Disclaimer -I do not own the series "Tenchi Muyo" or any of its characters.
They belong to AIC and are distributed by Pioneer. No profit is being made
in this production.
Shogun Muyo: Chapter 7- Enter The GP Elite
Space is sometimes considered to be the ocean of the stars. Grand and deep, with endless discoveries to be found. To stare into its vastness and depth is to risk being overwhelmed by its marvels and mysteries. Some even believe that unraveling this enigma of planets and stars might somehow help us become closer to finding the meaning of our own existence. And we are, after all, allowed to dream...
A small ship guides its way through the solar system. Its design, a signature model of the galaxy police, blending a balance of speed and durability.
Sitting at the pilot's controls was the person assigned to ensure that all dreamers of this section of the galaxy have a safe place to roam.
The serene of space sang its lullaby to her, and she now rests in her chair, a small bit of drool escaping her mouth. The soft curves of her chest rising and falling rhythmically with her breathing, as her head slightly slumps over to the side.
"Mihoshi? Mihoshi, wake up."
The voice threatened her eyelids to flutter momentarily before she stirred in her sleep. The small piece of machinery where the voice originated from increased its tone, disturbing her catnap.
"Mihoshi? New orders are just coming in."
"Huh, wha...oh, you were saying something Ukonojo?" she said, stretching her arms over her head and yawning.
"Headquarters is requesting a status report on the Sol system immediately."
She took a minute to rub the sleep out of her eyes before answering. "What's the hurry? Nothing exiting ever goes on around here. Well, besides that one incident where Kagato returned with Souja and kidnapped Ryoko a little while back. I wonder how she's doing now anyway. Oh yeah, and let's not forget the apprehension of that Dr.Clay. Now he was a strange one I tell you with his octopus head. It was so funny when Washu told me she called him that. Oh and that one time when..."
"Mihoshi."
"Oh, sorry. Yes?"
"A second anomaly has appeared over your sector."
"An anomaly? What is the criminal's security level and where do we find him?"
"You misunderstand, Mihoshi. It is not a criminal you are after this time. You are being assigned to investigate the effect of the anomalies on the planet where they have occurred."
"What exactly are these anomalies that you keep talking about?"
"You mean, you weren't briefed?"
"Well no, not exactly."
"Then would you like a summarized report now?"
"Ah, ok." She said while using her pink cube to create a cup of coffee.
"The first distortion occurred a several weeks ago. No investigation was deemed necessary at the time because it was assumed that it was one of the class A prisoners attempting t escape subspace. However, many of headquarters advanced wavelength researchers have picked up a second distortional field in your sector of the galaxy, this one occurring only a few moments ago. All of class A criminals are accounted for, meaning that it is something else causing these shifts."
"Well, duh."
"In any case, headquarters is requesting an immediate investigation. Report back as soon as you find out anything."
She stood and saluted with her right hand after finishing her coffee. "Right, detective first class Mihoshi is on her way."
"Just one thing Mihoshi, you are not required to confront anyone which may have come in through this anomaly, but in case you find anything that can be considered as a possible threat to the residents of the planet, you are to stop your assignment and call for backup. Understood?"
"You mean someone, or something, could have just walked in from another galaxy? Like, something big, and mean?"
"Possibly."
"Oh. Well j-just. Just leave it to me."
Almost mechanically, she began to punch a set of numbers into a small device that was positioned on the right side of the pilots seat. It made up of dozens of fingernail-sized buttons and made a short beeping noise once she was done.
"I'm inputting the coordinates now... err, um..."
"Yes, Mihoshi?"
"Well ah, it just occurred to me that you haven't told me which planet those things happened."
"Both distortions were determined to occur on a remote sector of planet Earth. Near the same area where you reported that the two Jurian princesses currently reside."
"Earth? Did you say, Earth?"
"Yes."
"I'm going back to Earth?"
"Affirmative."
Her eyes widened and she leapt out of her chair. Bouncing around her ship, she dropped the small cap that belonged to her uniform on the floor. She sang a song to herself all the while.
"Woohoo! I'm going back to Ea-rth, I'm going back to Ea-rth..."
"Uh, is there a problem, Mihoshi?"
"What? Of course not! I'm going back home Ukonojo! I'm going to see everyone again!"
The ship reared its course back a few degrees, and headed towards the third planet from the sun.
******************************************************
Ayeka and Sasami held each other tightly as the last remains of the sun disappeared from view. The sky was a deep blue, and the breeze made their hair wave softly in the wind, a soft mirage of blue and purple.
Ayeka gently pulled away from her sister, and wiped away some of her tears.
"I see that you are healthier than when I left."
"I missed you so much." Said Sasami, tears still forming.
"There, there, now. We are both safe."
There was a shuffling of feet behind Ayeka that announced that the princess had not returned alone. The figure stepped out of the darkness and stood behind Ayeka. Her face was stern. Unable to decide if this was friend or foe, Sasami hesitated before speaking. Ayeka noticed the look of concern on Sasami's face and turned back to her guest. "It's all right."
"Cute kid, isn't she?" Said the figure while using her hand to pull back a lock of white hair from her face.
"It is quite all right Sasami. This is a friend."
"You know her?" She said, looking the figure over. "Well then, uh, pleased to meet you."
"Same here."
Ayeka looked towards the house and recognized Washu's figure. Her bright hair standing out in the darkened field.
"Hello Washu. I trust that my departure hasn't inconvenienced anyone."
"It's great to see you back. You'll have to tell me everything that happened while you were gone a little later. And if you'll allow me, it might be a good idea to run some tests on the performance rate of your organs. You have after all, been traveling from dimension to dimension. It could have put a strain on your body."
"I'm all right, I just need." She saw someone standing next to Washu, and the blue gem on his head told her it wasn't Ryoko or Tenchi.
"Guess what sister?" Chirped in Sasami. "You're not the only one who's made a new friend. Here let me introduce you." She walked in between the two.
"Ayeka, this is Daimyo, and Daimyo, this is my sister, Ayeka."
"So you're Ayeka. I've heard many good things about you. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." He said, then gave a slight bow.
Ayeka only picked up her chin and straightened herself.
"Hm. I'm sure it is." She said, walking past him.
He looked at Sasami, who just shrugged her shoulders.
"Daimyo? Is that you?"
The white hair swaying in the wind caught his attention. Satisfied that his eyes were not playing tricks on him, he walked up to the figure, his heart running a mile in his chest
"Mireya?"
"It's true, you are alive..."
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again." He said after a slight pause.
"What? You know her too?" Inquired Sasami.
"Yes and no." He replied with a smirk on his face.
A few yards away, Ayeka was already making her way towards the house. She noticed that two of the Masaki residents were currently missing from the reunion, but half expected that that would be the case when she returned.
Azaka and Kamidake suddenly appeared in front her. She closed her eyes, and slightly bit her tongue; for fear that she might say something she'd regret later on. The two guardians appeared nervous, even without facial expressions to show it.
"Princess, we're so glad you're safe."
"Yes, we were so worried that something might have happened. We tried to follow you that day, into the sphere, but we couldn't seem to be able to. It was as if we were locked out."
"We apologize for this. How can we ever make this up to you?"
"Just name it princess, and it will be done."
Ayeka balled her hand into a fist before speaking.
"You two are sworn by Juraian oath to protect me whenever and wherever I so need it. Yet, the time that I needed you the most, you two conveniently decided to go on vacation..."
"No princess, we tried to help but..."
"Silence." She said in a tone more commanding than as if she had screamed it.
"You two are a disgrace to your duties. Get out of my sight and do not return until I call. Understood?"
"Yes princess."
"As you command."
They phased away, without another word.
Sasami looked on in surprise.
*Poor Ayeka. I bet she's been through a whole lot. I need something that will cheer her up. Hey wait I know.*
"Washu, where's Tenchi?" She said after walking next to the scientist.
"Good question. I wonder what's keeping him." Said Washu, not taking her eyes off of Ayeka.
***************************************************
Ryoko looked down upon Tenchi's sleeping figure. It was one of the few things that relaxed her and washed away all her worries. He looked so peaceful, just like he always did when he slept. She enjoyed watching him like this every night, but he had made it vehemently clear on several occasions that that was something he didn't necessarily appreciate. Now, any opportunity she receives to see him like this would be welcomed. She preferred to keep it like this anyway. She would be his protector, and he, her sacred treasure.
It donned on her that he had that same face from a few nights ago. That night he called her Ayeka. It still hurt a little, but she's gotten over it.
Everyone is allowed to make a mistake from time to time, she figured. She couldn't really blame him for thinking of her, for all he knew, she could have very well died that day. A smile crept on her face as the rhythm of his breathing melted away her doubts and worries.
He slowly moved his head back and forth on his pillow.
"I wonder what's going on in that head of yours." She said, realizing he was dreaming.
Inside his mind, he glanced around, and realized he was in some sort of amusement park. He was tightly buckled inside a roller coaster, and was situated at the front cart. Next to him was Ryoko, who had a weird grin on her face.
Directly behind him was Ayeka, staring angrily at Ryoko. Strangely enough, she was wearing a dominatrix outfit. He noted how it complemented her figure. Next to her, Sasami shared an ice cream cone with Ryo-Ohkie. A strange, orange, carrot shaped ice cream cone that he wondered whether or not tasted like carrot as well. Behind them, Washu typed away on her holotop while next to her sat a sleeping Mihoshi. Straining his neck to look further behind him, he saw Daimyo sitting in the last cart by himself. He's sitting with his arms crossed, and when they make eye contact, he screams at Tenchi:
"Time to train, soft ass!"
Looking ahead of him again, he looks at the pathway that the roller coaster is heading and gasps as he realizes how many loops and sharp turns they were actually going to make. He tried to undo himself and get away as fast as he could, but the ride had already started. Saying a silent prayer to himself, he braced himself for the worst.
*Should I wake him up?* Ryoko wondered in the real world. *Wait, didn't Washu warn me one day about waking someone up from a dream? Something about heart. Heart pressure or something like that?*
As it began to pick up speed, his stomach felt as if a flock of seagulls were flapping their way inside of him. The coaster began a slow ascent as it moved upwards on a long track. It seemed to endlessly travel upwards making Tenchi feel a little lightheaded. Its peak reached above the clouds, into space and a few feet next to planet Jurai. He looked up and heard Azusa, emperor of Jurai, curse at him.
After a brief pause, the coaster began its descent.
"Tenchi. I wish you knew what you meant to me." She whispered into his ear. She rested her elbow on the bed to balance herself, careful of not waking him up. "I would tell you, but I don't think you'd believe me. That would hurt the most. If only you knew."
Moving at speeds of over two hundred miles per hour, Tenchi almost flew out of his seat due to the sudden shift in speed. The wind flapped violently by his face and pulled his cheeks back forcefully. He felt his lung travel up into his throat, and he knew he would have a heart attack at any moment.
Only the sounds of metal angrily scraping against metal could be heard in his ears. His heart beat ran at an alarming rate, pumping his body full of blood. It took all his will power to look at Ryoko, who was still staring at him with that silly smile on her face. Her hair was flapping so hard, he wondered why it didn't just come off of her head.
In the real world, Ryoko was about to place her hand on his shoulder, to wake him up. She was stopped in her tracks when he said her name in his sleep.
*He's dreaming of me?* Blushing at the thought, she decided to let it finish, whatever it was that was actually going on in his head. *Well, no wonder he looks so nervous, he always gets that face whenever I'm doing something really naughty.*
The coaster stopped its descent with a jolt and started zigzagging ferociously.
He jerked back and forth in his seat, realizing he'd be thrown off at any moment. He slammed his body on his left side and momentarily became dizzy, as dizzy as anyone can get in a dream anyway. The ride mercilessly flung his body to where Ryoko would have been sitting. If not for the secured seatbelt, he would have slammed right into her. He managed to find enough clarity to realize that she literally wasn't in her seat for some odd reason.
It made its way to a straightened path. This would have comforted him, except that he saw Ryoko flying next to him, with an even more devious smile on her face. It amazed him how she was able to keep up with the ride, which was already breaking the sound barrier.
A light bulb flashed on top of her head like one of those American cartoons. She grabbed Tenchi with one hand, while the other free hand ripped his seatbelt off of him. She carried him as if he was a bride, and accelerated past the coaster, leaving a screaming Ayeka behind.
Now he was scared.
"Ryoko..." he said in his sleep.
"Yes Tenchi, I'm right here."
This was it she thought, he'd finally tell her what she so desperately wanted to hear for so long...
"Ryoko... stop it...I'm scared..."
Ryoko flew at blinding speeds, holding Tenchi in her arms. He held on as tightly as he could, not wanting to become a splatter stain on the ground. He felt like one of those crash test dummy's right before they slammed into a wall.
She increased her altitude and flew high into the air. He couldn't bring himself to look down, so instead he tried to concentrate on her cleavage, which his head was conveniently resting on. The wind raced by him violently, and then, he looked up into her cat like eyes. She looked down at him with those feral golden eyes one last time, smiled, and dropped him.
Ryoko's image became smaller and smaller until she looked like a small dot imprinted against a background of clouds. He flapped his hands in a futile attempt to fly as he turned his head to face downward. He almost wet himself as the image of the coaster tracks came closer and closer to him with each passing millisecond. To make matters worse, at the trajectory he was falling, he would land directly in front of the roller coaster's path. He prepared himself to experience how it would feel to have his entire body explode from impact.
*Well, at least it's going to be quick.* He thought to himself.
He could feel gravity pulling at him as he fell. Not pulling, more like aggressively yanking his body down to his death. The tracks were a couple of feet away from his face, then at the last second, Ryoko phased under him and caught him in mid fall.
She flew at a normal pace again and looked down at him. His breathing was heavy and labored. The coaster finished its course without them. Clutching his chest to see if his heart was still beating, he looked at her with pleading eyes, too exhausted to speak. She merely replied:
"What? I was only playing."
Tenchi's eyes suddenly jerked open, and he felt his sheets covered in sweat. At least he hoped it was sweat, and not something else. Ryoko was standing next to the bed, looking not at him but off into the distance.
She looked so strange. Her face had no expression. She almost looked like... a doll, he rationalized. She stood lifeless, almost the exact opposite of the fire that normally burned in her. He was taken in by a morbid curiosity while looking at her. The silence grew. She hadn't even realized he was up yet when he shifted himself to the edge of the bed. He began to worry that something had happened to the house, while he was asleep, and broke the silence.
"Ryoko, is something wrong?"
"Hello Tenchi. I didn't notice you waking up." Her face still showed no sign of emotion.
"Yeah I just had this really... uh nevermind." He wiped off the last remains of sweat from his face. "So what's up?"
"Washu says there's something you might like to see..."
"Oh all right. Well them I'll just get my..." The memory of his dream still fresh in his head, he hesitated briefly. "Hey wait a second, this isn't another trick of yours, is it? I mean, you not. just playing?"
"No. No trick. It's by the shrine."
"Well, all right." It was hard to read her expression. As blank as a painters canvas without the paint.
He looked down at himself and realized he was only wearing his boxers and a snug fitting shirt under the blanket. "Just give me a moment to get dressed and I'll meet you there."
"Sure." She teleported out of the room.
Tenchi stared at where she was standing only moments ago, and was debating in his head on whether or not he actually saw a tear come down her face.
He chalked it up to still being a little groggy from sleep, and decided his eyes were playing tricks on him.
*Something is definitely up with her though.*
He let out an inward sigh. *You're such an idiot Tenchi. Wasn't it just a little while ago where you promised that things would be different from now on? What if at the store you were hurt by those thieves, or worse? What if you never had the chance to tell these people how much you appreciate them? Sure, they are all a pain in their own way, but what if they all just went away? Think you'll be able to handle that? And here, Ryoko was upset at something and you didn't even try to help her. And what was that weird dream about?*
He slipped into a comfortable pair of pants that he forgot he owned. Stretching his arms above his head, he heard a dozen small pops and cracks come from his back and shoulders.
*Ayeka, I'm so sorry that we haven't come for you yet. I can only pray to the spirits that you're safe. I really wish that Washu would figure out where you are, so you could come home. I have no idea what's happening to you right now, but please be safe.*
"Grandfather, I wish you were here." He said out loud, not necessarily speaking to anyone. "Hey, come to think of it, I wonder why he hasn't even written us yet. I hope everything is fine over there in America. Though I wonder what business you had there. You have your reasons, but I really wish you were here to help me deal with all this. Father is still on his business trip as well. He sends us money every week, but I guess I'm just not used to being the man of the house."
Ryoko appeared in front of the house. She looked over its details and features, and realized how strong its foundation was. She wished she could be like a sturdy house, with a strong foundation that housed her heart and her soul. But everyday it seemed she was using all her energy to keep from crumbling in on herself.
Standing in front of the house, she covered her mouth with her hand and did her best to hold back as many tears from coming down her face as possible.
**************************************************
Mireya walked up to Ayeka and gently reached out to hold her hand. She lightly brushed aside some purple hair, and they looked deeply into each others eyes.
"My love, I have some things to discuss with my friend over there." She said, pointing to Daimyo. "But I promise it will not take long, and I will return as soon as I am finished. Do you approve?"
*My love?* Thought Sasami, becoming confused.
"Yes, I do. Just as long as it is quick."
"Will you be near?"
"I will be in the house along this path."
"Very well." She said, planting a quick kiss on the princess' cheek.
She joined Daimyo at his side, and they nodded to each other. Now Sasami was very puzzled. She playfully kicked Daimyo on his shin to get his attention.
"Oh, I'll be back in a little while. Just have to catch up on some small talk, that's all. Nothing big."
"Well, all right. I'll save dinner for you then."
"Thanks." He turned to the woman next to him. "All right Mireya, let's go."
Sasami watched as they both walked off into the night.
*******************************************
The trio walked about halfway home in silence. Sasami tried her best not to let anyone know that she occasionally looked behind every two minutes.
Ayeka led the small group, walking at a very brisk pace that compromised her usually graceful form. Washu was the first to notice the slight change in the princess' walk, it no longer had that air of superiority like it did before, almost as if she'd been humbled by her experiences. That would have been cause for celebration on it's own, but something in Washu's brilliant mind told her that there was something else, something a little darker about Ayeka's experiences. But decided that now was an inappropriate time to pry. Maybe it was just her.
Ryoko appeared in front of them, or rather, directly in front of Ayeka.
The two rivals said nothing; they merely stared into each other's faces. Time stopped between them as they stood, fixed this way, for ages. To onlookers, it was hard to decide if they were challenging each other, or just acknowledging each other's presence. Each stood their ground, neither giving an inch to the other. Sasami was the first to feel the tension, and moved in between them. Through their peripheral vision, they were eerily reminded of their last scuffle, as she walked next to them.
Calling a momentary truce, Ayeka spoke first.
"So, are you going to gawk at me all day or are you going to move?"
Ryoko turned her back and crossed her arms before stepping out of the way. She did this just in time to see Tenchi walk in from a cluster of bushes.
"Ok Ryoko, what exactly did you call me all the way out here for."
He saw her just over Ryoko's shoulder, looking at him, with a smile slowly making it's way onto her face. He thought he was hallucinating, that maybe his eyes we're still playing tricks on him in the dimly lit night.
"Ayeka?"
"Hello, Tenchi."
His need for sleep suddenly left him, and was replaced with a combination of surprise and joy. He smiled deeply and, walking past Ryoko, he failed to notice the look of pain in her eyes, or in her heart.
"Ayeka, it's really you! I'm so glad that you're safe."
Her eyes bulged out a bit in shock as Tenchi wrapped his arms around her. At this point, her emotions we're raging in her head. She felt happy that the person she loved more than anyone else was finally showing affection toward her, but this happiness conflicted with another feeling that was viciously fighting for her recognition.
"Thank kami you're safe. I don't know what we would have done without you."
As Ryoko watched on, she could feel her heart dry up in her chest like a raisin that was left out in the desert. Finally, she could take no more and phased away to the only place she knew she could be alone with her thoughts. This place was, unfortunately, the same place she used to perfect her fighting skills.
It was somewhat ironic that now the only place she could find sanctuary for her broken heart was the same place that was designed to harden her body. With a soft hum, she was gone.
For the slightest of moments, Washu herself could feel the torment in Ryoko's mind. She figured she wasn't really needed here, and decided to go someplace where she knew she had to be now, by her daughter's side.
Ayeka slowly took her hand a gently pushed out of Tenchi's embrace. It was an awkward moment, but Tenchi thought that maybe he did let his emotions get the best of him.
"It's nice to see you too, Tenchi."
"Yeah. Well, let's go inside. I'm sure you're tired, so we can wait until tomorrow until you feel your ready to talk about, you know, what happened."
"Err, yes. Tomorrow. Right now, I'm very tired, and I don't really feel like talking about."
*Voog.*
*Voog.*
"Yes?"
*Voog Voog Voog Voog.*
"Ayeka?"
*VoogVoogVoogVoogVoogVoogVoog.*
"Ayeka, are you all right?"
*VOOOOOOOG!*
She unwrapped her fists that were curled up white-knuckle tight. The imprint of her fingernails etched in her palm.
"Oh, I'm sorry Tenchi. As I said, I just need rest. Sasami?"
She was too busy looking into the night behind her to hear her sister calling, hoping Daimyo would suddenly turn around and catch up with them.
"Sasami?"
"Huh? Oh, yes Ayeka?"
"You and I are going to have a discussion about that friend of yours tomorrow. Ok?"
"Uh, yeah ok, sure."
"Good. Let's go home Tenchi."
***************************************************
Billions of light years away, on the barren lands of Draka, two figures make their way through the deserted plains. They walk, slowly, towards their destination.
"The emperor will not approve of this, Voog."
"Look, how was I supposed to know that Mireya would show her face again?"
"She should be nothing compared to you. You're one of the masters generals, disposing of her should not have been a problem at all."
"What? And exactly how many times have YOU tried to open a portal to another universe? It is a very complex and draining incantation. I exhausted myself in creating that damned thing in the first place, and then she shows up."
"And you couldn't keep her busy for five more minutes until I got there."
"I tell you it was as if she knew of our plans. I thought that the emperor was the only one who knew of the location of the portal."
"In any case, you will be the one to make this report to the emperor."
"Now wait just one second." He said, stepping in front of Botaro.
If someone was standing behind Botaro, the only indication they would see that he was not alone was the head that was looking down at him a few inches above his own.
"It's not my fault that you took your sweet time getting there. If you were punctual for once this wouldn't have happened!"
"Don't blame me because you couldn't handle two flowers."
"Let me make one thing distinctly clear, Botaro." he said as dark purple energy emanated around his form, "My powers recuperate very quickly, and I do not care if you are the emperors son, if you do not watch your tongue around me, I might be tempted to rip it out. You may be the first general, but only because you've been here for much longer than I have."
Botaro let out a deep belly laugh.
"Calm yourself. We have no time for your humor. Remember who you speak to, I'm not one of those wenches that you so enjoy toying with." He said, still smiling.
"What."
"Oh please. Don't think I don't know what you do to those girls. You enjoy the fear in their faces whenever you step into the hall. That's the only reason you keep all of them in one place. And we found that girls diary. I think the emperor would be most curious to see how one of his top generals truly conducts himself. Wouldn't you think?"
"Ugh. FINE, I'll make the blasted report."
"First we couldn't find Daimyo's body, and now this. We were both in charge of that, and we have failed. I'm sure we will feel the emperor's wrath threefold."
"Oh well." Said Voog. "He does have a short temper, but I don't think it will affect him so badly. After all, what difference does it make if Mireya found another place to rot on? The better for us."
"Fool. Have you forgotten that the entire purpose of this was to find Daimyo's body? Which means."
"What?"
"Which means if he's still alive, then he is now rejoined with Mireya." He slammed his titanic fist into the ground, causing a tremor that knocked Voog off balance.
"This is not good. The emperor will be furious."
"For the last time, the only reason that your father wants Daimyo dead is because he believes that your broth... I mean Daimyo, holds the power of the dark dragon. I tell you, it's nothing but nonsense. A story passed down through the ages, nothing more. Regardless of what he is, he cannot get passed us."
"All right Voog, for all our sakes, I hope you're right."
*******************************************
"This looks like a good spot."
"Are you sure we are alone?"
Taking a quick look around, Daimyo nodded in assurance.
"All right then." After pointing her palm toward the ground, a small sphere of light appeared in front of them, illuminating the once pitch black surroundings. They sat in much the same way that boy scouts would sit next to a campfire.
"It's been a long time Daimyo. It's good to see you're alive. So, how long have you been here?"
"Just a week or two. I'm sorry if I made all of you worry after I left the rebellion, but I had my reasons."
"I figured you'd say something like that. Well, you did worry me. You've been gone from the battlefield for more than a year, I didn't know if you were dead or anything. But I guess it's a little late to be talking about how I missed you."
His eyebrows came together in confusion. "By the way, how fare the other members of the rebellion? Are they well?"
The look on her face was unreadable. Then, she chuckled quietly.
"They are all gone Daimyo. All of them are either dead, or imprisoned. Things just weren't the same once you left. We looked everywhere for you, you know? We had no order anymore. No guidance. The only hope we clung to was the one chance that you'd return and lead us to glory. We made terrible strategic mistakes, and now, we are no more." She looked at him almost pleadingly. "Why Daimyo? Why did you just leave all of a sudden so long ago?"
"I'm sorry to hear that, but like I said, I had my reasons. That's all you need to know."
"Yeah, I should have expected a typical Daimyo response like that." She rolled her eyes.
They sat in silence for a few moments. He ran his fingers across his knuckles, much like he always did when he was thinking, and she just looked out into the distance.
"Not that I'm complaining, but how did you find your way here?"
"It's a long story, so I'll just leave out the details. I found out that Trowa ordered a gateway to be opened, it seems that he was looking for confirmation on your death."
"So, even he thinks I'm dead, huh?"
"All the more reason we should attempt a surprise attack. Anyway, Ayeka was convinced that this portal was the only chance she had to get back home, so it was only a matter of waiting for the right opportunity to present itself."
"And no one tried to stop you?"
"Well thankfully, that damned Voog was alone when he was casting the spell to open the gateway. He was too exhausted from the use of his magic to stop us on his own. Thank the heavens that Botaro decided not to accompany him, or me and Ae would be rotting in that prison hall again."
"Ae?"
"Oh, it's just my pet name for her."
"If you say so. Wait, so you two were captured? But how did."
"Relax. Like I said, it's a long story. Let's just say that the empire is much too overconfident with their security."
"I see."
Seeing that the ball of light had lost its intensity, she once again pointed her palm towards it and made it glow twice as bright.
"So tell me, how did the prince of Draka end up here, in this little village?"
"Well, one of those gateways you were talking about? A few weeks ago, I was walking through Gara Square and boom, next thing I know, I was in that household. I guess you can call it fate."
"Hm. Heh, that's one way to put it. What were you doing at Gara Square anyway? You know it's just a death trap, a place where they discard the bodies of cowards and weaklings. What were you doing in a place like that?"
"I don't know. I hardly feel like examining my actions now."
"Yup, never fails. Have you told anyone yet?"
"About what?"
"Don't play dumb with me. You know."
"No, I don't."
"The scales."
A shiver made it's way up his spine. "I told you a long time ago that I didn't want to relive that experience."
"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're still upset over almost killing me that day. I know it was an accident and I've forgotten all about it. So should you."
"That's not it. That power wasn't meant for, well, mortals I guess. It's hard to describe. It was as if I was a different person entirely. I don't want to go through with that feeling again. "
"You have to Daimyo. It's our only shot against the empire now. By the way, when do we plan to go back?"
"That's another thing Mireya. I want to stay here."
Her face went blank. "What did you just say?"
He sighed. "Look around you Mireya. It's so peaceful here. Have you ever seen so many trees gathered in one area as lush as these? The air is so much more welcoming than back home. If I can even call it home that is. The people of this planet are not plagued with the sort of conflict that we are used to seeing. They can walk freely without all the hesitation, the caution. Can't we just forget about Draka? Can't we just move on?"
She curled up her fist and her voice rose sharply. "Move on? MOVE ON!?"
"..."
"You of all people should know what we are fighting for in the first place. You talk about how peaceful this place is, well, who do you think is responsible for all the misery on our planet? It's up to us to put a stop to Trowa now. He controls everything Daimyo. He doesn't care about anything except using fear and oppression to expand his power. It's a wonder he doesn't tax the water we drink.
He still sat in silence.
"And you sit there and tell me that you, the only hope we have against this empire, don't want to use your abilities to help because you're tired of fighting. How selfish you have become."
"You've made your point."
She lowered her tone and moved in closer, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen Daimyo. It's just you and me now. Now, it's impossible for the two of us to topple the empire on our own, unless of course, we have the dark dragon scales on our side, which you possess."
"Oh come on. Don't tell me you still believe in that nonsense."
"Believe in it?" Her eyes widened. "I've seen you use it with my own eyes! When you fought Botaro, remember? You challenged him after his betrayal was made apparent. I still remember the fire in your eyes. You knew of his reputation and fighting prowess first hand, but you didn't care. When you two fought, he was on the verge of victory but then, by the gods, you tapped into the power of the scales! It was a grand sight."
"First of all, I lost that one. Try as I might, he was still too much for me. And after I used this 'power' as you call it, I woke up in the barren fields, with you just barely clinging on to life next to me. I didn't remember anything that happened, but it also didn't help when I found out that I was the one responsible for your condition."
She was now sitting next to him, knees drawn up to her chest.
"Look, you said it earlier, you weren't yourself. You couldn't control it. The sudden jump in power was too much for your mind and body to handle. So you went slightly nuts, big deal. I'm still here and you're still here. Which means we still have a chance to change things."
"Listen to yourself. You act as if we are both some sort of galactic police people in charge of bringing order to the world."
"Look, I've come with good news. Maybe we won't be so helpless when we finally take them on.
"What?"
"I think I've found a way to control it."
"What? What in blazes are you talking about now?"
"Well, remember how you brought me back from the brink of death?"
"Yeah." He brought his hand to his chin in contemplation. "I managed to transfer some of my blood into you after I found that medical center. Good thing I found it too. The medicine man told me that I brought you just in time."
"Right. Well Daimyo, your blood wasn't the only thing that was transferred."
He cocked an eyebrow up. "What? You lost me."
"Well, believe it or not, when I was in the middle of that procedure, I could literally feel the life returning to my body, even as I lay unconscious. It took me a while to recover, but when I did, I felt better than I ever did in my entire life. I think it's because, well, I gained some of your own strength when you gave me your blood."
"What?"
"Well, it's nowhere near as intense as yours, but I think I've managed to focus in on it. It's a little hard to explain. So I'll just show you. Just watch."
She stood up and clenched her fists together while closing her eyes.
"Stop it, you don't know what you're getting into."
"It's.not hard..just got to..readjust."
A soft red glow surrounded her as she drowned out all distractions from her mind. Nothing existed around her, except the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. She focused on the feelings of her arms and legs, mentally trying to guide her very essence into all her muscles. Her hair defined gravity and began to slowly float upwards, at the same time changing into a light shade of red.
"Mireya?"
"Look.see.it's not that hard. Ahhh. AHHHH!"
She held her head in between her hands, trying to shut out the pain that dug into her skull.
"Fight it Mireya. Come back to me, don't let it win."
"Urggh..Ahhhhhhh!"
He moved in to grab her by the shoulders, but she flung him off. He flew several feet away from her and his momentum scrapped his body along the ground before he stopped. He looked up at her after regaining his balance, and the glow around her body became brighter. Her speech became almost incomprehensible now. As he looked on, a feeling of dread came to his stomach. The person in front of him was on the brink of madness, visibly struggling to keep herself in check.
"I have to stop her now before she hurts someone. But how?"
Her hair was now fully red in color, a furious color to match the fire in her soul. Daimyo desperately looked for a way to stop what was going on in front of him, but couldn't think of a reasonable way. Talking to her? That was out of the question. She probably is too caught up in her on rage to even understand him. He knew that by the time he went back to the house to warn everyone, it would already be too late. Finding no other option, he decided on the only course of action that he thought would diffuse this time bomb.
"Mireya, I hope you won't hold a grudge."
Daimyo stood ready to diffuse the bomb, he just hoped the opportunity would present itself quickly. Mireya held her head in the palm of her hands the pain in her skull was tearing her mind apart. She continued to glow brighter with each passing moment. Her upper body bent over, appearing like her body wanted to throw up, but the gag wasn't present, just unbearable pain.
Daimyo saw that her attention wasn't on him anymore and took the opportunity that was at hand. He rushed her as fast as he could move, hoping that his blow would be enough to render her unconscious. She violently snapped her body back and screamed, an unseen force knocked Daimyo back ten feet, planting him into one of the nearby trees. His body felt like someone went to work on him with a jackhammer.
He looked up at her and saw that he wouldn't be able to stop her from destroying most of the surrounding area. The horrible realization that his friend, who wanted so much to help their people, would accidentally be their destruction. He knew that if anyone could stop what was going to happen, it would have to be her.
"Mireya, try to control it! Fight it back!"
Mireya was trying with all her will power to stop herself from leveling the area. She had seen what Daimyo was capable of with the Dragon Scales, which was forever etched into her memory. Knowing what he was capable of, she would definitely kill Daimyo and herself.
* I. . .have to. . .regain. . .control. . . If I. . .don't. . .we'll die. *
Mireya then remembered that Daimyo's friends would perish as well. Then a chilling though came to her mind.
* Ae. . .I'll kill Ae. . .I won't. . .let. . .that. .Happen!!* She screamed out inside her mind.
She began to concentrate on the one person she cared for now. The one person who kept her company in that lonely dark prison cell. The one that she felt she truly loved. Ayeka.
Daimyo continued to only be able to watch her try to regain herself. He noticed that her furious reddish glow was starting to dim down. She had stopped screaming gibberish, but she was still displaying signs that she was still internally in battle with herself.
Mireya felt the pain in her skull numbing down, she was winning her battle and thanked the gods that it appeared she wasn't going to destroy everyone. Although she wanted to have a celebration, it only lasted for a split second in order for her to concentrate on dispersing the built up energy.
The red energy finally faded from her form, her hair, which had defied gravity in those few minutes, changed back to her normal white and fell back to her body. Exhausted, Mireya dropped gently to her knees and caught herself from falling face first into the ground. She was breathing heavily from the mixture of fear and adrenaline intertwined at that moment.
Daimyo carefully walked over to her side and knelt down next to her. She slightly lifted her head and they looked at each other for a couple of seconds.
"I think you still need to work on controlling it a little better."
Mireya gave him a semi stern look. "Yeah Daimyo, it's great to be in your company again." She finished with a light chuckle.
"I think it's time we call it a night."
"After what I've been through in the past few days, I could stand to call it a week."
"C'mon let's get back to the house, you can relax there."
Daimyo helps Mireya stand up and holds her up walking her back to the house. Mireya pushes him away from her a few feet after he starts trying to hold her up walking her back to the house.
*************************************************
Everyone in the house was sitting around in the living room, everyone except Ryoko. Everyone was happy that Ayeka returned unharmed, but there seemed to be a deafening silence in the atmosphere. No one knew what happened to Ayeka within the two weeks she was gone, but nobody wanted to inquire on her ordeal just yet. They assumed that if anything did happen to her, she would eventually tell them, if anything was troubling her.
Ayeka and Sasami sat on the couch. Sasami was clinging to her sister, making it appear that she was afraid something else would happen to her should she let go of her. Although Ayeka welcomed her sisters loving embrace, within the past few weeks, she had longed for the touch of a loved one.
In those past few weeks, she had received touching from someone who was not welcomed to her. Deep down Ayeka knew that her live was now forever changed. Worst of all she didn't think that she would be able to welcome a man's touch after her ordeal, not even Tenchi's.
* Lord Tenchi finally showed affection for me. He had me in an embrace that I had so longed for to be with him. And yet when he held me, I felt slightly appalled by it. Oh goddess Tsunami what has that horrible monster done to me. That creature has taken more from me than my innocence, but also my love for Tenchi as well. * The purple haired beauty thought, a couple of tears slowly crept down her peach colored cheeks.
Washu was sitting off to the side from Ayeka and Sasami. She sipped on her cup of tea that she fixed herself; her gaze was fixed on Ayeka all the while. Washu could tell Ayeka seems to have gone through some traumatic event. Although the petite scientist was unable to tell what it was that happened to her and just how much the gentle princess has changed.
Then Washu's thoughts turned to another person, one that was still absent from the rest of the group. She knew that Ryoko was having a hard time dealing with Ayeka's return. She had felt the pain in Ryoko's heart before she retreated back to her training room. She felt she should talk to Ryoko, but for now she knew it was best to leave her alone right now.
************************************************
* BBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM * An explosion shatters a huge boulder that was standing on the landscape. A fury of kicks and punches making swishing sounds from breaking the serenity of the air. A barrage of energy blast destroys the top edge of a canyon's wall.
Ryoko sped off into the air, the wind gushing her cyan hair about in a furry that matched her determination. She felt she reached her next target, directed the energy from her gem into the palm of her hand. Grasping the energy, she formed her energy sword, feeding it enormous energy from the gem the sword's length grew to twenty feet.
Freefalling from her altitude she brought the sword over her head. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" She cried bringing her sword down onto the top of a large rock hill. The sword burned it's way through the rock of the hill, Ryoko held fast and sliced her way to the base of the rock. Ryoko kneels down to get the rock cut completely to the base when her feet touch the ground again.
Seeing that she has gone as far as she can go, she stops the flow of energy to the sword and it vanishes from site. Several rocks are heard tumbling down the new shape of the rock and a slight rumble can be heard by Ryoko. The new half of the rock begins to slump over and falls off the edge of the cliff it was standing on. A loud rumble results in the collapse of the rock hitting the canyon floor and pillars of dust rise up behind Ryoko.
The ex-pirate has been going non-stop for a few hours, since Ayeka returned. She knew that Tenchi missed her, which brought the memory of Tenchi calling her Ayeka that one night. Her heart ached knowing that Tenchi is most likely fully focused on Ayeka, seeing as how he completely ignored her when he saw Ayeka.
So she retreated to the training dimension, hoping that she can escape the pain by pushing herself into the training. However, she knew that there was no escaping it, but hoped that pushing herself in here would ease it somewhat.
She felt her eyes begin to water up, the hurt was coming back to her, she couldn't outrun it any longer. She tried to hold back the tears, but she could not stop them from flowing down her gentle face.
". . .Tenchi. . ." She whispered to herself. "Please don't forget about me." She finished looking to the sun setting in the dimensional training area.
*********************************************
Tenchi had been by Ayeka's side for most of the evening. He told her about how worried everyone had been and how he wanted to come to her rescue. He explained what occurred in Washu's lab that resulted in her teleportation to Daimyo's world. And told her that the coordinates in Washu's machine were lost.
Ayeka sat listening to Tenchi telling her of the events of the weeks that she was gone. To everyone else, she appeared to be fully concentrated on him explaining everything. However Ayeka's mind was tormenting her with the thoughts of Voog and what happened to her on Draka. She felt so much hatred built up inside of her, she felt her mind becoming bent on seeking revenge for what happened. For now there was something else Ayeka wanted to do.
"Well Tenchi, it sounds like my absence has troubled everyone greatly. I'm sorry if my absence was any inconvenience to anyone. For now I would like very much to go and bathe. It feels like it's been an eternity since I've had a nice southing bath."
"Oh. .sure. .go ahead, take a bath, we're just all glad you made it back in one piece Ayeka."
"Thank you Tenchi."
Ayeka arises off the couch, slowly so as not to disturb the resting Sasami lying on the couch. She walks off heading toward the onsen, again she walks off not in the usual graceful steps she so often takes around the house.
Washu takes notice of her changes and fears the worst has happened to her.
* I believe it's worse than I originally guessed. She seems to be
afraid to tell anyone about what took place on Daimyo's planet. If it's
that bad, there could already be some major psychological damage. *
It was then that a faint whistling noise is heard in the living room. It was faint enough at first to where only a couple of the residences noticed the sound. Now it had received everyone's attention. They could hear it was coming from outside.
Stepping outside the remainder of the Tenchi company saw a red fireball in the atmosphere making it's way down toward the house. Although it had been a while since they last saw her, they instinctively knew the pilot of the silhouette of the ship that was descending toward them.
"Ah Mihoshi's back." Tenchi pointed out.
The ship eased up on the acceleration and began to descend gently to the ground. Three landing gears lock into position to hold the ship up upon touchdown. The ship came within a couple of feet off the ground and kicked up wind that blew heavily from the grass underneath to the clothing of everyone watching the landing. The ship touches down and the engines power down, creating a dying wailing noise.
A ramp opens up on the bottom of the ship, a figure runs down the ramp. The owner of the ship wore a standard galaxy police uniform, it was fixed to perfection on how it was supposed to be worn, which displayed great respect to the department. The individual had a dark tan, curly blonde hair, and innocent looking blue eyes. It was clearly the blonde bombshell of the galaxy police, Mihoshi.
"YAY! I landed the ship perfectly! I landed the sh-ip, I landed the sh- ip." She sung as she skipped around in a circle.
* Sometimes I have to wonder how that woman made it into the galaxy police. * The petite genius thought to herself.
"Hello Mihoshi." Tenchi greeted.
Hearing a familiar voice, the galaxy police officer stops her song and dance and looks with unparalleled joy at her friends.
"OH, Tenchi, I missed you guys so much." She clasped her hands together, her eyes shrink rapped in tears.
"So what brings you around here Mihoshi?"
"Oh, hello Miss Washu. I missed you too." She clung herself onto the red- haired scientist, applying one of her infamous bear hugs.
"M. .Mihoshi. .let.go. .I. .missed you too. .Now. .let go. ." She finished patting her on the back. She was willing to say anything to get out of her grasp.
"So do you have some time off to visit with us Mihoshi?"
With Tenchi's question Mihoshi opened her eyes and released her hold on Washu.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I'm on duty still. Headquarters sent me here to investigate some type of distortions happening around this area. At first they thought it was a class A criminal trying to escape subspace, but their all accounted for. That's what Ukonojo told me and I'm here to see what's going on."
Washu was regaining enough oxygen from Mihoshi's bear hug to help explain what had occurred.
"It's alright Mihoshi, there's nothing to be afraid of. It was one of my machines that caused the distortions."
"Oh wow, I hope nobody got injured." Mihoshi wished, her innocent eyes shown from the perspiration building in her eyes in case someone did get hurt.
"No. No one got injured Mihoshi." She pauses and turns her head slightly toward the house. "Not that we know of."
Next Chapter: The Demon and the Dragon
Shogun Muyo: Chapter 7- Enter The GP Elite
Space is sometimes considered to be the ocean of the stars. Grand and deep, with endless discoveries to be found. To stare into its vastness and depth is to risk being overwhelmed by its marvels and mysteries. Some even believe that unraveling this enigma of planets and stars might somehow help us become closer to finding the meaning of our own existence. And we are, after all, allowed to dream...
A small ship guides its way through the solar system. Its design, a signature model of the galaxy police, blending a balance of speed and durability.
Sitting at the pilot's controls was the person assigned to ensure that all dreamers of this section of the galaxy have a safe place to roam.
The serene of space sang its lullaby to her, and she now rests in her chair, a small bit of drool escaping her mouth. The soft curves of her chest rising and falling rhythmically with her breathing, as her head slightly slumps over to the side.
"Mihoshi? Mihoshi, wake up."
The voice threatened her eyelids to flutter momentarily before she stirred in her sleep. The small piece of machinery where the voice originated from increased its tone, disturbing her catnap.
"Mihoshi? New orders are just coming in."
"Huh, wha...oh, you were saying something Ukonojo?" she said, stretching her arms over her head and yawning.
"Headquarters is requesting a status report on the Sol system immediately."
She took a minute to rub the sleep out of her eyes before answering. "What's the hurry? Nothing exiting ever goes on around here. Well, besides that one incident where Kagato returned with Souja and kidnapped Ryoko a little while back. I wonder how she's doing now anyway. Oh yeah, and let's not forget the apprehension of that Dr.Clay. Now he was a strange one I tell you with his octopus head. It was so funny when Washu told me she called him that. Oh and that one time when..."
"Mihoshi."
"Oh, sorry. Yes?"
"A second anomaly has appeared over your sector."
"An anomaly? What is the criminal's security level and where do we find him?"
"You misunderstand, Mihoshi. It is not a criminal you are after this time. You are being assigned to investigate the effect of the anomalies on the planet where they have occurred."
"What exactly are these anomalies that you keep talking about?"
"You mean, you weren't briefed?"
"Well no, not exactly."
"Then would you like a summarized report now?"
"Ah, ok." She said while using her pink cube to create a cup of coffee.
"The first distortion occurred a several weeks ago. No investigation was deemed necessary at the time because it was assumed that it was one of the class A prisoners attempting t escape subspace. However, many of headquarters advanced wavelength researchers have picked up a second distortional field in your sector of the galaxy, this one occurring only a few moments ago. All of class A criminals are accounted for, meaning that it is something else causing these shifts."
"Well, duh."
"In any case, headquarters is requesting an immediate investigation. Report back as soon as you find out anything."
She stood and saluted with her right hand after finishing her coffee. "Right, detective first class Mihoshi is on her way."
"Just one thing Mihoshi, you are not required to confront anyone which may have come in through this anomaly, but in case you find anything that can be considered as a possible threat to the residents of the planet, you are to stop your assignment and call for backup. Understood?"
"You mean someone, or something, could have just walked in from another galaxy? Like, something big, and mean?"
"Possibly."
"Oh. Well j-just. Just leave it to me."
Almost mechanically, she began to punch a set of numbers into a small device that was positioned on the right side of the pilots seat. It made up of dozens of fingernail-sized buttons and made a short beeping noise once she was done.
"I'm inputting the coordinates now... err, um..."
"Yes, Mihoshi?"
"Well ah, it just occurred to me that you haven't told me which planet those things happened."
"Both distortions were determined to occur on a remote sector of planet Earth. Near the same area where you reported that the two Jurian princesses currently reside."
"Earth? Did you say, Earth?"
"Yes."
"I'm going back to Earth?"
"Affirmative."
Her eyes widened and she leapt out of her chair. Bouncing around her ship, she dropped the small cap that belonged to her uniform on the floor. She sang a song to herself all the while.
"Woohoo! I'm going back to Ea-rth, I'm going back to Ea-rth..."
"Uh, is there a problem, Mihoshi?"
"What? Of course not! I'm going back home Ukonojo! I'm going to see everyone again!"
The ship reared its course back a few degrees, and headed towards the third planet from the sun.
******************************************************
Ayeka and Sasami held each other tightly as the last remains of the sun disappeared from view. The sky was a deep blue, and the breeze made their hair wave softly in the wind, a soft mirage of blue and purple.
Ayeka gently pulled away from her sister, and wiped away some of her tears.
"I see that you are healthier than when I left."
"I missed you so much." Said Sasami, tears still forming.
"There, there, now. We are both safe."
There was a shuffling of feet behind Ayeka that announced that the princess had not returned alone. The figure stepped out of the darkness and stood behind Ayeka. Her face was stern. Unable to decide if this was friend or foe, Sasami hesitated before speaking. Ayeka noticed the look of concern on Sasami's face and turned back to her guest. "It's all right."
"Cute kid, isn't she?" Said the figure while using her hand to pull back a lock of white hair from her face.
"It is quite all right Sasami. This is a friend."
"You know her?" She said, looking the figure over. "Well then, uh, pleased to meet you."
"Same here."
Ayeka looked towards the house and recognized Washu's figure. Her bright hair standing out in the darkened field.
"Hello Washu. I trust that my departure hasn't inconvenienced anyone."
"It's great to see you back. You'll have to tell me everything that happened while you were gone a little later. And if you'll allow me, it might be a good idea to run some tests on the performance rate of your organs. You have after all, been traveling from dimension to dimension. It could have put a strain on your body."
"I'm all right, I just need." She saw someone standing next to Washu, and the blue gem on his head told her it wasn't Ryoko or Tenchi.
"Guess what sister?" Chirped in Sasami. "You're not the only one who's made a new friend. Here let me introduce you." She walked in between the two.
"Ayeka, this is Daimyo, and Daimyo, this is my sister, Ayeka."
"So you're Ayeka. I've heard many good things about you. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." He said, then gave a slight bow.
Ayeka only picked up her chin and straightened herself.
"Hm. I'm sure it is." She said, walking past him.
He looked at Sasami, who just shrugged her shoulders.
"Daimyo? Is that you?"
The white hair swaying in the wind caught his attention. Satisfied that his eyes were not playing tricks on him, he walked up to the figure, his heart running a mile in his chest
"Mireya?"
"It's true, you are alive..."
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again." He said after a slight pause.
"What? You know her too?" Inquired Sasami.
"Yes and no." He replied with a smirk on his face.
A few yards away, Ayeka was already making her way towards the house. She noticed that two of the Masaki residents were currently missing from the reunion, but half expected that that would be the case when she returned.
Azaka and Kamidake suddenly appeared in front her. She closed her eyes, and slightly bit her tongue; for fear that she might say something she'd regret later on. The two guardians appeared nervous, even without facial expressions to show it.
"Princess, we're so glad you're safe."
"Yes, we were so worried that something might have happened. We tried to follow you that day, into the sphere, but we couldn't seem to be able to. It was as if we were locked out."
"We apologize for this. How can we ever make this up to you?"
"Just name it princess, and it will be done."
Ayeka balled her hand into a fist before speaking.
"You two are sworn by Juraian oath to protect me whenever and wherever I so need it. Yet, the time that I needed you the most, you two conveniently decided to go on vacation..."
"No princess, we tried to help but..."
"Silence." She said in a tone more commanding than as if she had screamed it.
"You two are a disgrace to your duties. Get out of my sight and do not return until I call. Understood?"
"Yes princess."
"As you command."
They phased away, without another word.
Sasami looked on in surprise.
*Poor Ayeka. I bet she's been through a whole lot. I need something that will cheer her up. Hey wait I know.*
"Washu, where's Tenchi?" She said after walking next to the scientist.
"Good question. I wonder what's keeping him." Said Washu, not taking her eyes off of Ayeka.
***************************************************
Ryoko looked down upon Tenchi's sleeping figure. It was one of the few things that relaxed her and washed away all her worries. He looked so peaceful, just like he always did when he slept. She enjoyed watching him like this every night, but he had made it vehemently clear on several occasions that that was something he didn't necessarily appreciate. Now, any opportunity she receives to see him like this would be welcomed. She preferred to keep it like this anyway. She would be his protector, and he, her sacred treasure.
It donned on her that he had that same face from a few nights ago. That night he called her Ayeka. It still hurt a little, but she's gotten over it.
Everyone is allowed to make a mistake from time to time, she figured. She couldn't really blame him for thinking of her, for all he knew, she could have very well died that day. A smile crept on her face as the rhythm of his breathing melted away her doubts and worries.
He slowly moved his head back and forth on his pillow.
"I wonder what's going on in that head of yours." She said, realizing he was dreaming.
Inside his mind, he glanced around, and realized he was in some sort of amusement park. He was tightly buckled inside a roller coaster, and was situated at the front cart. Next to him was Ryoko, who had a weird grin on her face.
Directly behind him was Ayeka, staring angrily at Ryoko. Strangely enough, she was wearing a dominatrix outfit. He noted how it complemented her figure. Next to her, Sasami shared an ice cream cone with Ryo-Ohkie. A strange, orange, carrot shaped ice cream cone that he wondered whether or not tasted like carrot as well. Behind them, Washu typed away on her holotop while next to her sat a sleeping Mihoshi. Straining his neck to look further behind him, he saw Daimyo sitting in the last cart by himself. He's sitting with his arms crossed, and when they make eye contact, he screams at Tenchi:
"Time to train, soft ass!"
Looking ahead of him again, he looks at the pathway that the roller coaster is heading and gasps as he realizes how many loops and sharp turns they were actually going to make. He tried to undo himself and get away as fast as he could, but the ride had already started. Saying a silent prayer to himself, he braced himself for the worst.
*Should I wake him up?* Ryoko wondered in the real world. *Wait, didn't Washu warn me one day about waking someone up from a dream? Something about heart. Heart pressure or something like that?*
As it began to pick up speed, his stomach felt as if a flock of seagulls were flapping their way inside of him. The coaster began a slow ascent as it moved upwards on a long track. It seemed to endlessly travel upwards making Tenchi feel a little lightheaded. Its peak reached above the clouds, into space and a few feet next to planet Jurai. He looked up and heard Azusa, emperor of Jurai, curse at him.
After a brief pause, the coaster began its descent.
"Tenchi. I wish you knew what you meant to me." She whispered into his ear. She rested her elbow on the bed to balance herself, careful of not waking him up. "I would tell you, but I don't think you'd believe me. That would hurt the most. If only you knew."
Moving at speeds of over two hundred miles per hour, Tenchi almost flew out of his seat due to the sudden shift in speed. The wind flapped violently by his face and pulled his cheeks back forcefully. He felt his lung travel up into his throat, and he knew he would have a heart attack at any moment.
Only the sounds of metal angrily scraping against metal could be heard in his ears. His heart beat ran at an alarming rate, pumping his body full of blood. It took all his will power to look at Ryoko, who was still staring at him with that silly smile on her face. Her hair was flapping so hard, he wondered why it didn't just come off of her head.
In the real world, Ryoko was about to place her hand on his shoulder, to wake him up. She was stopped in her tracks when he said her name in his sleep.
*He's dreaming of me?* Blushing at the thought, she decided to let it finish, whatever it was that was actually going on in his head. *Well, no wonder he looks so nervous, he always gets that face whenever I'm doing something really naughty.*
The coaster stopped its descent with a jolt and started zigzagging ferociously.
He jerked back and forth in his seat, realizing he'd be thrown off at any moment. He slammed his body on his left side and momentarily became dizzy, as dizzy as anyone can get in a dream anyway. The ride mercilessly flung his body to where Ryoko would have been sitting. If not for the secured seatbelt, he would have slammed right into her. He managed to find enough clarity to realize that she literally wasn't in her seat for some odd reason.
It made its way to a straightened path. This would have comforted him, except that he saw Ryoko flying next to him, with an even more devious smile on her face. It amazed him how she was able to keep up with the ride, which was already breaking the sound barrier.
A light bulb flashed on top of her head like one of those American cartoons. She grabbed Tenchi with one hand, while the other free hand ripped his seatbelt off of him. She carried him as if he was a bride, and accelerated past the coaster, leaving a screaming Ayeka behind.
Now he was scared.
"Ryoko..." he said in his sleep.
"Yes Tenchi, I'm right here."
This was it she thought, he'd finally tell her what she so desperately wanted to hear for so long...
"Ryoko... stop it...I'm scared..."
Ryoko flew at blinding speeds, holding Tenchi in her arms. He held on as tightly as he could, not wanting to become a splatter stain on the ground. He felt like one of those crash test dummy's right before they slammed into a wall.
She increased her altitude and flew high into the air. He couldn't bring himself to look down, so instead he tried to concentrate on her cleavage, which his head was conveniently resting on. The wind raced by him violently, and then, he looked up into her cat like eyes. She looked down at him with those feral golden eyes one last time, smiled, and dropped him.
Ryoko's image became smaller and smaller until she looked like a small dot imprinted against a background of clouds. He flapped his hands in a futile attempt to fly as he turned his head to face downward. He almost wet himself as the image of the coaster tracks came closer and closer to him with each passing millisecond. To make matters worse, at the trajectory he was falling, he would land directly in front of the roller coaster's path. He prepared himself to experience how it would feel to have his entire body explode from impact.
*Well, at least it's going to be quick.* He thought to himself.
He could feel gravity pulling at him as he fell. Not pulling, more like aggressively yanking his body down to his death. The tracks were a couple of feet away from his face, then at the last second, Ryoko phased under him and caught him in mid fall.
She flew at a normal pace again and looked down at him. His breathing was heavy and labored. The coaster finished its course without them. Clutching his chest to see if his heart was still beating, he looked at her with pleading eyes, too exhausted to speak. She merely replied:
"What? I was only playing."
Tenchi's eyes suddenly jerked open, and he felt his sheets covered in sweat. At least he hoped it was sweat, and not something else. Ryoko was standing next to the bed, looking not at him but off into the distance.
She looked so strange. Her face had no expression. She almost looked like... a doll, he rationalized. She stood lifeless, almost the exact opposite of the fire that normally burned in her. He was taken in by a morbid curiosity while looking at her. The silence grew. She hadn't even realized he was up yet when he shifted himself to the edge of the bed. He began to worry that something had happened to the house, while he was asleep, and broke the silence.
"Ryoko, is something wrong?"
"Hello Tenchi. I didn't notice you waking up." Her face still showed no sign of emotion.
"Yeah I just had this really... uh nevermind." He wiped off the last remains of sweat from his face. "So what's up?"
"Washu says there's something you might like to see..."
"Oh all right. Well them I'll just get my..." The memory of his dream still fresh in his head, he hesitated briefly. "Hey wait a second, this isn't another trick of yours, is it? I mean, you not. just playing?"
"No. No trick. It's by the shrine."
"Well, all right." It was hard to read her expression. As blank as a painters canvas without the paint.
He looked down at himself and realized he was only wearing his boxers and a snug fitting shirt under the blanket. "Just give me a moment to get dressed and I'll meet you there."
"Sure." She teleported out of the room.
Tenchi stared at where she was standing only moments ago, and was debating in his head on whether or not he actually saw a tear come down her face.
He chalked it up to still being a little groggy from sleep, and decided his eyes were playing tricks on him.
*Something is definitely up with her though.*
He let out an inward sigh. *You're such an idiot Tenchi. Wasn't it just a little while ago where you promised that things would be different from now on? What if at the store you were hurt by those thieves, or worse? What if you never had the chance to tell these people how much you appreciate them? Sure, they are all a pain in their own way, but what if they all just went away? Think you'll be able to handle that? And here, Ryoko was upset at something and you didn't even try to help her. And what was that weird dream about?*
He slipped into a comfortable pair of pants that he forgot he owned. Stretching his arms above his head, he heard a dozen small pops and cracks come from his back and shoulders.
*Ayeka, I'm so sorry that we haven't come for you yet. I can only pray to the spirits that you're safe. I really wish that Washu would figure out where you are, so you could come home. I have no idea what's happening to you right now, but please be safe.*
"Grandfather, I wish you were here." He said out loud, not necessarily speaking to anyone. "Hey, come to think of it, I wonder why he hasn't even written us yet. I hope everything is fine over there in America. Though I wonder what business you had there. You have your reasons, but I really wish you were here to help me deal with all this. Father is still on his business trip as well. He sends us money every week, but I guess I'm just not used to being the man of the house."
Ryoko appeared in front of the house. She looked over its details and features, and realized how strong its foundation was. She wished she could be like a sturdy house, with a strong foundation that housed her heart and her soul. But everyday it seemed she was using all her energy to keep from crumbling in on herself.
Standing in front of the house, she covered her mouth with her hand and did her best to hold back as many tears from coming down her face as possible.
**************************************************
Mireya walked up to Ayeka and gently reached out to hold her hand. She lightly brushed aside some purple hair, and they looked deeply into each others eyes.
"My love, I have some things to discuss with my friend over there." She said, pointing to Daimyo. "But I promise it will not take long, and I will return as soon as I am finished. Do you approve?"
*My love?* Thought Sasami, becoming confused.
"Yes, I do. Just as long as it is quick."
"Will you be near?"
"I will be in the house along this path."
"Very well." She said, planting a quick kiss on the princess' cheek.
She joined Daimyo at his side, and they nodded to each other. Now Sasami was very puzzled. She playfully kicked Daimyo on his shin to get his attention.
"Oh, I'll be back in a little while. Just have to catch up on some small talk, that's all. Nothing big."
"Well, all right. I'll save dinner for you then."
"Thanks." He turned to the woman next to him. "All right Mireya, let's go."
Sasami watched as they both walked off into the night.
*******************************************
The trio walked about halfway home in silence. Sasami tried her best not to let anyone know that she occasionally looked behind every two minutes.
Ayeka led the small group, walking at a very brisk pace that compromised her usually graceful form. Washu was the first to notice the slight change in the princess' walk, it no longer had that air of superiority like it did before, almost as if she'd been humbled by her experiences. That would have been cause for celebration on it's own, but something in Washu's brilliant mind told her that there was something else, something a little darker about Ayeka's experiences. But decided that now was an inappropriate time to pry. Maybe it was just her.
Ryoko appeared in front of them, or rather, directly in front of Ayeka.
The two rivals said nothing; they merely stared into each other's faces. Time stopped between them as they stood, fixed this way, for ages. To onlookers, it was hard to decide if they were challenging each other, or just acknowledging each other's presence. Each stood their ground, neither giving an inch to the other. Sasami was the first to feel the tension, and moved in between them. Through their peripheral vision, they were eerily reminded of their last scuffle, as she walked next to them.
Calling a momentary truce, Ayeka spoke first.
"So, are you going to gawk at me all day or are you going to move?"
Ryoko turned her back and crossed her arms before stepping out of the way. She did this just in time to see Tenchi walk in from a cluster of bushes.
"Ok Ryoko, what exactly did you call me all the way out here for."
He saw her just over Ryoko's shoulder, looking at him, with a smile slowly making it's way onto her face. He thought he was hallucinating, that maybe his eyes we're still playing tricks on him in the dimly lit night.
"Ayeka?"
"Hello, Tenchi."
His need for sleep suddenly left him, and was replaced with a combination of surprise and joy. He smiled deeply and, walking past Ryoko, he failed to notice the look of pain in her eyes, or in her heart.
"Ayeka, it's really you! I'm so glad that you're safe."
Her eyes bulged out a bit in shock as Tenchi wrapped his arms around her. At this point, her emotions we're raging in her head. She felt happy that the person she loved more than anyone else was finally showing affection toward her, but this happiness conflicted with another feeling that was viciously fighting for her recognition.
"Thank kami you're safe. I don't know what we would have done without you."
As Ryoko watched on, she could feel her heart dry up in her chest like a raisin that was left out in the desert. Finally, she could take no more and phased away to the only place she knew she could be alone with her thoughts. This place was, unfortunately, the same place she used to perfect her fighting skills.
It was somewhat ironic that now the only place she could find sanctuary for her broken heart was the same place that was designed to harden her body. With a soft hum, she was gone.
For the slightest of moments, Washu herself could feel the torment in Ryoko's mind. She figured she wasn't really needed here, and decided to go someplace where she knew she had to be now, by her daughter's side.
Ayeka slowly took her hand a gently pushed out of Tenchi's embrace. It was an awkward moment, but Tenchi thought that maybe he did let his emotions get the best of him.
"It's nice to see you too, Tenchi."
"Yeah. Well, let's go inside. I'm sure you're tired, so we can wait until tomorrow until you feel your ready to talk about, you know, what happened."
"Err, yes. Tomorrow. Right now, I'm very tired, and I don't really feel like talking about."
*Voog.*
*Voog.*
"Yes?"
*Voog Voog Voog Voog.*
"Ayeka?"
*VoogVoogVoogVoogVoogVoogVoog.*
"Ayeka, are you all right?"
*VOOOOOOOG!*
She unwrapped her fists that were curled up white-knuckle tight. The imprint of her fingernails etched in her palm.
"Oh, I'm sorry Tenchi. As I said, I just need rest. Sasami?"
She was too busy looking into the night behind her to hear her sister calling, hoping Daimyo would suddenly turn around and catch up with them.
"Sasami?"
"Huh? Oh, yes Ayeka?"
"You and I are going to have a discussion about that friend of yours tomorrow. Ok?"
"Uh, yeah ok, sure."
"Good. Let's go home Tenchi."
***************************************************
Billions of light years away, on the barren lands of Draka, two figures make their way through the deserted plains. They walk, slowly, towards their destination.
"The emperor will not approve of this, Voog."
"Look, how was I supposed to know that Mireya would show her face again?"
"She should be nothing compared to you. You're one of the masters generals, disposing of her should not have been a problem at all."
"What? And exactly how many times have YOU tried to open a portal to another universe? It is a very complex and draining incantation. I exhausted myself in creating that damned thing in the first place, and then she shows up."
"And you couldn't keep her busy for five more minutes until I got there."
"I tell you it was as if she knew of our plans. I thought that the emperor was the only one who knew of the location of the portal."
"In any case, you will be the one to make this report to the emperor."
"Now wait just one second." He said, stepping in front of Botaro.
If someone was standing behind Botaro, the only indication they would see that he was not alone was the head that was looking down at him a few inches above his own.
"It's not my fault that you took your sweet time getting there. If you were punctual for once this wouldn't have happened!"
"Don't blame me because you couldn't handle two flowers."
"Let me make one thing distinctly clear, Botaro." he said as dark purple energy emanated around his form, "My powers recuperate very quickly, and I do not care if you are the emperors son, if you do not watch your tongue around me, I might be tempted to rip it out. You may be the first general, but only because you've been here for much longer than I have."
Botaro let out a deep belly laugh.
"Calm yourself. We have no time for your humor. Remember who you speak to, I'm not one of those wenches that you so enjoy toying with." He said, still smiling.
"What."
"Oh please. Don't think I don't know what you do to those girls. You enjoy the fear in their faces whenever you step into the hall. That's the only reason you keep all of them in one place. And we found that girls diary. I think the emperor would be most curious to see how one of his top generals truly conducts himself. Wouldn't you think?"
"Ugh. FINE, I'll make the blasted report."
"First we couldn't find Daimyo's body, and now this. We were both in charge of that, and we have failed. I'm sure we will feel the emperor's wrath threefold."
"Oh well." Said Voog. "He does have a short temper, but I don't think it will affect him so badly. After all, what difference does it make if Mireya found another place to rot on? The better for us."
"Fool. Have you forgotten that the entire purpose of this was to find Daimyo's body? Which means."
"What?"
"Which means if he's still alive, then he is now rejoined with Mireya." He slammed his titanic fist into the ground, causing a tremor that knocked Voog off balance.
"This is not good. The emperor will be furious."
"For the last time, the only reason that your father wants Daimyo dead is because he believes that your broth... I mean Daimyo, holds the power of the dark dragon. I tell you, it's nothing but nonsense. A story passed down through the ages, nothing more. Regardless of what he is, he cannot get passed us."
"All right Voog, for all our sakes, I hope you're right."
*******************************************
"This looks like a good spot."
"Are you sure we are alone?"
Taking a quick look around, Daimyo nodded in assurance.
"All right then." After pointing her palm toward the ground, a small sphere of light appeared in front of them, illuminating the once pitch black surroundings. They sat in much the same way that boy scouts would sit next to a campfire.
"It's been a long time Daimyo. It's good to see you're alive. So, how long have you been here?"
"Just a week or two. I'm sorry if I made all of you worry after I left the rebellion, but I had my reasons."
"I figured you'd say something like that. Well, you did worry me. You've been gone from the battlefield for more than a year, I didn't know if you were dead or anything. But I guess it's a little late to be talking about how I missed you."
His eyebrows came together in confusion. "By the way, how fare the other members of the rebellion? Are they well?"
The look on her face was unreadable. Then, she chuckled quietly.
"They are all gone Daimyo. All of them are either dead, or imprisoned. Things just weren't the same once you left. We looked everywhere for you, you know? We had no order anymore. No guidance. The only hope we clung to was the one chance that you'd return and lead us to glory. We made terrible strategic mistakes, and now, we are no more." She looked at him almost pleadingly. "Why Daimyo? Why did you just leave all of a sudden so long ago?"
"I'm sorry to hear that, but like I said, I had my reasons. That's all you need to know."
"Yeah, I should have expected a typical Daimyo response like that." She rolled her eyes.
They sat in silence for a few moments. He ran his fingers across his knuckles, much like he always did when he was thinking, and she just looked out into the distance.
"Not that I'm complaining, but how did you find your way here?"
"It's a long story, so I'll just leave out the details. I found out that Trowa ordered a gateway to be opened, it seems that he was looking for confirmation on your death."
"So, even he thinks I'm dead, huh?"
"All the more reason we should attempt a surprise attack. Anyway, Ayeka was convinced that this portal was the only chance she had to get back home, so it was only a matter of waiting for the right opportunity to present itself."
"And no one tried to stop you?"
"Well thankfully, that damned Voog was alone when he was casting the spell to open the gateway. He was too exhausted from the use of his magic to stop us on his own. Thank the heavens that Botaro decided not to accompany him, or me and Ae would be rotting in that prison hall again."
"Ae?"
"Oh, it's just my pet name for her."
"If you say so. Wait, so you two were captured? But how did."
"Relax. Like I said, it's a long story. Let's just say that the empire is much too overconfident with their security."
"I see."
Seeing that the ball of light had lost its intensity, she once again pointed her palm towards it and made it glow twice as bright.
"So tell me, how did the prince of Draka end up here, in this little village?"
"Well, one of those gateways you were talking about? A few weeks ago, I was walking through Gara Square and boom, next thing I know, I was in that household. I guess you can call it fate."
"Hm. Heh, that's one way to put it. What were you doing at Gara Square anyway? You know it's just a death trap, a place where they discard the bodies of cowards and weaklings. What were you doing in a place like that?"
"I don't know. I hardly feel like examining my actions now."
"Yup, never fails. Have you told anyone yet?"
"About what?"
"Don't play dumb with me. You know."
"No, I don't."
"The scales."
A shiver made it's way up his spine. "I told you a long time ago that I didn't want to relive that experience."
"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're still upset over almost killing me that day. I know it was an accident and I've forgotten all about it. So should you."
"That's not it. That power wasn't meant for, well, mortals I guess. It's hard to describe. It was as if I was a different person entirely. I don't want to go through with that feeling again. "
"You have to Daimyo. It's our only shot against the empire now. By the way, when do we plan to go back?"
"That's another thing Mireya. I want to stay here."
Her face went blank. "What did you just say?"
He sighed. "Look around you Mireya. It's so peaceful here. Have you ever seen so many trees gathered in one area as lush as these? The air is so much more welcoming than back home. If I can even call it home that is. The people of this planet are not plagued with the sort of conflict that we are used to seeing. They can walk freely without all the hesitation, the caution. Can't we just forget about Draka? Can't we just move on?"
She curled up her fist and her voice rose sharply. "Move on? MOVE ON!?"
"..."
"You of all people should know what we are fighting for in the first place. You talk about how peaceful this place is, well, who do you think is responsible for all the misery on our planet? It's up to us to put a stop to Trowa now. He controls everything Daimyo. He doesn't care about anything except using fear and oppression to expand his power. It's a wonder he doesn't tax the water we drink.
He still sat in silence.
"And you sit there and tell me that you, the only hope we have against this empire, don't want to use your abilities to help because you're tired of fighting. How selfish you have become."
"You've made your point."
She lowered her tone and moved in closer, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen Daimyo. It's just you and me now. Now, it's impossible for the two of us to topple the empire on our own, unless of course, we have the dark dragon scales on our side, which you possess."
"Oh come on. Don't tell me you still believe in that nonsense."
"Believe in it?" Her eyes widened. "I've seen you use it with my own eyes! When you fought Botaro, remember? You challenged him after his betrayal was made apparent. I still remember the fire in your eyes. You knew of his reputation and fighting prowess first hand, but you didn't care. When you two fought, he was on the verge of victory but then, by the gods, you tapped into the power of the scales! It was a grand sight."
"First of all, I lost that one. Try as I might, he was still too much for me. And after I used this 'power' as you call it, I woke up in the barren fields, with you just barely clinging on to life next to me. I didn't remember anything that happened, but it also didn't help when I found out that I was the one responsible for your condition."
She was now sitting next to him, knees drawn up to her chest.
"Look, you said it earlier, you weren't yourself. You couldn't control it. The sudden jump in power was too much for your mind and body to handle. So you went slightly nuts, big deal. I'm still here and you're still here. Which means we still have a chance to change things."
"Listen to yourself. You act as if we are both some sort of galactic police people in charge of bringing order to the world."
"Look, I've come with good news. Maybe we won't be so helpless when we finally take them on.
"What?"
"I think I've found a way to control it."
"What? What in blazes are you talking about now?"
"Well, remember how you brought me back from the brink of death?"
"Yeah." He brought his hand to his chin in contemplation. "I managed to transfer some of my blood into you after I found that medical center. Good thing I found it too. The medicine man told me that I brought you just in time."
"Right. Well Daimyo, your blood wasn't the only thing that was transferred."
He cocked an eyebrow up. "What? You lost me."
"Well, believe it or not, when I was in the middle of that procedure, I could literally feel the life returning to my body, even as I lay unconscious. It took me a while to recover, but when I did, I felt better than I ever did in my entire life. I think it's because, well, I gained some of your own strength when you gave me your blood."
"What?"
"Well, it's nowhere near as intense as yours, but I think I've managed to focus in on it. It's a little hard to explain. So I'll just show you. Just watch."
She stood up and clenched her fists together while closing her eyes.
"Stop it, you don't know what you're getting into."
"It's.not hard..just got to..readjust."
A soft red glow surrounded her as she drowned out all distractions from her mind. Nothing existed around her, except the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. She focused on the feelings of her arms and legs, mentally trying to guide her very essence into all her muscles. Her hair defined gravity and began to slowly float upwards, at the same time changing into a light shade of red.
"Mireya?"
"Look.see.it's not that hard. Ahhh. AHHHH!"
She held her head in between her hands, trying to shut out the pain that dug into her skull.
"Fight it Mireya. Come back to me, don't let it win."
"Urggh..Ahhhhhhh!"
He moved in to grab her by the shoulders, but she flung him off. He flew several feet away from her and his momentum scrapped his body along the ground before he stopped. He looked up at her after regaining his balance, and the glow around her body became brighter. Her speech became almost incomprehensible now. As he looked on, a feeling of dread came to his stomach. The person in front of him was on the brink of madness, visibly struggling to keep herself in check.
"I have to stop her now before she hurts someone. But how?"
Her hair was now fully red in color, a furious color to match the fire in her soul. Daimyo desperately looked for a way to stop what was going on in front of him, but couldn't think of a reasonable way. Talking to her? That was out of the question. She probably is too caught up in her on rage to even understand him. He knew that by the time he went back to the house to warn everyone, it would already be too late. Finding no other option, he decided on the only course of action that he thought would diffuse this time bomb.
"Mireya, I hope you won't hold a grudge."
Daimyo stood ready to diffuse the bomb, he just hoped the opportunity would present itself quickly. Mireya held her head in the palm of her hands the pain in her skull was tearing her mind apart. She continued to glow brighter with each passing moment. Her upper body bent over, appearing like her body wanted to throw up, but the gag wasn't present, just unbearable pain.
Daimyo saw that her attention wasn't on him anymore and took the opportunity that was at hand. He rushed her as fast as he could move, hoping that his blow would be enough to render her unconscious. She violently snapped her body back and screamed, an unseen force knocked Daimyo back ten feet, planting him into one of the nearby trees. His body felt like someone went to work on him with a jackhammer.
He looked up at her and saw that he wouldn't be able to stop her from destroying most of the surrounding area. The horrible realization that his friend, who wanted so much to help their people, would accidentally be their destruction. He knew that if anyone could stop what was going to happen, it would have to be her.
"Mireya, try to control it! Fight it back!"
Mireya was trying with all her will power to stop herself from leveling the area. She had seen what Daimyo was capable of with the Dragon Scales, which was forever etched into her memory. Knowing what he was capable of, she would definitely kill Daimyo and herself.
* I. . .have to. . .regain. . .control. . . If I. . .don't. . .we'll die. *
Mireya then remembered that Daimyo's friends would perish as well. Then a chilling though came to her mind.
* Ae. . .I'll kill Ae. . .I won't. . .let. . .that. .Happen!!* She screamed out inside her mind.
She began to concentrate on the one person she cared for now. The one person who kept her company in that lonely dark prison cell. The one that she felt she truly loved. Ayeka.
Daimyo continued to only be able to watch her try to regain herself. He noticed that her furious reddish glow was starting to dim down. She had stopped screaming gibberish, but she was still displaying signs that she was still internally in battle with herself.
Mireya felt the pain in her skull numbing down, she was winning her battle and thanked the gods that it appeared she wasn't going to destroy everyone. Although she wanted to have a celebration, it only lasted for a split second in order for her to concentrate on dispersing the built up energy.
The red energy finally faded from her form, her hair, which had defied gravity in those few minutes, changed back to her normal white and fell back to her body. Exhausted, Mireya dropped gently to her knees and caught herself from falling face first into the ground. She was breathing heavily from the mixture of fear and adrenaline intertwined at that moment.
Daimyo carefully walked over to her side and knelt down next to her. She slightly lifted her head and they looked at each other for a couple of seconds.
"I think you still need to work on controlling it a little better."
Mireya gave him a semi stern look. "Yeah Daimyo, it's great to be in your company again." She finished with a light chuckle.
"I think it's time we call it a night."
"After what I've been through in the past few days, I could stand to call it a week."
"C'mon let's get back to the house, you can relax there."
Daimyo helps Mireya stand up and holds her up walking her back to the house. Mireya pushes him away from her a few feet after he starts trying to hold her up walking her back to the house.
*************************************************
Everyone in the house was sitting around in the living room, everyone except Ryoko. Everyone was happy that Ayeka returned unharmed, but there seemed to be a deafening silence in the atmosphere. No one knew what happened to Ayeka within the two weeks she was gone, but nobody wanted to inquire on her ordeal just yet. They assumed that if anything did happen to her, she would eventually tell them, if anything was troubling her.
Ayeka and Sasami sat on the couch. Sasami was clinging to her sister, making it appear that she was afraid something else would happen to her should she let go of her. Although Ayeka welcomed her sisters loving embrace, within the past few weeks, she had longed for the touch of a loved one.
In those past few weeks, she had received touching from someone who was not welcomed to her. Deep down Ayeka knew that her live was now forever changed. Worst of all she didn't think that she would be able to welcome a man's touch after her ordeal, not even Tenchi's.
* Lord Tenchi finally showed affection for me. He had me in an embrace that I had so longed for to be with him. And yet when he held me, I felt slightly appalled by it. Oh goddess Tsunami what has that horrible monster done to me. That creature has taken more from me than my innocence, but also my love for Tenchi as well. * The purple haired beauty thought, a couple of tears slowly crept down her peach colored cheeks.
Washu was sitting off to the side from Ayeka and Sasami. She sipped on her cup of tea that she fixed herself; her gaze was fixed on Ayeka all the while. Washu could tell Ayeka seems to have gone through some traumatic event. Although the petite scientist was unable to tell what it was that happened to her and just how much the gentle princess has changed.
Then Washu's thoughts turned to another person, one that was still absent from the rest of the group. She knew that Ryoko was having a hard time dealing with Ayeka's return. She had felt the pain in Ryoko's heart before she retreated back to her training room. She felt she should talk to Ryoko, but for now she knew it was best to leave her alone right now.
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* BBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM * An explosion shatters a huge boulder that was standing on the landscape. A fury of kicks and punches making swishing sounds from breaking the serenity of the air. A barrage of energy blast destroys the top edge of a canyon's wall.
Ryoko sped off into the air, the wind gushing her cyan hair about in a furry that matched her determination. She felt she reached her next target, directed the energy from her gem into the palm of her hand. Grasping the energy, she formed her energy sword, feeding it enormous energy from the gem the sword's length grew to twenty feet.
Freefalling from her altitude she brought the sword over her head. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" She cried bringing her sword down onto the top of a large rock hill. The sword burned it's way through the rock of the hill, Ryoko held fast and sliced her way to the base of the rock. Ryoko kneels down to get the rock cut completely to the base when her feet touch the ground again.
Seeing that she has gone as far as she can go, she stops the flow of energy to the sword and it vanishes from site. Several rocks are heard tumbling down the new shape of the rock and a slight rumble can be heard by Ryoko. The new half of the rock begins to slump over and falls off the edge of the cliff it was standing on. A loud rumble results in the collapse of the rock hitting the canyon floor and pillars of dust rise up behind Ryoko.
The ex-pirate has been going non-stop for a few hours, since Ayeka returned. She knew that Tenchi missed her, which brought the memory of Tenchi calling her Ayeka that one night. Her heart ached knowing that Tenchi is most likely fully focused on Ayeka, seeing as how he completely ignored her when he saw Ayeka.
So she retreated to the training dimension, hoping that she can escape the pain by pushing herself into the training. However, she knew that there was no escaping it, but hoped that pushing herself in here would ease it somewhat.
She felt her eyes begin to water up, the hurt was coming back to her, she couldn't outrun it any longer. She tried to hold back the tears, but she could not stop them from flowing down her gentle face.
". . .Tenchi. . ." She whispered to herself. "Please don't forget about me." She finished looking to the sun setting in the dimensional training area.
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Tenchi had been by Ayeka's side for most of the evening. He told her about how worried everyone had been and how he wanted to come to her rescue. He explained what occurred in Washu's lab that resulted in her teleportation to Daimyo's world. And told her that the coordinates in Washu's machine were lost.
Ayeka sat listening to Tenchi telling her of the events of the weeks that she was gone. To everyone else, she appeared to be fully concentrated on him explaining everything. However Ayeka's mind was tormenting her with the thoughts of Voog and what happened to her on Draka. She felt so much hatred built up inside of her, she felt her mind becoming bent on seeking revenge for what happened. For now there was something else Ayeka wanted to do.
"Well Tenchi, it sounds like my absence has troubled everyone greatly. I'm sorry if my absence was any inconvenience to anyone. For now I would like very much to go and bathe. It feels like it's been an eternity since I've had a nice southing bath."
"Oh. .sure. .go ahead, take a bath, we're just all glad you made it back in one piece Ayeka."
"Thank you Tenchi."
Ayeka arises off the couch, slowly so as not to disturb the resting Sasami lying on the couch. She walks off heading toward the onsen, again she walks off not in the usual graceful steps she so often takes around the house.
Washu takes notice of her changes and fears the worst has happened to her.
* I believe it's worse than I originally guessed. She seems to be
afraid to tell anyone about what took place on Daimyo's planet. If it's
that bad, there could already be some major psychological damage. *
It was then that a faint whistling noise is heard in the living room. It was faint enough at first to where only a couple of the residences noticed the sound. Now it had received everyone's attention. They could hear it was coming from outside.
Stepping outside the remainder of the Tenchi company saw a red fireball in the atmosphere making it's way down toward the house. Although it had been a while since they last saw her, they instinctively knew the pilot of the silhouette of the ship that was descending toward them.
"Ah Mihoshi's back." Tenchi pointed out.
The ship eased up on the acceleration and began to descend gently to the ground. Three landing gears lock into position to hold the ship up upon touchdown. The ship came within a couple of feet off the ground and kicked up wind that blew heavily from the grass underneath to the clothing of everyone watching the landing. The ship touches down and the engines power down, creating a dying wailing noise.
A ramp opens up on the bottom of the ship, a figure runs down the ramp. The owner of the ship wore a standard galaxy police uniform, it was fixed to perfection on how it was supposed to be worn, which displayed great respect to the department. The individual had a dark tan, curly blonde hair, and innocent looking blue eyes. It was clearly the blonde bombshell of the galaxy police, Mihoshi.
"YAY! I landed the ship perfectly! I landed the sh-ip, I landed the sh- ip." She sung as she skipped around in a circle.
* Sometimes I have to wonder how that woman made it into the galaxy police. * The petite genius thought to herself.
"Hello Mihoshi." Tenchi greeted.
Hearing a familiar voice, the galaxy police officer stops her song and dance and looks with unparalleled joy at her friends.
"OH, Tenchi, I missed you guys so much." She clasped her hands together, her eyes shrink rapped in tears.
"So what brings you around here Mihoshi?"
"Oh, hello Miss Washu. I missed you too." She clung herself onto the red- haired scientist, applying one of her infamous bear hugs.
"M. .Mihoshi. .let.go. .I. .missed you too. .Now. .let go. ." She finished patting her on the back. She was willing to say anything to get out of her grasp.
"So do you have some time off to visit with us Mihoshi?"
With Tenchi's question Mihoshi opened her eyes and released her hold on Washu.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I'm on duty still. Headquarters sent me here to investigate some type of distortions happening around this area. At first they thought it was a class A criminal trying to escape subspace, but their all accounted for. That's what Ukonojo told me and I'm here to see what's going on."
Washu was regaining enough oxygen from Mihoshi's bear hug to help explain what had occurred.
"It's alright Mihoshi, there's nothing to be afraid of. It was one of my machines that caused the distortions."
"Oh wow, I hope nobody got injured." Mihoshi wished, her innocent eyes shown from the perspiration building in her eyes in case someone did get hurt.
"No. No one got injured Mihoshi." She pauses and turns her head slightly toward the house. "Not that we know of."
Next Chapter: The Demon and the Dragon
