Honor Redefined
I've got to Say WSRaptor really breathed some life into this. Wonderful job, I appreciate it, Proofreading cant be easy.
Chapter 3
A Softening Up
"Unidentified vessels, please respond." Azusa was perched on the edge of his throne in anticipation. It seemed that the people who were responsible for the destruction of the outer colony were back. "Unidentified vessels, if you continue on your current approach vector, you will be deemed hostile and fired upon." Although they had, by all appearances, brought friends, surely they wouldn't try anything since Oculus Prime was one of their larger and more advanced colonies. "Unidentified vessels, this is your last warning." the voice boomed out of a speaker in the corner of his throne room.
An aide had notified him as soon as the brigands were spotted on an approach path to Oculus Prime. The galaxy police had dispatched a fleet of their more powerful warships, followed closely by support ships. The support ships that followed were mainly rescue and recovery vessels in case the situation turned hostile.
Due to the vast distances involved when traversing the empire, if the bandits did decide to try something, the colony would be on its own for a day or two. It would be significantly more if they tried something on the outer colonies. Throughout the history of the Jurian empire, he and his forefathers had embarked on a building campaign, but expansion had far out sped any construction of infrastructure that enabled speedy access to his colonies.
"All personnel to battle stations. This is not a drill. Fire a warning shot." Azusa's knuckles whitened as his grip on the arm rests increased. "They still haven't deviated their course. Targeting their engines..." He almost couldn't bear the wait. "No, that's impossible! Use the mark III plasma torpedoes, maximum kinetic!"
"How is that possible … weapons ineffective! I'm detecting an energy spike in the vicinity of the unidentified vessels!" Where once the voice on the other end of the speaker had been calm and professional sounding, there was now evident an edge of panic.
"Divert all power from non-essential systems to the shields!"
"Mayday! Mayday! This is Oculus Prime requesting immediate assis..."
Static replaced the dialogue that had him informed of the situation at Oculus Prime. His prayers that the situation would somehow work out peacefully weren't answered. It was not something that any emperor wanted to hear. One of his colonies bombed. So many of his people killed, people that relied upon him for their safety. Turning to his aide, Azusa managed to whisper "Summon the heads of the council and a representative of the galactic academy immediately. You are not to speak of this to anyone outside of the royal families. Is that understood?" Getting an acknowledgement from the aid, he continued, "Ask my wives if they would care to join me. Their advice would be invaluable." The aid bowed and quickly left to carry out his instructions.
Azusa didn't have to wait long before his wives walked in to sit beside him. The three chairs at the end of the extensive chamber were an intimidating sight. It was an effect a number of emperors had relied upon and used to their advantage. "The news has spread husband," Funaho informed him. "While the stations internal coms were on a secure link, the final mayday was broadcast on public channels. There is no way you can keep this under wraps. You need to focus on damage control."
Funaho's calm interpretation of events was interrupted as the heads of the other three royal families walked in. Ushio Kamiki filed in with Amasi Tatsuki, both of whom were in what looked like a heated discussion. Kuzuki Amaki accompanied the representative of the galactic academy.
"What have you been doing Azusa? This is the second colony we've lost in as many months!" Ushio cried out angrily.
"What has Tsunami had to say about this? It is clear that we are facing a threat we may not be able to handle ourselves. An outer colony that has barely enough technology to survive without the direct support of Jurai is one thing, but if they could so easily destroy Oculus Prime then Jurai could be next!" Amasi joined his voice to Ushiro's questions.
Out of the three representatives of the royal families and the heads of the council only Kuzuki was silent. While he was busy talking to the representative of the galactic academy, he still could have joined his fellows in protest.
Azusa trembled in anger. It was one thing to become overwhelmed at the news that they were after 10,000 years facing a direct threat to their sovereignty and he would have forgiven any disrespect if that had been the case. But their disrespect seemed to be founded on a blatant jockeying for power at his expense. He was the emperor and direct representative of Tsunami their goddess. To be treated with such disrespect for such a disgusting reason was a slur at Tsunami.
"Enough!" he shouted, quieting down what could have led to an uncontrollable argument. "I have asked you here today not to lay blame or spread rumors but to gain answers. If it wasn't for the fact that we need to present a united front in the face of attack I would have you regretting those words!" His family had access to the light hawk wings and so was responsible for the safety of the empire. If they had no respect for him at least they should respect his position as emperor and living representative of Tsunami.
"In case you hadn't noticed, there is with us today a representative of the galactic academy." the weaselly-faced man twitched as all eyes focused on him. "Please tell us you have some information on those responsible for bombing our colonies."
"Ah, yes. Well of course, that is why I'm here," he started with an embarrassed laugh. He rearranged the pile of notes and equipment he had brought with him and continued, "We hypothesized that the large concentration of Tau neutrinos at the alpha site were a result of some unknown technology. A technology that was either used or carried upon the criminals' ships. This allowed us to have a trace on when and where they were likely to turn up next."
He started to become more confident as he lost himself in what was obviously a passionate subject for the young scientist. "We started to monitor the neutrino spectrum near those colonies that had a sufficient technology base to allow us to do so."
A holographic graph appeared in the space in front of the conference of people, "This is a representation of the neutrino spectrum over time around the Oculus system." He explained to the emperor, his two wives, and to the three heads of the other royal families.
"The six bars represent a percentage of each type of neutrino." The scientist pointed as the graph became a bar graph with six vertical columns. "The horizontal dotted line above each column represents the average value over time."
"As you can see at around this time we can see a rapid increase in the concentration of Tau neutrinos at the expense of the remaining neutrinos." The displayed showed the middle column increasing apparently being fueled by the decrease in the remaining columns. "If this were a natural occurrence you would expect the increase to be repeated across the spectrum, not just this small section of it. It is fascinating to imagine what..."
"This is all very interesting doctor, but please keep the details and suppositions to a minimum," Azusa asked as he watched the faces of those around him start to lose focus.
"Yes of course," he answered a little embarrassed by being so easily distracted. "As you know, it was at this point that we notified the galaxy police that there would be a possible attack at location beta. The good news is that evidence has been found suggesting that Oculus Prime may have survived the bombardment, though with serious damage."
"What is worrisome though is how their fleet was able to jump in from an unknown location, past site betas primary defenses, all without being detected by our sensors. We don't know how they did that yet, nor do we know why conventional weapons were ineffective."
"From the large number of unknown technologies being used by the fleet as well as the strange vessel designs, it has been speculated that what we face is nothing less than an incursion of an alien power. Why, to think that there is another Civilization that has gathered enough resources and is advanced enough..."
At the frowns he was receiving from the other members of the conference, the scientist decided that his speculations were not being well received. Clearing his throat he finished his briefing, "We have plenty of images of the fleet and we are working on possible theories about how their technologies work. Without working models, though, it could take a while."
"Thank you doctor. Please keep us all informed of any further developments. Also, may I remind you that finding out who these invaders are, if they are indeed alien to the empire, is secondary to developing an effective defensive and offensive weapon against them." Azusa waited for a nod before he dismissed the young researcher. An image of the alien fleet was left hovering menacingly in place as the doctor left the room leaving the Jurian elite to discuss the future of the empire.
*****
"So son-in-law has left Nerima." enquired the ancient martial artist in an awfully smug tone. "By himself. Now isn't that interesting. You're sure that he didn't leave in response to a challenge that he received?" Cologne added by fixing her great grand daughter with a penetrating stare.
"Very sure Great Grandmother. Already sneaky mercenary girl is organizing search party. Will we join matriarch?" Shampoo almost bounced around the room. It had been too long since she had been allowed to hunt.
"No, it seems that the game has shifted. It is no longer useful to preserve the status quo. This is the opportunity that we have been waiting for. If we play this right you will have your husband very, very soon." explained Cologne.
"We find Ranma alone and take him to China then. I knows Great Grandmother powerful enough to do so." Chirped Shampoo eagerly, relishing the idea of finally being alone with her husband.
"What have I told you about willing allies girl?" Cologne rasped in exasperation. "A willing ally is infinitely more valuable than an unwilling one. No, son in law is growing up. He is maturing and if we can become a part of that process then we will have snared ourselves a very willing ally. It will require patience and a lot of planning, but the chances of success are well worth the extra time it will take. All we have to do is find the boy and our success is almost guaranteed!" Cologne almost cackled with glee. "I have a feeling that Son-in-law will make an exceptional ally."
"Mr. Part-Timer!" Cologne barked out "We're going out. When we get back, the restaurant better still be here!" The search for Ranma had begun, and the amazons were determined that they would be the ones to find him.
*****
Ryoko found herself sitting against a tree facing what looked to be a camp. She felt healthy, disgustingly healthy. That technique must have either failed, or judging by the fact that she was in the middle of a camp, some do-gooder had found her and saved her life.
Taking in her surroundings, Ryoko looked around what was she had to admit, a well-ordered campsite. There was a tent pitched over one side of the clearing beside a campfire with what looked and smelled like lunch. Finally, there was a clothes line with... "WHAT THE HELL?!?"
That was her laundry being hung up and aired even though she was not naked. Somehow she had managed to obtain a silken Chinese out fit, black trousers with a red silken top, replacing her usual attire, right down to her panties.
"Ah good your up, it's been three days I was getting worried." Whoever owned the camp had apparently decided to make an appearance, he had obviously heard her outburst.
"What did you do to me, and what did you mean by three days." Ryoko was angry, not only had this person decided to save her life but also taking a closer look he seemed to bear a remarkable resemblance to her beloved Tenchi. It was almost like he was mocking her loss. It was almost symbolic. A Tenchi look alike was preventing her death as if he was reaching from beyond the grave. It did not change the fact that she would much rather join him in the after life.
"Whoa! Calm down lady! When I found you, your aura was somehow being leeched into the environment. You passed out from a lack of sustainable Ki and I brought you back to my camp. Don't worry, I made sure you were fed, cleaned and bedded. I had nothing better to do while I waited for you to recover." Ryoko's eyes narrowed. There was something that he wasn't telling her. His description of the last three days was far too brief.
'Did he just say...?' she took another look at what she was wearing and glanced to where her clothes were being aired. 'Fed, cleaned and BEDDED?!?' she thought. Why that no good molester. She was going to kill him and then she could get onto dying herself.
The young man that bore a remarkable similarity to Tenchi backed away from her as she started to draw heavily on the power of the gem on her wrist. "You will die now," she said in a low menacing voice. There was something wrong with the way her body seemed to handle the amount of power she was handling but Ryoko just put it down to her near death experience. 'Anyway,' she thought 'I have better things to do, like kill the pervert' as she started to slice up his camp with her energy sword in an attempt to slice off some of his more important limbs.
"Ah crap, I just knew that she was going to be some crazy chick that wanted to kill me." The young man muttered as he dodged her sword with a skill that she hadn't seen since her fight with Yosho. Even Tenchi had not managed to gain the skill necessary to spar with her. 'Of course now he will never be able to get that skill' Ryoko thought darkly as she renewed her efforts. "What's your problem? What did you expect me to do, leave ya in yer own stink for three days."
"Just die!" she shouted as she was starting to get a little frustrated at his success in dodging her strikes 'I haven't become that rusty have I? Ah well, time to bring out the big guns,' she thought, drawing upon more power from the gem in her wrist.
"Let's see how well you deal with this you molester!" Ryoko shouted before letting loose an array of fire balls at the pig tailed pervert. When it became evident that he was avoiding her blasts with almost the same ease as before she decided that she would try something new.
Not so much new, but a variation on an old technique. Molecular manipulation would, she felt certain, finish this guy off where her other attacks lacked the strength to do so. Grabbing control of the trees that abounded this area of what she presumed was still Japan, she ordered them to attack. There was no way that he could defeat the 15 trees that she sent after him, so she sat back to watch what would be a very satisfying end to the sordid affair.
Ryoko almost crowed in victory after the trees tagged the young man despite his best efforts. It wouldn't be long now. She only wished she had popcorn. She felt little concern when he seemed to get a little more serious. After all, she doubted she could beat 15 trees if someone as skilled as she was controlling them.
It wasn't until she lost track of him that she felt a little worried. How could she have lost track of him? Losing track of what appeared to be a skilled fighter in the middle of a fight was always a bad sign. "Sorry lady," she heard the young man say almost mournfully as she felt the world spinning out of control. It didn't last long though and after being slammed painfully into the ground, she wished it had lasted longer. Needless to say, after that, she had lost control over the trees and was too exhausted to attempt to regain control.
Ryoko looked up at the sky and sighed. She had lost again. Something that had been happening far too often. Before this fight, she had believed that if only she had been with Tenchi, maybe then, she would have been able to protect him. Maybe then, he would still be alive. She had just had her ass handed to her on a plate by a human though; quickly dashing the thought that she could have made a difference.
Ryoko looked at the young man wearing Tenchi's face and burst into tears. Tenchi was not coming back and nothing she could do would change that sad fact. She didn't even notice that she had been gathered into a firm embrace or the fact that she no longer had the desire to end her life.
A/N - Real life bites, already I've lost two proofreaders to it. Ah well.
-For those wondering what the 'Tenchi look a like' stuff is well, family resemblance.
I've got to Say WSRaptor really breathed some life into this. Wonderful job, I appreciate it, Proofreading cant be easy.
Chapter 3
A Softening Up
"Unidentified vessels, please respond." Azusa was perched on the edge of his throne in anticipation. It seemed that the people who were responsible for the destruction of the outer colony were back. "Unidentified vessels, if you continue on your current approach vector, you will be deemed hostile and fired upon." Although they had, by all appearances, brought friends, surely they wouldn't try anything since Oculus Prime was one of their larger and more advanced colonies. "Unidentified vessels, this is your last warning." the voice boomed out of a speaker in the corner of his throne room.
An aide had notified him as soon as the brigands were spotted on an approach path to Oculus Prime. The galaxy police had dispatched a fleet of their more powerful warships, followed closely by support ships. The support ships that followed were mainly rescue and recovery vessels in case the situation turned hostile.
Due to the vast distances involved when traversing the empire, if the bandits did decide to try something, the colony would be on its own for a day or two. It would be significantly more if they tried something on the outer colonies. Throughout the history of the Jurian empire, he and his forefathers had embarked on a building campaign, but expansion had far out sped any construction of infrastructure that enabled speedy access to his colonies.
"All personnel to battle stations. This is not a drill. Fire a warning shot." Azusa's knuckles whitened as his grip on the arm rests increased. "They still haven't deviated their course. Targeting their engines..." He almost couldn't bear the wait. "No, that's impossible! Use the mark III plasma torpedoes, maximum kinetic!"
"How is that possible … weapons ineffective! I'm detecting an energy spike in the vicinity of the unidentified vessels!" Where once the voice on the other end of the speaker had been calm and professional sounding, there was now evident an edge of panic.
"Divert all power from non-essential systems to the shields!"
"Mayday! Mayday! This is Oculus Prime requesting immediate assis..."
Static replaced the dialogue that had him informed of the situation at Oculus Prime. His prayers that the situation would somehow work out peacefully weren't answered. It was not something that any emperor wanted to hear. One of his colonies bombed. So many of his people killed, people that relied upon him for their safety. Turning to his aide, Azusa managed to whisper "Summon the heads of the council and a representative of the galactic academy immediately. You are not to speak of this to anyone outside of the royal families. Is that understood?" Getting an acknowledgement from the aid, he continued, "Ask my wives if they would care to join me. Their advice would be invaluable." The aid bowed and quickly left to carry out his instructions.
Azusa didn't have to wait long before his wives walked in to sit beside him. The three chairs at the end of the extensive chamber were an intimidating sight. It was an effect a number of emperors had relied upon and used to their advantage. "The news has spread husband," Funaho informed him. "While the stations internal coms were on a secure link, the final mayday was broadcast on public channels. There is no way you can keep this under wraps. You need to focus on damage control."
Funaho's calm interpretation of events was interrupted as the heads of the other three royal families walked in. Ushio Kamiki filed in with Amasi Tatsuki, both of whom were in what looked like a heated discussion. Kuzuki Amaki accompanied the representative of the galactic academy.
"What have you been doing Azusa? This is the second colony we've lost in as many months!" Ushio cried out angrily.
"What has Tsunami had to say about this? It is clear that we are facing a threat we may not be able to handle ourselves. An outer colony that has barely enough technology to survive without the direct support of Jurai is one thing, but if they could so easily destroy Oculus Prime then Jurai could be next!" Amasi joined his voice to Ushiro's questions.
Out of the three representatives of the royal families and the heads of the council only Kuzuki was silent. While he was busy talking to the representative of the galactic academy, he still could have joined his fellows in protest.
Azusa trembled in anger. It was one thing to become overwhelmed at the news that they were after 10,000 years facing a direct threat to their sovereignty and he would have forgiven any disrespect if that had been the case. But their disrespect seemed to be founded on a blatant jockeying for power at his expense. He was the emperor and direct representative of Tsunami their goddess. To be treated with such disrespect for such a disgusting reason was a slur at Tsunami.
"Enough!" he shouted, quieting down what could have led to an uncontrollable argument. "I have asked you here today not to lay blame or spread rumors but to gain answers. If it wasn't for the fact that we need to present a united front in the face of attack I would have you regretting those words!" His family had access to the light hawk wings and so was responsible for the safety of the empire. If they had no respect for him at least they should respect his position as emperor and living representative of Tsunami.
"In case you hadn't noticed, there is with us today a representative of the galactic academy." the weaselly-faced man twitched as all eyes focused on him. "Please tell us you have some information on those responsible for bombing our colonies."
"Ah, yes. Well of course, that is why I'm here," he started with an embarrassed laugh. He rearranged the pile of notes and equipment he had brought with him and continued, "We hypothesized that the large concentration of Tau neutrinos at the alpha site were a result of some unknown technology. A technology that was either used or carried upon the criminals' ships. This allowed us to have a trace on when and where they were likely to turn up next."
He started to become more confident as he lost himself in what was obviously a passionate subject for the young scientist. "We started to monitor the neutrino spectrum near those colonies that had a sufficient technology base to allow us to do so."
A holographic graph appeared in the space in front of the conference of people, "This is a representation of the neutrino spectrum over time around the Oculus system." He explained to the emperor, his two wives, and to the three heads of the other royal families.
"The six bars represent a percentage of each type of neutrino." The scientist pointed as the graph became a bar graph with six vertical columns. "The horizontal dotted line above each column represents the average value over time."
"As you can see at around this time we can see a rapid increase in the concentration of Tau neutrinos at the expense of the remaining neutrinos." The displayed showed the middle column increasing apparently being fueled by the decrease in the remaining columns. "If this were a natural occurrence you would expect the increase to be repeated across the spectrum, not just this small section of it. It is fascinating to imagine what..."
"This is all very interesting doctor, but please keep the details and suppositions to a minimum," Azusa asked as he watched the faces of those around him start to lose focus.
"Yes of course," he answered a little embarrassed by being so easily distracted. "As you know, it was at this point that we notified the galaxy police that there would be a possible attack at location beta. The good news is that evidence has been found suggesting that Oculus Prime may have survived the bombardment, though with serious damage."
"What is worrisome though is how their fleet was able to jump in from an unknown location, past site betas primary defenses, all without being detected by our sensors. We don't know how they did that yet, nor do we know why conventional weapons were ineffective."
"From the large number of unknown technologies being used by the fleet as well as the strange vessel designs, it has been speculated that what we face is nothing less than an incursion of an alien power. Why, to think that there is another Civilization that has gathered enough resources and is advanced enough..."
At the frowns he was receiving from the other members of the conference, the scientist decided that his speculations were not being well received. Clearing his throat he finished his briefing, "We have plenty of images of the fleet and we are working on possible theories about how their technologies work. Without working models, though, it could take a while."
"Thank you doctor. Please keep us all informed of any further developments. Also, may I remind you that finding out who these invaders are, if they are indeed alien to the empire, is secondary to developing an effective defensive and offensive weapon against them." Azusa waited for a nod before he dismissed the young researcher. An image of the alien fleet was left hovering menacingly in place as the doctor left the room leaving the Jurian elite to discuss the future of the empire.
*****
"So son-in-law has left Nerima." enquired the ancient martial artist in an awfully smug tone. "By himself. Now isn't that interesting. You're sure that he didn't leave in response to a challenge that he received?" Cologne added by fixing her great grand daughter with a penetrating stare.
"Very sure Great Grandmother. Already sneaky mercenary girl is organizing search party. Will we join matriarch?" Shampoo almost bounced around the room. It had been too long since she had been allowed to hunt.
"No, it seems that the game has shifted. It is no longer useful to preserve the status quo. This is the opportunity that we have been waiting for. If we play this right you will have your husband very, very soon." explained Cologne.
"We find Ranma alone and take him to China then. I knows Great Grandmother powerful enough to do so." Chirped Shampoo eagerly, relishing the idea of finally being alone with her husband.
"What have I told you about willing allies girl?" Cologne rasped in exasperation. "A willing ally is infinitely more valuable than an unwilling one. No, son in law is growing up. He is maturing and if we can become a part of that process then we will have snared ourselves a very willing ally. It will require patience and a lot of planning, but the chances of success are well worth the extra time it will take. All we have to do is find the boy and our success is almost guaranteed!" Cologne almost cackled with glee. "I have a feeling that Son-in-law will make an exceptional ally."
"Mr. Part-Timer!" Cologne barked out "We're going out. When we get back, the restaurant better still be here!" The search for Ranma had begun, and the amazons were determined that they would be the ones to find him.
*****
Ryoko found herself sitting against a tree facing what looked to be a camp. She felt healthy, disgustingly healthy. That technique must have either failed, or judging by the fact that she was in the middle of a camp, some do-gooder had found her and saved her life.
Taking in her surroundings, Ryoko looked around what was she had to admit, a well-ordered campsite. There was a tent pitched over one side of the clearing beside a campfire with what looked and smelled like lunch. Finally, there was a clothes line with... "WHAT THE HELL?!?"
That was her laundry being hung up and aired even though she was not naked. Somehow she had managed to obtain a silken Chinese out fit, black trousers with a red silken top, replacing her usual attire, right down to her panties.
"Ah good your up, it's been three days I was getting worried." Whoever owned the camp had apparently decided to make an appearance, he had obviously heard her outburst.
"What did you do to me, and what did you mean by three days." Ryoko was angry, not only had this person decided to save her life but also taking a closer look he seemed to bear a remarkable resemblance to her beloved Tenchi. It was almost like he was mocking her loss. It was almost symbolic. A Tenchi look alike was preventing her death as if he was reaching from beyond the grave. It did not change the fact that she would much rather join him in the after life.
"Whoa! Calm down lady! When I found you, your aura was somehow being leeched into the environment. You passed out from a lack of sustainable Ki and I brought you back to my camp. Don't worry, I made sure you were fed, cleaned and bedded. I had nothing better to do while I waited for you to recover." Ryoko's eyes narrowed. There was something that he wasn't telling her. His description of the last three days was far too brief.
'Did he just say...?' she took another look at what she was wearing and glanced to where her clothes were being aired. 'Fed, cleaned and BEDDED?!?' she thought. Why that no good molester. She was going to kill him and then she could get onto dying herself.
The young man that bore a remarkable similarity to Tenchi backed away from her as she started to draw heavily on the power of the gem on her wrist. "You will die now," she said in a low menacing voice. There was something wrong with the way her body seemed to handle the amount of power she was handling but Ryoko just put it down to her near death experience. 'Anyway,' she thought 'I have better things to do, like kill the pervert' as she started to slice up his camp with her energy sword in an attempt to slice off some of his more important limbs.
"Ah crap, I just knew that she was going to be some crazy chick that wanted to kill me." The young man muttered as he dodged her sword with a skill that she hadn't seen since her fight with Yosho. Even Tenchi had not managed to gain the skill necessary to spar with her. 'Of course now he will never be able to get that skill' Ryoko thought darkly as she renewed her efforts. "What's your problem? What did you expect me to do, leave ya in yer own stink for three days."
"Just die!" she shouted as she was starting to get a little frustrated at his success in dodging her strikes 'I haven't become that rusty have I? Ah well, time to bring out the big guns,' she thought, drawing upon more power from the gem in her wrist.
"Let's see how well you deal with this you molester!" Ryoko shouted before letting loose an array of fire balls at the pig tailed pervert. When it became evident that he was avoiding her blasts with almost the same ease as before she decided that she would try something new.
Not so much new, but a variation on an old technique. Molecular manipulation would, she felt certain, finish this guy off where her other attacks lacked the strength to do so. Grabbing control of the trees that abounded this area of what she presumed was still Japan, she ordered them to attack. There was no way that he could defeat the 15 trees that she sent after him, so she sat back to watch what would be a very satisfying end to the sordid affair.
Ryoko almost crowed in victory after the trees tagged the young man despite his best efforts. It wouldn't be long now. She only wished she had popcorn. She felt little concern when he seemed to get a little more serious. After all, she doubted she could beat 15 trees if someone as skilled as she was controlling them.
It wasn't until she lost track of him that she felt a little worried. How could she have lost track of him? Losing track of what appeared to be a skilled fighter in the middle of a fight was always a bad sign. "Sorry lady," she heard the young man say almost mournfully as she felt the world spinning out of control. It didn't last long though and after being slammed painfully into the ground, she wished it had lasted longer. Needless to say, after that, she had lost control over the trees and was too exhausted to attempt to regain control.
Ryoko looked up at the sky and sighed. She had lost again. Something that had been happening far too often. Before this fight, she had believed that if only she had been with Tenchi, maybe then, she would have been able to protect him. Maybe then, he would still be alive. She had just had her ass handed to her on a plate by a human though; quickly dashing the thought that she could have made a difference.
Ryoko looked at the young man wearing Tenchi's face and burst into tears. Tenchi was not coming back and nothing she could do would change that sad fact. She didn't even notice that she had been gathered into a firm embrace or the fact that she no longer had the desire to end her life.
A/N - Real life bites, already I've lost two proofreaders to it. Ah well.
-For those wondering what the 'Tenchi look a like' stuff is well, family resemblance.