like he would do for her if the situation was reversed. That's what she loved about him.
Months ago if she had seen the young man even touch Aeka she would have flown into a frenzy of her own, smashing anything in her way and threatening anyone with bodily harm. Now it was different. It wasn't for her to say what was appropriate or not, Tenchi was his own person.
Deciding he would get to the root of the problem better than herself, the ex-criminal silently dematerialized from the scene and headed towards the deep recesses of Washu's laboratory.
Tenchi payed no attention to the exchange that was taking place behind him as he focus all of his concentration on the older princess. She had apparently suffered some kind of nervous breakdown, that was the only explanation he could offer himself at the moment. Why else would she flip out without considering her younger sister being in the way?
He pushed these thoughts out of his mind, knowing that there had to be a logical explanation for what made her snap as he lead the crown princess upstairs, her body still shaking like a leaf in the wind.
Mihoshi placed her gun back into its holster as she cautiously walked over the debris feild and opened one of the cupboards, extracting two bottles of sake along with three saucers and headed up the staircase after her friends.
------------------------------
Washu had just begun her initial scan of Sasami, having changed into more appropriate attire complete with a new sash tied in her hair, just as Ryoko arrived.
"How's she doing?" the pirate asked to no one in particular as she walked up to the gurney that the child lay upon, the furry ship sitting on the end of it.
The lab seemed unusually dark except for the area surrounding them. The only bright light seemed to be coming from above them, focusing on the small patient in the center of it as she lay between white sterile sheets, a simple white gown replaced the wet, pastel-colored kimono she wore just a few moments before.
Ryoko stood next to Sasami, lightly touching her aquamarine hair as Washu continued typing away on her holo-top computer.
"She'll be ok. Sasami's young, therefore she should heal rather quickly. And besides, she has been assimilated with one of the most powerful beings in the universe." the little genius explained, her focus still on the task at hand.
Katsuhito approached Ryoko and handed her a small metal wash basin full of saline solution and a wad of gauze pads, suggesting that she help him care for the wound on the child's forehead.
The pirate gathered up the supplies and hesitantly sat on the bed with Sasami. Ryoko never felt comfortable in Washu's lair, full of intimidating gadgets and various pieces of equipment ranging from hideously large to incredibly small all housed in this dark, desolate place. With the exception of the scientific paraphernalia littered about, it felt almost exactly like the cave that held her captive for 700 years. At least in here she had the option to leave, unless she was being held hostage by the pint-sized professor.
With as delicate a hand as Ryoko could manage, she began to wash the dried blood from the gash over the child's brow, afraid to cause her any more pain.
Sasami began to regain conciousness, moaning wearily as she moved her head slightly.
Washu jumped from the plush cusion she had been sitting on and approached the bed. Languidly, the child opened her eyes, only to close them shut again as the blazing streams of light stung her retina's.
"Sasami, can you hear me?" the red-headed woman asked.
"L..L..Little Washu?" Sasami replied,much like a toddler learning how to talk for the first time as she tried to put her hand to her head, only to have the small genius hold her back.
"How do you feel?" Washu asked.
"Horrible." the child groaned, squinting her eyes. "Where am I? Why is it so bright?"
Within seconds Washu snapped her fingers, commanding the lights to be dimmed to a soft glow. Again the genius snapped her fingers. A small dimensional pocket opened, expelling a gadget that looked more like a stun gun.
"You're in the lab of the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe!" Washu boasted, her words reverberating loudly through the ears of all present.
"Please, not so loud." the young Juraian implored, cringing.
"Sorry."
"What have you got there?" Katsuhito asked Washu, refering to the item she had just procured from sub-space.
"Oh this? This is one of my latest inventions." the genius answered back, her voice beaming with pride.
"It works on the same principle as Ryoko's physical restoration abilities, only this is more compact and can be used on any living organism without compromising it's molecular structure."
Washu gazed at the perplexed grins contorting all three of their faces and realized to whom she had been speaking to.
"This little gizmo helps the body heal faster, much like Ryoko can do on her own, without any side effects."
"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" the cyan haired woman grumbled.
Ignoring the remark, Washu raised the hand-held device over the child's head. The others stared in amazement as the instrument cast a green phosphorescence over the laceration. Gradually the injury disappeared, leaving no sign of it having been there.
"That's quite an amazing little invention. It will come in rather handy when Tenchi returns to the shrine for practice." the old man commented with a wry smile.
Ryo-ohki, who had been sitting back quietly for some time, dilatorily crept toward Sasami, her long ears drooping at her sides,mewing ever so softly.
"Ryo-ohki, I'm so glad you're here."
"Sasami," interjected Ryoko, trying not to pay attention to what the shinto priest had just said a minute before, "Do you remember anything?"
The eleven year-old gave the pirate a queer expression, not quite understanding what she meant.
"What do you mean?"
"What was the last thing you remember before you woke up down here?" Washu repeated arching her brow.
Sasami thought for a moment. She slowly began to sit up when a child-like hand took hold of her, keeping her from falling off the tall gurney.
"I remember being in the kitchen after lunch. Ryoko promised to help me do the dishes."
"Anything else?" Washu asked.
"Not really."
"What does this mean? Will she be alright?" Ryoko asked.
"She seems to be suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder." the scientist responded, again using terminology that Ryoko couldn't understand.
"Post-tra-what?"
"Basically she's suffering from temporary amnesia. It causes her to forget specific details of a certain event, in this case the situation upstairs. However, with some rest she should be back to her own happy self in about a week"
"Does that mean she'll be able to remember after a while?" Ryoko inquired, her expression one of guarded relief.
"Um...Ryoko dear, I believe that's what I said."
"Oh," the pirate replied, obviously embarrased at the oversight.
Ryoko and Katsuhito let out a collective sigh upon hearing Washu's explanation, satisfied that their little friend and family member would recover fully.
"Where's Aeka and Tenchi?" Sasami asked, looking around and noticing their absence.
------------------
Upstairs, in a quaint room adorned with feminine decor, a bewildered prince sat beside a young princess on a small futon, both of Jurian Noble blood. Across from them sat a blond Galaxy Police Detective First Class, both friend and protector of the two people before her.
Tenchi had sat patiently with Aeka, waiting for her to calm down enough so that she could explain what had happened downstairs not ten minutes ago. The only information he could gather consisted of Ryoko and Sasami in the kitchen alone together, supposedly doing dishes and making a lot of noise.
After several attempts to give her own account of the chaos, she had passed out from a combination of exhaustion and sake.
"I think she's going to be out for a while, Tenchi. Why don't you go downstairs and check on Sasami."
"Are you sure, Mihoshi?" asked Tenchi, hesitating a little. If Aeka woke up, he wanted to be there to find out more about the incident.
"I'll be fine. You just go on ahead, I'm gonna sit here just in case she wakes up. I don't want her to be left alone. When she comes around, I'll get you."
The young Masaki male got up off the bedding, walked towards the door and stopped. This wasn't a side to Mihoshi that he didn't see too often. He usually saw her as a bubbly, accident-prone girl who's involvement in situations were laced with good intentions while stumbling along the way, and most of the time the outcome was a product of luck.
But now he looked at the detective in a whole new light. Mihoshi wasn't a mere clutz, but a responsible, level-headed woman when the opportunity came along. They had just never given her any credit for the things she had tried to do for them.
"Mihoshi,"
"Yes, Tenchi?" the detective answered, expecting him to remind her not to fall asleep again.
"Thanks." It wasn't original, but it was all he could say to her that expressed his appreciation.
Mihoshi's pale blue eyes lit up at his gesture, extremely happy at the words he had just spoken to her. It was very rare for someone to thank her for helping any one do anything, even Kiyone.
Like a teenager getting a new car for her birthday, Mihoshi lept up in the air, clutched her hands together and began to cry.
"Oh Tenchi. Do you really mean it? You're actually thanking me? You don't know how much this means to me..."
And so it came to be that Mihoshi's bubbly nature returned. As she approached the young man to give him one of her bear hugs, she lost her footing. Sticking out her arms to keep from falling, Mihoshi hit the crystal vase on a small table located not that far from the officer, causing it to shatter into several pieces as it crashed onto the floor.
Tenchi winced at the sight of the accident and the smashing sound that followed. Quickly he glanced at the princess, expecting her to be jolted awake by the noise. He was relieved to find her still sleeping dispite the clamor.
"I'm terribly sorry, Tenchi." Mihoshi whined, trying to pick up as many of the larger pieces as she could.
"It's alright, it was just an accident." he smiled, "I'll get the broom and help you clean this up."
-----------------------------------
In the deep recesses of space, an enormous craft made it's way through the ocean of stars. It's destination: a back-water planet known as Earth, the last known location of two members of Jurai's royal family.
Deep within the ship's bridge sat a large, steely man, extensively draped in imperial robes. Beside him stood two elegantly poised women, dressed in similar fashion.
Several thousand miles from the bow of the magnificent vessel, a smaller GP battle cruiser raced in the same direction, also bound for Earth. It's occupant feverishly attempting to communicate with a certain egotistical inventor.
"Come on, come on!!" Kiyone growled, punching commands into her keyboard.
For what seemed to be the hundreth time, the officer recieved the interstellar equivalent of a loss of dial tone.
"Damn!!" Kiyone screamed, grinding her teeth to almost shattering.
"All attempts to notify Princess Aeka, Princess Sasami Proffessor Washu have failed due to inadequate distance between the Yagami and Earth." came the monotone statement from Azaka, one of Aeka's guardian logs.
"Communication will not be possible for the next thousand parsecs." Kamadake droned as well.
"Why me?"
Author's comments:
There it is, chapter 2. Hope you like it. I would have posted it sooner, but unfortunately some things came up. I know that some people are asking why this is located in the lemon section. My answer, I plan on adding lemon later, and also because of some of the language. I got some positive feedback from my first chapter, so I guess I'm gonna stick with it for a while. I hope to have Chapter 3 up in a few weeks. Special thanks to Dudeman for proofreading my work. I am forever in your debt.
Again, any comments are welcome.
Mistress Ryoko
"E Bob Plebs Fides; E Jay Plebs Dubium"- Jay and Silent Bob
WARNING!!!!! This Fanfic may contain vulgar language, nudity and/or sexual content. If you are not of legal age to view such material, please turn back now. I will not be held responsible for the actions (or any actions incurred) from those who choose to freely read this fic.
With that said, let us continue...
Of Dreams And Reality
Chapter 2
"Consequences"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ryoko tried to halt the pain that was now coursing through her skull as she scanned the area, trying to find out who, or what, had hurt the young princess and was trying to kill her as well. She lunged toward the island in the middle of the kitchen next to where Sasami lay as another shot struck the wall nearby, creating a massive hole that allowed the frigid autumn air to blow in.
"You BITCH!!! You won't be satisfied until you've destroyed everything and everyone that I love!"
Ryoko heard the familiar voice screaming at her with such vehemence that she couldn't believe it had come from such a slender, cultivated woman. She had to admit that some of the time, if not most, she would purposely get Aeka so upset that the royal autocrat would lose her composure usually to the point of 'friendly fire'. But never, in all of Ryoko's exchanges with the young woman, had she ever heard her scream with such abhorrence and determination, even when she had been captured by her shortly after her release from the cave.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Aeka? Have you lost your fucking mind?!"
Ryoko, now dressed in her form fitting black and red battle gear, grabbed the child and summoned her force feild just as a third powerful blast shattered the entire cabinet, causing a cloud of ceramic missles and wooden splinters to fall around them.
"What's the matter you demon cur? It's no longer amusing to mistreat someone your own size, so you terrorize innocent children for your own sick and perverted pleasure?"
Aeka advanced on her enemy, every word filled with malice as it fell from her rosey lips.
For two years she had resided inside this quaint little home with the vile demon, and all that time she had insisted to Tenchi that Ryoko was nothing more than that. However, the young man would hear none of it, and expressed his own opinions regarding his rather unique houseguest. She was a complicated woman he would explain, and defend her actions as if she were a victim of circumstances that were beyond her control. The Crown Princess stood by and watched as Ryoko interacted with his family and friends as time passed, taking credence to the possibility that Tenchi could actually have been right after all. She seemed to genuinly care about those around her, even Aeka herself from time to time. They formed a strange bond through the years, coming together when faced with a crisis no matter how small.
But now she felt the fool. To be taken in by the acts of a lowly space pirate and actually pity her was too much to bear. She had questioned Ryoko's sincerity numberous times, but never had she suspected that even she could be trapped by her outrageous lies. But she had, and now Tenchi would see Ryoko for the monster she truely was.
The older princess stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Ryoko holding her sister, blood dripping from a deep gash on her forehead.
"Aeka, please..."
Before Ryoko could finish pleading for Sasami's safety and well-being, Aeka concentrated her own bulwark of dwarfling guardians to surround her arch rival, not realizing that her own hasty actions had caused her sister's injury.
Ryoko gently placed Sasami back on the floor and ever so slowly backed away from her, keeping as much distance as possible from the smallest princess all the while keeping her eyes on Aeka. Hopefully if she kept away from the little girl, Aeka would see it as a sign of surrender and at least take Sasami to where she could be helped.
She stared into Aeka's eyes, anxious to find out if the princess had taken the bait. Ryoko watched closely as Aeka ventured further toward them, her expression one full of vengence. There was no way in hell this was going to end peacefully.
Of course the ex-criminal could have easily teleported her and Sasami to safety, but she found that no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't leave Aeka in such a state. Ryoko tried to telepathically scream for Washu through their shared mental link, but found that the young scientist's end was sealed rather tightly, apparently wanting to be completely alone to relax in the onsen.
'The one time I really need her and she does this,' the pirate silently scolded. Deciding to risk getting the older princess even more irate, Ryoko tried to teleport Sasami out of the area before things got worse. There was no way she was going to get to the bottom of this if she had to worry about Sasami at the same time.
Aeka's sheilding hummed to life, spinning the small cylinders in oposite directions around her prey.
Before Ryoko was able to put her plan into action, she was suddenly being bombarded with such a substantial surge of power that even with all of her strength she couldn't maintain her own defenses as her own shield collapsed. The pirate screamed in agony as pain surged through her body, the onslaught continuing to a fevered pitch.
The spikey-haired woman's mind was filled with thoughts of Sasami and her sister as the attack subsided. What had she done that was so wrong to warrant the Juraian woman's acerbity of temper, to cause Aeka so much pain that she would even overlook Sasami's presence as she lashed out physically? Was she so blinded by her own hysteria that she couldn't even comprehend that it was her own doing that had caused her little sister to be hurt, her delusion so great that Aeka had actually thought Ryoko herself could be capable of intentionally harming one so innocent as Sasami?
Ryoko gathered every ounce of inner strength she could muster, suprisingly weakened by the voltage that Aeka's attack was capable of, and crawled over to the young princess. Using her much larger frame as a defense sheild of it's own, she leaned over Sasami, determined to protect her small friend from her sister's misdirected rage.
The droning of Aeka's aegis became deafening as she prepared to fire once more.
-----------------------------
Tenchi was at the shrine with Grandpa sweeping and chatting away, using this time to take a much needed break from his unsuccessful attempts at his studies as Mihoshi sat nearby on the shrine steps, feeding Ryo-ohki from a neary basket of carrots.
"You're so cute." the blond officer grinned playfully, the cool air nipping at her skin. "It must be great not having a care in the world."
Katsuhito gazed skyward, taking in the natural beauty of the nearly leafless trees when a loud eruption shook the serenity of the countryside, making everything and everyone stop, like time itself had ceased to exist.
The young man beside him instantly knew there was trouble, quickly turning his head in the direction of the disturbance.
"What was that?!" he said loudly, his breath creating a small haze of crystalized moisture. The feeling that rippled through his body told him that this wasn't like all the other times he had heard that same sound. This felt more urgent, like the screaming of someone's soul.
"It sounded like it came from the house." answered Mihoshi, confirming what Tenchi had suspected. The young woman quickly shed her bubbly persona and reached for her service pistol which she kept conveniently straped to her backside.
The furry cabbit ran as fast as it could to the house with Tenchi and the other two close behind. The crisp breezes stung their faces as they followed the ship, their minds filled with visions of two women engaging in a small war of wills as they raced past the trees.
The family dwelling came into view as two more loud explosions were heard and a large puff of smoke could be seen emanating from the back yard.
Katsuhito directed the blond detective to go through the front door while he and Tenchi went to investigate behind his home. As the two men rounded the corner, they noticed chunks of drywall, housing shingles and pieces of what looked like were once two-by-four's littered all over the cold, hard ground.
Tenchi's attention was then focused on the horrible things being said from inside the kitchen. Aeka, who's voice was usually calm and lilting, was almost unrecognizable as she spat hatred and revenge on whomever had incurred her wrath.
Being extra careful not to get in the path of another missle attack, Tenchi peeked into the kitchen through the rather large hollow where the wall once stood, expecting to find both the princess and Ryoko engrossed in one of their long awaited battles. What he saw made his heart almost jump out of his chest.
There, lying on the kitchen floor was little Sasami, unmoving in a puddle of water mixed with some of the child's own blood. Ryoko on the other hand was slumped over the young princess, still conscious, her eyes closed in expectation.
Not far from them stood Aeka, the proud jewel of the Jurian Royal family, her face a mask of tears and pale despair, preparing one last strike on her intended target.
"AEKA, NO!" Tenchi shouted, his hands in front of him as he sprinted towards her, regardless of the slick tiles threatening his traction.
"Stand back, Lord Tenchi. This is no affair of yours." she shouted back at him, determined to carry out her own brand of justice as the memories of long before were still fresh in her mind.
"Do as she says Tenchi! Just take Sasami and go!" Ryoko pleaded with him. There was no way that she was going to place him in danger, afraid that his attempts to save her would become his own downfall. At least he could help Sasami before it was too late.
Katsuhito stood in the opening of the decimated wall, watching the exchange closely with tentative, wine-colored eyes. The old shrine keeper patiently stood by, waiting for a sign that let him know he was needed by his grandson who stood mere inches from Aeka.
From behind the princess Mihoshi emerged, blaster in hand, ready for anything, the small cabbit at her side. She surveyed the damage, not noticing the two crumpled forms in front of the plum-tressed woman.
"Aeka..." the officer wispered softly, just as much in the dark about the situation as everyone else present. She gave Tenchi a quizical expression as he motioned for Mihoshi to lower her gun and stand back.
Tenchi calmly took two more steps, signaling for his grandfather to tend to Sasami and Ryoko. Carefully trying not to upset her anymore than she already was, he stood firmly between Aeka and her quarry.
"Tenchi! Get away!" the space pirate implored, tears cascading down her cheeks, fearing that Aeka would kill him while in her state of temperary insanity. Katsuhito simply reassured Ryoko that his young protege knew what he was doing, trying to calm the almost hysterical woman as he checked Sasami for signs of life.
Ryo-ohki bounded towards her master, yowling at the site of it's favorite perch laying there. Instinctively, the creature arched her back, hissing a Aeka, a futile attempt to stop the princess from lashing out.
Ryoko turned her attention away from the shinto priest and back to Tenchi, still standing between the older princess and herself, and prayed that his grandfather was right.
"Please Lord Tenchi, don't come any closer!" the princess warned.
Her eyes, although hazed over with tears, watched intently as Tenchi held his ground, unwavered by the presage she had just given him. His expression wasn't that of judgement and loathing as she had expected, rather it was filled with understanding and compassion.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to follow up with her intention to fire upon Ryoko again, even if by some twist of fate the young man looking at her had allowed her to.
The young man placed a gentle hand on the princess as her powers subsided, letting the flood gates that were her emotions spill out into the open, recalling the vision of her wounded sister lying quiescently in the arms of her adversary.
"Sasami..." Aeka wispered with forced breath, almost fainting at the sight of Sasami as Tenchi grabbed her by the waist to steady her.
"She'll be alright," the elder said, after a very brief examination. "But I think that we should get her down to Washu's lab so she can receive proper care."
As if summoned by the thoughts of all present rather than the commotion, Washu entered onto the scene through the hallway were Mihoshi stood. The genius, wrapped in nothing but a white bathrobe decorated with little red crabs and holding a towel adorned in the same motif, glimpsed at the detective who was still holding her weapon at her side.
"Mihoshi, put that thing away before you accidentally shoot yourself in the foot," Washu stated, a furrowed brow accentuating her supercilious remark.
Her dislike for the blond woman was shortly lived, however, as the reality of the situation became noticably clear. Part of the room was missing, dust and chunks of wood littered the entire space and there was Tenchi, right in the middle of it all, holding a very distraught Aeka in his dark, masculine arms.
Washu had seen this coming for a while now. It wasn't likely for two people such as Aeka and Ryoko to go so long without as much as a nasty verbal argument between them, considering that both individuals shared such a sorted past as well as a common factor; that being of course, Tenchi.
But something about this crisis didn't seem right. It didn't feel like all the other times she had seen or heard of the two woman fighting. Someone was missing from this equation, and from the glom in Tenchi's eyes, it didn't look good.
Washu hesitantly walked around Mihoshi, trying to get a good assessment of what exactly was going on. The little genius's mouth went wide with shock, unable to ask or say anything as she watched Katsuhito cradle an unconscious Sasami in his arms.
Without a word, Washu hurried over to the older man's side as he stood up, still holding the precious youth, and directed him to the entrance to her lab without giving Ryoko so much as a second glance.
Washu was quite aware of the pirate's ability to regenerate quickly, and so she left her there to take care of herself.
Katsuhito noticed the intellectual woman's lack of concern but said nothing as he continued to follow, Ryo-ohki closely at his heels.
Ryoko on the other hand, hadn't noticed Washu's disinterest in her, she was too wrapped up in the issue of what had just happened.
Regaining some of her energy, the pirate carefully got to her feet and checked herself over to make sure nothing was broken, with the exception of the fixture that once existed where a small crater now stood.
Resisting the urge to fly over to Tenchi and protect him from Aeka's erratic behavior, Ryoko just stood back, a twinge of jealousy growing in her soul. But she knew better. Tenchi was a caring, nurturing soul who only wanted to comfort the royal maiden, just like he would do for her if the situation was reversed. That's what she loved about him.
Months ago if she had seen the young man even touch Aeka she would have flown into a frenzy of her own, smashing anything in her way and threatening anyone with bodily harm. Now it was different. It wasn't for her to say what was appropriate or not, Tenchi was his own person.
Deciding he would get to the root of the problem better than herself, the ex-criminal silently dematerialized from the scene and headed towards the deep recesses of Washu's laboratory.
Tenchi payed no attention to the exchange that was taking place behind him as he focus all of his concentration on the older princess. She had apparently suffered some kind of nervous breakdown, that was the only explanation he could offer himself at the moment. Why else would she flip out without considering her younger sister being in the way?
He pushed these thoughts out of his mind, knowing that there had to be a logical explanation for what made her snap as he lead the crown princess upstairs, her body still shaking like a leaf in the wind.
Mihoshi placed her gun back into its holster as she cautiously walked over the debris feild and opened one of the cupboards, extracting two bottles of sake along with three saucers and headed up the staircase after her friends.
------------------------------
Washu had just begun her initial scan of Sasami, having changed into more appropriate attire complete with a new sash tied in her hair, just as Ryoko arrived.
"How's she doing?" the pirate asked to no one in particular as she walked up to the gurney that the child lay upon, the furry ship sitting on the end of it.
The lab seemed unusually dark except for the area surrounding them. The only bright light seemed to be coming from above them, focusing on the small patient in the center of it as she lay between white sterile sheets, a simple white gown replaced the wet, pastel-colored kimono she wore just a few moments before.
Ryoko stood next to Sasami, lightly touching her aquamarine hair as Washu continued typing away on her holo-top computer.
"She'll be ok. Sasami's young, therefore she should heal rather quickly. And besides, she has been assimilated with one of the most powerful beings in the universe." the little genius explained, her focus still on the task at hand.
Katsuhito approached Ryoko and handed her a small metal wash basin full of saline solution and a wad of gauze pads, suggesting that she help him care for the wound on the child's forehead.
The pirate gathered up the supplies and hesitantly sat on the bed with Sasami. Ryoko never felt comfortable in Washu's lair, full of intimidating gadgets and various pieces of equipment ranging from hideously large to incredibly small all housed in this dark, desolate place. With the exception of the scientific paraphernalia littered about, it felt almost exactly like the cave that held her captive for 700 years. At least in here she had the option to leave, unless she was being held hostage by the pint-sized professor.
With as delicate a hand as Ryoko could manage, she began to wash the dried blood from the gash over the child's brow, afraid to cause her any more pain.
Sasami began to regain conciousness, moaning wearily as she moved her head slightly.
Washu jumped from the plush cusion she had been sitting on and approached the bed. Languidly, the child opened her eyes, only to close them shut again as the blazing streams of light stung her retina's.
"Sasami, can you hear me?" the red-headed woman asked.
"L..L..Little Washu?" Sasami replied,much like a toddler learning how to talk for the first time as she tried to put her hand to her head, only to have the small genius hold her back.
"How do you feel?" Washu asked.
"Horrible." the child groaned, squinting her eyes. "Where am I? Why is it so bright?"
Within seconds Washu snapped her fingers, commanding the lights to be dimmed to a soft glow. Again the genius snapped her fingers. A small dimensional pocket opened, expelling a gadget that looked more like a stun gun.
"You're in the lab of the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe!" Washu boasted, her words reverberating loudly through the ears of all present.
"Please, not so loud." the young Juraian implored, cringing.
"Sorry."
"What have you got there?" Katsuhito asked Washu, refering to the item she had just procured from sub-space.
"Oh this? This is one of my latest inventions." the genius answered back, her voice beaming with pride.
"It works on the same principle as Ryoko's physical restoration abilities, only this is more compact and can be used on any living organism without compromising it's molecular structure."
Washu gazed at the perplexed grins contorting all three of their faces and realized to whom she had been speaking to.
"This little gizmo helps the body heal faster, much like Ryoko can do on her own, without any side effects."
"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" the cyan haired woman grumbled.
Ignoring the remark, Washu raised the hand-held device over the child's head. The others stared in amazement as the instrument cast a green phosphorescence over the laceration. Gradually the injury disappeared, leaving no sign of it having been there.
"That's quite an amazing little invention. It will come in rather handy when Tenchi returns to the shrine for practice." the old man commented with a wry smile.
Ryo-ohki, who had been sitting back quietly for some time, dilatorily crept toward Sasami, her long ears drooping at her sides,mewing ever so softly.
"Ryo-ohki, I'm so glad you're here."
"Sasami," interjected Ryoko, trying not to pay attention to what the shinto priest had just said a minute before, "Do you remember anything?"
The eleven year-old gave the pirate a queer expression, not quite understanding what she meant.
"What do you mean?"
"What was the last thing you remember before you woke up down here?" Washu repeated arching her brow.
Sasami thought for a moment. She slowly began to sit up when a child-like hand took hold of her, keeping her from falling off the tall gurney.
"I remember being in the kitchen after lunch. Ryoko promised to help me do the dishes."
"Anything else?" Washu asked.
"Not really."
"What does this mean? Will she be alright?" Ryoko asked.
"She seems to be suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder." the scientist responded, again using terminology that Ryoko couldn't understand.
"Post-tra-what?"
"Basically she's suffering from temporary amnesia. It causes her to forget specific details of a certain event, in this case the situation upstairs. However, with some rest she should be back to her own happy self in about a week"
"Does that mean she'll be able to remember after a while?" Ryoko inquired, her expression one of guarded relief.
"Um...Ryoko dear, I believe that's what I said."
"Oh," the pirate replied, obviously embarrased at the oversight.
Ryoko and Katsuhito let out a collective sigh upon hearing Washu's explanation, satisfied that their little friend and family member would recover fully.
"Where's Aeka and Tenchi?" Sasami asked, looking around and noticing their absence.
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Upstairs, in a quaint room adorned with feminine decor, a bewildered prince sat beside a young princess on a small futon, both of Jurian Noble blood. Across from them sat a blond Galaxy Police Detective First Class, both friend and protector of the two people before her.
Tenchi had sat patiently with Aeka, waiting for her to calm down enough so that she could explain what had happened downstairs not ten minutes ago. The only information he could gather consisted of Ryoko and Sasami in the kitchen alone together, supposedly doing dishes and making a lot of noise.
After several attempts to give her own account of the chaos, she had passed out from a combination of exhaustion and sake.
"I think she's going to be out for a while, Tenchi. Why don't you go downstairs and check on Sasami."
"Are you sure, Mihoshi?" asked Tenchi, hesitating a little. If Aeka woke up, he wanted to be there to find out more about the incident.
"I'll be fine. You just go on ahead, I'm gonna sit here just in case she wakes up. I don't want her to be left alone. When she comes around, I'll get you."
The young Masaki male got up off the bedding, walked towards the door and stopped. This wasn't a side to Mihoshi that he didn't see too often. He usually saw her as a bubbly, accident-prone girl who's involvement in situations were laced with good intentions while stumbling along the way, and most of the time the outcome was a product of luck.
But now he looked at the detective in a whole new light. Mihoshi wasn't a mere clutz, but a responsible, level-headed woman when the opportunity came along. They had just never given her any credit for the things she had tried to do for them.
"Mihoshi,"
"Yes, Tenchi?" the detective answered, expecting him to remind her not to fall asleep again.
"Thanks." It wasn't original, but it was all he could say to her that expressed his appreciation.
Mihoshi's pale blue eyes lit up at his gesture, extremely happy at the words he had just spoken to her. It was very rare for someone to thank her for helping any one do anything, even Kiyone.
Like a teenager getting a new car for her birthday, Mihoshi lept up in the air, clutched her hands together and began to cry.
"Oh Tenchi. Do you really mean it? You're actually thanking me? You don't know how much this means to me..."
And so it came to be that Mihoshi's bubbly nature returned. As she approached the young man to give him one of her bear hugs, she lost her footing. Sticking out her arms to keep from falling, Mihoshi hit the crystal vase on a small table located not that far from the officer, causing it to shatter into several pieces as it crashed onto the floor.
Tenchi winced at the sight of the accident and the smashing sound that followed. Quickly he glanced at the princess, expecting her to be jolted awake by the noise. He was relieved to find her still sleeping dispite the clamor.
"I'm terribly sorry, Tenchi." Mihoshi whined, trying to pick up as many of the larger pieces as she could.
"It's alright, it was just an accident." he smiled, "I'll get the broom and help you clean this up."
-----------------------------------
In the deep recesses of space, an enormous craft made it's way through the ocean of stars. It's destination: a back-water planet known as Earth, the last known location of two members of Jurai's royal family.
Deep within the ship's bridge sat a large, steely man, extensively draped in imperial robes. Beside him stood two elegantly poised women, dressed in similar fashion.
Several thousand miles from the bow of the magnificent vessel, a smaller GP battle cruiser raced in the same direction, also bound for Earth. It's occupant feverishly attempting to communicate with a certain egotistical inventor.
"Come on, come on!!" Kiyone growled, punching commands into her keyboard.
For what seemed to be the hundreth time, the officer recieved the interstellar equivalent of a loss of dial tone.
"Damn!!" Kiyone screamed, grinding her teeth to almost shattering.
"All attempts to notify Princess Aeka, Princess Sasami Proffessor Washu have failed due to inadequate distance between the Yagami and Earth." came the monotone statement from Azaka, one of Aeka's guardian logs.
"Communication will not be possible for the next thousand parsecs." Kamadake droned as well.
"Why me?"
Author's comments:
There it is, chapter 2. Hope you like it. I would have posted it sooner, but unfortunately some things came up. I know that some people are asking why this is located in the lemon section. My answer, I plan on adding lemon later, and also because of some of the language. I got some positive feedback from my first chapter, so I guess I'm gonna stick with it for a while. I hope to have Chapter 3 up in a few weeks. Special thanks to Dudeman for proofreading my work. I am forever in your debt.
Again, any comments are welcome.
Mistress Ryoko
"E Bob Plebs Fides; E Jay Plebs Dubium"- Jay and Silent Bob