INVASION, Interlude 1: Christmas Eve.
DISCLAIMER: The characters within this story are the property of AIC/Pioneer LDC. Inc. The events within this story are entirely of my own imagination so please don't change or copy them. Feel free to distribute as widely as desired.
FOREWORD: This story takes place between volumes 1 and 2 of the fan fiction INVASION, written by myself. It is not required to read this story to understand any of the previous or following events. However, there is a certain amount of foreshadowing that many may find interesting.
As I understand it, the cultural significance of Christmas and New Year's Eve are opposite in Japan from what they are in America. Christmas Eve is when friends and couples go out, and New Year is for family gatherings. I'm sure that if anyone disagrees they'll send me a correction via e-mail.
I would also appreciate comments and criticisms about my explanation of Ryoko's ability to understand all spoken languages.
Just a small historical note: I wrote the majority of this story shortly after the events of September 11th, 2001. As a military service member stationed within 300 miles of New York City, I felt the need to administer some ass whooping to some terrorists. I hope no one holds that against me.
Also, I truly believe that if the gang were aware of said events, they would have helped with the rescue effort.
Many thanks to Misters Kajishima Masaki and Okuda Hitoshi for enriching my life.
Author: Dreamr
Last Revision: 28 May 2002
E-mail: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com
BEGIN INTERLUDE 1.
Ryoko forlornly gazed at her never-worn black dress. She had acquired a few things that she simply could not make herself disintegrate and reproduce as she normally did. Besides the things on her "Junk-Wall", there was this dress. She could just put the damn thing on and parade around the house. However, she would not be satisfied with merely being seen in it. She wanted to wear it for a special occasion.
"Damn! There has to be something coming up."
Tenchi had said he had a day off from school next week. Ryoko had not thought much of it at the time. Now that she was in the right frame of mind, the possibilities began to multiply.
She went out onto the balcony to see who was around. Below her, Aeka, Sasami, and Mihoshi were sitting around, quietly reading. After Ryoko and Aeka had their evening of adventure, they had both sworn off comics. Yet, there was Aeka, reading them once more. If Aeka wanted to turn her brain to mush, it was fine with her.
Nobuyuki was at work, and Tenchi was at school. That left only the grandfather, Katsuhito. The last time Ryoko had thought to talk to him about Tenchi, she had seen him telling Mihoshi he wanted her to be Tenchi's girlfriend.
"Errr..." Ryoko scratched the back of her head. She was not inclined to go talk to the guy. But, right now there was no one else.
Ryoko materialized in the middle of the Masaki Shrine itself. She looked around the Shinto shrine, but no one was around.
"Umm... hello? Anybody home?"
"Over here." The priest's voice emanated from the shrine office. Ryoko phased through the traditional rice-paper screen door. Katsuhito sat at a low table taking care of some paperwork. He looked up to confirm the identity of his visitor.
"So what brings you to my neighborhood?"
Ryoko took the question for the invitation it was and sat down across the table from him.
"What gives with everybody having the day off next week?"
"Ahh. So you're interested in a little bit of Earth history." Katsuhito set his pen down. He launched into a major explanation of the historical and religious significance of Christmas. About halfway through his lecture, the priest noticed his one-time student's attention was wandering. He decided to advance to the present cultural importance of the day.
"Or perhaps you would like to know the real reason we get Christmas day off?"
"'Bout time." Ryoko grumbled.
"It's so all the friends and couples who went out the night before have a chance to get sober."
Ryoko laughed.
"Now that's a holiday! So how come we stayed home last year?"
"It was Tenchi's idea. Maybe you should ask him when he gets home."
Ryoko's attention drifted again.
"Ask Tenchi... hmmm..."
Katsuhito could almost hear the wheels turning in Ryoko's head. Maybe he should not have told her quite so much. The corners of Ryoko's mouth turned slightly upwards into the barest of grins. She was definitely planning something.
"I think I will ask Tenchi." Ryoko said just before disappearing.
Katsuhito sat in contemplation for a few minutes. As near as he could figure, Ryoko was probably planning to ask Tenchi out on Christmas Eve. That was not bad in and of itself. She was certainly free to ask his grandson for a date anytime that she liked. By the same token, so were the other girls. A plan of his own began to take shape in Katsuhito's mind. He decided he should find out just how much Aeka knew about Christmas.
Aeka sat quietly in the main room of the Masaki home. The comic she was reading was very entertaining. She had laughed and giggled through the entire first chapter.
The next chapter was just as funny, with some more serious themes. Aeka's attention was especially drawn to a section where the shy male character was struggling over whether or not to ask the female character for a date on Christmas Eve.
Aeka had begun to notice a common thread in these comics. Christmas Eve seemed to hold some sort of special significance on Earth.
It was then that Grandfather Katsuhito ambled into the room. He headed straight for Aeka.
"Well, Aeka. I thought you had sworn off those comics."
"True. Later I realized there is nothing inherently wrong with them, so long as one does not follow their example."
"Ohh. That's a very mature attitude to take on the subject."
Aeka was a little surprised. Her brother rarely handed out such glittering compliments.
"Ah, thank you. But, I have to admit I'm a little curious about something. Is there some special meaning about Christmas Eve?"
Her brother's eyes lit up. He answered in the same manner as with Ryoko.
"Ahh. So you're interested in a little bit of Earth history." He proceeded to give Aeka, word-for-word, the exact lecture he had given Ryoko. As expected, Aeka's attention also wandered halfway through, although she was better at hiding it. At least this time he got to finish the lecture. In addition, he also gave Aeka some advice he had not needed to give Ryoko.
"At least, that's the official reason."
Aeka perked up at his conspiratorial tone.
"Unofficially, here in Japan, it's an opportunity for young couples to spend a romantic evening together."
Aeka carefully considered the information he had given her, along with its relevance to her interest in Tenchi.
"I see. Thank you, Brother, for the... history lesson."
"Anytime." Katsuhito secretly wondered how long it would be before Aeka and Ryoko would clash over a date with Tenchi next week. The holidays were definitely shaping up to be very exciting this year.
As the head of the household expected, the aforementioned confrontation did occur. Just not in the manner he expected. It began innocently enough with a small argument over control of the television.
"No way, Aeka!" Ryoko complained, "I called it first!"
"You did not!" Aeka argued, "That sort of show will rot your brain. Not that I care if you rot your own brain, but I want mine to stay intact!" With that she gave a mighty tug on the remote.
Ryoko was tempted to let go just to see Aeka fall on her butt, but then she would loose control of the remote. She settled for more insults.
"With your taste in entertainment, it's a wonder your brain is intact to begin with!"
"Well, at least my idea of entertainment doesn't involve terrorizing the entire galaxy!"
The television remote began to stretch between them.
"At least I don't terrorize the galaxy when I sing karaoke!"
Aeka leaned over the super-elongated remote.
"My singing voice is ten-times better than yours!"
Ryoko's face twisted into a malevolent grin.
"Then prove it!" She challenged the princess.
"You're on!" Aeka accepted. "Mihoshi! Break out the karaoke machine!"
"Yay!" Mihoshi cried. "Let's have fun!"
Ryoko and Aeka waited impatiently while Mihoshi set-up the karaoke machine. They eyed each other warily. Ryoko was about to bait the final trap when Aeka suddenly stole her thunder.
"I have an idea. Why don't we make things a little more interesting?"
Ryoko's surprise showed on her face. Aeka's idea sounded almost exactly like her own.
"I'm listening."
"How about if we make a small wager."
"A bet, huh?" Ryoko smiled. She had been thinking the same thing. "Like what?"
"Whichever of us wins gets to take Tenchi out on Christmas Eve."
Ryoko's smile grew even bigger.
"Deal!"
"Well. That was easy." Aeka started getting an uneasy feeling.
Sasami came in from the kitchen. She had just finished cleaning up after dinner and was curious what all the commotion was about.
"Are you guys going to karaoke tonight?"
Ryoko examined the distended remote control she and Aeka had been fighting over while Aeka answered Sasami.
"Yes, we are."
"Can I be the judge?"
Aeka considered the pros and cons of having her sister as a judge. It certainly would not hurt to have Sasami as a judge. It might even be beneficial. On the other hand, Sasami did get along well with Ryoko. At the worst, the contest would be fair.
"All right, Sasami." Aeka looked to Ryoko for confirmation. "Will that be acceptable to you?"
"Fine by me." Ryoko nonchalantly answered, tossing the ruined remote control over her shoulder.
"Are you done yet?" She asked of Mihoshi.
"All set!" Mihoshi informed the impatient competitor. "Can I be first?" She held a laser disc in the air.
Both Aeka and Ryoko gave Mihoshi the evil eye. They sighed, then leaned close to discuss the issue. Aeka spoke first.
"If we humor her, maybe she'll go away."
"It's not like she can actually win."
They nodded in agreement.
"Very well, Miss Mihoshi. You may go first."
Everyone took their seats to watch Mihoshi warm up the microphone.
"Great!" Mihoshi put the disc into the machine and began her performance. She did a very passable impression of a popular tune from last year. Aeka sat patiently listening. Ryoko also sat listening with her legs crossed. Her foot kept time with the beat of the song.
When Mihoshi finished, the onlookers politely applauded. She gratefully accepted their praise.
"Thank you! You're all so nice. Was it good?"
"Yes, Miss Mihoshi." Aeka answered. "You did very well."
Mihoshi giggled and smiled broadly. Then she noticed her audience had grown by two. Nobuyuki and Katsuhito had ascended from the basement where Tenchi's father kept his cameras and films. They were also applauding. Mihoshi waved to them.
"Hi!"
They both smiled in return.
Tired of waiting, Aeka stood to take her turn.
"Thank you, Miss Mihoshi. That was very nice. But I believe it's my turn now. That is..." she glanced at Ryoko, "if you don't mind."
"Not at all. Be my guest." Ryoko invited her.
"This is very strange." Aeka thought. "Ryoko is never this polite. What could her plan be?" Aeka tried to set her unease aside so as to be able to turn in a good performance.
She went to the karaoke machine. Choosing a different disc, Aeka replaced Mihoshi's choice with her own. Mihoshi sat down in the place Aeka had vacated a moment ago.
The song Aeka chose characterized her own feelings on how her life had changed since the events of seven hundred years ago. She had chosen to give-up her life on Jurai for a more rustic life-style here on Earth, alongside Tenchi. Aeka sang from the heart, which made all the difference. She felt she was doing very well. When Tenchi came down from his room, Aeka did not fail to notice. She was very glad to know her singing had coaxed him down.
The song was longer than she normally sang, but it made no difference. She completed it in good order, with the grace and beauty that she had intended. The others clapped appreciatively. Their applause seemed substantially more enthusiastic than for Mihoshi. Ryoko even complimented her.
"Hey, Aeka. That was pretty good." She stood to take Aeka's place. As they passed, Ryoko made a confident boast. "Mine'll be better."
"We'll see about that." Aeka challenged her.
Ryoko swaggered to the karaoke machine and played with the controls for a moment, not bothering to switch the disc. She turned back to the audience and began singing a tragic love song. When she finished, everyone clapped his or her applause then looked to Sasami for a verdict.
"It was close. But I think Ryoko won."
"Woo-hoo!" Ryoko cheered.
"I'm not through, yet!" Aeka demanded.
"Quit being a sore loser." Ryoko told her.
"I'm not." Aeka explained. "I simply don't recall agreeing to only one round."
"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be? All right, then. How about best two-out-of-three?"
"That will be fine." Aeka accepted, rising to compete again. She snatched the microphone from Ryoko's hand as she took her rival's place once more.
The song Aeka had in mind was on a different disc. However, it would bury her opponent for sure. She quickly switched the discs and began. It became more obvious to the listeners why Aeka had chosen this song. The breathy lyrics and piano melody were well suited to her vocal style.
"Damn!" Ryoko thought. "That's a good one." She dug through the mental list of songs she had prepared for this. If there was one area she knew Aeka could not compete with her, it was sex appeal. The perfect song came to mind.
On the second-floor balcony, Washu joined Tenchi for a word or two.
"Enjoying the show?"
"Ah, I'm just watching." Tenchi answered as if he had been implicated in something criminal.
"You do know why they're having this little competition, don't you?"
"Competition?"
"That's right. They're competing to see who gets to take you out on Christmas Eve."
Tenchi hung his head.
"Ugh. Did I miss something? I don't recall saying I would go out with anybody that evening."
"You will go out with the winner, won't you?" Washu asked nicely. However, Tenchi seemed reluctant to agree.
"I don't think that's such a good idea."
Tenchi suddenly found himself wrapped in a very long length of rope. Washu repeated the question, this time with more force.
"Won't you?"
"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Washu smiled at Tenchi's wise decision.
The song Aeka was singing slowed. The lyrics stopped, allowing the music to continue for a few moments as an instrumental. The instrumental ended and Aeka tossed the microphone to Ryoko.
"Beat that, devil-woman."
"Not a problem, Princess." Ryoko answered. "I got somethin' for ya."
Ryoko made her way to the karaoke machine and switched the current disc for another. She turned back to the others with a huge grin pasted to her face. Her second song started with a strong, slow, bass-line that gave everyone a feeling of oppressiveness. Throughout its entire length, the song dripped of passionate heat. The household listened with a combination of shock, awe, and appreciation. The end came abruptly, like all things passionate.
Ryoko twirled the microphone around by its cord a few times, then let it fall to the floor. She walked back to her seat, provocatively swaying her hips.
"Sasami," Ryoko asked as she sat down, "who won that round?"
Sasami thought for a moment. Apparently unable to come to a decision on her own, she quietly conversed with Mihoshi so no one else could hear. They giggled, then broke apart.
"That one was even closer. But..." Sasami paused for dramatic effect, "Aeka wins!"
"What?!" Ryoko exclaimed.
"Hmph. That'll teach you." Aeka gloated.
"It's not over yet."
"It may as well be." Aeka warned her. "Little Washu," Aeka made sure to use the diminutive form Washu preferred when she was addressed, "could I have a word with you?" She looked around. "Washu? There you are." Aeka went up the stairs to discuss something with the small scientist.
"Hey!" Ryoko objected. "No outside help!"
"I don't need assistance to beat the likes of you. Only an instrument."
"No props, either."
It took Aeka a moment to understand what Ryoko was referring to.
"Not that kind of prop, you pervert." Aeka put her arm around Washu's shoulder as she explained what she wanted. Washu chuckled.
"Too easy." She conjured her keyboard and began tapping away. A moment a guitar faded into reality just in front of them. The keyboard disappeared. Washu grasped the neck of the guitar and presented it to Aeka.
"One acoustic guitar, as requested."
"Thank you, Ms. Washu."
Washu immediately yanked back the instrument. Aeka looked confused for a moment until she realized her error.
"Thank you, Little Washu."
Washu's smile returned and she held the guitar out again. Aeka gratefully accepted it. She gracefully took the steps one at a time until she reached the bottom. Continuing to the karaoke machine, Aeka ignored the curious stares she was getting. Instead of switching discs or songs, she simply shut the machine off. Aeka pulled the guitar sling over her head and faced the curious onlookers.
"I have decided to depart from the more traditional form of karaoke and sing this song without the benefit of accompaniment."
"That's bull crap!" Ryoko objected again. "This is a karaoke competition!"
"I don't recall agreeing to that either. This is to determine who has the better singing voice."
Ryoko actually growled. She stared lasers at Aeka.
"Fine. Have it your way. Just remember, you asked for it."
It was not that Aeka was stretching the rules that was getting under Ryoko's collar. It was that Aeka was using the same trick Ryoko had been planning. Now, it would look like she was just copying Aeka.
The confident princess pulled the pick from its place between the strings and strummed the guitar experimentally. She played a couple of chords to work out the kinks.
"As First Princess, my family encouraged me to learn the fine arts at an early age. I will now demonstrate what I have learned."
"This ought to be short." Ryoko heckled her. Aeka chose to ignore the comment.
The only people present who recognized the song were Aeka's brother and sister. It was an ancient Juraian love song her musical instructor had taught her. Aeka had hoped to one day perform the song for Yosho. Many things had changed since then, including her own feelings.
When Aeka concluded her final performance, the others applauded enthusiastically. She had only a moment to accept the praise offered to her before Ryoko elbowed her out of the way, making her drop the guitar.
"That's nothing! Watch this." Ryoko closed her eyes and began concentrating. Before the Masakis' very eyes, she multiplied herself. Now there were four Ryokos instead of one.
Sasami and Mihoshi thought it was a great trick and clapped. Aeka was starting to look somewhat queasy. In the back of the room, Nobuyuki was whispering to his father-in-law.
"Hey, Dad. Now that there's plenty of Ryokos to go around, do you think...whoa!" The two widowers parted just in time to avoid a microphone thrown in their direction. Tenchi's father pulled-down his right eyelid.
"Ha! You missed!"
The guitar did not miss. It took Nobuyuki square in the face, knocking him colder than a frozen mackerel. Belatedly, Katsuhito responded to his son-in-law's question.
"No, I don't think she would."
The Ryokos huddled together as a group. The others watched, wondering what she/they were planning. When the duplicates began making decisions based on the outcome of "rock-paper-scissors", the observers began to worry more about Ryoko's sanity rather than any plan.
Their decisions completed, the four of them split apart. They quickly assumed positions slightly apart from each other around the open area of the floor.
To everyone's amazement, modern musical instruments began appearing around the performers. All of the accoutrements of a rock band were being produced out of thin air, just as Washu had created an acoustic guitar for Aeka. The astounded princess objected strenuously to the overpower they were about to experience.
"This is absurd! How can one person compete against an entire band?"
"Sucks to be you." The duplicates blithely responded in unison.
"I need to sit." Aeka complained as she returned to her place. She laid her head back on the back cushion of the couch with an arm over her eyes.
"What did I do to deserve such treatment?" Aeka rhetorically asked of the world in general.
Washu called down from the second floor balcony.
"Aeka, are you sure you don't need anymore help?"
"No, Miss Washu." Aeka answered. This time she made sure to call Washu "Miss" instead of "Little". "You've done quite enough already, thank you."
While Aeka lay back, recovering her composure, the Ryokos set-up their instruments. Two guitars, a bass, (all electric), and a drum set composed the entire complement. As the viewers sat, the band was arranged with the guitars in the center-front (lead) and left positions, the bass on the right, and drum set in the rear. The lead Ryoko offered some background on her song, as well.
"I heard this little tune --"
"WE!" The other three interjected.
"Sorry, girls. We..." She paused for emphasis. Ryoko's duplicates smiled. "Heard this little tune in town the other day. It's from someplace called America."
Aeka stopped Ryoko before she could begin.
"Since when do you speak English?"
"What's English?" Ryoko asked, confused. The duplicated looked at one another, shaking their heads. Everyone else looked to Washu for an explanation.
RYOKO'S STRANGE BEHAVIOUR, LESSON 14: The Language Barrier.
When I designed Ryoko, it made more sense to create a being that would be able to communicate with all the intelligent races in the universe without external assistance. So I engineered in a universal translator (Ever see Star Trek?) that allows Ryoko to communicate vocally in any spoken language she hears."
"It all sounds the same to me." Ryoko interrupted.
"Hush-up! No talking in class." Washu continued.
"I'll tell you, getting such a complex bio-genetic invention to work was no easy task. But... Ta-da! There she is! Absolutely perfect."
Aeka still had not lifted her head from its place on the back of the couch.
"Perfectly awful." She almost inaudibly muttered.
Ryoko, all four of her, got tired of listening to everyone else.
"Yeah, okay, whatever. Just listen."
Surprisingly, Ryoko's chosen song was not a hard driving rock song. It was a ballad. Both the theme and title became obvious with the first line: "Love hurts".
When Ryoko held Tenchi's gaze throughout the entire second verse, it also became obvious that the lyrics held some significance for her. By the time she finished, Sasami and Mihoshi were nearly in tears. (It really is a sad song, folks). Everyone else merely sat or stood in mute silence. Mihoshi was the first to speak.
"Oh, Ryoko. I'm so... so... moved! Wahhhh!" She started blubbering all over the place.
"Sasami, " The lead Ryoko asked once more, "who won?"
The little girl did not look like she was enjoying herself anymore.
"I... don't want to be judge anymore."
"Come on, Sasami. Tell us who won."
Aeka finally lifted her head. She stared daggers at Ryoko.
"Stop it." Her face was red. Whether from anger, embarrassment, or some other emotion could not be discerned.
"We're not ignorant. Everyone present knows perfectly well you've won. There's no need to rub it in our faces."
Everyone listened in shock to Aeka's concession.
"Now, if you will excuse me, I have some... cleaning to do." Aeka left the room and went straight to her room without so much as glancing at anybody.
The Ryokos smiled gleefully, then spoke in unison.
"Well, now that that's settled..." They set down their instruments, then regrouped and recombined in the center of the floor. Ryoko leapt over Sasami and Ryo-o-ki up to the second floor balcony as they tried to console the over-emotional Mihoshi.
"So. Tenchi." Ryoko directed her feline-like gaze onto Tenchi, who squirmed uncomfortably in his bonds.
"Where should we go for our date?"
For the week following Ryoko and Aeka's contest, all of the energy Aeka usually possessed seemed to transfer to Ryoko. Aeka went about her business and chores with a quiet and calm attitude, rarely showing any enthusiasm. On the other hand, Ryoko was, at times, literally bouncing off the walls. When Tenchi admitted to her that he had no idea where to go for their date, she promised to take care of everything, which only served to make Tenchi more nervous.
To make matters worse, Tenchi knew Ryoko was gathering information from the others. Whenever he asked them about it, they would just smile and give some form of very plain and uninformative answer.
Once, he caught Ryoko coming out of Washu's lab with what looked like a credit card. When she realized she had been spotted, she stuffed the card down her dress where she knew he would not look.
"Hey, Ryoko." Tenchi innocently inquired. "What's up?"
"Uh, nothing! Nothing at all." Ryoko clasped her hands behind her back. "Just talking to my mom."
"Your 'mom'? Are you all right?"
"Everything's fine. Why?"
"You've been acting stranger than usual."
Ryoko continued innocently smiling.
"Nope. Everything's fine."
"Well, okay. If you say so." Tenchi reluctantly went about his business. He hesitated after taking a couple steps and took another look over his shoulder. Ryoko stood in the same place, still looking like the poster child for innocence.
Eventually, the time came for all of Tenchi's questions to be answered. On Christmas Eve, Ryoko and Washu commandeered the second floor restroom for well over an hour. A sign on the door indicated everyone, especially Tenchi, should keep out.
Downstairs, Nobuyuki had broken out his best video camera for the events to follow. Aeka did make an appearance earlier to help set-up the home party. Shortly thereafter she disappeared again. Everyone assumed she did not wish to see Tenchi and Ryoko leaving together.
Tenchi was the first to show himself. The only bit of information Ryoko had given him about this evening was that they would be going someplace fancy and that he should dress appropriately. When Tenchi asked how fancy, Ryoko had paused for a moment before answering.
"You don't have to wear a tie. But, I bet you'll look good if you do."
Tenchi hated ties. Therefore, he showed up casual, coat with no tie. The girls were all agiggle at how handsome he looked, even without a tie. Nobuyuki aimed the camera at his son as Tenchi descended the front stairs.
"Come on, Dad. What are you taking pictures for?"
"It's not every day a father gets to see his son off on Christmas Eve. Your mother would be so proud."
"I don't know about that."
They ended up waiting for another half-hour for Ryoko to show herself. Apparently, she was taking great pains to see that everything was right. Washu joined them first.
"Good evening, Ladies and Gents!"
Sasami jumped right on her case.
"Is Ryoko ready?"
Washu smiled broadly. Gesturing towards the stairs, she called to her daughter.
"Ryoko, dear. You can come down now."
Ryoko walked slowly and deliberately into the light where she could be seen. Throughout the room, jaws struck the floor. Mihoshi was the only one to speak.
"Oh, my."
In addition to the black dress Ryoko had wanted so much to wear for Tenchi, she had a red ribbon holding her hair in a ponytail. On her feet were matching two-centimeter heels. From Ryoko's earlobes dangled her traditional red-globe earrings. The most striking difference was make-up. She wore only red lipstick and a little mascara, but it made a huge difference. Tenchi felt seriously under-dressed.
Ryoko watched Tenchi's expressions as she descended from the second floor. Amazement, admiration, embarrassment, and self-consciousness all passed across his face before she reached him. The joy Ryoko felt showed in her smile as Tenchi openly admired her appearance.
"Do I look beautiful?" Ryoko asked Tenchi.
"You look... um... Yes." Tenchi stumbled over his answer.
Sasami started to giggle at his discomfiture. She called to Ryoko.
"I think he likes it."
Ryoko was all smiles.
"I think he does, too. But, Tenchi," she examined his clothes, "you didn't wear a tie."
Tenchi at least had the good sense to look sheepish. Ties always made him fell like he was choking. The onlookers chuckled.
"Lord Tenchi!"
Everyone looked towards where the call had come from. Aeka was quickly descending the stairs. She came to a stop before Tenchi and Ryoko.
"Lord Tenchi, Ryoko is correct. You should wear a tie."
Tenchi looked at Aeka as if she were crazy. So did Ryoko. Aeka revealed the tie she held in her hands. She put it over Tenchi's head then tucked it under his collar. Once satisfied with its placement, she pulled it tight. Perhaps a little too tight.
Ryoko watched Aeka, first with suspicion, then amazement. Aeka was actually making Tenchi look better for this date. Ryoko could not decide whether to be jealous or what. Aeka stood back and admired her handiwork.
"Much better."
"Um... Thank you." Tenchi politely told her.
Aeka faced Ryoko.
"Miss Ryoko, if you embarrass Lord Tenchi tonight, I will personally incarcerate you for another seven hundred years. Am I perfectly clear?"
Ryoko felt somewhat disconcerted by the way Aeka was looking her right in the eyes. Most people tended to avoid her eyes. Aeka's gaze told Ryoko everything she needed to know about the consequences should she cause trouble tonight.
"All right. Chill."
Aeka seemed to relax a little bit. She took a deep breath and bowed.
"Have a good evening." With that, Aeka went straight for the sake and poured herself a huge glass.
"Well, okay!" Ryoko tried to lighten the mood. "What do you say we get going?"
Tenchi gave a last look at Aeka's back before consenting.
"All right. Where to?"
"Tokyo."
"Tokyo? How are we supposed to get there?"
"Don't worry, Tenchi. I took care of everything. Besides, teleporting doesn't cost anything."
Tenchi's eyes got big.
"Teleporting?"
Ryoko took a hold of his arm.
"That's right."
"Oh --" They disappeared before Tenchi could finish.
Aeka drank her second serving of sake at a medium pace.
Tenchi felt a chill crawl up his back. He opened his eyes and found himself on top of the highest observation deck on the Tokyo Tower. The stiff winter wind blew in his face, chilling him to the bone. He instantly started to shiver.
"Nice view, isn't it?" Ryoko clutched Tenchi's arm while the wind whipped her hair back, making it wave and rustle like a tattered flag.
"It's freezing up here!" Tenchi complained. "Can't we go inside or something?"
Ryoko looked at Tenchi.
"Don't you like the view?"
"It's kind of hard to appreciate the view when I'm shaking like a ten-point earthquake. Can we please go inside?"
When Tenchi suddenly felt the firmness of the roof of the deck disappear from under his feet, he clutched at Ryoko's arm to keep from falling. Looking down, he saw that they were literally sinking through the roof. He closed his eyes to shut out the frightening experience. A moment later, Tenchi felt the air get warmer and his feet met the solid floor of the observation deck. When cracked his eyes again and found they were indeed within the confines of the observation deck, he immediately released his grip on Ryoko's arm.
"If I'd known we would be out in the cold I would've brought a coat."
Thinking quickly, Ryoko came up with a way to alleviate Tenchi's chill.
"I'm so sorry, Tenchi." She smiled seductively, pressing herself against his chest. "Let me warm you."
Tenchi leaned back, trying to escape Ryoko's grasp. Instead, he got a very good look down the front of her dress. His face turned red and blood began to trickle out of his nose. Ryoko's eyes got wide when she saw what was happening.
"Tenchi?"
Tenchi clamped a hand to his face and spoke in a nasally voice.
"Restroom..." He quickly looked around. Spotting the sign for the restroom, he pulled himself from her amorous grip and ran.
Ryoko stood silently, looking out the plate-glass windows over Tokyo. It was always like this. She would present herself to Tenchi and he would somehow manage to escape. Sometimes he slipped away, unnoticed. Sometimes he ran. She preferred it when he ran, because then she could chase after him. But occasionally, she did not want to chase him. Tonight was one of those times.
"Come to think of it, why does Tenchi always run away from me?" She began mentally counting her attributes.
"I'm strong. I'm beautiful. I'm fun to be around. Maybe it's some kind of game Earth guys play. Kind of like playing 'hard to get'." Ryoko thought about that for a minute.
"Naw. That doesn't make any sense. That's a game for girls. Besides, he would've let me get somewhere by now. So why does he always run away from me?" She refused to consider the most obvious possibility; that Tenchi simply was not attracted to her.
"Arg! I just don't get it!"
"Don't get what?" Tenchi asked from behind her.
Ryoko spun around in surprise. No one ever snuck up on her. It was impossible. It was ridiculous. It was... Tenchi.
"Why do you... um, you know... run away?" She asked, somewhat embarrassed she had been snuck up on.
Tenchi sighed.
"I tell you what. I'll answer your question if you'll answer one of mine."
"Fair enough." She agreed.
"Why are you always forcing me to do things I don't want to do?"
"I don't force you to do anything."
Tenchi rolled his eyes.
"Yes, you do. And when I try to get away you start chasing me! I never have a choice about anything with you."
"I only chase you when you run."
"Ryoko, you're always chasing me. I feel like the rabbit in a greyhound race." He sighed again. "Things would be a lot easier if you would say what you want, instead of just taking it."
"I want you." Ryoko suddenly blurted out.
Tenchi's eyes crossed.
"Um..."
"I want..." A far-off look appeared on Ryoko's face. "I want to go places. And I want to take you with me! There's a whole galaxy out there that you haven't seen, Tenchi."
She suddenly got a great idea.
"I know! Let's go on a trip! We can travel the galaxy together!"
Tenchi slowly shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Ryoko. I can't do that. I have to finish school. But, maybe when I'm done, we can all go on a vacation, together."
"Figures." Ryoko thought.
"I mean just the two of us. A man and a woman, alone together."
"But, how do you think Aeka would feel about that?"
"Forget about Aeka. What do you want with a stuck-up princess, anyway?"
A word began flashing in Tenchi's mind. There was only one way to describe what Ryoko had just said. Calmly, yet firmly, Tenchi told Ryoko what he was thinking.
"Ryoko, that's a very selfish thing to say."
Ryoko was surprised at how much his words stung. She stepped back, away from Tenchi. For some reason, she did not feel like being next to him anymore tonight.
"Well, then what do you want? How is it selfish to want to share your life with someone?" She stared at Tenchi for a moment, letting her own words sink in, then she turned back to the window.
"This is stupid." She declared as she reached into her hair and removed the red ribbon. Her cyan strands fell back into their normal (relatively speaking) disconcerted array. She scrubbed her fingers rapidly over her scalp, restoring her circulation.
"Much better. I don't know how those Earth girls can keep their hair up for so long. It drives me nuts." Shaking her hair, she looked at Tenchi with displeasure. "So I guess you want to go home, huh? Maybe you'll have more fun with Aeka, sitting at home all the time."
Tenchi could see he had gone too far by pointing out Ryoko's selfishness. She was giving him a very cold and almost disgusted look that he definitely did not like. He could feel a small devil named Guilt sticking him with a pitchfork.
"Ryoko, I'm sorry. It's just that you're jumping so far ahead. Instead of the entire galaxy, let's just worry about Tokyo tonight, okay?" He held out his hand, palm up.
Ryoko looked at Tenchi's hand. For a moment, she thought she would refuse to accept his apology. But her hand somehow ended up in his without any conscious commands from her mind. Tenchi's fingers curled around hers, and the feelings of anger and disappointment she was feeling simply disappeared. They were replaced by forgiveness and acceptance, and a firm belief that, someday, they would be together.
"What would you like for dinner?" She asked.
"What did you have in mind?"
"Well, I know of a new Italian place in town. Want to try it?"
Tenchi's stomach growled its approval. Embarrassed, Tenchi scratched the back of his head with his free hand as Ryoko smiled.
When the waiter left to fetch their drinks, Tenchi leaned across the table to ask Ryoko something important.
"Ryoko, I hate to do this, but how are we paying for this?"
"Trust me." Ryoko looked right into his eyes. "It's taken care of."
Tenchi's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Hmm..."
The waiter returned with a bottle of very old wine, imported all the way from Europe.
"Your wine, my lady."
"Oh, good! Crack it open. Let's have some."
Tenchi gawked as the waiter opened the hundred-year-old bottle. Red wine flowed into long-stemmed glasses. Ryoko raised her glass to drink it down. A polite cough alerted her to a problem. She looked across the table to see Tenchi holding the one and only glass he would drink tonight up in front of him. It took her a moment to remember what the gesture meant.
"Oh! I get it. A toast, right? Okay, um..."
"To friends." Tenchi said.
Ryoko looked into her glass. The red liquid sloshed around inside as she moved it in a circular motion.
"Ryoko?" Tenchi asked, concerned with the look she had on her face.
The waiter quickly found an excuse to leave them.
"With your permission, I'll return shortly to take your orders."
They ignored him as he walked off to attend to another couple at a different table. Ryoko's eyes met Tenchi's, and she decided she could no longer accept only friendship from him. There had to be more.
Just as she was about to speak her mind, a score of armed men burst forth from the kitchen. They rushed through the restaurant, taking up specific positions within the room. They all carried some form of machine gun or assault rifle. One of them fired, spraying bullets across the ceiling.
"Okay!" One of them shouted across the room. "Now that we have everyone's attention, please stay seated. We are not particularly violent people. But if you disobey, we'll be forced to kill you. Live hostages are much more valuable than dead ones. This hotel is now under our control. All the exits are guarded, so don't bother trying to escape. Just sit tight and no one gets hurt."
Tenchi was carefully watching the speaker, when he heard something snap from across the table. He looked, and saw the top of Ryoko's wineglass fall to the table. Red wine and pieces of glass scattered across the polished stone surface. Energy discharges began arcing around her.
"Ryoko, don't!"
She disappeared. A moment later, he heard her voice speak from across the room.
"Did you say something?"
Tenchi looked back towards the terrorist who had spoken. Ryoko stood behind him, one arm across his forehead, pulling his head back and exposing his throat. The other held her energy sword against his windpipe.
Tenchi stood, and shouted across the room to her.
"Ryoko, let him go! They'll hurt someone if you get in their way!"
"Your friend has the right idea, girl. If you don't let me go, there'll be a lot of dead bodies to put in the freezer."
Ryoko knew he was right. She could easily kill him and his accomplices, but not before they could kill a lot of hostages. She growled menacingly into his ear before releasing him. The terrorist stepped away and faced her, rubbing his throat gingerly.
"Now then, why don't you be a good little girl and go sit with your boyfriend?"
"Hey, boss!" One of the others called to him. "I think we just found our reader!"
"Yeah! That ought to keep her in line. Bring that guy over here."
Ryoko growled again.
"Relax, girl. He's just going to read our list of demands to the authorities when they arrive. In the mean time, he'll be with me in the lobby. If you behave, you'll get him back unharmed. Understand?"
"Yes." She hissed.
Tenchi arrived at her side, escorted by two armed men.
"Ryoko, try to stay calm. I'll be all right."
She glared at their captors.
"If you hurt him, I'll..." Her teeth ground together.
"Go sit down." The man told her as he led Tenchi away.
"Yeah, go sit down." One of the remaining guards gave her a shove towards her table.
She snarled at him, barely able to restrain her temper.
When Tenchi returned an hour later with his guard, they found Ryoko crouching on top of a large pile of robotic parts. There were no guards or hostages anywhere. The guard pointed his rifle at Ryoko and fired on full automatic, sending a stream of lead in her direction. Tenchi dove for cover.
Ryoko's hands moved like lightning. When the weapon clicked, indicating it was empty, Ryoko opened her hands, allowing the lead projectiles to fall harmlessly to the ground.
"Jesus!" The terrorist dropped his weapon and ran. But Ryoko was not in a gracious mood. She teleported in front of him, sword in hand. The man stopped short, but he could not evade her. The sword sliced cleanly through him three times. Six parts of a robot fell to the floor in front of Tenchi. He stared at the parts in astonishment.
"A robot?"
Ryoko calmly reached down and hauled Tenchi to his feet.
"Are you all right?" She asked, inspecting him for injuries.
"Yeah. I'm fine. But, what happened in here?"
"I figured out they were robots when one of them started complaining about a bad joint or something. So I just hit them with an EMP pulse. Fried their circuits. I could have done a bigger one, but it would have scrambled the peoples' brains."
The head terrorist's voice echoed from the lobby.
"What's taking him so long? You, go see what the problem is."
"Maybe we'd better leave." Tenchi suggested.
"Hold on, tight." Ryoko advised him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Tenchi wrapped his arms around her waist, complying with her instructions. His vision blurred for a moment, then cleared, revealing an unfamiliar room. He looked around, and determined from the layout they were in a hotel room.
"What are we doing here?"
"Nothing, yet."
Tenchi looked at Ryoko and realized what she had in mind.
"Ryoko, I think we should go home, now." He suggested, trying to free himself from her grip.
"Tenchi, I was really worried about you. All alone with those mean old terrorists." She twirled a finger against his coat. "Why don't we have a drink to calm our nerves?"
Ryoko finally let go of Tenchi. She went right to the small refrigerator and opened it. Within were the bottle of wine they had opened earlier, and two unbroken glasses.
"Ryoko, is this the same hotel those guys tried to take over?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Then, it's probably not safe to stay here."
"Don't be scared, Tenchi. I'm here. I'll protect you." She moved over to the couch and set the wine on the magazine table. "Besides, you promised you would have a drink with me."
Tenchi instantly began to regret that promise. Not only did he not care for the taste of alcohol, but he was still a minor, as well. However, there were times when Ryoko simply could not be refused. This time she had insisted they share at least one drink. He reluctantly went around the table and sat on the couch.
"Did you rent this room for the night?" He asked while she poured the drinks.
"Yup." She set the bottle down, then presented him with his drink.
"Here you go."
Tenchi sighed, then accepted the glass. He looked up to address Ryoko again and got an eyeful of slender thigh as she sat back and crossed her legs. He quickly looked at the wine bottle label. Ryoko casually slipped her free arm behind him on the back of the couch while he was not looking.
Tenchi set his glass down on the table and picked up the wine bottle.
"Wow, this stuff is really old, huh?" He carefully examined the label, even though he could not read a word of it.
Ryoko drained her glass, then held it out to Tenchi, waving it in front of his face.
"Fill me up."
Tenchi tilted the bottle over her glass, refilling it as she had requested.
"Ryoko, why did you get this room?"
"Why do you think?" She quickly drained her second glass.
"I'm not staying here tonight." Tenchi told her.
"I am."
"Huh?"
Tenchi finally took a good look at Ryoko. She was looking into her empty glass. After a moment, she noticed he was watching her. She held her glass out again, indicating she wanted more wine.
Normally, Tenchi would have said something about how fast she was drinking. But this was Ryoko. It was normal for her to drink at such a rapid pace. So he poured another glass.
"You gonna drink that?" She indicated the glass sitting on the table.
Tenchi looked at the still full glass, then sighed. He set the bottle back down and took his glass. This time, he did not propose a toast. He took a sip, to get an idea of what it tasted like.
"You can do better than that."
"It's strong." He complained.
"I like being able to taste what I drink."
"I thought you couldn't taste at all."
"I can taste." Under her breath she added, "A little."
Tenchi took another sip.
"Come on, Tenchi. Drink it."
"I am."
"Like this." She slammed hers down.
Tenchi sighed, then tried to drink his in one draught. He almost choked on it, but he managed to get it down.
"All right, Tenchi!" Pleased, Ryoko set her glass down on the table and took the bottle. She tilted it back and took a long drink.
"Ahh!" Kicking her high-heels off, she sent them flying across the room. They thumped against the room door.
"Much better! Those things have been killing me all night." She took another pull from the bottle. When she started sucking air, she realized she had finished it off faster than she had intended. She looked at the bottle in surprise.
"Ah, well." She dropped the bottle beside the couch, then laid down with her feet in Tenchi's lap. He looked at her feet for a moment, then at her face.
"Tenchi, would you rub my feet?"
"You're kidding."
"They're sore from wearing those shoes. Please?" She begged of him.
"Well..."
"I just saved all those people downstairs. Don't I deserve a reward?"
"You shouldn't help people because you're looking for a reward."
"There's nothing wrong with getting a reward, is there?"
"No."
"So you'll do it, then."
Tenchi blinked when he realized how Ryoko had twisted his words.
"I guess so." He told her with mock indignation. It was just a foot rub.
He turned sideways and let his left leg lie on the couch between him and Ryoko. Her feet rested on his calf as he gently rubbed the soles of her feet. When his thumb lightly grazed the arch of her right foot, she yanked it from his grasp.
"Hey!"
"Something wrong?" Tenchi asked in surprise.
"What did you just do?" Ryoko asked back.
"Nothing. I just... Oh, I get it. You're ticklish."
"Ticklish? I am not!"
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not!
"Then prove it." Tenchi challenged her.
Ryoko bravely thumped her foot back into his lap.
"Go ahead. But it won't work." Ryoko insisted.
"Uh-huh." Tenchi took a firm hold on her ankle with his left hand and lightly dragged his fingers across the bottom of her foot. She immediately yanked it away again.
"Cut it out!" She laughed.
"I knew it!" Tenchi laughed as well.
As repayment for all the times she had scared or chased him, he fell upon her, attacking every place he knew that a person could be tickled. Twisting and turning, Ryoko tried to fend off Tenchi's tickle torture, while laughing uproariously the entire time.
"That's for chasing me around the school! And that's for scaring me all the time! And this! And that!"
"Stop it! Stop it! Tenchi! Ahhh! Come on! Stop!" She twisted in a particularly sharp manner, sending them both crashing to the floor. Ryoko found herself almost on top of him. There was a short moment where they were quiet, then they started laughing again.
"Ha ha! Are you okay?" Tenchi asked.
"Yeah." Ryoko chuckled as she looked down at Tenchi's smiling face.
Their eyes stayed lock for several long moments. Ryoko felt a tightness growing in her chest. She hated it when that happened. She usually ended up doing something embarrassing when she started feeling like this. Her head sagged a bit, then she tried to kiss Tenchi. His hands went to her shoulders and held her back.
"Don't."
She sagged against his chest in defeat.
"Why not?"
Tenchi sighed without answering her question.
Ryoko laid against his chest for a while, picking at the knot in his tie. She picked and pulled for a while longer until she remembered Aeka had given him this tie.
"Aeka." Ryoko began wondering if his reluctance really was due to some interest in the Jurai Princess.
"Tenchi..." She asked.
There was no answer. She looked up and discovered Tenchi with his head back, sound asleep. The sight of him so calm took the edges off of her annoyance. But, she still felt miffed that he had fallen asleep with her on top of him. Unsure of what to do, she sat up. At the least, she could not leave him lying on the ground. A large grin spread across Ryoko's face as a very interesting idea came to mind.
Since she had retrieved her gems from Tenchi, she had regained the full use of her powers. In addition to levitating herself, she could now levitate other objects. Compared to some of the things she had levitated in the past, Tenchi would be a piece of cake.
Ryoko stood, then began concentrating on Tenchi's sleeping form. He slowly rose into the air, unhindered by gravity's pull. Under her expert control, he floated across the floor until he was over the bed. Letting her control lax a bit allowed Tenchi to slowly sink until he was lying comfortably on the bed. Ryoko relaxed.
"Damn, I'm good." She congratulated herself.
Walking over to the large mirror on the opposite wall from the bed, she began straightening up from the earlier activities.
Tenchi awoke with a start. He opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling. A brief moment of thought allowed him to recall where he was. Another moment brought the realization that he was lying on a bed.
"How did I get here?"
He risked a look around and saw Ryoko preening herself before the mirror. For a few moments, he allowed himself the long look he had not yet taken.
Ryoko did not fail to notice when Tenchi suddenly awoke. She was careful not to let on that she was aware he was looking at her. Her heart glowed, knowing he was finally taking a good long look at her. She decided that, as long as he was looking, she would give him a bit of a show.
Ryoko made sure not to look at Tenchi's reflection as she turned sideways. She kept her eyes on herself, using only her peripheral vision to keep track of Tenchi as she pretended to inspect her bust. Clucking her tongue in mock disgust, Ryoko reached behind her back and pulled the string holding her dress tight about her chest. It came loose, allowing Tenchi to see more of her sides than before.
This time, Ryoko made a satisfied sound before turning one hundred eighty degrees, still making sure to keep her back to Tenchi. Her half-turn allowed the front of her dress to ride inwards, revealing the curves of her breasts when viewed from the sides. She reached up into her hair and brushed her long strands back, holding it in a ponytail. A golden hair-scrunchie, the same color as her eyes, appeared in her free hand. Taking her time wrapping the item around her hair, Ryoko let Tenchi get a good look at her bare sides. She took a quick glance at Tenchi's reflection, verifying he was still watching.
"That's right, lover. Keep watching." She thought as she slid her leg closest to the bed forward enough to completely reveal her thigh.
Her hands slowly drifted down to the black dress suspended from her neck. She hooked her thumbs underneath and pulled forward as her hands moved. The material pulled away from her chest along with her thumbs, showing almost everything there was to show. She kept the cloth taught over her chest as she moved her hands further down. The slack she created allowed her dress to slip dangerously low, exposing the upper portions of her panties to view.
Masking another quick peek at Tenchi by turning once more, she found he had let his head fall back to the pillow. Although she was a little disappointed he was no longer watching, Ryoko was pleased he had looked at all. She had enjoyed giving him the show. She had enjoyed it a great deal. So much so that she did not really want to stop. Her mind wandered back to some of the things she had been thinking of in the restaurant, downstairs.
"To hell with it." She decided. "Nothing risked, nothing gained."
Quietly, so as not to alert Tenchi to her intentions, Ryoko walked to his side. She hungrily stared at him for several seconds before bending over and blowing in his left ear.
"AAAAH!!"
Tenchi suddenly leapt completely across the bed, ending up on the floor on the other side. He rubbed at his ear, trying to rid himself of the odd sensation.
"Jeez, Ryoko! What did you do that for?"
The impassioned young woman got on her hands and knees and began crawling across the bed towards him.
"You can't fool me, Tenchi." She watched as he began to circle away. "You were watching me in front of the mirror. You naughty boy."
"It's not my fault! I just looked up and there you were!"
Ryoko slowly followed on the bed as he circled.
"Did you like my little show? I know I did."
Tenchi suddenly went for the door. Just before he could start working on the locks, Ryoko appeared against the door. He could not stop in time to avoid her vise-like arms. She caught him in her clutches and pressed her body firmly against his.
"Tenchi..." She growled in his ear. "I want you."
"No kidding!" He exclaimed, trying fruitlessly to free himself.
Ryoko held tight to Tenchi. Her fingers pressed into his back as she breathed in his scent. In the past, she had presented herself to Tenchi in a similar fashion because she wanted to please him and make him feel good. The only thing she had that she could give him was her body. So that was what she offered. Lately, she had been wanting to do more than just please Tenchi. Being near him strengthened her feelings until they threatened to over-power her, as they were doing now. With every breath of his masculine scent, her feelings became stronger. Her right arm went down to his waist, where she pulled his hips against hers. Tenchi struggled harder.
"Come on, Ryoko! This isn't funny." He insisted.
"I'm not trying to be funny." She lustfully breathed against his ear.
After ingesting another chestful of Tenchi's heady aroma, Ryoko lifted her right leg and began rubbing the inside of her thigh against his leg, giving a clear understanding of what she wanted.
"Do you want me?" She unnecessarily asked.
"No!"
Through her muddled haze of passion, Ryoko began to think she might have taken this too far. But she was loath to let go of the powerful feelings Tenchi's presence evoked within her. She tried one more time to gain his interest.
"Tenchi..." She pulled on his hips again, showing Tenchi how much she wanted him.
Her effort had the exact opposite effect. Tenchi set his hands firmly against her shoulders and pushed with all his might. Ryoko released her hold, letting him escape. Tenchi fell over backwards in his rush to get away from her. He rolled with the motion, coming up on his feet, ready to run. Where he could run to, he did not know.
"What is wrong with you?" Tenchi shouted. "You scared the crap out of me!"
Ryoko's chest heaved as she tried to regain her self-control. She still wanted him. But without having him right next to her, the desire she felt was weak enough to resist.
"I want you to take me home." Tenchi suddenly demanded.
"Tenchi," Ryoko began, but he cut her off.
"No! No more. You promised to take me home when I asked. Now I'm asking. Or was that a lie?"
"No." Ryoko quickly answered. She was rapidly regaining control, and could plainly see that she had pushed way too far. Not only was Tenchi angry with her, but if Aeka found out, she would catch hell from her, too.
"I... I didn't mean -"
"I don't want to hear it." He interrupted her again. "This was a stupid idea. I swear I'm never going out with you again."
Ryoko's heart skipped a beat. Tenchi seemed really and truly angry this time. She moved immediately to comply with his wish to return home. When she touched his shoulder to teleport him home, he jumped away.
"Don't touch me!" He yelled.
"I have to!" Ryoko instantly regretted raising her voice. She explained in a more controlled tone.
"I have to touch you to teleport you back."
Tenchi glared at her for several seconds.
"I'm not lying." She insisted.
"All right."
As Ryoko initiated the contact required to teleport another person along with her, she could not help noticing that Tenchi seemed to yell at her a lot more these days. In the midst of the transition from one point to another, she decided she did not like being yelled at. Not one bit.
The party at the Masaki home was in full swing when additional voices were heard coming from the second floor. The conversations in the main room gradually quieted as they listened to two people arguing above them. Tenchi and Ryoko had been gone for less than two hours. But now it seemed they had returned under less than ideal conditions.
Secretly, Aeka was not at all surprised the date had not worked out. Perhaps now that Ryoko was faced with the bald truth of how little she and Tenchi had in common, she would cease her ridiculous advances. Of course, there was still the issue of incarceration Aeka had warned Ryoko about. As the voices rose, they became more distinct. Those in attendance could begin to make out what was being said.
"I never have a choice! It's always what you want!"
"I just wanted to spend some time with you! What's wrong with that?"
"You didn't ask! You had Washu tie me up and force me!"
"I had nothing to do with Washu tying you up. She did that on her own."
"Even worse, you took me into a war zone! I thought I was going to die!"
"That's not my fault! How was I supposed to know terrorists would pick tonight to take over that hotel?"
"Oh! And speaking of hotels, what made you think I would actually spend the night with you in a hotel?"
"Well, why not? You said I'm beautiful!"
"Why not? I'll tell you why. Because you tried to force me, that's why."
The last statement set Aeka's blood to boiling. She angrily began to make her way upstairs.
"I did not!" Ryoko indignantly answered. "I would never do that to you."
"Well, you sure had me fooled!"
"I'm sorry! I couldn't help it. I just..." She could not think of anything to explain her behavior. So she went to the only area she felt certain about.
"Don't you love me?"
Aeka reached Ryoko's room where she and Tenchi were arguing just in time to witness Tenchi let loose with a very nasty verbal jab.
"Who could love a monster like you?"
Even Aeka thought Tenchi's comment was uncalled for.
"Now, just a moment."
Before she could say any more, Ryoko's hand came up and around like lightning. The sound of Tenchi getting slapped rang through the house. Tenchi stood silently for a moment. His next words were just as shocking.
"Get out."
Ryoko's eyes went wide with fear.
"Tenchi, I'm sorry!"
"Get out of my house!"
Ryoko started crying. Aeka forced herself to recover from the series of shocks she had just received.
"That is quite enough!"
Tenchi did not even look in her direction as he told Aeka the same.
"If you don't like it, you can leave, too."
"What?" Aeka was shocked yet again. She had not even done anything. It made no sense for Tenchi to throw them out without cause. He would never be so cruel to either of them. She felt his behavior was most atypical.
Silently, Aeka called her guardians. Azaka and Kamedake appeared beside her almost instantly. She inquired of them as to Tenchi's present behavior.
"Azaka, Kamedake, what do you think of Lord Tenchi's actions since he and Ryoko have returned?"
Azaka was the first to answer.
"Lord Tenchi is acting completely contrary to his normal patterns. I would have to conclude that he is either insane or has been influenced by a form of mind control. What do you think, Kamedake?"
"I have analyzed this evenings voice data and compared it to earlier samples. The person who left earlier was indeed Lord Tenchi. This person is not."
The fake Tenchi charged Aeka. She did not bother to erect a shield. Instead she waited for the guardians to do so, leaving her free to attack. The pseudo-Tenchi bounced off the guardians' shield and slammed into the far wall. A fraction of a second later, Ryoko pinned him to the wall with a hand clasped tightly around his throat.
"You've got three seconds to tell me where my Tenchi is or I'll rip your head off."
"Ryoko, wait!" Aeka tried to calm the enraged girl.
"One..."
The fake spat in Ryoko's face.
"Three."
Aeka quickly looked away, expecting a spray of blood and ichor. Instead there was a crunch and the sound of arcing electricity.
"What the hell?"
Aeka looked back to see what odd occurrence had just taken place. Pieces of metal endo-skeleton and wires hung from Ryoko's hand. The weight of the robot's limp body tore itself from the head within her iron grasp. The two dismembered parts fell to the floor.
"A robot?"
"Looks like it." Washu's voice spoke from just behind Aeka's elbow. She walked forward to join Ryoko in staring at the ruined automaton.
"How do you feel?" Washu quietly asked.
"Find Tenchi." Ryoko demanded. The tone of her voice left no room for deviation.
"No problem. I'll just plug this guy's memory banks into my computer and play back his memories. If he's seen Tenchi before, we'll find out about it."
Washu looked up to ask Ryoko another question, but the girl was already gone. Instead, she saw the rest of the family looking into Ryoko's damaged room. Mihoshi expressed everyone's disappointment very well.
"Does this mean the party's over?"
The girls who normally stayed at the Masaki home in Okayama where now assembled a block away from the same hotel Ryoko had chosen to take Tenchi for an evening of romance. It was a brand-new building with a four-star restaurant and nightclub. Soon it would become a battlefield. Washu issued instructions to the other girls.
"This is a simple search and rescue mission. You three," she pointed at Ryoko, Aeka, and Mihoshi, "go into the hotel, find Tenchi, and bring him out. Local authorities have already evacuated the place due to the earlier terrorist attack, so there should be no one else inside."
"The robot's memories indicated there were twelve of these robot terrorists total. Ryoko took out five earlier. That leaves seven. They are not the priority. Tenchi is. Leave revenge taking for later!"
"One more thing. You all saw the playback. Tenchi may be in need of medical attention."
Several pairs of eyes glanced in Ryoko's direction. When she had seen the memory-playback of the terrorist robots' treatment of Tenchi, she had flown into a murderous rage. The energy she had released had left every piece of equipment in Washu's lab a melted lump.
"When you find him, bring him right back here. Sasami and I will patch him up."
The youngest girl among them looked very worried. Considering the pressure she was under, Sasami was holding herself together with exemplary skill. Aeka had at first objected to Washu's desire to have Sasami accompany them. But Washu had insisted that Sasami would be in no danger if she stayed with her. She would also be helpful in treating Tenchi if there was a need.
"Well, what are you all standing around here for? Get going!"
Ryoko disappeared without further delay. Aeka's Jurai powers lifted her through the air and in the front doors of the hotel. Mihoshi ran down the street, shouting.
"Please wait! Don't leave me behind!"
Ryoko flew through the hotel rooms with ease. Her powers of flight and phasing allowed her to pass through the walls separating the rooms rapidly and without pause. Every one of them was empty. Her anger and frustration continued to build as she failed to find Tenchi.
Aeka searched the larger rooms in the first few floors. She easily broke open the ballroom doors as she searched fruitlessly for Tenchi. Even the hotel vault door could not stand up to her righteous fury.
Mihoshi entered the hotel through the same door Aeka had a minute before. Most of the furniture had been overturned and the marble floor was shattered. Sure signs of Aeka's passage. She took a quick look around, noting some of the other opulent furnishings, including the immense overhead chandelier.
An explosion on the next floor above shook the room, sending dust and plaster raining down on the detective. The chandelier began swaying back and forth, speeding her decision to go check the basement.
Mihoshi ran aimlessly through the long grey corridors underneath the hotel, trusting to her judgement and woman's intuition to lead her in the right direction. Before long, she found herself in the hotel laundry facilities. Many types of washing machines lined the walls in several rooms. She made sure to check each machine. The terrorists might have put Tenchi in one of them. As Mihoshi was exiting the first of these rooms, she heard a voice from further down the hall.
"Right. Understood."
Mihoshi stuck her head out the door and looked carefully in the direction the voice had come from. Shadows moved back and forth across from a door halfway down the hall. She made a last minute check of her blaster, then began creeping down the hall.
Despite appearances, Mihoshi really was a First-Class Detective. She was trained by the Galaxy Police in several forms of combat and marksmanship, as well as negotiation techniques. While she might not be good at complicated tasks like driving an automobile or spaceship, she rarely missed capturing a criminal. Mihoshi was determined that this would be the same. That the victim was a close personal friend made it all the more important she succeed.
Affixing her most stern Galaxy Police expression, Mihoshi leapt in front of the door, brandishing her blaster.
"Galaxy Police! Nobody move!"
Several plain-looking men in identical blue jeans and leather coats turned to the door, revealing the automatic machine-guns in their hands. In the back of the room, Tenchi was strapped to a chair. His head hung down against his chest. One of the terrorists issued instructions to the others regarding this new development.
"Kill her."
Mihoshi closed her eyes and started firing. The issue blaster she used was completely recoilless and very easy to use. Never the less, she hated to use it on people. It always made her feel like she was the criminal. She pulled the trigger six times. When there was no return fire for several seconds, Mihoshi bravely opened her eyes again. Six broken robots were lying on the floor. Wisps of smoke rose from their damaged bodies.
"Wow. How'd I do that?"
When Mihoshi saw that they were robots instead of humans, she felt much relieved.
"Oh, that's right. Washu said they were robots! I totally forgot!" Mihoshi whipped out her notepad and started taking notes for her report.
"Six terrorists, six rounds, and one rescued Jurai prince!" Something began to resurface in the sea of Mihoshi's memory.
"Wasn't there something I was supposed to do?"
A burst of wind whipped at her back. Mihoshi whirled around, her blaster held at the ready. When someone appeared in front of her, she fired. The shot sailed wide of Aeka by six centimeters, striking the doorway instead. Aeka shrank back from the impact area, a look of shock and dismay on her face. Mihoshi instantly apologized for her mistake.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Aeka! I thought you were a terrorist!"
Aeka quickly recovered her composure.
"A terrorist?! How could you possibly make such a stupid mistake?" She noticed Tenchi slumped in the chair at the back of the room.
"Tenchi!" Aeka rushed past Mihoshi, causing the blonde to trip over one of the bodies.
"Waahh!" She went down in a heap.
Aeka immediately ripped the bonds from Tenchi, freeing him to slump into her arms. Though Aeka looked like a slip of a girl, her powers gave her immense strength. She easily lifted Tenchi from the chair.
"Come, Mihoshi. We must return to Washu immediately."
Mihoshi climbed unsteadily to her feet.
"Uhh... okay."
Up above, Ryoko was getting frantic. She had searched almost the entire hotel with no success. Not even one of the terrorists was around. She could use a target to take her anger out on. Her frustration was somewhat abated when a mental message from Washu indicated that Tenchi had been found. She teleported directly back to her starting point without delay.
Everyone else had already returned. Sasami was placing a warm towel over Tenchi's forehead as Washu tended to the bruises he had received while held by the terrorists. A warm yellow glow surrounded her hands while she waved them over Tenchi. The black and blue blotches quickly disappeared.
"Is he all right?" Ryoko asked.
"He'll be fine." Washu answered. "It's just some bruises."
Ryoko sighed in relief. That was one less thing to worry about. But she still had one more task on the agenda for tonight.
"What about the robots?"
Aeka answered that question.
"Mihoshi got them."
"Mihoshi?" Ryoko was beside herself.
"I did it! I found Tenchi!" Mihoshi claimed.
"How about that? Huh. Well, how many did you get?"
"Um, I got six of them. I guess that means there's still one left."
Ryoko continued to gaze upon Tenchi's form. He was starting to show signs of awakening.
"Take Tenchi home. There's still something I have to do."
No one said anything until after Ryoko disappeared again. It was Sasami who broke the silence.
"I'm worried about Ryoko. Will she be okay?"
All looked to Washu for that answer.
"Ryoko's been a little stressed-out lately. Let her work some of it off, then she'll be fine."
Ryoko rematerialized in the main entrance. She had scoped the place out a few days ago in anticipation of her arrival and remembered several places she could teleport to. This area showed signs of having been searched. Aeka's passage through was obvious. Ryoko continued downward.
She eventually found where Tenchi had been held. Six robotic bodies lay on the floor. She was just about to drop a very big energy blast in the room when a wireless communication device started speaking.
"Unit two, respond."
Ryoko quickly searched the bodies and found the radio device. She hammered the transmit button and delivered her own response.
"I'm coming for you, you bastard." Ryoko crushed the device without waiting for any further transmissions.
Continuing her methodical search, Ryoko eventually ended up at the bottom-most level of the parking garage. Next to the service delivery area, a food-service van was parked with its doors open. Already unloaded, a large metallic container sat on the ground. On the container's top sat the last terrorist. As Ryoko approached, she conjured her energy sword.
The terrorist held a device up in one hand.
"Stop right there."
Ryoko ignored him.
"I'm holding the detonator for a Gravitic Mine. Surely you know what that is."
At that warning, Ryoko halted. She did indeed know what a Gravitic Mine was. She relayed this new development to Washu via the mental link.
Only a block away, Tenchi was finally awake. His relief at seeing that his friends had rescued him was immediate. There had been little doubt in his mind he could have defeated the terrorists himself. But, they had threatened to destroy the entire city with some fancy new bomb if he did not cooperate. He did his best to stay that way, even when they had started hitting him. Eventually he had passed out. Now everything would be all right. Tenchi was surprised to see Ryoko was not at his side. But right now there were more important things to mention.
"Washu, they said something about a bomb. Can you find it?"
"A bomb? What..." Washu's voice trailed off as she seemed to concentrate on something no one else could.
Washu's response to Ryoko was immediate and very direct.
"Don't let him use it! It'll destroy everything within one hundred kilometers!"
Ryoko moved. She could move with almost imperceptible speed when she really wanted to. This was definitely one of those occasions. The robot's arms came off at the shoulder when Ryoko's sword went through it. She held his missing appendage in her free hand.
At this range she could see she had been duped. The fake detonator was a toilet paper roll wrapped in aluminum foil.
"I didn't say that that was the detonator, did I?" He pushed the button atop the simple switch held in his other hand.
"Tenchi..."
Outside, Washu's eyes bugged-out.
"Shields!"
Everyone capable of erecting a defensive barrier did so without question. A moment later, a massive wall of energy raced towards them. Suddenly, it stopped less than a meter from the first barrier. They eyed the wall of energy in surprise.
Though it was moving too fast for the others to notice, Washu could see three vertical shapes whirling around the outer edge of the energy. It encircled and redirected the incredible destructive energy upward into space. Half the planet would probably see this display. But it was better than having a big hole where part of Japan used to be.
"Washu?" Tenchi asked in awe. "What is that?"
"That's supposed to be a Gravitic Mine detonation. But something's containing the explosion."
Aeka seemed confused by Washu's explanation.
"What do you mean something? Lord Tenchi, aren't you doing that?"
Tenchi shook his head.
"Uhn-uh."
Washu was not the only one with mental contacts. Aeka had her own link with Ryu-o. Though still a sapling, the tree had the full memories of its predecessor. Aeka could speak to Ryu-o anytime through her head ornament.
Ryu-o's response seemed impossible. It told her a first generation tree was protecting its bond-mate with the Light-Hawk Wings. When Aeka asked which tree, Ryu-o was unable to give an answer. It's only information was that the tree was full of sadness, anger, and pain over a perceived failure to please its bond-mate.
While Aeka contemplated the meaning of what Ryu-o was telling her, Washu contemplated the meaning of Tenchi's lack of involvement, coupled with the whirling Light-Hawk Wings before them. There was no mistaking the shape and power of what was containing the gravitic energy. Even she was not capable of such a feat. She looked at Sasami. The little girl was standing next to her, her eyes wide with fright.
The vertical shaft of energy began to shrink. It quickly reduced to a thin beam, then eventually winked out, along with the Light-Hawk Wings.
The city within the area of destruction was a blasted mess. Streamers of smoke began rising from the rubble which covered the ground. All was silent except for the sound of sirens, which indicated emergency services were responding to this new crisis.
Someone finally remembered they were not all accounted for.
"Ryoko!" Tenchi exclaimed. "Was she...?"
Washu pointed at the pile of rubble where the hotel used to stand.
"Oh, no." Tenchi ran through the buried street as fast as he could. He immediately began trying to dig through the pile of steel and concrete.
Aeka started to join him, but Washu stopped her.
"Give her a second to find her way out."
Sasami overheard Washu's explanation.
"Is Ryoko okay?"
Washu watched the pile of rubble as Tenchi dug fruitlessly at the immense chunks of building material.
"'Is she okay?' Of course she is! I designed her, so I know she can handle a piddlety little explosion like that."
Just above Tenchi, a ghost-like form rose from the rubble. The cyan-haired young woman looked around, gathering her bearings. She brushed the dust from her red and black skin-tight outfit, mindful of her appearance.
Tenchi looked up when he heard something moving above him. When he recognized Ryoko, through the dust and smoke, he abandoned his digging. Scuttling up the fallen debris, he joined her on her small cement oasis amid the destruction.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
Ryoko's answer was to wrap her arms around Tenchi's neck. She held him close, just feeling his warm presence.
"I guess so." He surmised.
"Tenchi, did you like my dress?"
Tenchi smiled.
"Yes. You looked beautiful tonight." Tenchi put his arms around Ryoko, holding her close for a short time.
"Thanks."
A familiar voice intruded on their moment alone.
"Pardon me."
Tenchi looked to see Aeka had joined them. For a moment, he was worried she would make a fuss.
"The police will be here soon. It would look bad if Yosho has to bail us out of prison, even though one of us deserves it. So I think we should be going."
"You're just jealous." Ryoko weakly accused her.
"Fine. Stay here if you want. But let Lord Tenchi return home. He has had a very long day."
Ryoko looked to Tenchi for confirmation.
"Tenchi, do you want to go home?"
"Yes, please."
"All right." Ryoko teleported the both of them home, leaving Aeka behind.
"Oh, that woman!"
END INTERLUDE 1.
AFTERWORD:
So, the Light-Hawk Wings save the day, again. But, what of this new tree? I hope it's not too obvious.