Redefined Honor
Again, a big thanks to WSRaptor for taking a squint at this
Thanks man
Ch 6: One step forward two steps back
Ranma sighed as he stared up at the stars. The gentle breeze tickled his face as he swayed gently along with the canopy of trees. He had left Nerima, eventually traveling with Ryoko and later the Amazons in an attempt to escape the troubles that had trapped him, at least long enough to find solutions. He had hoped to travel and train for a little while longer before his problems caught up with him again.
The stars twinkled and shined as he considered the last week of his training. Ryoko and later Cologne had really helped him excel and he had been so close to not only finding all of the elusive solutions that he had sought but also achieving what he considered the next level of training, a whole new awareness of mind body and soul. Obviously, he hadn't been close enough.
That wasn't what brought him up here, gazing at the stars though. Ranma knew that it was highly unlikely for him to be able to leave his problems behind and had been expecting something to occur for a while now. No, what had him gazing at the stars was shame. He had run. Sure the cat hadn't helped things but still, he had run. He had never run from anything. He had made a few strategic withdrawals, they were in fact part of his school, but this was the first time he had actually run away from a situation.
Ranma took comfort in the seemingly ageless constellations above him. They never seemed to reflect his hurt, anguish or betrayal like some people did and often his best thinking was done under the guidance of those very stars. Besides, he hated seeing those emotions on anybodies face.
'What to do,' Ranma thought to himself as he tried to obtain the semi conscious state that often aided his thinking. 'I considered Ryoko a friend, a true friend that I could have trusted to support me and help me solve my problems when I returned to Nerima. Now I have to consider her someone that would just increase my problems.' He couldn't help but feel sad at the fact that he had misjudged her so.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the sway of the branch beneath him combined with the cool night air, which brushed along his face. Ranma could feel Ryoko's presence approaching slowly in an erratic pattern. She was obviously searching for him. It was surprising that the Amazons had remained at the camp. It was unlike them to give up any possible advantage. Perhaps their offer of friendship was genuine.
Ranma flipped down from his perch not even blinking at the multistory drop. "Ryoko..." he whispered softly from the slight clearing at the base of the tree he had just descended from. "...What do you want?" He had asked it gently, but from her startled gasp he could tell that he had surprised her. He watched her whirl around and held her gaze. He could see, as he suspected, his pain and betrayal reflected in her eyes. She was the first to drop her eyes from the intense exchange even though he hated himself for maintaining it.
"Ranma..." she started haltingly "I..." Ryoko hesitated, unsure of what to say.
"Where the hell am I now?!?" came a frustrated bellow surprisingly close their position. Ranma just shook his head tiredly. Ryoko seemed startled for the second time that night. Things were not going as smoothly as she had hoped.
*****
Ryoga trailed through the greenery of Hokkaido. He had wandered into the maze of lakes and gorges weeks ago but had yet to find his way out. Someone kept moving things around. It was probably Ranma taking advantage of him again. His cursed rival held no honor, constantly belittling him and taking advantage of his weaknesses. When he finally found Ranma back in Nerima he would give him a beating for it and all the other things he deserved a beating for. The way he had been treating Akane...no beating on earth would make up for that but he could begin delivering Ranma's penance.
Turning around and growling in frustration Ryoga wailed in despair and anger "Where the hell am I now?!?" Just as he finished, he could see the flicker of a campfire through some gaps in the surrounding trees. 'A campfire,' he thought exultingly. 'Whoever it is, maybe they will lead me out of this wretched maze.' Running in the direction he thought he saw the flicker come from Ryoga's view of the campfire was quickly replaced by the site of a couple talking in a clearing ahead. Ryoga cursed Ranma again for moving the trees around him but decided that it didn't really matter as long as there was someone to lead him out of the maze that the wetlands of Hokkaido had become.
As he got closer to the couple, he began to pick out their features. The sight of an attractive girl wearing such a skintight outfit almost caused him to faint from the sudden nose bleed he felt coming on. Only his slight desensitization from Shampoo's brazen flaunting kept him from it. Ryoga was so caught up staring at the half naked girl that he almost failed to recognize her companion. "Rannmaaaa, you cheating bastard! How dare you cheat on Akane like that?!?"
So it was true. Ranma was responsible for trapping him in the maze and just to cover his sneaky affair with another woman. "I WILL NOT TOLERATE IT!" Ryoga unslung his umbrella from the heavy pack he was carrying and charged at Ranma. At first, he tried to go around the trees that kept getting in his way. However, with the way the trees continued to move around on him, he eventually just started going through them.
The couple turned in his direction watching as he first stumbled trying to avoid the trees that kept getting in his way and then just started bulldozing his way through them. "Stop moving around you coward and fight me!" Trees exploded into chips and dust as Ryoga tried to keep the cheating couple in his sight. The dust and chips of wood that came from the exploding trees just served to further impair his vision and he soon lost sight of them and the clearing. "I will have my revenge Ranma!" Well, he would just as soon as he found him again. Ryoga continued charging in a random direction, past even caring why Ranma was in Hokkaido in the first place.
*****
Ranma watched as his one time rival ran in circles. Ryoga's path was not bringing him any closer to the young martial artist and he didn't feel up to a fight with his rival enough to correct his path. His time for training and thinking was over. He needed to start solving the problems that plagued him now. Ranma clearly felt the line between running away and simply withdrawing rapidly approaching and he would not cross it.
Ryoko just stood there beside him stunned as she watched the lost boy in action for the first time. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes...," he heard her breathe beside him. From the amount of stealth that he had sensed her using, Ryoko had obviously tried to sneak up on him earlier but he was in no mood for games now. He had decided that his time for procrastinating was over. "I can not... will not let this go on," he said firmly, desperately wishing that his problems were as easily solved as they had been in his head.
He carefully schooled his face to ensure that his feelings didn't show. His less than perfect poker face more often than not got him into trouble and it wouldn't do to make his situation worse. Even so, something must have shone through despite his best effort and he found his arm held firmly by Ryoko. "No!" she almost wailed.
*****
Ryoko stealthily snuck through the wooded undergrowth with the intention of sneaking up on her new friend. After he had run away from the campsite she had been worried. From what she had come to know of his character, she would have thought that he would have considered the idea of running away from anything an anathema. Equally she wouldn't have thought waking up with her in his bed would have had quite that reaction. Something was defiantly wrong with her new friend.
Hearing a small rustle behind her she had quickly spun around. She recognized Ranma with a gasp. Only those both highly trained and containing a fair amount of Jurian blood had ever been able to surprise her like that. So how was he able to do it? As far as she could tell he was still only human, highly trained but still human.
"Ryoko..." he heard him say gently, "...what do you want?" His tone held none of the demands that his words did. Meeting his eyes she almost couldn't respond to his question. His eyes, filled with so much pain seemed to hold her in place. Breaking eye contact only relieved some of the overwhelming guilt that his look had instilled in her.
"Ranma..." she started haltingly "I..." What could she say in a situation like this? She didn't even know what she had done that would effect him so much. Had she misjudged his past so much? She knew that he was holding a lot of his past to himself much like she was doing but what did her sleeping in his bed have to do with it?
An image of Tenchi slumped in a pool of darkening blood flashed through her head. Had he also lost someone? A bellow interrupted her thoughts "Where the hell am I now?!?"
"What the...?" she thought as she turned in the direction of the well-muscled young man wearing a bandanna and carrying a large camping pack over his shoulders. What was it with her today? It seemed everyone was able to sneak up on her lately. Did her extended stay in the cave really diminish her so much?
The young man turned in their direction and she watched as his expression quickly turned from one of relief to one of anger as he recognized Ranma. "Rannmaaaa, you cheating bastard, how dare you cheat on Akane like that?!?" Ryoko just glanced at Ranma in confusion as the young man continued to spout threats. She watched in amazement as the young man ran in circles demolishing the trees in his path. It seemed Ranma's stories had held more truth than she gave him credit for. Ryoko watched as Ryoga continued running in circles before finally choosing a random direction and disappearing from sight.
She turned to Ranma again. She was beginning to see what she had done wrong. Ranma's stony face only highlighted the betrayal she saw shining in his eyes. "I can not... will not let this go on," his voice grated out. Once again the image of Tenchi slumped over in his own blood flashed before her eyes. She had lost Tenchi, but she would not lose Ranma as well. "No!" she wailed fearfully, "Let me explain!" Gripping onto his arm she took hope from the fact that he didn't shake her off.
*****
Ayeka stood at the door of the room. It was the room that her father had hardly left for the last two weeks. The cursed room, which contained the large representation of the Milky Way and the empire. When he had first shown her the model, she had been amazed that such a thing even existed. It entranced her. But, since it had been converted into a large tactical map detailing the progress of the war, her father had hardly left its side.
"Father, come out and have something to eat. Your advisors will tell you if anything happens." She was worried about him. He had aged and that was something she had thought wasn't possible with the life giving waters of Jurai. Ayeka sighed as she saw his darkened eyes rise to face her as she approached. "Everyone is doing all we can. We are not beaten yet!" Her voice sounded bright and cheerful, not revealing her grim feelings on that matter.
"Daughter, have a look at the map," her father responded not even bothering to rise from his chair. "What do you see?" His voice sounded tired, almost defeated. However, there was still a glimmer of steel that reassured her that he had not given up and that he still had plenty of fight left in him.
Ayeka obediently glanced at the map and frowned. Something just didn't look right. "Father, why have all the colony worlds been shaded red?" Just yesterday they had been shaded yellow representing territory that they had given up, but which they intended to take back as soon as they had the forces to defend it with.
"We have lost all contact with those colonies daughter. Scouts that were sent to investigate were destroyed. It has to be assumed that the enemy has effectively annexed them. Azusa's arm slammed down on the table sending ripples though the holographic model. "I have effectively lost a third of my empire!" he growled out.
Ayeka gasped, "Father, that means..."
"I KNOW Ayeka but there is little I can do about it since he has refused to return." She shook her head sadly at the potential loss of another family member. Ayeka had become fond of the 'old man' during her stay on earth. She didn't have time to mourn Tenchi or his grandfather and nether did her father. The war had kept them both too busy.
Deciding to change the subject to something more positive Ayeka said," Father, the academy said that the new weapon and shield systems were ready for testing."
"Good. I've been waiting for some good news. If they are as powerful as I've been told then there is still hope for us in this conflict." Azusa sighed again as he wearily stood up. His once impressive frame was slightly diminished from weeks of neglect. "Join me. We'll eat together," he half commanded as Ayeka took his offered arm. For the first time in over a week, Azusa, emperor of Jurai left the room. He could take one night out from the war he thought as he tried to ignore the sinking feeling that came from the thought of the enemy entrenching themselves in the foothold they had gained in his empire.
*****
Washu stared at the blinking cursor on the computer screen in front of her. After this there was no going back. Still could she afford not to take this final step? The scene behind her seemed to stress otherwise. She had managed to intercept a transmission on the status of a battle that had really highlighted the progress of the war. Her spy satellites that she had scattered throughout the empire had easily done the job with none being the wiser. She was such a genius!
It had provided interesting watching too. Washu had always been confident in Jurai's capability to defend itself from any external threat but she had just finished watching evidence to the contrary. Hopelessly outnumbered and seemingly out gunned the invaders had still managed to wipe the floor with the Jurian forces. Yosho had been wise not to accompany Ayeka. It had been far from a safe bet that they would reach Jurai intact. The near destruction of the royal family was not what was needed at such a time of crisis in their history.
Pirated recordings aside, what had forced her to take action had been the Jurian Forces lack of progress in halting these assailants. It had been weeks and they still didn't know whom they were facing and now the invaders were continuing what they had started. Already, all communications were being blocked to and from the colony worlds and her spy satellites reported that they had stopped destroying colonies and had begun invading them. It was just a matter of time before Earth fell to the invaders.
Which brought her back to the flashing cursor before her. Washu could not risk her labs falling into their hands once they had secured the outback world she had been living on recently. Already, the enemy seemed to have an overwhelming technological advantage. If her research was captured, she shuddered to think of what would happen to the empire's chances.
As much as she wanted to join the war effort though, Tsunami had specifically asked her not to interfere. Well, except for one thing. Washu glanced away from the blinking screen towards the small white box sitting beside her. It could be her only contribution to the war and had the potential to make not a speck of difference. Still, it was all she could do for the beleaguered defenders before she left and before she struck the key that would start the destruction of the dimensional pocket, which contained her lab on Earth.
She would leave once the destruction of her lab was complete. Besides, she had better laboratory facilities elsewhere, somewhere well hidden from even the Jurians. Somewhere she could monitor the conflict she could feel coming. It was a conflict, which she felt would outstrip the few skirmishes that had taken place so far.
Washu cursed the necessity of what she was about to do before hitting the button and praying for the future of the empire. The blinking cursor disappeared, being replaced by a dark red countdown. She would deliver the box and be gone by morning. Other than watch the destruction of her lab it was all she could do.
*****
Ranma felt his resolve cracking as he stared into Ryoko's pleading face. Maybe it had been just a misunderstanding, the sort that had always plagued him. If he refused to even listen to any possible explanation he would surely be just as bad as his fiancées. He could see himself years from now unwilling to see reality and unable to accept explanations contrary to his worldview. It wasn't a pleasant thought.
"Just tell me the truth Ryoko," he said tiredly as he loosened Ryoko's grip on his arm. "I won't go anywhere until you've explained." Ranma sat down underneath the tree. If he was right, then Ryoko was about to reveal some of her past. Either that or she would start declaring her undying love and wish to marry him. Something in her eyes told him it would be the former of the two.
"His name was Tenchi," Ryoko started thickly. "For a long, long time I was trapped inside a cave. The dark, the cold and the dampness was bad enough but the loneliness was worse. Whole decades would pass by and I would have nothing but my thoughts to keep me company."
Ryoko shivered as she sat nearer to Ranma underneath the towering tree before continuing. "Tenchi was the light in the darkness. He was the one who finally freed me and over the next few months I begun to fall for him. Like you, my life and his was never quiet, but after all the adventures together I was sure that he started falling for me as well."
"Despite having been freed, I felt the loneliness still eating at my soul. It helped that Tenchi seemed to always be close, even at night. I would often sleep as close to him as circumstances would permit and over time that loneliness started to fade as my confidence grew that he would be with me always."
Ryoko's shaking became uncontrollable as she remembered what came after. "Before our relationship could even start, before either of us could admit our feelings he was," Ryoko's voice halted as she tried to regain control over her rampaging emotions.
"The image of my Tenchi slumped over a pool of his own blood still haunts me, day and night. Combined with the returning feeling of loneliness and the memories of the dark, damp cave where I was trapped for the last few hundred years life really didn't feel worth living. You seem to share a rare quality with my Tenchi, the ability to lessen the intensity of those negative feelings. It was wrong and selfish of me not to ask you and it cheapened the stories of your past but please don't leave me!"
Ranma had to admit that he was a little ashamed at misjudging Ryoko as he felt her shiver against him in that clearing. What he had been told was nothing like he had expected. He knew that she had lost someone close, but not the circumstances that surrounded that loss. He couldn't help but sympathize with the young woman or rather elderly woman. It was hard to think of her as elderly though from looking at her.
He himself had felt the burn of loneliness frequently during his ten-year training trip. However, no mater how lonely he became though he still always had his father. Ryoko had had no one and she had been trapped for infinitely longer than ten years. If she felt the loneliness ebb by sleeping beside him at nights then he wouldn't mind. Still, he wished she had asked him.
He was so focused on Ryoko at that moment he almost missed the feel of Colognes Ki flaring wildly from the direction of the campsite. Springing to his feet he looked down at Ryoko, "We need to continue this later." Sprinting in the direction of the camp, Ranma felt worry. Not even Cologne's occasional encounters with Happosai warranted this much Ki activity.
Arriving at the campsite at the same time as Ryoko, he could only watch in amazement as Cologne fought frantically with a shadow. Her blazing aura illuminated the clearing and the high levels of damage done to it. Shampoo was unconscious several meters away with some nasty looking wounds. The shadow wielded a blade in a way that put Kuno to shame and had him watching the fight wearily. It was clear that Cologne was not winning despite the numerous secret Amazonian techniques he watched her pull in an attempt to prolong the fight.
The shadow seemed too dexterous and the hits that Cologne was managing to land seemed ineffective. A nasty slash to her forehead ended the fight. Blunted by her staff though it was, the blow still looked vicious. Once the fight slowed down, Ranma expected the figure to resolve his/herself from the shadow that fought Cologne and into some sort of martial arts challenger. He was alarmed when the figure remained shadowy and indistinct when turning to face him.
"Did you enjoy the show second son?" The voice sounded as if it was being forced through an aging speaker system. Although sounding rusty and crackling the hostility contained within it was clear. "The old woman was especially resilient. Certainly she put up a better fight than the other one."
Seeming to glance at Ryoko the shadow started laughing, "I see that pirates stick together. She was with the first son as well. It didn't seem to do him much good." Ryoko tensed next to Ranma as he just looked at her questioningly. "It was an especially disappointing fight that ended to soon. I hope you'll last longer. I might even spare the others if you do."
Still recovering from her earlier exchange with Ranma Ryoko was slow on the uptake; her emotions seemed taunt, skewed. It became clear though that he was talking about Tenchi, she could almost see the bloodstains on the silverish blade of his. "Bastard," Ryoko growled in anger only being restrained by Ranma prevented her from flying to attack the fiend in front of her. "Why Tenchi, why my Tenchi?"
The shade just seemed to shrug, "For the same reason I intend to execute the second son beside you."
Ranma interrupted the tirade nervously, "I think you got the wrong person. I'm an only child." He had seen the way that the shadow had dealt with Cologne and ego aside he didn't think he could do the same, even if he had been training.
"Your death has been forecast for generations." the figure laughed before charging. Ranma desperately pushed Ryoko out of the way before dodging himself. 'This is not good' he thought to himself.
*****
Yosho pushed himself frantically as the sun rose behind him. In his hand he held the Tenchi-ken. It had been too long since he had really cut loose like this and it showed in his forms. Washu had left a little earlier delivering an unopened box along with a warning, "This war has caught both the empire and Tenchi unprepared. Don't let it catch you." With the destruction of her lab she said, there was no real reason for her to stay.
So now he was once again alone in the shrine he had made his home. Practicing his forms and desperately hoping that Washu's warning was a false alarm. He had seen the destructive power of war and didn't wish to see it again. Still, hope was no excuse to being unprepared.
He hadn't heard from Nodoka recently or Jurai and wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or not. Looking at the blood red sun he decided not and pushed himself harder in his forms. He would be ready for whatever was coming.
Again, a big thanks to WSRaptor for taking a squint at this
Thanks man
Ch 6: One step forward two steps back
Ranma sighed as he stared up at the stars. The gentle breeze tickled his face as he swayed gently along with the canopy of trees. He had left Nerima, eventually traveling with Ryoko and later the Amazons in an attempt to escape the troubles that had trapped him, at least long enough to find solutions. He had hoped to travel and train for a little while longer before his problems caught up with him again.
The stars twinkled and shined as he considered the last week of his training. Ryoko and later Cologne had really helped him excel and he had been so close to not only finding all of the elusive solutions that he had sought but also achieving what he considered the next level of training, a whole new awareness of mind body and soul. Obviously, he hadn't been close enough.
That wasn't what brought him up here, gazing at the stars though. Ranma knew that it was highly unlikely for him to be able to leave his problems behind and had been expecting something to occur for a while now. No, what had him gazing at the stars was shame. He had run. Sure the cat hadn't helped things but still, he had run. He had never run from anything. He had made a few strategic withdrawals, they were in fact part of his school, but this was the first time he had actually run away from a situation.
Ranma took comfort in the seemingly ageless constellations above him. They never seemed to reflect his hurt, anguish or betrayal like some people did and often his best thinking was done under the guidance of those very stars. Besides, he hated seeing those emotions on anybodies face.
'What to do,' Ranma thought to himself as he tried to obtain the semi conscious state that often aided his thinking. 'I considered Ryoko a friend, a true friend that I could have trusted to support me and help me solve my problems when I returned to Nerima. Now I have to consider her someone that would just increase my problems.' He couldn't help but feel sad at the fact that he had misjudged her so.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the sway of the branch beneath him combined with the cool night air, which brushed along his face. Ranma could feel Ryoko's presence approaching slowly in an erratic pattern. She was obviously searching for him. It was surprising that the Amazons had remained at the camp. It was unlike them to give up any possible advantage. Perhaps their offer of friendship was genuine.
Ranma flipped down from his perch not even blinking at the multistory drop. "Ryoko..." he whispered softly from the slight clearing at the base of the tree he had just descended from. "...What do you want?" He had asked it gently, but from her startled gasp he could tell that he had surprised her. He watched her whirl around and held her gaze. He could see, as he suspected, his pain and betrayal reflected in her eyes. She was the first to drop her eyes from the intense exchange even though he hated himself for maintaining it.
"Ranma..." she started haltingly "I..." Ryoko hesitated, unsure of what to say.
"Where the hell am I now?!?" came a frustrated bellow surprisingly close their position. Ranma just shook his head tiredly. Ryoko seemed startled for the second time that night. Things were not going as smoothly as she had hoped.
*****
Ryoga trailed through the greenery of Hokkaido. He had wandered into the maze of lakes and gorges weeks ago but had yet to find his way out. Someone kept moving things around. It was probably Ranma taking advantage of him again. His cursed rival held no honor, constantly belittling him and taking advantage of his weaknesses. When he finally found Ranma back in Nerima he would give him a beating for it and all the other things he deserved a beating for. The way he had been treating Akane...no beating on earth would make up for that but he could begin delivering Ranma's penance.
Turning around and growling in frustration Ryoga wailed in despair and anger "Where the hell am I now?!?" Just as he finished, he could see the flicker of a campfire through some gaps in the surrounding trees. 'A campfire,' he thought exultingly. 'Whoever it is, maybe they will lead me out of this wretched maze.' Running in the direction he thought he saw the flicker come from Ryoga's view of the campfire was quickly replaced by the site of a couple talking in a clearing ahead. Ryoga cursed Ranma again for moving the trees around him but decided that it didn't really matter as long as there was someone to lead him out of the maze that the wetlands of Hokkaido had become.
As he got closer to the couple, he began to pick out their features. The sight of an attractive girl wearing such a skintight outfit almost caused him to faint from the sudden nose bleed he felt coming on. Only his slight desensitization from Shampoo's brazen flaunting kept him from it. Ryoga was so caught up staring at the half naked girl that he almost failed to recognize her companion. "Rannmaaaa, you cheating bastard! How dare you cheat on Akane like that?!?"
So it was true. Ranma was responsible for trapping him in the maze and just to cover his sneaky affair with another woman. "I WILL NOT TOLERATE IT!" Ryoga unslung his umbrella from the heavy pack he was carrying and charged at Ranma. At first, he tried to go around the trees that kept getting in his way. However, with the way the trees continued to move around on him, he eventually just started going through them.
The couple turned in his direction watching as he first stumbled trying to avoid the trees that kept getting in his way and then just started bulldozing his way through them. "Stop moving around you coward and fight me!" Trees exploded into chips and dust as Ryoga tried to keep the cheating couple in his sight. The dust and chips of wood that came from the exploding trees just served to further impair his vision and he soon lost sight of them and the clearing. "I will have my revenge Ranma!" Well, he would just as soon as he found him again. Ryoga continued charging in a random direction, past even caring why Ranma was in Hokkaido in the first place.
*****
Ranma watched as his one time rival ran in circles. Ryoga's path was not bringing him any closer to the young martial artist and he didn't feel up to a fight with his rival enough to correct his path. His time for training and thinking was over. He needed to start solving the problems that plagued him now. Ranma clearly felt the line between running away and simply withdrawing rapidly approaching and he would not cross it.
Ryoko just stood there beside him stunned as she watched the lost boy in action for the first time. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes...," he heard her breathe beside him. From the amount of stealth that he had sensed her using, Ryoko had obviously tried to sneak up on him earlier but he was in no mood for games now. He had decided that his time for procrastinating was over. "I can not... will not let this go on," he said firmly, desperately wishing that his problems were as easily solved as they had been in his head.
He carefully schooled his face to ensure that his feelings didn't show. His less than perfect poker face more often than not got him into trouble and it wouldn't do to make his situation worse. Even so, something must have shone through despite his best effort and he found his arm held firmly by Ryoko. "No!" she almost wailed.
*****
Ryoko stealthily snuck through the wooded undergrowth with the intention of sneaking up on her new friend. After he had run away from the campsite she had been worried. From what she had come to know of his character, she would have thought that he would have considered the idea of running away from anything an anathema. Equally she wouldn't have thought waking up with her in his bed would have had quite that reaction. Something was defiantly wrong with her new friend.
Hearing a small rustle behind her she had quickly spun around. She recognized Ranma with a gasp. Only those both highly trained and containing a fair amount of Jurian blood had ever been able to surprise her like that. So how was he able to do it? As far as she could tell he was still only human, highly trained but still human.
"Ryoko..." he heard him say gently, "...what do you want?" His tone held none of the demands that his words did. Meeting his eyes she almost couldn't respond to his question. His eyes, filled with so much pain seemed to hold her in place. Breaking eye contact only relieved some of the overwhelming guilt that his look had instilled in her.
"Ranma..." she started haltingly "I..." What could she say in a situation like this? She didn't even know what she had done that would effect him so much. Had she misjudged his past so much? She knew that he was holding a lot of his past to himself much like she was doing but what did her sleeping in his bed have to do with it?
An image of Tenchi slumped in a pool of darkening blood flashed through her head. Had he also lost someone? A bellow interrupted her thoughts "Where the hell am I now?!?"
"What the...?" she thought as she turned in the direction of the well-muscled young man wearing a bandanna and carrying a large camping pack over his shoulders. What was it with her today? It seemed everyone was able to sneak up on her lately. Did her extended stay in the cave really diminish her so much?
The young man turned in their direction and she watched as his expression quickly turned from one of relief to one of anger as he recognized Ranma. "Rannmaaaa, you cheating bastard, how dare you cheat on Akane like that?!?" Ryoko just glanced at Ranma in confusion as the young man continued to spout threats. She watched in amazement as the young man ran in circles demolishing the trees in his path. It seemed Ranma's stories had held more truth than she gave him credit for. Ryoko watched as Ryoga continued running in circles before finally choosing a random direction and disappearing from sight.
She turned to Ranma again. She was beginning to see what she had done wrong. Ranma's stony face only highlighted the betrayal she saw shining in his eyes. "I can not... will not let this go on," his voice grated out. Once again the image of Tenchi slumped over in his own blood flashed before her eyes. She had lost Tenchi, but she would not lose Ranma as well. "No!" she wailed fearfully, "Let me explain!" Gripping onto his arm she took hope from the fact that he didn't shake her off.
*****
Ayeka stood at the door of the room. It was the room that her father had hardly left for the last two weeks. The cursed room, which contained the large representation of the Milky Way and the empire. When he had first shown her the model, she had been amazed that such a thing even existed. It entranced her. But, since it had been converted into a large tactical map detailing the progress of the war, her father had hardly left its side.
"Father, come out and have something to eat. Your advisors will tell you if anything happens." She was worried about him. He had aged and that was something she had thought wasn't possible with the life giving waters of Jurai. Ayeka sighed as she saw his darkened eyes rise to face her as she approached. "Everyone is doing all we can. We are not beaten yet!" Her voice sounded bright and cheerful, not revealing her grim feelings on that matter.
"Daughter, have a look at the map," her father responded not even bothering to rise from his chair. "What do you see?" His voice sounded tired, almost defeated. However, there was still a glimmer of steel that reassured her that he had not given up and that he still had plenty of fight left in him.
Ayeka obediently glanced at the map and frowned. Something just didn't look right. "Father, why have all the colony worlds been shaded red?" Just yesterday they had been shaded yellow representing territory that they had given up, but which they intended to take back as soon as they had the forces to defend it with.
"We have lost all contact with those colonies daughter. Scouts that were sent to investigate were destroyed. It has to be assumed that the enemy has effectively annexed them. Azusa's arm slammed down on the table sending ripples though the holographic model. "I have effectively lost a third of my empire!" he growled out.
Ayeka gasped, "Father, that means..."
"I KNOW Ayeka but there is little I can do about it since he has refused to return." She shook her head sadly at the potential loss of another family member. Ayeka had become fond of the 'old man' during her stay on earth. She didn't have time to mourn Tenchi or his grandfather and nether did her father. The war had kept them both too busy.
Deciding to change the subject to something more positive Ayeka said," Father, the academy said that the new weapon and shield systems were ready for testing."
"Good. I've been waiting for some good news. If they are as powerful as I've been told then there is still hope for us in this conflict." Azusa sighed again as he wearily stood up. His once impressive frame was slightly diminished from weeks of neglect. "Join me. We'll eat together," he half commanded as Ayeka took his offered arm. For the first time in over a week, Azusa, emperor of Jurai left the room. He could take one night out from the war he thought as he tried to ignore the sinking feeling that came from the thought of the enemy entrenching themselves in the foothold they had gained in his empire.
*****
Washu stared at the blinking cursor on the computer screen in front of her. After this there was no going back. Still could she afford not to take this final step? The scene behind her seemed to stress otherwise. She had managed to intercept a transmission on the status of a battle that had really highlighted the progress of the war. Her spy satellites that she had scattered throughout the empire had easily done the job with none being the wiser. She was such a genius!
It had provided interesting watching too. Washu had always been confident in Jurai's capability to defend itself from any external threat but she had just finished watching evidence to the contrary. Hopelessly outnumbered and seemingly out gunned the invaders had still managed to wipe the floor with the Jurian forces. Yosho had been wise not to accompany Ayeka. It had been far from a safe bet that they would reach Jurai intact. The near destruction of the royal family was not what was needed at such a time of crisis in their history.
Pirated recordings aside, what had forced her to take action had been the Jurian Forces lack of progress in halting these assailants. It had been weeks and they still didn't know whom they were facing and now the invaders were continuing what they had started. Already, all communications were being blocked to and from the colony worlds and her spy satellites reported that they had stopped destroying colonies and had begun invading them. It was just a matter of time before Earth fell to the invaders.
Which brought her back to the flashing cursor before her. Washu could not risk her labs falling into their hands once they had secured the outback world she had been living on recently. Already, the enemy seemed to have an overwhelming technological advantage. If her research was captured, she shuddered to think of what would happen to the empire's chances.
As much as she wanted to join the war effort though, Tsunami had specifically asked her not to interfere. Well, except for one thing. Washu glanced away from the blinking screen towards the small white box sitting beside her. It could be her only contribution to the war and had the potential to make not a speck of difference. Still, it was all she could do for the beleaguered defenders before she left and before she struck the key that would start the destruction of the dimensional pocket, which contained her lab on Earth.
She would leave once the destruction of her lab was complete. Besides, she had better laboratory facilities elsewhere, somewhere well hidden from even the Jurians. Somewhere she could monitor the conflict she could feel coming. It was a conflict, which she felt would outstrip the few skirmishes that had taken place so far.
Washu cursed the necessity of what she was about to do before hitting the button and praying for the future of the empire. The blinking cursor disappeared, being replaced by a dark red countdown. She would deliver the box and be gone by morning. Other than watch the destruction of her lab it was all she could do.
*****
Ranma felt his resolve cracking as he stared into Ryoko's pleading face. Maybe it had been just a misunderstanding, the sort that had always plagued him. If he refused to even listen to any possible explanation he would surely be just as bad as his fiancées. He could see himself years from now unwilling to see reality and unable to accept explanations contrary to his worldview. It wasn't a pleasant thought.
"Just tell me the truth Ryoko," he said tiredly as he loosened Ryoko's grip on his arm. "I won't go anywhere until you've explained." Ranma sat down underneath the tree. If he was right, then Ryoko was about to reveal some of her past. Either that or she would start declaring her undying love and wish to marry him. Something in her eyes told him it would be the former of the two.
"His name was Tenchi," Ryoko started thickly. "For a long, long time I was trapped inside a cave. The dark, the cold and the dampness was bad enough but the loneliness was worse. Whole decades would pass by and I would have nothing but my thoughts to keep me company."
Ryoko shivered as she sat nearer to Ranma underneath the towering tree before continuing. "Tenchi was the light in the darkness. He was the one who finally freed me and over the next few months I begun to fall for him. Like you, my life and his was never quiet, but after all the adventures together I was sure that he started falling for me as well."
"Despite having been freed, I felt the loneliness still eating at my soul. It helped that Tenchi seemed to always be close, even at night. I would often sleep as close to him as circumstances would permit and over time that loneliness started to fade as my confidence grew that he would be with me always."
Ryoko's shaking became uncontrollable as she remembered what came after. "Before our relationship could even start, before either of us could admit our feelings he was," Ryoko's voice halted as she tried to regain control over her rampaging emotions.
"The image of my Tenchi slumped over a pool of his own blood still haunts me, day and night. Combined with the returning feeling of loneliness and the memories of the dark, damp cave where I was trapped for the last few hundred years life really didn't feel worth living. You seem to share a rare quality with my Tenchi, the ability to lessen the intensity of those negative feelings. It was wrong and selfish of me not to ask you and it cheapened the stories of your past but please don't leave me!"
Ranma had to admit that he was a little ashamed at misjudging Ryoko as he felt her shiver against him in that clearing. What he had been told was nothing like he had expected. He knew that she had lost someone close, but not the circumstances that surrounded that loss. He couldn't help but sympathize with the young woman or rather elderly woman. It was hard to think of her as elderly though from looking at her.
He himself had felt the burn of loneliness frequently during his ten-year training trip. However, no mater how lonely he became though he still always had his father. Ryoko had had no one and she had been trapped for infinitely longer than ten years. If she felt the loneliness ebb by sleeping beside him at nights then he wouldn't mind. Still, he wished she had asked him.
He was so focused on Ryoko at that moment he almost missed the feel of Colognes Ki flaring wildly from the direction of the campsite. Springing to his feet he looked down at Ryoko, "We need to continue this later." Sprinting in the direction of the camp, Ranma felt worry. Not even Cologne's occasional encounters with Happosai warranted this much Ki activity.
Arriving at the campsite at the same time as Ryoko, he could only watch in amazement as Cologne fought frantically with a shadow. Her blazing aura illuminated the clearing and the high levels of damage done to it. Shampoo was unconscious several meters away with some nasty looking wounds. The shadow wielded a blade in a way that put Kuno to shame and had him watching the fight wearily. It was clear that Cologne was not winning despite the numerous secret Amazonian techniques he watched her pull in an attempt to prolong the fight.
The shadow seemed too dexterous and the hits that Cologne was managing to land seemed ineffective. A nasty slash to her forehead ended the fight. Blunted by her staff though it was, the blow still looked vicious. Once the fight slowed down, Ranma expected the figure to resolve his/herself from the shadow that fought Cologne and into some sort of martial arts challenger. He was alarmed when the figure remained shadowy and indistinct when turning to face him.
"Did you enjoy the show second son?" The voice sounded as if it was being forced through an aging speaker system. Although sounding rusty and crackling the hostility contained within it was clear. "The old woman was especially resilient. Certainly she put up a better fight than the other one."
Seeming to glance at Ryoko the shadow started laughing, "I see that pirates stick together. She was with the first son as well. It didn't seem to do him much good." Ryoko tensed next to Ranma as he just looked at her questioningly. "It was an especially disappointing fight that ended to soon. I hope you'll last longer. I might even spare the others if you do."
Still recovering from her earlier exchange with Ranma Ryoko was slow on the uptake; her emotions seemed taunt, skewed. It became clear though that he was talking about Tenchi, she could almost see the bloodstains on the silverish blade of his. "Bastard," Ryoko growled in anger only being restrained by Ranma prevented her from flying to attack the fiend in front of her. "Why Tenchi, why my Tenchi?"
The shade just seemed to shrug, "For the same reason I intend to execute the second son beside you."
Ranma interrupted the tirade nervously, "I think you got the wrong person. I'm an only child." He had seen the way that the shadow had dealt with Cologne and ego aside he didn't think he could do the same, even if he had been training.
"Your death has been forecast for generations." the figure laughed before charging. Ranma desperately pushed Ryoko out of the way before dodging himself. 'This is not good' he thought to himself.
*****
Yosho pushed himself frantically as the sun rose behind him. In his hand he held the Tenchi-ken. It had been too long since he had really cut loose like this and it showed in his forms. Washu had left a little earlier delivering an unopened box along with a warning, "This war has caught both the empire and Tenchi unprepared. Don't let it catch you." With the destruction of her lab she said, there was no real reason for her to stay.
So now he was once again alone in the shrine he had made his home. Practicing his forms and desperately hoping that Washu's warning was a false alarm. He had seen the destructive power of war and didn't wish to see it again. Still, hope was no excuse to being unprepared.
He hadn't heard from Nodoka recently or Jurai and wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or not. Looking at the blood red sun he decided not and pushed himself harder in his forms. He would be ready for whatever was coming.