Chapter 6
"You know, Tenchi should have been back by now."
Ryoko hovered restlessly above the gateway that led up the mountain to the shrine, gazing out across the horizon to where the big, lumbering bus was just pulling away from the stop. "He went into Kurashiki hours ago and the last bus has just arrived back here...he wasn't on it."
"Tenchi is very good at taking care of himself, Ryoko." Katsuhito raised his gaze to hers, offering her a smile as he leant on his broom. "The shrine, on the other hand, needs help from as many hands as possible to clear it of autumn leaves. Soon the rain will come and it will be twice as difficult to keep this path clear."
"Tenchi might be in trouble, and you only care about sweeping leaves?" Ryoko demanded, dropping down onto the ground and fixing the old man with an incredulous look. "Where are your priorities?"
"Right where they should be." Katsuhito said calmly, resuming his sweeping of the gathered leaves as he did so. "This is a time of crisis. People will come to the shrine more than usual if they think they need spiritual protection. My responsibility is to keep the place looking nice and respectable. Everything must be as it should be. After all, we wouldn't want the city officials to work out that you are hiding here, or to start dredging the lake for evidence...would we?"
"But Tenchi isn't here." Ryoko frowned, leaning up against the arch as she reflected on her companion's words. "Doesn't that bother you at all?"
"Tenchi is a strong young man and I've trained him well." Katsuhito said quietly. "Besides, he may simply have gotten distracted and missed the bus. It can happen, you know. It has done before."
"No, I don't like it." Ryoko bit her lip, turning back towards the direction of the now deserted bus stop. "Tenchi wouldn't worry us like that - not when things are so mad. And he said he wasn't going to be very long. I knew I should have gone with him - but he was afraid that it would alert suspicion, if they saw me in Kurashiki. But I knew he shouldn't have gone alone. I just had a feeling something was wrong and now I'm feeling it even more."
"Perhaps you are right." Katsuhito rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But even if you are, there seems very little we can do about it unless we know more. He could be late for any number of reasons...and you could be letting your paranoia about the current situation distract you."
"I don't think that's it, Katsuhito-san." Ryoko shook her head. "Tenchi's in trouble. Somehow I just know he is. He would have been here...he's not unreliable. And I need to know what's happened."
"You are going to Kurashiki, aren't you?" The old man eyed her questioningly. Ryoko nodded.
"I think so." She agreed, relief flickering in her eyes as he voiced the suggestion she had been debating with herself for the last few minutes. "I think I have to. Tenchi means everything to me, and if he's in trouble, then I need to go help him. It's the only thing I can do - even if it means people see me and make the connection with Osaka. We know that Tenchi is the focus of this mad Tokimi woman. It's too big a risk not to at least find out."
Katsuhito eyed his companion keenly, leaning his broom up against the shrine gateway as he came to place a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"My grandson is lucky to have someone who shows him so much concern, even when there is no proof that something is wrong." He said quietly. "My late wife Itzuki used to tell me that the connection between man and woman is never stronger than when you sense the other's joy and despair without it being spoken between you. I have watched you both, since you returned to the Earth. I am starting to believe you and my grandson have such a connection - and that only a love that strong could give you such a premonition regarding Tenchi's well-being. Perhaps it won't be long after all before Noboyuke has the daughter-in-law he's been so keenly seeking."
Ryoko flushed red to the roots of her hair, shaking her head.
"I'm just worried about him." She said haltingly. "I mean...well, I do...and he..."
She trailed off, and Katsuhito laughed.
"Lost for words, now?" He asked gently.
"Lord Katsuhito, you're embarrassing me." Ryoko gathered herself, putting her hands on her hips. "I know Tenchi is in danger because I'm a pirate and I have a sixth sense for spotting danger. And yes, Tenchi and I are close. Very close. And he means the whole world to me. But all this has happened and..."
She paused again, and Katsuhito's eyes twinkled.
"Or perhaps it's time you called me Grandfather." He said teasingly.
Ryoko stared at him, momentarily flawed.
"But I..."
"Trust an aging shrine priest and his intuition." Katsuhito held up his hand. "The time will come. There have often been forces trying to drive you both apart, but it seems there is also a stronger one drawing you together. Perhaps it is your destiny to be with my grandson, after all. If you feel you need to go to his aid, then go."
Ryoko bit her lip, eying the old man thoughtfully for a moment. Then she nodded, determination in her eyes.
"Tell Washu and the others where I've gone and tell them I'll be careful." She said at length. "I'm not going to draw attention to myself if I can avoid it - I'm just going to see if I can find out where he is, and if he is all right, I'm going to give him the mother of all lectures about making me worry. But I don't think that's going to happen. I think he's in trouble and the sooner I can get to him, the sooner I can try and get him out of it."
"I will pass the message along to Washu." Katsuhito inclined his head. "Good hunting in the city, Ryoko. I have faith in you."
Ryoko did not reply. Instead she flashed her companion a smile, even as she blurred her form, flickering and disappearing into nothing.
As she re-materialised on the edge of the town, she was immediately aware that something was wrong. The normally bustling shopping centre was swarming with people all right, but she quickly noticed that most of them bore local law enforcement attire, and some even military garb. Helicopters and armoured vehicles were parked in every available space and there wasn't a pedestrian to be seen as these sober-faced, uniformed men and women patrolled the streets. Occasionally one would speak into a radio, or knock at the door of a building, flashing their ID before entering to speak to the people inside. A cold sense of dread touched Ryoko's heart as she remembered her interrogation in Osaka.
"And there's no sign of Tenchi." She murmured, pressing her body as tightly to the tall frame of a clothes shop as she watched the scene unfolding. "So either these people have discovered he's not all he seems and have taken him into their custody...or something else has been here, and this is the aftermath. Either option isn't a good one...but I need to know what's going on. Dammit, I wish I was better at disguising myself. If anyone recognises me from Osaka, I'm going to create a fresh wave of panic and there's just no chance that I'll be able to find Tenchi. Calm down, Ryoko, and think. What would Tenchi do?"
She paused, biting down on her lip, then she smiled ruefully.
"Tenchi would walk right up to them, ask if everything was all right and if he could help in some way." She realised. "But it would probably work for him, too. I wonder if it would work for me...if I pretended to be a townsperson just coming back from work and finding all this chaos. It might...noone would expect their sought after alien woman to saunter right into the middle of all this chaos and ask to speak to someone. But I need something to cover my hair. I don't want anyone to recognise me if it can be at all helped."
She pursed her lips, moving back along the wall of the building until she came to a window. Peering inside, she could see that it led to the stockroom of the clothes store, and as she stood there, a glimmer of an idea flickered in her brain. Glancing around her once more to make sure noone was watching, she pushed her hands and then her arms through the thick plastered wall, phasing her entire form through until she was standing in the centre of the storeroom. It was deserted and a glance at the only door leading out soon assured her that it was firmly locked. Business had obviously been closed for the day, in light of whatever other events had taken place.
Ryoko picked her way carefully between the sacks and shelves of different outfits, scanning each one as she did so for what she was looking for. As she reached the furthermost wall, she discovered a bin full of various hats and scarves and, after a moment of hesitation, she selected one, ripping off the shop tags and pulling it firmly down over her head, hiding most of her hair from view. Selecting the gloves that matched it, she slipped them on over her own, flexing her fingers as she examined the fit.
"I guess it will do." She acknowledged, pulling a coat from a nearby rack and slipping it over her shoulders. "There. Now I look as much like a local as I'm probably ever going to. I hope it's going to be enough. I need to know what's going on here!"
She made to leave, but the sound of voices from outside the door made her pause and, very gingerly, she crept up towards it, pressing her ear to the painted wood as she listened.
"You're certain about what you saw?" She heard a man say.
"Yes, officer." A frightened woman's voice answered. "It came from the clouds. No doubt about it. Big and silver and...I never saw anything like it."
"And the man you say came out of this...object? Would you recognise him if you saw him again?"
"Oh, no doubt." The woman seemed certain. "Not that I ever want to. He was tall and...and he looked like a man, only there was something...he wore strange clothes and he had a sword that glowed like a light when he touched it. And the man...the one he kidnapped...he had a sword too. Just like it."
"A sword that glowed like a light?" There was a pause, as the officer presumably made a note and Ryoko's heart clenched in her throat as she deciphered what was being said. "These clothes you said this man wore - how were they strange?"
"Like some kind of uniform, only...not like anything I've seen here before." The woman replied. "And his eyes...he wasn't from this Earth, officer, I'd swear my life on it. His eyes glowed like his sword and he came from the sky!"
"Were you at all acquainted with the alleged abductee?"
Ryoko strained to hear the answer, but it was too indistinct and she frowned, stepping away from the door as she heard the officer thank the woman and leave.
"Seiryo Tennan was here and he took Tenchi somewhere in that ugly great piece of aluminium foil he calls a spaceship." She muttered, clenching her fists as she fought the urge to fire the room with sparks and lightning. "And Tenchi had his sword with him - I didn't know he was taking that to Kurashiki this morning - but still Seiryo managed to overpower him. I need to know more."
She closed her eyes, phasing back through the wall of the shop and onto the high street. Everyone was still far too busy with what they were doing to bother about her, and she found she was able to step out onto the main street without even being noticed.
As she approached the centre of the square, activity in one area caught her eye and she turned, frowning as she observed a group of men poking at and peering at an item as they shouted for forensic bags and security tape. Edging closer, Ryoko could see what it was they were surrounding, and her eyes widened with horror.
"Sword Tenchi." She whispered, swallowing hard. "He left that behind? I don't understand...what happened here this morning? Dammit, and why wasn't I here to prevent it! Katsuhito is wrong - Tenchi's not a match for this Tennan and his forces, else why would he have been taken so easily? Tenchi might be powerful, but he isn't able to switch it on and off at will...not when he most needs it. I should have been with him. I should not have let him go anywhere alone!"
"Miss?"
A voice startled her out of her reverie and she turned, staring at the military official blankly. He offered her a professional smile, reaching out a hand to take her arm as he guided her back towards the edges of the square.
"I'm afraid this zone is off limits." He said, offering her an apologetic bow. "We're investigating an incident and it might not be safe."
Ryoko eyed him for a moment, anger flaring inside of her at his touch, but somehow she fought down her rising emotion, instead offering him a startled look.
"Is it true?" She murmured, glancing up at the sky. "Did aliens really come to the Earth?"
"We don't know what happened yet, Miss." The man said briskly. "But you'd be a lot safer away from this place."
"But I live on the other side of this square. How am I meant to get home?" Ryoko asked. The man frowned.
"You'll just have to find another route through, Miss. This one is off-limits." He said firmly, releasing his grip on her arm and turning away from her. As he headed back towards the rest of his colleagues, Ryoko leant up against the wall, resentment flickering in her amber eyes as she considered her options.
"I could take out a lot of them and grab the sword, but then I'd be drawing attention to myself and Kurashiki is a lot closer to the mountains than Osaka. They might track me down and that would expose Washu and Kiyone and Katsuhito as well." She murmured. "Not to mention that deceitful droid and any help Ryo Ohki has managed to summon from Jurai. Oh, this sucks! For once in my life I can't do the thing I'm most cut out to do! I need to think this through...think like Washu. What would she do? How would she get a hold of that sword without being noticed?"
An ironic smile touched her lips as she reflected on that thought.
"Well, she is my mother. There must be some of it in me somewhere." She mused. "Think, girl. Who knows what these people will do with Tenchi's sword if they're allowed to examine it? And besides, in Tenchi's absence, it belongs with Lord Katsuhito. I can't just leave it here."
Before she could do anything, there was a joyful yowl from behind her as something leapt up onto her shoulders, pawing at her ear. She frowned, reaching up to grab her small, furry companion.
"Ryo Ohki?" She asked. "What are you doing here? How did you get to Kurashiki? Are you looking for Tenchi too?"
Ryo Ohki looked mournful, flicking her ears, and Ryoko's expression softened.
"I see." She said quietly. "So when that horrible silver ship came down, you picked up something from it and realised Tenchi was in danger? I wondered why I couldn't find you...you've been tracking his scent since this morning, haven't you? Poor thing, you must be exhausted."
Ryo Ohki stretched, as if in agreement with her words.
"Why didn't you tell me that there was a ship around?"
Ryo Ohki mewed, and Ryoko sighed.
"Does everyone expect me to make an exhibition of myself and charge in to cause a scene?" She demanded. "What were you going to do if you found Tenchi, anyway? Give chase? Morph into a ship yourself and make everybody stare at you? Ryo Ohki!"
Ryo Ohki miaowed unrepentantly, and Ryoko shrugged.
"Oh well. I suppose your intentions were good." She said at length. "Did you see the ship, or Tenchi leave?"
Ryo Ohki shook her head.
"Pity. I guess that means you can't get any kind of fix on where the thing was going?"
Ryo Ohki looked guilty, and despite herself, Ryoko ruffled her companion's fur.
"You tried." She said gently. "And if the same thing happened as happened in Osaka, Tennan's ship probably just vanished into oblivion anyway. I don't know how he did that, but I suspect Tokimi is somehow behind it. Either way, you and I are here, Ryo Ohki, and right now we need to get Tenchi's sword back and get back to the mountains without alerting anyone to who we really are. Washu and the others need to know what we've found out, and we need to start building a plan to get Tenchi back. Who knows what that twisted goddess will do to him if she gets her claws into him?"
Ryo Ohki mewed pensively for a moment, then she pricked up her ears, wriggling out of her mistress's grip and down to the ground. Before Ryoko could stop her, the cabbit had darted out into the square, diving between the legs of startled officials.
"Hey, whose cat is that!" One of them shouted.
"Get the damn thing out of our way!" Someone else exclaimed.
Ryoko stepped forward as if to intervene, but then a thought impulse throbbed across her senses, making her pause. A slow smile touched her lips as she realised what Ryo Ohki was about, and she slipped carefully back into the alleyway, peering cautiously around the side of the building as she watched her small friend's clever progress.
For a while, Ryo Ohki darted this way and that, miaowing and yowling as if the chaos in the town square had upset her. To begin with, only a few officials took any notice of her, but as her calls became more earsplitting and her behaviour more erratic, several of them left their posts, trying to catch the small creature as she darted into this barricade and that, knocking down posts and ripping open sections of tape that had been neatly marked on the ground. As chaos ensued, Ryo Ohki suddenly turned tail, making a determined bee-line for the section of tarmac where the sword lay. Without a moment of hesitation and without slowing her pace any, she scooped up the sword in her jaws, flicking her tail cheekily at the pursuing officers as she disappeared down one of the many streets.
"That wretched cat has our artefact!" A woman exclaimed.
"I'll shoot it down!" A man loaded his gun, glancing around him. "Where did it go? Stupid creature!"
"Be careful, Ryo Ohki." Ryoko transmitted the thought, followed by an image of the man holding his weapon. "Come back to me now, as quickly as you can."
She was aware of an answering yowl and, in a matter of minutes, the cabbit herself appeared, fur ruffled from her adventure and a mischievous sparkle in her golden eyes. Aware of the sound of footsteps behind her, Ryoko scooped up the cabbit, focusing her thoughts on the mountains and safety, and as the surroundings blurred around her, she tickled her companion under the chin.
"You are one mad critter sometimes. But it works for you." She said affectionately as they set down on bare mountain grass once more. "Good work, Ryo Ohki. They just thought you were a frightened cat scared by everything going on - and you moved so fast none of them got a good look at you. We have sword Tenchi back...but now we have to work out how to get Tenchi himself. Come on. We need to tell the others what we've discovered, and as soon as possible."
Ryo Ohki dropped the sword onto the grass, raising her gaze to the skies and letting out a loud yowl. Ryoko followed her line of sight, a frown touching her lips as she did so.
"What is it now?" She murmured, bending to pick up Tenchi's sword as she did so. "Something up there I should know about?"
Before Ryo Ohki could answer, the gleaming, glittering hull of a translucent spaceship hoved into view between the clouds, and Ryoko's eyes opened wide with surprise.
"Tsunami's ship!" She whispered. "At last, the cavalry have arrived! And just in time, too! Ryo Ohki, take the sword and go and tell Washu everything that's happened. I'll wait and greet our guests and fill them in as best we can. We've no time to lose."
Ryo Ohki mewed her agreement, taking the proffered sword and haring off across the hillside towards the house as the glowing ship sent down a transport beam. Despite herself, Ryoko felt relieved.
"Maybe now we can begin thinking about launching a proper assault on this Tokimi." She muttered, as through the gleam she began to make out the Princesses and their companions. "That bitch is going to regret ever messing with my Tenchi!"
-------
"Oh, now where did I put that file..."
Mihoshi glared at her computer screen as if it had personally offended her, her expression set in an uncharacteristic dark scowl as she hunted through a mish-mash of files and folders for the one she sought. It had been two days since her return to the Galaxy Police, and try as she might she could not push Kiyone's pale, waxy face from her thoughts. Although she knew that Washu would do everything she could to help her friend, she still fretted at the distance between them. Yagami was abandoned in space, Kiyone was missing, and everything around her seemed to just carry on as normal. It didn't seem right. Part of her longed to scream and cry and run the length of the complex demanding help from her fellow officers to track down whoever had attacked her friend, but Washu's warning still rang in her head, making her go cold every time she remembered it. Kiyone had been attacked by someone at Headquarters, and the only way she could stay safe was to try and go on as normal.
She ran her fingers through her thick curly hair in agitation, knocking the hairtie loose and sending it flying across the office as she did so. It glanced off a photo frame on the shelf by the door, knocking it flat on it's face and she jumped at the sound, staring all around her in surprise.
"Is someone there?" She demanded, blinking at the empty office, but nobody returned her question, and she sighed, sinking back down into her seat.
"This is crazy. I'm sure I saved those figures under the right drive, just like Kiyone told me to when she showed me how we file stuff the last time." She muttered, turning her attention back to her screen. "Oh, this is pointless. I can't work without Kiyone, it just doesn't work like that! I need her to tell me which section to access and I can't remember any of my access codes anyway. Was it 54566? Or was that 65644? I wish I knew. They all look the same to me."
She reached down to pull open the desk drawer, sending paper and pens flying all over the floor as she rummaged inside for the pink flowered notebook that contained all of her access codes. It was dogeared and stained by multiple cups of spilt coffee, but it was Mihoshi's lifeline in the cluttered chaos she called her office, and with a sigh of relief she found it, dropping it down on her desk as she thumbed through the pages looking for the right one.
"Detective Mihoshi!"
Mihoshi visibly started, staring up at the door and knocking her book of codes off her desk as she did so. Her commanding officer stood there, and she scrambled to her feet, belatedly remembering her salute but, in her agitation, giving it with the wrong hand.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then the commander sighed, resignation in his eyes as he ran his gaze over both the detective and the messy office.
"Detective Mihoshi, what are you doing?" He asked softly.
"Filing figures, sir." Mihoshi said hurriedly. "That's all. Just figures. And you know, statistical stuff."
"From which month?" The commander raised an eyebrow. "I think I need to see about getting you an assistant - I haven't had any figures from your office in three months, and this place looks like a bomb hit it. You could try and be a little more tidy, Mihoshi...it's because everything is all over the place that we keep having unfortunate incidents with your coffee and the power supply."
Mihoshi looked embarrassed, offering him a smile.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'll tidy up, I promise." She said sincerely. The commander frowned.
"Well, when you have a moment." He responded. "I actually wanted to ask you if you've had any word from Detective Kiyone. It's not like her not to call in at Headquarters, and we can't find any trace of either her or Yagami. She's not answering any signals we put out on her ship's frequency...have you heard from her at all?"
"No, sir." Mihoshi answered far too quickly, opening her eyes wide in an expression that she hoped would convey innocence, although to the confused officer it just looked like she was pulling faces at him. "Not at all. Not seen or heard anything from her in days. Nope. Not a thing."
"I see." The commander eyed his subordinate warily, clearly wondering if Mihoshi was in possession of all of her faculties. "Well, then I suppose we must just keep trying. If you do happen to make contact with her, you will tell me immediately?"
"Yes, sir. Right away sir. You can count on me." Mihoshi nodded vigorously, sending blond curls in all directions, and the commander raised his eyes heavenwards.
"Oh, God help us all." He muttered. "All right. Get back to your figures. Maybe you can try and have something on my desk before the week is out...though I won't hold out too many hopes. The last time you did send a set of data it took my people three weeks to decipher your amounts and work out what they should have said. But I'll hope for the best."
He turned to go, then paused, glancing back at her.
"One other thing, Detective?"
"Yes, sir?" Mihoshi managed another clumsy salute, this time using the correct hand and offering a wide, if unconvincing smile. "What is it?"
"Do something about your hair?" The commander grimaced. "Right now you look like an advert out of one of those magazines that are banned in three solar systems...I haven't demoted you to vice squad yet, and we do expect a certain amount of respectability in our officers, as you well know."
"Yes sir. Right away, sir." Mihoshi turned her attention to the hairtie that now adorned the top of the coffee machine, almost skidding on her notebook as she hurried to retrieve it. The commander sent her a final, long-suffering look. Then, without another word, he withdrew from her office, sliding the door shut behind him.
Slowly Mihoshi unwound her ribbon from where it had lovingly entangled itself in the coffee machine's cables, glancing at it and then pulling her thick hair back from her face once more. She sighed, shaking her head.
"It's just no good without Kiyone to explain things to me." She said sadly. "But I suppose Washu is right. And if I can help Kiyone by staying here and doing my duty as a Galaxy Police officer, then that's what I'm trained to do!"
She returned carefully to her desk, retrieving the notebook from the floor and squinting at the codes as she struggled to find the one she needed. At length she found one and, painstakingly she typed it into the console, waiting for the spreadsheets to flash up in front of her.
But instead of spreadsheets, something else popped up on the screen.
"Galaxy Police Most Wanted?" Mihoshi frowned. "I didn't put in the code for that, did I? I'm sure I didn't."
She grabbed up the book, staring at the page, but the end figure was blurred and she couldn't decipher whether it had been a seven or a one.
"This is no good. How am I supposed to get into my work when all the codes are silly numbers that mean nothing and look the same!" She exclaimed. "I...hey, wait a minute!"
She paused, frowning at the screen as she recognised a familiar face among the mugshots. "What's all this about? That's Tenchi! But why is he on the Galaxy's Most Wanted? This has to be a computer glitch. It's just crazy!"
She clicked on the file, waiting for it to download with a mixture of apprehension and impatience. At length it flashed up onto the screen and she scanned the contents, her confusion and dismay growing with every paragraph.
"Murder, violence, incitement to riot, breach of protection zone safety codes?" She read out loud. "But that can't be true! Tenchi's on the Earth with Washu and Ryoko and he just wouldn't do all of these things. It's crazy...I don't get it. Why would anyone think Tenchi could murder someone? He's not that kind of guy."
She reached the bottom of the page, a frown crossing her face as she pondered what to do.
"Someone's made a mistake." She decided at length. "They've got the wrong guy and they'll get into a whole lot of trouble if I don't tell them. That wouldn't be good for the Galaxy Police. What would Kiyone do if she was here?"
She bit her lip, racking her brains for the answer to her dilemma. Then a smile touched her lips and she snapped her fingers, getting to her feet.
"Kiyone would say that the Galaxy Police need to do the right thing. And that means telling whoever's in charge of hunting down Tenchi Masaki that they're wasting their time and they have the wrong person." She decided. "Then they can find whoever really did these bad things and everything will be okay again. That's what I'll do. After all, the Galaxy Police got into a whole lot of trouble when they tried to arrest Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami, when Kagato took over Jurai. Tenchi is a Prince of Jurai too, well, sort of...isn't he? So if this carries on, the Galaxy Police might get into trouble again. And then people will lose their jobs again and it will be all miserable and tense here and I don't like that. No, better I do something about it now. I know Kiyone would do the same if she were here. But she's not and so it's down to me to sort this mess out!"
She squinted back at the screen, hunting for the name of the officer in charge of the case.
"Agent Seiryo Tennan." She read slowly. "I think I know that name, but I don't know why. Oh well." She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess he must be famous or something. I'd better go see if I can find him."
She grabbed her jacket off the chair, her statistics forgotten as she pushed open the office door, leaving it ajar as she headed purposefully down the corridor.
"Gee, isn't it weird that this has happened just when Kiyone is hurt and Washu was getting information from her about weird stuff going on at Headquarters." She mused absently as she made her way down the stairway. "What a crazy coincidence. I guess it's like they always say - it never rains but it pours!"
As she reached this startling conclusion, she dropped down onto the gangway that seperated a wing of offices from the main holding bay for incarcerated prisoners and, as she passed by the barred door that led to the convicts' division, she thought she heard the sound of voices. Curious, she paused, approaching the door as she tried to squint through the small glass window. Someone was being led in shackles down the long dark corridor towards the most secure temporary cells Headquarters had to offer, and, her curiosity getting the better of her, Mihoshi pushed open the door, slipping inside.
"They might be able to tell me where I can find Agent Tennan's office, anyway." She reasoned to herself as she made her way down the empty hallway.
As she reached the fork in the paths, she heard the sound of voices again, and her eyes opened wide in surprise as she recognised one of them.
"Tenchi?" She whispered. "Oh no...am I too late? Has Agent Tennan already made a really big mistake?"
She hesitated, peering around the corner as she tried to make out the figures at the far end. There were just two of them now, she realised, Tenchi and another man whom she did not recognise but who was obviously in charge of the situation. As she inched closer, she was able to hear more clearly their conversation, and what she heard made her blood run cold.
"This is only a temporary stop for you, Prince of Jurai." The taller man spoke first, and there was a cold, sardonic note to his tones that made Mihoshi shiver. "Don't make yourself too comfortable. And don't think about screaming for help. There's a lot of screaming in this part of the complex - that and people protesting their innocence. It's a secure pen and even you, with your legendary magics would not be able to break free. Besides, I wouldn't advise you even trying. Your planet is still only a day's flight from here, and I'm more than willing to go back on my word, if you go back on yours."
"Why are you doing this, Tennan?" That was Tenchi, and Mihoshi strained to hear his words as he was ushered into the cell, the door clanging shut behind him with an ominous creak. "If you don't care what Tokimi wants, why are you even involved!"
"Tokimi!" Mihoshi's eyes opened wide as she recognised the word. "But that's what Kiyone said! What she told me to tell Washu!"
"That's none of your concern." Seiryo Tennan was clearly not in any mood to hang around. "You just sit tight. Tokimi will tell you herself anything she wants you to know, before she kills you."
"Do you think Jurai will forgive you for this?" Tenchi exclaimed. Seiryo laughed, shaking his head.
"Jurai will never even know." He said softly. "They have far too much on their plate to be worrying about one renegade prince who decided to break Galactic law."
"I haven't broken any laws!"
"Perhaps not, but you and I are the only ones who know that, and I'm the one with the impeccable Police reputation." Seiryo spread his hands. "Guilty men often claim they are innocent. Noone will take any notice of anything you say, even if they are fool enough to try and speak to you."
Mihoshi had heard enough. Terror giving wings to her feet, she fled from the holding bay, hurrying up the steps and back towards her office, banging the door shut behind her as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Seiryo Tennan is a bad guy!" She realised, her eyes big with alarm as she slowly put together the loose pieces of the puzzle. "He's the one who's hunted Tenchi down and he meant to do it because of this...Tokimi, whatever that is. And Kiyone said Tokimi...which means...Seiryo Tennan is the one who attacked my friend!"
Anger flared up inside of her at this injustice, then she sighed.
"But what can I do about it?" She murmured. "I don't have Yukinoyjo and I don't have Yagami. I can't get back to the Earth to warn anyone because I don't have a spaceship. But I have to tell them all somehow what's going on. I need to think...Mihoshi, where can you send a signal from that's powerful enough to get to Planet Earth?"
For a moment she stood there, frustration on her face as she struggled to think of a solution to her problem. Then she blinked, a smile touching her lips.
"Oh, Mihoshi, sometimes you're such an idiot!" She exclaimed. "The main communications tower has a major radio link that'll send out waves all over the universe! That's how I can warn Washu and the others! He's not going to get another go at Kiyone if I can help it - and I need to tell them that Tenchi's in trouble. Come on, Mihoshi! Everyone's counting on you!"
--------
"Planet Earth."
Takeru paused to gaze across the horizon as they made their way slowly down towards the Masaki house, a frown on his face. "It's ironic, somehow, that such a remote, distant planet should be so closely intertwined with the fate of Planet Jurai...even though most Earthlings don't know of Jurai's existance, and many Juraians dismiss the Earth's sector of space as too far for idle travel."
"This is the first time Takeru's travelled beyond Jurai's space." Ayeka explained, as Ryoko shot the Prince a confused look. "I know it was Sasami you asked for, Ryoko, but I wasn't going to let her travel alone and besides, Takeru knows Seiryo Tennan and knows him well. It's possible he can give some insight into the man - if Sasami is right, and Seiryo did abduct Tenchi this afternoon."
"There's no doubt about that in my mind." Ryoko said grimly, casting the pale faced younger Princess a glance as she did so. "Kurashiki was teeming with police and military officials. From the bits and pieces I heard, there wasn't a fight - Tenchi gave himself up without much of a struggle. He even left his sword behind, which seems insane to me, but that's what happened. I don't know what kind of magic Seiryo Tennan was using. Obviously it was enough to entice my Tenchi aboard his ugly spaceship. But that's all I have, really."
"Sword Tenchi is in Earth hands?" Sasami looked startled, anxiety flickering in her crimson eyes. "But what will they do with it? They could damage it, or get hurt themselves if they tried to tamper with Tsunami's magic!"
"No...Ryo Ohki and I recovered the sword." Ryoko shook her head. "I sent Ryo Ohki with it to Washu, to tell her what's happened and the sooner we catch up with the both of them the better. If Tenchi can't wield it, after all, the only one who can is Lord Katsuhito and it's better off in his hands than any other. Besides, I'm still sure Washu knows a lot more about what we're going into than she's been telling us. And now you're here, there's got to be something we can do about it."
"Ryo Ohki talks to Washu now?" Ayeka looked bemused, and Ryoko rolled her eyes.
"It's the longest story ever, and you don't want to know." She said expressively. "Believe me, it's a waste of time and good logic."
"Well, at least the sword is safe." Sasami looked troubled. "I wish I knew whether or not Tenchi was. I know that Seiryo has him, Ryoko, because I saw it very clearly when I was flying the ship. But nothing beyond that. I don't know...Tsunami hasn't told me where he's gone or if he's even still alive. I don't think he's been killed, because I think Tsunami wouldn't keep that from me. But she's erratic and worried at the moment, and so am I. It's making it harder to understand what it is she wants me to know."
"Between us we can probably build up a pretty good picture." Takeru rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Seiryo Tennan's desire for power and influence led him to - most probably - kill his father then run to the Galaxy Police to hide his crime behind red tape and this story of marauding brigands. Then he becomes involved in the power play of a strong force like Tokimi because she can give him magic that his own family lacks...in order to do damage to Tsunami's magic and therefore the structure of the Royal House of Jurai."
"And that's what you think this is about?" Ryoko's brows drew together thoughtfully. "Overthrowing Azusa? Washu thinks that Tokimi wants revenge...is she wrong?"
"The two things marry up quite nicely, if you think about it." Takeru shook his head. "This Tokimi Sasami has been dreaming about wants to destroy Tsunami, and Tsunami's magic has always been a barrier between Seiryo and his pursuit of Juraian influence. I don't know whether or not he did kill his father, but he stands to inherit Seiji's seat on the Council and the Tennan estate now that the man is dead. And one thing I learnt from my childhood experiences with that family was that they have ambition above their station. They were a great force behind the throne once, and they seek to be again."
"Or be the throne." Anger flickered in Ayeka's reddish eyes. "Maybe you're right."
"Seiryo didn't kill his father, Ayeka-onechan." Sasami shook her head, a frown touching her lips. "And he didn't get involved with Tokimi because he wants to be King of Jurai. Maybe he does, I don't know. But it isn't why it all happened. I think you underestimate Tokimi. She's much more powerful and clever than you think she is - even if she has mistaken Tenchi for me, she still knows exactly how to use and manipulate those around her. Seiryo is another of her puppets, that's all. And because of that, he'll do whatever she tells him. He can't break away. He's trapped by her magic, just like I'm trapped by Tsunami's."
"You're not trapped, Sasami." Ayeka said gently. "And what do you know about Seiji Tennan's death, anyway? If you have information, you know you shouldn't conceal it from Uncle and I."
"I made a promise and I'm going to keep it." Sasami said stolidly. "But Seiryo Tennan isn't a murderer."
"Perhaps not yet." Ryoko said grimly. "But not for want of trying. Kiyone was badly hurt, Sasami. Very badly hurt. If Mihoshi hadn't blown the Yagami's engines to bring her here, she probably wouldn't have made it. As it is, she's not woken up yet. What she could tell us must be of some use...there has to be a reason she was attacked - but whatever it was, we're not going to find out until she recovers. If she even does. I'm sorry, you can't convince me that Seiryo Tennan is a victim in all of this. I was in Osaka when he ordered the razing of the nightclub and the deaths of any innocent who got in his way. This isn't a man who's someone's puppet. This is someone I want to blast through the roof if ever I get my hands on him."
She clenched her fists, light sparking from her fingers.
"He already owes me a fight, after running away from the last one like a coward." She added.
"I don't suppose any of it matters." Ayeka sighed. "Whyever Seiryo is involved, it's beyond dispute that he is. And he is a greedy, ambitious man, that's also for sure. Now he has Tenchi, the stakes have been doubled. Whatever Tokimi is paying him - whether in magic or in other means - to be involved in this, whatever it is can't be far from fruition. And I'm in agreement with Ryoko. Knowing the man even as little as I do, he's not the kind to stop when someone asks him nicely. He'll push through regardless of the rules."
Sasami folded her arms obstinately across her chest, but she did not reply, and for a moment they walked in silence. Then, at length, Takeru spoke.
"The consequences of this for Jurai seem to be further reaching than Azusa-heika realised." He observed quietly. "It's about more than Lord Tenchi's safe recovery. I've been worried about Tennan ambition for a while. Seiji Tennan might have been a drunkard, a gambler, a womaniser and a foolish business investor, but his son is not an idiot. He has all the ruthlessness and none of the stupidity."
"Well, we're not stupid, either." Ryoko said firmly. "As Tokimi is about to find out."
At that moment they reached the house, and Ryoko paused, chewing down on her lip.
"Of course, that's so long as her spy isn't still playing a double game." She added. "Washu's been more odd than ever of late, to be honest. And she's adopted a robot - a droid who spied for Tokimi and her stooge Dr Clay by worming her way into Tenchi's life. The girl calls herself Yume, and Washu thinks we can trust her - but I'm yet to be convinced about any of it. She's up to something, I'm sure of it...so be careful, all right? Not everyone is necessarily a friend."
"It's not like Washu to nurse a viper to her breast like that." Ayeka looked surprised. "Why is she so sure this Yume is a friend?"
"Apparently she just knows. Don't ask me, the woman's an enigma to me most of the time anyway." Ryoko spread her hands. "Just be aware, all right?"
She turned, glancing back towards the spot where she knew the cloaked Tsunami-fune was moored.
"We should probably have brought Azaka or Kamidake down with us." She realised. "It might be a good idea to have someone keeping a watch out for trouble, since there are more spokes to Tokimi's wheel than just Seiryo Tennan and a defective robot. None of us know where Dr Clay is, but he might come looking for his lost toy any time, and he doesn't really like Washu all that much. Plus there's always the chance Seiryo might come back for more."
"I'll keep watch, it's all right." Takeru raised his hand.
"You, Takeru-san?" Ayeka looked surprised, and Takeru nodded his head.
"These are people better known to you, and I don't want to intrude." he said lightly. "Besides, if Seiryo Tennan makes an unscheduled appearance, I'd like to be the one who faces him first. We're old sparring partners, he and I, and he has yet to best me in a clash of sticks or swords."
"I think Seiryo's a lot more dangerous right now than he was before he left Jurai, Takeru." Sasami said softly. "He has strange magic now...he could really hurt you, if he tried."
"Well, I'm not so rusty as all that." Takeru looked rueful. "And besides, as Prince Consort, it's my duty to stand guard for my wife and my sister-in-law. What would Azusa-heika say if I had stood back and let you get hurt?"
"He'd say that they were damn stupid for getting in the way, and for not fighting their corners properly, given the fact they both have magic enough of their own." Ryoko said bluntly, glancing at her fists. "But all right. If you're sure you want to stop out here, I guess we'll go on in and speak to Washu. After all, she might have concocted seven or eight new plans of action by now - and either way, we need to find out exactly what's happened to Tenchi."