INVASION Volume 1, Part 4: A Captive Audience.
DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyou! is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I claim no rights to it. However, the events in this story are entirely of my own imagination. So please don't change it. Feel free to distribute as widely as desired.
FOREWORD:
Now things really pick-up. Action, action, action!
I thought hard about what kind of tactic could defeat a Jurai ship, since the Light-Hawk Wings seemed completely undefeatable. It's pretty obvious after taking the time to consider it. They only face in one direction. Hit them from more than one direction and they can't effectively defend themselves. Of course, that won't do any good if the attackers are destroyed in the first counter-strike. So, make them small and agile. It's like a person versus an ant. The person would win. Put that same person up against an army of ants, and he/she gets devoured. It's the same principal here.
I have to admit I did take some liberties concerning Ryo-o-ki. Her becoming exhausted after a massive energy discharge is plausible, if a little far-fetched.
AUTHOR: Dreamr
LAST REVISION: 06 February 2003
E-MAIL: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com
BEGIN.
Ryo-o-ki sped through space with two passengers, one of them willing, the other not. Ryoko had briefed her on the plan and their destination. There would be no mistakes. On board, Ryoko sat in her chair, cross-legged, elbows on her knees, staring into space. With her hands folded in front of her face, she rested the point of her chin on her thumbs. Behind her, Aeka stood, contained in some strange force-field contraption of Washu's design that Ryoko had "borrowed" for the duration. The invention was almost perfect. It had only one small flaw. It was not sound proof.
"Ryoko, I'm talking to you! You could at least do me the courtesy of looking at me when I speak to you."
Ryoko had been ignoring Aeka so far. But she was starting to get annoyed with the Princess's constant nagging. Aeka called again.
"Ryoko, answer me!"
Whipping around in her seat, Ryoko shouted back at her.
"Would you shut the hell up!?"
Aeka ignored the outburst and continued to interrogate her captor.
"You don't actually think you're going to get away with this, do you? I have always known you were a criminal. Now you have proven yourself a fool, as well."
"Oh, no, Aeka." Ryoko pointed at her. "You're the fool." She climbed over the back of the chair and floated over to Aeka. "You see, kidnapping you wasn't my idea." Ryoko smiled at the girl before her. "Care to know who thought it up?"
"I command you to tell me. Once I am rescued, that person will be brought to justice, just as you will be."
Ryoko walked slowly around the force field, running her fingers along its edge. It spat and crackled at her touch.
"Funaho." She revealed.
"You lie." Aeka refused to believe the answer. "Lady Funaho would never do something this underhanded."
"Sorry, Princess. It's the truth. She and I had a nice long chat last night. Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks you should stay an old maid. Ha ha ha!" Ryoko laughed at her.
"LIAR!" Aeka screamed at her kidnapper.
Ryoko just smiled back, content with her victory. Aeka had one more card to play, though. Hopefully it would wipe that smug smile off Ryoko's face.
"Lord Tenchi will come for me." She reminded the pirate. "He will be furious! In fact, I'll bet he doesn't say a word to you for the rest of his life. Then, when he kicks you out of his home, I will have him to myself." Aeka was actually starting to feel better. "I suppose I should be thanking you, instead. Ah, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!"
Ryoko was not smiling anymore. Aeka was right. Tenchi probably would give her the boot. As for Aeka having him to herself, Tenchi would have to find them first.
"Mya! Myeow, myah." Ryo-o-ki announced their arrival at their destination.
"We're here." Ryoko translated for her captive.
"Here where? There's nothing around here except empty space." Aeka pointed out to Ryoko.
Without warning the space surrounding them wavered. A huge space station appeared directly in their path. A large door yawned open, allowing them access to the interior.
"Did you say something?" Ryoko asked.
Tenchi, Nobuyuki, Katsuhito, Washu, Sasami, and Mihoshi took off from Jurai aboard Yukinojo. Destination...
"What?!" Everyone asked simultaneously. Mihoshi sat at the controls in Yukinojo's cockpit. They were all depending on Washu to figure out where Ryoko had taken Aeka. Her admitting she did not know something was a terrible blow to their confidence. Washu tried to explain.
"Ryoko has been doing this sort of thing for a long time. She's probably got more hideouts than personality quirks." There was a collective giggle at Ryoko's expense. Nobuyuki whispered to his father-in-law.
"I guess criminal psychology is her weak point." Washu suddenly grabbed him by the shirt. With one foot she kicked Mihoshi out of the pilot's chair and onto the floor. She then thrust Tenchi's father into the now vacant seat.
"Okay, Nobuyuki. Let's see you find her."
Sasami examined Mihoshi on the floor by poking her with a stick.
"Are you okay?"
"I-I'm okay. Practice makes perfect." Mihoshi unsteadily replied.
Tenchi tried to get Washu back on track.
"Little Washu..." She did not let him finish.
"Nope. He's going to do it." She told Tenchi, indicating his father with an intent gaze. "Aren't you?"
Washu gave Nobuyuki the evil eye, making him gulp nervously. He was really on the hotseat now. With the family pride was at stake, he closed his eyes, then punched a button at random from the selection on the control panel.
"Miss Mihoshi." Yukinojo instantly responded. "We're intercepting a transmission on Jurai military channel."
Ryoko appeared on the screen. Washu's eyes popped right out of her head. Nobuyuki bolted to his feet. With one foot on the instrument console, he pointed to the stars.
"YEAH! Now who's the greatest?"
Washu grabbed the victor from behind and threw him across the cabin. He crashed into the far wall and slowly slid down to the ground. Washu replaced him in the twice-vacated seat.
"Yukinojo! Are you tracing the signal?"
"Yes, ma'am." It answered.
"Put me on." Tenchi demanded from behind the seat.
"I'm sorry." The computer personality explained. "The transmission is a prerecorded microburst. No interaction is possible."
"Oh. Could you play it back, please?"
"Certainly." Everyone watched the message with great attention.
"This message is for the Jurai Royal Family." The image spoke. "I have Princess Aeka. If you attempt to rescue her, you'll never see her again. If you try to catch me, you'll never see her again. If you don't deposit one billion Jurai into Threshold account number nine five five alpha zeta two six within twenty-four hours, you'll never see her again. Do as I say, and she'll be returned unharmed." The image grinned evilly. "One more thing. Don't mess with me on this." The frame froze, leaving an arrogant smile as testament to Ryoko's confidence.
"End of message." Yukinojo informed them. Tenchi stared at the frozen image as if trying to digest something his stomach could not handle. Though the picture was static, in Tenchi's mind, Ryoko seemed to be leering at his foolishness. She had played him like a harp from hell and now she would have her revenge. Tenchi shook his head, trying to clear the vision from sight. Ryoko still stood there, leering. Unwilling to watch the image any longer, he turned and walked out the cockpit door. It zipped open just in time to avoid a collision then closed right behind him. Washu was the first to speak.
"That was brief."
Sasami had picked up on someone else's feelings.
"Poor Tenchi."
"'Poor Tenchi'?" The others quoted her together.
"He looked so sad." She explained.
"Sasami, why don't you go try to cheer Tenchi up?" Washu suggested from her seat.
"Right." Sasami replied. Glad to be of use, she turned and went through the door Tenchi had used a moment ago. Again it opened just in time. It slid shut behind her with a tired hiss.
Mihoshi still sat on the floor, looking up at the monitor. She addressed the computerized ship.
"Yukinojo, does this mean I have to file a report?"
"I'm afraid so, Mihoshi." The voice answered. Tears were welling in Mihoshi's eyes.
"But, I don't want to. Ryoko's my friend." She sniffled.
"I don't believe that will be necessary." Katsuhito offered. "Since no report of a missing person has been made to the Galaxy Police by the Royal Family, as far as the GP knows, no kidnapping has occurred. Since you have not been assigned to any such case, there is no need for a report, is there?"
"Really?" Mihoshi asked.
"Yup." Katsuhito verified.
"Isn't that great, Yukinojo?"
"Of course it is." The computer blithely answered. "Miss Washu, I've finished the trace."
"Well? Show me!" Washu demanded impatiently.
"I hate to admit it, but I may have made an error. Could you confirm the results, please?"
"An error? Hmm..." Washu didn't think it very likely Yukinojo had made an error, but she still wanted to see these strange results. The grinning image finally disappeared, replaced by a starmap of the Jurai home system. The ship's location was indicated by a blinking blue blip on the screen, the source of the transmission by a blinking green blip situated in an empty area of space practically right next door to Jurai.
"Ah, ha!" Washu exclaimed. "Clever. Very clever. Your results are right on the mark, Yukinojo."
"Oh, good." The computer interface almost seemed to smile in relief.
"There's something there, all right." She confirmed. "Only four people in the universe know about that place, Kagato, Yakage, myself, of course, and Ryoko. Since the first two are dead and I'm right here, that only leaves Ryoko!" Washu took control of the helm.
"Set a course, Yukinojo!" A matronly look appeared in Washu's eyes. "It's time for mommy to administer some discipline."
Tenchi eventually found himself in Yukinojo's engine room. He had not had any particular destination in mind, not that there was really any other place to go, but at least he could be alone while he sorted himself out.
He could not believe what he had seen. In her message, Ryoko had seemed so distant compared to the girl who had confessed her love for him only the night before. It just did not make sense. He was starting to think Ryoko had said those things just to get him to give the gems back. Maybe she wanted revenge against him and his family for being imprisoned for seven hundred years. He did not want to believe it, but there was no other explanation he could think of.
The door opened behind Tenchi. Couldn't he have just a moment of peace? He turned to berate whoever had followed him, but stopped when he saw it was Sasami.
"Tenchi!" She gasped, trying to catch her breath from running after him.
"Sasami, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I thought I could trust Ryoko." He hung his head in shame.
Sasami took a deep breath.
"No, Tenchi. You have to believe in Ryoko. She wouldn't hurt anybody. I know it. Please don't give up on her."
Sasami's big pink eyes pleaded with Tenchi as much as her voice. The words bolstered Tenchi's confidence somewhat. Hopefully it would be enough to see things through.
"You're right, Sasami." Tenchi gave her a hopeful smile. "Let's go see how Washu and the others are doing."
"Okay." Sasami agreed. "But this time can we walk?"
"Ah- Sorry." They headed back to the cockpit at a more reasonable pace.
As soon as they cleared the door, Tenchi started asking questions.
"Little Washu, how much longer until we find Ryoko?"
Before Washu could answer, the viewscreen wavered. A huge spacestation appeared, it's bay doors yawning open for them.
"Ah. Never mind." Tenchi retracted his question. "Why would Ryoko pick this place?"
Washu, of course, had an answer ready for him.
"Well, I've been thinking about that. This station is almost impossible to find. By sending her demands, Ryoko made it obvious to me where she's hiding. But anyone else who traced the signal would see the point-of-origin and think it was a trick to hide her location."
Everyone except Tenchi seemed just as confused as they did before Washu's explanation.
"So... Ryoko hid herself by telling everyone where she is?" His tone seemed more indicative of a question. The others looked at him in astonishment. He had actually understood Washu's answer.
"Right!" She congratulated Tenchi.
He smiled, pleased with himself. In the background Tenchi's grandfather nodded in agreement. He could recall the game of hide-and-seek they had played many years ago to illustrate his lesson on hiding in plain sight. Katsuhito wanted some answers from Washu, as well.
"So how is it you were able to hide this base from Jurai intelligence for so long?"
"In addition to advanced sensor screens, I built this facility six thousand years ago when Juraian technology wasn't anywhere near as good as it is today. Since there's no reason to look at this part of space, it has remained undetected."
"If it's undetectable", Nobuyuki asked, "then how did Ryoko find it, eh?"
Washu glared at him.
"Ryoko knows because she was born here." There was a collective gasp. "Ryo-o-ki, too." Another gasp.
Yukinojo settled to the landing bay floor. Catching sight of someone, Washu waved out the cockpit window. Everyone crowded to see whom she was waving at. To the side of the landing deck, Ryoko and Ryo-o-ki stood, waiting. Ryo-o-ki had assumed the form of a little girl and was waving back.
As soon as Yukinojo opened the hatch, everyone made a mad rush for the hanger floor. Since only one person could fit through the door at a time, they got stuck. They jockeyed and jostled for position, arguing over whom would be the first to talk to Ryoko.
Seeing that they had gotten themselves stuck, Ryoko flew up the landing stairs to the door. She examined the blockage for a moment, then grabbed Tenchi and pulled him into the air. The others popped out of the doorway and tumbled in a ball down the stairs to the hanger floor. Katsuhito exited the ship shortly after them, strolling calmly down the stairs. He ignored the two floating above him.
Tenchi and Ryoko looked at each other.
"Put me down." Tenchi told the girl holding him up in the air.
"Tenchi," Ryoko tried to explain. "I just-"
"Put me down!" He shouted at her. Ryoko's eyes got really big. Tenchi's tone was so stern she nearly dropped him. She quickly descended to the floor where they could both stand freely. Ryoko released her grip on Tenchi. He looked angry. No, not angry, upset. Upset with her.
"Ryoko, what's going on? Why did you kidnap Aeka?"
Ryoko tried to answer, but Tenchi kept talking, not allowing her a chance to answer.
"You attacked the Royal Family! Do you think they'll let you get away with that? Even worse, the King is holding me personally responsible. What did you think-"
Ryoko finally lost her patience.
"Shut-the-hell-up and I'll tell you!" She shouted back.
Ryoko never yelled at Tenchi. Not ever. For the first time he noticed her disheveled appearance. She still wore the same dress she had fought in during the challenge match on Jurai. It was covered in dust and grime. There was even a small tear in one sleeve. Tenchi could barely see Ryoko's golden eyes through the strands of cyan hair that hung thickly over her brow. Ryoko never let him see her like this if she could help it. She always maintained her personal appearance, hoping he would be impressed. Now it looked like impressing him did not matter anymore. Tenchi reached up to brush the wayward strands of hair back into place. But they stubbornly refused to stay.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you." Tenchi apologized. "Tell me what's wrong."
"Funaho." Ryoko finally managed to blurt out.
"Huh?" Tenchi didn't understand.
"It was Funaho's idea to kidnap Aeka."
"Funaho?" Tenchi asked.
"Tenchi!" His grandfather called. "Why don't you bring Ryoko over here so we can all hear what's going on." It was more of an instruction than a request. Tenchi started towards him with a sigh. After a brief hesitation, Ryoko followed. As he approached, Tenchi observed the looks on the faces of his friends and family. They did not look angry, only concerned. That he was the only one actually upset seemed strange. Why was everyone so calm except him?
Remembering Sasami's earlier words, Tenchi's gaze rested on the girl for a moment. He walked slowly, allowing himself a few calming breaths. He promised himself he would give Ryoko the opportunity to explain the situation. Katsuhito sat at the bottom of the stairway, waiting for them to arrive. He directed his attention to Ryoko.
"Now, then." He began. "Why don't you tell us your reasons for taking Aeka."
"Okay." Ryoko started. "I was wandering around the palace last night, when I ran into Funaho. She seemed pretty tired so I tried to leave, but she asked me in for tea."
"Tea?" Tenchi asked incredulously.
"Yeah. Imagine that. Ryoko "The Destroyer", having tea with the Royal Family of Jurai. Talk about awkward."
"I see." The elder prince prompted her. "And what did you talk about?"
"She said she was trying to get the law forcing Aeka to get married repealed. She was making progress but there wasn't enough time."
"Ahh. Now I understand." Katsuhito relaxed visibly. "By taking Aeka you stop the challenge match and the wedding, thereby allowing Lady Funaho the time required to work on the council. And," he emphasized, "since you have the queen's permission, technically it's not kidnapping. Mother was always good at politics." He laughed heartily.
"But, what about that ransom message?" Mihoshi asked.
"Oh, that was just to let Washu know where I was. Besides, you don't think that blowhard Azusa would actually meet my demands, do you?"
Funny faces all around. The king's son stood, amused at Ryoko's description of his father.
But Tenchi was not satisfied just yet.
"Where's Aeka?"
"Oh, yeah, Aeka. I had to stick her in an isolation field, for her own protection, of course." She laughed thinly.
Nobuyuki coughed in the background. Seeing Tenchi was not amused, Ryoko decided she had better cough-up the princess before he got mad again.
"Right this way to Princess Bubble-butt." She announced leading them from the hanger.
"Bubble-butt?" Nobuyuki asked.
"Didn't you notice she put on some weight? Yup, that's right. I told her if she kept eating those snacks, she would get fat. But does she listen to me? Oh, no." Ryoko was trying to lighten the mood, but Tenchi had everyone on edge. He did not seem to be placated by her explanation. It seemed Aeka was not the only one who did not believe what Ryoko said anymore. Maybe if she got Funaho to tell Tenchi, then he would believe her. If he did not... Ryoko tried not to think about it.
It was only a short walk to the command center. When they approached the door, it slid open automatically. As the others filed in, Ryoko turned and pointed to the back of the room.
"Ryoko!" Aeka started in again. "It's about time you-" As soon as she saw Tenchi, her whole demeanor changed.
"Oh, Lord Tenchi! Thank goodness you've arrived. I've been so frightened." Tenchi walked over to check on Aeka's condition.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm unharmed. But that crazy-woman has had me locked-up in here for hours."
"I think everything will be all right, now." He assured her.
Then the alarm bells started ringing. Everyone except Ryoko looked around in confusion. She moved to the main control console and pushed a button, silencing the alarms. Another button push brought an image of Jurai battleships onto the viewscreen above the console. There were ten, including the King's ship, Kirito.
"Hah!" Aeka exclaimed. "Now you're in for it, Ryoko. Father has brought an escort to see me safely home."
"He's gotta find you first." Countered Ryoko.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"Take a look. They're just cruising around in standard search patterns. If they knew where we were, don't you think they would be doing something about it? They probably followed Tenchi here, then got confused when the ship disappeared. If we sit tight for a while, everything will work out by itself."
"Are you sure about this?" Tenchi asked.
"Sure." Ryoko answered.
The alarms started again. Ryoko hit the same two buttons in sequence, as all eyes were once again directed to the screen. Hundreds of small charcoal grey ships appeared on the screen. They resembled some kind dragonfly flying backwards. They seemed to be coming from nowhere.
"Ryoko?" Mihoshi marveled at the vast fleet. "Are we expecting more company?"
"No." Ryoko's eyes narrowed at the sight of this new complication. "Washu, do you recognize these guys?" There was no answer. Ryoko looked around. Washu was nowhere to be seen.
"Washu? Damn it! Now where'd she go?" Behind her, Aeka gasped.
"Ryoko! Quickly! Show our ships."
Ryoko changes the view to include the Juraian vessels. Energy beams lanced between the large space-tree ships and the smaller, more agile, invaders. The attacking ships were fast and easily avoided most of the Juraian weapons. Unfortunately for the Juraians, their enemy rarely missed. They swarmed the larger ships, hammering them mercilessly.
The space-tree ships deployed their Light-hawk Wings in defense. With the King's own Kirito present an ordinary enemy would pose no threat. But the tactic was only partially effective. The Light-Hawk Wings could only block attacks from the front. The enemies were so numerous; they could attack from all sides.
A red square surrounded one of the smallest ships that seemed to be attracting most of the attention. A moment later Mihoshi's wristband began beeping insistently. She examined it for a moment, then deactivated the noise.
"A distress call!" She turned to Tenchi to excuse herself. "Tenchi, I guess I have to go for a little while. Someone's in trouble and they need my help." She did not seem to make the connection between the battle playing itself out on the viewscreen and the distress call. Mihoshi ran for the door.
"I'll see you later!" She said by way of departure, oblivious to the danger ahead.
Tenchi returned her wave weakly.
"Uh, take care..." Teardrops and sighs all around. She ran out the door to hopefully find her way to Yukinojo.
On the screen, the ship with the red square exploded.
"What-!" Aeka gasped. "A fourth-generation ship so easily... Lord Tenchi," Aeka pleaded. "We must do something to help!"
"Does this station have any weapons?" Tenchi asked Ryoko.
"Nope." Ryoko answered, staring intently at the screen.
"What about Ryo-o-ki?" Tenchi turned to the little girl. "You want to help, don't you?"
"Forget it, Tenchi!" Ryoko forbade him. "It's way too dangerous for her."
"But won't the King blame you for the attack?"
Ryoko's jaw hit the floor.
"That's right Ryoko." Aeka pressed the point. "Father will most certainly lay the blame for this squarely on you unless you do something to help win this battle. Then, even a statute of limitations won't free you from pursuit."
Ryoko looked as if she might pull her own hair out. The plan Funaho had proposed had been risky at best. If it had worked out, things would have been all right. But now, some idiot had chosen this time and place to try invading Jurai. They were doing a pretty good job, too. The Juraian ships were getting pummeled. Washu would say this mission had a very low probability of success. Ryoko could sum it up in one word: suicidal. What really got her goat was the idea of the royal family chasing her around the galaxy again. There was no way she would go through more of that. More importantly, she would have to leave Earth, and Tenchi, behind. Someone tugged on her dress sleeve.
"Myah?" Ryo-o-ki gazed up at her.
"What do think, Ryo-o-ki? Can we do it?"
"Mya meow meyah."
Ryoko looked at the screen again.
"All right. If they want a fight, we'll give them one." She clenched her right fist and closed her eyes. The dress she had favored for so long was replaced from head to toe by the red and black singlette she wore only when she knew there would be combat.
"Ready?" Tenchi asked from behind her. When she turned to answer, Ryoko saw that Tenchi had donned the Juraian battle armor Tsunami provided him.
"No way!" Ryoko vehemently objected. "You are not coming!"
"I won't just sit back and watch while you risk your life."
Ryoko pointed to the battle raging on the screen.
"You can't fight against them with a sword, Tenchi! Look! There is no one you can fight!
"That's not the point." Tenchi told her.
Ryoko was thrown completely off track. If Tenchi did not want to fight, what was the point in going? She looked at him, trying to discern his intentions.
"Ryoko, when we have to fight for what's important to us, we should stick together. I know I haven't done very well keeping everyone together, and... I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not trusting you. But this is my responsibility. I have to go."
Tenchi held his hand out to Ryoko. The gesture seemed a little strange to him, yet it was appropriate. He wanted her to know he would trust her from now on, no matter what.
Ryoko clasped his hand, happy to accept Tenchi's apology. But there was still something left to do. She knew when Tenchi got this way he would not change his mind. He always picked the worst time to get stubborn.
"I'm sorry, too."
Everyone looked at Ryoko in astonishment. She had actually apologized for something. Tenchi got a bigger shock. Ryoko was not apologizing for her earlier actions, but for what she was about to do.
An electric charge flowed through her hand into Tenchi, knocking him unconscious. She caught him before he hit the floor.
"Tenchi!" Both princesses exclaimed. Ryoko handed Tenchi to Sasami.
"Here."
"He's heavy!" Sasami protested. Unable to hold Tenchi's weight any longer, she toppled over, Tenchi falling on top of her. Her little limbs stuck out from underneath.
Ryoko looked around at the others still present. Some were giving her nasty looks. Those looks put more holes in her heart. She tried to justify her actions to them.
"I can't guarantee Tenchi's safety if he comes along, and he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."
"We understand." Katsuhito assured her.
Nobuyuki bent down to pull Tenchi off of Sasami.
"He does get a little thick in the head sometimes." He said, making fun of his child.
"Yes. In that way he takes after his father, I think."
"Is that so?"
The flash of another ship exploding on screen reminded Ryoko to get moving. She grabbed Ryo-o-ki by the shirt-back, carrying her like a briefcase.
"Ryo-o-ki, let's go."
"Ryoko!" Aeka called from across the room. For a moment she felt like wishing her nemesis good luck. But the words would not come out. She opted for a more acceptable alternative.
"Would you be so kind as to free me from this birdcage before you leave?"
"Nah." Ryoko answered with a smile. "I like you right where you are, Princess Bird-brain." She flew through the door, laughing.
Aeka turned red.
"Augh! That woman is incorrigible!"
Katsuhito walked to the infuriated princess, chuckling. He poked at the floor-mounted controls with one foot. The shield came down with a whine.
"Would you care to share with the rest of us what you find so entertaining, dear Brother?" Aeka glared at her brother ferociously.
"I've had a wonderful idea." He answered without missing a beat. "Let's go find Washu. She should be informed of these new developments."
"Oh, really?" Aeka asked skeptically. "Very well, then." She directed her attention to Nobuyuki, who was kneeling on the floor next to Tenchi and Sasami.
"Father," she address him, "I trust you will watch over my sister and Lord Tenchi while my brother and I go search for Miss Washu."
"Sure. I'll keep an eye on them." Nobuyuki waved them on. He always felt better when one of the girls addressed him as 'Father'.
A logical search through the facility would be better accomplished by splitting-up and searching individually. Yet, Katsuhito had not suggested it. Perhaps he had something else in mind. He and Aeka walked the hallway to the first intersection in silence. Aeka was the first to breech that silence.
"Is there something you wish to discuss?"
"It's just been so long since we walked together." Her brother offered.
"So it has. Which way shall we go?"
"Let's try left." Katsuhito suggested. Aeka stepped off in the indicated direction, her elder sibling following close behind.
"As I recall, the last time we walked together was before I left Jurai."
"Yes. We have the mummy-monster to thank for that."
"True. But Ryoko does seem to be behaving a little more normally these days."
"I hadn't noticed." Aeka feigned ignorance. She had a pretty good idea where this conversation was going.
"That's unfortunate, because I believe Tenchi has."
Aeka stopped in her tracks. She may not have been paying much attention to Ryoko's activities of late, but she had been watching Tenchi since their trip to the nameless planet last winter. It was no surprise to her that Tenchi had some feelings for Ryoko. That much had been obvious for months. He had been visibly upset over the idea Ryoko might be in love with someone else. Tenchi had always worn his heart on his sleeve. If that heart truly represented his feelings, his sleeve would have been soaked in blood.
Though Aeka objected to the way Ryoko pursued Tenchi like some prize bull, there was little she could do if Tenchi willingly choose Ryoko over her. The very idea sent shivers up her spine.
"Yosho, what are you getting at?"
"Isn't an old priest allowed to be concerned for his sister?"
"Please, brother. We were both raised in the royal court. Must we play these silly word games?"
Katsuhito sighed gently.
"I had hoped you could find with Tenchi what you could not on Jurai. I had no idea Ryoko was so determined."
So that was his angle. Aeka turned to her brother.
"Dear brother," she reached up and patted him on the cheek, "Thank you for caring. But I'm not giving up just yet."
"Of course not." But Katsuhito knew the harder Aeka tried, the more failure would hurt.
In the darkness of space, flashes of energy arced from ship to ship. Though the invading ships were easily destroyed, the trouble was actually hitting them. They seemed to be nothing more than engines and weapons. Their maneuverability was starting to make Ryoko mad. They could hit Ryo-o-ki, but she could not hit them back.
"Damn it! This is like fighting hornets with a club!"
Wham! Another shot struck Ryo-o-ki's flank.
"Mreow! Mya-myah!"
"Come on Ryo-o-ki! Don't you dare give up! Split the beam. Hit as many as you can!"
Ryo-o-ki fired several smaller beams at the offending ships. One of them ran into the beams when it tried to evade, and exploded.
"Yeah! Get 'em!" Her accuracy thus increased, the formerly fuzzy ship kept firing. She destroyed the enemy ships at a more rapid pace.
A vortex suddenly opened nearby. It spun silently in space, blue and white energy whirling about its center. From that center a large ship emerged. If the situation had not been so serious, Ryoko would have laughed. Her first impression was of a pig's head with wings. The "head" was shaped like a full bowl of rice with a snout in front. Behind it a short neck flared outwards forming the second half of the ship.
Hatches on the rear hull slid open spewing forth more of the little ships by the dozens. A growl emanated from deep within Ryoko's throat.
"What the hell do they need reinforcements for? They're doing fine kicking our ass, already!"
Though she was frustrated by the poor turn of events, a plan started to form in her mind. If the newly arrived carrier ship were also controlling the smaller fighters, destroying it might deprive them of their command and control, rendering them less effective. If she were lucky, they might stop fighting all together. Besides, blowing a big hole in that pig-snout ship would make her feel a lot better. Ryoko quickly relayed her plan to Ryo-o-ki through the mental link.
"Myeow!" Ryo-o-ki agreed as she began accelerating underneath the ship.
The forward view shifted vertically from the upper surface of the carrier, past the forward section, to its underside and beyond. It did not take long to pass underneath the ship. Not that it was small, but the high rate of speed made it seem so. Access doors and weapons ports flashed by. Ryoko counted no less than twenty weapon ports on the vessel's underbelly. Several fired as they passed, missing by a wide margin. The rear of the ship finally passed by, leaving only empty space ahead. Ryo-o-ki came to a screeching halt. Ryoko felt a surge of gravity as Ryo-o-ki's inertial dampers struggled to compensate for the rapid deceleration.
"Okay, Ryo-o-ki." Ryoko told her partner. "Let's him 'em where it counts!"
As Ryo-o-ki turned in space to target the carrier's more vulnerable aft section, Ryoko began funneling energy from the gems into Ryo-o-ki's weapon systems. A visible aura began to surround the rotating ship, testament to the level of power being transferred between them.
When the carrier came back into the forward view, Ryoko noticed several of the fighters making their way around it. But they were too late. The energy buildup had reached its optimal level. She cracked a malevolent grin, destruction on her mind.
"Too little, too late. There's a saying on Earth: Up yours!"
"Answering Ryoko's mental command, Ryo-o-ki released the pent-up energy in one massive blast. Luminescent yellow, it lanced through the short distance of space between the two ships, drilling a huge hole completely through the enemy ship. It hung passive for a moment, then exploded.
The force of the expanding gases and hurtling debris sent Ryo-o-ki tumbling through space. Once the blast wave passed, she regained control of her heading and attitude, then slowly came to a stop. Ryoko's eyes rolled around in her head as she knelt, trying to regain her sense of balance. When her vision finally stopped spinning, Ryoko made a mental note to be farther away the next time she blew something up.
Ryoko looked up to check for incoming fighters. All she saw were bits of metal and frozen gases. Apparently, the explosion had taken out the fighters that were chasing them. Ryoko stood, ready to celebrate.
"Ha! That's what you get for messing with a genuine demon!"
"Meow?" Ryo-o-ki asked if they could go home.
"Well, since there doesn't seem to be any more -" Before she could finish, Ryoko noticed movement between their position and the Juraian ships. She stared intently as the little dot was joined by others just like it.
Suddenly the lack of combat activity made sense. The fighters had not been destroyed. They had only changed targets from the Juraian space-tree ships to Ryo-o-ki. Good for the Juraians, but not so good for them.
"Okay, time to go." The oddly shaped cabbit flew away from the approaching ships at a disturbingly slow pace. Ryoko urged Ryo-o-ki on.
"Come on! Let's go!"
"Meya..." She tiredly replied.
"What do you mean you can't go any faster?!" Ryoko berated her companion for her perceived laziness. "Don't make excuses! Move it!" She pulled her leg back to give Ryo-o-ki a swift kick, but the enemy fighters beat her to it.
They quickly swarmed all around the now depleted Ryo-o-ki like a hive of angry hornets whose nest was being violated. They incessantly stung Ryo-o-ki with their weapons, blasting ever-increasing sizes of hull material away from her body. She cried out in pain. Ryoko could only look on as the overhead dome collapsed. Her last thoughts before the explosion were of how disappointed Tenchi would be. Space turned white.
Aboard Washu's research station, the pint-sized super-genius had finally tired of seeing "file not found" errors on the station computer. She mulled this over as she made her way to the command center, where she presumed the others would be waiting.
Someone had tampered with the records here. The disturbing thing was only the files concerning Ryoko's physiology were missing. Whoever had pulled this off was definitely a professional. But who could possibly want that kind of information? Jurai was a likely candidate, especially considering their proximity to the station. But they were interested in Ryo-o-ki, and that issue had been resolved with Lady Funaho a while back. Washu had not gotten the feeling they feared Ryoko or wanted to produce more of her. Strong-willed young women with super-powers did not exactly make good soldiers. One Ryoko was enough.
The data taken would enable someone to either create another Ryoko or destroy her. There was no logic in making more, so Washu continued along the thread that someone wanted Ryoko dead. That coincided with the attempt on her life at the palace. Once their current misadventure was over, Washu would have to examine the place Ryoko had blasted the assassin for clues.
Maybe someone in the government wanted revenge for the attack seven hundred years ago. Or maybe the Mafia thought she was a problem. Any number of possibilities existed. She would just have to keep her eyes and ears open. It would be a cold day in hell when she stood by while someone tried to destroy her pride and joy.
The door to the command center slid open to give Washu admittance. To her surprise there were only three people present: Sasami, Tenchi, and Nobuyuki. Tenchi and Sasami sat on the floor while Nobuyuki had commandeered the lone chair. A battle raged on the viewscreen.
"Hiya!" Washu looked about for the others. "Where is everybody?"
Tenchi jumped to his feet. He seemed worried about something.
"Washu! You have to help them!"
"Help who?" She asked.
"Ryoko and Mihoshi and Ryo-o-ki!"
"Let me guess." Washu pointed at the carnage being displayed on the viewscreen. "They're out there."
Tenchi nodded vigorously. Washu put her hand to her head as if she were nursing a headache.
"Now what have they gotten themselves into?" Though she referred primarily to Ryoko, the others also seemed to be able to cause massive amounts of destruction with almost no effort. Washu walked over to Tenchi's father and looked at him, using her most disarming smile. He naively smiled back.
"Hello there, Washu." Nobuyuki greeted her. Washu returned his greeting by grabbing him and throwing him across the room again. He slammed into the far wall, then slowly slid to the floor.
"He should know better than to sit in my chair by now." She explained to Tenchi. "Why don't you bring me up to date?"
"Uh, right. Anyway, the King of Jurai followed us here. Right after his ships arrived, these other guys showed up and started attacking them."
Washu waited a moment, expecting more.
"That's it?" She asked.
"Well, yeah."
Washu looked at the screen.
"Uh-huh. Right. So, tell me. Where are Aeka and Katsuhito?"
"Oh, they went looking for you." Tenchi answered.
"I see." the scientist eyed Tenchi. "And why are you in here while Mihoshi and Ryoko are out there?"
Tenchi got a bit flustered.
"Well, you know how Mihoshi is when she gets an emergency call." He tried to leave his explanation at that.
"And...?" Washu prompted Tenchi. Since he seemed so reluctant to answer, Sasami answered for him.
"Ryoko didn't want Tenchi to go so she electrocuted him."
"D'oh!" Tenchi cringed.
"Well, why didn't you just say so!" Washu accepted the answer without any problem. "It's not like you would have been much help anyway." She tried, unsuccessfully, to soothe Tenchi's bruised ego. "Not unless you happen to have a spaceship handy."
Tenchi hung his head dejectedly. Washu had a point. But he did not feel right letting other people take care of his problems for him.
A flash on the viewscreen caught everyone's attention. A new ship, much larger than anything else, appeared from a swirling blue vortex. Once it cleared the spinning mass of energy, the vortex shrank and disappeared. A spiny brown blur zipped by, almost too fast to see. Washu quickly identified the relatively small shape.
"There's Ryo-o-ki! That's good. I think."
The blur came into focus when it suddenly spun to a stop. Washu started handing out shaded goggles as Ryo-o-ki's energy build-up began to manifest itself.
"Better put these on." She suggested.
Just as everyone got his or her goggles on, Ryo-o-ki fired. The enemy ship exploded magnificently, accompanied by sounds of appreciation from those watching. The audience tossed their goggles aside.
When the explosion cleared, much of the fighting had stopped. There were still shots being fired sporadically by the Juraian ships as the invaders apparently fled.
"Where are Ryo-o-ki and Yukinojo?" Tenchi asked. Washu's hands blazed across the control panel, searching for the wayward ships. A small window appeared in one corner of the viewscreen. The data it displayed changed so rapidly no one but Washu could possibly comprehend it.
"Found them." Washu shortly announced. A green box surrounded each of the ships, accompanied by a small tag identifying which was which.
"And as long as we're at it..." Washu assigned red boxes to the invaders' vessels, filling the screen with red. Most of them were congregated in a large group out of range of the Juraian ships. Another group, smaller than the first, but still hundreds strong, was surrounding Ryo-o-ki.
Alarmed, Tenchi began looking for a way to contact Ryoko.
"Washu, where's the radio?" Tenchi asked, scanning the controls.
"Over there." Washu pointed out the console to him. "Why is she moving so slowly?" she asked aloud.
Tenchi approached the communications console intending to warn Ryoko of the impending danger. But the device was completely foreign to him.
"Agh! I don't know how to use this!" He complained. Washu got up to activate the unit for him as the enemy ships began firing.
"Washu!" Tenchi urgently prompted her, getting more impatient by the moment.
"This isn't your father's radio set, Tenchi!" Washu tried to explain. "Set the power level too high and you'll cook whoever you want to talk to!"
But Tenchi did not feel like waiting and was starting to look very worried.
"There!" Washu announced just as Ryo-o-ki exploded into a seething ball of flaming energy. The force of the explosion crushed the surrounding fighters. A piece of one of the ships hurtled directly at the monitor.
"Hang on!" Washu recommended, gripping the arm of her chair with both hands.
The screen went to static. A moment later, the entire station shook with the impact. The deck heaved, knocking everyone to the floor. The lights flickered momentarily, then came back on. A number of alarms began wailing their need for attention. Little Sasami held her hands to her ears, trying to mute the frightening sounds. Nobuyuki, having recovered from his earlier flight, saw Sasami's distress and held her to his chest.
"Hey, Washu!" He shouted. "How about them alarms!?"
"Sorry. Sorry." Washu answered as she deactivated the alarm glaxons. "I forgot how loud those things are."
The overworked entrance door slid open again, admitting Aeka and her brother.
"What was that all about?" Aeka demanded. She looked around and saw Tenchi kneeling before the control console, staring at the floorboards.
"Lord Tenchi!" She rushed to his side. "What happened? Are you all right?"
Tenchi ignored Aeka's questions for the moment. He had more important questions to ask Washu.
"Washu, tell me they're all right."
"I'm looking." Washu's hands were flying across the console even faster than before. She took a moment before answering. "Mihoshi and Yukinojo are still there. Ryo-o-ki... damn, Ryo-o-ki was destroyed. But she'll regenerate." Washu was quick to add in the regeneration part. "No sign of Ryoko, yet."
Tenchi closed his eyes and bit his lip. For a moment all was quiet as Washu tried to locate the missing person. The worried atmosphere quickly changed when a voice came in over the local transceiver.
"Attention, invading vessels." A familiar feminine voice announced. "Surrender immediately or be destroyed."
Ryoko's voice could be heard in the background.
"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing giving them a chance to surrender?"
"It's the honorable thing to do." The first voice answered.
"Honor?! You've gotta be kidding! Here, let me do it."
There were sounds of a small scuffle. Those listening aboard both the station and the ships outside were wondering very seriously about their chances of survival with those two out there.
"Come on, Ryoko!" The first voice pleaded. "Hinase is my ship! You can't just take over like that!"
With that information, everyone on Washu's station knew who had come to help.
"Minagi?" They all asked together.
A smaller screen eclipsed the viewscreen. It showed both Minagi and Ryoko aboard Hinase. They were struggling over a strange looking console with many tubes and bundles of wire attached to it. Various control crystals zipped by in the background, minding the ships functions. One of them stayed stationary just in view. The twins looked at the monitor in surprise. They quickly straightened themselves out. Their actions were so similar it was like looking at mirror reflections of the same person in different clothes. Ryoko, having had more experience tidying up after fights with Aeka, was finished first.
"Done yet?"
"Just a sec... Hang on... there." Minagi took a deep breath. "Hi everybody!"
The Masakis all gave their own greetings.
"Great timing, Minagi!" Washu complemented her. "How did you happen to be in this part of space?" Washu's natural curiosity demanded she find out.
"Mmm. I heard Ryoko call for help yesterday. I was so far away it took that long to get here." The girls all knowingly looked at Tenchi. "When I got to Jurai, half the navy was gone and the place was in an uproar. So, I followed the ships."
"Miss Minagi," Aeka broke in, "I hate to impose, but could you lend us a hand? We're in the midst of a crisis and the Jurai Empire could use your assistance."
Both Minagi and Ryoko smiled.
"Got it covered, Princess." Ryoko excitedly responded.
"Oh, yes." Minagi reassured Aeka. "We are definitely going to help."
"Hinase! Are we in position?"
"Yes, ma'am." The computer intelligence answered her.
"We've been in position for five minutes." Ryoko muttered. If Minagi heard Ryoko's comment, she chose to ignore it. She was way too into her role as pirate captain.
"Lock targets!" Minagi commanded.
"We already did all that!" Ryoko yelled at her. "That's it. I'm pushing the button." She went towards the controls.
"No! Wait! At least shut down the sensor screen first! I don't want to blow out half the ship's power circuits." Minagi insisted.
"Fine. Sensor screen... off. Now can I?"
The early warning detection alarm went off in the station's command center. Tired of the constant ear shattering alarms, Washu wrenched the control panel right out of its mount and tossed it over her shoulder like so much garbage. Minagi and Ryoko glared at the interruption.
"Sorry about that. Please. Continue."
"Ryoko." Minagi called for attention. She extended her arm and hand towards the viewscreen.
"Open fire!"
The communications screen shrank to its minimal size of a small box in the corner. On the rest of the main screen, a green box of Washu's creation, and several hundred angry fighters of unknown creation surrounded Hinase. A swarm of tightly packed missiles emerged from newly installed weapons pods on Hinase's hull. The missiles tracked the small fighters and destroyed them en masse. Any ship that got too close was immediately sliced into pieces by a point defense laser system. Ryoko could still be heard over the audio link.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Get some! Hey, Washu! Can we hook one of these up to Ryo-o-ki when she regenerates?"
"Oh, the second most powerful ship in the known universe isn't good enough for you anymore?" Washu asked. Ryoko just laughed. She was enjoying winning for once. Little red boxes were disappearing at an impressive rate. Not more than sixty seconds after they began firing, the last box vanished.
A new comm-screen opened on the display, revealing Mihoshi in her Galaxy Police uniform.
"Oh, there you are! Is everything all right?"
"Yes, Miss Mihoshi." Aeka answered her. "We're all fine here." She was about to ask the same of Mihoshi, but Tenchi beat her to it.
"What about you Mihoshi? You weren't hurt, were you?"
"No. I'm fine." Mihoshi's face turned red. "Oh, but it's so kind of you to ask about me!" She started giggling and babbling about how generally nice Tenchi was. Fortunately, Yukinojo was listening, and interrupted the detective before she got too carried away.
"Miss Mihoshi."
She ignored the voice.
Yukinojo dialed up its volume control.
"Miss Mihoshi!" Mihoshi realized she was being addressed.
"Huh? What is it, Yukinojo?"
"Wasn't there something else you wanted to ask?"
"Was there?"
Small teardrops began forming on the heads of those watching. Mihoshi's face suddenly brightened.
"Oh, yes. I remember now!"
Aeka muttered under her breath.
"Will wonders never cease?"
Mihoshi continued with her questioning.
"I was wondering. Do any of you know who's ship just arrived?"
Aeka was getting frustrated. Though getting frustrated was rather easy with Mihoshi, she seemed to take offense at almost anything these days.
"Don't tell me you don't remember Minagi? In your case, I can understand forgetting about Azaka and Kamedake. But forgetting Miss Minagi is inexcusable. And as for..."
As Aeka continued her diatribe, Mihoshi pulled out her notepad and began searching through the pages.
"Minagi, Minagi. I know I've heard that name somewhere before." She said, flipping pages.
Seeing Mihoshi was ignoring he, Aeka sputtered to a stop. She tried to regain Mihoshi's attention.
"Miss Mihoshi! Are you listening to anything I'm saying?"
"Oh, here it is!" Mihoshi exclaimed, still ignoring Aeka. "I knew I had heard that name somewhere before."
Aeka fumed. For some inexplicable reason, her hair seemed mussed. Strands of hair stuck out in various directions. She imagined a quiet vacation away from the other lunatic girls.
"Vacation... yes. That's what I need. A vacation..."
Tenchi overheard Aeka talking to herself about a vacation. The idea of a quiet vacation, alone of course, appealed to him. He made the mistake of thinking aloud.
"Mmm... Sounds nice."
Hearing Tenchi agree with her, Aeka immediate mistook his rambling for an invitation.
"Really?" She asked, ecstatic that Tenchi actually wanted to spend some time alone with her.
"A vacation does sound nice." He told her, not realizing what he was getting himself into.
"So we can really go on a vacation alone together?" Aeka wanted to make sure Tenchi was promising to go with her.
Ryoko's voice cut in on the audio circuit.
"Hey. Hey! Hey! What do you think you're doing asking my Tenchi to go on a trip?"
"Hah!" Aeka responded, sensing victory. "Don't waste your time any further, Ryoko. Tenchi wouldn't go on a vacation with you because you would just turn it into a circus event. He wants a quiet vacation with a quiet woman who is considerate of his needs."
"Then you sure as hell don't qualify. The only one around here that can fulfill Tenchi's needs is me!" Ryoko's silky smooth tone insinuated much more that what Aeka had meant by "Tenchi's needs".
Aeka was about to launch into a major verbal assault on Ryoko when a stern male voice cleared its throat. Another comm-screen popped-up. This time it was her father, the King.
"Uhem! If you are done with this display, Aeka, there are other more important matters to attend to."
"But Father," she insisted, "did you hear the perverse things that woman was suggesting about Lord Tenchi?"
But her father had had enough.
"Aeka!"
The Princess gasped. She knew better than to cross her father when he used that tone. Everyone waited to hear what the King would say.
"Tenchi." He began. "I'm very disappointed in you. Associating with pirates, operating an unauthorized space-station, violating restricted space, and aiding and armed incursion!"
Azusa shook his head. Tenchi's grandfather tried to explain things to the angry monarch.
"Father," he began, but was cut-off.
"Silence!" Azusa nearly jumped from his throne. "Not another word from any of you!" He sat again, then began issuing orders to his subordinates.
"General!"
"Yes, sir!" Came the reply.
"Ready your men to board that station. Arrest everyone!"
"Everyone, sir?"
"Yes, everyone." He hissed. "Was I unclear?"
"No, Highness!"
Aboard Hinase, Ryoko had heard more than she cared for.
"Azusa, you son-of-a-bitch! Who the hell do you think you are!?" Sparks of energy began arcing through the air around her.
"We just saved your sorry ass back there, and this is the thanks we get?"
The King responded by issuing more orders.
"Admiral!"
"Yes, sir!"
"I want that ship taken intact if possible, in very small pieces if not."
"Aye, sir! Batteries take aim!" The unknown Admiral relayed to the other ships.
Ryoko released her grip on the now misshapen weapons panel she had used earlier. In a more controlled voice, she told the King how things would be if he did not listen to reason.
"It seems you've forgotten just who it is you're dealing with." Ryoko sent a dangerous glare through the viewscreen. "Maybe I should come over there and remind you."
The two stared at each other fiercely, neither of them willing to back down. The tension was so thick, nobody could move. Tenchi decided he had better try to diffuse the situation before it degraded irreversibly. He opened his mouth to appeal to Ryoko to let it go. Instead of his own voice, he heard the voice of Lady Funaho.
"That won't be necessary."
Yet another comm-screen popped-up on the already cluttered viewscreen. Funaho stood aboard the bridge of her own ship, Mizuho.
A voice reported on the new arrival.
"Lady Funaho has arrived with reinforcements, sire."
"Yes, I see that." Azusa acknowledged.
"Really, Azusa. Is all this necessary? Ryoko was only acting on the instructions I gave her."
"Funaho!" The King was beside himself. "You can't be serious!"
Funaho giggled at the King's display. Something about her husband's very serious ways always made her laugh. He and Tenchi were very much alike in that regard.
"It's not what you think, dear." Funaho held-up a scroll and proceeded to read from it.
"Be it known to all who shall read this, that the Holy Council of Jurai, after careful and deliberate discourse at the behest of the Royal family do make this proclamation."
"Henceforth, the First Princess shall no longer be required to marry by her twenty-first birthday. Such an arrangement is no longer required for the safety and security of the Holy Empire of Jurai and is counter to the spirit of freedom that the people of Jurai so greatly value. Blah, blah, et cetera, et cetera, more official language."
Funaho dropped the scroll on the ground then dry-wiped her hands, as if washing herself of the whole dirty business. Misaki popped up next to Funaho. She wrapped one arm around her sister-in-law's shoulders and gave them a victory sign, along with a big smile.
The First Prince laughed.
"Ha, ha, ha-ha! Well done! Congratulations, Father, on stopping the first invasion of Jurai. History will surely remember your name on this glorious day."
Nobuyuki whispered to Aeka.
"Lays it on kind of thick, doesn't he?"
"Brother Yosho is very astute in the ways of the royal court." She quietly answered.
"So that's what you call it, eh?"
On the bridge of his ship, Azusa relaxed. He could live with what his wife was offering him this day. Though his plan had not come out the way he desired, the position of the Masaki family would be secure for a very long time to come.
"Very well. Funaho, Misaki, I leave the rest to you." With that the King of Jurai took his leave.
The comm-screen closed, revealing a small portion of space. As soon as it closed, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Washu stood on her chair and crossed her arms.
"I leave the rest to you." She mimicked Azusa in a very low and serious tone.
Everyone but Ryoko immediately fell to the ground, rolling around laughing like lunatics.
END.
AFTERWORD:
No, that's not quite the end. There is an epilogue. Long due recognition will finally be given in chapter 5: Junk Mail.
Also, I wanted to make a point. Azusa really does care a great deal about his family. When he found out about a way to bring his elder daughter back to Jurai, where he perceived she would be safer, he jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, he was raised with Seto looking over his shoulder the whole time. So, he tends to be a little over-bearing sometimes.
This little point is important. But, I didn't feel it deserved a chapter or paragraph of it's own, simply because it wasn't very interesting, except as background. Therefore, I present that information to you, here.
You can expect to read of appearances by the other characters Hitoshi Okuda described in volume 3.