Tenchi Muyo is the property of Pioneer and AIC. I've
no intention of using this to garner profits of any kind or
type, so unless you like to take a poor man's computer away
from him, please don't sue me!? Please?
All other characters, depictions, places, and
theories that have been put into place are my own creation
and have no relevance to Tenchi Muyo in any way except in
the ways I've explained. These are my own thoughts and
imagination, and any relation to other stories that are not
my own are accidental. Honest.
My e-mail is kai_kerrigan@attbi.com for any and all
feedback. Please, PLEASE SEND FEEDBACK OF ANY KIND!!!
Thank you! ^-^
Author's Notes: I'd like to thank Evil_Pii and
Jocko, and everyone for helping me with keeping me
interested and enjoying what I've written thus far. I
don't really know if I would have ever gotten this far
without them.
Thanks, guys. I owe you something I don't think I
can repay in any lifetime.
*****************************************************
Tenchi Muyo: The Web of Life
Chapter 7: Reflections and Pudding
*****************************************************
The Heaven Tree, massive ode to the Jurai Empire that
it is, isn't the only famous structure on Jurai. There is
one, among the myriad, that resides directly next to the
tree and is quite well known. Nearly all of the bounty
hunters, couriers, and treasure hunters in the galaxy, if
not the known universe come here to find the next big
`thing'. The four story building, having been disassembled
and transferred from a long desolate planet, was composed
mostly of ancient ruins that had been renovated and
modernized from the baseboards up. Designed with natural
curves and architecture, the building was artificial,
though one who was unfamiliar with it would swear that the
building should be inside the huge Juraian tree instead of
alongside. Ashe looked upward at the building that he
stood in front of and gazed at the sign that, as it hung
over the main entrance, flicker and turn on for the
evening. Silently, Ashe shook his head in amusement.
"The more things change, the more they stay the
same." With that, the wanderer stepped into the building.
Looking around inside, Ashe made his way to the entry
point. Standing directly in front of the doorway was a
huge tentacle-covered morass, with an octopus-like face
strategically placed on the top. Two bulbous eyes swiveled
themselves around to stare unflinchingly at Ashe, who
chuckled and waved to the creature.
"Rocco, it's you! Anybody get busted by the bounty
hunters lately?"
A series of nondescript clicks and gurgles emerged
from what could be considered Rocco's mouth as Ashe
listened intently. Several of the tentacles moved and
shuffled in a form of body language.
"Yeah, I figured that he'd get caught someday. He was
a pansy outlaw, anyways. Any other news while I've been
gone?"
Another series of gurgles, this set excited and
rushed. Ashe raised his hands quickly in response, and
attempted to calm the tentacled bouncer.
"Okay, okay, don't get your tentacles in a bind!
I'll ask Deo about it. Just wait here and keep the drunks
out."
"Okie dokie." Rocco said, crystalline with his
pronunciation. Ashe stopped halfway past Rocco, and raised
an eyebrow upon hearing those words.
"You have got to stop watching the television, bub.
It's bad for your brain." And with that, the wanderer
entered the building. The outer portion of the main area
was huge, with several different floors of the building
resembling the natural motif of at least a dozen different
planets; at least thirty or more people were here, dining
on cuisine and discussing their days and weekends. The
central area of the building held a tower as the main
support, and it was here that they held the cafeteria and
grill areas. Several walkways interconnected the rest of
the building to the food tower, and it was in this way that
the place maintained itself. Surrounding the bottom of the
tower in a perfect circle was a bar that was larger than
most rings on planets, guaranteed. At least that's what
sign said on the counter, if you were to walk and read the
entire ring. Ashe, however, decided to walk straight up to
the ring and wave to him one of the ten bartenders working
the ring.
"Hey, is Deo here today?"
"Yeah, I'll get him. Who's asking for him?"
"Ashe. Tell him Ashe is here."
"Like you needed to tell me you were here; I could
smell your arse from a light-second away," a gruff voice
erupted from behind Ashe. Turning around, the wanderer
placed his eyes on the source of the voice; an older man
stood directly behind him, leaning upon a crescent-moon
shaped cane with his left hand while moving a lock of salt-
and-peppered hair out of his eyes with the right. Ashe
chuckled nervously as the elder man pulled up the cane and
lightly tapped the wanderer on the forehead with it. "So,
how goes the wanderer?"
"Me, I've been fine. Went sightseeing, free-fell
into a planet's atmosphere, was nearly killed. You know,
it's the usual." A more serious thump on the head from the
cane cured Ashe of his semi-cynical tone of voice.
"Alright, you smartass, that's enough with the tone.
Word has been going around that you were escorted back to
Jurai by members of the Jurai Royal Family. Is it true?"
Deo asked, taking a seat on one of the empty stools on the
ring, and motioning Ashe to do the same; the wanderer sat
down quickly, and nodded in the affirmative.
"You find out quickly. Yeah, I got strange luck."
"Darn right you do. I still remember the sheer
amount of balls it would've taken other people to do what
you'd done to help me out that fateful day."
"You know, that reminds me. You're looking even more
like an old fart every time I see you."
"Oh, you're one to talk. I wasn't even in a triple
digit age when I met your sorry arse. Besides, you're
getting off point. Do you know WHO you were with?"
"Would you believe me if I said not really?"
"You foolish boy! You've got your head in a solar
flare if you don't know who Tenchi Masaki is! He's the boy
who single-handedly defeated the Ruins Buster! He's also
the one who freed Washu Hakubi from her imprisonment at the
hands of that madman. It's absolutely amazing that you've
stumbled across them at all. Besides, I'm amazed that you
haven't been skinned alive by Washu Hakubi yet."
"Oh? I'll tell her you said that when I take her out
on our date later." The elderly man's jaw would've hit the
floor, had nature not seen fit to attach sinew and muscle
to the appendage. Quickly recovering himself, Deo shook
his head and chuckled to himself as he looked out over the
establishment he created from scratch.
"It'd figure that you'd have Washu wanting to dissect
you, though; you're as much a mystery to all of us today as
you were 300 years ago." Ashe bunched up his lips, and
stared out at the crowd of patrons that had filled up the
bar rather quickly.
"So, how's the sanctuary doing?" Ashe asked,
attempting to avoid the comment as much as possible; Deo
simply shook his head in obvious defeat and answered his
question.
"Waiting for you, as usual. That rain tree is a
downright bitch to take care of, you know that?"
"That's an extremely hard tree to grow, mind you, and
I hope you haven't killed it." Deo swung the cane around,
and would've clocked the wanderer straight in the forehead
had Ashe's reflexes not shot his hand up and out to
intercept. Deo raised an eyebrow, and took the cane back
from Ashe as he pulled himself away from the seat; nodding
respectfully to the wanderer, he pulled out a strange
looking key from beneath his dress shirt and handed it to
Ashe before walking toward the entrance to the tower area
of the place.
"By the way, if you haven't noticed, I found a name
for the place, finally. `The Wanderer's Way'."
"Yeah, I noticed. It fits the place, I like it."
"I thought you would. Remember to bring Washu here
for dinner, or I'll have Rocco thrash you for the rest of
the year."
Ashe chuckled, in a very nervous tone, as the doors
to the entrance of the tower closed behind the elderly man.
"You know, for being a former bounty hunter, you
figure he wouldn't try to be so. so." Ashe muttered under
his breath.
"Hard up on the homies?" Rocco offered up from his
place at the front door, again in crystal clear language.
Once again, for the few times in his life, Ashe had to
agree with Rocco's choice of words.
**************************************
Zane stood quietly in the meditation chamber, his
eyes darting in various directions as 4 man-sized sparring
robots circled Tokimi's champion, taking in their target.
He stood his ground and kept in the only lit area of the
chamber, smoothing his black and purple sparring gi out as
he kept mental note of the situation. The mechanized eyes
of the units took in the dark champion as they circled him
with a quickening pace. One of them darted quickly out and
away from the rest of the group and brought a fist to bear,
hoping to drive it through Zane's skull. The attacking
unit realized the error of that decision when Zane's left
hand shot outward and caught the unit's wrist; he then
spend several more seconds regretting it while a heel was
driven home in several locations, strategically and
lethally important had the warrior been dealing with
organic humanoids.
"Pathetic; increase the combat A.I by two additional
levels." Zane called aloud, tossing the unit outside the
lit portion he continued to stand under. The remaining
units twitched visibly in response to Zane's verbal
commands. After the twitching subsided, the units moved
with even more of a predatorial slink, watching the man
with a single, lethal intent. Soon after taking their
opponent into account, the remaining units dove at Zane;
one of them stopped in mid-stride and jumped at the
warrior, attempting to jump-kick Zane where he stood. Zane
smirked and looked with a faint sense of humorous pity at
his opposition as it bore down upon him like a pack of
starved wolves.
"Too little, too late." The fighter bemoaned, and
ruthlessly slapped the airborne drone in the thigh area;
the trajectory of the attack was thrown far off-kilter,
rendering the jump-kick useless. Zane chose to take the
left-hand drone, waiting for the opportune time for his
attack; when the drone came in with the intention of
landing a fierce series of jabs, Zane countered with a set
of side kicks that landed on the kneecap, the pelvic area,
and finally the sternum of the drone. The unit's eyes
flared a luminescent yellow for a moment, and then faded as
the unit dropped, lifeless, to the ground.
Zane threw up his right arm blocking a knife hand
attack from the third drone that had attempted to take the
warrior by surprise; taking hold of, and ducking under, the
offending hand and the wrist it was attached to Zane pulled
the drone toward him, driving the palm of his free hand
straight at the nose of the drone. A glimmer of yellow and
yet another drone fell to the ground. The warrior
snickered to himself a second time.
All that remained was one final unit; however, Zane
noted that there was no visible sign of it. Two bursts of
yellow light came from behind Zane as he searched for the
drone, and two energy daggers attempted to fillet his
shoulders; a shower of sparks flew from the daggers as they
met opposition, forcing the fighter into a low and
defensive stance. Turning and eyeing the drone through
slatted eyes, Zane watched as the drone continued its
attempt to power the twin blades through the Light Hawk
Wing that had been summoned up, the arcs of purple and
yellow energy dancing on the surface of the wing. Zane
stared for but a moment, in complete awe of the raw and
primal beauty of the display; he then hopped back several
feet to gain a more strategic advantage. The wing barring
the way of the drone flickered and disappeared, leaving
nothing between it and Zane. Weaving and whirling, ducking
and diving, the drone tried time after time to plant one of
the energy daggers home in Zane's body; however, using two
Light Hawk Wings to cover his hands and forearms, Zane
slapped the two weapons away from the drone without so much
as a cognitive thought. Just as suddenly, Zane flipped
upward and over the drone; clutching the drone's head in
his hands, he snapped its neck in a sickeningly fast
display of agility before he even landed behind the now
slumped over drone. Brushing himself off, Zane gazed out
into the darkness.
"Lights," Zane growled; the meditation chamber's
lights gradually bathed the whole room in an eye-pleasing
radiance. At the opposite end of the room stood Ersatzu,
leaning against the wall of the meditation chamber as she
took in the scene that played out before her.
"The combat A.I. in the drones still requires work.
However, they should be more than capable of dealing with
GP or Jurai's ground forces. You have done well, Ersatzu;
I am quite pleased." The artificial gave a muted nod in
Zane's direction, and pulled away from the wall. She
strode over to the drone that had been tossed aside in the
early portion of the sparring match and knelt down to
analyze it as she spoke.
"The information I was able to glean about Ayeka's
combat style and effectiveness was incomplete, as she gave
little opposition. Ryoko, however, seems to have a great
deal more combat skill than she has shown in the
documentation that is currently available. I have made it
a personal quest to find out exactly how skillful she truly
is." She held the drone's head in her palm, gazing into
its eyes with an almost pitiful expression. Zane gave the
artificial an amused smirk.
"If I hadn't known any better, I'd say you hold the
former pirate in respect, Ersatzu." She dropped the drone
back on the floor, and turned her head just enough to see
the warrior.
"She spearheaded the only truly successful attack on
the Jurai home world, and is the only survivor of any such
attack against the Jurai Empire throughout its known
history. I will acknowledge her ability, nothing more."
"I see. Do not allow your personal decisions to
override your current objective, however." Zane reminded
her, to which Ersatzu nodded. Standing up and following
Zane, she hurried her pace to keep up with the dark
champion. The two exited the meditation chamber and fell
into a march of sorts, leading through the different
chambers of the ship that Zane called home. Zane fell into
a quiet mood as the two traveled the ship toward Zane's
private quarters. The quiet ambience was broken when
Ersatzu had made note of something she recalled from an
earlier date.
"I have an inquiry; is the name Marius Tsurigama of
any importance?" Zane's head turned to look at Ersatzu.
His pace slowed in response, and his attention was now
wholly directed at the artificial; something that Ersatzu
found unsettling.
"Yes. How did you come across that name?"
"I recall hearing the name from D-3 in a previous
debriefing for the Lady Tokimi. He seemed to say it with
quite a cynical tone of voice, though I do not understand
why." Ersatzu said, noting the interestingly large lack of
information available about the name in her memory.
"Marius Tsurigama is the name of the man that
murdered my father and destroyed everything that was good
about my father's accomplishments. His life was forfeit
when he chose to become a bigot and a coward."
"Forfeit? An odd choice of words, as the man was
said to die of extraordinarily unusual circumstances and no
absolute conclusion could be determined as to the cause of
his death."
"The cause is quite simple. I killed him myself."
Ersatzu raised an eyebrow, noting one piece of information
that was still questionable.
"Marius had died about 40,000 years ago, however.
That would place you at approximately a similar age, would
it not?"
"That is a part of history you needn't concern
yourself with; keep your attention and your focus on the
present." Zane muttered, waving the thought away and
stepping finally into his private quarters. As the doors
closed behind the dark champion, he released a deep
sounding and very reluctant sigh. Zane placed his gaze at
the far end of the room, and directly stared at a pedestal;
a singular light shone upon a deep purple sphere, an
intricate design bearing scorch marks on its surface. I
will finish what I started all those years ago, Zane echoed
through his mind; his thoughts began floating back to that
fateful day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deep in the vast and icy reaches of space, a singular
chamber floated in deep space; housed within it was the
cryogenically sealed body of Zane. Deep within his mind,
however, there was a world much different than what existed
outside his frozen form. Zane sat underneath a tree,
admiring the view of his father's huge mansion and the
outlying countryside. The view, however, became much
darker as more painful thoughts began to cloud his mind and
take his attention away from what he looked at now.
"I know you, Zane of Far Eden. You are worthy."
Zane's eyes fluttered in place, as he sought to find
the source of the whispering feminine voice. One by one
the shadows of many different objects shimmered and
unnervingly detached themselves from what once anchored
them; pooling together and coalescing into a singular pool
of darkness, a face began to emerge from the eclipsed
morass of woven shadows. A beautiful yet ominous woman was
what Zane saw most clearly of all, a flittering but
consistent image amongst other darker aspects of the young
man's life.
"Who are you?" Zane asked, obsessively curious and
yet almost afraid that he would scare the image away. The
morass slinked and shifted so much that Zane swore that it
looked as if a million black insects were crawling in
unison before him.
"I am the one of the Three Ladies, though I have many
different names on many different worlds. In your world I
have the name of the Lady of Law and Justice." The shadows
whispered, as a singular hand pierced the morass; slowly as
if peeling the skin from a fruit, the woman slowly arose
from her former place in the shifting shadows. The young
man could only gawk at the near sensual aspect of what he'd
just witnessed, and through it all, the name this woman
possessed rang through the winds like a thousand dull
chimes.
"You are Lady... Lady Tokimi?" The woman smiled, and
twirled the shadows of a dozen reeds between her fingers.
"Yes." She said, still toying with the morass that
crawled and cascaded about her feet.
"What do you want with me?" She turned to stare
directly into Zane's eyes, and began walking in his
direction. From his perspective, it seemed that she could
calm and command the very darkness itself. Frightening and
darkly enthralling prospects to be sure, exactly like all
of the proverbs that told of the Lady of Justice.
"It is not what I want from you; rather, what I can
offer you."
"As interesting as it sounds, I honestly doubt that
you would have anything I would want."
"Justice." The morass gave up the image of Zane
striking down his enemies. Zane raised an eyebrow, eyeing
the dark morass with questioning glances. The shadowy and
ephemeral face of Lady Tokimi shifted again as she looked
upon the brooding young man.
"More specifically, I can help you to mete out
justice against the dogmatic and prejudicial people that
forced you into your current situation. I can give you the
ability to bring justice unto those who brought this
pathetic state unto you."
"And in return, I would be expected to do what?"
"Bring the same judgment that you bring to those who
have wronged you, to anyone who would wrong innocent people
such as your father ever again."
Zane's eyes shot open wide, in recognition of the
last component in Tokimi's comment.
"How could you know my father?!"
"As I told you in the beginning, I know you, and
always have. I bore witness to all the indifference and
hatred shown to you, as well as your father and your
brother." The morass shifted to show Zane reaching out to
grasp at two shadowed figures, both of them reaching out to
Zane as well, though neither was able to maintain their
grip on the other. "And, again, I offer you the ability to
follow through with your father's wishes; to make a home,
this whole universe, where there is no cruelty or
hypocrisy. A home in which all can live in joyful peace
with those around them. What say you, Zane of Far Eden?"
Several moments of silence passed, almost as if
eternity begged an audience.
"On my honor and my word, I say yes."
An explosion of celestial energy emerged from the
cryogenic pod as Zane's cryogenic capsule was decimated and
Zane now floats freely in the black, icy grip of space;
however, his body does not die. Zane stared in doe-eyed
panic as he moved his hands in front of his face, though
feeling no pain.
"What kind of power is this, which I can live in the
deepness of space?"
"You are evolved far beyond the scope of your peers,
Zane. The gifts granted you by your father had lain half
dormant; I merely nudged them to complete wakefulness. Now
rise in your ascension and bring justice to the guilty, my
champion, my judge," Tokimi said quietly, almost drunk with
what could be considered elation in a goddess, "My angel of
death."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A discordant tone shook Zane out of his thoughts, and
toward the communication screen at the opposite end of his
chambers. Ersatzu's voice could be heard over the tone,
talking into another channel of the communication screen.
"What is it, Ersatzu?"
"Master Zane, a diplomat from the Jurai Empire wishes
to speak with you. It involves our early arrival into
Jurai Empire space."
"I will talk with him here." He strode over toward
the unit and away from the pedestal, and touched the screen
faintly. The view screen lit up, revealing a Juraian
diplomat; his face was pleasant, though rather confused as
well.
"Ambassador Zane Brynn; we were not expecting your
arrival into Jurai space until the end of the galactic
week. We may have trouble providing a definite place for
yourself and your entourage to reside, as a celebration
that includes the Jurai Royal family is about to be under
way." Zane nodded in agreement to the diplomat's
statement.
"Your hospitality has been more than enough; however,
I wish to become more acclimated to your culture and
society. I felt that an early arrival would provide me the
best possible opportunity to immerse myself in it. And, as
for a residence, the Erebus has been more than sufficient
for my needs; do not strain matters further in that
regard." Zane noted to the diplomat, his posture and face
taking on a very patient and stoic look as he spoke.
"I understand Ambassador, and I thank you for being
so lenient with our current situation. We are greatly
honored that you are so willing to come and witness our
wondrous culture. On behalf of Emperor Azusa and the Holy
Council, I welcome you and your ship to the Jurai Empire."
The view screen faded out swiftly, leaving Zane again alone
with his thoughts. He snickered for a moment as he eyed
the bauble.
"Welcome to an empire, indeed." He said aloud,
toying with the purple sphere in his hands as the dark
champion contemplated his next course of action.
**************************************
Ryoko floated down the ancient corridor, carefully
noting the route she took with a saddened and fearful eye.
Dressed in her most comfortable and provocative outfit she
could find, her mind darted this way and that, debating if
her clothes were right for the occasion. However, her
purpose was set and her will defined, and Ryoko was
determined to deliver what was held behind her back. A
singular rectangular black box, tied together with a
scintillating red and gold ribbon was carefully held in the
pirate's hands, as she stopped in front of the huge doors
that heralded her destination; the Royal Nursery. She took
a long, deep breath and pushed one of the ancient doors to
one side and entered the sacred place.
The nursery was quiet and pristine, save for the
other singular figure standing in the whole area. Tenchi
stood at the edge of the balcony, staring out over the
nursery with wide eyes. The young man turned to face the
door after hearing it swing open, and smiled pleasantly at
Ryoko.
"Hello Ryoko. You know you're pushing your luck by
coming down here, right?"
"Nyaa to those old farts. I'm not here to play
gardener; besides, there's a more important reason to be
here right now. I've got something I want to give you,
Tenchi." The audible gulp from Tenchi's lips and throat
wasn't lost on the former pirate, and she secretly giggled
at the sight of a startled and mildly frightened Tenchi.
"What's that?"
"I don't know, it's REALLY important though, and I
can't just give it away without getting a gift in return."
Tenchi's eyes grew to huge proportions, and an almost
nonexistent drip of blood had begun to slip out of his
nose.
"Do I get a clue about what it is?" Ryoko's voice
began to drop, becoming more husky and sultry as she began
speaking again; the pirate floated directly up toward
Tenchi.
"Hmm... I don't know; it might spoil the surprise..."
"Okay, then, what do I have to pay?" Tenchi gasped,
both exasperated and nervous about Ryoko's advancing body.
Her eyes took on a sultry hue, and her body began moving in
a distinct and obviously potent rhythm, causing Tenchi's
eyes to widen even further than what they had been moments
before. Ryoko placed her index finger on Tenchi's lips,
and drew it with a silky tenderness over each lip before
giving her response.
"A kiss... would fit the bill perfectly."
"A KISS?" Ryoko nodded, her lips curling into a
faint but very seductive smile. "Is that really fair to
ask of me?" Ryoko's face went blank for a passing moment,
though, for Tenchi, it slipped by like an eternity.
"Is it unfair to get a gift when you give one away?"
"Well, not really, no..." Ryoko flashed a beaming
smile and edged herself closer to Tenchi.
"There you are, then! You give me the gift of a
kiss, I give you this."
"But..." Tenchi began, stretching his arms out to
begin an explanation that would never leave his lips.
Ryoko's eyes slanted and her body burst forward, wrapping
up Tenchi in a comforting and passionate vise, kissing the
young Masaki with a ferocity that rivaled desperation.
Moments passed without the pirate letting up on Tenchi,
though neither one of them really was able to relinquish
enough mental capacity to notice. Ryoko pulled away first,
rubbing her lips together and taking several shallow
breaths; Tenchi simply tottered on his legs, his eyes wide
and his mind reeling from the sheer intensity of the kiss.
"That was a rush," the pirate breathed, her mind
still wound around the sheer power of what had just
happened. Tenchi, finally finding the words that would
make sense, gaped at Ryoko as she drew her lips into a
devilish, seemingly innocent smile.
"You mean... that was your first....?"
Ryoko winked mischievously, phasing away while
keeping the smile that found its way onto her lips.
"That's for me to know and you to find out..." Ryoko
echoed through the nursery, leaving Tenchi to gawk wide
eyed at the now-empty place where Ryoko once hovered. Only
two words were able to dislodge themselves from the young
man's throat as he yelled them out in a half-serious, half-
confused tone.
"Sneak thief!" He tossed at the walls of the
nursery, pointing his hand upward toward the direction he
was pretty confident that she had run off to. Satisfied
that he had said his piece, Tenchi took the present that
Ryoko gave him in both hands and began to tenderly open the
gift. The bow undone and the top of the box pulled away
from the rest, Tenchi peered into the box to look at a
single piece of equipment; the hilt of a sword, black and
red, shone brilliantly despite the half-lit nursery he
stood in, it's metallic casing having been polished and
kept in very good condition. Tenchi gingerly pulled the
hilt out of the box, turning it over in his hand to look at
the designs that were etched into the hilt with a more
critical eye.
"It's beautiful." He whispered aloud, almost
entranced by the flow and feel of the design, the grip of
it seemingly felt as if meant to be held by him. Tenchi's
eyes locked with the end of the hilt, and aimed the hilt
far and away from his body. A single red shaft of energy
burst forth, illuminating the room in a douse of crimson
and highlighting the red metallic designs etched into the
hilt as they began to glow in a sympathetic rhythm. All
things being said, the weapon was awe-inspiring to the
young Masaki as he was captivated by the raw purity of the
blade.
"Thank you, Ryoko. I'll keep it with me always." He
spoke to himself, and turned to look back out over the
nursery again. Through it all, the crimson and obsidian
hilt was clutched tightly in his hand.
"And I'll keep you with me always, too." An
invisible pirate whispered from her perch above the nursery
door, watching the young man as he continued to stare at
living history.
************************************************
Deep within the Royal House, an esteemed princess sat
within her own bedroom, staring into and through the huge
piece of artwork hanging over the far wall in her room.
Ayeka let out a sigh, contemplating the celebration that no
doubt would be occurring later in the week. Her sighs may
have gone unheard, had it not been for the chambermaid
tidying up the bed for Ayeka's sleep.
"Something troubling you, your Highness?" Ayeka
shook her head quickly, realizing that there were others in
the room as well.
"No, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you for being so
considerate."
"You are most welcome, my lady." The chambermaid
said, and finished her rounds in a timely fashion. It
wasn't long afterward that the princess found herself alone
in her bedchambers; Ayeka sighed, and had strewn herself
over the bed as she began to fall deeper into thought.
"I had nearly forgotten how comfortable these beds
were. I could almost fall asleep for..." A faint scent, a
reminiscent mixture of caramel, mint, and chocolate, crept
slowly into the room, and wafted over the elder princess's
nose.
*Sniff*
"For hours on this." Her stomach, once thought to
have been placated by the five-course meal that she and her
newfound family had eaten along with the Jurai Royal
family, began to respond to the inviting smell of a faintly
sweet, potent, and mouthwatering dish.
*Sniff, sniff*
"What is that scent?" Ayeka whispered; her stomach
now thoroughly intrigued with the smells that seemed to
pierce her senses and eradicate her willpower. Following
the near-figment of a scent up and down several halls, and
finally stopping at the doorway to the grand kitchen, Ayeka
looked inside. Within those doors was a kitchen that made
the Masaki kitchen look as if it were a tool-shed; standing
inside were three females, two were easily recognized as
Sasami and Ryo-Ohki, but the third was much taller.
Although several centimeters shorter than Ayeka, the woman
had several staggered pairs of orange ponytails that was
covered by a thick layer of hair that circled the rest of
her head like a silk crown. She turned her head to look at
Ayeka, her catlike green eyes as beaming as her smile.
"Oh, more guests! Please, take a seat, I'll take
your order in a moment; I wasn't expecting my tree-leaf
pudding to be so much of a hit." Sasami and Ryo-Ohki
turned to wave and smile at Ayeka as well.
"Hi, Ayeka! I'm learning how to make tree-leaf
pudding; do you want to try some of it?" Ayeka nodded her
approval, and took the opportunity to sit down on one of
several bar stools that were placed underneath the
countertops.
"I do apologize for my forwardness on this, but who
are you?" Ayeka asked of the orange-haired girl. The new
girl turned to face the elder princess.
"I'm Kairi Tetsuro. I'm the grand-daughter of Deo
Tetsuro, who owns the Wanderer's Way. It's one of the best
resturaunts and bounty hunter haunts in this sector of the
galaxy." Kairi beamed happily, with no small amount of
pride of her grandfather's establishment. "I used to work
there as the head chef until Lady Misaki and Lady Funaho
had asked my grandfather's business to cater for a small
reception in the Royal Quarter. After they tasted a small
sampling of my food, they immediately demanded that I
become the Grand Chef for the Royal family. How could I
say no?" Ayeka, taking a bowl of the tree-leaf pudding
that Sasami had prepared for her, took a taste; the
textures and tastes of the dessert were vibrant, powerful,
and most of all.... delicious! In no short order, the bowl
was emptied of its contents; Kairi, Sasami, and Ryo-Ohki
did the same to the bowls that they had filled of the
dessert as well.
"Wow, you must really like your grandfather, Kairi."
Sasami mouthed through bites of pudding.
"This... is better than any dessert I've had thus
far." Ayeka declared, and placed the spoon back into the
bowl in a visibly satisfied fashion. Kairi raised an
eyebrow and shook her head slightly.
"Na, there's one thing better than this. I'm just
not going to talk about it with little ones running about."
The chef bantered. Ayeka, upon hearing the subtlety behind
Kairi's words, gave the biggest blush the elder princess
had ever smoldered on her face. Sasami, seeing this,
bunched up her lips and gave her 'I'm not a little girl!'
stance, with Ryo-Ohki mimicking her every move.
"I am old enough to hear all kinds of stuff!" Sasami
beseeched, still holding her pose.
"Yeah, all kinds of stuff!" Ryo-Ohki mewled out from
behind Sasami, in a perfect copy of the younger princess's
stance.
"You think so, huh? What's a fallopian tube?" Kairi
countered, looking at the younger princess with a teasing
face.
"A what-ian tube?" Sasami questioned, more than a bit
of confusion haunting her features. Kairi roared in
laughter, and patted Sasami on the shoulder. Ayeka
couldn't help but chuckle quietly, just to herself, at her
younger sister.
"Don't worry, kiddo. You'll find out when you're
older; right now, just worry 'bout catching butterflies and
playing pretend, okay?"
"Oh, okay.... but I still want to know about what's
better than tree-leaf pudding!" Sasami pouted, and began
spooning all of the pudding into a container to take with
her. "This stuff is the best!"
"Yeah, the best!" was the reply from Sasami's living
shadow. Ayeka nodded in silent agreement, and looked
toward Kairi to continue their conversation.
"Well, I am quite pleased that we have such a capable
chef feeding our family. Thank you very much for the meal,
and I hope to see you at the celebration tomorrow." Kairi
nodded in thanks. Sasami was busy spooning the remaining
portions of the pudding into a large sealable bowl while
Ryo-Ohki watched, licking her bowl clean and waiting for
her friend to finish.
"I'm glad that you enjoy my cooking. However, I'm
waiting for the rest of my staff to come in for tomorrow's
preparations of the feast following the celebration, so
I'll have to shoo you all out now. I'll see you all later,
okay?"
"Yup! See you later, Kairi!" Sasami chirped,
"Yeah, see you later!" Ryo-Ohki blurted out, waving
to the orange-haired chef as the two girls ran out of the
kitchen.
"Princess Ayeka, thank you for being so approving of
me. It means a lot; my grandfather would be proud." Kairi
spoke quietly, politely bowing to the elder princess.
"You are quite welcome, Grand Chef Tetsuro." Ayeka
spoke, using her most formal voice.
"Please, Princess Ayeka, just call me Kairi. I'm not
really used to so much formality, and besides," She said
with a friendly smile, "I hope that we can become good
friends." Ayeka gave a grateful smile in return.
"As do I. Kairi."
no intention of using this to garner profits of any kind or
type, so unless you like to take a poor man's computer away
from him, please don't sue me!? Please?
All other characters, depictions, places, and
theories that have been put into place are my own creation
and have no relevance to Tenchi Muyo in any way except in
the ways I've explained. These are my own thoughts and
imagination, and any relation to other stories that are not
my own are accidental. Honest.
My e-mail is kai_kerrigan@attbi.com for any and all
feedback. Please, PLEASE SEND FEEDBACK OF ANY KIND!!!
Thank you! ^-^
Author's Notes: I'd like to thank Evil_Pii and
Jocko, and everyone for helping me with keeping me
interested and enjoying what I've written thus far. I
don't really know if I would have ever gotten this far
without them.
Thanks, guys. I owe you something I don't think I
can repay in any lifetime.
*****************************************************
Tenchi Muyo: The Web of Life
Chapter 7: Reflections and Pudding
*****************************************************
The Heaven Tree, massive ode to the Jurai Empire that
it is, isn't the only famous structure on Jurai. There is
one, among the myriad, that resides directly next to the
tree and is quite well known. Nearly all of the bounty
hunters, couriers, and treasure hunters in the galaxy, if
not the known universe come here to find the next big
`thing'. The four story building, having been disassembled
and transferred from a long desolate planet, was composed
mostly of ancient ruins that had been renovated and
modernized from the baseboards up. Designed with natural
curves and architecture, the building was artificial,
though one who was unfamiliar with it would swear that the
building should be inside the huge Juraian tree instead of
alongside. Ashe looked upward at the building that he
stood in front of and gazed at the sign that, as it hung
over the main entrance, flicker and turn on for the
evening. Silently, Ashe shook his head in amusement.
"The more things change, the more they stay the
same." With that, the wanderer stepped into the building.
Looking around inside, Ashe made his way to the entry
point. Standing directly in front of the doorway was a
huge tentacle-covered morass, with an octopus-like face
strategically placed on the top. Two bulbous eyes swiveled
themselves around to stare unflinchingly at Ashe, who
chuckled and waved to the creature.
"Rocco, it's you! Anybody get busted by the bounty
hunters lately?"
A series of nondescript clicks and gurgles emerged
from what could be considered Rocco's mouth as Ashe
listened intently. Several of the tentacles moved and
shuffled in a form of body language.
"Yeah, I figured that he'd get caught someday. He was
a pansy outlaw, anyways. Any other news while I've been
gone?"
Another series of gurgles, this set excited and
rushed. Ashe raised his hands quickly in response, and
attempted to calm the tentacled bouncer.
"Okay, okay, don't get your tentacles in a bind!
I'll ask Deo about it. Just wait here and keep the drunks
out."
"Okie dokie." Rocco said, crystalline with his
pronunciation. Ashe stopped halfway past Rocco, and raised
an eyebrow upon hearing those words.
"You have got to stop watching the television, bub.
It's bad for your brain." And with that, the wanderer
entered the building. The outer portion of the main area
was huge, with several different floors of the building
resembling the natural motif of at least a dozen different
planets; at least thirty or more people were here, dining
on cuisine and discussing their days and weekends. The
central area of the building held a tower as the main
support, and it was here that they held the cafeteria and
grill areas. Several walkways interconnected the rest of
the building to the food tower, and it was in this way that
the place maintained itself. Surrounding the bottom of the
tower in a perfect circle was a bar that was larger than
most rings on planets, guaranteed. At least that's what
sign said on the counter, if you were to walk and read the
entire ring. Ashe, however, decided to walk straight up to
the ring and wave to him one of the ten bartenders working
the ring.
"Hey, is Deo here today?"
"Yeah, I'll get him. Who's asking for him?"
"Ashe. Tell him Ashe is here."
"Like you needed to tell me you were here; I could
smell your arse from a light-second away," a gruff voice
erupted from behind Ashe. Turning around, the wanderer
placed his eyes on the source of the voice; an older man
stood directly behind him, leaning upon a crescent-moon
shaped cane with his left hand while moving a lock of salt-
and-peppered hair out of his eyes with the right. Ashe
chuckled nervously as the elder man pulled up the cane and
lightly tapped the wanderer on the forehead with it. "So,
how goes the wanderer?"
"Me, I've been fine. Went sightseeing, free-fell
into a planet's atmosphere, was nearly killed. You know,
it's the usual." A more serious thump on the head from the
cane cured Ashe of his semi-cynical tone of voice.
"Alright, you smartass, that's enough with the tone.
Word has been going around that you were escorted back to
Jurai by members of the Jurai Royal Family. Is it true?"
Deo asked, taking a seat on one of the empty stools on the
ring, and motioning Ashe to do the same; the wanderer sat
down quickly, and nodded in the affirmative.
"You find out quickly. Yeah, I got strange luck."
"Darn right you do. I still remember the sheer
amount of balls it would've taken other people to do what
you'd done to help me out that fateful day."
"You know, that reminds me. You're looking even more
like an old fart every time I see you."
"Oh, you're one to talk. I wasn't even in a triple
digit age when I met your sorry arse. Besides, you're
getting off point. Do you know WHO you were with?"
"Would you believe me if I said not really?"
"You foolish boy! You've got your head in a solar
flare if you don't know who Tenchi Masaki is! He's the boy
who single-handedly defeated the Ruins Buster! He's also
the one who freed Washu Hakubi from her imprisonment at the
hands of that madman. It's absolutely amazing that you've
stumbled across them at all. Besides, I'm amazed that you
haven't been skinned alive by Washu Hakubi yet."
"Oh? I'll tell her you said that when I take her out
on our date later." The elderly man's jaw would've hit the
floor, had nature not seen fit to attach sinew and muscle
to the appendage. Quickly recovering himself, Deo shook
his head and chuckled to himself as he looked out over the
establishment he created from scratch.
"It'd figure that you'd have Washu wanting to dissect
you, though; you're as much a mystery to all of us today as
you were 300 years ago." Ashe bunched up his lips, and
stared out at the crowd of patrons that had filled up the
bar rather quickly.
"So, how's the sanctuary doing?" Ashe asked,
attempting to avoid the comment as much as possible; Deo
simply shook his head in obvious defeat and answered his
question.
"Waiting for you, as usual. That rain tree is a
downright bitch to take care of, you know that?"
"That's an extremely hard tree to grow, mind you, and
I hope you haven't killed it." Deo swung the cane around,
and would've clocked the wanderer straight in the forehead
had Ashe's reflexes not shot his hand up and out to
intercept. Deo raised an eyebrow, and took the cane back
from Ashe as he pulled himself away from the seat; nodding
respectfully to the wanderer, he pulled out a strange
looking key from beneath his dress shirt and handed it to
Ashe before walking toward the entrance to the tower area
of the place.
"By the way, if you haven't noticed, I found a name
for the place, finally. `The Wanderer's Way'."
"Yeah, I noticed. It fits the place, I like it."
"I thought you would. Remember to bring Washu here
for dinner, or I'll have Rocco thrash you for the rest of
the year."
Ashe chuckled, in a very nervous tone, as the doors
to the entrance of the tower closed behind the elderly man.
"You know, for being a former bounty hunter, you
figure he wouldn't try to be so. so." Ashe muttered under
his breath.
"Hard up on the homies?" Rocco offered up from his
place at the front door, again in crystal clear language.
Once again, for the few times in his life, Ashe had to
agree with Rocco's choice of words.
**************************************
Zane stood quietly in the meditation chamber, his
eyes darting in various directions as 4 man-sized sparring
robots circled Tokimi's champion, taking in their target.
He stood his ground and kept in the only lit area of the
chamber, smoothing his black and purple sparring gi out as
he kept mental note of the situation. The mechanized eyes
of the units took in the dark champion as they circled him
with a quickening pace. One of them darted quickly out and
away from the rest of the group and brought a fist to bear,
hoping to drive it through Zane's skull. The attacking
unit realized the error of that decision when Zane's left
hand shot outward and caught the unit's wrist; he then
spend several more seconds regretting it while a heel was
driven home in several locations, strategically and
lethally important had the warrior been dealing with
organic humanoids.
"Pathetic; increase the combat A.I by two additional
levels." Zane called aloud, tossing the unit outside the
lit portion he continued to stand under. The remaining
units twitched visibly in response to Zane's verbal
commands. After the twitching subsided, the units moved
with even more of a predatorial slink, watching the man
with a single, lethal intent. Soon after taking their
opponent into account, the remaining units dove at Zane;
one of them stopped in mid-stride and jumped at the
warrior, attempting to jump-kick Zane where he stood. Zane
smirked and looked with a faint sense of humorous pity at
his opposition as it bore down upon him like a pack of
starved wolves.
"Too little, too late." The fighter bemoaned, and
ruthlessly slapped the airborne drone in the thigh area;
the trajectory of the attack was thrown far off-kilter,
rendering the jump-kick useless. Zane chose to take the
left-hand drone, waiting for the opportune time for his
attack; when the drone came in with the intention of
landing a fierce series of jabs, Zane countered with a set
of side kicks that landed on the kneecap, the pelvic area,
and finally the sternum of the drone. The unit's eyes
flared a luminescent yellow for a moment, and then faded as
the unit dropped, lifeless, to the ground.
Zane threw up his right arm blocking a knife hand
attack from the third drone that had attempted to take the
warrior by surprise; taking hold of, and ducking under, the
offending hand and the wrist it was attached to Zane pulled
the drone toward him, driving the palm of his free hand
straight at the nose of the drone. A glimmer of yellow and
yet another drone fell to the ground. The warrior
snickered to himself a second time.
All that remained was one final unit; however, Zane
noted that there was no visible sign of it. Two bursts of
yellow light came from behind Zane as he searched for the
drone, and two energy daggers attempted to fillet his
shoulders; a shower of sparks flew from the daggers as they
met opposition, forcing the fighter into a low and
defensive stance. Turning and eyeing the drone through
slatted eyes, Zane watched as the drone continued its
attempt to power the twin blades through the Light Hawk
Wing that had been summoned up, the arcs of purple and
yellow energy dancing on the surface of the wing. Zane
stared for but a moment, in complete awe of the raw and
primal beauty of the display; he then hopped back several
feet to gain a more strategic advantage. The wing barring
the way of the drone flickered and disappeared, leaving
nothing between it and Zane. Weaving and whirling, ducking
and diving, the drone tried time after time to plant one of
the energy daggers home in Zane's body; however, using two
Light Hawk Wings to cover his hands and forearms, Zane
slapped the two weapons away from the drone without so much
as a cognitive thought. Just as suddenly, Zane flipped
upward and over the drone; clutching the drone's head in
his hands, he snapped its neck in a sickeningly fast
display of agility before he even landed behind the now
slumped over drone. Brushing himself off, Zane gazed out
into the darkness.
"Lights," Zane growled; the meditation chamber's
lights gradually bathed the whole room in an eye-pleasing
radiance. At the opposite end of the room stood Ersatzu,
leaning against the wall of the meditation chamber as she
took in the scene that played out before her.
"The combat A.I. in the drones still requires work.
However, they should be more than capable of dealing with
GP or Jurai's ground forces. You have done well, Ersatzu;
I am quite pleased." The artificial gave a muted nod in
Zane's direction, and pulled away from the wall. She
strode over to the drone that had been tossed aside in the
early portion of the sparring match and knelt down to
analyze it as she spoke.
"The information I was able to glean about Ayeka's
combat style and effectiveness was incomplete, as she gave
little opposition. Ryoko, however, seems to have a great
deal more combat skill than she has shown in the
documentation that is currently available. I have made it
a personal quest to find out exactly how skillful she truly
is." She held the drone's head in her palm, gazing into
its eyes with an almost pitiful expression. Zane gave the
artificial an amused smirk.
"If I hadn't known any better, I'd say you hold the
former pirate in respect, Ersatzu." She dropped the drone
back on the floor, and turned her head just enough to see
the warrior.
"She spearheaded the only truly successful attack on
the Jurai home world, and is the only survivor of any such
attack against the Jurai Empire throughout its known
history. I will acknowledge her ability, nothing more."
"I see. Do not allow your personal decisions to
override your current objective, however." Zane reminded
her, to which Ersatzu nodded. Standing up and following
Zane, she hurried her pace to keep up with the dark
champion. The two exited the meditation chamber and fell
into a march of sorts, leading through the different
chambers of the ship that Zane called home. Zane fell into
a quiet mood as the two traveled the ship toward Zane's
private quarters. The quiet ambience was broken when
Ersatzu had made note of something she recalled from an
earlier date.
"I have an inquiry; is the name Marius Tsurigama of
any importance?" Zane's head turned to look at Ersatzu.
His pace slowed in response, and his attention was now
wholly directed at the artificial; something that Ersatzu
found unsettling.
"Yes. How did you come across that name?"
"I recall hearing the name from D-3 in a previous
debriefing for the Lady Tokimi. He seemed to say it with
quite a cynical tone of voice, though I do not understand
why." Ersatzu said, noting the interestingly large lack of
information available about the name in her memory.
"Marius Tsurigama is the name of the man that
murdered my father and destroyed everything that was good
about my father's accomplishments. His life was forfeit
when he chose to become a bigot and a coward."
"Forfeit? An odd choice of words, as the man was
said to die of extraordinarily unusual circumstances and no
absolute conclusion could be determined as to the cause of
his death."
"The cause is quite simple. I killed him myself."
Ersatzu raised an eyebrow, noting one piece of information
that was still questionable.
"Marius had died about 40,000 years ago, however.
That would place you at approximately a similar age, would
it not?"
"That is a part of history you needn't concern
yourself with; keep your attention and your focus on the
present." Zane muttered, waving the thought away and
stepping finally into his private quarters. As the doors
closed behind the dark champion, he released a deep
sounding and very reluctant sigh. Zane placed his gaze at
the far end of the room, and directly stared at a pedestal;
a singular light shone upon a deep purple sphere, an
intricate design bearing scorch marks on its surface. I
will finish what I started all those years ago, Zane echoed
through his mind; his thoughts began floating back to that
fateful day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deep in the vast and icy reaches of space, a singular
chamber floated in deep space; housed within it was the
cryogenically sealed body of Zane. Deep within his mind,
however, there was a world much different than what existed
outside his frozen form. Zane sat underneath a tree,
admiring the view of his father's huge mansion and the
outlying countryside. The view, however, became much
darker as more painful thoughts began to cloud his mind and
take his attention away from what he looked at now.
"I know you, Zane of Far Eden. You are worthy."
Zane's eyes fluttered in place, as he sought to find
the source of the whispering feminine voice. One by one
the shadows of many different objects shimmered and
unnervingly detached themselves from what once anchored
them; pooling together and coalescing into a singular pool
of darkness, a face began to emerge from the eclipsed
morass of woven shadows. A beautiful yet ominous woman was
what Zane saw most clearly of all, a flittering but
consistent image amongst other darker aspects of the young
man's life.
"Who are you?" Zane asked, obsessively curious and
yet almost afraid that he would scare the image away. The
morass slinked and shifted so much that Zane swore that it
looked as if a million black insects were crawling in
unison before him.
"I am the one of the Three Ladies, though I have many
different names on many different worlds. In your world I
have the name of the Lady of Law and Justice." The shadows
whispered, as a singular hand pierced the morass; slowly as
if peeling the skin from a fruit, the woman slowly arose
from her former place in the shifting shadows. The young
man could only gawk at the near sensual aspect of what he'd
just witnessed, and through it all, the name this woman
possessed rang through the winds like a thousand dull
chimes.
"You are Lady... Lady Tokimi?" The woman smiled, and
twirled the shadows of a dozen reeds between her fingers.
"Yes." She said, still toying with the morass that
crawled and cascaded about her feet.
"What do you want with me?" She turned to stare
directly into Zane's eyes, and began walking in his
direction. From his perspective, it seemed that she could
calm and command the very darkness itself. Frightening and
darkly enthralling prospects to be sure, exactly like all
of the proverbs that told of the Lady of Justice.
"It is not what I want from you; rather, what I can
offer you."
"As interesting as it sounds, I honestly doubt that
you would have anything I would want."
"Justice." The morass gave up the image of Zane
striking down his enemies. Zane raised an eyebrow, eyeing
the dark morass with questioning glances. The shadowy and
ephemeral face of Lady Tokimi shifted again as she looked
upon the brooding young man.
"More specifically, I can help you to mete out
justice against the dogmatic and prejudicial people that
forced you into your current situation. I can give you the
ability to bring justice unto those who brought this
pathetic state unto you."
"And in return, I would be expected to do what?"
"Bring the same judgment that you bring to those who
have wronged you, to anyone who would wrong innocent people
such as your father ever again."
Zane's eyes shot open wide, in recognition of the
last component in Tokimi's comment.
"How could you know my father?!"
"As I told you in the beginning, I know you, and
always have. I bore witness to all the indifference and
hatred shown to you, as well as your father and your
brother." The morass shifted to show Zane reaching out to
grasp at two shadowed figures, both of them reaching out to
Zane as well, though neither was able to maintain their
grip on the other. "And, again, I offer you the ability to
follow through with your father's wishes; to make a home,
this whole universe, where there is no cruelty or
hypocrisy. A home in which all can live in joyful peace
with those around them. What say you, Zane of Far Eden?"
Several moments of silence passed, almost as if
eternity begged an audience.
"On my honor and my word, I say yes."
An explosion of celestial energy emerged from the
cryogenic pod as Zane's cryogenic capsule was decimated and
Zane now floats freely in the black, icy grip of space;
however, his body does not die. Zane stared in doe-eyed
panic as he moved his hands in front of his face, though
feeling no pain.
"What kind of power is this, which I can live in the
deepness of space?"
"You are evolved far beyond the scope of your peers,
Zane. The gifts granted you by your father had lain half
dormant; I merely nudged them to complete wakefulness. Now
rise in your ascension and bring justice to the guilty, my
champion, my judge," Tokimi said quietly, almost drunk with
what could be considered elation in a goddess, "My angel of
death."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A discordant tone shook Zane out of his thoughts, and
toward the communication screen at the opposite end of his
chambers. Ersatzu's voice could be heard over the tone,
talking into another channel of the communication screen.
"What is it, Ersatzu?"
"Master Zane, a diplomat from the Jurai Empire wishes
to speak with you. It involves our early arrival into
Jurai Empire space."
"I will talk with him here." He strode over toward
the unit and away from the pedestal, and touched the screen
faintly. The view screen lit up, revealing a Juraian
diplomat; his face was pleasant, though rather confused as
well.
"Ambassador Zane Brynn; we were not expecting your
arrival into Jurai space until the end of the galactic
week. We may have trouble providing a definite place for
yourself and your entourage to reside, as a celebration
that includes the Jurai Royal family is about to be under
way." Zane nodded in agreement to the diplomat's
statement.
"Your hospitality has been more than enough; however,
I wish to become more acclimated to your culture and
society. I felt that an early arrival would provide me the
best possible opportunity to immerse myself in it. And, as
for a residence, the Erebus has been more than sufficient
for my needs; do not strain matters further in that
regard." Zane noted to the diplomat, his posture and face
taking on a very patient and stoic look as he spoke.
"I understand Ambassador, and I thank you for being
so lenient with our current situation. We are greatly
honored that you are so willing to come and witness our
wondrous culture. On behalf of Emperor Azusa and the Holy
Council, I welcome you and your ship to the Jurai Empire."
The view screen faded out swiftly, leaving Zane again alone
with his thoughts. He snickered for a moment as he eyed
the bauble.
"Welcome to an empire, indeed." He said aloud,
toying with the purple sphere in his hands as the dark
champion contemplated his next course of action.
**************************************
Ryoko floated down the ancient corridor, carefully
noting the route she took with a saddened and fearful eye.
Dressed in her most comfortable and provocative outfit she
could find, her mind darted this way and that, debating if
her clothes were right for the occasion. However, her
purpose was set and her will defined, and Ryoko was
determined to deliver what was held behind her back. A
singular rectangular black box, tied together with a
scintillating red and gold ribbon was carefully held in the
pirate's hands, as she stopped in front of the huge doors
that heralded her destination; the Royal Nursery. She took
a long, deep breath and pushed one of the ancient doors to
one side and entered the sacred place.
The nursery was quiet and pristine, save for the
other singular figure standing in the whole area. Tenchi
stood at the edge of the balcony, staring out over the
nursery with wide eyes. The young man turned to face the
door after hearing it swing open, and smiled pleasantly at
Ryoko.
"Hello Ryoko. You know you're pushing your luck by
coming down here, right?"
"Nyaa to those old farts. I'm not here to play
gardener; besides, there's a more important reason to be
here right now. I've got something I want to give you,
Tenchi." The audible gulp from Tenchi's lips and throat
wasn't lost on the former pirate, and she secretly giggled
at the sight of a startled and mildly frightened Tenchi.
"What's that?"
"I don't know, it's REALLY important though, and I
can't just give it away without getting a gift in return."
Tenchi's eyes grew to huge proportions, and an almost
nonexistent drip of blood had begun to slip out of his
nose.
"Do I get a clue about what it is?" Ryoko's voice
began to drop, becoming more husky and sultry as she began
speaking again; the pirate floated directly up toward
Tenchi.
"Hmm... I don't know; it might spoil the surprise..."
"Okay, then, what do I have to pay?" Tenchi gasped,
both exasperated and nervous about Ryoko's advancing body.
Her eyes took on a sultry hue, and her body began moving in
a distinct and obviously potent rhythm, causing Tenchi's
eyes to widen even further than what they had been moments
before. Ryoko placed her index finger on Tenchi's lips,
and drew it with a silky tenderness over each lip before
giving her response.
"A kiss... would fit the bill perfectly."
"A KISS?" Ryoko nodded, her lips curling into a
faint but very seductive smile. "Is that really fair to
ask of me?" Ryoko's face went blank for a passing moment,
though, for Tenchi, it slipped by like an eternity.
"Is it unfair to get a gift when you give one away?"
"Well, not really, no..." Ryoko flashed a beaming
smile and edged herself closer to Tenchi.
"There you are, then! You give me the gift of a
kiss, I give you this."
"But..." Tenchi began, stretching his arms out to
begin an explanation that would never leave his lips.
Ryoko's eyes slanted and her body burst forward, wrapping
up Tenchi in a comforting and passionate vise, kissing the
young Masaki with a ferocity that rivaled desperation.
Moments passed without the pirate letting up on Tenchi,
though neither one of them really was able to relinquish
enough mental capacity to notice. Ryoko pulled away first,
rubbing her lips together and taking several shallow
breaths; Tenchi simply tottered on his legs, his eyes wide
and his mind reeling from the sheer intensity of the kiss.
"That was a rush," the pirate breathed, her mind
still wound around the sheer power of what had just
happened. Tenchi, finally finding the words that would
make sense, gaped at Ryoko as she drew her lips into a
devilish, seemingly innocent smile.
"You mean... that was your first....?"
Ryoko winked mischievously, phasing away while
keeping the smile that found its way onto her lips.
"That's for me to know and you to find out..." Ryoko
echoed through the nursery, leaving Tenchi to gawk wide
eyed at the now-empty place where Ryoko once hovered. Only
two words were able to dislodge themselves from the young
man's throat as he yelled them out in a half-serious, half-
confused tone.
"Sneak thief!" He tossed at the walls of the
nursery, pointing his hand upward toward the direction he
was pretty confident that she had run off to. Satisfied
that he had said his piece, Tenchi took the present that
Ryoko gave him in both hands and began to tenderly open the
gift. The bow undone and the top of the box pulled away
from the rest, Tenchi peered into the box to look at a
single piece of equipment; the hilt of a sword, black and
red, shone brilliantly despite the half-lit nursery he
stood in, it's metallic casing having been polished and
kept in very good condition. Tenchi gingerly pulled the
hilt out of the box, turning it over in his hand to look at
the designs that were etched into the hilt with a more
critical eye.
"It's beautiful." He whispered aloud, almost
entranced by the flow and feel of the design, the grip of
it seemingly felt as if meant to be held by him. Tenchi's
eyes locked with the end of the hilt, and aimed the hilt
far and away from his body. A single red shaft of energy
burst forth, illuminating the room in a douse of crimson
and highlighting the red metallic designs etched into the
hilt as they began to glow in a sympathetic rhythm. All
things being said, the weapon was awe-inspiring to the
young Masaki as he was captivated by the raw purity of the
blade.
"Thank you, Ryoko. I'll keep it with me always." He
spoke to himself, and turned to look back out over the
nursery again. Through it all, the crimson and obsidian
hilt was clutched tightly in his hand.
"And I'll keep you with me always, too." An
invisible pirate whispered from her perch above the nursery
door, watching the young man as he continued to stare at
living history.
************************************************
Deep within the Royal House, an esteemed princess sat
within her own bedroom, staring into and through the huge
piece of artwork hanging over the far wall in her room.
Ayeka let out a sigh, contemplating the celebration that no
doubt would be occurring later in the week. Her sighs may
have gone unheard, had it not been for the chambermaid
tidying up the bed for Ayeka's sleep.
"Something troubling you, your Highness?" Ayeka
shook her head quickly, realizing that there were others in
the room as well.
"No, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you for being so
considerate."
"You are most welcome, my lady." The chambermaid
said, and finished her rounds in a timely fashion. It
wasn't long afterward that the princess found herself alone
in her bedchambers; Ayeka sighed, and had strewn herself
over the bed as she began to fall deeper into thought.
"I had nearly forgotten how comfortable these beds
were. I could almost fall asleep for..." A faint scent, a
reminiscent mixture of caramel, mint, and chocolate, crept
slowly into the room, and wafted over the elder princess's
nose.
*Sniff*
"For hours on this." Her stomach, once thought to
have been placated by the five-course meal that she and her
newfound family had eaten along with the Jurai Royal
family, began to respond to the inviting smell of a faintly
sweet, potent, and mouthwatering dish.
*Sniff, sniff*
"What is that scent?" Ayeka whispered; her stomach
now thoroughly intrigued with the smells that seemed to
pierce her senses and eradicate her willpower. Following
the near-figment of a scent up and down several halls, and
finally stopping at the doorway to the grand kitchen, Ayeka
looked inside. Within those doors was a kitchen that made
the Masaki kitchen look as if it were a tool-shed; standing
inside were three females, two were easily recognized as
Sasami and Ryo-Ohki, but the third was much taller.
Although several centimeters shorter than Ayeka, the woman
had several staggered pairs of orange ponytails that was
covered by a thick layer of hair that circled the rest of
her head like a silk crown. She turned her head to look at
Ayeka, her catlike green eyes as beaming as her smile.
"Oh, more guests! Please, take a seat, I'll take
your order in a moment; I wasn't expecting my tree-leaf
pudding to be so much of a hit." Sasami and Ryo-Ohki
turned to wave and smile at Ayeka as well.
"Hi, Ayeka! I'm learning how to make tree-leaf
pudding; do you want to try some of it?" Ayeka nodded her
approval, and took the opportunity to sit down on one of
several bar stools that were placed underneath the
countertops.
"I do apologize for my forwardness on this, but who
are you?" Ayeka asked of the orange-haired girl. The new
girl turned to face the elder princess.
"I'm Kairi Tetsuro. I'm the grand-daughter of Deo
Tetsuro, who owns the Wanderer's Way. It's one of the best
resturaunts and bounty hunter haunts in this sector of the
galaxy." Kairi beamed happily, with no small amount of
pride of her grandfather's establishment. "I used to work
there as the head chef until Lady Misaki and Lady Funaho
had asked my grandfather's business to cater for a small
reception in the Royal Quarter. After they tasted a small
sampling of my food, they immediately demanded that I
become the Grand Chef for the Royal family. How could I
say no?" Ayeka, taking a bowl of the tree-leaf pudding
that Sasami had prepared for her, took a taste; the
textures and tastes of the dessert were vibrant, powerful,
and most of all.... delicious! In no short order, the bowl
was emptied of its contents; Kairi, Sasami, and Ryo-Ohki
did the same to the bowls that they had filled of the
dessert as well.
"Wow, you must really like your grandfather, Kairi."
Sasami mouthed through bites of pudding.
"This... is better than any dessert I've had thus
far." Ayeka declared, and placed the spoon back into the
bowl in a visibly satisfied fashion. Kairi raised an
eyebrow and shook her head slightly.
"Na, there's one thing better than this. I'm just
not going to talk about it with little ones running about."
The chef bantered. Ayeka, upon hearing the subtlety behind
Kairi's words, gave the biggest blush the elder princess
had ever smoldered on her face. Sasami, seeing this,
bunched up her lips and gave her 'I'm not a little girl!'
stance, with Ryo-Ohki mimicking her every move.
"I am old enough to hear all kinds of stuff!" Sasami
beseeched, still holding her pose.
"Yeah, all kinds of stuff!" Ryo-Ohki mewled out from
behind Sasami, in a perfect copy of the younger princess's
stance.
"You think so, huh? What's a fallopian tube?" Kairi
countered, looking at the younger princess with a teasing
face.
"A what-ian tube?" Sasami questioned, more than a bit
of confusion haunting her features. Kairi roared in
laughter, and patted Sasami on the shoulder. Ayeka
couldn't help but chuckle quietly, just to herself, at her
younger sister.
"Don't worry, kiddo. You'll find out when you're
older; right now, just worry 'bout catching butterflies and
playing pretend, okay?"
"Oh, okay.... but I still want to know about what's
better than tree-leaf pudding!" Sasami pouted, and began
spooning all of the pudding into a container to take with
her. "This stuff is the best!"
"Yeah, the best!" was the reply from Sasami's living
shadow. Ayeka nodded in silent agreement, and looked
toward Kairi to continue their conversation.
"Well, I am quite pleased that we have such a capable
chef feeding our family. Thank you very much for the meal,
and I hope to see you at the celebration tomorrow." Kairi
nodded in thanks. Sasami was busy spooning the remaining
portions of the pudding into a large sealable bowl while
Ryo-Ohki watched, licking her bowl clean and waiting for
her friend to finish.
"I'm glad that you enjoy my cooking. However, I'm
waiting for the rest of my staff to come in for tomorrow's
preparations of the feast following the celebration, so
I'll have to shoo you all out now. I'll see you all later,
okay?"
"Yup! See you later, Kairi!" Sasami chirped,
"Yeah, see you later!" Ryo-Ohki blurted out, waving
to the orange-haired chef as the two girls ran out of the
kitchen.
"Princess Ayeka, thank you for being so approving of
me. It means a lot; my grandfather would be proud." Kairi
spoke quietly, politely bowing to the elder princess.
"You are quite welcome, Grand Chef Tetsuro." Ayeka
spoke, using her most formal voice.
"Please, Princess Ayeka, just call me Kairi. I'm not
really used to so much formality, and besides," She said
with a friendly smile, "I hope that we can become good
friends." Ayeka gave a grateful smile in return.
"As do I. Kairi."
