Disclaimer: Characters and concepts from "Tenchi Muyo!" were created by Kajishima Masaki and Hitoshi Okuda, and are Copyright AIC and Pioneer LDC. This work is a parody and not to be used for any commercial purposes.
Personal History, Ch. 4
"Thanks for meeting me here." Ryoko stretched out her legs and settled herself into a comfortable position on the roof.
Ayeka looked considerably less relaxed. "I can understand that you feel nervous around Funaho or the cave. But those of us who can't always fly are also nervous on top of the house."
"Actually, there's a second reason for my picking--" Ryoko began.
"Hi, girls!" Mihoshi's voice sounded behind the two. "Isn't that funny? I was just going to the kitchen to get some iced tea, and I found myself up here! But what are you two doing here?"
"I'm showing Ayeka the best way to catch the sun's rays." Ryoko cut in smoothly, before Ayeka could scold Mihoshi about private conversations. (She knew that it seldom did any good.) "The angle here on the roof is actually better than lying flat on the patio."
"Really?" inquired Mihoshi.
"Sure!" Ryoko answered. "You just have to lie back on the tiles like this . . ." She suited action to words.
"That does look relaxing." said Mihoshi, and she began to lie down next to Ryoko.
"Of course," added Ryoko, "you'll want to watch out for the spot I--"
"Waaaa---" Mihoshi yelled as she slid off the edge of the roof. There was a crash as the blonde landed on the patio below.
"--spilled suntan lotion." Ryoko finished.
"Shouldn't we see if Miss Mihoshi is all right?" Ayeka asked.
"She always is." Ryoko dismissed the subject, and gathered her thoughts for the main topic. "Ayeka . . . has it occurred to you that we've loathed each other even before we met Tenchi?"
"Yes, I have thought of that." Ayeka nodded. "We met under poor circumstances, after all. But I do acknowledge that you weren't there of your own free will."
"But you were." Ryoko turned to look towards the lake, but her eyes seemed to stare at something much further. "You were there of your own free will." She repeated, then seemed to change the subject. "Have you ever noticed that 'Azaka' and 'Kamidake' sound a little like 'Azusa' and 'Misaki'?"
"Well, no, I hadn't before." Ayeka sounded as perplexed as she looked.
Ryoko gave a thin smile. "Let me give you my side of that day . . ."
- - - - - - - -
Ryoko was an artist, painting a work of destruction. She had fought her way through Jurai's Home Defense Fleet, evading some ships and blasting others, and now she was raining chaos on the capital below. Fire and smoke erupted wherever she turned Ryo-Ohki's beams. She added another blast here, and a new one over there, to confuse the ground forces as much as possible and cause them to spread out instead of concentrating to protect her real target.
Ryoko laughed in triumph. It was almost a pity master Kagato had found a time when all the first and second generation tree-ships were away from Jurai. The way she felt now, she and Ryo-Ohki were ready to take on any ship in the Juraian Navy.
As if in answer to her thought, a pair of ships lifted off to challenge her. But they were no match for Ryo-Ohki. One was quickly disabled with a barrage of energy beams, and drifted off course. Feeling aggressive, Ryoko brought her ship around in a tight curve and rammed the second vessel with one of Ryo-Ohki's sharp outer projections. The Juraian ship split open and began to spiral down towards the city below. Ryoko gave another victory cackle and turned back towards her objective. She was just in time to see the first ship smash helplessly into the massive arboretum. If anyone was still inside, they would want to clear out after an impact like that, Ryoko thought. So much the better.
It was a moment later that Ryo-Ohki's sensors detected a third Juraian ship lifting off. Ryoko directed the scanners towards it, and was surprised by what she saw. The new ship was considerably bigger than the previous two, and the readings indicated much more power. There was likely a second-generation tree on board. But it didn't quite have the elegance of a Juraian Royal Tree-ship. The outer hull looked like it had been interrupted in several places, the smooth surfaces and beautiful curves broken up. Ryoko studied the readings again, and a moment later it made sense. The ship hadn't been completed yet. Much of the outer armor was still missing.
Ryoko snorted. The duel against a worthy opponent she was spoiling for was nowhere in sight. On a whim, she opened a channel, and sent her image and voice to the other ship. "Clear out of the way! Get your ship finished, and I'll kill you some other time."
In answer, a view-screen popped open, displaying a violet-haired girl in her mid-teens. The rage in her ruby eyes showed that Ryoko's taunt had hit a nerve. "It is for you to clear out, demon! Haven't you killed too many already?"
"Obviously not -- you're still alive." Ryoko recognized the face from the files on Jurai. This was Ayeka, the emperor's oldest daughter. Master Kagato's latest information was that she had been approved for the tree partnering ceremony. Evidently it had worked, but now the little brat would die because of it. Ryoko sent a salvo from Ryo-Ohki.
But the Juraian vessel had shifted course. Half of the beams missed. The remainder struck, causing explosions not as large as Ryoko wanted, and raising a cloud of smoke. A few moments later, Ayeka's ship emerged from the smoke, and replied with its own barrage. Ryo-Ohki yowled as two of the beams hit and staggered her. Her energy reserves went down somewhat, nothing major, but more than anything the rest of Jurai's defense forces had been able to do. Ryoko frowned. The power of even a second-generation tree was as formidable as Master Kagato had told her. Still no match for the combined power of herself and Ryo-Ohki, however. She let loose another salvo, and snarled in satisfaction as more of the beams struck home, sending gouts of flame up from the hull of the Juraian ship. The answering shots were fewer this time, and only one hit Ryo-Ohki, doing noticeably less damage. Ryoko fed the power from her gems into the crystals for moment to make up for Ryo-Ohki's energy loss, then triggered what should have been the killing blasts.
But some kind of energy construct appeared in front of the Juraian ship just as Ryo-Ohki fired. Three glowing blades flared into existence, and though they looked almost delicate to Ryoko, they stopped the searing energy beams without allowing so much as a scratch to the ship behind them. Ryoko stared open-mouthed for a heartbeat. So this was the power of the fabled Light Hawk Wings. Eyes narrowing, she maneuvered Ryo-Ohki to change the angle slightly and tried again. The glowing blades rotated in the blink of an eye, and again blocked the beams. Ryoko cursed as she realized something even more frustrating. The princess' earlier course change had put her ship between Ryo-Ohki and the arboretum. Now the little brat was actually threatening the success of her mission.
Ryoko banked Ryo-Ohki and flew in a wide arc, firing at anything that looked likely to draw the Juraian ship away from its position. Below, she spotted a large walled-off space with a rich array of plant life inside. Perhaps that was where the seedlings for the Royal Trees were tended, before they were transferred to the arboretum. She powered up Ryo-Ohki's weapons and unleashed a barrage which turned the enclosure into a scorched and smoking ruin.
"You monster!" Ayeka's face appeared again on the view-screen. If she had been angry before, she was livid with rage now. "That was the finest garden on Jurai! You're good for nothing but destruction, aren't you??"
There was something about that word that enraged Ryoko in turn. "Monster?? You know nothing about me -- about anything! Or you'd be running as fast as that junk-heap of a ship could carry you!" After all, it was Master Kagato's will that anyone and anything that got in her way be destroyed. If Master Kagato ordered her to protect something, she was sure she'd be equally good at that. It was just that he never did.
Where had that thought come from? Ryoko banished it and focused on how to eliminate the princess and her troublesome ship. It was time to try a dual approach. She mentally commanded Ryo-Ohki to continue firing, then teleported outside.
Using the buildings to cover her, Ryoko made her way towards the Juraian vessel. There was also a satisfying amount of smoke from the havoc she had caused. Ryoko sat for a moment on a parapet and chuckled to see her handiwork.
She resumed her flight towards her enemy. The last part had no cover, but Ryo-Ohki was doing a good job of keeping the Juraian ship busy. With an extra burst of speed, Ryoko covered the remaining distance, dodging the single beam cannon able to fire at her. She could have phased through the hull, but she was here to do maximum damage. Her energy sword flared to life, and she began attacking the ship. Guns, thrusters, sensors, and even power cables where she could sense them beneath the outer skin were hacked to pieces. With her other hand, she fired blasts of energy wherever a hole opened up. The ship slowly began to tilt as its systems took more damage than the self-repair network could handle. Ryoko sent a mental command to Ryo-Ohki, telling her to cease fire. It was time for the finishing blow.
Ryoko maneuvered just above the outer hull, and as she had expected, easily spotted the rounded inner shell housing the Royal Tree. The armor over that part had been completed, and a quick probe revealed it was also shielded against phasing or teleporting. But Ryoko was not to be denied. She plunged her energy sword through the plating and began cutting a large circle. When she was about three-quarters done she willed away her sword, gathered power from her gems, and blasted the circle open. No sense wasting time.
Going through the smoking hole, she found a large open area being used as the ship's bridge. It had been an elegantly designed space, with foliage and running water to suggest the outdoors. Now, it showed considerable damage from Ryoko's blast. Small fires were burning in two places, dents showed in the back wall and floor, and water or coolant was running out of ruptured piping. But towards the forward end of the bridge, Ryoko saw that the brat-princess was on her feet and unhurt -- for the moment.
Ayeka opened her mouth just as a weakened pillar collapsed off to one side. "Az--" The remainder of the two names were hard to make out, but Ryoko remembered that Emperor Azusa and Second Queen Misaki were her parents.
"Mommy and daddy can't help you any more." Ryoko began to gather energy, so the girl could see it. She should learn just how foolish she had been.
But Ryoko had forgotten that it was still possible to teleport within the unit's shields. Two wooden cylinders appeared between Ryoko and her target. She began to switch from attack to shielding, but the cybernetic guardians were even faster than she was. The world seemed to erupt into searing energy. She had the sensation of being hit by an express train from the front, and a few moments later, from behind.
Slowly her vision and hearing returned. She was outside, lying on broken pavement. She must have been blasted back out of the Juraian ship though the opening she had made, and then fallen to the ground below. A number of her bones were broken, and her regenerative abilities were dealing with those along with many other injuries. She felt a glimmer of pride at knowing she was one of a very few who could have survived a double blast from Jurai Guardians. But the next moment it was replaced by rage. Several of her internal organs were injured -- it would probably be hours before she could teleport or summon spirits again. And recovering to full strength would take much longer. She got up, wincing as the last of her bones knitted. That princess was going to think Hell was a five-star resort by comparison when she got through with her.
The Juraian ship was still aloft, but drifting lower by the minute. They must be looking for a place to set down. Well, at least Ryoko had cleared the way to the Royal Arboretum. Payback for the princess would have to wait. Master Kagato wanted the First Tree.
But Ryoko would not reach either goal. "Stand where you are, demon!" Came a shout. Running towards her was a young man, dressed richly and with long straight hair in the Juraian style. This must be Crown Prince Yosho -- he had no beard, but the resemblance to Emperor Azusa was easy to see. He was good-looking enough, though Ryoko thought that if his face had been rounder and fuller she would have found him really attractive. But just at that moment the most important thing about Pretty Boy was that he held an energy sword.
With an effort, Ryoko activated her own blade. She could feel the strain as power ran through her still-healing tissues. She set her stance, and engaged as Pretty Boy charged in. But in moments she realized she faced the finest swordsman she had ever met. His strikes were fast and fluid, probing the weak spots of her defense, but always returning in time to block any attack she could make. And his balance and coordination were extraordinary. He somehow found sure footing on any piece of fallen rubble that Ryoko tried to maneuver behind. His sword was no ordinary energy-blade either. Ryoko remembered that Yosho wielded the Tenchi-Ken, the sword of Heaven and Earth.
There was a loud crash as the princess' ship made a hard landing a few blocks away. Ryoko seized the moment to launch an attack, raining cuts and thrusts with all the strength she could muster. Somehow, Pretty Boy parried each one with a strength matching her own.
The fifth strike was aimed at his thigh, and his block put his sword low, leaving his head open. Ryoko whirled her blade around, trying to behead him. But in a lightning-fast maneuver, Pretty Boy ducked and brought his sword up and out, taking Ryoko's hand off at the wrist.
And then the duel came to a sudden halt. Ryoko's sword had blinked out of existence, but the gem that had been in her wrist was now somehow floating within the energy blade of Yosho's sword. It shouldn't have been possible. Any material object should have been immediately vaporized. But there it was. Ryoko and her opponent stared transfixed, each sensing they where witnessing something that had never happened before in the history of the universe.
The gem moved downwards towards the sword hilt. When it reached the end of the glowing blade, it seemed to vanish. A moment later, it emerged from the material of the hilt, just below where the prince gripped his sword. And there it stayed, looking just as if it had been inlaid in the sword hilt from the time the sword had first been made.
"That's . . . mine." Ryoko finally reacted, pointing with her intact hand. "It doesn't belong to you. Give it back!"
"And who are you to care about what belongs to anyone?" The prince demanded.
"But . . ." And Ryoko realized she had no good answer. All the things she had taken, she had taken because Master Kagato wanted them. And she had to obey Master Kagato, didn't she? Or -- did she?
The thought was interrupted by even more bad news. A yowl of pain from Ryo-Ohki came over the link they shared. Ryoko looked up, to see another Juraian tree-ship heading to protect the arboretum, and firing as it came.
And this was a fully finished vessel. The outer armor was all there, fitting into the elegant lines that made the ship look like a giant floating abstract sculpture. Worse, Ryo-Ohki had taken more damage from the salvo than even the brat-princess' second-generation ship had done: her main batteries were crippled. Ryoko remembered that Pretty Boy had partnered with a first-generation tree, which he had named after his mother. Ryo-Ohki stood little chance against that kind of power unless Ryoko could get back on board and restore the energy reserves.
Could she fly yet? One way to find out. Ryoko lifted herself, once again feeling the strain from her regenerating body. But it worked, and she still had the gem on her left wrist that linked her with Ryo-Ohki. She summoned her ship, telling her to disengage from the fight and fly to a rendezvous point low among the buildings of the city. That should keep that accursed first-generation ship from following too closely.
A nerve-wracking minute later, Ryoko was back aboard Ryo-Ohki. She put her left hand on one of the floating red crystals and began to feed power back into her ship. The long-range sensors began to pick up more Juraian ships regrouping from the outer fringes of the star system and coming to the support of the capital. A second round against that first-generation Juraian battleship would be against increasing odds. More, the lower view-screen showed the Jurai ground forces converging towards her, with a couple of sizeable energy cannons on hover-pads among them. Ryoko could even see that Pretty Boy was still chasing after her, brandishing the Tenchi-ken and shouting what were no doubt insults. A distance behind him was the brat-princess, now out of her ship and apparently crying not to be left behind.
It was time to clear out of Jurai. But where to go? Ryoko shuddered at the thought of having to report to Master Kagato that she had not only failed to get the First Tree, but had lost one of the irreplaceable gems. If she could just lure Pretty Boy somewhere and ambush him, then get the gem back, she would be in much better shape. More, the Tenchi-ken would make a fair consolation prize. There were rumors that it was even more than a key for the prince's first-generation tree, and Ryoko had seen for herself it had at least one additional power.
Ryoko hastily searched the files on Crown Prince Yosho. He was only half Juraian: Queen Funaho had been born on one of those colonized back-water planets the Juraian Empire controlled. That was it! Pretty Boy would never ignore a threat to his mother's homeworld. And they had no technology that would pose a problem to her; Pretty Boy would be fighting alone. Ryoko found the coordinates and gave Ryo-Ohki her orders: best speed to Juraian colonized planet number 0315. What did the natives call it -- "Ground"? No, wait -- "Earth".
- - - - - - - -
"I blame you, Ayeka." Ryoko said quietly. "Yosho did what he had trained to do, and he did it well. But he wouldn't have got my gem -- in fact he wouldn't even have arrived in time -- if you hadn't jumped in where you didn't belong. Your ship wasn't ready, and neither were you." Ryoko glanced at Ayeka, expecting a protest, but the princess simply nodded. "It's funny," Ryoko continued, "when you think about it, things could hardly have worked out better for me. I met Tenchi, and Kagato is gone for good. Of course, you're here, but that's a reasonable price to pay."
"I'm not sure whether to take offense at being a drawback, or not being enough of one." Ayeka said wryly.
"But still," Ryoko ignored the comment, "it would have been the greatest robbery in the history of the galaxy. Maybe even in the history of the universe. And you ruined it. Do you know, for most of that time in the cave, I hated you most of all? For doing something so bone-headed. I mean, how could you not realize you were outmatched?"
"But I did realize it." Ayeka said.
Ryoko looked skeptical. "You'd gotten tired of the rich princess thing?"
"No," Ayeka replied, "but I had to go against you anyway." Ryoko's skepticism remained. "Suppose for a moment," Ayeka continued, "that Sasami wanted to go somewhere, and you had promised Tenchi you would protect her. Then suppose some tremendously powerful being, one you had no real chance against, attacked her. Would you flee, and abandon Sasami?"
"Never." Ryoko answered without a flicker of hesitation.
"Especially not after promising Tenchi?" Ayeka asked.
"That's right." Ryoko agreed.
"Yosho was my big brother, my fiancé -- and my hero. Ready or not, Ryu-Oh was the only second-generation ship there. I could not face my brother as a coward. Whatever the cost." Ayeka finshed.
"When you put it that way . . ." Ryoko digested this for several moments. "All right. From now on, you're not a moron, even if you're still an egotistical, snooty, pampered princess." She held out her hand.
"And you're not a parasite, even if you're still a sloppy, drunken barbarian." Ayeka returned. She took the outstretched hand, and they shook.
"Mind you, Tenchi will be mine eventually." Ryoko said confidently.
"I think not, Miss Ryoko." Ayeka's voice had no less confidence in it. "He has a destiny as a prince of Jurai."
"Prince, nothing!" Ryoko waved dismissively. "I'm the one he cares about. You can hear it in his voice."
And just at that moment Tenchi's voice sounded from the patio below them. "Mihoshi? What's going on? Why are you lying on the patio deck?"
"Oh . . ." came Mihoshi's voice in answer. "Let me see. That's right, I fell off the roof."
"You fell off --" Tenchi stopped himself. "Let me look. Yes, you've got a good-sized bump on your head. Come on, let me get you inside."
"I think I can manage -- oops, maybe I am a little dizzy." Mihoshi stumbled as she was getting up.
"Here, put your arm over my shoulder," Tenchi suggested kindly. "Once we're inside, you can lie down on the couch, and I'll get a cold cloth for your head."
"Well, all right." Mihoshi agreed readily enough, and put her arm over Tenchi as suggested. "You're being very thoughtful, Tenchi. Thank you." She was now close enough to him to stare deeply into his eyes.
"Oh, it's no trouble." Tenchi slipped his own arm around her waist to steady her. "You know, my schoolmates used to boast about who would be the first to hold a blonde in his arms." Neither he nor Mihoshi heard the sound of grinding teeth from the roof.
"Do you really like blonde hair?" Mihoshi asked as they made their way into the house.
"Who doesn't?" Tenchi replied, just before the door closed behind them.
And Ryoko and Ayeka turned to each other and simultaneously growled, "How does she DO that?!"
T h e E n d
Author's afterword: The flashback to Ryoko's raid on Jurai is based on scenes from the OVA, and also some of the ideas from the True Tenchi novels. If there are differences from the novels, I claim artistic license.