Chapter Seven
"I've never been aboard a spaceship like this before."
Nozomi stood in the centre of Ryo Ohki's drive room, glancing around her at the hovering crystals that danced and flickered with energy as the small craft manoeuvred her way through the Earth's atmosphere, drawing deeper and deeper into the space beyond. "I thought that only trees could become ships. I mean...all the spaceships I ever saw were Jurai trees."
"Sasami didn't tell you about Ryo Ohki?" Ryoko looked surprised. Nozomi shook her head.
"No." She admitted. "I didn't know how you got to Jurai to see her, but I assumed you must have a tree also, like Tsunami-sama's tree ship. After all, you are Juraian. Sort of. Right? And if you were born on Jurai..."
"I have no idea where I was born, and that's the honest truth." Ryoko owned, steering the craft carefully around a cluster of space rocks. "In that way we have something in common, Nozomi. You didn't know your true mother or father. I didn't know mine either, not really. There are still more questions than answers for me about my past...I just chose to let them lie. That's all."
"I see." Nozomi fell silent for a moment, and Ryoko shot her a sidelong glance, taking in the look of gravity on the young face. Grudgingly she admitted to herself that Tenchi had had a point. Nozomi's eyes did reflect the same colours as her own, bright and full of life as they stared out across the stars. She bit her lip.
"You know, it doesn't seem real to me that I'd have a daughter." She said at length. "It doesn't seem like me at all, if you want the truth. That's probably why I'm having such a hard time dealing with it. I can't imagine how it came about."
"I wish I could tell you more." Nozomi spread her hands helplessly. "But a lot of things I'm learning for the first time, too."
She turned, and Ryoko followed her gaze to where Tenchi was sprawled out on a makeshift pallet, fast asleep, his sword clutched loosely in his fingers. A tender smile touched her lips, and slowly she shook her head.
"He's still so untrained when it comes to long distance space travel, bless him." She observed absently. "Though I guess we kept him up the other night with our fighting - he probably needs the rest."
"Probably." Nozomi agreed. She flexed her fingers, turning back to the starscape before them. "He's so kind, though. Even though he doesn't know me...he's been kind to me from the moment we met. Was he like that to you, too?"
"Always." Ryoko nodded her head in confirmation. "He's not like anyone else I know in that respect, Nozomi. It's hard to pin a finger on what it is about Tenchi. There's just something. Something greater and more powerful than I can put into words. He comes over gentle and kind and all the things you'd hope to meet in a stranger when you fall on hard times. But with Tenchi, it's something else." She shrugged. "Maybe it's his Jurai power. I don't know. But I've never seen the same thing in other Juraian nobility...except perhaps your Lady Sasami."
"You really love him, don't you?" There was a strange, wistful note in Nozomi's eyes and Ryoko paused, eying her in surprise. She nodded.
"That should be obvious enough." She said frankly.
"You're lucky." Nozomi sighed, resting her hands on the edge of the control panel as she gazed dreamily out at the stars. "I'm almost sorry I came here, and interrupted your life together. But I had to do something, and so did Tsunami. I just...I feel a little guilty. Like I'm trespassing somehow, in a world that doesn't include me."
"How can it include you when you're not even born yet?" Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "Besides, we're used to things blowing up in our faces. We've fought enough battles on Jurai's behalf. I just wish I knew what exactly was at stake with this one, that's all. It's a pain not knowing what we're going into. I don't like to be unprepared."
"Me either." Nozomi admitted. "But I'm getting used to it."
"Tell me again how you woke Kagato's spirit from that tree?"
"My father...or at least, the man I called father...he was always taking me to the rituals." Nozomi glanced at her hands. "One day was different from the others. He brought me before the tree and they held me down while they took blood from me. When they combined my blood with the tree, Kagato awoke. At least, that's how I think it happened. I was a lot more naive then. A lot younger."
Ryoko pursed her lips.
"Perhaps that was that man's interest in you all along." She said at length. "It's not playing the game when someone else uses you as a tool, Nozomi. Believe me, I've been there enough times myself."
"Well, in this case, he brought about the destruction of our world by doing it." Nozomi shrugged helplessly. "And because it was my blood, so did I."
Ryoko ran her fingers over the control spheres of the spacecraft, a thoughtful look flickering in her eyes at this.
"Maybe when we get to Jurai, Sasami will be able to tell us more than we already know." She said eventually. "Right now we're doing a lot of guessing, and I'm sure that we shouldn't start jumping to conclusions before we know what's what."
"Maybe you're right." Nozomi sighed. "Ryoko-san, can you tell me something?"
"I can try. What's up?"
"What kind of man was Kagato in your world? Was he a man? It seems so hard to believe, considering what he became."
"He was a Prince of your planet. Jurai." Ryoko agreed. "The only son of the Emperor's younger sister...the Emperor in this time, I mean. Azusa-heika. But his magic drove him crazy, and his desire for power overwhelmed everything. He took hold of Jurai, held all the true claimants to the throne prisoner and tried to declare Ayeka and Sasami outlaws, hunted down by the Galaxy Police."
She sighed, casting their sleeping companion a fleeting glance, then,
"Tenchi faced him once in battle, and defeated him." She added. "We thought he'd killed him, but I guess that just goes to show how little we really know about Jurai magic."
"And this Washu you keep mentioning? Who is she?"
"Sasami never mentioned her to you, either?" Ryoko asked. Nozomi shook her head.
"No." She agreed. "I suppose with everything happening, she had more on her mind than remeniscing about the past with me. She did tell me that she'd once been very happy on Earth, when she was a little girl. But most of these names I'm hearing for the first time. Who is Washu-san? Why did you think that she'd sent me?"
"Because she's more than half crazy herself, and she's had a bee in her bonnet lately about Kagato and these three gemstones he altered somehow." Ryoko's expression darkened. "She's a scientist, Nozomi, and she's always been a bit off her rocker. Destructive, potentially. She's a genius, true enough, but there's a fine line between genius and madness. She's the fine line."
"And these gemstones?"
"Jewels thrown up in a volcanic eruption, I think. I don't know much more about them." Ryoko shivered, absently rubbing at her wrist as she remembered the conflict with Haki. "To cut a long story short, I used them once in battle and they pretty much killed me. If it hadn't been for Sasami...or maybe it was Tsunami. I don't know. I don't understand all this Goddess stuff. It's a bit beyond me. But one of them pulled me back from the edge. And so here I am."
"She did the same thing for me in my world." Nozomi reflected. She paused, and Ryoko noticed the flicker of sadness in her companion's amber eyes. "At your expense."
Ryoko's expression softened.
"You're really serious about that, aren't you?" She asked quietly. Nozomi nodded.
"Completely." She agreed. "Honestly, it's one of the reasons I most want to change this world. You were never part of my life in that one, Ryoko-san, but I always wondered about you. Who you were. Where my magic came from - my father called it demon magic, said I wasn't worthy to wield it and forebade me from using it, but I used it all the same, trying to discover who I was and why I was different from the other people around me. And then you came suddenly to Tsunami-sama and my question was answered - for the first time, I knew I had a mother and that she was still alive. I hoped...I hoped that maybe I'd even come to know you. But..."
She faltered, tears glittering on her lashes, and she shook her head.
"Kagato attacked the Imperial Palace." She whispered. "It was all Tsunami could do to hold off his attack and force him back while she gathered her strength, calling on her ship and taking us from that place. I don't remember much of what came next. I know I was hurt. But I awoke aboard Tsunami's ship, and you..."
She trailed off once more, and Ryoko's expression became grave.
"Well, maybe you wouldn't have liked me, if you'd known me." She said, her matter-of-fact tone covering her discomfort at the sight of the young girl's tears. "After all, you've already called me a monster, since you've been on the Earth. So pull yourself together, all right? That's the future you're so dead set on changing, so it might not happen that way, anyway. No point in crying over it...it's either done or it isn't and that's the end of it."
"I know." Nozomi closed her eyes for a moment, regaining her composure. "Ryoko-san, I'm sorry I called you a monster."
"It's not the first time. I'll live." Ryoko dismissed it with a flick of her fingers. "Besides, you don't fight badly, for a kid."
"I'm not a kid."
"No, perhaps you're not." Ryoko acknowledged. "But you still have a lot to learn about using your magic."
"Are you going to teach me?" Nozomi asked. Ryoko stared, then she shrugged.
"I doubt we'll have the time. Not in this life, anyway." She said frankly. "But who knows? In another time and space, maybe. I guess we'll see what happens, if we manage to find our way through this conundrum and out the other side, won't we?"
"I guess we will." Nozomi agreed softly. "Don't you think it's strange, though, that you're my mother but I don't have all of the same magic as you do?"
"Not really." Ryoko shrugged her shoulders. "You inherited half from me and half from Tenchi. Obviously, since you brought life to his sword."
"I can't control that, though." Nozomi shook her head. "It's what he said. A trace inside of me. A sudden burst of energy, but not something I could wield in a fight. He must be tremendously strong, Ryoko-san. I couldn't imagine using that thing in a proper fight. It's far too potent a force to manage."
"Well, not everyone is quite like Tenchi." Ryoko admitted. "If they were, he wouldn't be quite so special, now would he?"
"Can you tell me something, Okaa-san?" Nozomi raised her gaze to her companion's, and something in her expression made Ryoko forgive the innocent use of the word Mother. Biting back her retort, she nodded her head slowly.
"If I can." She agreed cautiously. "What is it?"
"How did you meet him?"
"Oh. I see." Ryoko's cheeks tinged pink as she remembered their first encounter, and a slight smile played around the corners of her mouth. "That kind of question, huh?"
"Yes. I mean, it's a long flight, and well...I'd like to know what I can about you, because it might be the only chance I get to find things out."
"Well, there's not a whole lot to tell you, really." Ryoko reflected. "I crashed Ryo Ohki onto the Earth and he helped me. I was being chased by the Galaxy Police and I lost my bearings."
She looked rueful.
"I'd had a wild night and was paying for it." She added. "I'm not really a bad pilot, you know. Am I, Ryo Ohki?"
The ship sent up a yowl, and Ryoko grimaced up at the crystals that hovered not far above her body.
"You're a great help." She muttered. "Thanks a bunch!"
"You can understand what she's saying?" Nozomi opened her eyes wide. Ryoko nodded.
"Ryo Ohki and I are telepathically linked, like Sasami is to her tree." She agreed. "I don't know how it works, or if it's me or Ryo Ohki that makes it possible. The only other cabbit ship I know of has a similar bond with his pilot, so I guess it could be all on her side of the equation. But either way, we've been partners in crime a long time, Nozomi. Sasami can speak to her tree, and me, I can speak to Ryo Ohki."
She sent another glare upwards.
"And unfortunately, she can answer me back." She added.
"You said you were being chased by the Police. Why? What did you do?"
"Sasami really didn't tell you a whole lot about me, did she?" Ryoko looked rueful. Nozomi shook her head.
"No. She didn't have time...it was all so sudden." She replied. "I don't think she knew you were my mother either, until you descended upon her in the way that you did. She never had a chance to give me your life history. Not given the circumstances we were in at the time."
"Yeah, I guess that follows." Ryoko acknowledged. "Well, it's simple, really. I'm a space pirate, Nozomi. At least, I was one. I don't really know if I still am...I haven't lived that lifestyle for a while now, anyway."
"A space pirate?" Nozomi's eyes became big. Ryoko nodded.
"Yep. Blasting, destroying, raiding, looting, pillaging. Emphasis on the looting." She agreed, a nostalgic look crossing her face as she remembered her past exploits. "It was a lot of fun, to tell you the truth. And...then I got cornered into giving myself up, and wound up in jail. That was...well, shall we say, less fun? You have to realise that for a long while, I was a pretty high profile wanted criminal. Everyone wanted a piece of me - Police, bounty hunters...you name it. That's not a lie. But in my last visit to this wretched planet of yours, well, I managed to squeeze an official pardon out of the Emperor. So I'm a free woman, now. Whether I'll stay that way...well. Time will tell. I like my freedom a fair bit, but there was a buzz involved in living against the law."
She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
"I guess I've shocked you now, huh?" She asked wryly. "Maybe monster wasn't so far off the mark after all."
"No...not shocked me. And somehow I believe you." Nozomi owned. "You fight like you're used to fighting. Like it's something you do a lot of."
"Yeah. I guess it is." Ryoko shrugged. "But you see, Nozomi, it's something I'm good at. Being a pirate, fighting my corner...all those things. I know that world and I fit into it. I'm not so sure how I slot into any other world. So I kept at it. Till I met Tenchi." She frowned, pursing her lips. "He made me different. I can't explain how. I just know that...well...it was him."
"It must be nice to be in love like that." Nozomi sounded wistful. "I've never really had that chance."
"Well, you'll have plenty of time if we put this world in it's right place." Ryoko told her simply. "No need to worry about that right now."
"If I still exist when we've done whatever it is Tsunami wants us to do, of course."
"Oh. Yes." Ryoko sent her companion a stricken look, then, "I forgot about that."
"I wish I could." Nozomi pulled a face. "But never mind. There's no point in dwelling on things, anyway. Especially since we don't know exactly what we're going into yet."
"No, we don't." Ryoko agreed. "But somehow I have this feeling it's big. Bigger than anything else Tenchi and I have ever been involved in. I'm not sure I like the odds, Nozomi. Seems to me that we might none of still be standing by the time the smoke clears over Jurai!"
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"Washu-san."
Washu met the Emperor's gaze with a guarded one of her own, resentment stirring deep within her as she took in the solemn expression on his face. "Thank you for coming so quickly. I realise that such a summons so soon after our last encounter cannot have been wholly welcome."
"That, Azusa-heika, is an understatement." Washu said bluntly, folding her arms across her chest. "But there's also the little matter of my freedom of movement to take into account. As I understand it, I didn't have much choice but to come here this morning."
She cast a glare at the guard who had marshalled her from her chamber to the Throne Room, hate in her gaze.
"Your friend here didn't give me a chance to argue."
Azusa bowed his head to the soldier, raising his hand.
"You may go now." He said softly. "Washu-san will have no further need of you today."
"Yes, Azusa-heika." The guard saluted sharply, then withdrew from the room, leaving the two, Emperor and scientist alone before the throne. For a moment there was silence, then Azusa beckoned for her to join him.
"You feel we have mistreated you sorely, don't you?" He said softly. Washu's eyes became cold.
"Another understatement." She said icily. "You have no idea how hard I worked to keep so many of those things a secret. I have a long past, Azusa-heika, and most of it is none of your business. For you to drag me here and force things out of me against my will - that isn't the behaviour of an honourable man, much less an Emperor."
"Yes, I'm afraid you are right." Azusa inclined his head apologetically. "And I can't excuse my behaviour, except to say that fear and desperation make one resort to extreme measures. And right now, I have great fear. Fear for Jurai - for all of us, Washu-san. I can't ignore Tsunami's warnings any longer. But I also must know all that I can know, if I'm to be able to prevent whatever is going to take place."
"And if you can't stop it? What then?" Washu stared up at him flintily. "You aren't all powerful, Azusa-heika, although you'd like the universe to believe that you are. You have great magic, yes - but are you really a match for Kagato-dono, in his current form?"
"We don't even really know what that form is." Azusa said blankly. "Which in short is why I brought you to me this morning. As you've probably realised, I don't want you to leave Jurai again, and have gone to measures to ensure you aren't able to do so of your own free will. I'm sorry that this has caused you so much distress, but Sasami believes you know more about those gems than anybody else. Our conversation the other day confirms it. You worked with them, and even intended to use them against Kagato yourself, through Ryoko. That means you must have some idea how we can defeat him. And therefore I have need of you."
"I'll lay the facts on the line, Azusa-heika." Washu pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Kagato-dono defeated and imprisoned you and your brother once already, when he still walked this planet in humanoid form. Now he's moved much beyond that. Even the legendary warrior Yosho was no match for him the last time they fought. This magic is beyond anything any of you can hope to control. The only power this planet possesses that may be strong enough to bring him down is Tsunami - but how to best utilise that strength is still beyond me. Sasami is a child. She's no way strong enough to wield Tsunami's full power against a demon such as this."
"I would not allow her to, even if she was." Azusa said firmly. "I won't sacrifice my niece in my place."
"But what you're not understanding is that your own Jurai power is never going to be enough." Washu snapped back at him. "You have it, yes, and in quantity enough to make you Emperor. But you knew that your son surpassed you in it, and your great grandson also. Kagato is not just another rebellious noble! He's about turned himself into a God, poisoning the planet itself through Souja's roots!"
"I see that you've decided to speak frankly with me now." Azusa rubbed his chin ruefully. "After the welcome I gave you, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Yes, you are right, of course. Kagato and Yosho's magic exceeds my own. So does Tenchi's. But neither Yosho nor Tenchi are here to call on. Earth has made my son an old man, Washu-san. And my grandson dislikes the pressures and commitments of this planet. Neither one of them are here to fight by my side...so the burden must fall on me."
Washu shook her head.
"He'll kill you and then begin on your family." She said bluntly. "You'd be like a mouse playing in front of a cat, Azusa-heika. The readings I've had from Souja's tree are off the chart."
There was a moment of silence, then,
"I have had my men working hard on preparing a chamber in the lower reaches of the Palace." The Emperor spoke softly. "It is quiet and there are few people who ever use it. I know you are gifted with technology, Washu-san. I thought perhaps you could continue your research into Kagato and those gems from there."
"What?" Shock flooded Washu's expression. "Transfer my lab to Jurai's jurisdiction? Azusa-heika, with all due respect, there's a reason why I work in sub-space!"
"Yes. It's much harder to marshall your activities there." Azusa inclined his head. "I know that. But I am giving you my word that noone will interfere in anything you do. I have need of your skills and your knowledge to find a solution to this, and I am willing to go to any lengths to make it possible for you to continue your work. I just want to make sure you are here, on Jurai, where I can easily find you if I need to consult with you."
"I'm not your servant, Azusa-heika. My science is not so easily bought."
"Not even for the life of this world?" Azusa asked. Washu sighed.
"I don't like it."
"No, I didn't think you would." Azusa admitted. "But let me take you there, anyway. You may change your mind - after all, it would permit you direct access to Souja's tree and that's something you don't have in sub-space."
"True enough." Washu acknowledged. "All right. I'll come. But I'm not making you any promises. I'm not sure I want to stay on a planet who resorts to such base tactics to rip open someone's life."
"Then follow me."
Azusa led the way down the first flight of steps and out through a secondary door, leading her down the narrow corridors of his own private apartments, and then down a steep arc of stairs to another, more open walkway. Guards saluted them as they passed, but noone remarked on her presence, and Washu's eyes narrowed.
"Does everyone in the palace know of your plans, or do you bring women down this way often?" She asked archly, as they crossed another walkway, the Emperor saluting another set of guards. Azusa turned, offering her a smile.
"It is not their place to question their Emperor." He said softly. Washu snorted, rolling her eyes.
"More's the pity." She said decidedly.
"Washu-san, there is one more thing I must speak to you about." As they reached the end of a winding hall, Azusa paused, putting his hand on the door before them and pushing down on it hard. There was a creak and a groan as the door swung back, revealing a large empty chamber, and Washu stepped inside, glancing up at the high-arched ceiling with a reluctant amount of awe. "If you don't mind, I need to know about Ryoko."
"Don't you already know enough about Ryoko?" The room forgotten, Washu wheeled on the Emperor as if stung. "Didn't you already force out of me more truth on that subject than I've ever even given the girl herself? What business is she of yours, Azusa-heika? She's already refused to help, and even if she hadn't, I doubt she would be strong enough to triumph over him anyway. She's not the weapon I intended her to be...and I won't have you sacrifice her against her will. Not even to save this world, Azusa-heika. I won't force her into a battle she doesn't want to undertake."
"Even though her very existance is tied up in Kagato and your desire to see him dead?"
"Even so." Washu nodded. "Angry as I am at her for ducking her responsibilities, she has evolved into an independant being with a mind and a soul of her own. And she is not a citizen of Jurai. If you are thinking of forcibly bringing her here to Jurai in the same manner you did me, you can forget any help I'll give you. I mean that. You can't just snap your fingers and expect everyone in the universe to bow to you, you know. Those are the qualities which created a foe such as Kagato - or did you forget that small fact?""
Azusa shook his head slowly.
"When Yosho left Jurai with Haruna, I was angry with him but I let him choose his own path." He said quietly. "If I had not done so, he would be here still. And his children and grandchildren would be my heirs - strong enough in their magic to manifest some kind of defence against Kagato. And where Ryoko is concerned, citizen of Jurai or not, you know as well as I do that if she has any chance to defeat Kagato, we have to consider her in the equation."
Washu's heart sank as she gazed up at her companion, and slowly she nodded her head.
"Yes, I know." She admitted. "But..."
She faltered, then sighed.
"You don't know Ryoko." She said at length. "She may fight a battle to the death if she chooses it, Azusa-heika. But to force her to fight - to send her into combat on someone else's say so - it just won't work. She's too stubborn."
She looked rueful.
"She gets that from me."
"If you brought your laboratory research here, could you begin work once more on Tsunami and the potential impact of her magic on Kagato?" Azusa asked. "Could you find another solution, somewhere in all of this?"
"Hard to say." Washu spread her hands. "Yes, I could try. Will try, if you really want me to. After all, it's not just your planet on the line. It's a lot bigger than that and we both know that's the truth. But Tsunami's magic has so far defied my attempts to quantify it. I'm not sure whether I could give you anything conclusive."
"And if we did bring Ryoko back to Jurai, and made her understand what's at stake? Would you back me then, in encouraging her into battle?"
"What else can I do?" Washu grimaced. "You know as well as I that that's the reason I brought her into this world in the first place. Whatever my personal misgivings, they take second place to science every time. But even so, I'm not sure it will be enough. I really don't know what the answer is, Azusa-heika. I don't even know when Kagato will rise or how he will be disturbed. I'm so clueless, really. It's driving me mad."
"Then I will make available to you all the information we have on Tsunami's magic and the legends associated with her return." Azusa promised. "It is said in ancient Jurai lore that the Darkness will rise through blood of his descendant...but I can find the exact manuscript, if you think it will be of help to you."
Washu blanched, as the true implication of his words sank in.
"Then Ryoko will be involved in this, whether she consents to it or not." She murmured. "She's his blood - Kagato's blood. Did I unconsciously create a tool to help him, by trying to develop the opposite?"
"That I can't tell you." Azusa spread his hands. "But right now, we have a stalemate. Jurai is safe while he sleeps, but one day he will wake and Jurai will be destroyed. It might be that to wake him sooner rather than later would be a benefit. And in which case..."
"In which case, I will do all I can to persuade Ryoko to follow her destiny." Washu sighed, dropping her gaze to the floor. "But I can't force her to fight against her will, Azusa. She must take the gems from me of her own accord, or she won't have any chance at all. To be honest, after the summary way your people have handled my rights to freedom of movement, I'm not sure I'd have it any other way. After all..."
She faltered, biting down hard on her lip as she fought to control her emotions.
"After all, she is my daughter." She murmured. "And even as a scientist, Azusa...I have my limits too."