Chapter Five
Kurashiki's streets were quiet.
As Tenchi stepped off the bus, he paused for a moment, eying the normally bustling High Street with a mixture of confusion and regret. He knew that, ever since the night of the Osaka club fire, nothing had been the same anywhere in Japan. Alien fever had gripped the local population and even though nothing had happened in Kurashiki, the people of the city were clearly not taking any chances. Some windows were boarded as if the families had already fled for cover, and other doors bore shining new locks as people sought to keep out this new, imagined threat.
He sighed.
"No matter what we do, this isn't going to go away by itself." He realised. "All it took was one unexplained event somewhere in the country and everyone is on high alert. No matter if we stop Tokimi, this isn't a population who are going to understand and relax at the news. On Jurai, when we defeated Kagato, life returned to normal. But interstellar travel and all these other things make sense to Juraians. They're beyond the scope of the average Earthling. No wonder my friends were so completely blown away by Ryoko the night of the fire. I guess I might have reacted the same way, if it had been me. If I hadn't known that she was on my side."
He fumbled in his pocket for his shopping list, sending something clattering to the floor as he did so. He glanced down in surprise, then a rueful look touched his expression as he retrieved the fallen object, turning it over in his hand.
"Even I must be on edge, if I'm bringing my sword on a routine shopping trip to Kurashiki." He admitted. "I do this every week and it's not a big deal. This crazy atmosphere is starting to infect even me. I'll be glad when Ayeka or Sasami get in touch with us and at least let us know if they can help. The sooner we work out how things are going to go the better. I'd almost rather have a fight on my hands than wait for the curtain to fall."
He slid the sword hilt back into his belt, skimming his gaze over the short list of items he had come to buy. Somehow, the normality of his weekly shopping expedition made him feel better. Yes, there were dark forces out there and they had their sights set on him. But right there, in the middle of Kurashiki, he was just another Earthling on an ordinary, every day errand - coins in his pocket and a scrap of paper in his hand.
"Good morning, Tenchi-san!" A neighbour raised her hand in a wave, and Tenchi returned it, casting her a smile as he did so. "How is your grandfather? Is the shrine doing all right?"
"Yes, thank you, Mrs Suzuki." Tenchi agreed. "We're all very well. Yourself?"
"Can't complain." The woman grinned. "Mustn't dally...my husband will have kittens if I'm not back by two o'clock. With all this stuff on the news - well, you never know, do you? Send my best wishes to your Father and Grandfather, won't you?"
"I'll be sure to do that!" Tenchi assured her, watching the woman hurry off down one of the side streets. A slight smile touched his lips. So not everyone had been cowed into hiding by the threat of alien invasion.
As he entered the main town square he saw that his neighbour was not the only one who had ventured out to do her weekly shopping and the sign of other people made him relax even further, a rueful grin on his face. He was becoming too paranoid. Osaka might have been gripped by fear, but that didn't mean he should expect the same thing to happen in every town he visited.
As this thought crossed his mind, the day's bright autumn sunlight seemed to dip and dim, as a shadow flitted over the square, spreading across the whole of the land around him. There was no sound, but even before he glanced up, he knew that it wasn't simply a burst of cloud that had obscured the Earth's solar star from view. The faint hum of chatter between townspeople had all but died away as all gazes had slowly turned upwards, and Tenchi found himself following their example, his heart stopping in his throat as he saw the shining, silvery expanse of a craft drawing overhead.
Instinctively he took a step backwards, fumbling in his belt for his sword. Around him some folk stood, rooted to the spot by fear and alarm, while others set up wild screaming, running for the cover of nearby shops and houses in a desperate attempt to avoid whatever trouble was coming. From all around him, Tenchi was faintly aware of a cacophony of fire and security alarms being sounded in an eerie, harmonious wail.
The craft halted itself above the rise of the buildings, the hatch swinging back as a single transport beam glimmered down onto the tarmac. This was enough to send any remaining local people running for shelter, and Tenchi took another step back, feeling the cold hard wall of a building stopping his escape. His grip around his sword tightened, as a figure began to materialise on the street before him. As the light faded, he saw his companion's features for the first time, and recognised in an instant the man who had razed the Osaka nightclub to the ground.
"Seiryo Tennan." He muttered. The man raised an eyebrow, a slight smile touching his lips, but it did not reach his eyes and Tenchi was aware of a cold, sinister flame burning in their depths.
"So you remember me. I am honoured, Prince of Jurai." He said sardonically, offering a mock bow to his companion.
Tenchi held his sword aloft as it flickered and glowed with life, determination crossing his face.
"What do you want with me? Can't you leave the Earth alone?" He demanded. "They've done nothing to you and now they're scared!"
"I don't care much for such pathetic, primitive creatures." Seiryo stepped forward, and with a careless flick of his wrist Tenchi realised the Galaxy Police agent now had his own sword in his grip. "And I wouldn't waste my time on you, if it was up to me."
"This is Tokimi's doing, isn't it?" Tenchi exclaimed, and Seiryo stopped in his tracks, staring at his prey with a look of surprise. Tenchi spied his advantage, and he leapt forward, thrusting his sword before him to prevent the Agent from closing the gap between them.
"Tell me what she wants!" He demanded. "And what right she has to disturb a planet that has nothing to do with her!"
"You should not have spoken her name." Seiryo said softly, and despite himself Tenchi was alarmed at the glowing energy in Seiryo's eyes. In a flash he realised that he was not dealing with just another agent of the Galaxy Police, but a vessel for Tokimi's dark magic. For a moment, panic assailed him, and then a fleeting memory of Kiyone, with her hoarse, desperate breathing flickered into his mind. He drew his brows together into a scowl.
"Why not?" He exclaimed. "Are you so afraid of her that you dare not say it yourself? I'm not afraid of her!"
A cold smile flickered across Seiryo's lips at this.
"You are a fool, then. You should fear her above all others." He said quietly. "If you knew what she was truly capable of, you'd be begging on your knees before me right now, praying for the right to even live."
"You hurt Kiyone!" Tenchi shot back. Seiryo's eyes narrowed to slits of fire.
"How could you possibly know that?" He asked softly. "I left Detective Makibi in no state to talk to anyone."
"That's none of your business." Tenchi scowled. "You're supposed to be a man of justice, and yet you attack your own people and terrorise a planet that have no comprehension of the Galaxy Police or what any of this means! You risk angering your own planet Jurai by coming here in pursuit of me...does Tokimi have such a great hold over you that you dare not disobey her?"
"Silence!" Seiryo held up his free hand, and Tenchi felt himself pushed roughly backwards by some invisible force, taking him off guard and knocking him off his feet. "Enough of this parley. I have heard you are gifted with many strong magics, Prince of Jurai. It can't have escaped your notice that I also have a few tricks up my sleeve."
He gestured upwards, towards the waiting ship.
"My men and women up there believe you to be a dangerous, murdering criminal. Perhaps even the soul who murdered my poor, stupid father." He added ironically. "At a single command from me they will descend from my ship and encircle your town. They have their orders - that you are to be taken back to Headquarters for questioning at all costs. With one click of my fingers, you could find yourself completely surrounded."
"If you have all this support, Seiryo, then where are they?" Tenchi scrambled to his feet, aware as he did so that people were watching from the windows of nearby buildings and at least two home video cameras were trained on the exchange, recording everything that went on in the middle of Kurashiki's busiest shopping district.
"Waiting." Seiryo said dismissively. "I thought it would be easier if I was to come and take care of you myself. You know what my people are capable of - and you don't have your pirate to protect you this time. Besides, I'm sceptical that you have these powers that Tokimi-sama is so sure you possess. I always knew Tsunami was a joke...but that her chosen one should wave a sword of Jurai like a children's toy is laughable in itself."
"Kagato isn't laughing." Tenchi said flatly. "What makes you think you're any stronger than he was?"
"I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to take you into custody." Seiryo said simply. "Your choice is very simple. You can fight me, if you like, but if you attack me, my officers will converge on the Earth in my defence and most likely damage and kill innocent local people. Blood on your conscience, not on mine...attacking a Galaxy Police Agent and endangering local people is a serious offence in itself. Or you can surrender yourself and come peacefully with me aboard the Unko. There will be no fire exchanged, and no Earth mothers will be crying over the deaths of their children tonight. It's up to you."
Tenchi bit his lip, staring with loathing at the impeccably dressed agent and hating him all the more for his cold, implacable calm.
"You know, Tokimi has made a mistake." He said at length. "I'm not Tsunami. It's not me that she wants."
"I don't care what Tokimi wants. I just see that she gets what she asks for." Seiryo was unmoved. "Whether Tsunami even exists or not is none of my concern. I have other, far more important things to worry about - and keeping her happy is a quick road to getting there."
"And if her magic drives you crazy in the process? What then?" Tenchi exclaimed. "It's already driven her batty - don't you care what it will do to you?"
"It's already made me powerful beyond the scope of your pathetic little tree-house planet." Seiryo said frankly. "I am not a weak man, Tenchi Masaki. And I am not easily swayed from my purpose. Will you come aboard the Unko with me now? Or must I unleash weaponry on the planet you call home?"
"And what will happen, if I surrender to you?" Tenchi asked suspiciously. "What will happen to me, or my family, or the people of this planet if I go along with you? I don't trust you or the word of a mad-woman who thinks she's a Goddess just because someone gave her the keys to the magic a long time ago. Her magic isn't any more hers than it is yours."
"I've already told you that what Tokimi believes or does is not my concern. I have my own affairs to bother with." Seiryo responded. "And we are wasting time. Your answer, Lord Tenchi of Jurai? Will you come with me of your own accord, or will you let your adopted people suffer while you run and hide like a coward in the mountains of this land?"
Tenchi stared at his companion for a moment, taking in the hard set of the man's jaw and the glimmer of madness in his eyes. He sighed, biting down hard on his lip.
"All right." He said at length. "But I want your word that, if I come with you now, you leave the Earth and do not return. You'll have what you came for. I don't want people being hurt behind my back."
"Believe me, my only interest in this barren world is to collect you for Tokimi to play with." Seiryo's expression became derisive. "I have no desire to waste more of my time in this hell-hole backwater. How you can live among such primitive beings is beyond me...they scuttle and hide like mice from a cat."
"You don't understand anything about the Earth, or what it means to the people who live here." Tenchi shot back hotly. "They may not have all the gadgets that you have on Jurai or with the Galaxy Police, Seiryo Tennan, but they have other things more precious than that and it's because of those things that this planet is my home!"
"I really don't care." Seiryo shrugged his shoulders carelessly. "Drop your sword, Tenchi Masaki Jurai, and step forward into my custody. I don't think we need sword Tenchi aboard the Unko, do you?"
"For someone who thinks I wield it like a toy, you know a lot about my weapon." Tenchi looked suspicious, but nonetheless he did as he was bidden, stepping forward and holding up his hands. Seiryo slipped silver cuffs around them, fastening them tightly and then gripping his captive firmly by the shoulder.
"I do my homework." He murmured in Tenchi's ear, as he gestured upwards for the transport beam to be sent back down to the Earth's surface. "I always know everything about the men I go to seek. And I'll tell you something, Tenchi Masaki...there's a good reason why I'm the best Agent in the Elite Division. I get the job done."
"Tenchi's gaze flitted back towards his fallen sword.
"Are you just going to leave that lying there?" He challenged. "Isn't that a bit careless for a man of your calibre?"
"What does it matter?" Seiryo shrugged. "Nobody else can wield your sword except the old man who calls himself Prince Yosho...and I do not fear old men. He fell before Kagato and besides, by the time your followers discover what's happened, it will be too late. Tokimi will have what she seeks."
"Which is what, exactly?" Tenchi demanded. Seiryo smiled, looking even more sinister as his teal eyes glinted with malice.
"That's very simple." He said softly. "Revenge."
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"So, this is what Deep Space looks like."
Takeru stared out at the expanse of blackness before him as the Jurai ship cut cleanly forwards, a pensive look touching his features as he glanced from star to star. "Somehow I thought there'd be more to it than this - so many people write about it I expected something other than eternal darkness and waves of the same thing no matter where you look."
"Well, it is space." His wife's voice at his shoulder made him turn and he offered her a rueful smile, reaching gently for her hand.
"Yes, I know." He owned. "But this is my first voyage into the bleak like this. You and Sasami-chan paint such beautiful pictures of the places you've been. But all I see are stars."
"We're taking the quickest route we can to get to the planet Earth. This isn't a sight-seeing trip." Ayeka's pretty face became troubled and she sighed, leaning absently up against him as she did so. Almost instinctively he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, a smile touching his lips when she did not resist his touch.
"No, I know." He agreed. "Although what exactly we are going into still eludes me. I know you've tried to explain it, Ayeka, but all that makes sense to me is that this is some kind of threat to Jurai and that Seiryo Tennan is wrapped up in it up to his neck. Everything else is something of a blur."
"It's muddling to all of us." Ayeka turned, and Takeru followed her gaze across the central control room of the ship to where Sasami stood, a look of concentration and determination on her young face as she communicated with her ship. "I think Sasami might be the only one who really knows what's going on, Takeru. But what is clear is that the Earth and Lord Tenchi are in danger, and we're going to help them. Perhaps that's all that matters."
"Lord Tenchi means a lot to you, doesn't he, Ayeka-chan?" Takeru lifted her chin to his, taking in the mixture of emotions that crossed her ruby eyes. She sighed, a guilty expression on her face as she gently moved his fingers away.
"Yes, he does." She admitted slowly. "But then, he means a lot to all of Jurai. To Father, to Uncle, to Sasami. To the people, because he saved them from Kagato's grip twice. To Tsunami, who blessed him with her special magic. To everyone."
"That isn't quite what I meant."
Takeru glanced back at the stars, but out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the reddish tint rising in his companion's cheeks.
"Takeru, don't." She begged. "There are many things that don't need discussing between us. Tenchi is one of them. It wouldn't do either of us any good. Besides, I'm your wife and I take that very seriously. You don't need to worry about me. I know where I belong."
"I know you do." Takeru eyed her affectionately. "But I also know that Tenchi holds a part of your heart that you've never opened up to me...not yet. Maybe eventually you will," He continued, as Ayeka opened her lips to speak. "But there are always awkward moments in arranged marriages. And racing half way across the galaxy to save such a man...causes conflict for a husband. I will be honest with you, my dear - if I hadn't know Seiryo was a part of all this trouble, I might have declined to accompany you at all."
"Takeru?" Ayeka stared at him, and Takeru laughed, a rueful look in his eyes.
"There, now you know how I truly feel." He said softly. "I love you very much, Ayeka-chan. I have since the moment we met and our union makes me more content than anything else I have ever done. But I know you're not completely mine - not yet."
"Oh, don't be so silly." Ayeka sighed. "Besides, Tenchi loves Ryoko. That's pretty much carved in stone and I knew that a long time before you and I were even bethrothed. Tenchi is a dear friend - and he's family to Sasami and I, so I won't let him down when he needs me. He's never abandoned me when I've been in trouble, no matter what the circumstances. I had no idea you felt so uneasy about him, to be quite honest. You never let such things show. I didn't know you even knew about...well...that things had been that way."
"I don't often speak my mind. My father taught me to always observe a situation before reacting to it, and to never let anything get in the way of good manners." Takeru said seriously. "But I'm not stupid, Ayeka. You've never told me, but I've always known. And because you never told me, I knew it was still there inside of you."
Ayeka glanced at the floor.
"Tenchi and I have never had any future together." She said finally. "And Takeru, even if I always love him with part of my heart, it doesn't mean I can't ever love you. You know I trust you and I'm glad of your companionship more than I can ever express. You understand a lot of things about Jurai that Tenchi never would have been able to absorb. In truth, I think we would have fought, in the long run...him and me. We're not cut out to be together. But I'm sorry I've made you feel that way."
"I probably shouldn't have told you." Takeru shrugged. "But then, I'm preparing to risk my life against a force I don't understand, in order to help rescue this man who my wife still loves above all others. That makes me feel strange."
"Well, don't feel strange." Ayeka squeezed his hand. "We have all the time in the world to work out our lives, Takeru. Please don't let envy get in the way of what we have to do."
"On the contrary, I don't intend to let it do anything of the sort." Takeru glanced down at his free hand, flexing his fingers thoughtfully. "More, I'm going to do quite the opposite. I intend to prove myself worthy of the Crown Princess of Jurai...in whatever capacity I'm needed."
Ayeka smiled, and Takeru's heart jumped as he saw a flicker of tenderness in her red eyes.
"That would make me very happy." She said softly, touching his cheek gently with her finger. "But you don't have anything to prove."
Takeru turned, glancing across the control room towards Sasami.
"Is your sister all right, flying a craft as big as this all on her own?" He asked. Ayeka nodded.
"This is her ship." She said. "Nobody else can fly it, Takeru. Not without her overriding guidance or instruction."
"Then Sasami really is Tsunami come again?"
"It would seem so." Ayeka agreed. "And all the burdens that come with it are hers, too."
Before Takeru could respond, the younger Princess let out an exclamation, colour draining from her face as she dropped to her knees, raising her hands to her head.
"Princess Sasami!" Kamidake was at her side in an instant, holding out a hand to hers and hesitantly she took it, raising frightened eyes to his concerned ones as Ayeka and Takeru hurried to join the group.
"Sasami-chan, what is it? Are you unwell?" Ayeka gripped her sister's other hand tightly, alarm in her dark red eyes. "What's happening?"
"Seiryo Tennan has Tenchi." Sasami's voice was barely above a whisper, and as Takeru gazed down at the fragile young girl, he realised she was as white as snow, her freckles standing out like pin pricks on her ashen skin. "We're too late, Ayeka. We're too late!"
"Sasami, you can't possibly know that for sure." The Prince suggested gently, crouching down to her level and offering her a smile. "We're all worried about what's going on and whether Lord Tenchi is in danger. But this is a man who defeated Kagato twice - both body and spirit. He's not a man without defences."
"Tsunami knows." Sasami's eyes were wild and frightened. "She knows, Takeru. She does! She's connected to all of us...all of her family, no matter how distant they seem to be. And her connection to Tenchi is stronger than most...because he has the Light Hawk Wings, like she does."
"Tell us what you saw, my Princess." Kamidake said softly. "Do you want water? You've gone so pale."
"No...no I'm all right...I think." Sasami struggled to her feet, casting the knight a brave smile. "As for what I saw...the Unko came down over Kurashiki and Seiryo Tennan took Tenchi away."
"What is the Unko?" Ayeka glanced at her husband blankly, and Takeru frowned.
"Seiryo's spaceship." He said quietly. "He can't have a royal tree, so he had the next best thing - the most expensive craft money could buy. It's a big silver monster of a vessel, with the Tennan family insignia emblazoned clearly across one side. Hard to miss in open space...it wasn't designed to be discreet."
"But the Earth doesn't have any advance warning for such things." Ayeka said sadly. "Sasami-chan, are you sure? Quite sure?"
"I know what I saw." Sasami looked helpless. "I didn't want to, and I wouldn't make it up."
"I know you wouldn't." Ayeka hurried to reassure her sister. "I just...we came all this way...and now what? Do we continue to the Earth? Or do we try and find the Unko, and track down Lord Tenchi?"
"Lady Sasami?" Takeru cast a glance at his sister-in-law quizzically. "Personally I'd give a good deal to show Seiryo Tennan where his arrogance belongs, but this is your trip. You begged the Emperor to come and you have Tsunami's ear on all of his. Do we go after Seiryo Tennan, or do we rendezvous with Professor Washu and Lady Ryoko on the Planet Earth?"
Sasami was silent for a moment, a pained look on her face. Then she sighed, shaking her head.
"I want to go after Tenchi." She murmured. "Every sense inside of me wants to turn tail and run after the Unko, because I don't want anything bad to happen to him. He's like the brother I never had, Takeru...and he's always been there for us. But..."
"But?" Ayeka raised an eyebrow. "After all that, there's a but?"
"But Tsunami wants us to go to the Earth." Sasami looked pensive. "She says we need Washu and she's probably right. She always has been before."
"Why do we need Washu when we have Lady Tsunami?" Azaka looked surprised. "I don't understand, Sasami-hime...what can a scientist do against a planet's raging Goddess?"
"Tokimi is Washu's sister." Sasami said slowly. "Oh, not by blood." As Ayeka let out an exclamation. "But by adoption. Bit by bit Tsunami's shown me enough to know that Washu probably has more insight into this than any of us. More, she's the only one who might know how to find and beat Tokimi. Tsunami thinks a lot of Washu and trusts her judgement. She thinks that going after Tenchi alone would be silly - since we don't really know what we'd be getting ourselves into."
"But what if Seiryo - or worse, Tokimi - hurts Tenchi?" Ayeka asked. "What then, Sasami?"
"Lord Tenchi can defend himself, Lady Ayeka." Kamidake said quietly. "We all know that. Azaka and I have both seen him fight when he was little more than a teenage boy. He has spirit and power enough to hold his own, at least until we can formulate a plan to rescue him."
He released Sasami's hand, bowing his head slightly in deference to her status.
"Tsunami-sama, Azaka and I are ready and willing to follow your instruction." He added quietly.
Sasami did not speak for a minute, and looking at her, Takeru found himself wondering how much of the composed young being before them was Sasami and how much was the Goddess, speaking through her vessel. Then she smiled, and the illusion was broken as a hint of Sasami's own sparkle penetrated the unusually sombre crimson eyes.
"To the Earth." She said firmly. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can help Tenchi...and then the sooner everything will be all right again!"
She raised her hands, placing them against the substantial tree trunk of Tsunami's ship.
"Did you hear that, Tsunami?" She murmured. "Full speed ahead to Planet Earth!"